31 Reasons to Host Online

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Maybe it's time we stop making resolutions...

Happy New Year!!! How fun is that? I have always been someone who loves a clean slate, a new chance to be better, be more efficient, more organized, basically more on top of my crap. I love a new week, I love a new month, and I really REALLY love a new year. But let's think about this for a second...

If you had all your old planners, journals, whatever going back several years, would you notice that you start out so strong every January 1st, making lists and making plans and basically prepping yourself to conquer the world...only to completely give up come February when you're not seeing the progress you wanted, or frankly not following through on all those big things you planned? I know I would. It's a big hamster wheel of futility, and I think I am finally ready to jump on. Want to join me?

Towards the end of 2018, I started reading a book called "The 12 Week Year". Their tagline was "get more done in 12 weeks than others do in 12 months". Um, yes please. Sign me up for that. So I loved it, and kind of half assed started implementing my first 12 week year, which I only halfway stuck with. Fast forward to December and they came out with a kind of workbook to go along with it, "The 12 Week Year Field Guide. I haven't finished reading this second one yet, but it really has me motivated to get on board with the 12 Week Year concept and start living my life as if I know what the heck I am doing. So there's that. I have all the worksheets printed out and put in the tracking section of my bullet journal. I am DOING this. Hold me accountable...accountability is a big part of what they encourage during your 12 Week Year.

So, as for this resolution thing...hmm...is saying I am getting on board FOR REAL with the 12 Week Year a setting of a resolution, or just a declaration that this is the way things are going to be done now? I'm not really sure, but either way, cheers to a new year, new beginnings, and a new outlook!

Manga Monday Review: Shrimp, Leek and Spinach Pasta

This week's Manga Monday recipe was a super simple one, which you can find here: https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/shrimp-leek-spinach-pasta

Alright, I liked that it was easy, and it was yummy...but my daughter thought it was too plain (not enough saucy goodness for her, basically) and I think I would have preferred if the spinach were cooked first. I guess I am used to cooking with spinach and having it wilted, but this was mixed in after cooking, so it didn't achieve that wilted status. Bottom line, simple and pretty tasty, but I don't think I would make this one again.

Manga Monday Review: French Dip Sliders

This week my Manga Monday recipe was for French Dip Sliders, found here: http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a51086/french-dip-sliders-recipe/.

Okay, first off, these were SO easy. And so quick! By the time the oven was heated I already had the sliders assembled and ready to go in. Then it was just a matter of making the Au jus for dipping while they cooked. So simple!

The only side note I have about the recipe is that it did need more butter than indicated - you're supposed to cook the onion in butter, and then brush the tops of the sliders with butter before baking them, so I melted an extra 2T of butter for that. Then of course the butter for the au jus.

My daughter doesn't eat sandwiches, so she was out, but my husband and son and I all loved them, and my son even took the leftovers to school for lunch today (after I convinced him that I am sure they would still be good even if they were cold).

The bread was just crispy enough, and the cheese was perfectly melted after just under 20 minutes in the oven.

The recipe didn't come with any side dish suggestions, so I made french fries (always a fan fave) and asparagus. Nothing fancy, but it was all yummy.

Manga Monday Review: Famous Butter Chicken

This week I made Famous Butter Chicken, found here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/24002/famous-butter-chicken/. Only I kinda didn't. I was out running kids around, so hubby actually made this one. And it was DELISH. I absolutely loved the Ritz crackers as breading on the chicken. And I did contribute to the cooking, by crushing up the Ritz crackers for him ahead of time. I crushed up considerably more than the recipe called for, and he said that it was barely enough, so if you're trying this at home, crush up about two sleeves worth of Ritz rather than the 1 cup that it calls for.

Aside from that, everything was spot on. Cooking times were perfect, it was very tender and juice. Hubby served it with mashed potatoes, which was good, but it would have worked well with baked potatoes, steamed asparagus, broccoli, etc. Basically whatever you want to serve with this should be a hit. I would definitely make this again, and maybe I would even be the one making it next time!

I didn't get any pics of the entire meal, because he didn't wait for my daughter and I to get home from errands before he served it, but here's a pic of one piece. Nice and crunchy without being too crunchy. Basically all around yum.

Manga Monday Review - Crack Chicken Tacos

Week two of Manga Monday and I haven't quit yet. That's something, when it comes to cooking.

So this week, I was making this recipe: http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a46602/crack-chicken-tacos-recipe/

Apparently this particular chicken is used in other recipes over on delish.com, because they referenced their crack chicken being a big hit in other stuff. This was my first experience with it, however.

Breading all the little chicken pieces took just north of forever, but once that was done there really wasn't much else in the way of work. And I will say it did take more than the 2 cups of panko that the recipe called for, so if you make it I suggest having extra on hand.

While the chicken cooked in the oven, I prepped the BBQ sauce. I was a little bit skeptical of it, with the garlic powder and brown sugar, but it was actually delish!! You're basically putting that on the tacos instead of sour cream and everyone loved it.

The meal was a big hit with my family and I would absolutely make it again. Word of caution, though...this chicken does NOT taste fabulous re-heated, so next time I won't bother saving any leftovers.

Manga Monday Review - Garlic Parmesan Chicken

So as I posted earlier in the week, this year I am committed to trying some new recipes. And while a Garlic Parmesan Chicken isn't exactly revolutionary, this is what I chose for week one. Original recipe here: http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a46066/slow-cooker-garlic-parmesan-chicken-recipe/

First off, working from home, I adore slow cooker recipes because I can throw them in around lunchtime and not think about them again til dinner. But honestly, for people that work in an office elsewhere, or outside the home, how do you arrange it? I feel like most recipes I see want you to cook for about six hours on low, and for a lot of people that would mean starting it before 8am when they leave the house, and then it's essentially done mid-afternoon. So I'm really curious how that works. But in any case, I am right here at the house most days, so it's working out wonderfully for me.




With this particular recipe, it wanted the chicken to be seared in a pan first, which doesn't seem to be the norm with most slow cooker recipes I've used, but it worked out well, as while that cooked I had time to chop up the potatoes and garlic. Side note - who sells a garlic peeler?? I don't at all mind chopping it, but peeling might be the death of me! Honestly, if you work for a direct sales kitchen related company and have something that peels garlic, or know where I can pick one up, leave me a note in the comments. I feel like this is a must have in my life!

Once the chicken was seared and the rest of the ingredients assembled, I threw it all in the slow cooker on low for six hours (the recipe suggested 4-8 so I split the difference) and pretty much didn't think about it again until dinner. That to me is a huge win because I am easily distracted and sometimes forget about this whole "feed the family" thing.

I did really like that the entire meal was all in one place, and there was no needing to prepare side dishes, etc. a half hour before dinnertime, as is the case with a lot of slow cooker meals I have made in the past.

The end result? Easy and everyone loved it. The chicken didn't at all dry out, the potatoes were particularly delicious and despite the five cloves of garlic, it wasn't overly garlicy in the slightest.

I definitely think this one will make a re-appearance on our dinner table sometime soon.

Manga Monday...an Intro

Okay, so I got this harebrained idea to start cooking more last year...and I did...but it was through using one of those meal delivery services, where they send you all the ingredients for three meals each week and the recipe. And that was great...but it got repetitive after awhile, and some weeks there just weren't choices that interested me and my family. So this year I'm committing to trying at least ONE new recipe a week, that I will find somewhere out on the internet, and each week I will post the recipe and then later in the week after I have made it, I will post a "real chick review" on whether it was good, difficult to make, etc. See my video below for a little more explanation, and then below that, the recipe.

Here is what is on the menu this week: http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a46066/slow-cooker-garlic-parmesan-chicken-recipe/

Halloween Cuteness

I love holidays. Like, LOVE them. All of them. And I especially love holiday decor. So go figure that I would be over the moon excited about our Thirty-One Halloween prints. I am SO my own target market, and I'm okay with that! So, I did want to share that they are putting our cute Lil' Bones and Playful Pumpkin Cinch Sacs and Little Carry All Caddy on sale for 10 days only, September 20-30, at 40% off. AND if you want to put your little ghost or goblin's name on the Cinch Sac, personalization on those two items is 40% off, too. Shop for them and play with our interactive personalization studio here: www.mythirtyone.com/bethreed

I've Got a Quote for That

I'm a quote fanatic. I think a good quote can change your perspective, inspire, improve your mood, make you feel more connected, etc. Those of you that have been on a Facebook live with me or a Zoom with me may have seen me reference my desktop quote box more than once. I've had a couple questions about it, so I wanted to share:

This is the one that I have, that you've seen me share from time to time. It has a total of 230 quotes and comes with a little window front box to display them in. Every day, I randomly pull one from the box and slide it to the front to display it. Honestly, it's amazing that almost every day, something will be said or something will happen that will make that quote, that I chose at random, become completely relevant to the day.

Today's quote: "Find your passion and pursue ti with whole heart and single mind." - Gail Sheehy

This is available at Target.

One of my faves...

I love a whole lot of the Thirty-One products (okay, almost all) but when one of my absolute faves goes on special, that makes me really excited. This month, the Double Duty Caddy is available for $10 with a $35 purchase - actually you can get two of them for $10 each, which is even more amaze-balls. But I digress...

Why do I love this? Basically because, to me, this little gem is PERFECTION for putting on the side table next to the couch, to hold remote controls, pens, the book you're reading, magazines, essentially all your crap. Yes, you have crap. We all do. And unless you live alone, you've got crap x however many people share your home. That's a lot of stuff. And, let's face it, people are going to leave stuff on the side table. It's inevitable. The remotes have to go somewhere.

So, hear my words...I am NOT asking you eliminate all the junk from that table, simply disguise it inside this cute little caddy. Your side table with thank you for it.

Game Plan for the 2nd Half of 2017

I am always looking for new systems to implement, new ways to organize, new ideas to keep me on track... This month, I've decided to make use of a set of three dry erase calendars that have been hanging, no longer used, in my office. Introducing....my new CONTENT CALENDAR

Okay, so it's not DONE or anything, but here's what I am thinking...I needed a new plan, some structure into when and where I am posting, both for my Thirty-One business, and for Successfully Social. Otherwise it's way too easy to let the days get away from me, and before I realize it, I see I've been slacking in one area or another. Trust me, it happens to the best of us. So, after doing some research, I decided that this might be just the thing I needed in my life to organize my thoughts and execute a plan.

If you're looking to get a handle on your own social media content schedule, you can certainly do something super visual like this (each color represents a different facet of my social media world) or check out some of the sites that inspired me to create this. Here are a couple: HubSpot, CoSchedule.

I would love to see what YOU are doing to manage your content...do you have an amazing solution? Share a link in the comments.

You Need THIS in Your Life

Original Price: $12
On sale now: $5 when you spend $35

Ah, the Mini Zipper Pouch. Who knew perfection came in such a little package?! This little guy may be small (5.5"H x 8"L x 1.5"D) but there's about a billion things you an do with it! My personal favorite is as a "Tampons & Tylenol" bag in my purse...aka a catch-all for all those little things that otherwise end up in the very bottom of your bag, never to be seen again.

Here's a few other uses you might not have thought of:

• medications
• make-up bag
• receipts
• cords/chargers/headphones
• hair accessories
• sewing kit
• first aid supplies
• teacher gifts filled with office supplies
• jewelry bag
• snacks
• gum/candy
• baby accessories

Whatever you're thinking you'd use it for, now is the time to grab it, with it being on sale this month when you spend $35.  Get yours here.

Thirty-One OUTLET SALE open today!

Woohoo! It's that time again! The Thirty-One outlet sale is open for business and things are going quick. I snapped screenshots of what is out there now, but these items won't last forever, so if you see something you love, grab it: www.mythirtyone.com/bethreed.

New Consultant Happy Mail

I know I talk a lot about happy mail - that's because I LOVE it. I believe that most people get nothing more exciting in the mail than the water bill most days, so I want my customers, hostesses and consultants to be excited to open their mail and see one of my pink envelopes!

This video is about my super easy new consultant happy mail system. It's super easy to implement, and really you could use ANYTHING, as long as you're giving it meaning and it is something that makes sense from a business standpoint. I try to make my consultant happy mail something fun but also something they can actually use to better their business. Take a look:

As always, leave me any questions in the comments.

Team Recognition Plan - 2017

For the last several years I have been recognizing my team through a monthly incentive program, where they can earn different buttons or pins for different accomplishments each month. Then, whenever they are ready to redeem, every pin they've collected is worth $5 in product credit that they can redeem through me. My girls have loved it, and it's been a great way for them to get additional product in hand when the catalog changes over and new items come out. Today I made a quick video to explain the system:

Have questions? Feel free to leave them in the comments!

Recruiting Packets - Fun & Functional

When someone is interested in joining your direct sales business, you want to be sure you're giving them all the information they need, without overwhelming them with too many statistics, figures, facts, etc. There's a fine line between giving them the basics to get them excited, and giving them everything you've personally learned over all your years in business. Too much is just too much. In this quick video, I'm sharing my recruiting packet for Thirty-One...it's a mix of basic information and some feel good stuff that I want people to know about myself and the company.

As always, I'd love your comments, feel free to leave them below.

Hostess Happy Mail = GAME CHANGER

One of my systems I get the most questions on is my Hostess Happy Mail system. I have been doing this one for a few years now and my hostesses LOVE it, and it truly has been a game changer for me. Watch this quick video to hear why, and hear step-by-step how it's implemented.

Leave any questions in the comments...and be sure that if you decide to do this yourselves, you're making it your own. Relate it to your products, come up with some fun wording, and see how much your hostesses love you for it!

Simple Direct Sales Customer Follow-Up System

You may have heard the saying that if you're not following up with your customers, you're leaving money on the table. But yet that's one of the biggest struggles that direct sellers have - how to follow up, when to follow up...and as a result many do nothing. I admit that I was fairly guilty of that for a long time. The system that I ended up developing about a year and a half ago was a game changer - now my follow up is done practically automatically, and I don't even really have to think about it. Watch this short video to hear more about my system.

What do you think? EASY, right? I challenge you to develop your own system for following up - and then vow to do it every single week!

Hostess Packet Walk Thru

I get a ton of questions about what I personally do for my business, so I'm going to be addressing many of these questions through quick videos over the coming weeks. Today, I did a short video on what exactly I put in my Thirty-One hostess packets. EVERYONE needs a hostess packet, why not make them cute?!

If you have questions, comment below. Have fun putting together your new cute packets!