How To Make Really Bad (Good) Cake Balls

This recipe is very versatile and heavily addictive. You can mix and match cake and icing flavors as well as the chocolate coatings. White cake and strawberry frosting is really tummy too. If you want to go the extra mile, cake balls can be rolled in nuts, sprinkles, coconut, etc. or double dipped in white and dark chocolates. Chocolate confectioners' coating is also called Almond Bark in some stores.

1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
1 (16 ounce) container prepared chocolate frosting
1 (3 ounce) bar chocolate flavored confectioners coating

Prepare the cake mix according to package directions using any of the recommended pan sizes. When cake is done, crumble while warm into a large bowl, and stir in the frosting until well blended. Melt chocolate coating in a glass bowl in the microwave, or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Use a melon baller or small scoop to form balls of the chocolate cake mixture. Chill in the fridge for 1 hr. Dip the balls in chocolate using a toothpick or fork to hold them. Place on waxed paper to set. They taste like truffles!!

Property Management: A Hurricane Taught Me Where I Needed To Go...with the Customer

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat. "I don't much care where -- ", said Alice. "Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat. --Alice in Wonderland

I still remember my first interview in the Property Management industry when I applied for a position as Leasing Consultant. Instead of your typical face-to-face interview, I was lead to a vacant apartment and was told that I had 5 minutes to prepare to "sell it" to the person that would hire or not hire me. I had no idea what a Leasing Consultant even did, but I certainly could sell and knew what the end result needed to be. So, I did my thing and they hired me. That was 18 years ago, in a way it seems like yesterday. What I knew at that moment was that I needed to sell, but I did not really know where I was going with the customer.

Over the past year, I have conducted several sales improvement telephone training sessions. Different companies, different personalities, in different states with different products. What stood true for many of these individuals was their inability to know where they were going...with the customer. What I mean by this is few of them really understood their role with the customer. What I try to relay to the individuals that I coach is that a customer is simply a person that has a problem. What is the problem? They need a home. Not an apartment, not a unit...but a home. Not the apartment that has the highest bonus or the one that has been vacant the longest...but a home. When you get this, you get what you want and they get what they need.

I learned to see the customer in this way back in August of 1992. I was working at a luxury apartment community in North Miami, when Hurricane Andrew crossed over S. Florida. Winds at landfall were 165mph, gusts to 180mph,10 mile wide eye, and a 17ft storm surge. It devastated the area and was ranked the most costly natural disaster in U.S. history. I clearly remember the first customers that walked through the clubhouse door a few days following the storm. They were like walking zombies, pale and lifeless. Yesterday, affluent fast moving residents of Dade County. Today, homeless and hopeless. All they wanted was a home. A basic essential that a week ago they took for granted while they were driving their Mercedes down A1A heading to their nail appointment. The way I reached out to them that day and the days that followed was different. It was different for all of us in that area, everyone was more helpful, understanding and empathetic to each others needs. As time passed, people rebuilt, moved out and and the customer changed back to their old ways---demanding. However, as a Leasing Professional, I never forgot that period of time and the lesson learned.

Now, this is not to say that we want customers that are in a hopeless state so that we can feel sorry for them. But, how many people do you know that really love to move? Lets face it, the process of looking is not fun and the process of moving is certainly not fun. The reasons for moving can also be a downer; divorce, loss of home, job relocation etc. Again, not a lot of fun here. So, where are you going with your customers? If you don't know where you are going, how will you know when you get there? ML

Tow-Mater...We Love You!

So, who has not seen the cutest movie ever...CARS? Our family just loved Tow-Mater and somehow our 1996 farm truck became a real life Tow-Mater. Sure, we have the fancier new vehicles, but who does our 4yr old long to ride in? That would be...T T T Tow-Mater. You can call him Mater for short. He is simple, he is steady, his is strong. Sure he is too outdated for the fancy folks and most would not want him, but our 4yr old thinks he is the greatest vehicle that was ever built. No CD, yes cassette tapes. He was given a little upgrade with an XM option installed by my husband, and yes you can connect the IPOD too. Believe it or not, in his day Mater was it! He was a limited edition and had all the options you could want or have. Oh, how times have changed. I remember a day when my BMW broke down and I had to drive into the office (80 miles). My only option...Mater. So, I jumped in with my briefcase, suit and high heels and we were off. In the town we live in, well lets just say we fit in. The further south I drove the more looks I got. When I arrived in Dallas people stayed out of my way, I guess they thought by the looks of my vehicle I might be uninsured? When I arrived at the parking garage I realized I could not make the turn and had to back up just to get into the garage. Every turn was a challenge, wondering if we would make it. Remember, Mater is a long bed too. With great relief we found a spot. All things were great until it came time to go home. After Mater and I had parked, others had parked around us and now Mater could not back up far enough to turn out of his spot and leave. Of, I was sweating bullets. I am not sure if it was because I thought I was stuck without a way out until these people moved their cars or that someone would see me and give me the "look". You know the one I mean. By nothing short of a miracle after 15 minutes of inching forward and back we were out! As we headed north people were looking again, as we moved through Denton we started fitting in and by the time we got back home we were just like everyone else. Oh Mater...we love you! We can always count on Mater!

Recycle "the stuff" for child boredom

One of the things I have realized is that kids (toddlers) tend to get bored and so do adults. I also realized not too long ago that I have alot of "stuff" around that house that I need to get rid of. So, I meshed the two needs "get rid of the stuff" and "child boredom" and came up with a catch all box if you will. It is not a large box, medium size. I take all of my old magazines, toilet paper and towel roles, small food boxes and even an old tattered shirt. I throw it all in the box. When Owen gets bored I just bring out the box with all the new "stuff" and of course a box or crayons, glue, scissors etc. and let him go. When he is done with the box of stuff it is gone for good but with a new flair. Then I fill it back up again. It is amazing what children can create out of a box of random stuff.

The best Mashed PotatoSoup recipe ever!!!

I am a lover of potato soup. I locate this recipe a few years ago on Rachael Ray and make it often with leftover masked potatoes. It is really yummy!


Mashed Potato Soup
Serves 4

Ingredients
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
6 slices bacon, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
4 tablespoons flour
1 quart chicken stock
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
8 ounces yellow cheddar cheese, shredded
Chopped chives, for garnish ( I add in quite a bit into the soup...makes it really yummy)

Preparation
In a medium pot or Dutch oven, heat a drizzle of EVOO over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve.Drain off excess bacon fat from the pot and add butter. When it is melted, add the onion and cook until softened, about five minutes. Sprinkle flour into the pot and cook with a wooden spoon for one minute. Whisk in the chicken stock and bring to a bubble. Cook until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
Whisk in mashed potatoes, then stir in the cheddar cheese with a wooden spoon and cook until the potatoes are hot and the cheese is melted.
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the reserved bacon and chopped chives. Yum-o!