They grow up so fast, don’t they? Next thing you know it she’ll be going on dates, asking to borrow the car and telling me she hates me. For now, though, Sweet Tater Blog is just entering toddlerhood–the terrible twos to be exact.

This blog is my baby (well, my toddler) and I plan to nurture and protect her as such. That’s why it took me almost two years to monetize, why I rarely accept free items for review and why I do my best to avoid pigeonholing myself into one “type” of blogger. Sweet Tater is too young and too full of potential to know exactly where or how far she’ll go. So for now it’s one wobbly, two-year-old step at a time. Thanks for coming along for the slow and steady ride.

If you’re new here, here’s a quick rundown of where you’ll find me online:

Twitter: @sweettaterblog

Tumblr: So Damn Good

Youtube: Sweet Tater Talks

Email: sweettaterblog@gmail.com

Online portfolio: www.katielevans.com

In the grand scheme of things, two years is but a blip on the life radar, but the blog has become so ingrained in my day-to-day that it feels much longer than that.

It’s entertaining (and a little bit embarrassing) to look back at very old posts and see how the blog–from topics to photos to writing–has evolved over time. Part of it, I assume, is a natural shift–just part of the learning curve. But a lot of it also has to do with the fact that I’m growing and changing, too. No matter what, though, Sweet Tater will stay true to its original intent:

“Sweet Tater is a site for eaters, drinkers, dieters, health nuts, couch potatoes, junk foodies, gourmets, runners, yogis, friends, family and cats. It’s about food, fitness, eating, cooking, exercising and enjoying life. It is not about diet food, weight loss fads or guilt. I am not a dietician (yet!), nutritionist, chef or personal trainer. But I do love food, researching health trends, learning to cook and promoting an active lifestyle.”

There will be some detours and rants along the way, but whether you find yourself here for weight loss motivation, an excellent brownie recipe to get you through a breakup, video answers to food-related questions, nerdy food science experiments or all the cats you can stand, I hope you get what you need.

So to the occasional readers, daily devotees, vocal commenters and silent lurkers who have made this a stop on your Internet stroll, thank you.

As a small token of my appreciation, I’m giving away a set of customized kitchen labels and recipe cards from Bushel and Peck Paper.

To enter the giveaway:

1. Leave a comment here. Be sure to include the NAME and COLOR you would like on your cards/stickers.
2. Tweet: “happy 2nd birthday, @sweettaterblog! check out her giveaway here… http://www.sweettaterblog.com/?p=11264″ AND then leave another comment saying you did so.
3. Post about the giveaway on your own blog AND leave another comment saying you did so.