Sharing is Caring

I'm at one of those points in my life when I get it. (It's temporary I promise.) God has been working really diligently to make me understand what it means to share. He has revealed to me that sharing truly is about showing others how much you love and care about them.

Recent events in my life have shown me a little piece of God's great heart... And how He longs for me to act it out. 

In Luke 6:38 God says, 

"Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressured down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with measure you use, it will be measured to you." 

Being the fond of cooking gal that I am, this relates so well to me... The more cookies you make, the more you have to share, the more people have the opportunity to enjoy your talent. 

Listening to a trusted, close friend hate on one of my most celebrated efforts truly broke my heart. I was crushed to have someone I love make it obvious she was disinterested in sharing in my accomplishment. I left the conversation frustrated and hurt... But I knew full well God had a hand in this. I reexamined my goals, I rediscovered my passion and started a new project of my very own that went on to win a couple awards. As I thought (many times over and over) on the painful conversation, I first realized the importance of sharing. 

We are taught at a young age that "sharing is caring". With such a trite little phrase, it's easy to take the true implications of sharing for granted. 

In Acts 20:35 Luke writes,

"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" 

It is the heart of God for us to share in everything we do. Why does it seem competition, getting ahead, and being the best beat out growing, experiencing, sharing together? 

As you grow in your blogging, pay it forward and help someone just starting out... They're blessed to have your help and advice. As you grow in your relationship or marriage, pay it forward and share in your ups and downs with younger relationships... They'll be blessed to have your wisdom. 

As you grow and share... You will be blessed.

Who wants to share with you today? 

Who needs you to care enough to share with them? 

P.S. Are you ready for this week's Simply Sweet Ingredient Challenge? 

Get together your hummus for tomorrow's post!

Pulled Pork with Citrusy Slaw

J got a raise at work and I knew that it called for a little celebration at dinner. The only way to make a dinner worthy of celebration for him is with a barbecue feast. After finding this little recipe at Can You Stay for Dinner? I was ready to make his day complete!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 white onion, sliced 
• 1 pound of pork (I used sirloin!) 
• 1 package of mango salsa 
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup tomato paste 
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce 
• 2 Tablespoons spicy brown mustard (it was a little bit costly, but is worth it I promise!) 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Sprinkle of salt
• Shake of pepper
• Pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions: 

1. Sliced the onion and line the bottom of the slow cooker with it. 
2. Lay the pork on the little bed of onion you just made. 
3. In a separate bowl combine all of the remaining ingredients. 
4. Pour the ingredients over the pork, making sure to cover it completely. 
5. Cover and cook on low for eight hours. 
6. For the mango slaw, combine the mango salsa with a dash of salt and pepper. (I added some lime juice and minced garlic to add flavor). 
7. I cooked it on high for 3 hours and low for 2... It turned out perfect!
8. Once the neat is cooked, you can use two forks to pull the pork into shreds. 
9. Serve the meat on burger buns topped with the mango slaw.
10. Enjoy! 

And J, in all of his happiness, getting ready to chow down on his meal! 

Leftovers? Yes! I split the leftover meat into two little containers and had them for lunch the next two days at work... Tasty! 

It's a Family Affair

So turns out that getting married isn't just about J and I. Well, I knew this, sort of. But yesterday, dear sweet Mama Bird day, God revealed to me that J and I are not just making our own family, but in fact, bringing together two families into one.

Yesterday was going to be a day at the zoo with Mama Bird and her boys, J and I... Then his step-mom extended a dinner invitation to my family and I. J was really excited about it so I reluctantly passed the idea by my mom. (So often there are so many reasons... Baby Bear doesn't like to sit still through dinner and is a picky eater, the house would be full and noisy, Popsicle gets confused about what's going on and that can stress us all out... and the list goes on) To my surprise, Mama Bird said yes, let's do it.

And from here the night went wonderfully!

I have never been in a house full of so much love and happiness. We laughed. We prayed. We fellowshipped. We bonded. We grew, not as two families, but as one.

I knew J was perfect for me just six short months after we started dating, but last night, God affirmed that knowledge. He showed every one of us in the house that not only did J and I love each other, but everyone was enjoying the love.

"So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate." -Matthew 19:6 

Through the course of the next four months (and one day), God is not simply bringing J and I together, but instead, He is bringing together our entire families... A safety net where any man who should try to break us apart can become tangled because of the bonds between our family. I'm excited to grow more wrapped up in J and his lovely family!

Why, oh why?

Today is one of those days. Yeah one of those days.

My hair is just not right, not falling right, not straightening right, not going into a cute ponytail even! And I have been on a hunt for shorts for the last couple weeks and have found nothing that fits right... Since when did shorts mean borderline underwear?

Oh me, oh my. Bleh!

But, my little ray of golden sunshine, was the ACM Girls' Night Out on my DVR. I found two songs that I'm legitimately obsessed with and I can't stop watching and listening to them. Please tell me how much you love them!

Pistol Annie is definitely going to be one of my new favorite country groups! I adore Miranda's spunk and attitude... And now it's growing to three... Yes!

Doesn't Carrie just redefine the amazingness of that hymn? I have a whole new appreciation for it. And I love her even more (and trust me I'm a huge fan!)

Happy Friday friends! 

What are your Mother's Day plans? 

Less Wordy Wednesday: Girls Weekend Away!

This past weekend my dear Popsicle sent Mama Bird and I away for a weekend trip.

We loaded up our beach cruisers and headed for grand ol' Indio. 

Yep, the middle of the desert with literally nothing there. But this weekend was special...

Why? 

We had a date with Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood, Easton Corbin, 

Josh Turner, Rascal Flats, Steel Magnolia, Kenny Chesney, Joanna Smith... 

and the list goes on. 

(Yep country fans eat your heart out!) 

(classy bathrooms, just to set the mood for the weekend)

Shock Top + Cranberry Vodka = class.

(never did I think I'd double fist, but I did, with my mom)

Assless chaps. No more words needed.

Our rides into the concert with the bike parking lot.

Mullet. Boom, business in the front, party in the back.

Country 105 spoils. 

World's best kettle corn.

Young boy with cock hat on = inappropriate photo shoot.

Gotta love me some Carharts.

GTL gone country.

Spiced rum watermelon = danger.

Nappy time.

(Isn't my mom so sneaky?)

Absolutely inappropriate (for 2000 reasons) white pants.

Shirtless cowboys galore.

(I'm not promising they should all have their shirts off)

Festive pink heart nipples.

Carrie on stage in the background. 

Atomic Buffalo Terds (Jalapeno poppers gone country), fried pickles, 

and Shock Top = our diet for the whole weekend.

Kissing random drunk cowboy with random woman = totally appropriate.

Oh Stagecoach, you literally made our weekend and

 we are counting down the days until next year's bash. 

Please don't disappoint.  

I didn't die...

So I've been slacking.

Oh man, I thought balancing school and work and life was hard... Balancing work and life, time between home and family and San Diego and J, and finding a moment or two for myself in between has proven to be quite difficult.

I'm sorry for letting things go longer than I would like in between. But, I'm going to get back to it again. Some of my posts are going to be less words and more pictures, just to alleviate my feelings of guilt for leaving you all out in the cold... But there will still be recipes and stories and some of my thoughts.

Tomorrow I'm going to try out my first wordless Wednesday post... Or at least Less Wordy Wednesday post... I have some amazing pictures to share you with from my mom and I's weekend away at Stagecoach, California's Country Music Festival. Oh my, and by amazing, I mean highly inappropriate but guaranteed to make you giggle!

Here's a little teaser, check back tomorrow for much greater laughs! 

Yes, that is my mom and I on top of a GIANT chicken.

Simply Sweet Sunday Ingredient Challenge #3: Beets!

Time for challenge number three! Yipee! Things are still going strong and I'm just loving sharing this with everyone. The other gals and I are truly enjoying talking about our time in the kitchen with one another.

I'm out of town today, so I set up a linky just to make sure that everything was linked to without my help... Please feel free to enter your delicious little number on here!

Now, to my recipe!

Citrus Beet Ginger Salad

Ingredients: 

• 2 bunches beets (about 5 or 6 medium beets)
• 3 tangelos 
• 2 Tablespoons ginger
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Drizzle of olive oil 
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar 

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 f. 
2. Cut the beets in half and then slice the halves into quarter inch thick slices. 
3. Place the sliced beets in a glass baking pan and drizzle with olive oil. 
4. Cover the top of the pan with tin foil and place in the oven. 
5. Let cook for 40 minutes or until the slices are tender to a poke with a fork. 
6. Remove from oven and let stand until cool. 
7. Drain juice into a medium bowl. 
8. Add the 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, and ginger to the juice in bowl and whisk. 
9. Peel the tangelos and break in half. 
10. Slice halves in quarter inch slices.
11. Place beet and tangelo slices in a large bowl. 
12. Pour dressing mix from step 8 over the beets and oranges. 
13. Enjoy! 

And the challenge for next time (due on May 15)... 

Hummus! 

Now, it's not so much about finding a new use for hummus, 

but instead, making your own hummus recipe! 

I have fallen head over heels for all of the amazing hummus they have at the local farmer's market and decided why not try it myself! Plus you can use many types of beans to make it! 

Now, before I sign off...
Share your beet recipe with us!

Beginners who were worried about the challenge being too tough, this is the perfect one for you!