Goat Joy

Won't be jabbering much here - this morning I got a lesson in unadulterated havin' fun from the goatzees - took almost 100 pictures just to get a few good ones of the romp. It was wild and crazy fun on Buhlaland today - hope you have a little wild and crazy wherever you are today.

Malachi 4:2 (NIV)
2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.

Sunset May 16,2008

Psalm 19(New Living Translation)
1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.

2 Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.

3 They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.

4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.

5 It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.

6 The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.

Amen - at sunset last night it was praise time here on Buhlaland. The picture is straight out of a digital camera, downloaded and posted here -no human enhancement.

Chicken Soup for the body and soul

Feliz Ano Nuevo and or Happy New Year y'all! Tomorrow is our 8th wedding anniversary , amazing.

It is a little cool today so I decided to experiment with chicken soup recipes. Easy to make and you could freeze individual servings and microwave them for lunch this month.

Ingredients are in bold type

In a LARGE skillet heat two tablespoons olive oil,

1 cup of onion coarsely chopped

1 cup of diced carrot

1.5 pounds or two whole chicken breasts cut into small cubes

Add the onion, carrot and chicken to heated skillet and cook, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes until lightly browned. Add 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic, then 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves. Stir until the spices and garlic are mixed in with the chicken - keep heat fairly high so chicken will continue to cook.

Add:

one 15.8 ounce can Great Northern Beans - drained and rinsed

one 15 ounce can Black Beans - also drained and rinsed

2 cans (4.5 ounce each) chopped green chiles (about one cup)

4 cups of high quality chicken broth

Allow this all to reach full boil, stir in 1/4 cup of ground yellow corn meal and stir briskly to avoid lumps. Keep temp up , the corn meal will begin to thicken the soup slightly. Add sea salt to taste and I added a teaspoon and a half of white pepper - you could use black pepper to taste also.

We served this with a dollop of sour cream on top - DH and I each added several shakes of hot pepper sauce but we made the soup NOT spicy on purpose so it could be jazzed up if desired. Would be tasty to add some corn and/or a handful of chopped parsley. Quick soup to make and flavorful, smells great. The 3 of us had a bowl which holds about a cup and there is enough left for almost that again. So I'm guessing 5 - 6 servings.

There is something elemental about making soup for yourself and people you love - feels like nourishing instead of feeding. We finished reading the bible today (DH and I have a discipline of reading the bible through each year - starting anew on the 1st ). I depend on that time each day to open the eyes of my heart - to see the world in a different way. If you show up here (and few do!) I pray that you will be nourished in some way - making a recipe, enjoying pictures or connecting to one of the books,blogs or resources available here. Feliz Ano Nuevo y'all - it is almost a new year and I'm grateful for the blessings of our life - the fun, peaceful times, and I'm beginning to understand about thanking the Lord for the trials. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (the Message paraphrase)"Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time;thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live." If you don't follow Jesus - I hope you will consider where you want to be when you leave (as C.S. Lewis called earth) The Shadowlands. I'm not a gifted evangelist - I only know what a change has occurred in my life and that it definitely was NOT me who changed - I'm still Linda Sue though not a beta version anymore - the real Linda 2.0

Here's to food, friendships, faith and faithfulness - and you are always welcome to visit Buhlaland.

Can you see the Phoenix?

The picture was from a couple of mornings ago - can you see the Phoenix (bird) - wings are spread left and right, head is on long neck in the middle. I love the concept - rising from the ashes - renewed. Feeling quite renewed and quiet in my spirit today.

From Proverbs 31 Woman daily devotional today - talking about being contented - which is truly being thankful. We all say "Happy Thanksgiving" yet we believe being happy is dependent on our circumstances instead of being happy(joyful) with the Lord's true peace.

Paul elaborates on what to think about instead of our worries -- whatever is good, true, honorable, pure, lovely, praise worthy, and right. Many things can fall into these categories, but Christ encompasses them all! This is not just "positive thinking," this is "spiritual thinking."

That's right isn't it (BTW that was all from the devotional today trying to give credit where it is due)?

We are full , watching videos, football games and nibbling. Try some raw almonds spray with buttery flavored pam season with your favorite season salt. Microwave for at least a minute and a half. Crunchy, salty and lots of fiber - good for you and WAY better than chips and dip.

I'm heading back upstairs to family room - more football, reading and being with my DH and MIL. Can I fix you a plate? We've got PLENTY - and that is good in Buhlaland!

.

It is Well

It Is Well With My Soul
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Refrain:It is well, with my soul,It is well, with my soul,It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,Let this blest assurance control,That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!My sin, not in part but the whole,Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,Even so, it is well with my soul.

Horatio Spafford is the author of one of my dear husband's favorite hymns so I decided to do some googling. From a majority of reasonably reliable sources (the internet is a tool but not a gospel!)it appears that Mr. Spafford was a very active Christian and a friend/supporter of the great evangelist D.L. Moody. Spafford and his family were also active in the abolitionist movement (working for the freedom of those held in slavery). He'd had previous tragedy in his life (loss of a son, financial disaster from the Great Chicago Fire). According to sources including http://www.hymnal.net/ in November of 1873 Mr. Spafford planned to take his family to Europe for both a vacation and to help Moody in evangelistic work. Spafford was held up in Chicago but send his family ahead as planned. Due to a mid Atlantic collision with another ship, the ship carrying his family went down. All four of his daughters ranging in age from two to eleven, were among the 226 people lost that day. His wife was one of the few survivors and according to several reports sent her husband a telegram stating "Saved alone." He immediately left to join his wife in Europe. The captain of the ship upon which Spafford was traveling notified him when they passed over the spot where his children had perished. He was inspired to pour out his faith and grief in the words of It Is Well. Knowing the back story made it even more a statement of abiding joy for me. I often get high centered on that concept - that happiness depends on our circumstances but joy is an inner quality. Working on knowing that joy is my choice, can't always change our situation but can defnitely change how we choose to react. I am far from having that strength, but I see it often in a family from our church, the Ogles, struggling with years of cancer treatment. We hear from a pastor in Pakistan about how their church is embattled with violence and the chaos around them, but he has joy. Maybe one of the reasons we are discontented is we were made for eternity and this is all temporary. But is is well in Buhlaland and it is well with my soul. God isn't finished with me and y'all can be glad that He works on flawed vessels! Holidays are coming up - greed and pettiness seem to take root but we can choose to be joyful.

Autumn Glory

Definitely just an exercise in ego if I try to say anything smart or clever about the beauty of autumn coming to our little piece of Texas. Views are early in the morning, looking mostly into our back pasture areas, not as vibrant a display of color as other parts of the world - but maybe that is what I love, the subtlety of change. It is pretty this week on Buhlaland - but then I've said that before! Great quote from Jim Elliot : "Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God." Autumn is definitely the will of God - so live it up!

Rocky, Mikey and a Smile Break

The goat with no horns in this picture is Rocky - future breeding buck. His family is Mikey - the larger goat next to him. Rocky and Mikey were both bottle fed. Goats will occasionally reject a new born by refusing to allow them to nurse - we don't often know why. Rocky was a puny little fellow but persistent. He tried every "mama possibility" in the pen . After watching the sad attempts and increasing weakness of the little guy -we stepped in and began the bottle feeding process (not a decision to be made lightly - it requires at least a 2 month commitment and we usually wean a little over 3 months). Mikey's mother was only able to nurse one baby although she gave birth to 3. When you bottle feed - the kids seem to develop a bond as if they were biological siblings. Now- almost 5 months later we have a real odd couple. Rocky is smaller, not as aggressive, hornless, but to Mikey - he is family. Rocky always makes me smile - he runs to us - ears looking like airplane wings and making funny chuckling noises. Not far away will be Mikey -bleating like a small donkey - nosing around for a hidden bottle - he has not taken well to being weaned! Anyhow - those are the goat boys who give joy most of the time.