Carolyn Astfalk author

Seven Quick Takes

Published by CAstfalk on 03/18/2016

Useful Free iPhone Apps Edition

I still feel like a neophyte with my iPhone since I only upgraded from a flip phone last summer. I love my phone and use it most heavily for social media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Goodreads are used multiple times daily. Aside from social media and email, these are my best-loved apps. (You may also want to check out this list of top free apps for 2016.)

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Feedly

Feedly is my go-to source for keeping up with blogs, websites, and news I track. When our local daily newspaper switched to publishing only three times a week, I eventually lost interest. I don’t watch local news or TV. (Typing that actually makes me cringe being that I studied broadcast journalism, but it’s the truth.) That leaves the Internet as my main news source. (Yikes!) With Feedly, I can follow the feeds of national or local publications, magazines and blogs. I can easily see the latest news sorted by category, scroll through headlines, save for later reading, or share.

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Suffering From Spring Fever

Published by CAstfalk on 03/14/2016

Is spring fever a real thing? Can I claim it as an excuse for my scattered brain, my rapidly-multiplying to-do list, and my tardy #MondayBlog? Desperation, despite a half-dozen half-written posts, led me to search the Internet for “what to blog about today.”

SPRING FEVER:

A lazy or restless feeling often associated with the onset of spring. (Merriam-Webster)

Small Success Thursday

Published by CAstfalk on 03/10/2016

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:

Scheduled Vacation/Summer plans – Maybe it’s the balmy weather we’ve had here the last couple of days, but although spring has not yet sprung, I’m thinking about summer. I updated our various calendars and began completing registrations and reservations for camps and vacations. Among our plans is an overdue visit to Shenandoah National Park.
Continue readingSmall Success Thursday

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An Open Book

Published by CAstfalk on 03/02/2016

Welcome to the inaugural An Open Book Link-Up! Let’s get started.

My husband is reading a couple of Star Wars books: Aftermath by Chuck Wendig and The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Of the former, he says it’s taken him way too long to read because “he can’t stand it.” I’ve never heard him complain about writing before, but apparently the author’s style does not agree with him. At all. I think it has something to do with a multitude of sentence fragments. He’s not alone. With more than 2,000 Amazon reviews, it’s rating is 2.6 of 5 stars. More than a third of the reviews are 1 star.

I imagine writing for a rabid fan base like that of the Star Wars franchise would be a challenge for most anyone. I’ve not glanced at Aftermath (which takes place between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens), but I’ve read some of Chuck Wendig’s often-salty writing posts. Perhaps he’s an acquired taste.

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Take Up Your Cross, Whether Leap Day or Monday

Published by CAstfalk on 02/29/2016

I hadn’t planned on writing about crosses today. Sometime around the Exaltation of the Cross (September 14), I’d snapped a picture of the old hymn “Take Up Your Cross” (below) with the idea that I’d return to it. Maybe meditate on crosses and the words of the hymn. (Or spend ten uninterrupted seconds considering, which is what passes for meditation in my life these days.)

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#5Faves: Driving With the Windows Down Songs

Published by CAstfalk on 02/24/2016

fivefaves

Spring is just around the corner, so saith the illustrious Punxsatawney Phil. At this time of year, when 55 degrees feels balmy rather than chilly, I’m eager to roll down the car windows at the first glimpse of forsythia – long before the parking lot snow piles have melted. Granted, rolling down windows held more excitement when there was actually rolling to do and my vehicle was something other than a minivan, even if it was my parents’ Chevy station wagon. These are five songs that, to me, are the perfect accompaniment to the windows-down ride.

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Reading Link-Up: An Open Book

Published by CAstfalk on 02/22/2016

An Open Book CatholicMom On Wednesday, March 2, I’ll be reviving a reading linkup, and I’d love for you to join me!

#OpenBook will be a monthly link-up each first Wednesday of the month.

My post for linking will go up at 5:30 a.m. and remain open until midnight the following Tuesday. So, say life happens and your kids get sick, crunch time hits at work, or a deadline prevents you from finishing your post until Friday – no problem. Link when you can.
Post every month, every other month, or whenever you feel like. No commitment or regularity is required, although I’d love it if you’d join us each month.
The dates for the remainder of 2016 are: March 2, April 6, May 4, June 1, July 6, August 3, September 7, October 5, November 2, and December 7.
Content is flexible. Simply write about what you’re reading. You can make it personal or, as I plan to do, extend it to the whole family. Your post can be as simple as a few lines about the book or as in-depth as a 700-word review. That’s entirely up to you. You can even forego writing all together and record a video or simply post cover photos. Here’s what my first post (under another title) looked like.
You are welcome and encouraged to copy and use the custom graphic above, but it’s not mandatory.
Don’t have a blog? Share what you’re reading in the comments.
Invite your friends and fellow bloggers.

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Author: CAstfalk

Useful Free iPhone Apps Edition

Feedly

SPRING FEVER:

A lazy or restless feeling often associated with the onset of spring. (Merriam-Webster)

#OpenBook will be a monthly link-up each first Wednesday of the month.