I had my mom do some digging to find a "real" #TBT to share with you today. And she sent me two that I couldn't decide between... so I'm sharing both of them. After all... it's my birthday. So I can do that!

My third birthday. I love the face I'm making. Who has to open their mouth like that to blow out candles? I look more like I'm about to inhale them. And those Beauty and the Beast figurines? I remember them so perfectly! Belle's arm used to ALWAYS fall off (once it broke the first time) and every single time I'd have my mom hot-glue it back on until it was beyond repair. My fourth birthday I even insisted having Beauty and the Beast again just so I could get a new Belle figurine. This I remember.

My sixth birthday. Let's face it. The dress is priceless. An abundance of polka dots and bows. I realized that if I could find a "grown up" version of this dress (altered here and there), I would probably still wear it. I loved (and still do) dressing up from head to toe. Note the white tights and shoes? Also, remember me mentioning my life-long friend Serena? She is the second to my right (looking at the picture). We're the only ones holding something. We had a multitude of texts and couldn't decide if we were holding Polly Pockets (the old-school-real-teeny-tiny-ones) or Little Kiddles (we couldn't remember the name of these-- luckily Serena's mom came to our rescue). Either way, I'm pretty sure this is the last birthday we celebrated together. Boy do we need to fix that next year!

You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, "No one sees me." Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, "I am, and there is none besides me." - Isaiah 47:10 NIV

It's so easy to get caught up in this mess we call life. To focus on the, "I am and there is none besides me." Let's face it: Who doesn't want to make it all about them?

I get very caught up in social media. I try not to. But it creeps in. After all, it's so accessible-- especially to those with a smart phone. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter... You name it. It's all there at your finger tips. So I upload who knows how many pictures a day and update my status and share links, and then I spend way too much time waiting, checking, stalking, and waiting some more. Somehow this ends in unwarranted anger towards people. Perhaps someone didn't text me back. Perhaps someone didn't like a picture I was certain they would. Perhaps no one liked my status or shared my link I posted. Perhaps....

Why does it make me angry? Because I get caught up in the, "I am."
(This idea I'm taking from Beth Moore's study on Daniel I'm currently doing at the women's study at my church.)

It means I get so caught up in me. Thinking about myself and how "wonderful" I am, how creative I am, or how original or how pretty or how blessed and I want EVERYONE to recognize it. I want people to humble themselves before me.

Wait. WHAT?!

Isn't that what we are doing? Getting sucked in to the craziness of this world and wanting it to be all about us? So where is God in all this?

Oh. Right. HIM.

Yeah, you know, The GREAT I am.

Sound familiar? Here I am getting caught up in the "I am" and forgetting the GREAT I am.

Oops.

No, my friends, that's more than just "oops".

What I so easily forget as I spend mindless moments on my social media plugins is that I am not for this world. Another amazing thing a woman in my small group said. I am not living for this world. I am living for heaven. For the days when I will get to spend all my time glorifying God.

But... wait.. shouldn't I be doing that now as well?

There is a simple answer to that question: yes .

I can say I'm only human, I can say I have flaws, but that doesn't excuse me or give me room to skirt away from my purpose. My purpose is to "represent". To shine my light and let the whole world see that I am not for this world.

I am challenging myself to take a step back from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and focus on the relationship that matters the most: My relationship with Christ.

Do you get caught up in the "I am"? How can you challenge yourself to take a step back?

A super easy and healthy dinner alternative to pasta, I absolutely love these. If you're a zucchini lover, then you definitely need to put this recipe on your "to make" list or Pinterest board.

I realize that I've started posting quite a few Italian-Veggie dishes... like my Eggplant Parmesan (and there's another one on the horizon). What can I say? I'm trying to cut down on the pasta and up my vegetable intake. What better way to do that than make a few substitutions?

Ingredients:

- 3 to 6 medium sized zucchini, halved and hollowed (see picture)
- 2 to 3 C ground beef or turkey (you can also use a meat substitute or sausage of any kind!)
- your favorite marinara sauce (about half of a typical jar for 3-4 zucchini, the whole jar for 5-6)
- 1/2 white onion, finely chopped (optional)
- Mozzarella Cheese (to top)
- Parmesan Cheese (to top)

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 400. Prepare a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.
- In a large skillet, combine your onion and ground meat/sausage of your choice. Cook over medium-high heat until your meat is cooked and your onion is soft.
You don't have to use onion if you don't want it!
- Mix your marinara sauce into your meat mixture and let sit (covered over medium-low heat) for ten to twenty minutes, if possible.
- If you haven't already, cut your zucchini in half length-wise and hollow them out making "boats". However many zucchini you use, you will have twice the number of boats (i.e. if you use 3 zucchini, you come out with six boats).
- Spoon meat mixture into your zucchini boats and top it with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Bake for ten to fifteen minutes (until cheese is melted/golden brown).
See first picture!

The idea for this recipe comes from Dashing Dish.

Dear Friends, We have survived the week. Boy has it been one for the books. All I can say is I am so thankful/grateful for my family and friends, and tragedies always seem to bring this realization more to light. Hug those you love. Thank God for all that you have. And if you have been effected by these devastations, know you are in my prayers.
This is Porter. Porter wanted to make some food for the people who might be sad because something bad happened (he turns three in June). Since it was a bit difficult for him and his parents to make food for those effected, they compromised by drawing a picture of food and Porter insisted it say, "God Loves You" on it as well. Such an awesome little man with a huge heart.

Dear Michael, Thank you for being patient with Mama when she had a grumpy week. We will try getting you to sleep in your own bed another time. I have learned that it is not worth the stress or craziness to do it just yet. Having happy days together is much more important. I love all the words you're learning (like cookie, hush, please, thank you, shoe, "tuck", veggie tales, and more) and love all of your sidewalk chalk masterpieces. Please don't grow up too fast. I'm not sure my heart could handle it.


Dear #TBT, I missed you this week. So, here's to catching up!
A picture of my Fabio-esque hubby, my curly cues, my gelled-to-the-max brother-in-law, and my forever beautiful sister in 2007. Missing them so much and wishing they lived next store (with my positively adorable niece) instead of across the country. Here's hoping it will happen some day!

Dear Ladies, I have had a rough few weeks recognizing beauty from within. There are times in my life that I struggle with this more than others. Thank you for being such wonderful supporters. Please remember how beautiful you are. Watch this video to remind yourself!

Have a blessed and safe weekend! Have any plans? Share them in the comments!

The idea for this post came from Ashley over at The Sweet Season.

April 14th was my dear, dear friend's birthday. We've known each other since we were five. Yeah. I can hardly believe she's put up with me that long... kidding (sort of).

As is tradition, I love to send people baked goods for special occasions... although I do have a tendency to send them just because or to let them know I'm thinking about them during a trying time. OK... I just love to send baked goods out.

I made these for her, because it was one thing she had *mentioned* when I gave her options she would like (of course the "confetti" was added for her birthday)!

Ingredients:

- 1/2 C butter, softened to room temp
- 1/3 C brown sugar
- 1/4 C sugar
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon.
- 3 tbsp instant lemon pudding mix (see picture)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 C all-purpose, unbleached flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp to 1/4 C rainbow sprinkles *just depends on how many you want*

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 375 and prepare your cookie/baking sheet with nonstick spray or parchment paper.
- Beat together your butter and sugars. Next add your vanilla and egg.
- Add your lemon zest and juice.
- Mix in your pudding mix, followed by your flour and baking soda.
- Fold in your rainbow sprinkles *optional*.
- Use 1 to 2 tbsp (or a cookie/ice cream scoop) per cookie. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the tiniest bit of golden brown around the edges.
- Remove and let sit on a cooling rack.


Enjoy lemon? Try out these other recipes as well!


Lemon Berry Muffins


Lemon Tea Biscuits
This recipe was adapted from Dreaming of White Chocolate.

This is more than a little delayed. At this point Easter was two weeks ago... oops.Needless to say time sometimes slips away from me all of us.



Easter


We really kept his Easter basket simple *although the Easter basket itself came from his grandparents, Marmee and Papa!*. Bubbles, two Easter books, a balloon, two activity packets (restaurant friendly), and a few plastic eggs with goldfish or puffs in them.


We had an Easter egg hunt at Michael's favorite friends' house... Clark and I think they're pretty great, too ;).


We tried to take a family picture and came out with this personality-focused beauty.


Our friends with their beautiful daughter Makenzie, who is two months younger than Michael.

The Zoo


Michael got the most excited about the giraffes. Nevermind that he was "hissing" for ten minutes after the snakes or making monkey voices the entire time we passed by a primate, Michael would not let us leave the giraffes. We stood there for countless minutes as he pointed and shrieked and laughed and "danced" in excitement.


Michael checking out the lions.


"People of the Forest". My fave picture of the boys from the day.


Successful family picture!

Hiking


Hydrating while riding with style. Michael thought it was extra funny to spit water all over the back of Dada's head/neck/back.


Enjoying the view. We live in such a beautiful area. I feel so blessed that Michael gets to experience nature and its finest. He kept saying, "bubbles!"


The best family shot from the day... never mind that Michael isn't even looking.


Explorers.

I LOVE eggplant. It's a new obsession. Much like my zucchini love. Last year on my birthday Clark took me out to dinner and I got eggplant parmesan for the first time.

I fell in love.

I can't believe it's taken me this long to make it. Perhaps it's because Clark doesn't really like eggplant, so I made this on a night when he wasn't around for dinner. Michael wouldn't eat it, either. What can I say... I'm surrounded my picky boys (relatively speaking, that is).

This could probably be enough for two people... but I must admit I ate it all myself. I was rather hungry, to say the least.

Ingredients:

- 1 small to medium sized eggplant, sliced length-wise
I didn't use the whole eggplant. I think I left out about two "slices" of it.
- 1/2 C low fat ricotta cheese
- 1/4 C onion *optional*
- 1/3 C spinach *optional*
- 2 tbsp Parsley
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp basil
- 1/2 C (+ extra) reduced fat Mozzarella cheese
- 2 tbsp (+ extra) grated parmesan
- Your favorite Marinara (I used about 1/2 to 3/4 of the jar)
- Salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Directions:

- Slice your eggplant length wise in slices about 1/4 inch thick. Lightly salt them and put in a colander for 20 to 30 minutes to release texture. If you're like me and don't actually have a colander, I salt them, lay them over a bacon screen (or something close to it) and let them sit. It works (sort of) the same. Use paper towels to dab and soak up more moisture after your 20/30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 450.
- Heat up (or make) your sauce.
- Place your eggplant slices on a baking sheet. Lightly coat both sides of the eggplant slices using 1 tbsp of your allotted olive oil. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, then turn them over and do it again. If you cut them thinner, make sure to watch them closely. Don't want the slices burning around the edges (some of mine did!)
- Mix together your cheeses and seasonings.
- Heat your other tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium-high. Add your onion and sautee until soft, about two to five minutes. Add your spinach until just wilted. Mix this in to your cheese mixture as well.
- In an 8 x 8 baking dish, or 9" round dish, or really whatever you wish to use, pour enough of your sauce to cover the bottom. Next add a slice of eggplant, followed by cheese mixture, sauce, repeat. Do this until you have at least three layers. You may be able to make more than one serving, depending on the size of your eggplant. Make sure you top it with sauce before adding extra mozzarella and/or parmesan cheese! *I also sprinkled extra parsley on the top of mine-- yumm!*
- Cover with foil, lower your oven's temperature to 400, and bake for about 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.

Let it sit about five to ten minutes before diving in!

*Use cheese substitutes to make this vegan friendly!*

This recipe was adapted from Skinny Taste.

Dear Past Week, You have been fun and stressful all at the same time. Thank you for the perfect weather.

Dear Next Week, Please prove to be not as stressful and let Michael and I get back to our typical routine. Let Michael start sleeping through the night (in his own room, if possible), and help me be in a better mood during the day (even if I'm still lacking sleep).

Dear Michael, I have had SO MUCH FUN with you these past few days outside.



With the weather improving, I know we're going to have a wonderful spring/summer spending most of the days outside. I promise I will try to stay in a good mood and not worry about the house being 100% 50% 25% clean. Playing and enjoying these wonderful moments with you is what's most important, after all.

Dear Readers, Thank you for all your encouragement and feedback this week. This next week I'm intending on sharing our Easter pictures (finally), as well as some from our family trip to the zoo. And, of course, new recipes.

Have a happy weekend! Do you have any awesome plans?


The idea for this post came from Ashley over at The Sweet Season.

I know I have several posts on my body-after-baby and getting in shape and clean eating and so on and so forth and so on....

Yeah. I know.

Part of it is because body care is so important to me. Sometimes you wouldn't know it. I mean, it's not like I'm some built muscular female, or a super thin model, but I do try to pay attention to what goes into my body. What's good for you. What's not. This is not to say I don't enjoy my pizza or ice cream like any other person. I just... I try.

But the key word in all of that is try.

I am not the person for anyone to look to when it comes to clean eating. My 100 Days of Real Food journey ended at about 30. I was so tired and got sick of trying to make everything myself and keep up with it all, that I gave up. I hate hearing the excuse that, "eating organic is too expensive"... but I was making that excuse. It didn't matter that the site has a budget-friendly plan... I was tired. Trying to get Michael to eat all these new foods (that are clearly better for him than his Gerber puffs) and fighting him on all of it was sucking all my energy, so I gave up.

You may remember when I did the one post on Made to Crave. I was so into it and realizing this journey that I felt God was putting before me, which inspired my 100 Days of Real Food kick. Well, exhaustion and taking part in multiple Bible studies and getting involved and making friends lead me away from the book. I stopped looking at it like a spiritual journey and thought, "I will accept my body, and in time it will return to where I want it to be."

Well, as we all know our bodies don't magically change. It does take work. Being active and healthy is a lifestyle choice, not just something that happens overnight.

Then I found this verse:
Photo taken from the Proverbs 31 Ministries Facebook Page.

Now, I'm sure that this verse has multiple meanings on so many different levels, but it spoke to me about my eating and exercise habits. If I don't take care of my body, what does that mean with my relationship with God?

This is where I was headed with my Made to Crave. Food is a struggle with me. It always has been. Since I was little I have battled over-eating and emotionally-eating and more. When I am in a hard situation, or have had a bad day, I honestly don't turn to God most of the all the time. I turn to food. Cookies, chips, chocolate chips, bread, juice... it doesn't even have to be something I really, truly want or like. If it's in the house, it's fair game.

What does this mean about my relationship with God?

It means I'm cheating on Him with food.

Maybe you disagree, and maybe you're rolling your eyes. All I can say, is that lately I've really been fighting this battle again. I have yet to figure out if I'm winning or losing.

The pint of strawberries and 1/4 bag of chocolate chips that's missing from last night to me says I'm losing. But that could be me being too hard on myself...maybe?

This is not a post about promising a new diet fad, or saying I'm picking up the "real food" challenge again. It's simply me confessing one of the hardest things I'm always facing: food.

Food. I love food. I love cooking, baking, photographing, and eating it. It is an indulgence that I always give into.

For my #TBT I'm sharing three pictures of me at my "best". Times where I was exercising daily, eating healthy foods, and paying attention to my body in general. While these pictures (and others) offer motivation sometimes, it isn't enough. I think keeping in mind that I want to keep my body healthy and available for God's use is, but it is something I must remind myself daily. This isn't just about food. For me, it's a spiritual battle. Choosing God over the deceptively delicious packaged foods that offer "comfort" when I'm struggling.


What do you struggle with the most?

I'm still horribly behind on my Easter posts. I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating the resurrection! I do promise to share our Easter story, but for now here's what I made for dessert for our Easter dinner with friends!

Ingredients:
I only made a half batch due to only needing enough for four people.
- 2 C all-purpose, unbleached flour
- 1.5 C sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 4 eggs
- 1 C canola oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3-4 C freshly shredded carrots
*optional* 2/3 C chopped pecans and/or walnuts

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 and prepare your muffin pan with liners/cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together your eggs and oil. Add your vanilla.
- Mix in your sugar and cinnamon before adding your flour and baking soda.
- Fold in your carrots. Do not over mix!
- Use 3 to 4 tbsp to fill your tin/liners.
- Bake for 18 to 25 minutes.
Top with cream cheese frosting and enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Wilton.

Clark's favorite cereal is Fruity Pebbles. I've never been one for the sugary cereal (ok... except Cocoa Puffs and Cinnamon Toast Crunch), but Clark complained for quite some time that I wouldn't buy it. To me all the sugar and all the stuff in it, not to mention paying for the brand name cereal, isn't exactly worth it to me.

However, once in a while we all deserve a little spoil. So I wanted to surprise Clark with a unique something that involved his favorite. First I made cupcakes/muffins, which didn't exactly turn out as I wanted. Then I made these. And I must say, coming from someone who doesn't really like fruity pebbles, these turned out wonderfully.

And if you don't believe me, my husband affirms that they're pretty awesome.

Ingredients:

- 1/2 C butter (1 stick), melted
- 1 C unpacked light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 1 C all-purpose, unbleached flour
- 1/2 C to 1 C Fruity Pebbles (depending on just how much you want!)

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350 and grease/butter a 8 x 8 pan.
- Use a handheld or standing mixer and beat together the melted butter and brown sugar. Add your egg and vanilla after it is thoroughly combined.
- Mix in your flour and salt (with the handheld or standing mixer).
- Stir in (with a spoon or spatula) your fruity pebbles.

Pictured is 1 C Fruity Pebbles- Pour/spoon batter into prepared pan and cook for 20 to 25 minutes. I put mine in (in a glass dish) for 22 minutes and they turned out perfectly!

Clark says these count as a "breakfast bar". I suppose since they have cereal in them, it could pass... but I definitely say they are rich enough to pass as a special dessert over a breakfast bar.

The blondie recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen.



Looking for more fruity bar recipes now that it's starting to warm up? Check these out!


Key Lime Bars with Strawberry Glaze


Blueberry Oatmeal Bars


Oatmeal Trail Mix Bars

This picture is from 1996 or 1997... I think. My little sister was about three and I was around seven. Lining stuffed animals up on the stairs was, apparently, something enormously fun to do.

This has to be true all around, because next is a picture of my older sister and me doing the same thing (well, the stuffed animals were along some kind of ledge... but close enough) when I was Molly's age (in the first picture). I'm guessing it's from 1992-1993 time frame.

Last week I shared that I didn't think #TBT HAS to be from a person's childhood, but that doesn't mean it can't be!

Happy TBT! Share a link in the comments if you have one!