Sep 22, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Five Things Friday
So, I know the blog’s been a little eclectic lately. A bit of this, a touch of that. A few guest posts. But that’s just like life, isn’t it? I mean, are all your shirts blue? Do you only ever eat eggs for breakfast? Do you never hang out with different people?
I think not.
And that’s why this blog is a li’l bit of everything me and you.
Today’s Five Things Friday is the essential foundation of Frankly, My Dear . . . These five tenets are what FMD is built on. And just like a recipe or a closet, they’re made to mix-and-match. One wouldn’t be without the others. That’s why there are contributing writers, and many readers. We just blend together, dare I say it, like sweet and tea. And Frankly, My Dear . . . I wouldn’t have it any other way.
- Frankly. Okay, Yes. It’s Southern. Yes, it’s Gone With the Wind. Yes, it’s, well, in a polite way, my way of saying I’m gonna be who I am and while I respect all y’all’s opinions, I’m gonna say it like it is. I hope that’s okay with you. And since the blog’s been around for a few years and is growing, I’m gonna assume it is.
Frankly, My Dear . . .
- Faith. This is a biggie. I can say with certainty I would not be here without God and the peeps He’s placed around me. Y’all are my strength, my source of encouragement, my sounding boards. And I pray each day that I’m able to give as much back to you as you give to me. There’s such beauty seeing God at work in and around me, and I long to share it with each of you.
Frankly, On Faith.
- Family. Whether it’s blood family, God’s family, or my writing family, I’m blessed by every one of you. Family are the ones who see your inner beauty when it doesn’t show. The ones who talk you off the ledge. The ones who let you tether yourself to them for strength and guidance. And they’re the ones who laugh and cry with you no matter what, no matter when. Just because you’re family.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : New FRIENDS
- Food. There’s nothing better for me than feeding my people, and feeding them well. Food, drink, snacks, desserts. Doesn’t matter. The kitchen is my second favorite creative place and I relish making recipes. Heh heh. I said relish. But seriously. Food is more than essential. It’s a beautiful necessity. And I love sharing it with you.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : The Unemployment Cookbook
- Fun. This is the “everything else” category: Writing, crafting, travel, reading, DIY, home improvement, Happy Planning. And coffee. These are the things that make us happy individually and collectively. These are the seasonings to life.
Seattle Souvenirs: Coffee, honey, and books.
What are your favorite parts of life?
TWEET THIS: Five Things Friday: Frankly Faith, Family, Food, and Fun @RealMojo68 #5TF #fivethingsfriday #franklymydear
With open arms and a happy dance,
Happy Living, y’all!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Aug 8, 2017 |
by Josie Siler @josie_siler
One of my happy places is way out in the country. It’s located down a back road and you need to go through a gate to get in. Once you’re in you’ll park in a small lot next to everything from motorcycles and jacked-up Jeeps to trucks and nondescript cars.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Fun Faith Adventures with Josie Siler: Choose Your Battles
In this happy place I meet with family, friends, and strangers whose lives are as diverse as their vehicles. We swap magazines, actively engage our surroundings, and learn from the best.
What is this magical place? A gym? A school? Perhaps a gated community? In a sense, all of those answers are correct.
It’s a shooting range!
I know this might sound terrifying to some of you, but I’m a Wisconsin girl and shooting is in my blood. It’s part of the culture here and an absolutely normal part of life. I’ve been shooting my entire life, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I really got into training.
My family met Dirk and Jo of Jasco Defense Strategies at a gun show held at our church. Yes, I said church; it really is part of our culture here! Dirk is a firearms instructor and a dang good one. My entire family took his concealed carry class and we were hooked.
Last summer I took Defensive Handgun 1. This class teaches you how to shoot from various positions including on your knees, leaning back on an elbow, or even flat on your back shooting between your feet. The whole time I was reciting in my head, “Don’t shoot your toe off, don’t shoot you toe off, don’t shoot your toe off . . .”
We learned how to shoot from behind and around shelter, what targets to engage first, how to assess the risk, and how not to get in trouble in the first place. You guys (that’s like “y’all” for us northerners), it was So Much Fun!
Living with chronic illness, shooting can be a challenge. Often it will take me days to recover from a night at the range and sometimes a week or more to recover from a class.
But sometimes in life you have to make the choice to have fun anyway because the joy you get from doing something is worth the pain.
There have been a lot of classes and range nights that I’ve had to miss, but I do everything I can to help my body be ready for fun. I schedule things so I can have energy before and time to rest after because I like it so much. There are a lot of reasons why:
One: It’s a stress reliever. If life is stressing you out, an hour or two at the shooting range is good medicine. I mean, you literally get to shoot your worries away – how awesome is that?!
Two: It’s family bonding at its finest. My entire family likes to shoot so when we all go to the range or take a class together it’s a blast. (Ha, blast!) We get to watch each other improve and celebrate victories together.
Three: It’s a confidence builder. I don’t know if I’ve ever done anything that has built my confidence as much. When you can load and rack your handgun, understand the situation before you, and run a course, hitting every target and swapping mags[1] on the fly, you feel like a million bucks. You can face any problems head on because you just rocked that course and if you can do that you can do anything.
Four: I’m better prepared to live life safely. Let’s face it, today’s world is dangerous. Through shooting classes I’ve learned situational awareness[2]. I don’t walk to the car while playing on my cellphone, I keep my head up and eyes open. I don’t just check my six[3] out on the range; I check my six at the grocery store and in the parking lot. I walk with confidence and my body language shows that I’m not an easy target, even if I am small female. I’m a person who will fight back if necessary.
Five: It deepens my faith in God. I can see you scratching your head, but hear me out on this one. First of all, anything I do in nature deepens my faith in God. I love being in His creation. But beyond that, I’m learning how to be confident in the person God made me to be and learning lessons that can be applied to life and faith. For example, when my instructor gives me a command, I don’t always understand why he wants me to that, but I know that if I don’t obey I could be injured or someone else could be injured. Eventually I understand the “why” but by golly I better obey or I could be in trouble. It’s the same way with the commands God gives us in Scripture. I may not always understand the “why” right away, but I know that God is good and that His commands are for my benefit and safety. If I don’t obey God I’m going to find myself in trouble.
This Saturday I will be taking the Defensive Handgun 2 class and it’s going to be awesome! Do I have any shooting buddies out there? I’d love to meet you in the comments! Let me know what you like to shoot and what God has taught you through shooting.
Not a shooter? That’s okay! I think that any hobby we have or activity we enjoy can teach us something about God. Fun and faith are not mutually exclusive! I’d love to hear about something you love to do and what God has taught through it.
Footnotes:
[1] A magazine is what holds the rounds in a handgun. Rounds are what most people call bullets, but a bullet is only part of the round. The round is made up of the bullet, the gun powder, the primer, and the casing which holds it all together – see you learn things when you take classes!
[2] Situational awareness is knowing what’s going on around you. Be aware of your surroundings and have plans in place for those “what if” scenarios.
[3] Checking your six is looking behind you. Picture a clock: 12:00 is what’s in front of you; 6:00 is what’s behind you. Checking your six is being aware of what happening all around you.
TWEET THIS: Making the choice to have fun is worth the pain. @RealMojo @josie_siler #chronicillness #chooseyourbattles
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Josie Siler
Josie Siler loves sharing God’s gifts of beauty, hope, and adventure. She’s an award-winning writer, a published author, and an award-winning photographer. She can’t seem to separate her two loves so she brings them together each week in a #BehindThePhotoFriday story. Josie is also the Vice President of Broken but Priceless Ministries and the Editorial Assistant for “Broken but Priceless: The Magazine.” When she’s not writing or taking pictures, you’ll find this biker chick riding her motorcycle, reading a good book, drinking coffee, eating chocolate, or shooting something at the range. Learn more about Josie at josiesiler.com.
Jul 11, 2017 |
Hey Swarm! I’m super excited today to introduce to one of my newest regular contributors. Remember I said things were hopping here at Frankly, My Dear . . .? Well, Josie Siler stepped up to write how having faith and fun aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, this girl is having some pretty great moments and she’s going to share them with us!
I met Josie my first day at my first Blue Ridge Conference. We introduced ourselves and I kind of fangirled over her name. We bonded instantly. So when she recently agreed to be a contributor for FMD, I can’t tell you how thrilled I was, and still am.
Ladies and gentlemen, a warm round of applause, please, for Ms. Josie Siler and her Fun Faith Adventures! (raaaahhhhhhh……)
Fun Faith Adventures with Josie Siler: Laughter and a Motorcycle
by Josie Siler
I come from a family who love to laugh, play jokes, and be all-around mischievous. My Grandpa Marlowe was such a character. He had a laugh that would fill the room . . . and the next room too!
I have a photograph in my office of me and my grandpa laughing. We’re sitting at a table in the nursing home where he spent his last years before Alzheimer’s Disease took him home to Jesus.
Josie Siler and her Grandpa
At the bottom of the photograph are three sentences that were spoken more than any others during those last years:
“Well, we gotta have a little bit of fun every now and then. Well, we do, don’t we Josie?!” “Yup, we sure do grandpa!”
I keep this picture to remind myself that life isn’t always easy, but there is always a place for laughter and fun.
Grandpa’s situation was far from ideal. There was so much he didn’t understand, yet God blessed him with a heart of fun. His laughter brought joy to other patients and workers in that nursing home every single day.
I live with chronic illness and there are a lot of days that are far from ideal. Yet, I love to laugh. Recently my best friend and her family were visiting. Her oldest son asked, “Why do you laugh so much?!” After I stopped laughing, I didn’t have a very good answer for him, but I’ve had time to think about it.
I know why I used to laugh: it was a coping mechanism. I would laugh when I was uncomfortable or instead of crying. I would stuff all other emotions down and just laugh. I was living out Proverbs 14:13: “Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains.”
In the last few years God has taught me how to cry and feel my emotions. Now laughter is an overflow of the joy and peace I feel in my spirit. I feel like the Proverbs 31 woman who “is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future (verse 25).”
We can always experience joy because we walk with Christ. God holds each of our futures and He’s a good God. We don’t have to fear what may or may not happen because God not only knows what will happen, but how He will help us through it.
Having fun is a way to show God that we trust Him. If we’re so busy being worried about our future or a certain situation, we’re certainly not going to have any fun. We’ll be stressed out, grouchy people! However, if we can take intentional time in the midst of a trial to go and have a little bit of fun, it’s not only a stress reliever; it’s like a slap in the face to the Devil.
It’s as if we’re saying, “Hey God, I know You’ve got this. I’m not going to worry and I’m not going to wallow in a pit of fear. Help me out of this pit and let’s go have some fun together!”
Something fun that I like to do is ride motorcycle. I don’t get to do it often because of my health, but every time I do get to ride I have a sweet time of communion with God. I’ve had many a heart-to-heart with the Lord over the years from the seat of my Harley Davidson Nightster.
With the loud rumble of power echoing in my helmet, I’m in a world of my own. I can sing praise songs at the top of my lungs, pray out loud, or shout with joy and nobody is going to hear me. Driving a motorcycle is fun, a lot of fun.
The feeling of power you get when you roll back the throttle and accelerate down the open road is like none other. But even that can’t compare to the feeling of communicating with the all-powerful Creator of the universe. To know God and be known by Him on the seat of a Harley – frankly, my dear, it is a fun faith adventure!
Laughter and fun don’t happen by accident, and neither does faith. We must choose them, seek them out. Thankfully, they are there to be found, if we’re looking for them.
A Biker Chick’s Guide to Life: Guideline #4
I’d love to hear from you. Share with me in the comments something fun that you love to do and how you meet God in that activity.
TWEET THIS: Frankly, My Dear: Fun Faith Adventures with Josie Siler: #Laughter and a #Motorcycle @RealMojo68 @josie_siler #faith
Josie Siler
Josie Siler loves sharing God’s gifts of beauty, hope, and adventure. She’s an award-winning writer, a published author, and an award-winning photographer. She can’t seem to separate her two loves so she brings them together each week in a #BehindThePhotoFriday story. Josie is also the Vice President of Broken but Priceless Ministries and the Editorial Assistant for “Broken but Priceless: The Magazine.” When she’s not writing or taking pictures, you’ll find this biker chick riding her motorcycle, reading a good book, drinking coffee, eating chocolate, or shooting something at the range. Learn more about Josie at josiesiler.com.
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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Jul 31, 2013 |
Recently I’ve been asked by several people to offer guidance on starting a blog. Apparently, I’m doing something right, if people are coming to me for inspiration.
Let’s face it: there’s a lot of blogs out there. It’s hard to know which ones to emulate, imitate, or eliminate. I like that Frankly, My Dear… is a “small” blog: by that I mean, it’s still personal. It’s a two-person operation. My web designer fixes the glitches and comes up with some amazing designs. I dream, create, cook, craft, photograph and write.
That’s not to say I wouldn’t love to have thousands of followers each month with more paid sponsorships, but I’ll take what I can get. Because I love being a Blogger. I’m in it for the love of the game.
Who can forget the Grand Reveal of the new blog design with this post just two months ago:
Field of Dreams
So yeah… I must be doing something right.
There’s a lot of advice to offer someone who’s thinking of starting a blog. The most important thing I can tell you is this: Take that first step. Ask yourself why.
My dear friend Chuck told me just tonight [paraphrasing here], “What are you afraid of? You have to put yourself out there. People aren’t going to hand you what you want until they know you want it.” And he’s right.
I’m a big fan of magical thinking. But the problem is just that: it’s only thinking. And I don’t really believe in magic. So. Back to the basics. Remember the TGIF: One post? It all starts with One. One idea. One step. One goal. One accomplishment. One foundation.
For those of you thinking of starting a blog, my first question to you is
WHY?
Never mind if others don’t get it. If you can satisfy yourself with the answer, you’re on your way.
There are many reasons to write a Blog. Some want a creative outlet or a place to vent. Others are looking for recognition or perhaps another avenue to promote themselves (writers, especially). Large companies and small mom-and-pop operations blog now and then to personalize their business.
There are Food Blogs, How-To Blogs, Craft Blogs, Family/Parenting/Mommy Blogs, Political/Religious/Viewpoint Blogs. Is the sky blue? There’s a Blog for that. Why is the grass green? Do you want the physical, environmental, creative, or religious perspective? There’s a Blog for that.
Knowing why you want to blog will guide you in designing your blog and how you promote it. But don’t feel you’re limited to just one theme. One overall idea, yes. One theme? Stagnant.
A traveler can blog about so many things: the different foods, customs, jet lag, environment.
Food blogs not only have recipes, but great kitchen product reviews and giveaways.
Photographers share their images and the stories behind them.
There’s no wrong reason to want to blog.
Do you have something to say? You can blog it!
But if you want to blog for fun without a sense of a Blog theme, I caution you to think about it first. Your Blog name will be your Brand. And if you don’t have a direction for your Blog, what you name it on a whim may end up not being at all what it’s about.
When I first started “Frankly, My Dear…” everyone expected me to write with an “I don’t care” attitude. And I can honestly say, that’s still me. Yes, the Blog has transitioned from a social experiment to a personal “here’s my day” recap to something much more fulfilling and substantial: my tales of Faith, Family, Food, Fun, and everything in between. But it’s still Me. And I don’t sugar-coat much (ask my best friend Julie. We pull no punches with each other). So whether it’s a new recipe or a movie review or a video of my cats, I blog because I’m a writer. And I can’t not write. I was born with ink in my veins. I have to write. Does it make a difference if others like my posts? Of course! I love the likes, shares, clicks and comments. Who wouldn’t? But I write what I write the way I write it. Because that’s me. And if I didn’t write the way I am, how could I authentically ask you to read my blog?
Blogging can be an adventure. A daily diary of your journey through life even if you never leave your chair. It can be an eclectic collection of poetry and prose that you’ve dusted off from the corners of your mind and want to share with the world at large. Or it can be a story, your story, on a continuing basis. Because you have something to say. And each day that you’re alive, you have more to share.
In future posts I’ll discuss ways to start a Blog and basic design options as well as posting Do’s and Dont’s. So if you have any questions about blogging, leave them in a comment below. Share this post with your friends who you think would make great bloggers. And be sure to subscribe to both the Blog (look in the column on the right) and the monthly email newsletter (click here) to stay updated with Frankly, My Dear… and New Inklings Press.
Here’s a Bonus Bit for today: Don’t be afraid to share yourself with the world. Whatever you write, write it authentically. Readers know what’s trite and what’s true. Don’t underestimate the worth of how you tell your tales.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading these blog samplings:
TGIF: A-P-P-R-E-C-I-A-T-I-V-E-L-Y
TGIF: One
Kitchen Craft: Aromatic Mason Jar
Destination: Mission Inn, Riverside, CA
Feta Tomato Spinach Salad in a Jar
Writing Prompt: Songs
When I Get to New York
Mojo Movie Review of the Week: “Eat, Pray, Love”
Jun 10, 2013 |
TheRealMojo68
So. Y’all know I’m a Trekaroo Superoo, right? I get to write reviews for family-friendly based activities, restaurants, and destinations. I’m loving it. I haven’t received a sponsored assignment yet, but I’m so okay with that. Because I love writing reviews. Even if they’re based out of my own little town.
Another reason I love Trekaroo is the giveaways they offer every week with their Monday Madness. This week is no different. But it is. This week is a doozy. A week-long stay at a west coast timeshare through ResorTime.com.
Now, I’m not affiliated with this giveaway. Which is good. ‘Cuz I’m trying to win. Which would be good. ‘Cuz then I could review the experience. It’s a win-win-win. But that’s just me being selfish. I’d love for you to win instead, if you want to give it a try.
Can you find your way to Hawaii? Las Vegas? Sedona or Scottsdale or Carlsbad? Do you need a week away from it all with the ones you love the most?Sometimes you just need a break. Can you see yourself sitting poolside while the kids play, or sitting with the family all around the picnic table enjoying your own BBQ?
Then y’all need to check this out. Click on my Superoo badge above or below this post and you can read Katie Dillon’s Trekaroo Contest post. Full of information about the timeshares and plennnnty of chances to enter for your own vacation. [Disclaimer: by entering through my link, I get a bonus entry. So thank you. But truly, good luck! If I don’t win, I hope you do!]
Don’t forget to share your own link so you can earn bonus entries, too!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
TheRealMojo68
You can read all my Trekaroo reviews here: RealMojo68
You may also enjoy reading:
Do You Trekaroo?
I’m a Trekaroo Superoo!
Five Things Friday: TRAVEL
Following Fabian
Destination: Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan
Destination: Mission Inn [“Tell ‘Em Tony Sent Ya”]
When I Get To New York
