Photoshoot!!!!!!

Yay!!! I finally got to use a workable camera, and the Sisters 4 went outside with the puppy and did a photo shoot! That's the first time in a loooong time... :) Here are some of the highlights:

Ha ha... we have WAY too much fun...

Run, puppy, run! or, rather: Run, owner, run!

There are so many reasons to laugh...

Puppy love... ;)

...Both soooo cute...

Licking Fest!!!!

Ninja!!!

Scottish dancing...

...or martial arts?

Fun Friends

JUMP!!!

A brief ode to braids...

Piggyback rides 4 free...

There's somethin' to be said for sisters!

And, The END! That was our photo shoot, and we had a blast doing it too. Some of the pictures were blurry, of course, but... oh well!

Bye!

~Margaret

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, that time of year has finally rolled around... HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!! :) And now, a brief ode to mashed potatoes, turkey, pumpkin pie, Thanksgiving races (I'm doing it this year, unlike a few years ago.), stuffing, after-dinner walks, and Black Friday (wait... I'm kidding about the Black Friday. That has nothing to do with Thanksgiving...). But, over all those things I just mentioned, I am so thankful to God for EVERY THING He gives us. We read Psalm 104 last night, and it was so encouraging and uplifting! I can't really resist, so here it is. I'll let you guys read it too, because it's such a fabulous Psalm. :) Here it is:

Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.

Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:

Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.

At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.

They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.

Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.

He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.

They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.

By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.

He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.

He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.

The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;

Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.

The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.

He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.

Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.

The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.

The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.

Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.

O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.

There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.

That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.

Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.

He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.

I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.

-That Psalm makes me want to go out in the woods right now, and take a walk in God's glorious creation that we are so incredibly blessed with. Okay, to stick to a tradition, I will now state what I'm thankful for:

-God

-My family (things are just starting to get fun with every one getting older)

-Beautiful mountains

-Elk tags

-My puppy

-Seasons

-All the "little" things

-Life in general

-There's so many things, I can't mention them all right now, but, you can check out my Thanksgiving Post that I did a couple years ago. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Count the blessings, not the calories,

Margaret

Hunting

We went elk hunting a few weeks ago (Robin, Margaret, Maria, our brother, and our brother in Christ). It was so much fun, and, guess what? We didn't get any thing. Figures... huh? :)

The very first day, my brother and I (Margaret) were sitting in a group of trees, looking out on a BIG meadow, searching for elk. All of a sudden, I heard crackling behind us. Twenty yards away, there were seven elk. I turned, they bolted, I trained my gun on one of them (trotting away from me), took the safety off, and pulled the trigger. My gun didn't go off, because, surprise! I had the safety halfway on and halfway off. That was really really sad, because, before I could pull it off all the way, they had dashed off into the woods. I have to admit, I'm WAY too indecisive.

Of course, I still had lots of fun, but I couldn't help but be disappointed going home. Next time, I'm going to treat the first elk I see like it's the last one I see (because, this time, that was true). And, to move on to my final point: We really ought to see our lives like that. I'm not a bold person. I'm a wimp (there, I said it). I'm convicted all the time that I don't share my love for Christ enough. It is pretty hard to just start witnessing to some one about the Lord, but I feel like I just haven't done it enough. I need to be treating time I spend sitting next to some one on an airplane, standing next to some one in line, talking to some one in the library like it is the last time I can share my faith with any one. In reality, I think I need more boldness, so I'm gonna pray for that! There's no being indecisive in this life. Any ways, just some very random thoughts.

I'll post pictures someday...

~Margaret

OH, BY THE WAY: PRESS PLAY ON THE PLAYLIST! IT'S A NEW ONE, AND I LOVE ALL THE SONGS! ;)

14ers and Puppies

Just recently, we hiked three 14ers in a row. It was really easy, gentle, and fun to be with good friends and in God's creation. I have officially hiked eight 14ers. There's so many more to go! :)

I LOVE the view from the top of 14ers!

We all looked like this going to and coming from the hike

Also, my puppy, Maya, has been growing up, and now looks a lot older (and cuter). I love 'er!

I love that puppy!

She's a good jumper too!

Noble-hearted dog... some times.

Cuties!

~Margaret

Forever Friends

Some times it can be so hard to find friends. I don't mean just friends, but good friends. Good friends are the type that stay with you in bad times, as well as good times, read the Bible with you, always have an adventure up their sleeve, share secrets, and share memories. Sadly, these type of friends are few and far between. Love for one another is an unheard-of anomaly. But, there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother, and that is Jesus Christ. Yes, we have an amazing Savior who will always be there, and He has provided the few true friends we have. I feel really blessed. Now for some friendship pictures:

Sweet Friends

Sisters

Ha ha... smelly puppy breath! But I do love her.

Lil' Friends

Part of our friend photo shoot. We love the pole too. Not.

Sharin' socks

Sharin' jokes

Smile!

~Margaret

Why, Hello!

It's been a very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very long time. Ok, now, that could be a bit of an exaggeration, but, hey, who's counting? Moving on... We've been really busy, and have been having sooooo much fun. Here's the scoop:

May: We had a memorial day picnic with our church, which was really fun. We also celebrated my Sweetest Sixteenth birthday, and had a fantastic month overall.

June: Our annual CHEC conference was during that month. Also, Robin, our brother, and I (Margaret) ran a 1/2 marathon. It was so wonderful, and an amazingly beautiful course as well! I LOVED it, and it felt a lot easier than I thought it would be. (Of course, it was 75% downhill, but the feet above sea level was in the 9000's.) Fun, fun, fun... Yay!!!!!!!!!! We've also started on crazy summer things, like playing soccer and Frisbee at the park every. single. week., climbing trees, and rappelling.

July: We're planning a camping trip this coming week, and, we should be able to start hiking some 14ers which should be really fun.

Also, in August, we're planning some thing so Extreme and so fun it's gonna be a blast... If we're able to do it. ;) And then, I'm thinking about getting a dog - a Siberian Huskie to be precise. I've been contacting people and preparing, so it might just happen, but, we'll see. Oh, and we have a Family Camp in August too.

Well, the feeling of a GREAT summer is in the air. I can hardly wait for every thing to start happening!

~Margaret

And now for some pictures:

It Doesn't Cut

Words are powerful things. They can build up great friendships, but, at the same time, they can tear down friendships. They cut like a knife when they're spoken in the wrong way, or to tear some one down, but they smooth over the wound like a lotion when they're spoken to build some one up. It really is amazing. You know, I've had a lot of scratches, bruises, burns, cuts, blisters, sore muscles, etc., but none of them have ever hurt as much as words do. Words are as real as life. When some one screams at you, you feel every. single. word. When some one praises you, your life bursts with joy. When some one points out all your problems, you hear it all. When some one tells you that they love you, you NEVER expect them to say, "Haha... Just Kidding!" Yep, words are amazing things. Our family was studying a passage in James... James chapter 3. It talked all about the tongue and the damage it could do. (I'm posting it at the bottom of the page.) It's a good passage, and one that I think every one ought to know. I'm sure we all have terrible problems with bridling our tongues, and that's probably why all the church splits happen today. Churches are splitting, brothers and sisters are offended, people are leaving... It's all becoming one. big. mess. And, you know, it's all because of one small object - the tongue. Some times I think I would do better with my tongue cut off and my fingers lost from frostbite (That way, I wouldn't type my big mouth out either ;)). Yep, but, I guess I'm just gonna have to learn to control the words I say and type. This post isn't to any of you. (If you feel like applying it, that's fine.) This post is for me. I've been awfully convicted of this lately, and I feel like some thing of this sort may be in order for me. ;) Words cut, deep. So, I guess I had better stop talking and start doing. Time to give my animals attention, and my family some love! :)

James 3

My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:

But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

~Margaret

First Deer

Dear Readers,

I have been hunting for deer on our property for the past two weeks, and have not gotten anything. Then, finally, on the last day of the season, Mommy, Robin, and I were hunting on a neighbor's land when we got a call from Daddy. He reported that there was a herd of deer about 20 yards from our back deck. We headed straight for the car, and we all jumped in. We headed straight for home which was only about 1/2 a mile away from where we were. When we reached the house, I grabbed the gun and ran inside. We went to the laundry room door, and saw about 4 deer exactly 20 yards away. We opened the door to the laundry room, I set up my gun, and aimed. My heart was beating like nobody's business, and I kept on thinking, "I'm gonna miss! I know I am! Please help me, Lord!" I pulled the trigger, and watched the doe fall. I was unbelievably relieved. I yelled, "Thank you, Lord!" It was a high lung shot, so we did have to shoot her again in the head to put her out of her misery. I was happy, but also saddened, because death came into this world because of sin. Animals have to die because of sin, so at the end of it all, there was a joy mingled with sorrow. I am definitely looking forward to Heaven, but there's still a lot of work to be done here on earth.

Signed: Margaret