Thankful Thursday

Happy Thursday to you!

Let me ask you a serious question...

What are you thankful for today?

Better yet,

what is something that is hard for you to be thankful for?

Really think about it.

I challenge you to look for the truth and purpose behind those things,

and to truly give thanks for them.

Today,

I am thankful for my brokenness.

I am thankful that there is a God who is holding me through it all,

who is gently guiding and leading me.

A God who is teaching me that in my weakness,

He is strong.

I am thankful for the ways He softly speaks to me 

when I am desperate to hear from Him.

Via 

I am thankful for how God is using my brokenness to shape who I am,

to mold me and make me into the Woman of God 

that I was uniquely created to be.

Thank you God for my brokenness.

Thank you that You are so much bigger than

the hurts and disappointments of this world.

Thank you for this broken heart.

That it will find it's healing in You God.

Thank you that there truly is beauty in the broken.

Via

So now,

what are you thankful for today?

Crockpot Chronicles: Root Beer Pulled Pork

Check out my new toy!

Aint she a beauty?

Her name is Betsy and she's my very first Crockot.

(You know you're getting older when you parents

 start voluntarily giving you kitchen appliances and cookbooks for Christmas.)

Recently, I've been dying to get some time in the kitchen.

So I decided to have some of the women I disciple

 over for dinner and break Betsy in!

I choose a very simple recipe for my first attempt at using a slow cooker.

If you enjoy food,

I guarantee you'll enjoy this recipe.

Root Beer Pulled Pork

All you need:

1 (2lb) pork shoulder

1 (12oz) bottle or can or root beer

1 (18oz) bottle of your favorite bbq sauce

8 kaiser rolls

I added a little s&p to the meat.

Then I browned the outside of the meat on the stove.

Placed the pork shoulder in the slow cooker.

Added the root beer.

Let the root beer and pork cook on low for about 6 hours.

After about 6 1/2 hours I pulled apart the pork with a fork,

drained out some of the root beer

and added my bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce.

And just like that...

BAM it's ready to eat!

I sliced, buttered and lightly toasted my kaiser rolls.

Unfortunately, I had some famished dinner guests

and didn't get a proper picture of the finished product.

But it looked a bit like this!

{photo credit}

Dinner was pretty sweet.

But even sweeter was the company and the conversation.

I just adore these women.

Rachel, Kimmie, Kelsey, Brittany & Jenna

So my first Crockpot meal was a success.

And there is more where that come from....

more delicious recipes are on there way!

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thursday to you!

Today,

I am thankful for my staff team!

Jon, Ash, Heather, Leo, Jodi, & Erin

They're the best.

I truly love each of them.

And I love how I feel when we are together.

I think it's so neat how God has uniquely and perfectly 

combined us as a team.

 Each with our own different strengths and talents.

I am blessed by each of them

and I am so thankful that I get to work with them all.

Lord, 

thank you for the opportunity to know 

these amazing men and women.

Thank you for my staff team.

What are you thankful for today?...

Unending & Perfect

Today's been a bit rough.

My head is fuzzy,
but my mind won't stop racing.

I'm sick and feel pretty darn icky.

I'm currently unable to remove myself from the couch.

Things are looking a bit like this...

{image credit}

Actually, it's been a rough couple of days.
To be honest,
I've really been wrestling with God over a few things.
Things that I am learning are not in my control.
And it's been really difficult.
I've been finding myself frustrated, confused and slightly helpless...
not understanding what the Lord is doing.


Why is it so hard for me to fully trust God?
That He is in control.
That He knows what's best for me.
Why can't I truly have hope in the fact that He works all things in His timing?

{image credit}

The truth that I'm constantly needing to be reminded of is that,
He IS faithful.
I see it time and time again.
No matter how much I struggle and fall short,
His faithfulness is unending
and His timing is perfect.

Lord with all that is within me,
let me wholeheartedly believe this truth!

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thankful Thursday to you!

Today,

 I am thankful for bouquets of fresh flowers.

{image credit}

Naturally with my background in horticulture,

 I love flowers.
They are beautiful and intricate.

But beyond their physiology and science,

there is something I love even more about them.

They hold something special.
They have the capability to bring joy to anyone and everyone,

to completely turn someone's day around.

They are powerful.

{image credit}

One of the things I miss most about working in a florist shop

are the stories I'd hear about each bouquet I would arrange.

They all had their very own, unique anecdote.
There was not one story that was the same
and they never cease to put a smile on my face.

Whether they are for someone else,

for yourself,

or even just an addition to a room,

you can never go wrong picking up a fresh bouquet of flowers.

{image credit}

Lord,
 thank you for giving us these simple pleasures to enjoy!

What are you thankful for today?

Friend Spotlight: The Comforter

I would love to introduce you to someone awesome.

Meet....

I met Erin back in April.

After about 30 seconds of knowing me, 

she shared with me that she tried to facebook stalk me. 

And that she was unsuccessful since my profile was private.

She still managed to know things about me though...

Then she went straight into telling me she needed a roommate

 and that I needed to live with her.

My thought as I let out a bit of nervous laughter....

Who the heck is this crazy girl?

Well let me tell you.

Erin is now in fact my roommate,

as well as my coworker,

and most of all a wonderful friend and sister in Christ.

I absolutely adore her.

She is a gift from the Lord.

She has been my safe haven,

my sense of security during this foreign time in my life.

She is my comforter.

We've known each other less than a year,

but I feel as if I've known her forever.

We have gone through so much together.

She feels like my sister.

Erin is not that much younger than me,

but she is like the younger sister I never had.

She is always there for me.

To listen to me.

To comfort me.

I just love that we get to live life together.

I honestly don't know what I would do without her.

I would be lost.

Literally lost, 

I wouldn't be able to find my way around Orange County.

Erin,

 there is not a day that goes by that I'm not thankful for you.

For your wisdom.

For your encouragement.

For your tender heart.

For your comic relief.

Your heart for the Lord.

Thank you for putting up with me.

I cherish you, 

with all of my heart.