Like Rolling off a Blog

Layers upon layers of meaning can be extracted when reading Scripture, but that's not what I'm talking about. When I was studying psych and sociology in college, we had a discussion group that invariably turned to dreams and their interpretations. Do they really tell us anything today, or are they just manifestations of the latest meal we ate? I woke up in rather a strange mood due to my last dream. For the past several years my jaw has been shifting. Don't know why, and I don't want to acknowledge that it might just be the aging process. Anyway, it has taken my teeth on a journey I really dislike! So, before I awoke this morning, I dreamed I woke up, went to the mirror and gasped because I only had a sliver of a tooth where my left front tooth should be. It bled and fell out. I held it up to the light, and saw that inside was the image of an early stage pregnancy. Oh, weird! But I started sobbing and sobbing and ran to tell Mark that I needed to get to a dentist right ...

Just had to share this, courtesy of a mild tweak of Britany's pass-along recipe. First of all, make the cake mix base... 1 box devil's food cake mix (If you use low or no sugar devil's food cake mix, you can count the cake part as 2 points. I didn't know this when I started, and so made it with regular devil's food cake mix, which makes the cake portion 3 points.) 1 box angel food cake mix Frankly, I love the symmetry of that combo ... Combine both mixes completely in a gallon ziploc pouch. Save for making an assortment of individual cakes. Now, time to create the cheesecake surprise! Place 1/3 cup of the cake mix in a large mug (I like to use a very large cappuccino mug) Cut Weight Watchers reduced fat cream cheese brick into 8 equal portions. Drop one portion (1 ounce) into the cake mix in the cup. Stir in 3 T cold coffee (hot works, too) or water. Stir until dry is incorporated. Microwave on high for about 1 minute 10 seconds (play with your timing according t...

I am admittedly and woefully behind in reporting on Pearl in the Sand . I finished it quite some time ago, in fact. Well written, well researched, and brought me to tears - but I don't want to say at what point in the story, so as to give too much away. It was a romance in the best sense of the word. Not sensual, although containing it. But the tending of the heart and soul...that is what was so touching. Great work and I highly recommend it. Now I'm on to Influenza Bomb . Quite a departure from a romance!

I am not a speed reader. I digest my books. When I was in school, I learned skimming tricks, and outlining, and all the key idea grabbing techniques. But you can't do that with fiction. In fiction, if an author is worth their weight in words, every thought needs to count. So skimming is a dangerous practice. Right now I'm reading through Pearl in the Sand , by Tessa Afshar. It is getting rave reviews, and it is to my benefit to like it (since I *ahem* work for the publisher). I'm not normally a romance reader, so we'll see how this goes. I have a stack of mostly fiction by my bedside, and as soon as I am finished with one, I stack it near the door...to either send it on to my voracious-reading-relatives or to our church. Someone is about to get a whole bag full! Any takers?

With the advent of Facebook's micro-blogging (i.e. saying whatever comes to mind whenever it happens), the true thoughtful extended blogging has taken a back seat. Truthfully, this post is just a placeholder to point you to FB, and so that Blogger doesn't think I've dropped off the face of the Internet. See you soon at one or the other.