My heart is heavy

It has been a tough week here in Effingham County! This past weekend, there was a tragic accident that took the lives of 2 young 17 year old kids! Kids that were looking forward to their Senior year of High School. Kids that got into a car and didn't buckle their seat belts. Kids that probably thought they weren't going far or that not having a seat belt on was going to be okay. Kids, that didn't have to die!
I didn't know any of these kids personally and Stephie only knows their faces from going to school with them but it still breaks my heart! My heart aches for the boy that was driving and will have to live with knowing two friends died while he was behind the wheel. My heart aches for the families of these two teens who's lives were cut short so early! My heart aches when I look at my 4 beautiful children and know that one of them will be driving in a month!
Life if so short and no day is guaranteed! Grab the ones you love and give them a big hug!

Starbucks employees please pay attention

I would never say that I am OCD but I guess all of us have our little quirks that make us unique or maybe a little OCD at times.
Since traveling this summer, I have been getting a lot of Starbucks coffee on the go. My oldest daughter has observed that I am a little OCD about the way my Starbucks cup is situated before I drink out of it.

Observe below:



















This is the RIGHT way to drink my Starbucks coffee. Notice that both the Starbucks symbol and the drink hole face front. Along with the cup sleeve, it is facing front and the seam of the sleeve is at the back of the cup. This was even better when the cup sleeve had the same Starbucks symbol on it, because then I could make them line up and be PERFECT

As opposed to below:



















This cup of coffee is all messed up and undrinkable until placed like first picture above. I mean, how can you drink your coffee when it is obviously the back of the cup?! Not to mention the cup seam!! Goodness gracious this cannot be!!

So, Starbucks Employees please be more observant. You may have the best coffee in the world but it needs to be served in a proper face forward, sleeve matching, hole drinking proper fashion....okay, so maybe I am more OCD than I thought! :-)

Exuberantly Happy

This was my devotion this morning. Thought it was so good I wanted to share!!

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness.
Psalms 30:11 NASB

Bob Russell, longtime pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, shared this in a sermon one evening:

What if I asked you tonight, on a scale of 1 to 10, how happy you are right now? If you answered with anything other than a 9 or a 10, you'd probably go on to qualify your answer by saying, "Well, there are some circumstances in my life today that are less than ideal."

I'll bet, though, that I could make you exuberantly happy within twenty-four hours without changing even one of the circumstances you're living in right now.

But it would be a brutal twenty-four hours.

I'd have your lawyer call to tell you that you were being sued, that it looked like you were going to lose every dime you had. Then I'd have your doctor call to tell you that he's looked at your latest tests and thinks you have a terminal disease--you've got just six months to live. Then I'd have a trusted friend call to tell you that the three people who are closest to you in life had just been killed in a traffic accident. Then I'd have a theologian that you trust submit an article saying that the Bible is not true--that he no longer believes in Christ.

Then, after twenty-four hours, I'd say to you, "None of this is true. You still have your nest egg, you still have your loved ones, you still have your health, and you still have your church and your hope in Christ."

You'd probably want to punch me out, but you'd be exuberantly happy, even with the same circumstances you started with.

Happiness is largely a matter of perspective, isn't it? No matter what your circumstances, God can make you "exuberantly happy" . . . as long as you are keeping your eyes on Him.

Discuss
What circumstances are causing you to feel anxiety rather than "exuberant happiness"?

Pray
Pray for a deeper dependence on God, a greater contentment with His good gifts and a deeper compassion for others' suffering.

Hey Mom, Can I put up a FEW posters

Lexi came to me this morning and asked if she could put up some posters on her wall. I told her to go ahead and let her be. This video shows the FEW posters she decided to put up. I'm afraid this is my 8 year old caught up in some Bieber Fever!! :-)

Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers

Ingredients
1lb Ground Sirloin
1/2lb Ground Pork OR Turkey
1/2C Red Onion, Finely Chopped
4 Slices Bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 Egg, slightly beaten
1/2C Panko Bread Crumbs
3/4tsp Minced Garlic
3/4tsp Montreal Steak Seasoning
2Tbl Spice Brown Mustard
4Tbl Teriyaki Sauce/Marinade (I used Lawrys)
6 Fresh Pineapple rings, thinly sliced
3Tbl Fresh Cilantro, chopped
6 Hamburger Buns, split

Preparation
Preheat a gas grill to medium-high

To make the patties, combine the sirloin, pork/turkey, onion, bacon, egg, bread crumbs, garlic, seasoning, mustard, and teriyaki sauce in a large bowl. Mix well and divide into 6 equal portions and form patties.

When grill is ready, place patties on rack, cover, and cook turning once until desired doneness.
Grill pineapple rings after turning burgers, about 2 to 3min per side. During the last few minutes of cooking, place buns, cut side down, on outer edges of rack to toast lightly.

To assemble burgers, on each bun bottom, place a burger and a grilled pineapple ring. Sprinkle with Cilantro and serve.

YUMMY! We had these over Memorial day and they were soooo good! I didn't need any ketchup or anything. Just ate as is and they were moist, tasty, and so good I had to share! :-)