2017 - Frankly, My Dear . . .

Frankly, On Faith: Don’t Run From the Inevitable

Jul 9, 2017 | 2 comments

by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68

Frankly, On Faith.

There are many Scriptures referencing fish. Portraying Christ as the Fisher of Men was an idea we still understand and relate to today.

The waters swarm with fish. Bread and fish are what fed the masses. The Kingdom of Heaven casts its net and we will be sorted into keepers or trashers. [I hope I’m a keeper.]

But there’s another fish reference. Actually, it’s bigger than a fish. It’s a great fish, and most have interpreted it to be a whale. It’s the one that swallowed Jonah.

See, God had a task for Jonah, but Jonah didn’t want anything to do with it. He waved his hand and walked away. “See ya, God.” Right. Like that’s ever worked in anyone’s life. Here’s a hint: Because you are uniquely made, when God has a task for you, ain’t no one else gonna get it done. And because God is everywhere, ain’t no use trying to escape Him.

God found Jonah on a boat and caused a great storm to arise. The others were terrified, and Jonah told them, “It’s all my fault. Toss me overboard to the sea. You will be safe.” And it worked. The boat and the fishermen were safe. But Jonah . . . Well, this is where the whale comes in. God was keeping an eye on things, and since Jonah hadn’t proven himself too trustworthy to get the job done in a timely manner, God orchestrated a little extra help in getting him to his destination.

“Now the LORD had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.”
~Jonah 1:17 NLT

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking if *I* spent three days in the belly of a whale, I might be doing a whole lot of thinking. Like, how if I’d only listened to God in the first place, I wouldn’t be in this stinkin’ whale. [And I can only imagine how stinkin’ it must have been.] Or, how I let God down in the first place.

My point is, I’m betting there wasn’t a lot of singing and dancing and happy-place emotions going on. But there was prayer. A lot of humility and asking forgiveness. And salvation. Not the spiritual kind, because that goes without saying. But the physical kind. The while-I’m-here-on-earth kind. Because God heard Jonah, and ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach. [Jonah 2:10 NLT].

And you know what happened next? Jonah did as God asked. And His testimony was more powerful than he could imagine.

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Frankly, On Faith: Don’t Run From the Inevitable

And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!

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Y’all ready for this?

Jul 8, 2017 | 2 comments

by Molly Jo Realy (@RealMojo68)

How many of you are fist-pumpin’ to the beat? C’mon. That song. That go-get-’em, conquering, sports-theme-y, you-got-this song . . . DundundunDUNDUNdunDUN. Yeah. That one.

Yeah, we got this!

Well, anyway, in your head, I want you to imagine the greatest celebratory music you can conjure. Got it? Awesome.

Keep it playing in the background, and read on.

It’s no secret that I have a new website. But I’m not sure all of you know FMD and NIP are undergoing some cosmetic surgery as well. A little NIP, a little tuck. (Ooh. NIP. See what I did there?)

Frankly, My Dear . . . : Nippers and Bruno and Molly Jo Realy

Now, I don’t know how soon y’all can see it, but it’ll be soon. Real soon, I promise.

So here’s the thing. I’m changing the way I do things, too. And one is how I send the email notices whenever there’s a new post. For the foreseeable future, I intend to have posts every day. WHAT?! You ask? Isn’t that a crazy lot of blogging to do? And This Girl would have to agree with you. Here’s the awesome part. I’m bringing on board some really great contributors to help. More about them later.

Right now, I want to make sure you don’t miss a thing. So. First, check back every day. ‘Cause you don’t want to miss this.

Second, if you’ve been a subscriber for any duration, keep an eye on it in the next week or so. I’m changing from an RSS feed to email-only subscription. That doesn’t mean much to you, but what it means to me is I’m transferring my subscription list for easier management. Right now, I’ve got two lists going on and that’s just a little unkempt.

So help This Girl out and if you realize you’re not getting the email feed, resubscribe. If you want to hedge your bets and subscribe now using a different email, just click here: Subscribe to Frankly, My Dear.

I hope you’ll stick around. And, you might want to take a look at some of my very first posts. Those no longer fit with the new scheme, and I’m thinking it’s time to clean out those closets. Translate: Getting rid of the old to make room for the new.

With an air conditioner and delete key,
~Happy reading.
Molly Jo

And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!

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Five Things Friday: Pocket Changes

Jul 7, 2017 | 6 comments

by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68

Frankly, My Dear . . . : Five Things Friday

You know, we’re halfway through the year and I still haven’t reached all my goals. That private jet? In someone else’s name. Book deal? Workin’ on it. Owning a writers’ cafe? Yah. That’s on the back burner for a while longer. [See what I did there? Cafe? Burner? Sigh . . . ]

So, I’m sitting here thinking, egads! [True story. I actually said “Egads!” out loud. To no one except the fur family. Some days I’m glad they can’t talk English.] But back to it. I’m sitting here thinking, egads! I’ve been so busy I forgot to write Friday’s blog post.

And then I thought to myself, “Self! It’s a Five Things Friday post. You’d best come up with something good!” And my self answered, “Oh, Girl. Don’t bother us. We’re working on the budget.” Okay, it wasn’t all as Sybil-esque as all that, but, yes. Yes I did have a conversation with myself about the budget and paydays and where to find extra cash.

In fact, as I was writing this month’s budget, a nagging thought distracted me until I wrote it out:

Five Things Friday: Pocket Change – Money Comes From Unexpected Sources

That photo above is just a little snippet of my Happy Planner budget sheets. Y’all know my affinity for Happy Planning, yes? Well, maybe that will be next week’s FTF post. Today, we’re about saving pennies. And more.

But it got me thinking. I know I’m not the only who could use a few extra greenbacks. Or a means to accomplish that which must be, well, accomplished. Am I right? Oh, come on folks, I ain’t making this up!

So, in keeping with my striving for a better credit rating and a little fun money [or just a better bag of cat food now and then], here are five easy changes you can make to help save a little dough.

The Penny Jar. It sounds old fashioned, and even I was skeptical about its profitability at first. But when I cashed out my pennies at the end of six months, I was pleasantly surprised to find enough for a trip to the grocery store and gas station. Now, I’m not saying I bought enough for the month with a cross-country drive, but it did get me through the week and with a little sumthin-sumthin to enjoy Friday night. Which, coincidentally, is now my new penny jar.
Southern Roasted Pecan Gelato. Frankly, My Dear . . . Did someone say, “Yummm.”?
Talk. Chat. Discuss. However you want to word it, word it. Communicate. Got bills you can’t pay? Let the payee know ahead of time. Most times, companies are willing to work with you if you ask. Now, you can’t be all i-just-bought-a-car-and-quit-my-job-but-i’m-keeping-it on them. I mean, you do have to maintain some responsibility. But take it from me. You know. You’ve read about it here. When you’re in a bind, explain it. Late fees get waived, due dates get pushed. It’s worth a little time to save a little money.
Sort it all out. Take inventory of what you have, materially, and ask yourself if you really need it. Start small: Take one shelf, one drawer, or one cabinet, and sort it into three piles: Keep. Throw Away. Sell. If it’s in good condition but you don’t need it, consider putting it on LetGo or a local Facebook Yard Sale group. Ebay’s a great source, too. There’s tons of them out there. And if after a decent amount of weeks go by and no one’s bought, donate. Sure, it may not put money in your pocket, but your house will be less cluttered. Clean house, clear mind. Isn’t that a thing?
Explore your talents. Now, I know you’re good at stuff. And some stuff, you’re really good at. And I know it doesn’t always seem like it, but trust me on this: You have something to offer others. So get creative! Whether it’s a service or goods, take time to develop it. Freelance. It doesn’t take much for word to get out if you’re good at what you do. Babysitting, baking, tree trimming, yard care, dog walking. Are you good as socializing? Love to connect with people? Try something like DoTerra or Jamberry nail wraps. You not only get great discounts for yourself on products you love and use, but if you turn it into a business, you’ll get a nice little income, too!
Frankly, My Dear . . . Jam With Mojo
Give it up. There are just some things y’all don’t need. When the decision is between milk or bread, it’s time to stop the Netflix. Now, treating yourself is a must, so get that Redbox DVD once in a while. Splurge for that Starbucks every three weeks. But when you start cutting corners and realize how easy it is to roll that savings into paying off another bill and that snowball keeps rolling downhill . . . pretty soon you’re king of your mountain and those are wildflowers springing up to make things beautiful.

Hyacinth for the Soul.

BONUS TIP: Pay attention to your spending. Don’t just write it in your checkbook or look at your smart phone now and then. Make a budget journal. Keep your receipts. Figure out where and how things can change. Grab a small drink instead of large, especially when the refills are free.

BONUS BONUS TIP: On the morning of each payday, whatever money you have left in your bank account that’s unallocated, transfer it to your savings or emergency fund.

BONUS BONUS BONUS TIP: Barter. You can’t afford everything you need and want. Neither can everyone else in your world. But you may be able to work out a trade. You can wash a car in exchange for yard cleaning. Tired of your DVDs? Trade them with a friend for some new but free entertainment. Money is a means, not an end. When you remove money from the equation, you may find a different solution.

BONUS BONUS BONUS BONUS TIP: Don’t be afraid to ask when you need help. It’s okay to admit you can’t handle everything on your own all the time. No one can. If we could, we wouldn’t need each other, would be?

BONUS BONUS BONUS BONUS BONUS TIP (So really this should be a Five Things PLUS Five Things Friday): Take it all to the Great Provider. I find that when I earnestly ask God to bless my budget, I’m more aware of my frivolous spending habits, and more attentive to being a good steward of what He has blessed me with.