Fantastic Sibling Moments Post#12: Mouse Invasion?

It was a dark and stormy night...

Okay, actually, it was nearly 10 p.m. and I had just finished my nightly Bible reading and was about to turn out the lights. All of the sudden, I heard shrieks in the hallway by Gubby (13), Mini-man (11), and Mozzarella (18). Gubby and Mini-man were more "yelling" in a "manly" tone of voice, and Mozzarella was doing most of the shrieking. Following the initial commotion, the following took place:

Mozzarella: "He's right there! Eek!!!!
:momentary inteligible exclamations and shrieks:
Mozzarella and Mini-man: "He went into Sonia's room!"
Me: "...Sigh..."

Then, Mini-man burst in with a hammer, followed by Gubby with some sort of contraption (a rolled up paper plate?), Dad with a large stick, and Mozzarella with her drama. Apparently, there was a shrew.

Note: our bedrooms are on the ground level, so every once in a while a critter such as a mouse or a shrew, sneaks into our house (but don't worry, we get rid of them pretty quick!).

Fantastic Sibling Moments Post #11: Crawdad Invasion?

Gubby (13) and Mini-man (10) recently acquired some "pet" crawdads on a recent trip to the "ditch" down the road. They put the crawdads in a tank (where they've survived for a couple of weeks now). A couple days after the crawdads were relocated to our home, I headed upstairs around 7 a.m. to grab breakfast before work and found this sticky on the fridge:

The above was all good and fun; the next evening after work, however, was not. I had a break from studying and decided I could (finally!) start scrap-booking our recent trip to the East Coast. As I reached up into my closet to grab supplies, a box and some other things fell down. No big deal. 

Until I looked down and discovered a crawdad at my feet. Belly-up. Dead as a door nail. He looked similar to a giant spider. I may or may not have freaked out a little bit...My room is downstairs and the crawdads live upstairs. Not. Cool. 

Gubby, Mini-man, and the rest of the family were quite amused, but, while I could appreciate the humor of the situation in the back of my mind, it wasn't really funny. Imagine finding a dead spider-like monster on your floor? 

We figured they one of them must have escaped upon their arrival and snuck downstairs, only to dry out and be discovered by me several days later. 

We haven't discovered any more runaway crawdads since these two events, thankfully. Unless they're hiding in my room, just waiting to attack.

When The Cowboy Who Doesn't Like Cows Joined Our Family

I really wish I were better at blogging on a more regular basis; it would make life so much easier. I mean, by the time I actually decide to write a blog post, I have so many things I could post about that half the time I give up in despair because I can't choose.Then, after several weeks (or months) of procrastination and general busyness, I decide on a topic (or three or four), but it's right at bed time, so I decide to leave it for the next day.

For example, after composing the above paragraph, I decided I was too tired to finish this post and went to bed. Then, yesterday, I occupied myself with other activities. It is now day three of this post (actually day four now...cough), and I haven't even started writing it yet. None of this is with the intent of complaining; on the contrary,  I enjoy blogging (otherwise I wouldn't do it!)! I'm simply a lazy, scatter-brained blogger(ish) crazy lady with excellent procrastination skills.

That said, the last few months have been loaded with activities! First and foremost (and the topic of this post), Clari got MARRIED to"Mr. Finally," whom shall henceforth be referred to as "The Cowboy Who Doesn't Like Cows," or "Cowboy" for short. 

Truly, Clari and Cowboy's wedding was simply beautiful and Christ's name was lifted high. It was an unforgettable day. 

Officially Mr. and Mrs.!

 Sisters, always and forever. <3 p="">

So thankful for this wonderful Daddy we have.

Bridal Party!

They are pretty much the most adorable and happy couple I've ever seen...

 Clari and Gubby (13)

Bridesmaids.

Family! It was extremely cold outside, and here you can see various individuals either trying to keep themselves or others warm. Left to Right: Mini-man (10), Sweet-Pea (16), Polly-Wog (19), Squish (3), me, Mozzarella (17), Mom, and Dad.

Family is forever. Although size is a growing variable.


(Photo-credit to Kalahan Kayla Photography)

He Must Increase, but I Must Decrease

"He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30, NASB)

That passage has been on my mind a lot as of late. It is so convicting and so, so true. 

Over the past few months, I have had a lot of positive feedback about my performance, work ethic, and attitude from the my boss, the staff, and the attorneys at work (for anyone who does not know, I work at a law firm). 

When I hear this, I feel so flattered, but also fearful and convicted. Flattered that they see these positive attributes and characteristics in me. Fearful that I will not live up to their expectations. Convicted because I am tempted, and the world encourages me, to think it's my own ability and skills that have brought about these results. The truth is, it is only from Christ.  

I've been struggling with questions such as, "How do I make them know it's HIM and not me? How do I continue to perform well and yet not exalt myself? Why is HE showing me so much grace? Why don't people respond when I share the gospel with them? How can I make them believe?"

These questions all have one simple answer: Christ. He reveals Himself to whom He reveals Himself; He is glorified through things in which we do not think are glorifying; He shows grace to those who don't deserve it; He plants seeds we may never see grow into plants; He gives faith and understanding of His saving grace to those who call upon His Name. 

2 Timothy 2:11-13 is a truly wondrous passage:

"It is a trustworthy statement:

            For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;

      12If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
            If we deny Him, He also will deny us;

      13If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself." (NASB, italics mine)

Philippians 4:4-9:

" 4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

      8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." (NASB)

Oh, for grace to trust Him more!

Hold fast to Jesus!

Sonia

Fantastic Sibling Moments Post #10: "Bored, Board Certified"

Yesterday after church we had (blissfully) quiet afternoon, and Mini-man (10) was not quite able to appreciate it...

Mini-man: "I'm bored."
Me: "..."
Mini-man: "...I'm a board certified surgeon."
Me: "ohkk..in what area of medicine?"
Mini-man, after thinking for a moment: "Tuberculosis." 

This conversation was odd on so many fronts. But I love my Mini-man.

My Latest Casual Friday Morning Preperations...Or Failure Thereof.

Friday morning I woke up, exhausted. There is no way it's time to get up yet, I said to myself. Groping for my phone, I saw that it was not time to get up; it was five minutes past my second alarm. Shocked and confused, I stared at my phone. That can't be right! I then proceeded to stare at my phone and cross-reference the time to ensure I wasn't going crazy. Yes. I was indeed running late this morning. 

As I unwillingly slid out from under my mountain of warm, fuzzy blankets and fluffy pillows, I could not believe how un-rested I felt. I proceeded to spend the next twenty minutes getting dressed, doing my hair and makeup, and figuring out what jewelry to wear since my boots had gold on them and I couldn't find my gold necklace. Finally, I decided on pearls. Not perfect, but passable with my blouse, cardigan, and brown and gold boots.

Boy, did I look pale and drawn this morning. Glancing at the clock, I was dismayed to see that I was behind schedule. Oh well, I need to be at work before 7:30, so I guess I'll just grab a quick yogurt, heat up my coffee, and bolt out the door. Sighing heavily, I trudged out of my room, pausing by the bathroom to check my appearance in a different light (literally). Still horribly pale. Still unbelievably tired.

As I began to climb the stairs to grab a yogurt, I noted how dark and quiet the house was. Unusually dark. Not unusually quiet. Suddenly, something inside of me snapped.

I gasped, Poop! I'm not supposed to leave for work at 12:50 a.m.! I'm supposed to leave at 6:50 a.m.!

Needless to say, although I got about five more hours of "sleep" this morning, I was very, very tired at work. 

Tired as I was, I had enough foresight to take a selfie of my tired self at 12:45 a.m. to document the moment. 

2016 Edition of "Warning: Contains Images of the Hunted Looking...Hunted"

As the title suggests, this post is about our annual family hunting trip. In my opinion, this year was not the best year for hunting; however, that could just be because I didn't get one this year. We were still blessed with three deer this year and also had a fabulous week of quality family time in God's creation.

 Beautiful sunsets.

 One of my favorite aspects of hunting season is being able to spend so much time in God's glorious creation.

 See Pollywog? She's pretty boss with camo, even when she isn't trying to be very sneaky...

 Early morning fog: so cold and wet but so cool

 We are so camo with the plants in our hair that I bet you can't even see us in this picture. 

 Sunrise on top of the world

 Mozzarella and Sweet Pea<3 font="">

  

 Sisters <3 font="">

 No, I don't necessarily advise wearing bright blue converse archery hunting (unless, of course, your other shoes are soaking wet and it's all you have); see the elk track though? I have big feet for a girl, and that is a big track...Unfortunately, I never saw the elk to whom this track belongs.

 Selfie while waiting for the others to get in place for our hunt.

Sometimes I wish deer would get the point of why we even go hunting...

 Sweet Pea and I put citronella bands on our persons to avoid being eaten alive by no-see-ems -- We tried to be cool about it, but may have (possibly) just ended up looking slightly goofy.

 Pollywog and her two-point buck! So proud of her!

 Mozzarella and her huge doe! 

 Washing their hands in this puddle after field-dressing Mozzarella's deer...Sometimes we're odd.

Beautiful, sweet, and yet savage hunters (hunteresses?)

Clari also got a nice doe, but it was pretty wet so I didn't get a picture on my phone...

In short, even though I didn't personally get a deer this year, it was a truly blessed year. We had a wonderful time spending time in nature with one another, chasing deer, trying not to get eaten alive by no-see-ems (gnat things), and not getting any sleep. God is good.

Wow, this took much longer than I anticipated to post, mostly due to uploading a gazillion pictures. I shan't have time to go back and proof-read. Forgive me, Grammar Nazi's, for I have (possibly) sinned.

Now, I must flee like a fly and prepare for another crazy work and school week.

Hold fast to Jesus!

Sonia