Sometimes, when you find yourself in a dark place, it’ll fee like you’ve reached the end.  You’ll tell yourself that all of your hard work, all the struggles through which you’ve suffered, have been for naught.  You’ll feel like you’ve been buried.  

Little do you know, you’ve actually been planted.

Yes, it’s dark.  It’s unpleasant.  And, quite frankly, it can be frightening.  But it most definitely isn’t the end.  This is your chance to start over.  Remember, a seed can’t grow without having a little dirt thrown on it.

 

Happy Monday! (:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

If you’d like to increase the production of your herb plants, just give them a little pinch!

Pinching the upper portions of your herbs, especially just above new leaf buds, will promote accelerated growth.  This is particularly effective for basil!  

Herbs, like all plants, have a natural instinct to stay alive and multiply, so when they are pinched, they send a signal to the dormant leaf buds to grow.

It’s strange how this works, but it’s actually true for most plants.

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

 

For a white linen, candlelit dinner featuring superb Cajun entrees with heavy Italian influences, look no further than iMonelli.  Since 1987, the locally owned restaurant has been known for its award winning cuisine and relaxed, fine dining atmosphere.  

Chef-owner Brian Blanchard has unquestionable talent, as is obvious after tasting one of his decadent creations. Blanchard and his team have concocted over 24 different sauces to ensure that each dish is truly unique.  Using fresh, homemade bread and pasta, the iMonelli chefs take pride in serving only the highest quality food to their customers.

The menu is heavily seafood-based but also includes veal, beef, lamb, and fowl dishes.  I personally can vouch for their classic fettuccine Alfredo, a spectacular dish.  Various scrumptious desserts are prepared daily.

In addition to the regular menu, iMonelli proudly offers its customers nearly 20 off-menu items.  Most of these are regular off-menu specials which, although they are offered most of the year, don’t make it onto the menu due to limited availability.

“It’s endless.  We’ve gotten to the point that we’ll name things after customers just so I can remember what it was exactly,” Blanchard says.

Some of the regularly ordered off-menu items include:

• gluten-free, nonfat sea bass served with organically grown vegetables
• fried soft shell crabs with lump crab meat and seasonal vegetables in a lemon-butter sauce
• appetizer of shrimp and scallop over grits

But one dish in particular stands out: the veal occhiata.  This entree features tender veal over homemade angel hair pasta and covered with burned anchovy sauce.

25 years ago, Blanchard created the dish and received a gold medal for it.  Ever since, customers have ordered it regularly, although it’s never been on iMonelli’s menu.

And Blanchard is the only iMonelli chef who’s allowed to prepare the dish, due to its high difficulty.  For the veal occhiata, “there’s a fine line between superb and horrible,” says Blanchard.

iMonelli is unmatched in quality of food and service.  With its award winning dishes and charming atmosphere, it’s definitely your best choice for a romantic dinner for two.

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

 

 

Make your weekend spectacular and Win 2 ULL tickets, 2 50 yard line LSU tickets, Dinner for 2 at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, or $100 CASH!!!

 

 

Stop by 309 Bridgeport Lane Carencro, LA for Open House Saturday, Sept. 19 from 12 PM-2 PM to check out this beautifully redone home for a chance to WIN!!!!

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PROPERTY DETAILS

Technology is evolving as we speak, and it is imperative that real estate professionals always use the latest technology, both to impress clients and to make their work easier!  Whether you’re a tech guru or just beginning to catch up, you should know that there are some things tech savvy agents just don’t do. Let’s begin the countdown:

 

9. Don’t ask someone to fax you.

This is self-explanatory and rhetorical.  If you’re still using fax as your main source of communication, you’re waaaay behind.  Email is a much faster and simpler method of sending and receiving information.  Take advantage of it!

 

8. Don’t have a ridiculous ringtone.

Sure, it can be fun to get creative with your ringtone and text tones, but some may not be appropriate for a professional setting.  Not to mention, it can get old really fast if your phone is constantly going off.  Stick to a pre-made or subtle ringtone.

 

7. Don’t forget how to put your phone on silent.

This is even more important than number 8, particularly when meeting clients.  They deserve your full attention and shouldn’t have to hear your phone every time you receive an incoming call or text.  Those notifications won’t go away, so just wait to check your phone after your meeting.

 

6. Don’t text a ton of photos without asking.

You should never assume that your recipient has an unlimited texting or data plan.  Before bombarding them with incoming photos, tell them how many you plan to send and ask if they would prefer to have them emailed.

 

4. Don’t be a social media spammer.

Not only is this annoying, posting too often is one of the main reasons business pages lose followers.  Not every listing needs to be posted.  Post no more than twice a day on all platforms, and make sure that the post has substance; don’t just post for the sake of posting.

 

1. Don’t have a website that doesn’t work on mobile.

There’s tons of potential business that you’re losing out on if your website isn’t mobile friendly.  An clean, readable, and informational website that is compatible both on desktop and mobile devices is invaluable!  This should be your number one priority if it isn’t already done.

 

 

Having listed these major DON’TS, there is a possibility that you have an extenuating circumstance and one of these rules won’t apply to you.  If you DO one of these DON’TS and are still effective in the realm of tech, let me know how you do it!

 

If you’d like to contribute to the list, feel free to add your tech DON’TS in the comments!

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News