The Crockpot Is Going to Save My Life...

Why didn't anyone tell me the Crockpot was so awesome!!!  This is going to sound dumb but I always thought crockpot's were for old ladies...  But now that I've gone from a family of 2 to a family of 4 somethings gotta give.  I've never liked eating leftovers, so most of the time I cook everyday...  (That's so old school now!)  And now that I've become a BOSSCHICK, at least in my mind, I don't have as much time to cook everyday... My husband says I need to cook more food so I don't have to cook everyday so I tried that.  Fail!  Too much food and no one is eating it all...  So now what???

I exchanged one of our wedding gifts for a Crockpot last week.  The day I bought it I made Teriyaki Chicken.  Well that is what it was supposed to be, but it ended up being some kind of fake BBQ Chicken.  It's still in the refrigerator.. LOL...  I did a search online to find slow cooker recipes and I came up with a winner.  One of my favorite meals ever is oxtails.  I'm half Trinidadian so you know I love the Island foods...  I seasoned the oxtail Saturday night and then put them in the Crockpot Sunday morning before church. When we got home, the smells coming from the kitchen were devine!  Yes, my oxtail were tender and falling off the bone.

My next meal I'm trying will be BBQ ribs.  I'll make that tomorrow for New Year's Day!  For anyone interested in the recipe I used, it is below.  Thanks for taking the time to read my post.  Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!

Oxtails in a Crockpot


Let me add, I did not follow the recipe exactly.  I only purchase 2lbs of oxtail.  I seasoned the oxtail with Accent, Black Pepper, Garlic powder and minced Garlic, Adobo, Sazon, Onions, Curry and Parsley.  I did not add all of those other items mentioned in their recipe. 

I browned the meat in a pot but Trini style. I put a little oil in the bottom of the pot and then add sugar.  Let the sugar get brown and bubbly before adding the oxtail.  Once you add the oxtail, let it get brown before turning to the other side.  Transfer the oxtail to the Crockpot and add the onions and beef broth.  I set it on high for 5 hours.  Once it was done.  I made a mixture of water and cornstarch and added it to the sauce to thicken it up.  I also made dumplings with flour, water and salt.

Delicious!

Update 1/5/15

I made the BBQ Ribs and they are so delicious... Here is a pictures!  (This is my husbands plate)

Stay Focused

During this time of year, I find it hard to stay focused on the task at hand.  I am constantly thinking of the holiday season and preparing for that instead of preparing for my business.  This year I hosted Christmas dinner so that was added stress on top of the normal what am I going to get everyone for Christmas  stress.  Next it is New Year's Eve.  Am I going to go to church, stay at home, or bring in the New Year with family and friends?  I know it's really not that serious!

I am trying to build better business practices and be more productive when I am working.  However, with technology at your fingertips, this becomes a daunting task.  Of course I can just not log onto Facebook (and other social media) on my computer, but then my phone will chime when I have a new message or notification.  I have a To-Do list but I have to ask myself if I am really listing items that will push me to the next level. Something to think about...

So today, I am going to create better business practices for 2015 so I can be more productive.  I read somewhere on the internet that you should schedule EVERYTHING!   Between today and the end of the year, which is tomorrow, I am going to create a schedule to work off of.  I will schedule my workouts, breakfast, prospecting, email follow up, etc.  Let's see if this will make me more productive. 

Well it's time for me to get back to staying focused!

Weirdo or Serious Seller?

The phone rings and I literally jump out of my sleep at 4:30am this morning.  My husband has a cousin who went to the hospital the previous day so I answered partly out of instinct and because I thought it may have been an emergency.  The man on the other end asked, "Is this Tabitha?"  and I said YES!  Then he said, "I have been thinking about selling my house and is this a good time are you up?"  I'm not sure about any other Realtor's business practices but I can assure you I do not conduct business at 4:30am.  My husband of course is now up wondering who I am talking to and especially about real estate at this hour!  

I politely asked the person if I can give him a call back later in the day and he agreed.  This was the weirdest call I have ever received and it had  me a bit shaken up afterwards.  I couldn't go back to sleep because who would call someone in the middle of the night.  I decided to call him later in the morning to get some general information from him and to see if he was really serious or had some issues.  When I called him back, I asked a few questions about his home and of course got his address.  I also asked how he found me and he said he saw my sign and he thought I was very pretty.  At this point I am feeling weird myself and am trying to keep this conversation professional.  He said he needed to get ready to go to work and he had to get off the phone.  I told him I would give him a call another day. But as soon as I got off the phone, I did a little research to validate some of his information.

I'm not exactly sure if this man wants to sell his home or just meet me in person.  Although the information he gave me checked out, his story to sell his home didn't.  I am not sure if this guy is really serious about selling his house or if he just wanted to hear my voice, but I don't think I will be taking on this listing. 

I started this blog to provide a forum for me to talk about "The Life of a Realtor."  There are so many funny, crazy, scary, and serious situations we experience as Realtors just doing our jobs.  Being a Realtor can also be somewhat dangerous, but fortunately I get so much joy out of helping people achieve the America Dream!

I have a Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn page that I use to disseminate information to the general public on real estate information that will be helpful and useful, but I wanted a place all to myself that I can just talk freely about what it is to be a Realtor in today's market.  Come join me!


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Tabitha Rector-Richardson
Premier Homes Realy
Broker/Owner/Realtor

11240 Reisterstown Rd, Ste A
Owings Mills MD 21117

(410) 363-1535 x101 office
tabitha@premierhomesmd.com 
www.premierhomesmd.com