Task It Tuesday - Jan 29

Originally created by The Geeky Blogger, Task It Tuesday is a weekly meme to help you--and me--get things done. The challenge is to post a task or list of tasks you want to complete before next Tuesday. These tasks can help you with your blogging life, reading life, personal or professional life.

My, oh, my. The time, she does fly. Hope you're having a great week. It's about 1:30 on Tuesday morning. I just finished finalizing my 2019 business plan notes for a meeting with my manager tomorrow.

I'm excited to say that my planner is shaping up nicely.

I don't always remember to bring it to church, but our pastor has podcasts of his sermons, so I can catch up on my weekly notes. Since I don't draw much, I usually copy a Bible verse and then add a picture. 

Right now, I have this and a calendar going. I'm taking my calendar and inputting dates into Outlook, which feeds right into my iPhone. That is making my life easier, but it does take time.

Here is what my to-do list from last week looked like:

• Daily Bible reading DONE
• Exercise - Tuesday and Saturday  Ha, ha, ha...
• Time block this week's calendar. DONE
• Stick to my 5-5-5-5 plan for reaching out to more people: 5 calls, 5 texts, 5 emails and 5 handwritten notes every day. Work in progress. I get more done each week, except the handwritten notes. My writing is awful and my tendinitis doesn't cooperate. I'm not giving up.  
• Update my CRM. High priority Still not done. Slaps palm to forehead.

I already have my list together in my planner, so this week's list will be easy to compile:

• Daily Bible reading Ahead of schedule
• Stick to my 5-5-5-5 plan for reaching out to more people: 5 calls, 5 texts, 5 emails and 5 handwritten notes every day. 
• Time block my calendar DONE
• Create a survey for one of my committees DONE
• Exercise Friday and Saturday
• Update CRM - slated for Wednesday

That's it for me this week. What is on your to-do list? Is there anything I can help motivate you to get done?

Mailbox Monday - Jan 27

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Well, last week went by fast. I planned to blog here a couple more times, but never fit it in. Work was busy with appointments, meetings, and taping a real estate segment for WWLP's Mass Appeal.

This weekend we had a great potluck supper at church. I didn't even need to eat dinner on Sunday night because I was still full from lunch.

While my physical mailbox was empty this week, I did treat myself to two Kindle freebies. I know I shouldn't, but I couldn't resist. The second one made me think of Murder, She Wrote meets The Love Boat, and I had to grab it.

What was in your mailbox? Anything I should be adding to my wish list? 

Task It Tuesday - Jan 22

Originally created by The Geeky Blogger, Task It Tuesday is a weekly meme to help you--and me--get things done. The challenge is to post a task or list of tasks you want to complete before next Tuesday. These tasks can help you with your blogging life, reading life, personal or professional life.

How does time fly so quickly? Was it the snow or the blood moon? Maybe I'm just getting old.

I have to admit that last week wasn't a very impressive show of sticking to the to-do list. I'm bummed about my neighbor passing away and her funeral was coming up. My head wasn't where it needed to be. Why has this affected me so? Well, two reasons:

1. She was always so wonderful to me and reached out more than once to say, "Let's go for a walk." My busy little self never did it. There was always a good reason to put it off. Now, it's too late. I wasn't a good friend. 
2. It forces my husband and I to face mortality. She was our age. Her kids are around my girls' ages. She was active and living a healthy lifestyle. One day here. One day gone. It really makes you think about what you should be doing differently.

Last week's list looked like this:

• Daily Bible reading - DONE
• Exercise - Going to be a challenge this week. Probably Thurs and Fri. - I'll pretend not to see this.
• Time block this week's calendar. Should be done, but Sunday I wasn't home. - Never did it.
• Stick to my 5-5-5-5 plan for reaching out to more people: 5 calls, 5 texts, 5 emails and 5 handwritten notes every day. - Better than the previous week, but not what it should be.
• Update my CRM. - Made a bit of progress, but need to focus on this.
• Clean my office closet. - Pushing this off for now. It will get done, but other things are more important right now.
• Take down Christmas decorations. Winter ones stay up, but trees, nativities, and Santas get packed up. - One more tree to go.

Here is the list for this week:

• Daily Bible reading Ahead of schedule
• Exercise - Today and Saturday
• Time block this week's calendar. Mostly done
• Stick to my 5-5-5-5 plan for reaching out to more people: 5 calls, 5 texts, 5 emails and 5 handwritten notes every day. Did some yesterday
• Update my CRM. High priority

Is there anything you want to accomplish this week? I pray you're successful. 

Mailbox Monday - Jan 21

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Welcome to Monday. It is a lovely one degree right now. Thankfully, I stayed home most of this weekend, because between the snow and wintry mix--and the lovely arctic air the storm brought with it--I've had enough of winter. Hubby wants to retire to Oahu. I'm still counting on Manteo, NC. The only good thing about the storm is it forced me to stay home and I took down the Christmas decorations.

As far as my mailbox goes, it wasn't a book that had me excited this week. It's the eBay auction I won.

My second generation Kindle has a battery that is on its last leg. I still use it to read the PDFs I receive to review, so that is no good. I scooped up two for only $14.50 plus $8.00 shipping. I also grabbed a charge cord off Amazon for $6.00. That should keep me in business for a while. I saved copies of the files to my computer, but I want to be able to bring these books with me places.

Though my physical mailbox didn't have any books, I grabbed this Kindle freebie the other day:

What was in your mailbox? Anything special you would like to share?

Hope you all have a great week.

Book Review: The Big 15 Paleo Cookbook by Megan Flynn Peterson

Did you go Paleo? Are you thinking about going Paleo? Are you just looking for some great recipes that are healthier alternatives to dishes you already enjoy? Then The Big 15 Paleo Cookbook by Megan Flynn Peterson needs to be added to your often used cookbook collection.

In this book, you'll find over 150 Paleo recipes to help with meal planning. After the author's introduction, you'll find instructions on how to change over to a Paleo diet if you go cold turkey, including: a list of pantry items and a yes and no food list. Each of the Big 15 is then given its own chapter filled with recipes and numerous variations of them. Interspersed throughout the chapters are pantry basics (sauces, marinades, and dry rubs) that have been made to match the Paleo diet--like the homemade mayo that my husband is sure to like because it doesn't include the dairy product that gives it the texture he's not fond of.


I'm not ready to go full in Paleo, but I asked to review this book so I could learn more about it and see how I could add healthier options into our diets. I like how Peterson acknowledges going Paleo is tough on the budget and that we should strive to do our best with it. Her philosophy is that taking as many of these steps as you can will get you moving in the right direction; though she does encourage you to go full in from the start. Surprisingly, I found many of the recipes were ones my family would enjoy because I make some of these foods already. With just a few tweaks, they are Paleo. Changing our diets doesn't sound half as intimidating as it did before. I can't wait to try out some of these recipes.

Highly recommended!


Paperback: 238 pages
Publisher: Rockridge Press (August 16, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1623157692
ISBN-13: 978-1623157692

I received a free digital copy of this book from Callisto Publisher's Club. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Task It Tuesday

Originally created by The Geeky Blogger, Task It Tuesday is a weekly meme to help you--and me--get things done. The challenge is to post a task or list of tasks you want to complete before next Tuesday. These tasks can help you with your blogging life, reading life, personal or professional life.

Happy Tuesday. I had big plans for last week, but they got a bit derailed. I'm working to get back on track now. Here's what my list looked like:

• Daily Bible reading. DONE
• Exercise - though day or days are up in the air because most mornings I have something going on. Right now slated for Wednesday. Ummm....not even close
• Finish two marketing proposals. Deadline of 1/9. DONE
• Finish time blocking this week's calendar. I have to complete Wednesday and the weekend days. 95% DONE I kind of slacked over the weekend.
• Stick to my 5-5-5-5 plan for reaching out to more people: 5 calls, 5 texts, 5 emails and 5 handwritten notes every day.  I did some days, but not all of them. 
• Update my CRM. I need to create some regular distribution lists. I have one of 100 people. I would like to expand that for marketing campaigns. Not totally done, but in progress.
• Finish cleaning the office. Probably won't happen, but most of it is done. The closet is the only thing left. Same thing here. Some progress, but not done. 

What's on this week's list:

• Daily Bible reading
• Exercise - Going to be a challenge this week. Probably Thurs and Fri.
• Time block this week's calendar. Should be done, but Sunday I wasn't home. 
• Stick to my 5-5-5-5 plan for reaching out to more people: 5 calls, 5 texts, 5 emails and 5 handwritten notes every day.  
• Update my CRM.
• Clean my office closet.
• Take down Christmas decorations. Winter ones stay up, but trees, nativities, and Santas get packed up. 

What is on your to-do list this week? Anything I can help cheer you on in getting accomplished?

Mailbox Monday - Jan 14

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

It's a cold winter Monday again, but at least there is no snow. I'm okay if we go the rest of the winter without any of the white stuff. It's horrible the news out the Midwest with the snow storm they endured. The mid-Atlantic is next in its path.

I'm going to ask all of you for prayer for the family of one of our longtime neighbors and friends. She died suddenly and unexpectedly this week. It's a dreadful tragedy and it's made for a tough time around here. She was the sweetest woman you could ever meet. When my girls were born, she brought down a meal for my family so I didn't need to cook. She always thought of everyone. A great example of being a good and faithful servant.

Though I haven't felt much like reading, I did polish off one book and then started this next one.

My physical mailbox was empty, but I downloaded updated versions of two books on my Kindle that I haven't read yet.

Brett used to be a client of mine when I worked in online book promotion. 

Speaking of my Kindle, the old second generation has a battery that is on its way out. I had to copy all my books to my PC in case it totally conks out. I'm trying to grab a cheap replacement for it on eBay. I use it to read my PDF titles I receive from authors for review. Other than that, I read on my Kindle Fire. 

What was in your mailbox this week? Anything special you would like to share?

Odd Squad: Odds and Ends Premiers on PBS KIDS January 21

Fans of the Odd Squad will be thrilled to hear that PBS KIDS announced a new Odd Squad movie that premiers on January 21.

Odd Squad: Odds and Ends will feature agents Olympia, Otis, Ms. O and Oona on the case to solve a string of break-ins at headquarters. When Olympia accidentally exposes a deep secret about Otis’ past, it sets off a series of events with the potential to unravel the entire agency.

The movie will air on PBS stations’ primary channels and on the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel (check local listings).  Odd Squad: Odds and Ends will also be available to stream for free starting January 21 on  pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video App, which is accessible on a variety of mobile devices and platforms.

“Since its premiere, Odd Squad has been a family favorite with its smart and funny approach to learning,” said Linda Simensky, Vice President, Children’s Programming, PBS. Each month, Odd Squad reaches 9.3 million viewers on-air*, and averages 17.8 million streams digitally**. Research has shown that Odd Squad positively impacts children’s math skills, including concepts such as algebraic thinking, as well as increased knowledge in numbers and operations.

Odd Squad is created by Tim McKeon (Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Adventure Time, The Electric Company) and Adam Peltzman (The Electric Company, The Backyardigans, Wallykazam!), and produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment and Fred Rogers Productions.

* TV Source: Nielsen National Toolbox NTI Oct’17 – Sep ‘18, L+7 Avg Mo Reach, Std Mo. Unif, 1+min.
** Digital Source: Google Analytics streams & users, Oct’17 – Sep’18

Task it Tuesday - Jan 8

Originally created by The Geeky Blogger, Task It Tuesday is a weekly meme to help you--and me--get things done. The challenge is to post a task or list of tasks you want to complete before next Tuesday. These tasks can help you with your blogging life, reading life, personal or professional life.

So much to do at the beginning of the year. Most of it is fun stuff. Here is how last week's to-do list ended up:

• Set my goals for 2019: writing, real estate, and personal. Deadline 1/2. First things, first. DONE
• Finalize my 2019 Business Plan. Deadline 1/11. DONE
• Finalize my President's Award application and submit it to my office for review. Deadline 1/10. DONE
• Complete three marketing proposals. Deadline 1/6. One done and two to go.
• Write all my known meetings and vacation days into my work calendar. DONE
• Put together my 2019 vision board. DONE 
• Pack for NYC. We are taking a short trip into the city. Deadline 1/3. DONE. Trip was fun.
• Start reading books for January virtual book tours. The first one is coming to NYC with me for the drive down and back. Started Tandem Demise by Duffy Brown.
• Start my Read Through the Bible in a Year with a Chronological Bible Reading Plan. Seven days done. 

So what does this week's list look like? 

• Daily Bible reading.
• Exercise - though day or days are up in the air because most mornings I have something going on. Right now slated for Wednesday.
• Finish two marketing proposals. Deadline of 1/9.
• Finish time blocking this week's calendar. I have to complete Wednesday and the weekend days. 
• Stick to my 5-5-5-5 plan for reaching out to more people: 5 calls, 5 texts, 5 emails and 5 handwritten notes every day. (I failed on Monday, but I sold a house this weekend so I won't beat myself up too much.)
• Update my CRM. I need to create some regular distribution lists. I have one of 100 people. I would like to expand that for marketing campaigns.
• Finish cleaning the office. Probably won't happen, but most of it is done. The closet is the only thing left.

What is on your to-do list this week? What are you striving to accomplish? 

Mailbox Monday - Jan 7

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

I swear it is impossible to be back to Monday again, but here we are. We had a great weekend in New York City. The girls love to go before Christmas, but we couldn't fit it in this year. Though it rained Saturday, the weather was warmer than usual, which made walking around more pleasant.

John's Pizzeria in Times Square

NYC Library

Grand Central Station

We ate our meals in some new places, though John's is always on our list, and visited a few spots we have never been before. 

As far as my mailbox at home, thanks to a gift card I received for Christmas, this little beauty that had been on my wish list for a long time showed up.

I also ordered a couple of Kindle books thanks to promotional credits I received over the holidays.

Then I picked up this Kindle freebie as well.

That's it for my mailbox this week. What did you find in your mailbox? Is there anything you're especially looking forward to? 

Enjoy your week. Happy reading!

2019 Personal and Professional Goals

Alright, let's get down to brass tacks. Here's a bit of help in case you don't know what I mean by that. It's time to set those 2019 personal and professional goals. Looking for my writing goals? You can find those here.

PERSONAL GOALS

GOAL 1: Read the Bible this year

A group of my friends and I are reading the Bible together in chronological order. Hope you'll consider joining us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ReadBibleChronologicalOrder/ Right now, I am reading before bed, which is working out great. 

GOAL 2: Exercise on Tuesday and Friday mornings

I've come to the conclusion that I need to start small. Two days a week is better than no days a week. If I manage to meet this goal, then I can increase to three days a week. This might require me getting up earlier than I like, so bedtime might need to be adjusted.

GOAL 3: Learn to say "no"

This will be the hardest goal this year. I stink at it. Anytime someone asks for a volunteer, my hand goes up. I swear it might take me attending meetings with hands tied behind my back and my mouth taped shut. 

REAL ESTATE GOALS

GOAL 1: Time block my calendar

I also stink at this. I am a paper calendar person. This means to be effective and accurate, I need to write it down in my paper calendar, and then, transfer all the data to Outlook so it transfers automatically to my phone. Think this might need to be added to my calendar as a Sunday evening chore. I pulled out my business plan and it has a great daily calendar, weekly calendar, and activity tracking sheet. 

GOAL 2: Double my volume

Without meeting Goal 1, Goal 2 will be impossible. I know it. I've known it for a long time. Here's what I need to do: time block the calendar so that I can contact the people I know regularly; set up a system where I mail important information to people at least once a quarter (prefer once a month); spend one day a month creating listing and buyer kits so they are handy when I need them. Just these few steps will make a huge difference. 

GOAL 3: Read at least one business/sales related book each quarter

I have several here that I want to get through: The Seven Deadly Sins of Sales and Outrageous Authenticity by Leigh Brown, Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller, and Reach Your Greatness featuring James Malinchak and other leading entrepreneurs and professionals. Creating Magic by Lee Cockerell is on my list to read this year too.

Have you set your goals for 2019? Anything you want to share? Get ready tomorrow for Task it Tuesday. It's helping me stay on task better. It could help you too. 

2018 Goals Review

I'm a bit behind with this. I did it in my mind, but it never made it to this blog. Whoops!

Before I set my goals for the new year, I review my progress from the year that has passed. I'm not someone who beats herself up about missing the mark, but I do use those moments to gauge how I can do better.

So here's what 2018 looked like for personal and real estate goals. You can check out the review of my writing goals here.

PERSONAL GOALS

GOAL 1: Daily Bible verse reading and prayer

I did much better in 2018 than I had in previous years. I've found if I read right when I get up or right before bed, I am much more successful. Having the YouVersion Bible App on my phone is a big help.

GOAL 2: Schedule days off in my calendar

This goal still needs a fair amount of work. I did pre-schedule days off. I just didn't honor a lot of them.

GOAL 3: Exercise three days a week

Never happened. I think I worked out four times in 2018. This must be a priority this year.

GOAL 4: Pamper myself once a quarter

Maybe not once a quarter, but I've made great progress. I spent more on clothes, got my nails done a few times, and made a point to go out to eat with friends more often.

REAL ESTATE GOALS

GOAL 1: Time block my calendar and add to Outlook 

This is such a hard thing for me. It's kind of like asking a panster to write book outlines. I hate it!!! That said, I am committing to it for 2019 to make the most of this year.

GOAL 2: Review Class Options and Sign Up

Goal met. Not usually an issue for me. I end up with more credits than I need because I'm a big supporter of the RAPV and because continuing to learn is important to me.

GOAL 3: List at least 5 more properties than I did in 2017

Well, I didn't list five more--guess I didn't realize how many I listed in 2017--but I did list two more. If I count the four properties I assisted on, then I can claim to have surpassed my goal. My number of sales stayed consistent and my volume went up, so it was a good year.

GOAL 4: Read at least one business-related book a quarter

I read two last year and started a third one before the year ended, so this was at least close.

How did your year go? Is there anything you're especially proud of?

Beginning of the Year To-Do List Update

Here is my second update for this week:

• Set my goals for 2019: writing, real estate, and personal. Deadline 1/2. First things, first. DONE - look for another post about goals this week.
• Finalize my 2019 Business Plan. Deadline 1/11. DONE 
• Finalize my President's Award application and submit it to my office for review. Deadline 1/10. DONE
• Complete three marketing proposals. Deadline 1/6.
• Write all my known meetings and vacation days into my work calendar. Meetings are in, blogging dates are in, and some time off is in. 
• Put together my 2019 vision board. DONE - check it out on Facebook
• Pack for NYC. We are taking a short trip into the city. Deadline 1/3.
• Start reading books for January virtual book tours. The first one is coming to NYC with me for the drive down and back. 
• Start my Read Through the Bible in a Year with a Chronological Bible Reading Plan. You can join us here. Two days strong. LOL! 

How are you doing with your weekly to-do list? What is the most important thing you wish to accomplish this week?

Beginning of the Year To-do List Update

I am doing my best to stay on top of my to-do lists and stay sane. I've already made some progress with this week's Task it Tuesday list. Here is where I am at:

• Set my goals for 2019: writing, real estate, and personal. Deadline 1/2. First things, first. DONE - look for another post about goals this week.
• Finalize my 2019 Business Plan. Deadline 1/11.
• Finalize my President's Award application and submit it to my office for review. Deadline 1/10. Just need to submit it to the office.
• Complete three marketing proposals. Deadline 1/6.
• Write all my known meetings and vacation days into my work calendar. Meetings are in, blogging dates are in, and some time off is in. 
• Put together my 2019 vision board. DONE - check it out on Facebook
• Pack for NYC. We are taking a short trip into the city. Deadline 1/3.
• Start reading books for January virtual book tours. The first one is coming to NYC with me for the drive down and back. 
• Start my Read Through the Bible in a Year with a Chronological Bible Reading Plan. You can join us here. Read my first day and should make it through the rest of the week. Added all the Scripture verses through the end of June into my Christian planner, so I have one place to check what I need to read each day. 

How are you doing with your weekly to-do list? What is the most important thing you wish to accomplish this week?

Task it Tuesday - Jan 1

Originally created by The Geeky Blogger, Task It Tuesday is a weekly meme to help you--and me--get things done. The challenge is to post a task or list of tasks you want to complete before next Tuesday. These tasks can help you with your blogging life, reading life, personal or professional life.

Welcome to 2019! I'm sitting here an hour and a half before the ball drops and running through my mind all I have to do this week. Here's the list as I see it now:

1. Set my goals for 2019: writing, real estate, and personal. Deadline 1/2. First things, first. 
2. Finalize my 2019 Business Plan. Deadline 1/11. 
3. Finalize my President's Award application and submit it to my office for review. Deadline 1/10.
4. Complete three marketing proposals. Deadline 1/6.
5. Write all my known meetings and vacation days into my work calendar. 
6. Put together my 2019 vision board.
7. Pack for NYC. We are taking a short trip into the city. Deadline 1/3.
8. Start reading books for January virtual book tours.
9. Start my Read Through the Bible in a Year with a Chronological Bible Reading Plan. You can join us here. 

I'm sure there are more, but this is a good start and nearly manageable. Depending upon weather in NYC, I might get a bit more done than expected. I'm not walking through Central Park in the rain. 

Here's wishing all of you a new year filled with blessings.