Musings about Property Management--a little random, I know! :)

Being in the military community, I tend to see a lot of couples actively managing their own properties. What I mean by this is that many military families purchase their home when they are stationed somewhere. Upon new orders, of course, they end up either selling the property or renting it out to usually other military families. We have thought about doing this in fact; however, I felt that it would be difficult to maintain a home from thousands of miles away. In my research, though, I have found that often times one can hire a property manager who basically works for you to make sure your tenants are maintaining your property properly, as well as doing other odds and ends such as collecting rent and scheduling maintenance. I like the idea of this because it helps to alleviate the stress of trying to do all of these things when you aren’t even in the same city.

The idea of being a property manager, whether in a smaller setting, such as managing a few homes within the local community, or on a larger scale, such as managing corporate buildings or apartment complexes, seems like a rewarding career. I think it takes a special kind of person to be in this particular business and something that I feel would be important when taking on this task, is having support from fellow property managers and their respective companies. When researching this field, I stumbled upon a property management company support blog called Property CEO. The blog’s main purpose is to “provide a community for property managers to discuss news and information and to also share knowledge, ideas, and insight relevant to the Property Management world.” The blog is relatively new, but already has articles that would be helpful and enlightening to anyone who is a property manager or perhaps even thinking about becoming one.

One of the neat things that the starters of this blog are planning to promote is property management software. The benefits of this type of software are plenty. From tracking income and your expenses to tracking payments from your tenants or providing a forum for maintenance requests—this software basically does your job for you and allows you to be less stressed and, most importantly, more organized. In the coming months, Property CEO plans on actively promoting this type of software and based on the content already on the blog, I definitely think their blog is something to look into and follow if you are planning on becoming a property manager in the future or if you are already one. After all, the more resources you can get your hands on, the more successful you will be! Definitely check them out—they are headed for great things!  

Please Note: Information about the Property CEO blog is from their about page, http://www.propertyceo.com/about/.

Traveling Tuesdays and a lil' Mary Kay Monday! :)

I haven't posted for Traveling Tuesdays in a while! Goodness! Mainly because Matt had to go to Japan for a week and while Nicky ate yummy Gerber Graduates for dinner, I had Lean Cuisines. :) Last week I made Ancho Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Avocado Cream. Boy was it delicious! And pretty too!!! I made the recipe consistent with the directions, the only thing I had to substitute was the slaw. I couldn't, for the life of me, find cabbage "angel hair" slaw (this is an Alaska problem I've started to notice...not being able to find certain things)...so I used broccoli and carrot slaw. Still fantastic and the avocado cream was TOTALLY worth it. I made a little too much, but I didn't see that as a bad thing to be honest. Made for a good dip during the weekend!!

This week has been crazy weather wise. We are currently experiencing LOTS of rain, mixed with snow. Yes. You read that correctly. Snow. Apparently, after chatting with the ladies at the gym today, this is not normal. I told them about how in Colorado, we usually had a snow around Halloween or a little after. They told me it was the same here. I guess the weather decided to welcome us full force here in Anchorage. It isn't accumulating, obviously!, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that it is September 29th and we are getting snow. I knew it was going to be a wet, cold week so I decided that I really wanted to make a soup! Nothing better than eating a hot, yummy soup while it's cold and rainy (or snowy) outside. I thought it would be fun to try a soup for Traveling Tuesdays--which led me to Sichuan Beef Soup. This soup is a little more challenging and I will be honest, I made some changes just because of time constraints. Such as not having enough time the day before to cook dinner for us then turn around and cook the next night's dinner all while having a toddler and all of that fun stuff. That being said, I think this soup would be great to try again on the weekend when I have time! I feel though that the modifications I made for it, were fine! And I think it tasted fantastic!!!

SICHUAN BEEF SOUP
Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 quarts water 

2 pounds (2-inch-thick) bone-in beef shanks

2 teaspoons peanut oil or canola oil

1 cup chopped white onion

2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, chopped

6 cups water

1 tablespoon chile garlic sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons black bean garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)

1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns

3 star anise

1 cup sliced green onions, divided

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce 

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

2 baby bok choy, cut in half lengthwise

1/2 pound fresh Chinese-style wheat noodles

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 

Added: can of water chestnuts 

Notes: I used Beef for Stew (it was cubed already, which meant fast...even though I would like to eventually try it with the bone-in beef shanks for that type of flavor); I also did not use peppercorns or star anise in the cheesecloth because of time and I couldn't find the Sichuan peppercorns. Instead I used fresh ground pepper and star anise seeds. We barely noticed the seeds and I think it turned out just fine. 

The first thing I did was follow the directions for the beef. I brought the 3 quarts of water to a boil and cooked the beef until the outside was no longer pink. I think if I used the beef for stew again, I would probably reverse the order of the onions, garlic, and ginger being put in after the beef. I feel it would have been better to cook the onions, garlic, and ginger in the oil first, then add in the beef to cook it in those flavors. But, I followed the directions and after the meat was cooked, I drained it and wiped my pot clean, added the oil and cooked the onions, garlic and ginger. While that was cooking I cut up the meat into smaller cubes. I then added the 6 cups of water (slowly) to the onions, garlic, and ginger in the pot. 

Next, I added the chile garlic sauce, the black bean garlic sauce (which by the way I have always wanted to try...call me weird), the fresh ground pepper, and anise seeds into the water. Followed by the chopped green onions, brown sugar, and soy sauce. I added the meat back into the mix and brought everything to a boil, then I reduced it to a simmer and let it mellow for about 2-3 hours. 


The next thing I did was add tomatoes and something that was not included on the ingredient list...water chestnuts. Why? Because I like them. And baby corn. But that's another story for another time. It's not really a story...I just like baby corn. :) 

I then cut up bok choy. I could not find baby bok choy in the store (again....#alaskaproblems), so I just did regular bok choy and treated it like spinach. When I say that, I mean that I cut it up and then put it into the soup at the very last minute (or else it would wilt too much).

While I was waiting for the bok choy to do it's thang, I made the Chinese noodles. Once everything was done, the noodles were placed at the bottom of the bowl and the soup was ladled on top! And boy was it good!!! Can't say it enough...it's so great to have hot soup for a cold day!! The calorie total for a serving was 408, which is a little on the high end, but you are getting a great amount of protein and veggies! Super tasty and fairly easy!! My kind of dish! :) 






Now for my Mary Kay Monday!! Today I am going to talk about our best selling set--the Miracle Set!! I absolutely love the Miracle Set. I know you think I'm supposed to say that, but really I do. In fact, ever since I started using the Miracle Set religiously about a year or so ago (when I started my business), I have had friends and family tell me how amazing my skin looks. The general consensus was that my skin looked bright/glowing. The Miracle Set comes in two formulas, normal to dry and combination to oily. Sometimes, however, my customers have skin that reacts differently to just these two types of sets. So I actually do have people who use, for example, the normal to dry cleanser and combination to oily moisturizer. Or vice versa. It's just based on how your skin is--and that's my job! To figure out what works best for you. For me personally I use the combination to oily formula. That's a side note! :) 

What makes it a set though? Well the Miracle Set includes the four products shown in the picture. Our cleasner (normal to dry/combo to oily), moisturizer (normal to dry/combo to oily), our day solution (all skin types!), and our night solution (all skin types!). There is also a basic set, which just includes our cleanser and moisturizer without the day and night solution. Another side note! Ha! :) 

These products have eleven (11!!!!) amazing benefits for your skin. They are: cleanse, exfoliate, freshen, energize, hydrate, smooth, firm, soften, protect, rebuild, and reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles! Quite a punch in just four products. In fact, in a 12-week clinical study, dermatologists found that 83% of users had a REDUCTION of fine lines and wrinkles, there was a 25% IMPROVEMENT in the skin's elasticity (more elasticity=less wrinkles!), 100% had softer and more supple skin (I can definitely attest to this...as every time I use these products, I just sit and touch my skin..it feels SO incredibly soft!), and lastly, 46% had IMPROVEMENT in a more even skin tone.  

After reading all of that, you may be saying to yourself..."Yea, okay. You are spouting off all of these facts and such, but how do I know you are making it up??" Good question. ;-) The best thing about these products, besides what they can do for your skin, is that not only are they one of our best sellers in Mary Kay, but they also have the Good Housekeeping seal of approval. Which means that Good Housekeeping has performed clinical trials themselves and have approved that what I have just told  you, is in fact true; and if you find that it's not, you can send your products to Good Housekeeping, and they will refund you your money to it's entirety. If that's not a guarantee, than I'm not sure what is! 
 
In looking at each product, our cleanser is a 3-in-1 cleanser where it cleanses, exfoliates, and refreshes your skin (think toner). It leaves your skin feeling clean and NOT stripped. Which I love. 





 

Our moisturizer is formulated with a patented complex that reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It contains a powerful antioxidant to help guard against free radical damage and hydrates skin for up to 10 hours. It also contains an ingredient known to absorb oil. Which is great because as someone with oily skin, I need the absorption! :) 



Those two products, as said before, make up our basic set. But we are chatting about the Miracle Set! So there are two more products that I want you to know about. 


Our day solution is used....during the day! Huh! Who would have thunk it! :) In order of application, our day solution is used after the cleanser and before the moisturizer. The day solution helps prevent lines and discoloration before they occur by blocking damaging UVA/UVB rays. Plus, a calming peptide helps relax expression lines. And it has SPF 15 in it! 

And lastly, our night solution. The order of application is the same as the day solution except it's used at night (after the cleanser, before moisturizer). I love this formula because it makes your skin feel and look AMAZING in the morning. The night solution has a unique delivery system of Nutribeads® microcapsules contain highly effective antioxidants essential for skin's renewal process, so when you wake up you look refreshed and awake...even if you aren't! :) 

Used together, all four of these products produce amazing results...and as I said before, I've never really been complimented so much on my skin before! I can't stress enough the importance of a good skin care regime. No matter how old you are, starting a consistent regime will benefit you in the long run by either preventing wrinkles or reversing the look of fine lines and wrinkles. I never really thought of preserving my skin when I was younger, but now that I've been consistently using such a great set of products, such as the Miracle Set, I wish I could go back and start using it sooner. In any case, I love the results so far and I love that I can help women and men (yes, men can use this too!!!) care for their skin for the rest of their lives. 

That being said, I wanted to put something out there that it such a fun challenge! It's called the Glow and Tell challenge. I'm always on the look out for anyone who wants to try the Miracle Set (or another Mary Kay skin care set) and this challenge allows me to do just that. It's not just a challenge for me...but for you as well--to see the results and use new skin care products! The way it works is that you purchase a skin care regime from me and take a picture on Day 1 (before you use it!). No make up. Just you! And send the picture to me. Then for the next 21 days, use the products consistently and on Day 21...I want to see a new picture of you! At the end of the 21 days, and after I receive your fabulous picture, I am going to send you a coupon for a discount on your next purchase with me. Hopefully more skin care! Because I know you're going to love it. If you're interested in participating in this challenge or would like to even invite some friends to participate as well, I would love to hear from you. If you and your friends are not sure, since you all have never tried the products, I can always do a Skype session with you and your friends if you are not in Alaska. I can send samples of the product ahead of time and together I'll teach you how to use the products and you can see what they feel like! If you live in the area, I can do the same thing for you, but in person!! :) I'm always here to help and guide you and I want you to be able to feel comfortable with these products and with helping your skin be the best skin! Because after all...it's yours to keep and take care of for your whole life. It does so much for us...why not do something great for it! :) 

If you'd like to contact me to take the challenge, please feel free to leave a comment or you can send me an email at jenniferbroderick@marykay.com. I can direct you to the perfect formula for you! Thanks for reading and for learning about the Miracle Set! I hope you enjoyed the post! :)