Skip to content

Month: October 2015

Small Success Thursday

Published by CAstfalk on 10/29/2015

Small Success Thursday

Why small success? Because that’s the only kind I know! Even the big ones come in small steps. Here’s my paltry offering for the week:

    1. Halloween Costumes – The first costume completed was an angel for my second grader. We re-used the pretty white dress she wore this summer when she was part of her cousin’s wedding. Then we found some DIY angel wings on Pinterest that we created using cereal boxes, coffee filters, sheet music, Mod Podge, and a glue gun. I made a simple halo using gold chenille stems (apparently they’re not “pipe cleaners” anymore) and other gold “stuff” I found at the craft store. My preschoolers are going as Sheriff Callie and Spiderman in the store-bought costumes they wanted. You’d think that would mean no work for me, but after they tried on their quality apparel, I had minor sewing jobs to do on each. My seventh grader wanted to be a Star Wars tie fighter pilot until his leg landed in an immobilizer. Now we’re working on an Igor/hunchback costume.
      Continue readingSmall Success Thursday
3 Comments

At the Intersection of Time and Place

Published by CAstfalk on 10/26/2015

Maybe it’s the fuss over Back to the Future Day that’s got me thinking of time and space and where I fit into the universe. Maybe it’s the questions of my seven-year-old who is trying hard to grasp the space-time continuum. (I didn’t dare breach the subject of time travelers and the Temporal Prime Directive with her.)

For all the world’s fascination with time travel, its possibility, and its implications, no one has accomplished such a feat. (Unless you listen to late-night talk radio and then, well, time travelers already live amongst us.)

Continue readingAt the Intersection of Time and Place
5 Comments

Top 10 Tuesday: 10 Reasons I Haven’t Given Up on the Rosary

Published by CAstfalk on 10/20/2015

The Rosary drifts in and out of my life. Seasons change, lifestyles are uprooted, and my interest in the prayer waxes and wanes. Yet, same as the beads scattered across the dining room buffet, it remains within reach.

October is the Month of the Holy Rosary, and I’m bothered by the fact the Rosary isn’t part of my routine the way it once was. I had no experience with a family recitation of the Rosary, so praying it privately during my daily commute for years suited me just fine. Then the commute ended, and I’ve struggled ever since.

Continue readingTop 10 Tuesday: 10 Reasons I Haven’t Given Up on the Rosary

3 Comments

Relevant Fiction Reviews: Dealing with Demons

Published by CAstfalk on 10/19/2015

Relevant Fiction Reviews

The longer I live, the more I’m convinced that evil is real. It’s a tangible force – one commonly overlooked in our “enlightened” post-modern era. That’s why I was struck by these four novels: one the sequel to a historical romance, if we can call the 1980s “historical” now, and the others a dystopian trilogy.

The Gifting (Gifting #1)The Gifting by K.E. Ganshert

The Gifting has a little bit of everything – mystery, suspense, romance, action, and a full-out battle between good and evil. In fact, what struck me most about the series, beginning with The Gifting, was the acknowledgement of evil. As a demonic entity tells Tessa, “You see, people have a hard time fighting against something they don’t believe. Their denial makes our job easier.”

The dystopian setting allows the reality of good and evil to penetrate without inducing nightmares. The Gifting hits its mark in making the reader consider unseen realities without fear-mongering.

Continue readingRelevant Fiction Reviews: Dealing with Demons
2 Comments

Seven Quick Takes Friday

Published by CAstfalk on 10/16/2015

Seven Quick Takes Friday

Stay With Me Launch Edition

Until two weeks ago, I’d never launched a model rocket, much less a book. But since then, my debut novel Stay With Me has been released. Here are my seven take-aways from the experience.
–1–

Stalking the Amish Baby

My release day leisure-time fun consisted solely of clicking the refresh icon in my browser and watching as my ebook ratings bobbed up and down. To make it interesting, I set my sights on overcoming a variety of Amish romances blocking my path to the top. My Facebook status that day said it best:

“My goal for the day: To catch and surpass Amish Baby Surprise in the Inspirational Religious Fiction category. Maybe even catch The Amish Nanny. My Harley-riding hero and his girlfriend are being smothered by 50 Shades of Hay.”
Continue readingSeven Quick Takes Friday
8 Comments