Aug 30, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Have we all lost our heads?!
I think I might catch some flack for this post. But you know, I’m writing a novel set in New Orleans. And I have friends in the South. I’ve steeped myself in the history and heritage of the area. I welcome it with all its bumps and bruises.
It’s so rich with culture and inheritance–bad and good.
And I just have to raise my glass of sweet tea and ask,
HAVE Y’ALL LOST YOUR HEADS OR SOMETHING?!
What is with the impetuous tearing down of monuments all over? Banning flags? Erasing history?
We are defining hate upon hate upon hate, and saying it’s okay because one belief is better than the other which we should have not believed in the first place. Folks, I just don’t understand.
We are raising a culture of “My way is the only way so get out of it” mentality. Did I say raising? Forget that. We’re there.
We are a people of Me. Courtesy is a thing of the past. Understanding and compassion are good so long as they’re reciprocated.
The world is going to heck in a black-of-night, flag-draped, history-erasing basket. And we’re holding the handles!
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Have we all lost our heads?!
How are we, as a people, as a country, allowing these things to happen under the guise of political correctness? And if we continue to do so, shouldn’t we demand equal banning across the board?
Where is the Common Sense Party?
How are neo-Nazis still allowed to march with their flag, when the Dukes of Hazzard is being pulled from television stations for driving the General Lee? Why are the Ten Commandments being forced out of schools but wiccan symbols are allowed?
It doesn’t make sense to me.
I don’t endorse or embrace much of what happened during the Civil War Era. I’m not a fan of the German Occupation or Hitler’s genocide. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t exist. It doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be used as a lesson. We can’t–nor should we–erase it from the history books, or from our minds.
Our culture seems so embroiled with the “act now, think later” mentality that we are endangering ourselves.
And protestors? Don’t even get me started on those paid-for, bussed-in, rabble-rousers. You have a legitimate complaint? Bring it on. But don’t add fuel to the fire by including for-profit bullying.
Todd Starnes tweeted yesterday, “Should Hamilton the Musical, beloved by liberals, be banished from Broadway because features slaveholding characters like George Washington?” and an overwhelming majority said yes. How disappointing.
A theatre in Memphis is going to stop showing Gone With the Wind because it depicts slavery.
Folks, this is us. This is our past.
Can we please not brush it outside and burn it in effigy?
I’m afraid the next generation will be born not out of love, but for financial gain.
“Hey, let’s have a kid so he or she can sue the pants of the government
or win a class-action settlement.”
I’ve a friend whose parents–Americans, mind you–were interred during the Second World War because they were also Japanese. I don’t see him jumping up and down and fighting for restitution from the states. Is he happy about it? Of course not. But he’s a source of learning, of understanding, of growth. He doesn’t want this information to disappear.
And neither do I.
Folks, can we just take a breath?
Let me say this to all y’all who have been trampled throughout history:
I’m sorry. I am. I truly, deeply, honestly am sorry for all your ancestors went through. I’m sorry some of those attitudes have continued through the generations. But you are not alone. You are not special. Every ethnicity, every gender, every culture, had, has, or will have these same struggles.
I know y’all are angry. But we can’t let this hatred consume our days. We can’t keep doing only what’s right for the individual without a perspective of the world at large.
So please. Stop for a minute. Share your story. Instead of trying to close our eyes and make it disappear, tell us what went wrong and how we can make things better.
I’m not asking y’all to raise monuments for the heck of it. But let’s consider that the monuments we do have are historic. They tell a story. Good and bad. So let’s not hide it.
Tell the rest of the story.
Let this be your monument.
And let history live.
TWEET THIS: Have We All Lost Our Heads?! @RealMojo68 #Southern #History #franklymydear
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Aug 29, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . . : The Unemployment Cookbook
Hey y’all! I’m so excited for this recipe post!
Last week I celebrated my new career by going to WinCo. Along with a new day gig at the local paper’s ad and digital marketing division, This Girl got paid to present on social media vs. marketing at WOK in Bakersfield, and I bought food with that thar income. So I guess social media really does put food on the table.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Social Media does put food on the table.
Now, the day job won’t start for another day or two, but I quit the old job last week so I could take a few days for things like editing and cleaning and cooking and writing. (Can I get a woot! woot! on that last one? All right! Raise the roof with that noise!)
Girlfriend, let me tell you. My house hasn’t smelled this good since the Christmas cider two years ago. But these smells are a different cooking aroma. Lemme tell ya.
I made two recipes in the last few days. The first is a take on my Cheese Fondue. Now, I’m not gonna tell you how I made it, ‘cuz it was a little strong. Okay, so I’ll tell ya. But the printable recipe will have the better version.
Frankly, My Dear . . . Beer Cheese Fondue
I took 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, 2 cups shredded Italian 6-Cheese blend, one bottle of pumpkin beer, one bottle of regular beer, one packet of onion soup mix, two tablespoons of cornstarch, and a few dashes of salt and pepper. Honey, it was a lot. And it was spicy. Like, onion-spicy. You know those cooking shows where they tell the contestant to not do that? Yeah. Don’t do that. Instead, follow this recipe:
The Unemployment Cookbook: Beer Cheese Fondue
Ingredients
- 1 bottle beer
- 2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1 TBS flour or cornstarch
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Carefully pour the beer into your fondue pot.
- Turn on medium high.
- While the beer heats up, toss cheese and flour in a small bowl.
- Once the beer is warmed but not boiling, add cheese.
- Stir occasionally, until melted thoroughly.
- Reduce heat to medium.
- Serve with dippers such as diced meats, crackers, fruits, and vegetables.
3.1
https://franklymydearmojo.com/2017/08/29/the-unemployment-cookbook-when-two-good-recipes-make-a-third/ (c) 2012 Frankly, My Dear... New Inklings Press
As you can see from the photo, we enjoyed dipping pretzels, apples, diced meat, and a variety of vegetables.
That was Saturday.
Now lemme tell ya what was for dinner the next day.
This one’s just as easy-peasy. [And you can click on the photo to download the recipe for this month’s PDF.]
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
But wait! There’s more!
What’s a girl to do with leftover cheese fondue and BBQ pork?
Aww, yeah. You know where this is going, don’t you, my hungry little Swarm.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Toasted MoJo Melt Sandwich:
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Toasted MoJo Melt Sandwich
Just look at those layers of BBQ pork and caramelized onion covered with tangy cheese fondue on crunchy toast. The perfect blend of smooth and savory in every bite. I just found a new meal to feed my people. Honey, I’m gonna open a restaurant with this sandwich, it’s that good! Served with a few chips, apple slices, and some refreshing citrus-infused water, there ain’t nothing better on the block.
But don’t take my word for it. Until my restaurant dream becomes a reality, you’ll have to make it on your own.
What are some of your favorite ways to combine leftovers?
TWEET THIS: What are your favorite food leftover combinations? @RealMojo68 @WinCoFoods #amcooking #ameating
TWEET THIS: When two good recipes make a third. @RealMojo68 @WinCoFoods #amcooking #ameating
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
[To order your copy of The Unemployment Cookbook, please visit New Inklings Press.]
Aug 28, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Five Easy Ways to Help Texas
- Text HARVEY to 90999 to give $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief for Hurricane Harvey victims.
- Search your social media contacts for people in need and offer food and shelter.
- If you’re in the area, volunteer at hospitals, shelters and pet care facilities. If you’re not in the area, donate.
- Organize drives for food, clothing, and emergency funds.
- Give blood.
“I will answer them before they even call to me.
While they are still talking about their needs,
I will go ahead and answer their prayers!”
~Isaiah 65:24 NLT
TWEET THIS: Five Easy Ways to Help Texas @RealMojo68 #HurricaneHarvey #houstonflood
With a sad heart but hope in people,
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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Aug 27, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, On Faith.
We all struggle. Sometimes it’s openly, sometimes it’s private. Sometimes we know the solution but can’t reach it. Sometimes we don’t have a clue what’s wrong. We just know things need to change.
God says, “Don’t worry about it. I got your back.”
We go to Him in thanksgiving for the little things, the big things, the in-between things. We ask for His guidance, His help, His strength, and His providence.
We remind Him of the great things He has already done, and we stand in awe at His greatness.
There’s something so humbling when we take the focus off what we need and shift to recognize who He is.
Like a breath of fresh air, His Spirit infuses our very atoms with joy and peace and we know, even if the now isn’t good, we know it will be. Whenever that is. Because God’s timing is not always our timing. But that doesn’t mean He forgets us. Rather, He asks us to forget the past and look forward.
Because what He has in store is grander, bigger, and much more powerful than anything we could imagine without Him.
“But forget all that–
it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”
~Isaiah 43:18-19 NLT
Frankly, My Dear . . . : New Beginnings
When you feel discarded or trapped, remember that He always remembers you. And if you can’t see Him at work, it’s probably because He’s behind the scenes getting ready to bless your socks off.
And that rope you’re holding on to the end of may just be what draws the curtain open to your glorious new life.
TWEET THIS: God hasn’t forgotten you. @RealMojo68 #God #Bible #Faith #Forgotten
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
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Aug 26, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Whether it’s through family, friends, a networking group, or public forum, there’s one action I’ve found that works best for everyone in promoting their product or service.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Word of Mouth Advertising only works if you open your mouth.
It starts with one person who believes in you and what you have to offer. Reach that one person, and your audience will grow.
TWEET THIS: How do you grow your social media Swarm? @RealMojo68 #socialmedia #marketing
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
