Skip to content

Category: My Scribbler’s Heart

Small Success Thursday

Published by CAstfalk on 01/07/2016

Small Success Thursday

I needed the small successes this week. I look around me and see major, seemingly insurmountable tasks that take more time than I have available. It’s discouraging. These little successes remind me all hope is not lost.

  1. The financial stuff caught up. Ordinarily, I sync Quicken with our online accounts each weekday. With Christmas, I got a bit behind.  Come January, I had dozens of transactions to categorize. A flurry of Amazon and PayPal purchases took hours to sift through, matching the amount with the product so that I could properly account for where our money had gone. And then there were the bills. It took a full morning, but everything is paid up and all accounts are balanced.
    Continue readingSmall Success Thursday
6 Comments

I (AM) Wants You!

Published by CAstfalk on 01/04/2016

What makes a recruitment poster like the classic below effective? Personalism?
There’s no doubt that those steely eyes and that pointed figure are aimed at you.

And as easy as it is to dismiss God as a remote, disinterested overlord, His approach, too, is personalist.

Uncle Sam Army Reccruitment Poster
He wants you (and me) as you are.

As you’ve been created.

Not an automaton.

Not as His minion.

As His cherished love.

“Before I formed  you in the womb, I knew you.” Jeremiah 1:5

Continue readingI (AM) Wants You!
4 Comments

Navigating the Teen Fiction Waters

Published by CAstfalk on 12/28/2015

My oldest son is about to enter the teenage years, and I’ve been giving more thought to what he’s reading. I read Young Adult (YA) books myself from time to time, but they are generally books that would appeal more to young women than to young men.

So, where to start in finding good books for your Catholic (or Christian) teen? Try the Facebook group Books for Catholic Teens.

Books for Catholic Teens logo

Continue readingNavigating the Teen Fiction Waters
2 Comments

The SLOW Work of Advent

Published by CAstfalk on 12/21/2015

SLOW work of Advent? What’s that? It seems it was just yesterday I rooted through the closet for the Advent wreath that wasn’t there and filled the Advent calendar with chocolate kisses that were devoured posthaste by a toddler. Now all four Advent candles are lit, and I worry whether that last nub of purple, the first candle lit, will make it until Christmas.

Due to the “obligations” of Christmas, Advent often seems anything but slow, perhaps the quickest wait we ever endure. That’s why this sign outside a church I pass caught my eye:

Slow work of God

Continue readingThe SLOW Work of Advent
Leave a Comment

#5Faves: Christmas Romance Novellas (and More)

Published by CAstfalk on 12/16/2015

 

fivefaves

The novella is the perfect format for this busy time of year! Fit in a quick read between Christmas preparations or while relaxing in the glow of the Christmas tree. I’ve selected five of my favorites followed by a few other recommendations for Christmas short stories (which can easily be read in one sitting) and novels as well as a few items on my Christmas reading pile!

  • Most but not all below are Christian stories. All are clean romances.
  • Technically, I think A Cliché Christmas and A Sugar Creek Christmas are (short?) novels. In the true spirit of Christmas overwhelm, I’m lumping them with the others because it’s my blog, and I can.

And as a bonus, a Christmas snippet from my novel Rightfully Ours, which I hope to be sharing some exciting news about soon!

Continue reading#5Faves: Christmas Romance Novellas (and More)
2 Comments

Relevant Fiction Reviews: Teen Fiction

Published by CAstfalk on 12/14/2015

Relevant Fiction Reviews

Though I’d rather not think about how long it’s been since my teen years, I’ve enjoyed immersing myself in teen fiction – Catholic teen fiction in particular.

A.J. Cattapan’s  Angelhood could easily have fit into my October reviews, Dealing with Demons. It explores the forces of good and evil (angels and demons) that either pray for or prey upon humans. Roland West, Loner also includes an other-worldy dimension, the communion of saints. Theresa Linden‘s true-to-life novel is the perfect intersection of the natural and supernatural. Finally, Cynthia Toney‘s second novel in The Birdface Series, 10 Steps to Girlfriend Status, is planted firmly on earth, as young Wendy Robichaud navigates a multitude of big changes in her life. All three are relatable stories of hope and blossoming maturity suitable for young teens and up.

Continue readingRelevant Fiction Reviews: Teen Fiction
6 Comments