We have a politician in the making. Milah enjoyed her duties as secretary last year and threw her hat in the ring for President of the Student Council this year. Maren and I are the campaign managers and have been cranking out propoganda on a shoestring budget. As always, campaign contributions will be gladly accepted to support our candidate;) 
We moved into our home 8 years ago and since that time, we have been waging a battle with these gates. (Oh, there was a battle when we were contructing them too, but that's another story). The gates were installed to keep baby Maren safe and they are quite handy to have when other little ones visit. HOWEVER, they were forever open. If one dared trek thru the house in the dark, you were certain to catch a hip bone, a toe or an elbow on these blasted gates, causing you to mutter a disgruntled snort. One trip to the hardware store for 2 springs and the problem is solved. (Insert DUH, here) Sounds crazy, but we have all enjoyed the simple improvement.
It's time to break out the soup recipes, stock up on hot chocolate and (my favorite part) - find the flannel sheets. This morning after awaking to a chilly bedroom, I decided today was the day. After placing those cozy sheets under a fresh fluffy duvet, I had an overwhelming urge to climb back in to bed. I did resist, but have to admit that I have been waiting to go to bed all day. Sounds slightly mental - I know. By the way - aren't duvets a pain to stuff in the covers - I ALWAYS get them turned around and end up sticking my head in to see where I've gone awry.
Apparently Maren has taken to screaming at the soccer ball - a new strategy
Things are look'n festivally Fall-ish for our sale this weekend. The Rhinestone -N- Rust Barn Sale features a collection of vintage treasures and garage sale items tastefully displayed and reasonably priced. Enjoy a cup of hot cider as you browse and we will reward you with a free gift.
Think of it as an escape from football recaps and hunting stories.
Sten is competing in water polo again this year - here he is as Mr. (deep end) Goalie. They barely came up with a team, but they are starting to come together and Sten has made several goals (rah rah)!
Milah and Maren are avid, enthusiastic, and extremely competitive soccer players. One of their biggest fans came to cheer them on . . .
Dad stopped at a Farmer's Market and bought this beautiful bouquet of flowers - wow, thanks(nearly brought tears to my eyes)! The fresh bread is compliments of the Mr. who is back to his bread making. 
Yeah, here's the same Mr - exuberantly entering a giant thrift store. Finally trained him after 21 years. We grabbed a few things, then did a little cheer at the checkout as everything was 40% off - oh yeah!
Auntie Bonnie has been moved from ICU after 10 days. She is very weak and it will be a stretch of time til she is well enough to have the surgery she needs. Breathing, talking, and sitting is tiring at this point. All food has to be pureed and she is nervous about eating for fear it will head down the wrong tube (understandably so). Lucky for her, she has loving family standing beside her an awesome doctor and a great team of nurses.
Sten and Maren drool when they see this sign. They beg and plead and whine for ORANGE CHICKEN! While cruising pinterest (yes - they have recipes), I spotted a "crockpot orange chicken" recipe. I love the idea of a crockpot - dump stuff in and forget about it. While it is cooking, the aroma fills the house - and you feel like a magician pulling this fabulous dinner out several hours later (in your Betty Crocker apron with a pleasant smile on your face).
No ordinary kitty . . .
A cougar was responsible for killing 5 goats on our property the other night. Traps were set, a dead goat was used for "bait" and this 115 lb male came inquiring . . . apparently they run in groups of two, so they are hoping to catch it's partner tonight. Not an animal you'd like to cross paths with -
I spied this project on Pinterest and thought it looked simple and failproof. If you are a Tom Clancy fan, please forgive . . . the local used bookstore had these out front for FREE (whoo hoo). There's something rebel like in destroying a book - I let out my rebel yell and tore the front/back covers off. Next I cut the pages to the desired shape - don't even attempt this unless your scissors are sharp. I then glued the spine all the way around a small stick, leaving a "stem" on the top. I rolled the pages in coffee that was left in the pot, and tied a ribbon around the stem. Fanned out the pages and voila! Simple, festive and (nearly) FREE. 
Cruising into town, something caught my eye - it appeared that people were hanging on an electrical tower. Terrorists? Aliens? No, linemen. 
They were in little motorized carriers and they were zipping down the line inspecting and repairing. What do you suppose life insurance runs for this crew? Not a good job for a windy day.
Auntie Bonnie continues to improve little by little. She has now partially emerged from the medically induced coma and responds to questions (like wiggle your toes). She still has the ventilator in, so is unable to speak. Last night, when mom and Carol were reassuring her, a tear rolled down her cheek. They will possibly be removing the ventilator today and I'm sure she will be shocked to learn that she has "lost" a week. 
Some of you may have heard that Auntie Bonnie (pictured on left) has been in the hospital since Saturday. She was experiencing severe stomach pain and was transported to the hospital by ambulance. She was placed on a high dose of medicine to combat the pain, and when she vomited (sorry, there's just no pretty way to put it), she aspirated it into her lungs. This landed her in ICU on a ventilator where they placed her in a medically induced coma. Her lungs seem to be recovering slowly, but they feel they have been compromised. The plan is to gradually wean her off the ventilator. When she is healthy enough, she will need to have surgery to repair a hiatal hernia. Angel and Greg had been taking turns at the hospital and now Mom and Carol are there as well. Hard to believe that the lady with the most ferocious "sneeze" (seriously rivals the big bad wolf) can't take a breath on her own. Please keep in mind that I do not have a PhD after my last name, so medical mumbo jumbo may not be entirely correct. Bottom line: Auntie Bonnie is very sick and needs our thoughts and prayers.
Our neighbors have a beautiful pond that they drained and are going to rework some. Apparently it was originally built by the Project Works Administration in the 30's. They are hosting a wedding on it's banks next summer, so it will look considerably different . . .
If you click on this pic, you will see a wire running the length of the pond. This is a recently installed zipline. Word has it, that a couple of kids in this house have tried it - I think I heard them screaming from here (or was that their mother?).
