Aug 23, 2013 |
TGIF
I apologize. This week has zoomed by with such tornado force that I neglected to blog for an entire seven days. Seven days! That’s like… a year at Catford Manor, yah? Maybe not… but it certainly felt like it. I don’t know if you missed reading, but I certainly missed writing.
I’m happy to say the reasons for my Blogosphere Silence are good reasons. Strong reasons. And beautifully foundational reasons. And I (95%) don’t feel guilty about this time otherwise well spent. The other 5% is that control-freak-oh-my-gosh-I’m-gonna-die-if-I-don’t-write-this-out attitude that infiltrates every fiber of my being, every hour of every day.
I know the photos in this post are ones previously viewed on Frankly, My Dear… rest assured this isn’t a rerun. Rather more of an affirmation.
The first is the Theme for this year.
Expand Your Horizons
Boundaries. Some are meant to keep us in. Others are meant to be broadened. Whenever I think of Boundaries, I think of Louis L’Amour and the Wild West. If you’ve been around the Blog for any length of time you’ll understand my grand affinity for Louis and his writings. I even named last year’s nutcracker after him!
Louis & Louis
This is appropriate this week as I have once again picked up the book and have been reading. You would think, as a writer, I would read just as prolifically. While I desire to, I just haven’t made the time. Until recently. And it excites me. Living in some of the areas that he wrote about, still seeing the lavender painted mountains at sunset and still breathing the thousand year old dust in the wind, these things bring to me a sense of belonging and hope and determination. I feel an inner affinity with the Cowboy and his Tales.
I’ve expanded boundaries the last few weeks with New Inklings Press. I’ve determined even more to grow my writing and company and baby step by baby step, it’s coming along. I’ve changed banks to one that’s more friendly to the Little People, while offering Big Business perks. It’s a win-win situation and has been a breath of fresh air.
Monday I was abundantly blessed to spend time with a dear friend I haven’t seen in two years. One of my closest friends, my confidante. The one I can call and cry without words to. Or send a smiley face text to. We have the kind of friendship that time can’t whither, and I’m exceptionally thankful. We needed to see each other again. To look each other in the eye and know we were being honest. To hear what each one had to say. And through our wonderful albeit too short discourse, we reminded each other of the intimate power of prayer. What an absolute treasure to hear him tell me I’m doing things right. That he’s proud of my writings, proud to call me friend. Just as I’m proud to have his trust and friendship.
He gave me a new nudge with my writing. A step out of the shadows. And those boundaries were opened as I took a flying leap into the air, not sure where (or how) I’d land, and I placed The Unemployment Cookbook on sale at Amazon. [It’s on sale for only $12 through Saturday!] Which reminds me: would y’all mind doing me a favor? I need reviews to boost my standing at Amazon. Could you take three minutes out of your time and click here to offer your word gems for such purpose? That’s a fancy way of saying, could ya help with some free word-of-mouth advertising and tell others what you think of the Cookbook? Huge thanks for Janice and Jaye for already jumping on board this fast moving train!
The Unemployment Cookbook, Second Edition
I came to a revelation of why the more I get into a project, the slower it goes. I’m constantly editing! I read, add, edit, then read again. And the more I add, the more there is to read and edit and read again. My newly adopted habit now is to just write. Write at least 1,500 creative words each day, with at least half that for my New Orleans -based story. If I can keep writing, I will. If I need a break, that’s when I can review. Lightly edit. And when I find myself picking a paragraph to its death, it’s time to stop. Once the story is complete and a rough draft is printed, then I (and a few trusted friends) will review. And re-edit. But for now I need to be all about the writing.
As a reminder, I still keep this as my wallpaper on both my iPhone and laptop:
NOLA Inspiration
Yeah. I’m all about the N’Awlins these days. After weeks of calling it “The Untitled Molly Jo NOLA Project” or just “my NOLA story” for short, I’ve realized it’s already named itself. NOLA. It’s absolutely perfect. Here’s a thought from the protagonist:
“I often wondered if my parents knew the hardships they were thrusting upon me when they named me Penny. How much better life may have turned out if they’d instead named me something like “Ruby” or “Goldie”?”
My Darling Dot finally jumped on the YouTube bandwagon. She and her friends have been having fun making videos. She then edits them on her laptop in a manner that makes me jealous. She definitely has an eye for behind-the-lens action. She thinks she wants to be a nurse. I think she should be a photographer. Check out her newest video, making cupcakes for my jewelry party with one of her best friends, Hayley:
I would love to start making videos but I get in my own way. What could I possibly video that y’all would want to watch? Certainly two teenaged girls baking cupcakes is far better than if it were me…
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
TGIF: One
Five Things Friday: Safety in Numbers
My Housing Project: A New Leaf
Word of the Year: 2013
Louis and Max and Me
Why I Write. Every Day.
Aug 16, 2013 |
Five Things Friday at Frankly, My Dear…
Remember the CBS show NUM3ERS? That was a great show. I loved every episode. How Charlie showed his big brother Don that crimes don’t have to be solved with force. That sometimes brains are better than brawn. That while human nature is unpredictable, numbers are always reliable.
Y’all know my theory of One. It’s pretty much the best number in the world, because it’s a beginning. A start. The foundation upon which anything else is built. Because I’m not God, I can’t create something out of nothing. I need to add to what’s already there.
Yeah. I really like the number One.
This week’s Five Things Friday takes a bit of a different turn. Instead of listing tangible Things, it’s more of a this-is-what-I-think-and-feel post.
It started last week when the worlds of several friends began to crumble. A death. A divorce. A sickness. Compounded by the typical wearing-down that life can bring. We prayed with each other. For each other. We reached out, we accepted. And it’s been a great comfort. We found security in not being alone. We found Safety in Numbers.
People need people. We need to know we matter especially to those who matter to us. A “hi” here, a cup of coffee there. A friendly text or phone call. Reaching out is one of the greatest things we can do for someone else. Even if we’re hurting. Even if we’re struggling in some way (and who isn’t)?
People need people.
Reaching out takes the focus off ourselves and lets someone else know they’re not alone. Their situation is unique. They are one-of-a-kind. But they (YOU) are not alone. And reaching out bonds us together. It gives us that fortitude we need to continue.
And let’s face it… when someone reaches out to you, doesn’t it make you smile, just a little? Even if they don’t get it. Even if they can’t comprehend what you’re going through. Even when no one else knows what’s happening in your world. Doesn’t it make it better when someone comes alongside you for a bit of the journey?
So what are you waiting for? Be that person for someone else! I like asking the hard questions. “How are you, really?” “What’s honestly going on?” “Did this or that get resolved?” “What are you thinking right this moment?” I like being a person that others can trust, want to trust. I like being a person others can reach out to when they don’t think they have someone. I like being a friend.
I like being a friend.
In Matthew 18:20 Jesus tells us, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Certainly, our relationship with God is singularly individual. But it’s also communal. Just as you have a singularly individual relationship with your spouse, each child, each friend, and everyone who crosses your path. You’re One. I’m One. And together, we’re more.
Your efforts may not be returned. They may be ignored or worse, trampled upon. They’re still important. If for no reason other than you’re capable of showing compassion.
That’s my first for this Five Things Friday. To tell you how important you are.
You matter. Period.
2. Just a thought, but who’s more protected: someone with one person on her side, or the one with ten? Do you walk a dark street at night alone if you don’t have to? Do you make the tough decisions without talking to anyone else first? Would you rather send one person into battle or a hundred? I find great Safety in Numbers. Great comfort, joy, fun, and encouragement. I’m a bit of an awkward social butterfly, but I do so love going out and meeting people.
3. I enjoy cooking big. Most times, it’s just for me and Dot. But I love those once-a-week cooking moments that provide great leftovers (and fewer cleanups!). I’d rather cook four chicken breasts at once and know she has lunch ready the next day, and often, dinner as well. I’d rather make a huge pot of soup and freeze half of it for later. Less dishes, more family time. And I’m a Big Fan of the grab-and-go ease of having something already prepared for my own lunch. I’m not so big on making lunch myself each morning.
4. My friend Danny helped push me toward self-publication two years ago with this great comment:
“Would you rather write something that five million people read once, or something that five people read a million times?”
In all honesty, the latter. And so if my niche is a smaller market, I’m okay with that. Five million is a big number. And to be recognized by five million readers would be spectacular, being remembered forever by five is a big more wonderful. Sometimes there’s Safety in (Smaller) Numbers, too.
5. One is a great number. It’s the start to everything. But it’s not the conclusion. You can’t have a collection of something if you only have one. “How do you like my spoon?” or “What do you think of my stamp?” just isn’t as special as an assortment. That doesn’t mean you have to collect everything. I love Jim Shore Disney miniatures, but only certain ones. I adore coffee mugs. I stopped collecting cats after Sparkles became the fifth member of our fur family.
Sparkles
I also think it’s a bit punny that this post should be under the “Five Things Friday” umbrella. I guess there really is Safety in Numbers.
Where do you find Safety in Numbers?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
The Friday Five – STORIES
Five Things Friday – TRAVEL
Five Things Friday: Everything Old is NEW Again
Five Things Friday: POETRY
Five Things Friday: The Big Easy
TGIF: One
If you link up a Blog post, make sure to add the button/backlink to your post so your people can find you here along with other great contributors!
Aug 14, 2013 |
Last week, a friend sent me a wonderful email.
She’s been reading my Housing Project posts and came upon this story that she said reminded her of me. I’d read versions of this before, but none quite as detailed.
A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.
So, this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun-up to sundown, his shoulders set squarely against the cold massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might! Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.
Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan) decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man’s weary mind. (He will do it every time!) “You have been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn’t moved.” Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. Satan said, “Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort, and that will be good enough.”
That’s what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a matter of prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. “Lord,” he said, “I have labored long and hard in Your Service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?”
The Lord responded compassionately, “My friend, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back shiny and brown; your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. True, you haven’t moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. That you have done. Now I, my friend, will move the rock.”
At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him.
By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God Who moves the mountains.
When everything seems to go wrong………………Just P.U.S.H.
When the job gets you down………………Just P.U.S.H.
When people don’t do as you think they should…………Just P.U.S.H.
When your money is “gone” and the bills are due…………..Just P.U.S.H.
When people just don’t understand you……….Just P.U.S.H.
P = Pray U = Until S = Something H = Happens
Her timing is absolutely perfect. As much as I am a faith-based person, I’m also a person. I fail. A lot. I stumble, I cry, and very often want to give up or give in.
Now and then, I forget to P.U.S.H. Now and then, I’m lost at sea without the means to row myself back in. And now and then, I do feel like I’m drowning.
When will my writings help pay the bills? How can I justify buying this when we also need that? How can I authentically be there for my friends when I need someone else to be here for me? How do I keep on keeping on?
Mary’s email reminded me to do just that. And it came at just the right time. As often as I remind people of God’s love and His providence, sometimes they’re the ones that remind me.
So often I tell people, “I’m waiting for the rest of the world to realize how great a writer I am.” It’s not meant to be arrogant. But I know ~ absolutely know to the core of my being ~ that this is what I’m supposed to do with my life. It’s just not paying the bills. Yet.
But that’s not my job right now. My job right now is to write. And write well. My job right now is to put forth the effort and attempts to be a better writer.
My job right now is also to put forth the effort and attempts to be a better friend. To be there for people always, not just through the hard times.
A friend called me last night to see how I’m doing. He called because I didn’t answer his text last week. He called because he was concerned. And I love him for that. I hadn’t talked to him for a few months. But there he was, ready to help. And he did, just by calling.
I didn’t prattle of my list of worries to him. We’re more than just fair weather friends, he and I. And he gets it. We don’t talk. But when we do, it’s real. I could go years without hearing from him, and know he’s still there for me.
God is like that, too. He can feel distant, be a tad forgotten. But He’s always there for me. I can ignore Him as I keep myself too busy. I can set Him aside as I struggle to accomplish what I think are my goals. But my plans aren’t always His plans. And He is always there, whether I turn to Him or not.
At a moment when I was tired of spinning the wheel, Mary’s email reminded me of that.
My job right now is to keep the Faith. In whatever form that takes. I may not move mountains on my own. But I can start. I can keep writing. I can keep calling. I can keep reaching out to my world. In whatever form that takes. And I can keep praying.
Pray as if it all depends on God.
Work as if it all depends on you.
Mary’s email came at just the right time.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Aug 8, 2013 |
Usually I like to write longer, thought-out posts. But tonight, there’s just a few little things that I want to share, so I thought I’d put them together in a short nonsensical collection of what my day has been.
Yesterday’s blog post My Housing Project: A New Leaf was very well received, and I thank each and every one of you who liked, linked, clicked, commented, Pinned, tweeted and otherwise shared. It’s my most popular post since Winco shared Too Hot to Cook (June’s Meal Plan) two months ago.
I woke up early this morning to make sure it posted and that I had time to spread the word to Shell’s link up and other social media sites. As I was hummingly “working”, there was a Bible verse in the back of my mind. In that confirming, most overwhelmingly see-look-I-know-you way that God has, I later checked my emails and discovered this was today’s Bible verse as shared by Air1, the Christian radio station I listen to and receive daily emails from.
Philippians 4:6
What a beautiful confirmation that my Blog post was perfectly timed. I have God-bumps just recalling how He orchestrated this message to be heard and affirmed.
[By the way, if you missed today’s other blog post, my eBook, A Study on the Ten Commandments, is free for Kindle download today and tomorrow.]
After work, Dot and I decided to go to the Dollar Movies. We now have a new favorite Worst Movie Ever. It was so bad, it was fantastic. And we thought nothing could be worse than Avatar. And for four years, nothing was. Until now. It was a huge disappointment because we’ve been so enamored with both the actor and the director for years. But there’s just some things not worth the hype.
When we came home, I immediately went to water the shrubs. I was greeted by this little fellow, whom I affectionately now call Fred.
Fred the Lizard
After a few attempts, he let me hold him and Dot got this great photo of us:
A Lizard in the Hand
Do me a favor? This is already one of my more popular photos on Instagram, and I’d love to see my phone explode with notifications and bump it up. Would you care to help me out? If you have an Instagram account, just click here to “like” my photo. Thanks!
I haven’t done my monthly newsletter or a Meal Plan for August yet. The meal plan delay is because rather than grocery shopping, we’re saving our pennies and clearing out the freezer and pantry. I haven’t bought fast food in two weeks. Although tomorrow is pay day so I’m betting there’s a Starbucks in my very near future. That excites me because it’s also almost time for my fall favorite, Pumpkin Spice Latte. Last year, Dot introduced me to the Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino. And Instagram. And photo filters. This was my first filtered photo (say that five times fast!).
Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Creme Frappuccino
I’m already in holiday mode. I’ve been in conversations with a few sponsors to see what goodies I might be able to offer for this year’s blog giveaways. I’m pretty much driving Dot and Obadiah (my coworker) a tad crazy with the holiday chatter.
But you appreciate my efforts, don’t you?
At least, once some delicious new recipes get posted, I’m sure you will.
Speaking of recipes, here’s a special shout-out to Kat and her blog, Kat eats. She found my Potato Chip Casserole recipe via Pinterest and shared the recipe, and my blog link, on her Blog post. Check out her delicious recipe photos and how she changed it up by clicking here. The Potato Chip Casserole pin is pretty popular lately, but Kat is the first to give me original credit, so Awesome Sauce to her! Thanks for keeping it authentic, Kat, and as I often like to say, happy eating!
The weather has been cooling down and it’s barely 90 degrees during the day, which means I haven’t turned the air on for 36 hours. Sleeping with a nice breeze and cooling temperatures have made the cats all snuggly, of course. And sleepy. I posted this adorable video of our furfamily on Vine last week.
Do you Vine? I’m getting the hang of video making, but I’m still a newbie. So if you have any tips, follow me on Vine and Instagram and let me know!
And now we’ve come to the end of this post. Because I just emptied a can of Raid on the fireplace wall in pursuit of a fast-moving spider that I finally squished with the Teddy Bear Stool. Seriously. Where’s Team One when you need them?!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Aug 7, 2013 |
A Study on the Ten Commandments
A few months ago, I proudly yet humbly debuted A STUDY ON THE TEN COMMANDMENTS as my first eBook. It’s available for Kindle download through Amazon (click here) for only $2.99.
This past week, regardless of topic, my posts have each held the elements of Faith and Prayer.
I have been abundantly blessed by God and those He’s placed around me.
It’s with joy and honor that I’m paying it forward and offering A STUDY ON THE TEN COMMANDMENTS for free on August 8th and 9th.
Just click on the photo above to be taken to the Amazon page where you can download your own copy direct to your Kindle.
Please spread the word and share this with your people. If you already have a copy, please leave a review on the Amazon Product page. If you don’t yet have a copy, now’s a great time to download it.
I pray that He will continue to bless you abundantly.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
The Penny Parable – Part I
The Penny Parable – Part II
What I Learned on Women’s Retreat (The Big Whammy!)
More or Less: 29 Words
