Will the real Patty please stand up?

Now, for this week's installment of our a 2 z 4 u & me meme,

the letter I... in the Introduce yourself...

Hmmmm. Do I hafta? I really, really do not like being in front of people, but I'm slowly getting more accustomed to it. My Tuesday night Bible Study girls have played a big part in that project. Okay, so here goes...

The real me...

• Loves grape kool aid. It's my elixir for life.
• Drinks kool aid out of a fine china cup.
• Loves a good campfire, skips the marshmallows and goes straight for the chocolate.
• Learned to live without the ocean and mountains, and fell in love with the sky.
• Misses home, even after almost 25 years.
• Hates noise.
• Grumbled when hubs bought me an mp3 player.
• Now loves that gizmo—it keeps me sane when life's volume gets too loud around here.
• Loves a good storm, especially when I'm outside on the deck, but I rarely get out there.
• Needs a pen or keyboard to think through things.
• Only has half a brain at any given time. And usually not the half I need.
• Hopes my sister saves me a spot on her deserted island.
• Hates winter and feeling like a human popsicle. (It's Quito's fault.)
• Can procrastinate forever.
• Dislikes Facebook.
• Hates cooking. And eating...
• ...but loves munching cookies.
• Still wishes for a magic broom. I'd zip around to visit some faraway friends and go home for supper. A bowl of sopa sounds delish. So does a plate of arroz (pero sin platano. Blech. No platano, por favor!)

Okay, who's kookie idea was this anyway? This is HARD!! And this week of all weeks. Why this week? Waaaa! I've been banging my head on the wall over a bio blurb to send my agent. Have you ever tried writing a bio blurb? I've done it a few times, but this has been the hardest time yet because I wasn't doing a blurb for just a blog setting.

Of course, I did make the mistake of researching how others did theirs. Ay yi yi. So not good. There's no way this un-degree'd mom can compete with all those professionals. Nothing was said about the number of diapers changed, rescuing kids from ingesting goat droppings (No, sweetie, they aren't raisins.), washing walls after a diaper graffiti session, washing mountains of laundry, maneuvering 15 passenger vans in and out of tight spots, extracting little skunks from a boy's hand without getting sprayed, spending hours and hours with student drivers, organizing chaos and school assignments for five kids... Yanno, all the stuff on my rap sheet resume.

Now that you've just heard from the real me, here's what I have for my "professional bio blurb" so far... (Have I mentioned lately how much I dislike working on this thing?)

Patty Wysong, a home executive with over 20 years of experience, homeschools three of her five children, but don't let that fool you. She spends much of her time working on what God has placed in her hand: her keyboard. From the corner of her living room she writes inspirational fiction, devotionals, blog posts, and teaches online blogging workshops. You'll also find her drinking kool aid from her china cup, preparing for the ladies Bible study she leads, and helping at their church.

Patty learned about blogs and blogging the hard way and now delights in teaching and helping others, sparing them that frustration so they can focus on what God has called them to do. Through her writing, Patty has found the extraordinary God in her ordinary life.

So tell me, how do you handle introducing yourself to a room full of professionals?

I can't wait to meet the rest of you!!

If you're joining us for the a 2 z 4 u & me meme by posting on your blog this week about the letter I, be sure to add your name and the link to that particular post in the linky gadget here. And if you want to introduce yourself a different time, go right ahead! (and feel free to link up with us whenever you do!)  =)

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Will the Real Patty

...please stand up?

Today's At the Well topic is Getting to know you--so here's some silly and serious things about me...in case you were wondering. LoL

Some silly bits that are the real me:
I'm a girl that drinks black cherry kool-aid from a china tea cup because it tastes better that way.

I think best with my fingers—with pen and paper or a keyboard.

I hear voices in my head. Characters telling me their stories or reading out loud to me as if they were telling me what to write. They can be really pushy people!

I hate noise which makes it tough since I have five homeschooled kids (ages 16 down to 7), so my mp3 player is always close at hand and ready to go with Mozart and Vivaldi.

I hate swimming but love scuba diving because it's so quiet down there.

I could happily live on cookies and bread and black cherry kool-aid and never cook again in my life.

My favorite meal to eat out is french fries and a chocolate shake, and if I'm really hungry, a hamburger.

I often wish for a magic broom that I could fly on.


Now, if you want something serious...
I fell in love with writing in the 2nd or 3rd grade when my teacher gave us a creative writing assignment. I felt as though I had been given a free ticket to the universe and from that point on stories have been part of my life—even through the years I tried pushing writing out of my life. Those were years full of babies and family demands when I couldn't justify spending time on something I couldn't see amounting to anything.

For fifteen years I tried to forget about writing. If it had been left up to me, I would have forgotten, but God wouldn't let go. He kept after me until I was absolutely miserable. Out of that misery was born a determination to obey God's leading, wherever that takes me. Most often my knees are knocking from fear but I'm holding tight to His hand. It was then I determined to learn all I could and leave the 'what to do with it' up to God. Since then He's astounded me time after time and has poured out blessings on me. And I'm still learning and holding tight to His hand.

My grade school days were spent on the coast of Maine, but I consider Ecuador, where my parents were missionaries for six years, to be my childhood home. The years spent in Ecuador were full of experiences that molded me into the person I am today. After graduating from the Alliance Academy in Quito, Ecuador, I attended Moody Bible Institute for two years, expanding on my strong Bible base. I left Moody with almost exactly what I went for: my Mrs. degree.

My husband, Jim, and I have been married 20 years this summer and we have five children that we homeschool. Life is full of family, writing and work. Holding everything together is my faith in God alone.

I was saved as a little girl of four or five, but because I couldn't remember the event, I prayed a second time, sometime before I turned 11. I needed a memory to hold on to and claim. I was near the blackberry brambles that were nestled in the bend of our driveway in Maine, and the blackberries were ripe. From that point on, I never doubted my salvation. In Ecuador, while in a boarding school for missionary kids, I grew tremendously as a Christian and made my faith my own. My parents weren't there on a daily basis to lean on, so I ran to God.

Today I delight in putting words on a page, knowing that my responsibility is to do my best and obey God. As I obey Him, He takes care of the 'what to do with' my writing. I'm actively involved with Faithwriters, an online writing community as well as in the Christian blogging community. I'm also a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.

Writing is a passion God has planted in me and I strive to use it for His glory and praise.

That's me. :) I'd love to hear about YOU!! Truly!
To meet more wonderful Christian ladies who are intent on following God, join us At the Well for links to their sites. We'd love to have you join us!!

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The Hat Rack

Have you sat down recently and counted the number of hats you're juggling? When I did, I decided I needed a hat rack to help me keep them organized and in good shape.



Here's what's hanging on my rack:
My 'real work' visor.
I'm responsible for the office and financial book work for our remodeling business.




I teach in our children's ministry on Wednesday nights, and although I love the kids dearly, many times I feel like I'm wrangling.
Wrangling what? Rowdy kids, of course!




If you knew how many times I've felt like I was wearing this dunce hat, you'd laugh yourself silly! When I sit down to write, I have to consciously remove it and put on my daring, but always fun to wear, thinking cap. Oh, the places I go while wearing this victorian touring hat! I just wish I had the guts to buy and wear one some time!




Homeschooling means that there are time I have to wear a hat to maintain law and order, but thankfully I can switch it out for something more suited to me, a comfy, all purpose straw hat.


I'm a wife. My husband, Jim, and I have been married for 19 years. We've been through ups and downs and many struggles, but I'm so glad he's my husband. I'd marry him all over again!




I'm a child of God, a daughter of the King of Kings, and that's the greatest, and most important hat I wear! Not only am I an heir with Christ, but I'm gathering crowns to lay at His feet when I finally get to heaven. Just think how beautiful that hat rack will be!

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
~James 1:12

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About Me

I'm a Christian wife, a home school mom of five, book-keeper for our remodeling business, an active member of Faithwriters, and I'm a teacher in the children's ministry at our church--and I love all the hats I wear.

Put simply: I'm a child of God who's writing in the margins of life--and I'm working at increasing those margins all the time.

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Read More Of My Writing...

Jake's Ladder --Dads are heroes!


Daring To Dream --Part of how I came to write.


Windows of Opportunity --Even if you can't do what you'd like, there are things you can do to serve God.


Skirting the Truth --Historical fiction.


Misplaced Talents --Use the talents God gave you, even if you feel they're unconventional or seemingly silly talents.


A Sister's Laugh


A Tiger Doth Make --Romancing a young mother's heart.


Portfolio of my Stories

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