Feeling crafty?

I went to the craft fair at church this weekend, and there was some really cool stuff there. How about a four-inch cake kit that you can make in your microwave in a minute and 45 seconds? It comes with a bag of cake mix, a measuring cup, a bag of frosting, a tiny spoon, a bag of sprinkles and a tiny candle. The kits can be mailed in a padded mailer, too. They're actually really cute. I'm just amazed that they've found a way to bake a cake in the microwave, actually. Though I suppose it's easier with such a small portion.

Also cool was a "J-MAG Strand", a string of beads and magnets that can connect together anywhere on the magnets to make a bracelet, an anklet, a choker, a necklace... The woman who made them basically got the idea from those medical magnet therapy bracelets which had different color magnets but were not otherwise pretty. And these were...lots of nice colors, in glass and crystal beads, and either black or white magnets that also looked like beads. Check them out at www.jmagstrands.com.

But if you're going for crafts, of course you have to check out Ponderation for Rachel's cool things.



My mother is the religion teacher and coordinator for the three special education Catholic schools in the Diocese of Allentown. The other day at dinner she was telling us about a new student who couldn't remember her name, but knew she was the religion teacher and that she had to be a "Mrs." He called her "Mrs. Jesus."

My dad replies, "So what does that make me?"

:)


Just finished reading: Shadows and Strongholds, by Elizabeth Chadwick. Apparently I am continuing my recent foray into historical fiction, and this was also pretty entertaining. Nice plot line, likeable characters, and a medieval political struggle marked by marriage and raiding. Reading this, I was reminded how many fantasy authors base their cultures off of the medieval lifestyle... and I guess I wasn't surprised that the story could be so compelling without fantastic elements. There were a few anachronistic phrases put to use, but other than that, nothing really jarred me. In fact, I was surprised to see how deeply it was based on historical fact, or at least, a historical poem backed up by historical fact. I think I may have to check out more of her work that deals with the rest of the family...

Currently reading: Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman. I'm glad to finally pick this up, but once started, I really want to reread American Gods first.