I was in high school when I first discovered baked ziti. The melted cheese called out to me from behind the counter of Sbarro in the mall food court and I knew I had to try. I was sure it was just cheesy, differently-shaped spaghetti (the "traditional" dish of my childhood), but whatever it was, I had a new favorite comfort dish.

It never occured to me to try and make it myself until years later. Sean and I were married and we were having a dinner guest of the picky-eater variety. A quick google search later and I was trying the dish on my own. It seemed complicated at the time compared to the normal spaghetti I'd always cooked and grown up with, but the guest praise deemed it a success and a new recipe was thrown into our rotation.

I don't make it often, but traditionally I prepare it for dinner guests or as a covered dish for someone needing a meal. It's been adapted from the carbs-and-cheese Sbarro serving to a ground-beef laden casserole in my meat-eating days to today's vegetarian entree. All the while, the compliments came in.

It's just pasta, I would think. But it is different. Whether it's the extra time in the oven or all the richness-adding dairy, it's a simple,  yummy dish that easily pleases.

When I last made the ziti, I added zuchinni and bell peppers, but the veggies can be anything you wish! Other great additions are broccoli, spinach, mushroom, and onions. To keeps things healthy, I use whole-grain pasta and sneak even more veggies in with chunky garden-style sauces like Ragu that are loaded with farm-grown veggies. Plus, it's free of yucky things like high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavoring!

Just like baked ziti has developed a heritage in my home over time, Ragu has it's own story of tradition...and it's a girl power story. Read all about it here while your ziti bakes!

Don't act like your high school makeup bag wasn't a hot mess of a broken CoverGirl compacts

In that wonderful stretch of time where I should be out of bed and preparing for the day, but instead have chosen to stay under the covers while reading e-mails and scrolling through facebook on my phone, a particular BuzzFeed headline caught my attention:

23 People Who Look Drop Dead Amazing Wearing Brown Lipstick

Um, yes please I thought. My go-to makeup in high school was all brown. Brown blush and shadow pallet from Cover Girl. Brown lipstick from Neutrogena. Even the occasional brown nail polish. While my brand preferences have certainly matured, I loved wearing those colors and I'm thrilled to see them getting some love again (I still totally wear brown shadows all the time, but definitely haven't done the lip thing in awhile).

This gem? I can still tell you it was called "Country Woods" and it was my teenage staple.

While technically this was an early 2000's photo, you get the idea: brown. This is also where I say I'm glad I never did anything to be trendy because I've never looked back at my senior photos and been embarrassed by my makeup.

Right before Memorial Day, I realized I was on my last pair of contacts. Oops.

I also realized that since I finally have FSA, I could buy both glasses and contacts this year—woohoo! It's been at least eight years since I last got new glasses.





Before I could make it to my eye appointment, I had a walk-in visit at the local clinic where I was informed that I had pink eye. What? I thought that was just for kids.

Two weeks of wearing just eight year old glasses since contacts were a no-no made me quickly aware that perhaps I should update my prescription a little more often.

I finally had my eye exam, then took my prescription to a well-known "discount" chain that claims you can get 2 pairs of glasses for $69. I picked my frames, handed the lady my prescription, and... up and walked out of the place when she said my total was over $350. Or, $275 for just one pair. Hahaha. No.

I remembered how we used Firmoo for Sean's prescription sunglasses last year, and while I prefer to try glasses on in person, I could see that if I wanted a price short of highway robbery, I would need to give them a try for my prescription glasses as well.

Between their online "try on" feature and comparing the provided measurements online with my most recent frames, I finally chose a pair and clicked "purchase." I returned from vacation to a shiny new pair of glasses on my desk...with a hard case, soft case, cleansing cloth, and repair kit....all for under $100 ($61.80, to be exact in my case).

Would I do it again? Yep. And I probably will. I know it can be daunting, so to make your first Firmoo experience easier, they are letting one winner select a pair of glasses for free! Take a look at your options, and enter below!

I'm no longer a 20-something this month (say you'll still accept me, blogland!), so now is the best time to jump on the list-making bandwagon. No "30 before 30" or "Fall bucket list" here (though it does kinda resemble the latter). Just some short-term goals for the next few months:

10 by Thanksgiving

I remember my mother-in-law handing me her copy of Heaven is for Real one vacation. "I really liked this and think you will, too," she said.

I loved it.

Of course, all it takes is one story for a new trend to begin and a wave of similar stories to emerge, some true, some fraudulent. When I was asked to review 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life , I was skeptical. Did I want to read another "I visited heaven on a near death experience" story? Ultimately, my curiosity of the technical aspects of a man, Don Piper, being declared dead only to have a pulse found an hour and a half later won out.

What can I say? I'm a nosy girl. And I'm so glad I said yes.



Dying and visiting heaven are merely the intro to a much bigger, more relatable story. A story every person has in some capacity: working through a traumatic, "why me?" event, and finding the hope in it.

It's easy to pity pastor Don as he gets a glimpse of heaven only to awaken to months, then years of pain and surgeries. You feel his frustration at being helpless and empathize with the depression he is bold enough to share. No, this book isn't anything like Heaven is for Real, but it's definitely every bit as real.

As I do with a good story, I whipped through the account in a matter of hours before watching an early screening of the film version. You guys, Hayden Christensen and Kate Bosworth are starring as Don Piper and his wife Eva! I'm all for faith-based films, but we all know the quality isn't often that great. I've seen improvement lately, and as big names like these begin to participate, I have hope that these stories will be told in high-quality films that reach many more people!


The book 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life, already a New York Times best seller (I can't believe I'd never heard this story!), is on shelves ready to be read. The film comes out this Friday, the 11th. Take a look, and enter below to win your own copy of the book!

I'm back from a much-needed vacation...on my first-ever cruise! Sean and I embarked on the Carnival Pride here in Baltimore for a week of days at sea as well as in Florida and the Bahamas. I'd definitely do it again, and gained some great takeaways for when that happens:

Credit: Carnival Dreams Studio

1. The adults-only deck is more enjoyable later in the day. I have to say, the pools were way smaller than I expected. We tried to stick to the adults-only Serenity deck since we aren't big on crowds...but when there are over 1,000 passengers and the pool capacity is 22....yikes! We skipped the daytime madness and enjoyed the area after 5 pm when most adults were getting ready for dinner.

First day on board...and the only day we snagged one of the four hammocks.

2. Try the ridiculous foods...because you can. I did it guys, I broke my vegetarian streak of 2.5+ years. Since you can order whatever the heck you want and then some, I took advantage of trying some crazier things I normally wouldn't, just to see what they were like: a tiny bite each of alligator fritter, escargot, and frog legs. It's safe to say I won't eat any of them again, but a cruise is the perfect time to try with no risk.

Trying a piece of an Alligator fritter

3. Don't be afraid to ask. I'd read reviews complaining that the beds on board were hard. I didn't stress out since it's a matter of preference...until we slept the first night. Yep, the beds were hard. But, one request to the cabin steward got us memory foam on our mattress the very next evening. It never hurts to ask.