Swap & Hop

Why the messy space photo? My "friend" (well okay, I don't know her but I read her blog every day) Lysa TerKeurst is hosting a Swap & Hop today. I link to her site (http://www.lysaterkeurst.blogspot.com/) where she is doing a write up on your "organization challenge" and the biggest challenge may win a book or an organizational make over . So being a WYSIWYG gal, I'm happy to share mine, messy as it may be.

**This is the link to her swap & hop if you are reading this after 4/11/08 -- http://lysaterkeurst.blogspot.com/2008/04/organization-swap-and-hop.html**

This is my kitchen desk area. From the picture you may see that I have my calendar on the wall, as well as each of my kids' school calendar, and my meal planning calendar (that's four calendars!) Various school work and paper work is piled up, as well as a couple of dolls and books from my kids. That (embarrassingly enough) is my sweater tossed up there, and while the chair is empty in the photo, it usually has a school back pack or my purse in it. Truth be known there is usually a pair of shoes kicked off there too. That is our come home & dump it area.

The little file box to the right is the box the last organization lady I hired said to buy to slide all those papers in. But for me out of sight means out of mind. I need to see it, which is why all that stuff is posted on the wall.

So if the Organizational Guru lady (Karen Ehman) wants to help me out - I'm all ears! And if YOU blog readers have any solutions for me, I'd love for you to leave a comment. I need all the help I can get!

Have a great day and a great weekend! Come back Monday to chat about "Wait Training."

Wussy What?!?!?

Now don't go getting offended before you read the blog. What I'm referring to is WYSIWYG - phonetically pronounced "wussy wig." What?!? That is the term that blogger uses when you are typing a draft post. It is a WYSIWYG draft...meaning What You See Is What You Get - WYSIWYG. And I kinda like the term, because it describes me.

My husband says "You never have to wonder what Kelly is thinking, because she's going to tell you." That's not to say that I set out to hurt feelings with casual remarks. But I don't try to be coy or say what I think others "want" to hear, if it isn't the truth. The only expectation I need to try to live up to is God's. And the ironic thing about that is - that it is also the place I constantly fail. We all fall short of the expectation that we should be like Jesus. But we don't have to be separated from God because of our failures. Jesus' blood on the cross washed them away. We just need to be WYSIWYG.

Or as the Message Bible puts it in 1 Corinthians 5:6: "Your flip and callous arrogance in these things bothers me. You pass it off as a small thing, but it's anything but that. Yeast, too, is a 'small thing,' but it works its way through a whole batch of bread dough pretty fast. So get rid of this 'yeast.' Our true identity is flat and plain, not puffed up with the wrong kind of ingredient. The Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has already been sacrificed for the Passover meal, and we are the Unraised Bread part of the Feast. So let's live out our part in the Feast, not as raised bread swollen with the yeast of evil, but as flat bread—simple, genuine, unpretentious." (emphasis mine).

The bible tells us that charm (the ability or power to attract) is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting. As a newly 40 year old, I can attest to that! What is truly praiseworthy is loving, respecting and honoring God. (Proverbs 31:30) We're also told in Proverbs 15:8 that "God can't stand pious poses, but he delights in genuine prayers. " (The Message Bible).

So are you a WYSIWYG? Be simple, genuine and unpretentious!

What You See Is What You Get!

Chatty Kelly

Naming your blog isn’t easy! It’s like finding that perfect name for your baby. You want something unique enough to stand out but not be strange. You want it to flow well. I had to name both the blog site (chattykelly) and the blog (Wonder Woman Wonders). My first thought was “Kelly’s Quips." It has a nice ring to it. But when I looked up “quip” in the dictionary, it means “a sharp, sarcastic remark; a cutting jest.” Wow, I don’t want to be making quips! I’m trying harder all the time not to quip.

So how about “chatty?" I looked up “chatty” in the dictionary. It said “characterized by friendly and informal talk or writing, often about minor or personal matters.” Perfect! So here I am “chatty Kelly.”

As for Wonder Woman, you can read the header. I do try to do it all. But I am trying to give it to God. I’m growing every day in his Word and by his hand. And hopefully sometimes I’ll share something here that might help you grow too. As mentioned on my first blog, I’m heading to the Proverbs 31 She Speaks conference in June to learn to be a better writer and speaker, and women’s ministry leader. I don’t know what God has planned for me, but I feel called to go in this direction.

So, stop by on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to “chat” and be sure and leave a comment for me. You can log in if you have a blogger account, or you can just click the anonymous button. You can still sign your name in the comment box if you want me to know who’s writing.

And remember, be nice…even backwoods Barbie's get their feelings hurt!