Inspiration for the Day

To My 16 Year Old Self

My little sister turns 16 years old today and I'll be 40 next month.  As I thought about what I've learned since I was her age, I was inspired to take a moment and express what I'd say to myself at that age.  Here's what I came up with...

This was me as a teen (might have been 17 here).

Dear Me,
Life gets better.  It also gets worse.  You'll survive.  Your mom knows a lot more than you think she does.  Try to love her back as much as she loves you.  Be patient with yourself and others.  Enjoy your uncomplicated life - trust me, it's uncomplicated right now.  Work hard and pay attention - your education is worth it.  Save some money every month.  Give away some of your money every month and a lot of your time.  Be a good friend.  Believe me, your thighs are great - don't worry so much about how your body looks to others.  Mostly, they're just worrying about how their body looks to you.  But eat more vegetables anyway.  Wait for God's best for you in a husband and never date a boy who doesn't love Jesus.  Protect your heart and your body.  Dedicate them to God along with your mind and He will guide your path.  God has a wonderful plan for your life, trust Him.
I love you,
Me

What would you tell your 16 year old self?  Be healthy!

Prepare to Be Over-run With Zucchini

Today is National Zucchini Bread Day.  Seriously, I didn't make that up (but someone else may have).  I actually think they should have this day mid to late summer.  Since it's the beginning of the vegetable garden season in my part of the world, I've recently planted my tomatoes, peppers, and herbs.  I'm  trying to decide what else to add.  I've grown zucchini successfully in the past and it's a lot of fun...plus a prolific producer!  In fact, I almost always have more zucchini than I know what to do with.  But I do love bread.  And I love zucchini bread.  Vegetables in my bread? Heck yeah! 

Big zucchini like this one are perfect for bread (and not much else!).

Here's a quick list of some of the recipes I might try with my future bounty.  You too! 
Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread with Cinnamon and Dark Chocolate Chunks from the Simple Bites Blog (um, yes, please)
Zucchini Bread from Smitten Kitchen
This basic Zucchini Bread recipe from Cooking Light - maybe in muffin form...yeah, muffins.

Of course, the great thing about modern grocery shopping is that you can (if you want it) get zucchini nearly year-round. It will be freshest, cheapest and most delicious in late summer when it's fresh from your local garden...but if you can't wait, I can think of a hundred worse things you could do than eat some now.  Enjoy.  Be healthy!