Thursday, December 31, 2020
An Imperfect Christian Mom's COVID 19 Diary #16 & Final
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Task it Tuesday - Dec 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.
- Daily Bible reading--Five days
- Walking five days--Three days
- Market new edition of A Christmas Kindness--Ongoing
- Send out family and friends holiday cards--Nope
- Blog at Christian Children's Authors and 4RV Reading, Writing, & Art News--Done
- Look into a new publisher for my GAP books--moving to January 2021
- Look into getting a small dumpster--moving to January 2021
- Put up the last tree and put out my Santa and angel collections--Done
- Bake something special--Cinnamon rolls
- Wrap remaining gifts--Done
- Play a board game with the kids--Not yet
- Read, write, or both--I read some
- Daily Bible reading at 7 am
- Walking five days
- Reconsider author website and add an editing page
- Update my Sphere of Influence mailing list
- Design a new real estate logo
- Research new publisher for my GAP books
- Study for my MA Real Estate Broker's test
- Complete my NC Real Estate Post-licensing education
- Update my real estate leads spreadsheet
- Schedule one week off and order a dumpster to complete cleaning the house
Monday, December 28, 2020
Mailbox Monday - Dec 28
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.
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Task it Tuesday - Dec 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.
- Daily Bible reading
- Walking five days
- Market new edition of A Christmas Kindness
- Send out family and friends holiday cards
- Blog at Christian Children's Authors and 4RV Reading, Writing, & Art News
- Look into a new publisher for my GAP books--moving to January 2021
- Look into getting a small dumpster--moving to January 2021
- Put up the last tree and put out my Santa and angel collections
- Bake something special
- Wrap remaining gifts
- Play a board game with the kids
- Read, write, or both
Monday, December 21, 2020
Mailbox Monday - Dec 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.
Wednesday, December 16, 2020
Looking Forward into 2021
- The Book Connection
- The Children's and Teens' Book Connection
- Christian Children's Authors (posting Christmas Eve, but don't have a 2021 schedule yet)
- 4RV Reading, Writing, & Art News (post on second & fourth Wednesdays)
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Task it Tuesday - Dec 15
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.
- Daily Bible reading
- Walking five days
- Meeting Wednesday
- Board meeting Thursday evening
- Market new edition of A Christmas Kindness
- Send out family and friends holiday cards
- Look into a new publisher for my GAP books--moving to January 2021
- Look into getting a small dumpster--moving to January 2021
- Take Sunday off
- Decorate the rest of the house
- Bake something special
- Finish editing latest project
- Wrap a few gifts
Monday, December 14, 2020
Mailbox Monday - Dec 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.
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Task it Tuesday - Dec 7
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.
- Daily Bible reading
- Walking five days
- Meetings Wednesday, and Friday
- Webinars Tuesday and Thursday
- Market new edition of A Christmas Kindness
- Read A Christmas Carol Murder
- Send out client holiday cards--DONE
- Send out family and friends holiday cards
- Look into a new publisher for my GAP books--moving to January 2021
- Look into getting a small dumpster--moving to January 2021
- Meet with clients Tuesday and Saturday
- Take Sunday off
- Decorate the rest of the house
- Bake something special
- Record video for Rick's Place
Monday, December 7, 2020
Mailbox Monday - Dec 6
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.
Monday, November 30, 2020
Task it Tuesday - Dec 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.
- Daily Bible reading
- Walking five days
- Meetings Tuesday and Friday
- Closing on Friday
- Market new edition of A Christmas Kindness
- Decorate the office Wednesday
- Board meeting Wednesday night
- Read A Christmas Carol Murder
- Look into a new publisher for my GAP books--moving to January 2021
- Look into getting a small dumpster--moving to January 2021
- Prepare for new listings
- Meet with new clients Saturday
- Take Sunday off
- Decorate the rest of the house--main tree is up, but there are at least three more to go
Sunday, November 29, 2020
Mailbox Monday - Nov 30
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.
Friday, November 27, 2020
2020 Goals Review
I am a bit early for this review, but now that I am looking forward to 2021 in earnest, this seems like the best time to reflect on the goals I set in January.
Personal
Goals
- Exercise
twice a week
I have to say that considering all that has happened this year, I didn’t do too badly with this goal. No, I am not doing aerobics or Pilates, but I am walking every day, which is more than I was doing last year. If I can get the bonus room cleaned up, I can create an exercise room. We are talking about buying an elliptical machine. We have a treadmill and my barre for workouts. The punching bag will need to be replaced, since once of the kids' friends damaged it.
This is a goal that really needed more of my attention. I read a verse almost every day and attend Bible study on Sunday nights, but that’s really not enough. I am thinking the only way to accomplish this goal is to get up early every morning and dive right in.
- Dedicate one
day a week to meal planning
I started off strong with this goal, but the dedication waned as we all found ourselves at home more. At this point, I don’t have a full meal plan in place, but I do know what protein I’ll be using, so that helps.
- Make smarter food choices
This was the largest challenge for me this year. I am such an emotional eater and a junk food junkie, so that doesn’t help. Trapped inside with the family for months probably didn’t make it easier. I’m fairly certain once the girls move out my eating habits will improve—don’t buy it, I can’t eat it—but what do I do in the meantime?
- Re-assess
my commitments
I did fairly well this year. I
resigned from one organization, though I still support them monetarily. The
slower pace because of the pandemic and logging into my meetings
instead of driving to them certainly helped as well. Since I will be
president-elect of the local real estate board next year, assuming the
presidency in 2022, I know I will need to stay on top of this goal going
forward.
Professional
Goals
- Put
together a solid business plan
This was the first year since 2014 that I didn’t put together a business plan. I had a huge decision to make early in the year. That decision shouldn’t have interfered with creating a business plan, but it did. Well, I allowed it to.
By the
time I knew where my head was at, COVID arrived. Two weeks later, the events
that unfolded at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke and would lead to my
father-in-law’s death, became my focus. It has literally taken me until this
month to fully get invested in real estate again. Though there remains no
closure in regards to those tragic events, I can stop my mind from agonizing over them all the time. Now, if the
ringing in my ears would stop, I could really focus.
Considering the year this has been, I feel I did really well with this. Though there were a few weeks I didn’t prospect at all, I prospected more this year than usual. I have also been better about staying in touch with former clients and reaching out to new leads. Living in a pandemic world makes you stop and think more about how you can help people. That’s why my volunteering ramped up this year, too.
- Read two
business or leadership books this year
I met this goal by reading one book on
self-publishing and one on creating systems. The latter is where I feel I
always fail. Either I don’t create the systems or I create them and abandon
them when I get busy. I bought daily planner sheets to help with that in 2021.
Those will be easier than the journal I tried to keep.
- Take my
Broker's Test
This moved to 2021 because the testing centers have been closed. They have reopened, but they have been backed up.
- Make an important decision by January 10
I made
the decision and am confident I made the right choice.
What were some of your goals this year? What have you been most satisfied with accomplishing? What is one of your 2021 goals?
Thursday, November 26, 2020
Happy Thanksgiving!
As we all gather around our tables today, may we be thankful for the little blessings we have experienced this year. While they have been hidden in amongst a pandemic, protests, violence, and a crazy election, let us hold our loved ones close and find something to be grateful for every day.
Wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving.
Tuesday, November 24, 2020
Task it Tuesday - Nov 24
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.
- Daily Bible reading
- Walking five days
- Meetings Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday
- Blog Wednesday
- Cleaning Wednesday
- Cooking Thursday
- Review Around the World in More Than 80 Days on Friday
- Come up with marketing plan for the new edition of A Christmas Kindness--since the book is now out, I'm a bit late on this one
- Mail out a copy of A Christmas Kindness
- Look into a new publisher for my GAP books--moving to January 2021
- Look into getting a small dumpster--moving to January 2021
- Prepare for new listing
- Put up Christmas decorations Saturday
- Take Sunday off
Monday, November 23, 2020
Mailbox Monday - Nov 23
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.
Sunday, November 22, 2020
A Christmas Kindness, Second Edition, by Cheryl C. Malandrinos Now Available
Saturday, November 21, 2020
Holiday Home Makeover with Mr. Christmas
Benjamin "Mr. Christmas" Bradley works with his team of elves to help families transform their homes for the holidays in this new Netflix series. Produced by Stephen David Entertainment (shout out to my nephew, Randy Counsman who is Senior VP of Development), this series features interior designer William Benjamin Bradley, a huge Christmas enthusiast.
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Task it Tuesday - Nov 17
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.
- Daily Bible reading
- Walking five days
- Showing Tuesday
- Blog Wednesday
- Reading Around the World in More Than 80 Days
- Meetings Thursday and Friday
- Come up with marketing plan for the new edition of A Christmas Kindness
- Look into a new publisher for my GAP books--probably won't happen, but want to keep it on the list
- Look into getting a small dumpster--won't happen, but want to keep it on the list
- Prepare for new listing
- Take Sunday off
Monday, November 16, 2020
Mailbox Monday - Nov 16
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.
Thursday, November 12, 2020
Book Review: Selling Christmas by Angelina Goode
If you're in the mood for a sweet seasonal romance, you can't choose a better one than Selling Christmas by Angelina Goode.
As a real estate agent, Caroline is used to helping people find their dream home. When she is tasked by her broker with overseeing the first annual Christmas Tour of Homes, however, she might be in over her head. She doesn't even decorate her own house, so how can she bring the Christmas spirit to others?
Luke is a local police office and all around nice guy. His daughter Ella means the world to him. So, when Ella asks for a house of their own with a fireplace for Santa to fit through, he knows he has to try his hardest.
As Christmas fate brings Caroline and Luke together, they might just be exactly what the other needs... unless they let their pasts stand in the way.
Everyone knows I am a sucker for a great Christmas romance in book or television form. That's part of why I requested to review Selling Christmas. Another reason is that lovely cover. It is even prettier up close. Of course, I tend to like books with real estate agents as main characters these days since I am one.
Goode created the perfect seasonal romance: two people who meet by chance, obstacles that could prevent them from getting together, a small town setting, a great cast of supporting characters, and a happy ending. What more can you ask for in this genre? While you know how it is going to end, you still read every page because you don't want to miss a thing.
You even fall in love with some of the secondary characters in this one. Sarah, Caroline's assistant who insisted upon decorating her office and pretty much acted like a kid on Christmas morning; Luke's partner Andrea who nudged him in the right direction; the shelter director, Lauren, who unknowingly played a role in helping both Caroline and Luke; and the antics of Caroline's co-workers added a fun element to the story.
Christmas, romance, holiday fun, and a small town feel make Selling Christmas a story you will want to read over again. I hope Goode releases another seasonal story next year.
ISBN-10 : 0996176934