Merry Christmas
The picture above sums up this crazy year and is definitely a representation of things seen and unseen.
The joy in my life.
The imperfections.
The groans as my boys had to actually touch each other.
The silliness.
The sweetness.
The fact that one of my kid’s heads is getting smooshed by dad’s elbow.
The unapologetic open mouthed laughs.
The things that really matter.
The things that don’t.
Over this last year, due to some circumstances in and out of my life, my priorities have snapped into focus with laser precision. Things that have seemed really important in the past, suddenly, do not.
All of that is why, despite my best intentions and beginning of the year goals I haven’t posted to or been as present on social media as often as I had planned.
Why there are about 32 recipes in my “ready to be posted” folder that won’t actually get posted this year (or maybe ever).
Why I haven’t actually launched that super important email campaign.
Or grown my following by leaps and bounds (spoiler alert: I think I’m the only blogger alive that doesn’t track their traffic – please don’t tell on me).
It’s why I’ve put down my phone more.
Prayed more.
Spent late nights talking with teenagers instead of blogging more.
Tried to follow my heart and ignore social pressures more.
I wish I could say this means I have it all together and I’m never grumpy and my house is spotless and my kids never bicker. Ha.
The reality is, my vacuum doesn’t run as much as it should, I haven’t exercised in weeks, I still burn the candle at both ends futilely trying to hone down my personal and blogging to-do list (which often makes me prickly and ornery), and I often feel like I’m failing.
But my solace is that I really am trying to gain value from the lessons life is trying to teach me right now.
I guess all I really want to say is: despite my imperfections as a food blogger and my tendency toward over talking things, thank you for being here.
Thank you to those of you who “get me.”
Who understand my heart (and my weird sense of humor).
Who make the recipes and comment on posts (and those who don’t; I’m still grateful for you!).
And who trust me to really dial down and give the best of the best of the best.
You don’t have time for average recipes and filler content, and neither do I.
Thank you for allowing this space to be a place that I love to connect with, even if it’s on a slower schedule and timeline than anticipated or promised.
You have taught me so much this year. Your comments and emails and stories and humor and vulnerable experiences have buoyed me up more than you can know.
YOU are the reason I come back and bust out a new recipe blog post when I have time. I love your guts. This space takes a lot of time and planning and effort, but it’s worth it because of you!
Mostly, I am endlessly grateful for that family you see above. For their continued patience with me.
And even more than that, I am humbly and ever grateful for an infinitely loving Savior who has made every good thing in my life possible – and provided a way to get through the terribly tough moments with hope and perseverance.
Without Him, my life would be completely meaningless, and I am so grateful for this time of year when the joy of His birth and life brightens every moment.
Merry, merry Christmas, my friends.
{I’ll be taking a few weeks off from blogging and social media, but I’ll see you in the New Year with some amazing new recipes!}
You are a beautiful soul! I truly feel it every time I read your blog or see a new post on instagram. You make me excited to try new things in my kitchen, and for that I am eternally grateful! Bless you!!
Thank you for your post Mel. I absolutely love your recipes and refer people to it all the time.
I love that you are a mom above all else and are not afraid to express that. This is what the s so inspiring about you. That not only do you share fabulous recipes but you are a fabulous mother and your priorities are in the right place. I look forward to new recipes as well as your oldies but goodies. Have a wonderful new year.
Thank you for this summation; life is not a dress rehearsal. Despite the ups and downs my intention is to love it all! Happy New Year to you and yours. Oh, and thanks for sharing.
I am late to the party but still want to comment.
Not sure what else can be said that hasn’t been said in the 310 prior posts. You and your blog has been a precious gift to all of us. We are the ones who are so very grateful to you for sharing your recipes, your humor, your “how to” segments, your tips and recommendations, your heart, your soul, your life. THANK YOU so much for all that you say and do. GOD BLESS YOU, dear (virtual) friend to many. Happy 2020!!!!
Actually, the fact that you don’t have tons of filler content is what I love most about your blog! I recently deleted my Instagram and stopped following several blogs because I just felt like they were all constantly trying to sell me something and I got sick of it. I love your recipes and that’s what I keep coming back for!
Just “found” you and love your blog! Praise be to God for your taking more time with the kids, worrying less about the sweeper, and working on priorities. Keep pressing on with your eyes fixed in Him!
Best Wishes for 2020!
I am a new subscriber to your blog and want you to know that I admire the efforts you make to care for your family. I hope that you are able to take time to put yourself and yours first. I am a mother of three sons and now a grandmother – and I remember those hectic times.
Your recipes are wonderful and are delivered in such a sweet and neighborly fashion – I so enjoy seeing your post arrive in my email.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful family picture.
I don’t like those perfect food bloggers one tiny bit. Being imperfect makes you absolutely perfect for me. Because I do things like open a bulging roll of sausage, It was dated a month away! It should be good right?! I put it in the pan to cook it. Smells a little funny. Hmmmm. Husband comes in, gagging. “WHAT IS THAT SMELL?!!” I guess a sausage roll that is about to pop isn’t a good sign. That is who I am. A really, really good cook who sometimes does imperfect stuff in the kitchen and out of the kitchen. A real person. We all have issues. Those of us who can admit that should really stick together, because the rest of the shiny, perfect world will need us when their worlds fall apart too. Not admitting when things are bad makes us sick, You can choose to ignore bad sausage, but it isn’t very smart. Thanks for being real. Thanks for not serving us bad sausage, but also for admitting that sometimes sausage goes bad. (This is a really, really weird analogy.) Life is hard sometimes and it is ok to say that. I am not sure how I made it through this last year. But we did. We both did, God bless us. Enjoy your break. I hope you get one!
Merry Christmas to you and your adorable family.
Merry Christmas Mel! Bless you and your family! You’ve been a blessing to my family and to me.
Have a wonderful 2020!
Your #1 fan,
Jaime
❤️❤️❤️ We love your guts, too!! Thanks for sharing all the things with us!
Hey Mel, a funny story. I first knew about your food blog in 2005/6. We Georgians were stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, SD. My neighbor, and friend, Suzie, knew you from college in North Dakota. We started making food “by Mel.” Word got around our church about your blog and then when I’d travel home to Georgia I’d tell friends here about “Mel’skitchencafe” then my friends and family would tell their friends and family and it’s simply amazing how many lives and tables you’ve reached. I was just in Germany with some friends 2 weeks ago. We stayed with a sister of one of these gals, who is stationed at Ramstein AFB with her family for the next 3 years. We were standing at her door, donning gloves and hats to head out to the Christmas Markets when she mentioned she had just made, or was going to making some delicious thing from “Mel’s.” I grinned.
Far and wide, I’m telling you. Thanks for all the meals, gift suggestions and time spent. Well done.
love it!!! Reminds me of when my neighbor gave me some lovely cookie bars after the birth of my first daughter and I was like “OMG SO GOOD. Can I have the recipe?” And lo and behold – Mel’s. Which was already a favorite site of mine and I just hadn’t got around to make those wonderful chewy chocolate chip cookie bars. 🙂
I seriously love everything you do! From your recipes to your gift guides you seriously have flawless taste. I am so grateful for your sacrifice to do what you do. Love you! Enjoy your time with your sweet family.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Mel! Thank you for sharing your talents with the world. I appreciate your honesty, sense of humor, and love for your family and the Savior. Probably 90% of the food I make is from you and I appreciate your commitment to sharing delicious, tried and true recipes. Thanks for your example of focusing on what matters most – the Savior and your family!
Merry Christmas Mel! Please don’t apologize to us for anything. I love you just as you are. I have had the worst medical year of my life and reading your blog has kept me going in different ways hard to describe here. I haven’t been able to exercise the majority of the year, heck I can’t even run to the refrigerator!
I am excited about a new year and decade starting in a few days. I’m also excited about making your Dulce de Leche TWIX bars for New Year’s. Please do whatever you need to do for yourself and we will be here when you are good and ready! Blessings to you and yours!
You have a huge heart which you share so freely with your family, community and blog. Bless your heart that you may continue to share, laugh, giggle and continue on your way leaving hope and love in all that you do.❤️
Mel, I find what you do and what you’ve accomplished truly amazing. Your recipes are always reliably terrific and full of incredibly helpful details, your writing honest and relatable and your presence on video so engaging and endearing. I will forever be grateful for your generosity in sharing my blog with your readers, years ago when it was new and still finding its feet… and then subsequently breaking my site with the attention that flowed from it 😉 That was a thrilling day that gave my new blog a boost and a chance. The traffic was exciting, but your kindness and generosity was what really meant the world to me. Thank you for all you do and may the new year bring you all that you need.
Another first time comment here! You are the only food blogger that I follow because i truly feel that you are not phony and have real faith. Been reading your posts and recipes for years , thanks to my daughter finding your fantastic recipes. Please keep writing at a frequency that is comfortable for you and we will be waiting . God bless.
I have made so many of your recipes over the last couple of years. I tell everyone who enjoys the delicious meals that come from your recipes to follow you. I have never taken the time to thank you. You are my go to for everything I need to make. Every time I use one of your recipes I look like a rock star. I have cried as I’ve read your heart felt posts as they strike a cord with how I am feeling. I love that your family comes first and that you are able to carve out a little time to share your incredible talents with me. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas! I love your recipes and your heart! So much of this is what I feel, constantly conflicted. Thank you for your honesty and openness!
I have made dozens of your recipes and have never taken the time to comment and thank you for all your hard work. Shame on me because its clear that you put your whole heart into everything you post and share with us. I really can’t thank you enough for making me a rockstar in the kitchen. Your blog is my go to every week, almost every meal! Our Christmas dinner, minus the Prime rib, was all from your website and it was delicious! You never let me down! I hope you had the Merriest Christmas with your beautiful family!
Mel, you are a really nice person and seem to have more hours in the day than most people I know! You give to a whole lot of people, while keeping your priorities of your faith and you family first. I am sure there are days that you feel like it all gets flip flopped, but thankfully we serve a Father who goes way before us, knowing we mess up. Thank you for bring my family and friends in particular so much joy through food and community around the table. We are thankful for you and we all feel like we know you. Blessings in the new year and may the joy you have in all you do continue!
Merry Christmas to you and your family! That was a beautiful post! Thank you for sharing! Thank you for sharing your life, recipes, food, and thoughts with me through this site! I love it! May God continue to bless you with happiness, strength, courage, hope, and love! Joy to the world, the Lord is come!!
I just love your recipes. So far all that I have tried have been flawless! But more than that – I love your heart. May God bless you and your little family this coming year and remember to count your many blessings. Hope to continue to read your blogs and try your wonderful recipes. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Thanks for all you do! The great thing about the terribly tough moments is they make more room for the joy our Savior wants us to have in our lives!
I puffy heart love this sooooooooo much!!!!
I am also a follower who does not comment. I truly appreciate all your hard work that goes into providing us with such fantastic recipes. I have made your slow cooker turkey, sweet and sour chicken, coconut cream pie, and most recently cinnamon rolls. I am looking forward to making your mom’s freezer burritos next.
Thank you again for all you do!
Thank you so much for your recipes! We have several that are staples around here, and they are always reliably PERFECT. We have six kids and homeschool….so the food demand around here is endless. I love seeing photos of your family and that you are real. I just know if we lived closer we’d be friends! May God bless you and your family! Merry Christmas!
Such a great post. We are on a similar journey right now- I’m just not a blogger with any of those talents! I love your work and understand completely. I am also praying a lot. Raising a blended family of teenagers, stepchildren and semi- adults is terrifying on some days. I’d be lost without a foundation of faith and a Savior for encouragement. Thank you always for sharing you and your honesty. Its refreshing to live in the real world where things aren’t always perfect. We are all trying. Best 🙂
I think you are wonderful and now I am not sure how I ever fed my family before finding you. I appreciate your real life and your taking care of your family and the authentic and kind voice you have online. Merry Christmas!
Your post made me cry!!! So beautiful! Thank you so much for all you do! My Mom, sisters and I ALL use your recipes and they are always delicious! I am just about to make your cranberry jalapeño dip. Can’t wait to eat it! Mel, you are THE BEST!!!!
You website and recipes are so amazing!! I love your honesty and vulnerability you share with the world. You have an amazing talent that you share and I am grateful I found your website. Happy Holidays and I look forward to your new recipes next year!
Thanks for all you do. I am so greatful for finding you and your wonderful recipes. I have endlessly tried and enjoyed each one. You are an amazing human being. God Bless you and your family.
So crazy how so many of us “silent readers” have decided to come out of the woodwork on this post!! Guess I better join in, too!!
I don’t even have the words to say how much I look up to you. Truly. I have relied on your blog for years. I am still using the 4 recipe binder label printouts that you shared years ago, remember that? Desserts, Main dishes, etc. I printed them all out, put them in binders, used sheet protectors and section dividers with tabs… I even have the dividers with the pocket on the front so that I can stash recipes I want to try in there, just like you suggested!
I have recipes from your site dated from 10 years ago that I still use all the time. When I say you really transformed me into a Cook, I mean it. My husband loves to tell stories about when we were newlyweds and how I tried to make ratatouille and I used the whip cream from the aerosol can in place of heavy whipping cream. Or how about the time I thought you could use miracle whip in place of mayonnaise in funeral potatoes? Or was It even funeral potatoes….? I think my husband wanted it to be HIS funeral when he tasted whatever it was I made with miracle whip instead of mayo!! Yeah, I had a long way to go! I feel like you have been my personal cooking mentor taking me from my newlywed days to now——a mother of five. I have tears in my eyes as I think about all the things I’ve learned from you and how you’ve helped shape me into being more of the homemaker of my dreams. In a world full of phonies, you’re the real deal. You’re one of my heroes, and that’s saying a lot because that list is a short one for me.
Thank you for stepping away from social media and your blog for the health and safety of you and your family. If you never post another recipe, we will all survive just fine. There is more content on your blog than many of us will ever have time to make as it is! Don’t for one second feel guilty or obligated to give us anything else. You’ve already gone far above and beyond what any of us could ever have hoped to be lucky enough to come across!! All I can say is THANK YOU to the 1 billionth power. THANK YOU! Though I haven’t met you, I feel as though you’d feel just like an old friend if I ever got that chance. The world needs more Mels!!!
You are enough. Things will work out. You’ve got this. You were put here on earth to do exactly what you’ve been given to do and you have all the tools you need to succeed!! Keep hope alive and your hard work ethic intact and you’re going to be fine!! You’re right where you should be!! I love you, Mel!!! Thanks again for every little thing!!
You are such a blessing to our family and so many others. You have made me enjoy cooking again (which is important with seven to feed!). So glad to hear you are keeping things in proper order and perspective. Jesus first, family, others. I was only concerned you were going to hang up your blogging apron for good! Take the time you need, and remember us when you get the itch to share your wisdom. We are always happy to hear what’s cookin’ with you. Blessings!
Your thoughts are so beautifully shared. I, along with my four daughters also refer to you as “Mel” as though we too are your best friends. Thanks for being so real and for sharing from your heart! We of course love ALL your recipes, like every single one we have ever tried and also many of your game recommendations fill our game cupboards, but again today after reading your sweet post I realize that without really even knowing you I genuinely really, really like you!! Thanks for all your sharing! Enjoy your beautiful little family, I can attest to the fact that these years go by way too fast! Happy 2020 Mel
Mel, You are a frequent visitor to our kitchen! For our family Christmas party my daughter made your cheese ball and cranberry fluff salad. For Christmas day we had your small batch cinnamon rolls and make ahead breakfast casserole. When someone comments on how good of dishes, we just say, “Oh, that’s Mel’s recipe” as if you are a dear friend or member of the family. Thanks for all your great recipes and other tips and advice!
Merry Christmas! Enjoy your time away and celebrate that family! I’m kind of glad you don’t post new recipes every day . . . I can’t (don’t want to) cook every day. You have the best recipes – thanks for sharing when you can. Happy New Year!
Dear Mel,
Thanks for your post! I have never commented before, even though I am a faithful follower and your site is the first one I go to for recipes to feed my family. Your post really rang a chord with me. I have also recently made efforts to cut back on my professional life in order to put “first things first.” It has been a hard struggle, because my job is my passion. However, I know that I am doing the right thing for me and my family. Thanks so much for your words and example. Thank you for many years of great recipes. Your service has been a wonderful asset to my family, and I am way overdue for a huge thanks! Best wishes in your weeks off and new year!
You can take all the time you want, whenever you need to. I’m not going anywhere and I just consider it a bonus in life when I see you’ve posted something. I struggle with bloggers and “influencers” and their true intentions sometimes, but with you, I honestly believe you really want us to feel like rockstars in our own kitchens….and because of you, I have felt like one many times. My kids all know you by name and every time I make something new, one of the first questions asked is, “Is this Mel’s?” I LOVE people who are a light in this world and aren’t afraid to share their love of God. Thank you for being an authentic and crazy bright light. You are doing more for others than you probably realize. And a lot of us are quiet. Thanks for still loving us
Beautiful! Your priorities are in line and that is evident in your blog and in your recipes! It’s what makes you so successful! Thank you for being a place we can turn to, and for keeping the most important things first in life: faith and family. Enjoy your holiday!! We have plenty of recipes to keep us busy in the meantime!
I LOVE following your blog and always refer to you as just “Mel” when my friends ask where I got a recipe, like we are long lost best friends:).
Merry Christmas! I have printed out so many of your recipes this year that I just can’t wait to try…and yet they sit in my cookbook waiting! So while you take a much needed break, I will be trying some of these gems and enjoy the heck out of them! Thank you for your efforts, insights, and also for the delicious food this year.
Blessings,
CeCe
Merry Christmas!
Thank you for focusing on what matters most! Have a wonderful beak!
Mel–I have been a fan of yours for years and years. My family continues to benefit weekly from the the recipes I’ve stolen off of you over those years. And this year brought a new development–one of my daughters is now a fan of yours as well. She discovered this year a love of baking and now looks for new baking recipes from your site regularly. Your chewy chocolate-chip bar recipe is her current favorite. THANK YOU for being our favorite food blog ever! We wish you and your family the best this Christmas. We share with you our ultimate gratitude for and devotion to Jesus!
Hi Mel. I am one of those you mentioned that never comments! But I’m here with you all the time. I love your recipes. I love you. I love seeing your personality through the way you write. I am a fellow mom of five children with a husband busy with work and church responsibilities. We also have a small farm like you and are striving to teach our children good morals, how to work hard, and just genuinely how to be good humans. I too strive for minimal social media in my life as it seems to be more of a downer for me than an upper. Thank you for being transparent and real and cutting the fluff! It is why people love you. Merry Christmas and you enjoy that sweet family in the next couple weeks. Take comfort moving forward that we love you for being you and not trying to compete with a cyber world in which no one ever really wins. Xoxo you’re awesome Mel.
❤️
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Mel! Have a great time with your family You “rock it girl” on so many levels. I hope this coming year brings you and your family joy, laughter, peace and health. Looking forward to your amazing new recipes in 2020, whenever you have the time to post them.
You will never regret putting your family first. As you can see, they grow up WAY too fast!
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas! Thanks for keeping it real and for faithfully sharing amazing recipes.
I love your food, your blog, and this post! I always refer to you like we’re on a first name basis. Folks always know that all of my recipes are Mel’s. I appreciate your hard work of getting out great recipes – you’ve been feeding my family for years! I love that you’re fighting to keep your priorities as they should be. You’ll never regret it. Thanks for all you do!!