Relevant Fiction Reviews: Love, War, and Sacrifice

Published by CAstfalk on 06/15/2015

Occasionally, I’ll be sharing some of my reviews here, under Relevant Fiction Reviews. I don’t review every book I read. Not even close. So these are hand-picked selections that I either loved or struck a chord with me. Maybe some time I’ll even sneak in a little nonfiction. Three of my recent reviews follow, all very different books but with similar themes.

I read two novels in one weekend, both of which dealt with the suffering endured by Iraqi and Afghanistan war vets. Both are, at their essence, love stories. One was a romance, the other was literary fiction. In both, the protagonist struggles with PTSD and the age-old question of how a loving God can allow evil. In both, we learn God’s love can heal our hurts. (A longer version of my review of Wounded Healer will appear at CatholicFiction.net.)

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Small Success Thursday

Published by CAstfalk on 06/11/2015

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.

I sorted through the end-of-school-year stuff. When my school-aged children returned from their last day of school with bulging backpacks, I sorted through their, ahem, stuff. Instead of piling it all somewhere to deal with “later,” I immediately funneled their art tools, projects, notebooks, and supplies into either the trash, the recycling bin, or an appropriate drawer. Some stuff came home barely used, so that should cut down on needed supplies for next school year.

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When Does Itching Signify Danger?

Published by CAstfalk on 06/08/2015

During the third trimester of my first pregnancy, the soles of my feet began to itch. In frustration, I would rub my bare feet over the claw feet of our dining room table during meals. I scrubbed them over bristling carpet. Finally, my husband bought me a foot massage tool that I could rub my feet over, offering some relief from the relentless itch.

I consulted my pregnancy books, which told me itching during pregnancy was normal. Dry skin, various rashes. Just another one of the many weird side effects of pregnancy. Labor was induced at 38 weeks due to pre-eclampsia, and I delivered a healthy, baby boy.

My second full-term pregnancy passed with nary an itch.

During my third full-term pregnancy, the itching came at night. On my hands and on my soles.

About Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy

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Favorite Picnic Recipes – Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Salad

Published by CAstfalk on 06/05/2015

It’s time to move eating outdoors! Here is an old favorite of hours. It’s got fresh veggies, protein, and a little zing. I think I…

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Why I Remain Catholic. . .

Published by CAstfalk on 06/04/2015

Over at Patheos, Elizabeth Scalia has put out a call to answer the question “Why Do YOU Remain a Catholic?” I’ve mulled over whether I have anything new to say or whether I should say anything at all.

I spent ten years being a public voice for the Church. In some ways, I’m happy to be done with that. For an introvert that dislikes controversy, it can be exhausting. I’m happy to care for my little family, write my little stories, and discover my little niche of readers. But the niggling desire to skip this exercise felt too much like a cowardly cop-out.

Top 10 Tuesday: 10 Signs You Might Live In A Tourist Town

Published by CAstfalk on 06/02/2015

The home I grew up in sat on a dead-end road. It was once a main thoroughfare leading west from Pittsburgh, but in the 1960s, it was cut off by the development of Interstate 79. Where my Italian immigrant grandfather once had a wholesale whiskey business and then a gas station, businesses died and homes were moved – literally. In our little town, multiple homes, including the home in which my husband was raised, were picked up and moved. My father kept his property and his business, as did my uncle. A lone home remained as well. Our buildings were the last in a road that circled in on itself, deadening at a macaroni company. If tourists came through, they were most assuredly lost. WAY lost.

For the past seventeen years, we have lived in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Well, technically there is no town of Hershey. Hershey lies within the bounds of Derry Township, and that’s where we live. Derry Township is home to HersheyPark, among other attractions, including a natural limestone cavern right across the street. Things are. . . different.

In case you’re unsure, here are ten signs you may live in a tourist town.

People pose with the “Welcome to. . .” signs. Many a summer day, I can ride down the highway and see one or more vehicles pulled onto the berm and a family huddled underneath the welcome billboard.

Stay With Me: The Recipes, Part I

Published by CAstfalk on 06/01/2015

Today marks four months until the release of Stay With Me. Last month, I wrote about the music that inspired the book, and in April, I blogged about the settings. This month and next, I’ll highlight several of the recipes for the delicious treats mentioned in the book.

Fudge-Full Peanut Butter Bars

Early in the story, Rebecca bakes a batch of these Fudge-Full Peanut Butter Bars for Chris. The recipe is one my husband asked me to recreate – a favorite from his childhood. I got the recipe from his mother more than a decade ago only to find that it included an ingredient – Pillsbury Coconut Pecan Frosting Mix – that is no longer produced. It was several years until I found a substitute recipe for the frosting mix on the Internet. As everyone in my family will attest, these chewy, gooey, delicious bars are well worth the trouble to recreate them!

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Five Favorites: Trader Joe’s Products

Published by CAstfalk on 05/27/2015

The closest Trader Joe’s is more than sixty miles from our home, so I have only visited the store a handful of times. (I’m so desperate for a local store that I started this.) BUT, for several weeks out of the year, my husband works nearby one of the Pennsylvania locations, and he stocks ups. I mean, STOCKS UP. With my limited ability to peruse the available products, these five stand out as among my favorites. By necessity, they are items that travel well.

Stocking Up at Trader Joe's — Stocking Up

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Category: My Scribbler’s Heart

Fudge-Full Peanut Butter Bars