Hunting Trip 2013 (Warning: Contains Images of The Hunted Looking...hunted)

My family and I were once again blessed to go hunting this year. 78 year-old Grandpa was the first one to get a deer, but he was in a bit of a hurry and it was late, so we didn't get any good pictures...

We're just that awesome...

 

 Yeah, you can be jealous of her boots and camo. 

 

God's creation is so beautiful. I don't understand how atheists can see this and still be atheists.

Sometimes we discover the weirdest things out in the middle of no-where. 

...After many adventures, while Pollywog (16) and I were on a hike-hunt, I spotted a deer, drew back, and released. :)

 I love my daddy. <3

And so we come to the conclusion of our hunting adventures...At least for early season. :)

 Those deer had better watch out for late season, though, because Pollywog (16) has some sweet bow-hunting skills.

Sir Squeaky

So there I was, dutifully mowing our farthest back lawn like the lovely daughter that I am. Who do you suppose decided to join me at the steering wheel? Sir Squeaky the evil mouse, that’s who. As always, I was very courageous, and knew that if I remained seated on that tractor with Sir Squeaky, he might jump out and attack the neighbors with his monstrous claws. Thinking quickly, I put the break on, turned off the PTO, and powered the tractor to low, all the while giving Sir Squeaky plenty of space so he wouldn’t decide to harm our neighbors until after I retrieved Pollywog (16). You may be wondering why I, brave woman that I am, would run to the house screaming Pollywog’s name. Well you see, although I am full of courage I am also very sympathetic. Poor Pollywog has been dying to remove a mouse from a tractor for a very long time. Needless to say, Pollywog eagerly came to my (er, I mean, the neighbors) aid, and, chickens in tow, approached the tractor.  Sneaky Sir Squeaky had made his escape. Pollywog, disappointed beyond belief, inspected the tractor and walked away with dragging steps.  I finished mowing our farthest back lawn, leaving the neighbors to deal with Sir Squeaky, after all.

Fantastic Sibling Moments Post#3: Inseparable Little Men

As mentioned previously, my family enjoys hunting every year. The following is a dialogue my sister Clari (19) witnessed:

The lil men were asking if they could go on tomorrow's hunt... we were planning on splitting up into two groups.
My dad: "Well, maybe....one of you could go with each group."
Gubby(9) and Mini-man(7) together: "Nooooo, we have to be together."
Then they grabbed each other in a huge hug.
...Then Mini-man gave Gubby a small kiss on his head. Gubby in turn instantly jumped away.
Gubby: "Ewwwww. We don't do that, Mini-man."
::Mini-man snickers::
Gubby: "But...we still have to stay together."

Yep, they're pretty awesome.<3

Fantastic Sibling Moments Post #2: Brainwashing...Or Not

Mini-Man (7): Look, I can brainwash you

Me: What?

(He pulls out a slinky and starts shuffling it back and forth)

Mini-Man: See? I’m brainwashing you. It makes a brainwashing sound.

Me: …

That little guy has an interesting imagination. <3

Who's in charge of your day?

James 4:13-17, “¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” ¹⁴ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” ¹⁶ But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

Slightly convicting, isn’t it? How many times will you have everything planned out to the tiniest detail, without putting God’s will and the possibility of change on the agenda? I know I do it a lot more than I should. Our lives are not our own, we are not our own, and if we think otherwise, we have serious problems. Having a tentative plan is a good thing, but holding fast to that plan isn’t going to get you far in God’s plan. Leave space for wiggle-room and just hang on tight. As James so rightly says, if we know the good things we SHOULD do, but don’t do them, we are sinning. God could take our lives at any second, and I, for one, want to hear the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21) at the end of my life.

God calls us to serve. You can’t be focusing on yourself and your plans if you want to serve. Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, did not come to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45). Before He went to the cross, Jesus Christ himself said, “my Father, if it is at all possible, may this cup be taken from me, yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Paraphrase of Matthew 26:39)

We should model our lives after Christ, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! ” (Philippians 2:5-9) 

With Jesus as your example, don’t think that taking time out of your day to do the dishes or talk to a lonely person is truly a sacrifice.

At the beginning of each day, we should be saying, “Lord, what will you have me do today? How can I best serve you?” To sum up, prayerfully make your plans and leave room for Jesus.

In Christ alone,

~Sonia

Fantastic Sibling Moments Post #1: Manly Handling of a Surprising Spider Situation

I was going to clean the bathroom the other morning, but saw that there was a nasty spider sneakily crouching behind the garbage bin. Rushing out of the bathroom, I begged Gubby (9) to kill it for me. Gubby grabbed our bumble bee fly swatter and I showed him where the (huge) offending eight legged horror was residing, then quickly made my retreat. The following is what I heard in the bathroom for the next two minutes:
“What? That’s just a small one! (I hear the sound of the garbage bin being moved aside) Yah! Yah! Yah! Die! Wait, there’s like five of them! Sonia! Why didn’t you tell me there were five of them?"
He then proceeded to kill them all, with many exclamations and brave remarks.
My hero.

Note: The weird name above is one of the many nicknames I will be using in place of real names for the sake of privacy. :)

A little about myself

Hello, friends!
This is my first blog, and aside from posting on a group blog I am a part of, I have never done anything like this. So bear with me, friends. :)

A little about me:
-I am a Christian saved by the grace of Christ.
-I love my Savior.
-I have a wonderful family who I love dearly. Each and every one of my eight siblings is very unique. The only similar personality trait we all share is being very dramatic...very. Apparently we all talk as though we are stars in a movie, and act as though we were on a humorous reality tv show. Of course, we have our 'normal' family moments as well. ;)
-I have been blessed with wonderful friends who I don't deserve.
-I'm home schooled. My favorite school subjects are history and government. I am very interested in political science, although I know hardly anything about the subject. 
-I seriously enjoy public speaking, and was so blessed to have the opportunity to participate in an annual speech competition for eight years.
-I like chocolate. So do my five sisters and mother. As you can imagine, our 10lb bags of chocolate chips vanish within a month, and after we run out, the emotional trauma of the absence of our dear friend, dairy free chocolate chip, is severe indeed.
-I am lactose intolerant, if you didn't pick that up in the last sentence. ;)
-Most of the time, I enjoy reading a good book over watching a movie, although I enjoy watching movies. Especially chick-flicks.
-I am a costumed volunteer at a nearby national historic site, a reconstructed fort of the Hudson's Bay Company. There I learned to enjoy knitting, beading, and embroidering.
- I love roses, hate spiders, have more than 10 pairs of shoes, feel like I'm not fully dressed if my toe-nails aren't painted, enjoy dressing up, and adore folk-dancing.
-I also think dogs are cuter than cats, enjoy running our tractor, love hiking, my favorite color is blue, archery hunting is one of my favorite fall past-times, and I think guns are cool and know how to shoot them.
-One of my least favorite chores is weeding my mother's huge, weed-infested flower bed.
-When I am stressed, I find myself organizing my room. I like organizing. And I like  sharpies. And KB socks. 

So there you have it. A little bit of who I am. Thank you for bearing with me, kind reader. ;)

Whew, I've completed my first official blog post! ::Cheers and throws blue and silver confetti::

 In Christ alone,
~Sonia