Aug 25, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . . : My Favorite Cookbooks
Pretend this is real paper and you’re reading my scribble: As I’m prepping this blog post, my Mississippi Bestie Cara Pearson called and gushed about the great cookbooks she picked up at a used bookstore for about five cents each. And then she has the nerve to ask if I’ve ever seen the movie Julie & Julia. Please, girl. You know that’s what started me on my blog journey. Now I love her and all, but that’s just rubbing it in, dontcha think? Rub. Dry rub. That’s right! We’re talking about cookbooks today. Grab your go-juice and read on:
Hey, y’all. I’m so excited to be planning a big shopping trip to WinCo. Just another joy I have when cooking, baking, and blogging. But dangnabbit, it always makes me hungry! (Note to self: Eat before shopping. And bring your coffee tumbler.)
This trip will be a dash different than the norm. I’m starting a new job career [insert happy dance here, y’all!] next week and since I don’t know what the break room or lunch schedule is like yet, and because it’s just plain high time I did so, I’m changing up my dietary habits to include more health-friendly grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches, along with prep-easy, autumn-friendly dinners, and of course, snackage. I’m gonna learn and relearn great protein smoothies, bento lunches, and one-pot dinners.
Mmm. I can hardly wait: I’m also gonna try my hand at a red lentil soup, reminiscent of my trip to Seattle and lunch at Mamnoon’s.
Oh, sorry. I drifted into food memories for a moment. What were we talking about? Ah, yes. Food. Glorious food.
Y’all are familiar with my Stock That PDF List, yes? Of course that’s coming to the store with me. Now, like oh-so-many people I don’t have an endless budget when it comes to food buying. That’s one of the reasons I love WinCo. I can take my food allowance and make it stretch. And this time, I’m allowing myself a tiny (and by tiny I mean one meal’s worth) of funds for food experimenting. I want to develop my palate, y’all! But how can I do that if I keep buying the same foods?
So, in search of some new flavors, I looked at my cookbook shelf and, well, you guessed it. Say hello to this week’s #FiveThingsFriday.
- The Unemployment Cookbook.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : The Unemployment Cookbook
Like sweet tea, this is a given, so let’s just get it out of the way. A labor of love and hard work, I created and/or compiled these family favorite recipes when Dot was in grade school. She wanted to have friends over, and I didn’t want to say she couldn’t, so I had to come up with some recipes that were affordable and delicious. And get this: Her friends’ parents were asking me for the recipes. Me! I couldn’t believe it. I had something to offer society after all. Naturally, I ran with it and the Cookbook idea was born. My Slow Cooker Pork & ‘Kraut recipe was the start of it all, and it’s been so long since I’ve made it. Thanks. Y’all just helped me decide what’s on my plate next week! [Feel free to click on the photo above to order your copy.]
- My Happy Planner Recipe Book and Meal Planner.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : My Happy Planner Recipe Book and Meal Planner
Don’t get your fireflies in a trap, this definitely counts as a cookbook. Like my Unemployment Cookbook, my Recipe/Meal Planner holds great hand-crafted recipes, cooking tips, meal plans, and coordinating grocery lists. Thanks, Hobbes, for the meatloaf inspiration. Plus, it’s like scrapbooking! Stickers, colored pens, washi tape. How could this amazing tool not be in my top five?
- Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Deceptively Delicious Cookbook
I picked this up on the discount shelf of a local book store when I moved into Bedford Manor. Folks, can I just say, ain’t no way this book is geared just to kids! With some amazing recipes and helpful hints (like how to equip your kitchen and making coffee cake with butternut squash), this is a great do-to idea guide when you’re not sure what to do with what’s in your pantry or fridge.
- KitchenAid Recipe Collection.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : KitchenAid Recipe Collection
Who can forget the day I ordered my beautiful Isabella? [Oh, please. Like you don’t name your inanimate objects. So just, shush, my brother.] The special collection included a few attachments, the warranty, and this beauty. Chock full of cooking tips, detailed recipes and coordinating photographs, I recommend this book like I recommend blackened seasonings. It’s that good, girlfriend!
- Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
I think everyone has some version of this cookbook on their shelf. That familiar pattern, the familiar title. It’s comfort cooking at its best. This was the first cookbook that was my own, a gift from my Momma (hi, Momma! Thank you!) when I moved into my first apartment. My first recipe used? The sugar cookies cut-outs (Page 200, if you have your own cookbook).
I don’t know ’bout all of you, but I’m ready for some home cooking and baking.
What are some of your favorite cookbook recipes?
TWEET THIS: What are some of your favorite #cookbook recipes? @RealMojo68 #FiveThingsFriday #amcooking @WinCoFoods
TWEET THIS:
With a wooden spoon and hungry eyes,
Happy cooking!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
Aug 24, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Something Wicked This Way Comes
August is almost over. Soon my cup will runneth over . . . with Pumpkin Spice Lattes, walks over crunchy leaves in the park, and that little tingle down my spine.
Some say it’s too early for autumn. I disagree. When that famous Starbuck’s drink rolls out next week, I’m all about the sweaters and squash.
This is the time of year my senses are heightened, waiting for that eerie carnival music to creep in at dusk, those artificially bright lights that color the dark night. Yes, y’all have heard it from me before. I’m a fan of Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. And because I’m a fan of that book and movie, I’m not a fan of traveling carnivals. In August, October, or any other time of the year.
Did you know the phrase is a quote from Shakespeare’s Macbeth?
“By the pricking of my thumbs
something wicked this way comes.”
Because it’s Shakespeare, the iambic pentameter gives it a rhythm nearly unforgettable. And so it cycles around in my head. Around, and around, with the swirling leaves, and the steaming lattes.
There are a handful of movies I love to watch this time of year, but this one is my autumn movie.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Something Wicked This Way Comes
Bradbury tells the story of being twelve years old and meeting the great magician, Mr. Electrico, at a traveling carnival. Mr. Electrico essentially knighted him with his electrified sword and instructed him, “Live forever!” Shortly after, Bradbury began writing every day. At the time of his death, he had written more than 30 books, nearly 600 short stories, and numerous poems, essays, screenplays and plays.
I am reminded how, shortly after high school, my girlfriends and I went to our local carnival. We relished the neon draw, the straw finding its way around our shoes. We walked from attraction to attraction, from game to game, playing what we could and taking the winnings.
I remember a barker-a stranger-at one of the games, striking up conversation.
He asked what part of the South I was from. My friends and I giggled. “South?” I said. “I’m from the Midwest.”
“No.” He shook his head. “Your accent. You’re definitely from Georgia. Or Louisiana.”
I don’t remember the rest of the conversation. I remember him trying to look nonchalant yet having a knowing look in his eye. I remember clutching whatever cheap stuffed animal I had won, or had been rigged to win, as my friends and I walked away. We laughed at the absurdity of his comment.
But I’ve never forgotten it.
And now, so many years later, I’m writing a novel set in New Orleans. My house has Southern flair, and my cooking has Southern flavors. My best friends are in the South.
And I still speak with a Southern accent I can’t account for.
Bradbury tells how Mr. Electrico greeted him. “You were my best friend in the great war in France in 1918 and you were wounded and died in my arms at the battle of the Ardennes Forrest. But now, here today, I see his soul shining out of your eyes. Here you are, with a new face, a new name, but the soul shining from your face is the soul of my dear dead friend. Welcome back to the world.”
This time of year, it’s nearly a trance. How Bradbury’s story, his movie, captures me. Reminds me. Motivates me.
My thumbs itch as I type, my fingers stand at the ready to do more. More typing. More adventuring. More everything. And I can almost smell the patchouli on the dark breeze.
What movie captures your attentions this time of year?
TWEET THIS: What’s your Go-To #autumn movie? @RealMojo68 #raybradbury #somethingwicked
With a beating heart and waiting coffee cup,
Happy haunts.
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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Aug 23, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Momma says, “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”
I packed up almost thirty pieces of clothing to give away today. Thirty, y’all. I thought my closet would look sparse. Hungry, even. But, nope. There it is, all neat and pretty. Straightened. Dust free. And dare I say, organized.
Oh, and the shoes. That’s right. This Girl tossed out four pairs of shoes.
And I’d do it again.
My Momma always says, “Less is more.”
Now, I’m not always a fan of most of my Momma’s mantras. (Sorry to burst that bubble, Mom). Mostly because she uses them to drive home a point I should already know. Things like
“Keep it simple.”
“Just breathe.”
She’s right of course. Dangnabbit. She’s almost always right. Dangnabbit again. I guess it comes with . . . Well, I was gonna say age, but not sure she would approve. Let’s change that. I guess it comes with the territory of being a Momma.
So, back to my opener. Yup. I did it. I’ve been on a clearance kick and I don’t mean sale. I’m taking a day at a time to focus of what I can, and let go of what I can’t.
Letting go can be hard. We hold on to so many things for varying reasons:
- Sentimentality
- A sense of obligation
- Rarity
- Habit
- Hassle of disposal
But those aren’t really good reasons to keep things around. Things, here, can mean more than the tangible. It’s also emotions, thoughts, actions.
Before you know it, life is hoarding station and you know you have what you need but it’s buried under mountains of . . . well, stuff you don’t need.
I tend to hold onto things for “someday”:
I can’t get rid of those games, I might someday have grandchildren.
I can’t toss out that old jacket. I bought it two boyfriends ago.
I need these movies that I haven’t watched for ten years. I might have friends over next someday.
I don’t want to let go of how I’m feeling. It’s uncomfortable, but I’m used to it.
Mostly, when I’m stressed over something that hasn’t happened yet, Momma sits me down with a cup of coffee and says those seven words I dread the most.
“Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”
She’s right, of course. Did I say that already? YOU’RE RIGHT, MOM. OKAY?! You’re. Right.
And the best thing I can do, is do the best I can. No matter what.
As you’ve probably guessed, my Momma’s a big fan of keeping life neat and tidy. [And her house. You should see her house. It’s better than mine. Like, always. #shemakesmejealous.]
The truth is, nothing changes if nothing changes. And since each day is new, that’s a whole new 24-hour pile of stuff going on to the pile from the day before, and the day before, and the day before . . . And before I know it, I have a year’s worth of junk mail in a bag on the floor. What good is that to anyone?
So, literally and metaphorically, I’m cleaning out the house this month. And I’ve come up with a few questions to help me evaluate whether something should be kept, donated, or trashed:
- Does this enhance my life?
- Does this help me enhance the life of others?
- Do I feel good and healthy about this?
- Does this bring back good memories, or do I just feel obligated to keep this?
- When was the last time this was used or useful or appreciated?
- Am I holding onto this in anticipation of something that may never happen?
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Momma says, “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”
Now, I don’t want to be a chicken, afraid of life and what’s right in front of me. I want to be a chicken who’s brave enough to crack that shell and come out into the world singing.
So if y’all will excuse me, before I toss this house some more, I need to go sit down for coffee with my Momma.
Are you facing a messy closet and need a change? How do you clean out your life?
TWEET THIS: How do you clean out your life? #Momma and #Chickens and a Clean Closet @RealMojo68
With a clean closet and a happy chick,
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
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Aug 22, 2017 |
by Beckie Lindsey @BeckieLindsey_
Beckie Lindsey: Can You Identify a Counterfeit?
One of the hottest topics in our culture today is fake news. Obviously, not all news is fake. At the same time, not everything we hear and read is true. It goes without saying the importance of knowing the difference between what is authentic and what is counterfeit.
The United States Secret Service advises the best way to guard against the threat of accepting counterfeit currency, is to become more familiar with authentic currency.
The same concept can be applied to our walk with God.
The Bible states that God Himself is truth.
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father accept through me.” John 14:6 NIV
Not only does this Scripture tell us that God is the truth, it reveals that Jesus is the only way to the truth of eternal life.
And yet . . .
A majority of all American Christians (52%) think that at least some non-Christian faiths can lead to eternal life according to Pew Research center in 2008.
Have these Christians read John 14:6 that clearly states no one comes to the Father accept through Jesus?
Considering a more recent study conducted by Barna Group, the problem is evident. Many Christians don’t read the Bible.
- More than 60 percent of Americans can’t name either half of the Ten Commandments or the four Gospels of the New Testament.
- Some 80 percent including “born again” Christians believe that “God helps those who help themselves” is a direct quote from the Bible.
- And 31 percent believe a good person can earn his/her way into heaven.
A recent Lifeway study found that 1 in 5 churchgoers say they never read the Bible while 45 percent read it only once a week.
I’m going to ask you a tough question. Can you name the Ten Commandments? I’m not asking the question to bring shame. I’m asking it to bring awareness to our need of the truth.
If you don’t know all of the Ten Commandments, they can be found in Exodus 20 and in Deuteronomy 5.
This world is full of counterfeits that look and feel so close to the truth that we can easily be deceived. Not only do we leave ourselves vulnerable to false religions, but prone to other forms of counterfeits the world will offer. Our desire to be happy and content can lead to sources other than the true joy of God.
Here are a few common counterfeits to joy and happiness:
Money
Sex
Food
Appearance
Alcohol and drugs
Pornography
In contrast with the results from the Barna Group and LifeWay Research above, 90 percent of churchgoers said they, “desire to please and honor Jesus in all I do.”
If we desire to please and honor Jesus in all we do, we better get to know what that means. The best way to get to know Jesus is through the study of the Bible and prayer.
Bible Study 101
- Prayer
Many Christians state they have tried to read the Bible and don’t understand it. God is the source of all wisdom. We must ask Him to enlighten our Bible study.
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” James 1:5
- Make a scheduled time and stick to it
If you are a morning person, most likely you will need to set your alarm an extra fifteen minutes to half an hour earlier. If you prefer evenings, carve out a time before you go to bed.
- Tell someone your plan
We all need accountability to keep us on track.
- Choose a Book of the Bible
If you have never done this before, it’s best to start with a short book, preferably in the New Testament. Try James, 1 John, Titus, or 1 Peter.
- Read the Entire Book
Plan to spend three to four weeks doing this.
Next you will re-read the same book from the beginning once again. This time reading slowly, verse by verse and journaling. Which brings me to the next step.
- Get a Notebook or Journal
Write down “themes” and “applicable principles.”
Write down key scriptures to memorize.
I like to use the SOAK method, an acronym for: Scripture, Observation, Application, and Kneeling in prayer.
- Invest in Some Study Aids
A Commentary, which explains and interprets scripture and is written by knowledgeable Theologians.
A Lexicon, which is like a Bible dictionary.
A Bible study guide.
There are also lots of online resources such as, biblegateway.com. blueletterbible.org
- Be a Doer of the Word
Jesus said in Luke 11:28, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”
God wants His children to walk in freedom. When we settle for counterfeits, we become a slave to them. The way to freedom is through the truth. But you must know the truth to identify the lies.
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
What are some ways you practice authenticity?
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Can You Identify a Counterfeit?
TWEET THIS: Frankly, My Dear . . . : Can You Identify a #Counterfeit? @BeckieLindsey_ @RealMojo68 #franklymydear
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
Beckie Lindsey is an award-winning writer, poet, freelancer, and blogger. She is the editor of Southern California Voice, a division of One Christian Voice, LLC., a national news syndicating agency. She is the author of devotions, a devotional study journal, and the upcoming YA novel, Beauties from Ashes. She and her husband Scott have three adult children, two adorable cats and live in California. Learn more about Beckie at https://beckielindsey16.com/
Aug 21, 2017 |
by Edie Melson @EdieMelson
(republished with permission. And be sure to check out my post today on Edie’s blog, The Write Conversation. ~Molly Jo)
Edie Melson: How to Craft a Perfect Facebook Post Using Headline Techniques
With a compelling headline, a browser becomes a reader. In the same way, a compelling Facebook post gives the web surfer the impetus to visit your blog or buy your book. But what makes a great headline?
Frankly, My Dear . . . : What makes a great headline?
The best posts contain your entire message in one memorable bite…without spoiling the ending.
Here are some of the basic types of headlines:
- Direct Headlines go straight to the heart of the matter, without any attempt at cleverness. A direct Facebook post might read Free SEO E-book.
- An Indirect Headline takes a more subtle approach. It uses curiosity to raise a question in the reader’s mind. It frequently uses clever words with double meanings. One of my favorites was, Why You Should NOT have a Facebook page. The actual blog post was written tongue-in-cheek about not wanting to promote a product.
- A News Headline is pretty self-explanatory, as long as the news really is news. It might be a product announcement, an improved version, or even a content scoop. Introducing the New Google Plus.
- The How to Headline is everywhere—mainly because it works. Just be careful not to work it too much. How to Craft a Perfect Facebook Post.
- A Question Headline must be more than just a question—it must be something your audience is actually interested in. How can Google Plus Help You?
- The Command Headline issues an order, telling the reader what to do, such as Subscribe to The Write Conversation Today!
- Another effective technique is called the Reason Why Headline. This is where your popular Top Ten Reasons to … fall.
- Finally, we have the Testimonial Headline, this works because it provides outside proof that what you offer has value. This is the only headline that uses quotation marks in the title. It lets the reader know this is a testimonial and will be continued in the body of the email.
What are some key components to a compelling headline?
- It must provide the reader with the tools to evaluate the content.
- It needs to resonate with a reader’s urgency.
- It’s important to show the reader why this offer/product/person is unique.
And it must do all of this clearly and concisely.
Now it’s your turn. Do you have a strategy when it comes to posting on Facebook? What makes a Facebook link one you want to click on?
Frankly, My Dear . . . : What makes a Facebook link one you want to click on?
Don’t forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie
TWEET THIS: Do you have a #strategy when it comes to posting on #Facebook? @EdieMelson @RealMojo68 #facebook
TWEET THIS: What makes a #Facebook link one you want to click on? @EdieMelson @RealMojo68
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Edie Melson
Find your voice, live your story…is the foundation of Edie Melson’s message, no matter if she’s addressing parents, military families or writers. As an author, blogger, and speaker she’s encouraged and challenged audiences across the country and around the world. Connect with her on her blog and through Twitter and Facebook.You can also connect with Edie through Twitter and Facebook.
