Carolyn Astfalk's Blog, page 38

April 15, 2017

Bonnets, Baskets & Bunnies: An Easter 2017 Link-Up

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Best wishes for a happy and blessed Easter!
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Resurrexit sicut dixit


Here are a few of my favorite Easter things:


Easter Resurrection
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The only attribution I can find for this image is “vintage.”


I had difficulty finding artwork that depicts this incredible Gospel passage. I’ve heard these verses read countless times, but this year it really  jumped out at me.


“And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the city and appeared to many.” Matthew 27:51-53


Wow. Just wow. I find these verses to be a beautiful foretaste of the resurrection of the body. For more information on these verses, see here and here.


 Quack

[image error]We picked up Hatch by Katie Cox at a Scholastic Book Fair a few years go. Every kid (and adult?) loves a lift-the-flap book, and this one, filled with photographs of baby animals that hatch from eggs is especially cute. It’s also a guessing game for kids. The left side of the page gives a written clue. Beneath the flaps on the right side of the page is the darling baby animal. Our book is so well-loved that it is falling apart at the seams. Perfect for springtime with all its animal babies and new life.


Jelly Beans

[image error]My kids love these Member’s Mark jelly beans. They’ve been tortured by the giant container sitting out for weeks, knowing that we won’t be indulging until Easter morning. These candies are at least as tasty as Jelly Belly jelly beans, and the great thing is that the back label depicts each jelly bean and lists its flavor. This ensures we have few discarded/wasted jelly beans as the kids know what they like and don’t like.


Happy Easter! “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24Tweet This


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Thanks for stopping by! Stay a while and look around. Leave a comment. Share with a friend. If you like what you see, please sign up from my author newsletter to keep up-to-date on new releases, extras, and hot deals!

 


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Published on April 15, 2017 21:01

Bonnets, Bunnies & Baskets: An Easter 2017 Link-Up

[image error]


Best wishes for a happy and blessed Easter!

Here are a few of my favorite Easter things:


Easter Resurrection
[image error]

The only attribution I can find for this image is “vintage.”


I had difficulty finding artwork that depicts this incredible Gospel passage. I’ve heard these verses read countless times, but this year it really  jumped out at me.


“And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the city and appeared to many.” Matthew 27:51-53


Wow. Just wow. I find these verses to be a beautiful foretaste of the resurrection of the body. For more information on these verses, see here and here.


 Quack

[image error]We picked up Hatch by Katie Cox at a Scholastic Book Fair a few years go. Every kid (and adult?) loves a lift-the-flap book, and this one, filled with photographs of baby animals that hatch from eggs is especially cute. It’s also a guessing game for kids. The left side of the page gives a written clue. Beneath the flaps on the right side of the page is the darling baby animal. Our book is so well-loved that it is falling apart at the seams. Perfect for springtime with all its animal babies and new life.


Jelly Beans

[image error]My kids love these Member’s Mark jelly beans. They’ve been tortured by the giant container sitting out for weeks, knowing that we won’t be indulging until Easter morning. These candies are at least as tasty as Jelly Belly jelly beans, and the great thing is that the back label depicts each jelly bean and lists its flavor. This ensures we have few discarded/wasted jelly beans as the kids know what they like and don’t like.


Happy Easter! “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24Tweet This


[image error] Loading InLinkz ...



[image error]



Thanks for stopping by! Stay a while and look around. Leave a comment. Share with a friend. If you like what you see, please sign up from my author newsletter to keep up-to-date on new releases, extras, and hot deals!

 


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Published on April 15, 2017 21:01

Blogging from A to Z Challenge: M is for Medals

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For the first time, I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! The concept is simple: Each day in April I’ll be blogging on a topic  starting with the letter of the day, beginning with A and progressing to Z by the end of the month. Posts will be short and will relate to my chosen theme: my new coming of age story, Rightfully Ours, released April 1.



[image error] M is for Medals

A personal item or token of some sort can tell you a lot about a character. It may be a piece of jewelry, a memento kept in a pocket, or a treasure tucked in a nightstand drawer. I’ve used religious medals as items important to Catholic characters in my novels.


In Ornamental Graces, it was a Miraculous Medal pinned to the inside of Grandma’s bra (!), later given to a special young woman. In Rightfully Ours, it is a St. Paul medal given as  birthday gift to Paul from his friend Rachel.


Religious medals, which are sacramentals, are another case of a custom being sanctified but the Church. (“A sacramental is a special prayer, action or object which, through the prayers of the Church, prepares a person to receive grace and to better cooperate with it.”)


It had been the custom for pagans to wear amulets to stave off evil or disease. As people converted, they would instead wear medals as a reminder of the power of Jesus in their life, dispelling superstitious notions and fostering devotion. Archaeologists have unearthed medals of Saints Peter and Paul from the second century.


Religious medals have long been part of my life. My mom has always had a stash of Miraculous Medals on hands. I continue to wear one. During pregnancies, I’d often switch to a St. Gerard Majella medal, since he is the patron of expectant mothers. My college friend, Chris, wore a medal of his patron, St. Christopher. My kids occasionally wear medals depicting Jesus, Mary, or the Holy Spirit that they’ve received from school. They are good reminders to pray.


For writers: Do you characters have a special object, such as a medal, that is important to them? 



A is for Algebra.


B is for Baking.


C is for Chastity.


D is for Doodling.


E is for Ectopic Pregnancy.


F is for Fracking.


G is for Gold.


H is for Hot Chocolate.


I is for iPodPlaylist.


J is for Jekyll and Hyde.


K is for Karst.


L is for Lentils.



THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FROM MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS!
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Published on April 15, 2017 04:00

Blogging from A to Z: M is for Medals

[image error]


For the first time, I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! The concept is simple: Each day in April I’ll be blogging on a topic  starting with the letter of the day, beginning with A and progressing to Z by the end of the month. Posts will be short and will relate to my chosen theme: my new coming of age story, Rightfully Ours, released April 1.



[image error] M is for Medals

A personal item or token of some sort can tell you a lot about a character. It may be a piece of jewelry, a memento kept in a pocket, or a treasure tucked in a nightstand drawer. I’ve used religious medals as items important to Catholic characters in my novels.


In Ornamental Graces, it was a Miraculous Medal pinned to the inside of Grandma’s bra (!), later given to a special young woman. In Rightfully Ours, it is a St. Paul medal given as  birthday gift to Paul from his friend Rachel.


Religious medals, which are sacramentals, are another case of a custom being sanctified but the Church. (“A sacramental is a special prayer, action or object which, through the prayers of the Church, prepares a person to receive grace and to better cooperate with it.”)


It had been the custom for pagans to wear amulets to stave off evil or disease. As people converted, they would instead wear medals as a reminder of the power of Jesus in their life, dispelling superstitious notions and fostering devotion. Archaeologists have unearthed medals of Saints Peter and Paul from the second century.


Religious medals have long been part of my life. My mom has always had a stash of Miraculous Medals on hands. I continue to wear one. During pregnancies, I’d often switch to a St. Gerard Majella medal, since he is the patron of expectant mothers. My college friend, Chris, wore a medal of his patron, St. Christopher. My kids occasionally wear medals depicting Jesus, Mary, or the Holy Spirit that they’ve received from school. They are good reminders to pray.


For writers: Do you characters have a special object, such as a medal, that is important to them? 



A is for Algebra.


B is for Baking.


C is for Chastity.


D is for Doodling.


E is for Ectopic Pregnancy.


F is for Fracking.


G is for Gold.


H is for Hot Chocolate.


I is for iPodPlaylist.


J is for Jekyll and Hyde.


K is for Karst.


L is for Lentils.



THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FROM MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS!
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Published on April 15, 2017 04:00

April 14, 2017

Blogging from A to Z Challenge: L is for Lentils

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For the first time, I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! The concept is simple: Each day in April I’ll be blogging on a topic  starting with the letter of the day, beginning with A and progressing to Z by the end of the month. Posts will be short and will relate to my chosen theme: my new coming of age story, Rightfully Ours, released April 1.



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L is for Lentils

Yesterday I bypassed “kiss” for “karst,” despite the kisses in Rightfully Ours. Today, I’m going to skip the overly broad “love” for “lentils.” Yes, lentils. The legumes.


I don’t believe I ever tasted a lentil until I was in my twenties, and my husband encouraged me to make lentil soup. I found a recipe in one of his cookbooks and gave it a shot. In fact, it earned a regular spot in our menu and has a tiny place in Rightfully Ours when Rachel makes a pot for her family’s dinner.


Lentil are easy to work with. They’re nutritional. They’re available year round. Apparently, they’re a leading source of molybdenum, whatever that is.


Fun , you say? Here you go:



They’ve been consumed since prehistoric times.
They’re mentioned in the Bible as the item Jacob traded to Esau for his birthright.
They grow in pods that contain one or two lentil seeds.
One cup of cooked lentils gives you 330 percent of the daily recommended value of molybdenum. (Still no idea what it is. I think it makes an appearance on the periodic table of elements.)
You can grow your own. Take a look.

Have you grown, cooked with or eaten lentils? 



A is for Algebra.


B is for Baking.


C is for Chastity.


D is for Doodling.


E is for Ectopic Pregnancy.


F is for Fracking.


G is for Gold.


H is for Hot Chocolate.


I is for iPodPlaylist.


J is for Jekyll and Hyde.


K is for Karst.



THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FROM MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS!
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Published on April 14, 2017 04:00

Blogging from A to Z Challenge: L is for Lentil

[image error]


For the first time, I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! The concept is simple: Each day in April I’ll be blogging on a topic  starting with the letter of the day, beginning with A and progressing to Z by the end of the month. Posts will be short and will relate to my chosen theme: my new coming of age story, Rightfully Ours, released April 1.



[image error]

L is for Lentils

Yesterday I bypassed “kiss” for “karst,” despite the kisses in Rightfully Ours. Today, I’m going to skip the overly broad “love” for “lentils.” Yes, lentils. The legumes.


I don’t believe I ever tasted a lentil until I was in my twenties, and my husband encouraged me to make lentil soup. I found a recipe in one of his cookbooks and gave it a shot. In fact, it earned a regular spot in our menu and has a tiny place in Rightfully Ours when Rachel makes a pot for her family’s dinner.


Lentil are easy to work with. They’re nutritional. They’re available year round. Apparently, they’re a leading source of molybdenum, whatever that is.


Fun , you say? Here you go:



They’ve been consumed since prehistoric times.
They’re mentioned in the Bible as the item Jacob traded to Esau for his birthright.
They grow in pods that contain one or two lentil seeds.
One cup of cooked lentils gives you 330 percent of the daily recommended value of molybdenum. (Still no idea what it is. I think it makes an appearance on the periodic table of elements.)
You can grow your own. Take a look.

Have you grown, cooked with or eaten lentils? 



A is for Algebra.


B is for Baking.


C is for Chastity.


D is for Doodling.


E is for Ectopic Pregnancy.


F is for Fracking.


G is for Gold.


H is for Hot Chocolate.


I is for iPodPlaylist.


J is for Jekyll and Hyde.


K is for Karst.



THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FROM MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS!
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Published on April 14, 2017 04:00

April 13, 2017

Blogging from A to Z Challenge: K is for Karst

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For the first time, I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! The concept is simple: Each day in April I’ll be blogging on a topic  starting with the letter of the day, beginning with A and progressing to Z by the end of the month. Posts will be short and will relate to my chosen theme: my new coming of age story, Rightfully Ours, released April 1.



[image error]K is for Karst

We’re almost halfway through the alphabet, and I’m feeling a little loopy. What is “karst” anyway? And why did I choose it over “kiss”?


In Rightfully Ours, between the fracking, a rainy spring, and some other geological factors, conditions are ripe for a phenomenon I’ve seen plenty of in south-central Pennsylvania – the sinkhole. No, karst isn’t precisely what I imagine going on underneath my fictional world, but it’s pretty close, what with limestone deposits being prevalent in these parts.


Karst, terrain usually characterized by barren, rocky ground, caves, sinkholes, underground rivers, and the absence of surface streams and lakes. It results from the excavating effects of underground water on massive soluble limestone. The term originally applied to the Karst (or Kras) physiographic region, a limestone area northeast of the Gulf of Trieste in Slovenia, but has been extended to mean all areas with similar features. (Encylcopeadeia Brittanica)


I’d never heard of karst until I started doing a little book research. Interestingly, this is probably what it looks like deep below our basement! Our house is situated about an eighth of a mile from a natural attraction along the Swatara Creek, Indian Echo Caverns. Our neighbors two doors down said that from their basement, they used to be able to hear the sounds of rushing water.


I’ve always been fascinated by caves, and as kid, on our limited travels, I would beg my parents to stop at them. I’d guess I’ve visited five or six caves over the years, most in Pennsylvania. I’m hoping to visit Mammoth Cave National Park next year with my family!


Have you visited natural caverns? 



A is for Algebra.


B is for Baking.


C is for Chastity.


D is for Doodling.


E is for Ectopic Pregnancy.


F is for Fracking.


G is for Gold.


H is for Hot Chocolate.


I is for iPodPlaylist.


J is for Jekyll and Hyde.



THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FROM MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS!
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Published on April 13, 2017 04:00

April 12, 2017

Blogging from A to Z Challenge: J is for Jekyll and Hyde

[image error]


For the first time, I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! The concept is simple: Each day in April I’ll be blogging on a topic  starting with the letter of the day, beginning with A and progressing to Z by the end of the month. Posts will be short and will relate to my chosen theme: my new coming of age story, Rightfully Ours, released April 1.



[image error]J is for Jekyll and Hyde

I have no business writing about Jekyll and Hyde. I have not read the book, and I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t recall that Robert Louis Stevenson was the author until I looked it up. I’ve had an affection for Stevenson since I played the Authors Card Game with my family as a kid. His books were never assigned reading during my school years, but as an adult,  I read Treasure Island. Kidnapped is on my soon-to-be-read list, and now, The Strange Adventures of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has been added to the list as well. But I digress.


There reason  Jekyll and Hyde is here in the first place is as a reference to several scenes in Rightfully Ours. Paul makes reference to his girlfriend’s father exhibiting Jekyll and Hyde attitudes. One night he’s angry and belligerent with Paul and the next day he’s apologetic and compliant. Of course, her dad has good reason since they are in a high-stress situation.


Have you read The Strange Adventures of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or have you just absorbed the meaning through the culture, as I have?



A is for Algebra.


B is for Baking.


C is for Chastity.


D is for Doodling.


E is for Ectopic Pregnancy.


F is for Fracking.


G is for Gold.


H is for Hot Chocolate.


I is for iPodPlaylist.



THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FROM MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS!
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Published on April 12, 2017 04:00

April 11, 2017

Blogging from A to Z Challenge: I is for iPod Playlist

[image error]


For the first time, I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! The concept is simple: Each day in April I’ll be blogging on a topic  starting with the letter of the day, beginning with A and progressing to Z by the end of the month. Posts will be short and will relate to my chosen theme: my new coming of age story, Rightfully Ours, released April 1.



[image error]I is for iPod Playlist

I didn’t listen to the radio much until I reached the middle school years. Until then, I listened to whatever my brothers played (The Beatles, Wings, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and more) or albums my parents owned. (I remember listening to a lot of Mitch Miller and On Top of Spaghetti.) When I developed my own interest in popular music, the only way to assemble a playlist was by creating the infamous mixtape, camped out in front of the radio with a cassette recorder.


Enter the iPod, iTunes, and Spotify, and, oh, how things have changed. It’s certainly much easier and less time-consuming to create a custom playlist.


In Rightfully Ours, Paul inherits his father’s iPod. Listening to his dad’s music helps him feel connected to his dad, particularly when he starts to see a relationship between which songs are playing and the events in his life. The right song comes at the right moment. (You can find the songs on Paul’s dad’s iPod (and more) on the Rightfully Ours playlist.)


Have you ever experienced hearing the right song at the right moment, as if it were speaking to you?



A is for Algebra.


B is for Baking.


C is for Chastity.


D is for Doodling.


E is for Ectopic Pregnancy.


F is for Fracking.


G is for Gold.


H is for Hot Chocolate.



THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FROM MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS!
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Published on April 11, 2017 04:00

April 10, 2017

Blogging from A to Z Challenge: H is for Hot Chocolate

[image error]


For the first time, I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! The concept is simple: Each day in April I’ll be blogging on a topic  starting with the letter of the day, beginning with A and progressing to Z by the end of the month. Posts will be short and will relate to my chosen theme: my new coming of age story, Rightfully Ours, released April 1.



[image error]H is for Hot Chocolate

Growing up, we didn’t have hot chocolate often. In fact, the only time I recall having it is when I’d come inside after playing in the snow. My mother was a great baker, but she never made hot chocolate. It was strictly Swiss Miss packets all the way. Occasionally, a bag of mini marshmallows could be found in the cupboard to top it off.


I had fun writing the “hot chocolate” scene in Rightfully Ours, with Paul and Rachel chasing each other around the table armed with a can of Reddi Wip with a plugged nozzle.


“Rachel used his momentary remorse to her advantage, snatched the whipped cream back, and pointed it at Paul as if it were a loaded weapon. She pressed on the nozzle, releasing a thick stream.


He flung his arm in front of his face, but he was too slow. Whatever had been clogging the can must have dislodged, and the whipped topping hit Paul smack in the face.”


How do you like your hot chocolate? Instant or heated on the stove? Whipped cream or marshmallows? How about a peppermint stick? Ever been involved in an epic whipped cream battle?



A is for Algebra.


B is for Baking.


C is for Chastity.


D is for Doodling.


E is for Ectopic Pregnancy.


F is for Fracking.


G is for Gold.



THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FROM MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS!
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Published on April 10, 2017 04:00