Our Furry Friends

Carolina wren

This beautiful songbird, a Carolina wren, joined me in singing to the Lord this morning!

 

 

Reference: Birds of Central Texas: A Guide to Common and Notable Species published  by quickreferencepublishing.com

Psalm 96

Praise to God Who Comes in Judgment

1 O sing to the Lord a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
    tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous works among all the peoples.
4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
    he is to be revered above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
    but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honor and majesty are before him;
    strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in holy splendor;
    tremble before him, all the earth.

10 Say among the nations, “The Lord is king!
    The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
    He will judge the peoples with equity.”
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
    let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12     let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13     before the Lord; for he is coming,
    for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
    and the peoples with his truth.

Reference: Biblegateway.com

Waning Snow Moon

Did anyone see the giant, orangish moonrise tonight?! Wow. It was beautiful. Two days ago, it was a full Snow Moon; now, it is waning (going dark). According to the Farmer's Almanac online, here is where the name comes from:

"– Full Snow Moon – February Since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native tribes of the north and east most often called February’s full Moon the Full Snow Moon. Some tribes also referred to this Moon as the Full Hunger Moon, since harsh weather conditions in their areas made hunting very difficult."

I took this picture of the moon rising over the pond, or tank, by our house. 

Guess what?

Guess what? Besides chicken butt... (private joke) my husband, Robert, is in a commercial on this website called Behind the Badge. It's a great charity that raises money for policeman, fireman, EMT's and their families if they are in need. He appears at 43-44 seconds. :) 

Question: What persuasive technique is used in this commercial? Answer by posting a comment.

Simple Chicken Veggie Soup

Simple Chicken Veggie Soup

1 box of chicken broth

1/2 bag of frozen chicken tenders

1 bag of baby carrots

2 or 3 large onions

2 or 3 zucchini squash

1 bag (or batch) of sliced mushrooms

1 cup of fresh spinach

2 tbsps. chopped garlic

1 tbsp. salt

2 tbsps. pepper

1 tsp. Goya Adobo All Purpose (Mexican) Seasoning

shredded Mozzarella cheese

Boil the frozen chicken until it's done - the tenders will float. Remove the tenders and set aside to cool. I scoop out more broth from this pot as needed. After they have cooled and you have finished boiling the veggies as described below, you may cut and add the chicken last.

While the chicken is boiling, and in a separate pot, bring the box of chicken broth and the same amount of water to a boil and start to boil the carrots while you cut the onions into eighths. After about 5 minutes, add the onions. While those boil for a couple of minutes, slice the squash, then add it. Now, dump in the pre-sliced mushrooms and all spices - save the spinach for last as it needs no boiling at all. After all veggies are somewhat tender (careful not to overcook), add the cup (or more) of spinach. After serving, add Mozzarella cheese on top and allow a few minutes for it to melt. That's it! 

This soup is great with corn chips - our favorite are the blue corn. Also, you can change it up and add celery, try yellow squash, or try other veggies like turnips or rutabagas - whatever is in your fridge. The trick is - no tomatoes or potatoes, as they totally change the flavor.

Time Flies

Time Flies!

This is a video that our son David made with his friends in 7th grade for Ms. Gandre's Reading class.

New Year

"Delight yourself in the LORD who gives you the desires of your heart." ~Psalm 37:4 This is my New Year's resolution. Well, the spiritual one. For me, it starts with being thankful to God and recognizing what He is giving me.

     Looking back at this crazy year that began with Robert losing his leg and continued with us nearly losing our daughter-in-law and grandchild to HELP Syndrome, we have much to be thankful for. Most recently, we have had fun times with our sweet family, our grandchild's first Christmas, our youngest son's 3.9 GPA, our oldest son joining him and sacrificing vacation time to work on the ranch, preparing to join Sacred Heart Catholic Church, witnessing the union of five generations as my grandma met her great-great granddaughter, and so much more. This year we also celebrated 25 years of marriage. 

     Additionally, we have parents who love us (probably too much at times); we work with great people; we are able to exercise our gifts in both of our workplaces (teacher and rancher); and we have friends who truly love us and miss us when these things keep us apart for long. What more could we ask for? Nothing but to be given opportunities to return the blessings and to delight in God.

     Yet, we still have our normal human struggles and trials- mostly just wanting to sleep through the night despite the ranch dogs barking or to have just one day when we don't have to clean up some kind of animal feces or vomit- BUT it could be worse. (Back from the rabbit trail...) In short, to delight oneself in the Lord begins with recognizing Him in the gifts of those He places in our lives- first of all, our spouse, then our immediate family and closest friends. A wise person recently told us, "You know, you and Christie will find that very often in your life, you'll be the only ones there for eachother. Kids grow up and leave and have their own family, parents age, friends move or come and go, and the same for extended family; but you two will always be there for one another. That's just the way it works." Thank God for that.