One Hundred It IS!

I'm a team player (playing on the name of our real estate company - Team Buhl). According to weblog etiquette on the occasion of my 100th blog post I'm supposed to list 100 things about myself. So far I've worked at this for five days (obviously not around the clock! I can take only short sessions of thinking that much about myself).


Grab your kleenex, diet coke and a comfy seat:




100. I've been divorced, widowed and married (not in that order)



99. Proud cum laude graduate of Humboldt State University - B.A. degree in Psychology



98. Miss Sierra Blanca 1966.



97. Was sitting in the library of Ruidoso High School when I heard that JFK had been assassinated.



96. Salutatorian of the Class of '66 - literally gave my speech, got my diploma and left town the night I graduated.



95. My first car was a '65 Comet Caliente.




94. Favorite pet as a child, our Toy Fox Terrier named Tiny Sue Lin.



93. Love various shades of purple but mostly dress in black or red.



92. Fight against a tendency to be paralyzed by fear of failure. I fight by failing a lot but getting back up afterward. It works - causes a lot of bruises but it works.



91. My Dad was in the US Air Force, we moved a lot during my childhood.



90. Costco versus Sam's - totally Costco.



89. Birkenstocks versus Crocs - yeah Crocs - washable and cheap!



88. I've lived in Florida, Kansas, Idaho, California, Texas, Colorado, Vermont, Illinois, and New Mexico.



87. Diet Coke Zero - carbonated beverage preference.



86. Iced Luzianne Tea for general cold beverage.



85. Black coffee at home, coffee with cream in restaurants.



84. Can't stand to eat okra, sweetbreads, or liver.



83. Dogs or cats? Both - if forced to choose, probably a dog since DH prefers canine to feline.



82. I have scars on my left palm from a severe burn sustained when I was about 3 years old. Embarrassed me during elementary school years - kids said I had worms in my skin. Grateful for total use of the hand, docs told parents I'd have nerve damage - no sign of it in over 57 years!



81. Classical or pop music- definitely classical.




80. Emergent, evangelical, charismatic or mainline protestant? hate labels for being a follower of Christ - have begun to put that in religious preference - Follower of Jesus Christ.



79. Reading - love it - bookstore - Mardel's. Thrilling to find good books so cheap ( I prefer real books not paperbacks).



78. Favorite authors - primarily Christian thriller or legal stories , Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker,Randy Alcorn, Randy Singer and Alton Gansky.




77. If I could only have one book - Bible.



76. If time and/or money were not barriers I would love to travel in Australia and New Zealand. Would want to explore coast line and the vast variety of sub climates.



75. I own 137 cookbooks.



74. Least favorite body part - stomach (as in belly not internal digestive parts).



73. Favorite body part - ankles.



72. TV shows NCIS, Survivor, Amazing Race, Dancing with the Stars, news , So You Think You Can Dance? !



71. Traveled in 4 foreign countries on two continents.



70. DH and I sponsor two boys in Bangladesh through Compassion International - best thing we do! They are named Elius and Bipul.



69. Despite a painful and long time period I was frantically pursuing pregnancy, never had children and I trust God's plan for me in that.



68. I understand there is genuine artistry behind hip hop and rap - not a fan.



67. People I learned to appreciate as I've aged, Johnny Cash, my Mama, Adrian Rogers, The Gaithers, real cowboys and anyone who is kind to me.



66. Least attractive celebrities to me - Madonna and Tom Cruise. I don't even consider those sad young women referred to on Fox as "pop tarts".



65. Favorite movies, The Princess Bride, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Independence Day, Men In Black, Sleepless in Seattle, Terminator, Night at the Museum (in memory of my friend Ellie)-this list always changes - at one time I'd have said Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein by Mel Brooks - just not there right now. Oh and the Bourne movies series - lotsa action.


64.Don't mind being alone much of the time, it is how I've lived and I'm used to it.



63. I deeply appreciate and have affection for different kinds of people, find them endlessly interesting but I'm not a good woman friend. I don't "do lunch", shop for amusement,don't like to chat endlessly about my personal problems ( or things I seem to think are problems) or exchange very personal tidbits (can you tell?)



62. I most admire people who don't make a big fuss over their pain - everyone has pain whether physical or emotional. Wearing pain so everyone has to see it doesn't make it better. I often remind myself of this - because it is easy to slip into doing it.



61. The best dog I've ever had was a mutt - cocker and Lhasa apso mix named Mr. Smiley Dog. His ashes are buried with my late husband. No offense intended to my current duo of canine companions - they are different dogs and this is a different time in my life.


60. I was convinced that my DH is one of the kindest people I'll ever know when he drove 120 mile round trip to take my dog to be cremated. Many people might have done that for medical treatment but once the dog was dead he drove him to a nearby town in a heavy snowstorm so I could take Smiley's ashes back to Texas with me.



59. What did I think I'd be when I grew up? A lot smarter than I am and I truly thought I'd have a bunch of kids and live on or near a college campus (first husband was a professor).



58. I accepted Christ as my savior when I was about 7 years old. I did not make Him Lord of my life until the past decade.



57. What do I most regret in my life? I have so much to regret but have begun to accept when the Lord puts it as far away as the east from the west - I don't need to dwell on things.



56. Favorite cereal - Kashi Heart to Heart .



55. Best location described in the Bible - Revelation 22: 1-5 (Msg paraphrase) I love that the Tree of Life will have leaves that are for the healing of the nations.



54. Worst advice from a wife in the Bible was from Job's wife "curse God and die". Her attitude isn't supportive is it?



53. Best time of day - early morning - very early.



52. Favorite flowers - roses - not the florist kind but the growing kinds. Roses are closely followed by lilacs - in Vermont there were hedges at least 20 feet tall of lilacs - when they bloomed it was a fragrance beyond description. Lilacs don't really do well here - so I substitute crepe myrtles and lilies - but nothing smells like springtime lilacs.



51. Worst subject in high school - algebra.




50. First computer - a radio shack thing my husband put together for us - with the two floppy disks so you could have the operating system on one disk and run programs with the other.



49. Praise heavens I'm half way through this! See - I'm easily thrilled.




48. Best thing I've ever done, anonymously help people - love to be God's hands and feet without the burden of someone knowing about it.



47. Favorite meal, steak, enchiladas, salad and a really good red wine. Creme Brulee with raspberries for dessert.



46. Biggest travel adventure - went to Costa Rica alone for a vacation (it was a tour thing but only one couple in the group and we definitely went our own ways).



45. I had my identity stolen on AOL about 12 years ago - somebody ran up hundreds of dollars in charges and I ended up having to pay about half. Harsh lesson but good one - there is no inherent evil in the world wide web - it is like living in a huge city - some good places and some places you shouldn't even drive through.



44. Favorite car I've owned so far, Mitsubishi Diamante - a V6 with a moon roof and leather seats - I love to drive that car. Not so expensive but fun and comfortable.



43. On a hot dog - the more the better - I love mustard, onions, kraut and a touch of relish.



42. The blog through which I was motivated to begin a weblog was Foodie Farm Girl -http://www.foodiefarmgirl.blogspot.com/ Susan combined photography with explaining about real life in a rural setting. It didn't seem to be so "techie" so I thought I could do this. Then my friend Rachel Chapman started blogging about her mission work (see side bar for Redeemed for His Glory) and I was hooked.



41. I attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins, The University of Vermont in Burlington, and graduated from Humboldt State University with my BA. Then got a teaching certification from University of Texas Permian Basin (called UTPB). Big whoop huh?



40. I have a college degree, am a notary, real estate broker, have had a NASDAQ license (no longer), have had an insurance license and a teaching certification in secondary level social sciences. Big whoop again.



39. Hardest habit to break - using "colorful" language. It was easier to quit smoking than to quit saying things I knew I shouldn't. Yes I quit smoking almost twenty years ago after doing it for 20 years - cold turkey - quit smoking by not putting them in your mouth or lighting them - simple enough?



38. My sister in law is the best crafter I have ever known - she can make anything with a hot glue gun, beads and feathers and silver. Sort of the MacGyver of crafting!



37. My brother knows trivia - when the Trivia board game was popular he was absolutely the best partner for a killer team. He has a Master's in history so made a career out of knowing when and who and where. I used to wish he'd go on Jeopardy and have a blast!



36. I've met Rock Hudson, Ruby Keeler, Jack Gilford, Patsy Kelly, Max Lucado, and Robert Duvall (he was not a good experience) . I don't think the few who are still alive would remember me.



35. My brother was an only son who has one son, who has one son, who has a ----daughter.



34. DH used to work for a company that transferred personnel a lot - between the two of us we've owned 23 homes!



33. I prefer to use the name Linda Sue (it is my real name) but rarely does anyone actually say my full name - hey you, yo mama, baby, sweetie, and Linda are aliases to which I'll reply.



32. DH and I spent two wonderful weeks in Germany visiting friends near Frankfurt - what a gift that time was for us. All the cliches about Germans and their cleanliness,promptness and loving a good party - true and fabulous!



31. I love being a Texan - it is irritating to a lot of people that some of us feel a unique spirit in Texans - incredible diversity and usually an attitude of "sure we can do that". Of course there are fabulous people all over the globe - being a Texan is part of MY identity and it is fun.



30. Greatest fear - dying without making a difference for the good of someone's soul, comforting someone else since I've been comforted so much by God - slogan on DH's computer is "God does not comfort us to make us comfortable but to make us comforters". A version of pass it forward. Less dramatic fear - claustrophic - do NOT like tight places.



29. Greatest guilty pleasure - a chance to lie in the sun and do absolutely nothing.



28. I have never gone to a single reunion of high school or college and I don't recall any real famiy reunions.



27. Accountability for exericse - http://www.walkertracker.com/ - pedometer website.



26. Hair color - without color it would be mostly grey but hasn't been "natural" for so long - who knows? I'll continue to color it until I mature enough not to have that one tiny vanity or it falls out. I used to answer the question "is your hair naturally blonde?" "yes - I'm from Texas - I'm over 50 so naturally I'm blonde".



25. I'm a good baker and cook. Not fancy any more - DH and his mother are not fans of elaborate cuisine - but cooking is a skill - I'm not over endowed with skills so wanted to list this one.



24. Sports - not a huge fan - like to watch football with DH, occasionally follow some golfers and live sports are fun.



23. No cable or satellite tv in our house - we quit years ago and don't miss it at all.



22. Best sandwich in the world - turkey on whole wheat, mayo, leaf lettuce, cranberry sauce and very thin slices of sweet onion. IMHO



21. Biggest surprise about getting older - it isn't all that bad - everything takes longer to heal, digest or complete - but age has it's advantages.



20. OK I'm SOOO running out of things I'm willing to post here - my reticence in revealing too much is also coupled with the fact that I don't think talking about my life is quite the pinnacle of blog journalism.

19. Church - prefer contemporary worship but occasionally would like to have a liturgical traditional service again.



18. Best surprises - not ever surprise parties but I do love getting a personal note or small gift for any reason or NO reason at all.



17. Most fun person who worked with me - probably Heather E. She is still a friend and has great faith and skills. or Mad Skillz per BooMama nomenclature.



16. First thing in the morning, I make coffee then after emails and devotionals I check a list of blogs - every morning - well except Sunday - we go to 8:30 am services so read our scriptures on Saturday am so we don't get behind.



15. My Dad was born and raised in Wyoming. His family lived in a log cabin - literally - with dirt floors. Their land was on the Little Big Horn River (yep - General Custer's final stomping grounds).



14. My Mom was born in Oklahoma but raised in the area of Cleburne, Texas.



13. Least favorite household chore - cleaning! I love to do laundry and cook but aaargh I hate the basics of vacuuming, washing floors, washing windows - that kind of thing. I pick up so it isn't cluttered, and when I do clean - it is a manic event with me tearing up everything and scrubbing behind under and over it all!



12. Favorite Holiday - Easter - I love the springtime and full religious significance of the resurrection of the Savior. We sometimes have as many as 45 people here for a buffet brunch and enormous egg hunt in the pastures. Then DH finds plastic eggs all summer by hitting them with a mower!



11. Hymn - How Great Thou Art - I remember hearing it when I was a child - sung by George Beverly Shea in a stadium in California at a Billy Graham rally. I don't recall many specific events in my childhood - it is mostly a pleasant general memory -but I recall that music so specifically.



10. Home Stretch now - jobs I've had - worked at a Dairy Queen, an ice cream shoppe, baby sat for a jockey and his horse trainer wife, worked at the college newspaper office doing layouts, worked in a college transcript office, worked in a medical clinic in records, intake clerk in an emergency room, secondary level school teacher, college bookstore textbook clerk, cook and server for a catering company, sales rep for an office furniture company,veterinary assistant,photography studio manager (worst job I had) real estate agent and broker, cook and kitchen coordinator for a church! Ta Da! Lots of jobs in lots of cities across the country - following husbands and heart and family.



9. People I most want to meet in heaven - in addition to my family of course - Ruth Graham Bell, Esther, Abel, Job, Rahab - I'm sure once we're there the list will change because there will be people we never heard of nor dreamt - but for now that is my list.



8. Biggest lie I tell myself - that I am doing the best I can all the time.



7. Love zoos - zoos and aquariums. That would be a great world tour - go to all the great zoos and aquariums of the world!



6. Used to have 5 aquariums largest was 125 gallons and smallest was 20 gallons. All fresh water with live plants. I was in an Aquarium Society in West Texas.



5. I like online better (usually) than in person because I can edit what I say - don't have a functioning delete button in my brain when I'm IRL.



4. Biggest peeve --smoking - hate the smell so much it makes me ill. Embarrassed that I smelled like that for almost 20 years!

3. Don't like confrontation -have just edited out 5 different explanations and figured - I'll just leave it alone,I don't like it.
2. Blogging gives me a chance to connect with people in a unique way - people all over the world. I like that - although far from a "one world" person politically - I have always had a strong interest in how people live - and deeply know that we are all just people.

Number one - numero uno - the final thing in this far too involved with myself task. TA DA!
For those who haven't seen me- I begrudgingly post this picture taken about two weeks ago! I'm waving at y'all - I really do love having you visit me and tell me about yourself too!










If you've read all this - God bless you and I'm not writing anything personal again.

Number 99

Not a whole lot I can say today - feeling very pressed for time. Had this clever little post ready to go but not "feelin' it" today. MIL at hospital after a minor (?) procedure and we need to head back into the big city and see when she gets to come home. Currently in a mode of doing what has to get done and everything else seems to be in a collateral damage area. Life gets like that some times - best part is never stays that way. Change is about the only constant we have (other than a faithful God) - like the weather, all you have to do is wait a bit and it'll change.
Harried in Buhlaland - but better here than anywhere else I've been.

Hi!

In an attempt to be clever I took a self portrait yesterday while in the back pasture. I'm waving hello. Evaluating things with that first of a new year almost my birthday ruminative mindset. Still working through issues about church, unsure about the directions it is going but not feeling any pull to go elsewhere. One of the blogs I check on has been discussing issues within the Southern Baptist Convention and tensions over baptism, private prayer languages and who can or can't do what. While an internal denominational issue, since they are one of the largest protestant denominations they influence many people. Seems to me - we as 21st century Christians are not seeing a clear outline of our faith (like calling my goofy picture a self portrait- you didn't think I'd be able to tie this to anything did you? HA!) because we obscure scriptural commandments, direction and admonitions with man made rules. A person can take from scripture and decide "hey - you aren't allowed to wear braids"because of 1 Timothy 9:9. Problem comes when interpretation ignores context -Paul was directing women to clothe themselves with good deeds as is appropriate for women of God. He wasn't giving fashion instruction - be decently covered but primarily cover yourself up with what is good.

I am perplexed at how we take the love of Christ and turn it into an industry, marketing system, and scale for judging everyone else. Finished reading McManus'"The Barbarian Way" and still digesting that - my basic reaction is we become church ladies (Dana Carvey's cutting character on SNL)too easily. Certainly we should use discernment but that isn't even in the ballpark with being judgmental. Our love of God allows us to be free, less worried about tomorrow. We know how things will turn out but we continue to fret the small stuff. OK this is a big 180 away from my pets and recipes - I said in the beginning I was working through spiritual issues in my life, the blog was to serve as a discipline.

Counting down to the 100th blog - this is number 98 if I didn't get confuzzled about when this post will appear. I don't think there are 100 things about me worthy of putting in writing but I might include the ingredients for bread or something.

In my rantings - I have to conclude 1 Corinthians 13:13 means "love trumps everything"

In Buhlaland the current plan is to love extravagantly it is never wasted.

Dog days of winter

Conan the Destroyer is the smaller of our two rat terrorists. Corazon is going to be 10 years old this year. A perfect day includes laying in the sun on carpet where they can watch whatever is happening in the house. Then going for a long walk with DH - wandering all over the pasture checking on smells. Aha - Corey thinks she's found something special - oh dear - get away from that Corey. (she tends to find vile, dead type things).

While dog days of summer are in August - dog days of Buhlaland are every day - lots to smell, plenty to eat, a warm spot for a nap, stuff to bark about and most of all people to love. Sounds like a good life doesn't it? Proverbs 17:22 (the Message paraphrase)"A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired"Our dogs are tirelessly cheerful - and good for everyone's health on Buhlaland.

100th Blog post will be soon!

Apparently that is a big deal - 100 blog posts. Seems like I've gone on about most everything but I'm sure that I'll find something to post - tonight I put up numbers 95 and 96. What kind of blogo madness could ensue with #99 to 100? In Buhlaland ya just never know - could be fun though!

A scripture verse in honor of a friend ministering in Pakistan who like Paul is ". . .hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 nd letter to the Corinthians chapter 4: 8-9. Asif(just read this again - the person's name is Asif - I'm not saying As If) we are praying for you, Paul went on to say "All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." amen and amen

Does oatmeal make it healthy?

Ah my dear DH - he is a smart man and a wise guy some days! I made what we call Ethel's cake - MIL fave. Simple old fashioned cake. But I don't think the oatmeal offsets the stick of butter! As usual - ingredients are in bold - be bold and make this cake - but don't pretend the oatmeal makes it anything but delicious!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9X13 cake pan.

To 1 1/4 cups boiling water add 1 cup quick cooking oats and two teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Cream together 1/2 cup (one stick) of butter, 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 2 eggs. Beat until fluffy. Add 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda to sugar mixture and stir in. Add softened oats mixture - beat until well combined. Pour batter (it will be very runny - don't panic) into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes and test for doneness. Remove cake from oven and turn on the broiler.

In a saucepan, combine 3 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons milk, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, 3/4 cup flaked coconut and 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts. Heat until melted, pour over warm cake (you'll need to spread it around a bit) and put under broiler for 2-3 minutes until it bubbles and turns a golden brown.

Eat - obviously it is eaten quickly - at least if photos are evidence!

Good eats tonight on Buhlaland!

Bits of leftover Christmas

All these things are packed away now - the sand dollar ornament was given to DH and I when we owned a B&B in Colorado - very sweet woman blessed us with her presence and then a present also. Don't understand the significance of the dill pickle ornament but MIL felt we needed one - part of a German tradition for Christmas.

The last picture of my beloved Seal cat - he died last week. Seal liked laying in the sunshine under the Christmas tree and was scolding me for interrupting his nap with my silly camera. Yep - nothing more interesting to the random blog reader than a tribute to some woman's cat. Sorry but he was important to me and as I've said, I blog primarily for my own interests and expression. It is great when someone else likes a picture or something I've included so I appreciate any one who stops by, but sometimes, it is just for me. That's how it goes on Buhlaland - not often, but today.

Beauty is such a blessing

Amaryllis plants remind me of my mama,we used to

give a potted bulb to each other most years. I bought two bulbs just before Christmas so they didn't bloom by the 26th. But here it is, the letdown time after Christmas and we are graced with four huge blooms. I'll keep taking pictures of them and changing them out - a solid red plant is about to bloom also. I know it is easy to take the cheap shot and point out that I'm kind of a blooming idjit but really - my mama also said that if you can't say anything nice it is because you aren't trying hard enough. Proverbs 15:1

The botanical and behavioral lesson from Buhlaland.

Oops!

Just a note to say a post was deleted by accident - it wasn't anything earthshaking (an understatement when speaking of my blog). Have had a rough week - the high (or low?) lights included a vicious virus, passing of a beloved pet and some business things not going well. BUT - the good thing is - I'm feeling better, I had some great years with my pet and business can get better.

Found a picture I hadn't posted of pearlescent clouds one evening. I still am not over the fact that I get to live in a place I love so much. I'm here in Buhlaland until the Lord's plan has me elsewhere.