Monday

Yesterday I managed to pack away all my Christmas treasures...good bye until next year......I also managed to pull out all of my Easter goodness.....last year I don't think we decorated at all for Easter since we were in California for the holiday....it was like seeing old friends.....I love all the memories and good feelings it brings back once I begin going over all of my holiday decorations.....I got rid of so much stuff when I moved from South Dakota....I am so glad that I kept some of my favorites....my indoor decorations for Easter are really quite nice....lots of Fitz and Floyd Rabbits and just in general pretty good taste ... simple and classic.....on the other hand my outside decorations are absolutely wonderfully tacky and just perfect to put a smile on children's faces....I have giant carrots to hang from the tree and lighted Easter eggs that lead you down the walk to our home....giant eggs and Easter bunnies.....perhaps its all the pastel pink, purple and yellow that look so out of sort against the dormant colorless grass and brick home....I'm not sure....but regardless I love it all....the child in me always smiles....I like it when every room has a touch of holiday....just a small rabbit in the corner or something.... I ran short on decorations so I will keep my eye out for some wooden rabbits or just some cool decorations for the office, bar, and game room.....until then though we still have Valentines day to go thru....I really don't decorate for Valentines just a couple of plates.....perhaps Dylan and I will bake cupcakes for the office this year....and of course I will find a Valentine book for my little guy....Collin and I usually don't celebrate Valentines day with cards and gifts....we usually make and write our own cards on the computer and we will have a nice family dinner......

I have been itching to get started working in the yard...I am so excited for the transformation the house will make this spring.....if I do well with selling this year we will also plan on putting a fireplace in the family room and redoing the ceiling in the family room adding can lights.....

Well we might end up buying another rental this year....a good friend of mine has been renting her house and is going to sell it in the fall....she has the best renters that want a house to live in the rest of their days...they are in their 50's....if we don't have a rental available when she sells her house...I think we will buy a house for them in the Avenues...and tell them they can have it forever at $1200.00 a month..so if that happens............perhaps no fireplace :(

Collin has been under the weather with a cold.......he went to the Dr's today and they said it is a virus and that he just has to let it run its course...I am also not feeling my best....and Dylan well Dylan hasn't taken a nap today....so we are going to do our best to keep him up until 7:30 or so and then we will all go to bed...........

The diet is going well.....no major slip ups....but I am still eating to much quantity.....but I am adjusting well to healthier eating............tonight Collin is bringing home roasted chicken from Sam's Club.............truly awesome stuff for 5 bucks.....

Business is good but I am not slammed so it feels a little strange....I do best when I am slammed....I am working on a new add for our monthly local real estate magazine.... a another agent brought it to my attention today that 2 builders now have copied my full page colored adds....with pretty much the same lay out and content about the builder....she mentioned to me that I should be flattered.....I am just flattered enough to raise the bar.....where they can't go to.......my adds for the rest of the year will be truly dynamic.....I have a professional photographer that takes all of our pictures on all of our new homes from start to finish and then a final family portrait....that we pay for and give as a gift to the client....we are now going to run full page colored adds with the family picture along with a testimonial from the family ...along with pictures of their new home....a different family every month..... and then a additional full page color add talking about us as a builder and what we have to offer.....2 full pages side by side pretty impressive.....1st and foremost....agents here are to cheap to run a full page add every month much less 2 pages....2nd they don't have a professional photographer doing the pictures.....huge difference....3rd they don't have a professional marketing team designing their adds........I truly believe that we will have a large percentage of the new construction market within the next 2 years or so......I love competition and challenge from a competitor....It just makes me more aggressive and raise the bar even higher.....I can reach it, and pass it....can you....these agents are to cheap to make the investment and don't understand how to sell new construction, pre solds, or their builders.....thus after one add and no return on their investment they give up......and we just keeping getting more and more business and becoming more and more powerful in the marketplace............anyways enough business stuff..........I get so hyped up over business..... until next time