Can't post picture for some reason, will try to figure it out and add it to a future post. imagine and adorable little grey kitty with white spots on his nose and face.
This little guy is less then 48 hours old & we found him while weed whacking the hip high weeds in the backyard of one of our listings this morning. We were sad to see two newborn kittens dead in the tall grass but we were excited to hear the cry of this little fella from a near by bush. As we rushed to the pet store to get a bottle & food. We ran into a very sweet gal that has vet assistant experience & she agreed to take the little guy and raise him for the next 8 weeks. She will also work at finding him a new home when the 8 weeks are up. Who said GOD doesn't have a plan. :)
*** Update: I got the picture to load on the right hand side of our page layout. I am supposed to be getting updated pictures over the next 8 weeks so I will update here as well. :)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
A must read :)
When you have to visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied.
Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall..
You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants! The dispenser for the modern 'seat covers' (invented by someone's Mom , no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn't - so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, ( Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR! ), yank down your pants, and assume ' The Stance.'
In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold 'The Stance.'
To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, 'Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!' Your thighs shake more.
You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday - the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now, you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still smaller than your thumbnail
Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet. 'Occupied!' you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT .. It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because, you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, 'You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get.'
By this time, the automatic sensor on th e back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes.. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.
At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks. You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting.
You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, 'Here, you just might need this.'
As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, 'What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?'
This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with a public restrooms (rest??? you've GOT to be kidding!!). It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your purse and hand you Kleenex under the door!
This HAD to be written by a woman! No one else could describe it so accurately!
Author Unknown or unwilling to be known. :)
Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall..
You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants! The dispenser for the modern 'seat covers' (invented by someone's Mom , no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn't - so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, ( Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR! ), yank down your pants, and assume ' The Stance.'
In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold 'The Stance.'
To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, 'Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!' Your thighs shake more.
You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday - the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now, you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still smaller than your thumbnail
Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet. 'Occupied!' you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT .. It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because, you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, 'You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get.'
By this time, the automatic sensor on th e back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes.. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.
At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks. You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting.
You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, 'Here, you just might need this.'
As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, 'What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?'
This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with a public restrooms (rest??? you've GOT to be kidding!!). It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your purse and hand you Kleenex under the door!
This HAD to be written by a woman! No one else could describe it so accurately!
Author Unknown or unwilling to be known. :)
Friday, February 12, 2010
Moms and Muffins
As usual I caught Steven with his mouth open and he was not agreeable to posing for a picture.
Scottie too Hottie working the donut/muffin line like a pro. :)
The cafeteria was packed from 7:00 am- 8:15am. Now that is some serious mom love. :)This morning was loads of fun because the PTA hosted Moms and Muffins at school this morning and my darling husband graciously volunteered to help. Poor guy had to be up and out the door by 6:15 am. (normally gets up at 7:45am).
Anyway a great time was had by all and I need to do some treadmill time to burn off the the muffins this morning.
The funniest part was seeing the teachers come through the line 3 times (not kidding) they all said the same thing..."we need to have triple the sugar the kids do just to keep up with them".
No Love here !!!
My babies, Sierra thinks that Steven is her kitten. I am going to try to capture the after shower cleaning Steven gets from her.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
2010 Is off to a great start
All of our hard work really showed today during our monthly awards meeting today. We also are the proud recipients of a new award for 2009.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Fall threw up in my house
Although it is 90 degrees here, it's September and it was time to bust out the fall decorations up in here. The house looks and feels very festive. Today I am watching football, relaxing, and thinking about making some popcorn. I made Steven and I a yummy strawberry, banana, blueberry smoothie today and ooo man was it goooood. I am meeting a client at 3:00 today so I better go prepare. :) Gooooo Seahawks.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Something to consider
At age 55, he began to realize his weeks and his years were flying by. He figured that the average person lived to be 75, which gave him another twenty years, so with fifty-two weeks in a year that gave him approximately one thousand precious weekends left to enjoy with the people he loved most.
So he bought one thousand marbles, put them in a clear plastic container, and placed the container on a credenza in his office. Every Monday, he would take out one marble and throw it away.
He discovered that as the marbles diminished, he focused more on the most important aspects of life, and he observed, "There's nothing like watching your time here on earth run out to help get your priorities straight."
If Only I Knew...
This was our last hug,I would hold you tightAnd hope to never let you go,
If Only I Knew...That even when everything in my lifeSeems to go wrong And comes crumbling down around me,Even when my heart is broken,God has promisedTo always be with me.
Ah, yes... If we only knew, we would treasure special people in our life even more. Every day could be our last. And you might have heard it before, but... "On your deathbed, you will not say, 'I wish I had spent more time at the office.'"
The love of your family, your friends, and your faith will shape your attitude and determine your true success in life.
A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.
- George Moore
So he bought one thousand marbles, put them in a clear plastic container, and placed the container on a credenza in his office. Every Monday, he would take out one marble and throw it away.
He discovered that as the marbles diminished, he focused more on the most important aspects of life, and he observed, "There's nothing like watching your time here on earth run out to help get your priorities straight."
If Only I Knew...
This was our last hug,I would hold you tightAnd hope to never let you go,
If Only I Knew...That even when everything in my lifeSeems to go wrong And comes crumbling down around me,Even when my heart is broken,God has promisedTo always be with me.
Ah, yes... If we only knew, we would treasure special people in our life even more. Every day could be our last. And you might have heard it before, but... "On your deathbed, you will not say, 'I wish I had spent more time at the office.'"
The love of your family, your friends, and your faith will shape your attitude and determine your true success in life.
A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.
- George Moore
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
I must say little man impressed me. Steven begged me not to have the bully removed from his class. He said "mom we need to figure out how to get along and I am going to ask Nolan to be my friend and see if we can't just work things out." I agreed and the two boys so far are friends and according to his teacher...getting along fine. hmmm I think my little man is growing up..sniff .
We had a good visit with the Dr. today and we have a new medication to help Steven Sleep better as he hears every single noise prior to falling asleep and it is preventing him from having restful sleep. We are going to try it out tonight to see how it goes. :)
Time to get the pork chops on the BBQ. Mom doesn't know it but we are racing to a bikini body by December. I think she is winning......with flying colors. I may need to bust out the Wii Fit tonight.
We had a good visit with the Dr. today and we have a new medication to help Steven Sleep better as he hears every single noise prior to falling asleep and it is preventing him from having restful sleep. We are going to try it out tonight to see how it goes. :)
Time to get the pork chops on the BBQ. Mom doesn't know it but we are racing to a bikini body by December. I think she is winning......with flying colors. I may need to bust out the Wii Fit tonight.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Back to School
Well it's time for school and sure enough the first two days last week were a little rough. The third day which would be today...was pretty easy since little man had a raging case of the stomach flu. He is doing better and managed to keep dinner down so he will be off to school tomorrow. Which means back to the office tomorrow for me.
We have been very busy these past few months working hard, saving houses for those that want to keep them and selling them for the ones that don't. We are working hard to get our first time homebuyers in their new homes in time to get the $8000.00 tax credit.
Thanks to mom and dad saving the day at the drop of a hat to take care of Steven for us, Scott and I were able to take the necessary certification training to be Pre-Foreclosure Specialists and we are able to help sooo many more people the right way.
On that note I better get story time done so I can get a good night sleep.
We have been very busy these past few months working hard, saving houses for those that want to keep them and selling them for the ones that don't. We are working hard to get our first time homebuyers in their new homes in time to get the $8000.00 tax credit.
Thanks to mom and dad saving the day at the drop of a hat to take care of Steven for us, Scott and I were able to take the necessary certification training to be Pre-Foreclosure Specialists and we are able to help sooo many more people the right way.
On that note I better get story time done so I can get a good night sleep.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
School Projects
I remember school projects with fondness and I was very excited Steven had on this year. We had spent a month reading The Little House in the Big Woods. (spin off of Little House on the Prairie) So once the book was complete Steven was to create a scene from the book that contained The Little House.
This is what we ended up with and won a certificate of achievement for.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Easter Bunny Gift
We are very excited about the Easter gift the good ole bunny left us. We came home to find a little fish tank on our fireplace. Steven and I had a date Monday to pick out our tanks new residents. We ended up with 3 guppy's, 3 Neon's, 1 sucker fish,2 frogs, and two crabs.
Since Monday we are down to 1 crab, 1 frog, 2 guppy's, and 1 neon. Needless to say Steven and I have another date tomorrow to replenish our loses. Lesson learned..."don't name the fish, crabs, and frogs".
Our 3 cats just cannot get enough of the tanks, seriously they are always watching the tank, heads zipping to and fro, tails flipping up and down, and paws attacking the glass. Good times are had by all (except maybe the fish...perhaps we had so many casualties due to weak hearts..hmmm something to ponder)
Anyway it looks like we have a big weekend ahead of us. We now have 10 qualified ready to go first time home buyers and no houses for them. So we are on a mission to find them all homes this upcoming weekend and week. Should be fun stuff.
I spent 2 hours working on the yard today and my back is reminding me why last year I was hell bent on hiring a gardener.
Gotta go it's story time, have a great weekend all.
Since Monday we are down to 1 crab, 1 frog, 2 guppy's, and 1 neon. Needless to say Steven and I have another date tomorrow to replenish our loses. Lesson learned..."don't name the fish, crabs, and frogs".
Our 3 cats just cannot get enough of the tanks, seriously they are always watching the tank, heads zipping to and fro, tails flipping up and down, and paws attacking the glass. Good times are had by all (except maybe the fish...perhaps we had so many casualties due to weak hearts..hmmm something to ponder)
Anyway it looks like we have a big weekend ahead of us. We now have 10 qualified ready to go first time home buyers and no houses for them. So we are on a mission to find them all homes this upcoming weekend and week. Should be fun stuff.
I spent 2 hours working on the yard today and my back is reminding me why last year I was hell bent on hiring a gardener.
Gotta go it's story time, have a great weekend all.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Hi remember us?
Yep we are still alive and almost well down here in sunny warm California. We are at the tail end of yucky colds right now.
We have been so crazy busy with out business that we just have not had a chance to post. Our industry dynamics have changed so much this past 9 months that we are working hard to stay ahead of the game.
Spring break is upon us and we are delivering our little razz-ma-tazz to his grandparents in Pismo tomorrow. He is sooo excited to spend time with them he's tried all day to come up with any and all reasons he should not go to school tomorrow with the hopes we will just get up at 6 am and take him straight over. ahh to be a kid again.
If I'm not mistaken .....during my conversation with grandpa today I get the feeling they are pretty dang excited to see the little guy too.
Anyhoooo, it's story time so I gotta run.
We have been so crazy busy with out business that we just have not had a chance to post. Our industry dynamics have changed so much this past 9 months that we are working hard to stay ahead of the game.
Spring break is upon us and we are delivering our little razz-ma-tazz to his grandparents in Pismo tomorrow. He is sooo excited to spend time with them he's tried all day to come up with any and all reasons he should not go to school tomorrow with the hopes we will just get up at 6 am and take him straight over. ahh to be a kid again.
If I'm not mistaken .....during my conversation with grandpa today I get the feeling they are pretty dang excited to see the little guy too.
Anyhoooo, it's story time so I gotta run.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
And we're off
I figured I would pop in and say we are doing well and working very hard. We have 4 escrows closing in the next 40 days. Our goal is to close 9 escrows every 30 days to hit our goal so we are a little under but it is the first of the year so I think we can make it up as we go through the year.
Scott's a little sad today as his mom passed away 3 years ago today. :(
On the bright side we sail out on his birthday cruise tomorrow and get some much needed r&r..(and unwanted pounds from all the great food they serve on these stinking cruises.)
Speaking of weight my team beat out Scott's team in the weight loss challenge at work....wooohooo. I was the proud recipient of $100.00.
On that note, I better get my work done so I can go home and pack.
Scott's a little sad today as his mom passed away 3 years ago today. :(
On the bright side we sail out on his birthday cruise tomorrow and get some much needed r&r..(and unwanted pounds from all the great food they serve on these stinking cruises.)
Speaking of weight my team beat out Scott's team in the weight loss challenge at work....wooohooo. I was the proud recipient of $100.00.
On that note, I better get my work done so I can go home and pack.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Steven
Steven was soooo shocked this morning not only that his name was called for an award, but to see us making fools of ourselves in the back of the cafeteria whooping and caring on like parents. We had to be covert and hide outside and sneak in when he was focused on the stage or else he would have known he was gonna win something.
They also did a drawing for perfect attendance for the month of January and he won a gift certificate for a free meal at a cool cafe here in Visalia.
He was very surprised and happy to see us there. I am so thankful that we work for ourselves so we don't miss a single one of these exciting events in his life.
I think it is really neat that his award came after our awards last night because it ties together for Steven that good practices as children turn in to good practices for adults and when you work hard and try your best, it will be recognized.
Lot's of good stuff today. We are very excited to display Steven's award of achievement right next to ours here in the office.
They also did a drawing for perfect attendance for the month of January and he won a gift certificate for a free meal at a cool cafe here in Visalia.
He was very surprised and happy to see us there. I am so thankful that we work for ourselves so we don't miss a single one of these exciting events in his life.
I think it is really neat that his award came after our awards last night because it ties together for Steven that good practices as children turn in to good practices for adults and when you work hard and try your best, it will be recognized.
Lot's of good stuff today. We are very excited to display Steven's award of achievement right next to ours here in the office.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
How Awesome is This !!!
I am so excited. We just got home from our first Keller Williams Realty Office Annual Awards Party. Scott and I were 1 of 3 people honored with multiple awards tonight. We also got two bottles of wine. :)
We ranked 9th in sales out of an office of 60 amazing agents. We are 1 of 13 agents fortunate enough in this market to be in the Million Dollar Club. We were also honored with the award for Rookie of the year for our dedication,integrity,hard work, and ethics. Although we have only been with KW since April of 2008 we managed to prove that hard work, training, and passion allowed us to triple our business and place us in the top 5% for all of Tulare County. Everything has my name since all of the paperwork and commission is paid in my name, not because Scott doesn't work his cute little buns off.
How Flippin Cool is That?
We ranked 9th in sales out of an office of 60 amazing agents. We are 1 of 13 agents fortunate enough in this market to be in the Million Dollar Club. We were also honored with the award for Rookie of the year for our dedication,integrity,hard work, and ethics. Although we have only been with KW since April of 2008 we managed to prove that hard work, training, and passion allowed us to triple our business and place us in the top 5% for all of Tulare County. Everything has my name since all of the paperwork and commission is paid in my name, not because Scott doesn't work his cute little buns off.
How Flippin Cool is That?
Saturday, January 17, 2009
A Birth Certificate shows we were born
A Death Certificate shows we died
Pictures show we lived! I Believe...
Just because two people argue, Doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, Doesn't mean they do love each other.
I Believe...
We don't have to change friends if We understand friends change.
I Believe....
No matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt You every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I Believe...
True friendship continues to grow, even over The longest distance. Same goes for true love.
I Believe...
You can do something in an instant That will give you heartache for life.
I Believe...
it's taking me a long time To become the person I want to be.
I Believe...
You should always leave loved ones with Loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
I Believe...
You can keep going long after you think you can't.
I Believe...
We are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I Believe...
Either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I Believe...
Heroes are the people who do what has to be done When it needs to be done, regardless of consequences. (atheletes and celebrities are not hero's, DP)
I Believe...
Money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I Believe...
My best friend and I can do anything or nothing And have the best time.
I Believe...
Sometimes the people you expect to kick you When you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.
I Believe...
Sometimes when I'm angry, I have the right to be angry, But that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I Believe... Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had And what you've learned from them, and less to do With how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I Believe...
It isn't always enough to be forgiven by others; Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself..
I Believe...
No matter how bad your heart is broken, The world doesn't stop for your grief.
I Believe...
Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, But we are responsible for who we become.
I Believe...
You shouldn't be so eager to find Out a secret. It could change your life forever.
I Believe...
Two people can look at the exact same Thing and see something totally different..
I Believe...
Your life can be changed in a matter of Hours by people who don't even know you.
I Believe...
Even when you think you have no more to give, when A friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.
I Believe...
Credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I Believe...
The people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon. 'The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; They just make the most of anything!
Nope this profound wisdom is not mine, it was sent to me in an email and once again I am sharing it with my readers. I don't know who's wisdom this is...if you do feel free to share.
A Death Certificate shows we died
Pictures show we lived! I Believe...
Just because two people argue, Doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, Doesn't mean they do love each other.
I Believe...
We don't have to change friends if We understand friends change.
I Believe....
No matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt You every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I Believe...
True friendship continues to grow, even over The longest distance. Same goes for true love.
I Believe...
You can do something in an instant That will give you heartache for life.
I Believe...
it's taking me a long time To become the person I want to be.
I Believe...
You should always leave loved ones with Loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
I Believe...
You can keep going long after you think you can't.
I Believe...
We are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I Believe...
Either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I Believe...
Heroes are the people who do what has to be done When it needs to be done, regardless of consequences. (atheletes and celebrities are not hero's, DP)
I Believe...
Money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I Believe...
My best friend and I can do anything or nothing And have the best time.
I Believe...
Sometimes the people you expect to kick you When you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.
I Believe...
Sometimes when I'm angry, I have the right to be angry, But that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I Believe... Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had And what you've learned from them, and less to do With how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I Believe...
It isn't always enough to be forgiven by others; Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself..
I Believe...
No matter how bad your heart is broken, The world doesn't stop for your grief.
I Believe...
Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, But we are responsible for who we become.
I Believe...
You shouldn't be so eager to find Out a secret. It could change your life forever.
I Believe...
Two people can look at the exact same Thing and see something totally different..
I Believe...
Your life can be changed in a matter of Hours by people who don't even know you.
I Believe...
Even when you think you have no more to give, when A friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.
I Believe...
Credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I Believe...
The people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon. 'The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; They just make the most of anything!
Nope this profound wisdom is not mine, it was sent to me in an email and once again I am sharing it with my readers. I don't know who's wisdom this is...if you do feel free to share.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
thought for the day
Good Morning. Here is a great thought for the day:
My boss claimed that he would show me how to double my income and double my time off within twelve months. This sounded completely unrealistic, but I was willing to give it a try.
He asked me to make a list of all the things I did for the company, then he asked, "If you could do only one thing on this list all day long, which one task would contribute the greatest value to your company?" Once I had identified that task, which was quite easy, I put a circle around that number.
He then asked, "If you could do only one more thing on your list of key tasks, which would be the second activity that contributes the most value to your company?"
Once I had identified the second most important task, he asked me the same question with regard to the third most important task.
He then said something that shocked me at the time. He said that fully 90 percent of the value that you contribute to your company is contained in those three tasks, whatever they are. Everything else you do is either a support task or a complimentary task that could probably be delegated, downsized, outsourced, or eliminated.
As I looked at the three tasks, I realized that these were the three things that I did that contributed the most value to my company. This was on a Friday. On Monday morning at 10 o'clock, I met with my boss and explained to him what I had discovered. I told him that I needed his help in delegating and outsourcing all my work except for those three tasks. I felt that if I could work on those three tasks exclusively, all day long, I could more than double my contribution to the company. Then I said to him that if I doubled my contribution, I would like to be paid twice as much.
My boss was completely silent. He looked at my list of key tasks, looked back up at me, looked at the list again, and then said, "Okay". It was now 10:21 am according to the clock on the wall behind him. He said, "You're right. These are the three most important things that you do in this company — and the three things that you do the best. I will help you to delegate and downsize all these other minor tasks to free you up to work full-time on these three key tasks. And if you double your contribution, I will pay you twice as much."
He did; then I did; then he did. He helped me delegate and assign my minor tasks so I could concentrate on my top three jobs. As a result, I doubled my output over the next thirty days, and he doubled my income. I had been working very hard for more than eight years, and I doubled my income in just one month by focusing all my time and energy on my three key tasks. Not only that, but instead of working ten and twelve hour days, I work from 8:00 to 5:00 and spend time in the evenings and on the weekends with my family. Focusing on my key tasks has transformed my life.
Perhaps the most important word in the world of work is contribution. Your rewards — financial, spiritual, and emotional — will always be in direct proportion to the value of your contribution. If you want to increase your rewards, you must focus on increasing the value of what you do. You must dedicate yourself to contributing more results. And the three key tasks always contribute the most.
Prioritize. :)
Before you send me an e-mail telling me that some famous person, nun, paster, minister, self help guru, president or someone else wrote this: I KNOW !!! I received an email today that contained this "story" written by someone somewhere and I would give credit if I knew who shared this profound wisdom.
My goal is to share this thought with those that stop by my blog. Enjoy
My boss claimed that he would show me how to double my income and double my time off within twelve months. This sounded completely unrealistic, but I was willing to give it a try.
He asked me to make a list of all the things I did for the company, then he asked, "If you could do only one thing on this list all day long, which one task would contribute the greatest value to your company?" Once I had identified that task, which was quite easy, I put a circle around that number.
He then asked, "If you could do only one more thing on your list of key tasks, which would be the second activity that contributes the most value to your company?"
Once I had identified the second most important task, he asked me the same question with regard to the third most important task.
He then said something that shocked me at the time. He said that fully 90 percent of the value that you contribute to your company is contained in those three tasks, whatever they are. Everything else you do is either a support task or a complimentary task that could probably be delegated, downsized, outsourced, or eliminated.
As I looked at the three tasks, I realized that these were the three things that I did that contributed the most value to my company. This was on a Friday. On Monday morning at 10 o'clock, I met with my boss and explained to him what I had discovered. I told him that I needed his help in delegating and outsourcing all my work except for those three tasks. I felt that if I could work on those three tasks exclusively, all day long, I could more than double my contribution to the company. Then I said to him that if I doubled my contribution, I would like to be paid twice as much.
My boss was completely silent. He looked at my list of key tasks, looked back up at me, looked at the list again, and then said, "Okay". It was now 10:21 am according to the clock on the wall behind him. He said, "You're right. These are the three most important things that you do in this company — and the three things that you do the best. I will help you to delegate and downsize all these other minor tasks to free you up to work full-time on these three key tasks. And if you double your contribution, I will pay you twice as much."
He did; then I did; then he did. He helped me delegate and assign my minor tasks so I could concentrate on my top three jobs. As a result, I doubled my output over the next thirty days, and he doubled my income. I had been working very hard for more than eight years, and I doubled my income in just one month by focusing all my time and energy on my three key tasks. Not only that, but instead of working ten and twelve hour days, I work from 8:00 to 5:00 and spend time in the evenings and on the weekends with my family. Focusing on my key tasks has transformed my life.
Perhaps the most important word in the world of work is contribution. Your rewards — financial, spiritual, and emotional — will always be in direct proportion to the value of your contribution. If you want to increase your rewards, you must focus on increasing the value of what you do. You must dedicate yourself to contributing more results. And the three key tasks always contribute the most.
Prioritize. :)
Before you send me an e-mail telling me that some famous person, nun, paster, minister, self help guru, president or someone else wrote this: I KNOW !!! I received an email today that contained this "story" written by someone somewhere and I would give credit if I knew who shared this profound wisdom.
My goal is to share this thought with those that stop by my blog. Enjoy
Friday, January 9, 2009
Travel, Holdiay, New Year !!!
What a month we have had. Our trip to Cancun was beyond fabulous!!! Our suprise adventure at Sea World was..out of this world. I will post more about it soon. Our Christmas was terrific, and our New Year celebration..restful.
We enjoyed Christmas Eve day at Scott's dad's home as his family opens gifts on that day. The kids had alot of fun and really raked in the presents.
Christmas morning Steven came running in at 5:38am to shout that Santa brought him just what he wanted...which was a Nerf Volcun Machine Gun...with extra bullets. (too bad Santa forgot the batteries) We spent about an hour opening gifts and cleaning up then I ventured out in search of an open store that could save the day with 6 D batteries. I did eventually find the only store open...Longs Drugs and thank heavens they had some D batteries left. While Steven was playing with his new treasures Scott and I proceeded to take down all of the Christmas deco and put the house back together and by noon we were snuggled up in a blanket with our tissue and cold meds to watch the new movies Santa brought Scott for Christmas. We had spagetti for dinner and good times were had by all.
New Years Eve, well we watched some moves and although we all planned on staying up until midnight ... the three of us were just tooo dang tired so we went to bed at 11:00 and I was asleep by 11:02.
Since I pulled Steven out of school a week before school was out for winter break we had a whole lot of school work to get done. The school will excuse his absense so he will be elig for perfect attendence if we get all of his school work done. He goes back Monday and we only have one project left. Thank heavens.
We managed to close escrow on 4 homes between November 17th and December 29th. Holy Cow !!!!!!!! Most of the negotiations took place while we were in Cancun, but by golly we got it done. We had 4 buyers all contact us out of the blue within 2 days of each other and the kicker is ...they all are qualified and capable of buying a home right now. Needless to say we took our stuffy noses and coughing lungs on the road every day for the last 9 days to find the perfect house for all four and we have done it for 3, and Scott is showing the 4th person more houses as I type. The other 3 have placed offers and we hope to have answers by the end of next week. I am hopeful that the client Scott is with now will love one of the 3 we found for her to see.
We were also approached by Washington Mutual (where we bank) last week to see if we would set up a table in their lobby with information about our local housing market and the improtantance of using a Realtor. Naturally we said....heck yeah. So I am in the processes of trying to come up with an elegant display and useful information for customers to enjoy and maybe prompt them to explore answers to their burning questions.
Our local market is on fire!! Our office of 40 agents closed 56 escrows in December and we are on track to close more then that for January. We are not the largest office in town so I imagine the larger offices are pulling high numbers as well. It is tough for people to know how their local market is doing unless they ask. Everyone focuses so much on the national news and national market that they just don't understand.
I will tell all of my readers right now that if you purchased your home with an FHA Loan you will want to think about refinancing as rates are expected to drop down to the 4% range during this first quarter. IF you have an FHA Loan, you do not need to go throught the credit pull the appraisel or anything, the lender just shows that the interest rate is less now then the day you signed loan docs. All fees should be incorporated into your loan so you have no out of pocket expenses.....This is HUGE. this will reduce your monthly payment.
If you have a conventional loan then you do need to go through the credit pull, normal loan qualifications, and the house has to appraise...If you bought your home between 2004 and now chances are your home will not appraise so don't waste your time or take a credit hit.
First-Time Buyer Tax Credit Up to $7500
For the basic facts about the $7,500 home ownership tax credit that the federal government created earlier this year as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (H.R. 3221). For homes purchased between April 9 2008 and July 1, 2009. By the way...you do not need to be a first time buyer to get this credit, so be sure to check it out.
We enjoyed Christmas Eve day at Scott's dad's home as his family opens gifts on that day. The kids had alot of fun and really raked in the presents.
Christmas morning Steven came running in at 5:38am to shout that Santa brought him just what he wanted...which was a Nerf Volcun Machine Gun...with extra bullets. (too bad Santa forgot the batteries) We spent about an hour opening gifts and cleaning up then I ventured out in search of an open store that could save the day with 6 D batteries. I did eventually find the only store open...Longs Drugs and thank heavens they had some D batteries left. While Steven was playing with his new treasures Scott and I proceeded to take down all of the Christmas deco and put the house back together and by noon we were snuggled up in a blanket with our tissue and cold meds to watch the new movies Santa brought Scott for Christmas. We had spagetti for dinner and good times were had by all.
New Years Eve, well we watched some moves and although we all planned on staying up until midnight ... the three of us were just tooo dang tired so we went to bed at 11:00 and I was asleep by 11:02.
Since I pulled Steven out of school a week before school was out for winter break we had a whole lot of school work to get done. The school will excuse his absense so he will be elig for perfect attendence if we get all of his school work done. He goes back Monday and we only have one project left. Thank heavens.
We managed to close escrow on 4 homes between November 17th and December 29th. Holy Cow !!!!!!!! Most of the negotiations took place while we were in Cancun, but by golly we got it done. We had 4 buyers all contact us out of the blue within 2 days of each other and the kicker is ...they all are qualified and capable of buying a home right now. Needless to say we took our stuffy noses and coughing lungs on the road every day for the last 9 days to find the perfect house for all four and we have done it for 3, and Scott is showing the 4th person more houses as I type. The other 3 have placed offers and we hope to have answers by the end of next week. I am hopeful that the client Scott is with now will love one of the 3 we found for her to see.
We were also approached by Washington Mutual (where we bank) last week to see if we would set up a table in their lobby with information about our local housing market and the improtantance of using a Realtor. Naturally we said....heck yeah. So I am in the processes of trying to come up with an elegant display and useful information for customers to enjoy and maybe prompt them to explore answers to their burning questions.
Our local market is on fire!! Our office of 40 agents closed 56 escrows in December and we are on track to close more then that for January. We are not the largest office in town so I imagine the larger offices are pulling high numbers as well. It is tough for people to know how their local market is doing unless they ask. Everyone focuses so much on the national news and national market that they just don't understand.
I will tell all of my readers right now that if you purchased your home with an FHA Loan you will want to think about refinancing as rates are expected to drop down to the 4% range during this first quarter. IF you have an FHA Loan, you do not need to go throught the credit pull the appraisel or anything, the lender just shows that the interest rate is less now then the day you signed loan docs. All fees should be incorporated into your loan so you have no out of pocket expenses.....This is HUGE. this will reduce your monthly payment.
If you have a conventional loan then you do need to go through the credit pull, normal loan qualifications, and the house has to appraise...If you bought your home between 2004 and now chances are your home will not appraise so don't waste your time or take a credit hit.
First-Time Buyer Tax Credit Up to $7500
For the basic facts about the $7,500 home ownership tax credit that the federal government created earlier this year as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (H.R. 3221). For homes purchased between April 9 2008 and July 1, 2009. By the way...you do not need to be a first time buyer to get this credit, so be sure to check it out.
On that note, I need to get to work generating more business to hit our goal for this year. I will try to blog soon with pictures and tales from our Cancun adventure.
Monday, December 8, 2008
holy cow
My goodness time flew by. I am tying up loose ends at the office today and trying to get these last two escrows closed by Wednesday of this week because we are leaving for Cancun thursday......wooohooo. We are sooo ready to go. We have worked so hard this year and focused on growing our name in this community and I think we are moving forward nicely. I have set in stone some enormous goals for 2009 and failure is not an option. So although we are headed out of the country for 10 days....I will be working on our strategies to meet our goals.(it will just be beach side rather then in the office.)
Steven doesn't know it yet but we decided to take him to Sea World when we get back since we fly into LA and San Diego is just a few hours from there. I booked a great room and we will be able to spend the whole day checking out the park without trying to rush through it to get home.
I have been wanting to take him for the past 4 years but it just hadn't worked out. He has worked with us this whole year and sacrificed some serious play time and by doing so he has really improved his professionalism and worked on his manners. We strongly feel he deserves this little something extra "just for him". He is really going to like taking his hard earned paycheck money from savings to spend at Sea World on whatever he wants without hearing a "no" from us (unless it's candy). This will be very difficult because I see LOTS of stuffed animals coming home with us. Shamu is cute .....but 15 different sizes of stuffed shamu looses its appeal. oh well, Showing 187 houses in 1 year lost it's appeal for Steven too, but he stuck it out so we will too. :)
We finally have cold weather and fall foliage here. It still doesn't feel like winter and Christmas here with out the cold and snow but we are looking forward to seeing what Santa leaves for us this year. Steven asked for the nerf machine gun with extra belt to wrap over his shoulder. Santa worked real hard to make sure that gift will be waiting for him when he wakes.
I just completed all of my non business related Christmas cards and I can mark that off of my list of 19 things to do before we leave Thursday.
Last night I packed our suitcases with everything we need other then toiletries. One good thing about going to Cancun in the winter is only packing shorts, swimsuits, tee shirts and flip flops. I can pack a month in advance if I want too. (which I may consider for next year.)
Well now I better get going so I can pick up a few things for the house and eat lunch before going to get the little fireball from school.
Steven doesn't know it yet but we decided to take him to Sea World when we get back since we fly into LA and San Diego is just a few hours from there. I booked a great room and we will be able to spend the whole day checking out the park without trying to rush through it to get home.
I have been wanting to take him for the past 4 years but it just hadn't worked out. He has worked with us this whole year and sacrificed some serious play time and by doing so he has really improved his professionalism and worked on his manners. We strongly feel he deserves this little something extra "just for him". He is really going to like taking his hard earned paycheck money from savings to spend at Sea World on whatever he wants without hearing a "no" from us (unless it's candy). This will be very difficult because I see LOTS of stuffed animals coming home with us. Shamu is cute .....but 15 different sizes of stuffed shamu looses its appeal. oh well, Showing 187 houses in 1 year lost it's appeal for Steven too, but he stuck it out so we will too. :)
We finally have cold weather and fall foliage here. It still doesn't feel like winter and Christmas here with out the cold and snow but we are looking forward to seeing what Santa leaves for us this year. Steven asked for the nerf machine gun with extra belt to wrap over his shoulder. Santa worked real hard to make sure that gift will be waiting for him when he wakes.
I just completed all of my non business related Christmas cards and I can mark that off of my list of 19 things to do before we leave Thursday.
Last night I packed our suitcases with everything we need other then toiletries. One good thing about going to Cancun in the winter is only packing shorts, swimsuits, tee shirts and flip flops. I can pack a month in advance if I want too. (which I may consider for next year.)
Well now I better get going so I can pick up a few things for the house and eat lunch before going to get the little fireball from school.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Christmas Deco
Well I finally did it, I got all of the interior deco and tree set up for Christamas. phew what a job. I normally wait until after turkey day, but since we are headed to Cancun on the 10th and returning on the 22nd I figured we better get going early if we want to enjoy them.
Speaking of enjoying the deco......the three little trouble making cats are killing me. They are jumping into the tree swating off the deco and scattering them (if they don't break when they hit the tile floor) all over the house.
They eat....yes chew and swallow the shiney garland...they like the gold best by the way. So needless to say a portion of my normal deco is placed neatly back in there storage boxes for next year when the little treasures are older and not as interested in the decorations.
We are having Scott's family over for dinner on turkey day so I need to get to my shopping list so we have all the good stuff. I don't think it will be difficult to spend $90.00 to get a free turkey. We shall see how it goes tomorrow.
Speaking of enjoying the deco......the three little trouble making cats are killing me. They are jumping into the tree swating off the deco and scattering them (if they don't break when they hit the tile floor) all over the house.
They eat....yes chew and swallow the shiney garland...they like the gold best by the way. So needless to say a portion of my normal deco is placed neatly back in there storage boxes for next year when the little treasures are older and not as interested in the decorations.
We are having Scott's family over for dinner on turkey day so I need to get to my shopping list so we have all the good stuff. I don't think it will be difficult to spend $90.00 to get a free turkey. We shall see how it goes tomorrow.
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