Live Free, Die Hard, Mellow Out

Last week, my husband and I saw Live Free, Die Hard, the forth (and presumably final) Die Hard movie. I've gotta say, I really enjoyed this one. It had loads of action, but at the same time it was, dare I say, more mellow?

Don't get me wrong, this is a Die Hard movie, after all. Things blow up, people crawl over broken glass, and incredible stunts are staged. Bruce Willis as John McClain is as wonderfully maverick as ever, taking on the bad guys and saving the country, all while dragging along a techie-nerd accidental partner (convincingly played by Justin Long, the "Mac" in the Apple commercials) and saving his daughter. What a guy!

But there's one big difference between this and the other Die Hard movies... this one is PG-13. When we were leaving the movie, my husband said, "This one didn't seem as bloody." He was right. Oh, it's got blood, just not as much. And there's swearing, just not as much. And the famous "Yippee Kye Yay (you know the rest)" does make its way in there, but just once, and I gotta say it felt very appropriate when it's said.

The makeup of the audience was interesting, too. Out of the 2 dozen or so people we saw the movie with, only four of them were teenagers (and they were brought by their parents). The rest were my age (43) or older. Obviously, they were fans of the first 3 movies, and there we all were, drawn together by nostalgia, to share in John McClain's last hurrah. It would have been a poignant moment, if it hadn't been a Die Hard movie. Yippee... oh, you know!

Thank God For Sugar-Free Cheesecake!

Despite the fact that I'm a lover of all things chocolate, I've found that my body feels much better when I don't eat a lot of carbs (specifically white flour and sugar). So sadly, I've stopped my visits to See's Candies (my absolute favorite) and stopped eating bread and such. It's a small price to pay for the difference it makes in my health.

But hey, a girl's still got to have some fun, right? That's why I'm so jazzed about sugar-free cheesecake. What's in cheesecake? Cream cheese, eggs, vanilla and sugar, so if you cut out the sugar, it's pretty much a low-carb food. And if you don't eat the graham cracker crust, you're golden!

The only problem is, finding this delicious treat. We've been able to find it at most of the buffets that we go to (yes, we eat out a lot, but we always use 2-for-1 coupons, so it's actually pretty cheap). But so far, the only place we can find to buy a whole sugar-free cheesecake to take home is The Cheesecake Factory, and I can't justify paying $42 for dessert!

So, if any of you know of a sugar-free (or low-carb) cheesecake source, give me a shout out. I know the answer is out there somewhere!

This Is Me

In order to get my picture into my profile, I've got to post it here and then jump through some other technical stuff. So, here I am. Hi!

Well... that didn't work! I've done it just the way they said, but for some reason it won't hold the photo URL.

Oh brother... well, if anyone is dying to know what I look like, this is me. People will just have to hunt for this post. It's kind of like playing "Where's Waldo?" only it's "Where's Jen?"

OKAY... I finally figured it out! I was making it too hard. So now I've got two photos of me side by side... Guess I'm just going to have to blog more to move this one down!

BOOK REVIEW - The Perfect Blend by Allie Pleiter

First, I have a confession to make... I don't like coffee. I love the smell, but have never liked the taste. And while I have been known to frequent Starbucks, it's only to get the hot chocolate. Which is what made The Perfect Blend such a sweet surprise.

Maggie Black knows what her purpose in life is - opening a coffee house in Seattle. And not just any coffee house. Hers will be a Christian coffee house, serving the most fab coffee in town, in an open, non-threatening environment where people can gather and discuss anything... even faith. It's an incredible idea, a God-inspired idea. You'd have to be a dolt not to see it.

Enter William Grey, III, a dedicated TEA drinker, and the loan officer who has to inform Maggie that her dream is the biggest financial gamble he's ever heard of. But there is a way that the bank will reconsider her loan application. She has to take a small-business course which is taught by none other than, as Maggie likes to call him, Earl Grey himself.

Writing physical comedy isn't easy, but Allie makes it look like it is. Her book is, may I say, the "perfect blend" of I-Love-Lucy style comedy and characters with genuine, relatable motions. The author has built up a reputation of delivering laugh-out-loud moments mixed with true spiritual insights, and this book lives up to that reputation.

The Perfect Blend is a Steeple Hill Love Inspried July 2007 release, so run to your bookstore now before it's gone from the shelves! Or, you can order it from the Harlequin website. Either way, don't miss this delightful experience, even if you don't know your espresso from your cappuccino.