1. today is day five of my protein-vegetable-fruit and nut only diet. i don't believe i've lost a pound. but, i feel healthy and like i'm doing my body good.

2. i burnt a new candle today... gingerbread latte, a birthday gift from my cousin.

3. i started a fun new felt craft! but, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see it.

4. yesterday i enjoyed spending time at my mom's rug hooking guild. she taught a class on penny rug pin cushions. i'll post the picture of the one i made soon.

5. one of my favorite mag's came in the mail, today: martha stewart's body and soul.

6. it's really hard not to reach and eat the homemade sugar cookies i baked for the boys. see #1.

7. i went to a moving sale today. surprisingly, brad told me about it and said i should go to it. i found a antique child's rocking chair that i'll shabby-up and a few other novelty items... which i'll be sure to share soon.

8. tried to watch marley and me this week, (yes janet m., i am a dog lover), but it skipped half way through it and we were unable to finish it.

9. homeschooling was uneventful. dictation works well for us. and boy scout merit badges are an excellent homeschool subject!

10. our three sandhill cranes have returned to our field. each year in october, they stop over and rest for a few days before migrating south. they are an amazing bird. what a blessing for us to observe. it's honestly, hard to get anything done when they're strutting around just yards outside the window.

11. i highly suggest the family read aloud: the 21 balloons. it's fantastic!

12. it's taking me forever to read, "miss julia paints the town," but i'm plugging away and it is very good. it's just i have little extra time to read.

13. church has been a thought-provoking series. it's been centered around finance, retirement, global financial problems and local financial problems. it's interesting and makes me wonder what i can do for the children living in landfills on a different continent? i'm thinking of a homemade doll making night... maybe i could get a group of friends together and we could make homemade soft dolls for the innocent young girls to love on? what do you think?