Thursday, December 31, 2020

An Imperfect Christian Mom's COVID 19 Diary #16 & Final

 



Here we are at the end of 2020. Hasn't it been a long road to get here? 

Our celebrations will look different. Who would ever think Times Square would be a ghost town on New Year's Eve? 

Our lives have been forever changed by this pandemic. By this time of the year, we all know someone who has or had COVID. Maybe we had COVID. Perhaps we have lost someone we love to COVID. 


Paul (hubby), Harry (father-in-law), & Steve (brother-in-law)

Some of us lost our jobs or closed our businesses. As I drove down Route 20 the other day, I saw a public auction sign in front of one of my favorite town restaurants on the water whose owners had to close down. How difficult that must have been for them. 

After one of the most contentious elections in my lifetime, claims of fraud, lawsuits, and even an expected challenge of the Electoral College results will define the most recent election cycle; leaving the American people the big losers in a political power struggle that has waged for decades. It seems forever ago that the politicians, who spend more time squabbling with each other than serving their constituents, stood shoulder to shoulder and sang "God Bless America." Oh, that they may find the desire to work together that they felt after the attacks on September 11, 2001. 



As we close the door on 2020, I ask you to join me in praying for this country and for people across the world. Let us pray that the leaders across the globe work toward peace. Let us pray love and kindness will reign in the new year. Let us pray we all lead with a servant's heart and help each other in times of need. Let us pray for health and happiness and healing. 

Wishing you a blessed New Year!

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.

This is my last Task it Tuesday. I hope you have enjoyed following along as I did my best to balance my professional and personal lives. Sometimes I succeeded. Other times I failed. Either way, I am happy for the journey. 

Here is what last week looked like:
  • 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

For my last to-do list of 2020, I am making a few changes that may take multiple weeks.
  • 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
I am sure I will think of more as I set my goals for 2021 (not that they aren't brewing in my head already), but this is a good start.

Thanks for your loyal readership. I hope you will check out my other blogs.

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.

Happy last Monday of 2020! This will be the last Mailbox Monday I will post here. Next week, this meme will move over to my primary blog, The Book Connection. I am sad I can't keep both blogs populated, but work is only going to get more hectic the next few years, so I am trying to be kind to myself and reduce what I can. 

I hope you had a blessed Christmas. Ours was nice, but different. My father-in-law was always a source of laughter. We missed that this year. Sometimes, I find it hard to believe he's gone. My mother-in-law is holding her own, which is a true blessing considering the dementia and cardiac issues.

This year, I found five of the top ten books I wanted under the Christmas tree or on my Kindle.






My son surprised me with this Civil War title. 


I also snagged this Kindle freebie right before Christmas.


Thank you to all the loyal readers who joined me each Monday here to discover what new books arrived or to learn a bit about my life. I hope you'll visit my other blogs:



I also blog twice a month at my publisher's blog and once every few months at Christian Children's Authors.

Only God knows what the future brings. I am praying for health and happiness for us in 2021. God bless you all!!!

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.

How quickly the year is passing. It has been quite a year. I hope you have been able to count some blessings along the way. My hope is after tomorrow, I will be taking a few days off to spend time with my kids. Despite all of us being home, we don't always have a chance to do things like play games or sit down to supper together. 

Here is what my to-do list looks like:
  • 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
This may be my last post before Christmas, so I want to wish all of you a blessed holiday.

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.

Happy Monday! I hope you had a nice weekend. I didn't get as much accomplished as I would have liked, but I should be done with work this week by 2 pm on Tuesday. Say a little prayer that happens. I would love to get the last tree upstairs and decorated and do a bit of cleaning. I'm not too stressed since it will only be the kids and us, but it feels so much better when the house is clean during the holidays. Then I feel like I can relax a bit.

One great thing that happened this weekend is my wedding and engagement rings got resized. I weigh more than I did 20 years ago, so I haven't been able to wear my rings in years. I've never felt right about not wearing them, but the jeweler is a good ride away, so I never seemed to have the time to take care of it. I'm thrilled to have them back. 

My physical mailbox contained no books--except the ones I bought as gifts for others. I did, however, grab this Kindle freebie.


Maybe I will read it between Christmas and New Year's. 

I hope your week goes well and that your stress levels are low. Merry Christmas!

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Looking Forward into 2021

 


Though I am not ready to finalize all my 2021 goals yet, I can say with certainty that I will stop populating An Imperfect Christian Mom at the end of the year. The next couple of years in real estate will be busy ones considering my increased responsibilities with the Realtor board, so I need to find ways to make everything work best for me.

Over the last few years, I've slowly reduced my blogs. Starting in 2021, you can find me at the following:

Mailbox Monday will move to The Book Connection. I am discontinuing Task it Tuesday. 

Though I am sad my blogging time is decreasing, I am thankful for continued real estate success and for the ability to still enjoy what blogging I can manage. 

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.

Well, it has been a fun December so far. We have had some unseasonably warm days and some snow. We are expecting a huge storm this week, so I might get a day off. I have had two closings, shot a real estate commercial, earned my C2EX endorsement from the National Association of Realtors, and am studying for my broker's test. Here is what is on tap for this week:
  • 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
That's it for me. What does your list look like this week? Hope it is productive.

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.

Welcome to Monday. I hope you had a nice weekend. I visited clients on Saturday and dropped off my latest book, A Christmas Kindness (Second Edition) to her. I am always grateful when someone asks for a copy of any of my books. 


On Sunday, I filmed a commercial for my real estate business. I felt well prepared, so that helped.



I also recorded a video to fundraise for a non-profit organization where I sit on the board of directors. Rick's Place offers grief support for children, teens, and their families. We had to cancel our major fundraisers this year because of the pandemic. 

As far as books go, my physical mailbox was empty, but I downloaded two free books for my Kindle.



I hope you've gotten most of your holiday chores completed. Three of our trees are up. The third one still needs lights and decorations. The fourth one will go up this week. I haven't found the girls' stockings yet, so I better get on that. 

Wishing you a blessed week. 


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.

Hope you are having a nice December so far. Mine has been more hectic than planned, but that's okay. I love what I do. I have blocked off days around Christmas instead. Here is what is on my list for this week:
  • 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
What would you like to accomplish this week?

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.

Happy Monday! Welcome to December. Hope you had a nice weekend. Mine was a busy one with a closing on Friday, a new listing hitting the market on Saturday, and cleaning up a bit at home on Sunday. Bible study discussed the Advent message of hope, which was nice. 

On the book front, I received these two books in the mail.



Then I ordered this one off Amazon using some promotional credits I earned.


That's it from me this week. Hope you had a great mailbox. Please share if you have time.

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.

Happy Tuesday! This is a crazy work week schedule, but no complaints. An accepted offer, a closing, a new listing, and other fun things. Here is what else is on the list. 
  • 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.

Welcome to the end of November. The holiday season has officially begun, but I will hang onto my fall mailbox for one more week. Next week look for a new one. 

What a pleasant weekend we had. The gathering for Thanksgiving was smaller than usual, but still very nice. We started decorating the tree last night. The Lil' Diva is holding Travis, though he looks like a black blob with a tail. 


We took some nice walks this weekend with the mild temperatures. Theo loves the woods. 




No new books in my mailbox, but I bought this boxed set of cozy mysteries with a promotional credit I earned.


Then I grabbed this Kindle freebie on Sunday.



What did your mailbox look like? Any books I should add to my wish list? Santa is coming soon. :) 

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.

  •  Read the Bible daily 

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.

  •  Commit to weekly prospecting 

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.

Well, Thanksgiving week is here. The Christmas tree has been pulled out of the basement. I vainly am attempting to get the house in order despite a work schedule that seems to fill my days. I keep trying to take days off, but it's not happening. As of this morning, I've added four client meetings to my schedule. Here is what I need to accomplish this week
  • 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
I am probably forgetting something, but let's see how it goes. What is one thing you want to get done this week?

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.

We are almost at the end of November. How do that happen? Is your Christmas tree or Hanukkah bush up yet? My husband dragged our main tree out of the basement this weekend. I'm sure we won't decorate until Thanksgiving night or the next day, but it is upstairs. Then there are four or five other trees to set up. My winter and Christmas Decocrated shipments arrived, but I haven't unloaded them yet because I want to clean first. 

So, what did my mailbox look like last week? Joy, oh joy, the second edition of my book, A Christmas Kindness, arrived on Saturday. I am so excited. Only the softcovers arrived. The hardcovers are still pending shipment.




I also downloaded these Kindle freebies... which I really need to stop doing.





That's it from my neck of the woods. Hope you'll share your new books. Wishing my friends in the States have a lovely Thanksgiving. 

Sunday, November 22, 2020

A Christmas Kindness, Second Edition, by Cheryl C. Malandrinos Now Available

 


The second edition of my children's book, A Christmas Kindness, was released by 4RV Publishing. This new edition includes discussion questions, activities, crafts, and more. Here is the synopsis:

Eight-year-old Robert is eager to share his wish list with Santa at the mall on Christmas Eve. When he meets Glenn, who only has one request for Santa, Robert is confused over what he should do. Should he ask for himself or for his new friend?

Page count: 48 pages
Published (1st ed): Dec 2012
Published (2nd ed): Aug 2020
Language: English 
HC (2nd ed) ISBN-13: 978--1-950074-12-9
PB (1st ed) ISBN-10: 0985266147
PB (1st ed) ISBN-13: 978-0-9852661-4-1
PB (2nd ed) ISBN-13: 978--1-950074-11-2
Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.2 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces

Available at 


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. 

Here are some articles about the show and its star:




What I really love about this series is that the families are totally involved in the transformation at the beginning. Then on Day 2 the elves move in and take over. Day 3 is Reveal Day. 

I am so excited to watch more episodes. I want Mr. Christmas to visit my house.


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.

I can't believe half of November is already done. Part of me is happy that 2020 is almost over. The other part of me says time is moving too fast. 

This will be a week of lots of computer time, since the NAR Conference went virtual this year. I will be sitting at my computer through tomorrow. Here is what else is on tap:

  • 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
That's it for me. What does your week look like?




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.

Welcome back to Monday. Hope you had a nice week. I wish I could say real estate was slowing down a bit, but not yet. I am guessing the week of Thanksgiving will be quieter. 

Speaking of Thanksgiving, a few of my fellow Realtors and I coordinated a food drive for one of our local survival centers Saturday. The weather was great, and we filled three SUVs with food. It was nice to meet the executive director when we dropped it off.


I am gearing up for my smaller than usual Thanksgiving. All the holidays are tough this year, considering the loss of my father-in-law. The monument company called me to tell me his monument was finally installed at the cemetery. I couldn't believe the cemetery took so long to prepare the site. Because of restrictions, we still haven't had a full family memorial service. Maybe in April at his one-year anniversary things will be better.

Let's talk about something more pleasant--books. A local author I know dropped off a book to me this week. 


I also ordered the second book in the series, which was just released, for my Kindle.


Also in my digital mailbox appeared a copy of this one that I had pre-ordered.


That's it for me this week. What did your mailbox look like? Any good reads you're looking forward to diving into?

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
ISBN-13 : 978-0996176934
Paperback : 324 pages 
Publisher : Beach Blanket Publishing (October 2, 2020)

I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.