Unplugged||

via CarrasCreative

Friday:

|| Designed new Facebook + Twitter Header for The Dream Virtual Assistant
|| Made final editing + updates to Workshop Flyers for client

|| Worked 2 hours on client's social media scheduling

|| Worked on Instagram + Twitter to gain more followers
|| Another potential client -meeting next week
|| Afternoon Cappuccino & walk with the hubby

Saturday:

|| Worked in the yards- picking up sticks
|| Helped hubby with painting exterior
|| Finally decided on a CRM + Invoice program that I like
|| Talked to Jen (website designer with fabellastudios.com) about adding some extras to the site!
|| Scheduled posts for my social media

Sunday:
|| Worked in the yards some more
|| Posted things on Swap & Shop
|| Painted more exterior rafters
|| Scheduled more posts for social media
|| 1 load of laundry
|| Cleaned both Garage Doors
|| Bonfire + Beer night

I had such a lovely weekend spending time with the hubby :) I forced myself to step away from work & the computer and focus on helping the hubby around the house and it was such a nice change to get outside since I have been glued to the computer all week. I am actually excited for the upcoming work week- is that weird? I never thought I would be excited for a Monday! That must mean that I am definitely on the right path & following my passion:) Anyway, hope that you all had a lovely weekend!!

What do you like to do on your weekends?

I am Very Busy ||

via purewow

Hi lovelies, this has been such a busy week! Still trying to get all of my business going- lots of things to do like logos, CRM, invoicing, etc. I have been staying up late every night- I have been so excited to just get things done! Although lately, I have been so hopped up on Espresso that I have not able to sleep anyway and having passion for the work that I do really helps too!

|| Read up on more social media marketing/tips
|| Worked 2 hours on Pinterest updates for client
|| Signed up for my own Buffer account (since I keep recommending it to my clients, I figured that I might as well use it myself!) Scheduled some social media posts & pins for the weekend- I'm loving it so far!
|| Client appointment Thursday to go over details of project
|| Designed 2 Event Flyers for a Bridal 101 Workshop
|| Signed up another client-she runs a Fashion Blog & she is so amazing- I love her!
|| Completed On-line check in for vacation
|| Sent message to designer about creating a logo for The Dream Virtual Assistant (I could do it, but I just don't have the time right now)
|| Revamped my VA Packages again to be more visually appealing for website/social media
|| Made dinner for the hubby
|| Walked for 30 minutes twice to get some fresh air

Today, I worked on some more graphic design and sent an invoice and worked on increasing Twitter & Instagram following and scheduled some social media posts/images. I also signed up for two free stock photo websites.

This weekend, I need to work on getting a new iPhone + better phone plan- I currently don't get good reception where I live and it makes it difficult when trying to talk to clients. I also need to create some new headers for my Twitter + Facebook pages. And possibly convince the hubby to hang my new office pictures!

I'm going to try to relax this weekend & not work as much but it would be nice to get some things done before I start a new work week on Monday. Hope that you all have a lovely weekend!!

Happy Thursday!

  

Good morning & Happy Thursday! Yesterday was another very successful day! You would think working from home, I would have all of this extra time- but instead of using it for play, I have been filling it with classes, communicating with clients,etc.

Wednesday Accomplishments:

|| Two clients confirmed- phone appointment tomorrow to go over all of the details

|| Followed up with 2 more potential clients-one of which referred 2 more potential clients to me

|| Booked romantic vacation for the hubby & I for Christmas (let's just say it involves the spa, wine & adventure!)

|| Took some more online courses- Hashtag Marketing, Buffer for Social Media

|| Registered & sent first invoice from Square!
|| Updated business information for Square Reader
|| Ordered wireless printer for business & my awesome hubby set it up for me!
|| The Dream Virtual Assistant website is now live!! (but still adding things- so under construction)
|| Added new website to all social media pages
|| Signed up for Insightly (CRM)
|| Revamped VA Package Flyer for website
|| 30 minute walking twice today (I had to take a break from the computer!)
|| Made chicken Alfredo & gluten-free apple crisp for the hubby
|| Dishes + 1 load of laundry- washed & put away

Today will be another full day of online classes (including some more Pinterest Marketing Courses), a meeting at noon with a client and designing some media for my new website. Just made myself a cappuccino and sitting down to get some work done! Have a lovely day!

Knowledge is Power ||

 via sequins and sarcasm

Hello and Good Morning!! I was able to get quite a bit done yesterday. It was my day to focus on cleaning up my social media accounts and make them more visually appealing to potential clients. Here is what I was able to accomplish:

|| 10 minute photo session for designer to add photos to my new website
|| Emailed a potential client
|| Spent several hours on Pinterest- deleting old pins, re-organizing/re-arranging Pins to be more visually attractive & draw more followers
|| Upgraded to the Business Pinterest & also added Pinterest Widget to my Blog sidebar
|| Took a 30 minute nap to recharge
|| Designed a new header for my Facebook Blog page
|| Signed up for more Entrepreneur Facebook Groups (knowledge is power!)
|| Took Part 1 of a 7 Part Workshop - Get More Dream Clients using Facebook (some great tips!)
|| Put a hold order on Elizabeth Gilbert's new book, Big Magic-Creative Living Beyond Fear- so excited to read!!
|| Installed Latergram on my iPhone to schedule my Instagram Posts
|| Renewed my library books online
|| Made dinner for the hubby & took a 45 minute walk together

Today, I have a full schedule again- I am starting this morning off with some more online courses (Hashtag Traffic Generation, Growing your list of subscribers, Writing great Press Releases). I have a plan to take several courses per day so that I am knowledgeable in more areas and I can reach more potential clients. I also need to follow up with some potentials later and do a load of laundry/dishes. I love having a home office- it's so nice having the freedom to do what I like! I love how peaceful it is here and that helps me be so much more productive in getting things done!

Well, I'm off to work! Hope that you all have a fabulous Wednesday!!

Energizer Bunny//

Wow, today has been quite the busy day, but in a good way! Amazingly, on only four hours of sleep- I was still able to get lots done! I feel like the energizer bunny- I haven't slowed down even once today!!

|| Started my morning off listening to a Being Boss Podcast
|| Re-vamped my Virtual Assistant Package with updated pricing & details and relisted on all Facebook Groups
|| Shared my new Virtual Assistant Facebook Page with Entrepreneurs + Bosses
|| Spoke with three potential clients today and 1 confirmed for this week- I should start working on her project tomorrow & I'm excited to work with her -she runs a beautiful Wedding Event Company!
|| Started my Mail-chimp List-added potential & existing clients
|| Researched CRM + Invoicing Databases
|| Took a Pinterest Marketing Course
|| Worked with website designer getting everything set up
|| Impromptu photo shoot for the website (with the hubby as photographer)

I have been so excited about getting my Virtual Assistant business up and running that I haven't taken any breaks except for the occasional daily walk- no television or reading books. It's amazing how much you can accomplish when you take away television alone. But I need a break after all of the hard work that I have put in, so I'm off to watch at least one mindless reality show. See you all tomorrow!!

Getting it Done!

 Happy Monday lovelies! I had such a busy & eventful weekend! I love when I'm able to get things accomplished!

+ Completed Photoshop Course on Thursday
+ Created cover & Back cover for e-book in Canva design
+ Wrote another 1,020 words -currently at 4,000 words on my book (slowly working on it)
+ Updated LinkedIn profile
+ Worked on Virtual Personal & Business Assistant Package for clients
+ Brainstormed & came up with a new business/website name: "The Dream Virtual Assistant"- bought the hosting & dot com- thedreamvirtualassistant.com. I think it has a nice ring to it!
+ Have a designer creating a website for me for free in exchange for using as a sample for Portfolio
+ Spoke with 5 different clients interested in me working with them for VA work- so exciting!
+ Spoke with Reina from Reina & Co.- she gave me some great advice on creating my VA website & packages. I know now why she is a Life & Business Coach-she's awesome!
+ Created new Facebook & Twitter page for "The Dream Virtual Assistant"
+ Watched several inspirational & motivational videos
+ Cleaned filing drawer
+ Emailed several Companies for Blog PR
+ Made the hubby some more peanut butter truffles (he's obsessed!)
+ Took a day off to get a new hair cut and to pick up some new office supplies (yay!)
+ Did some yard work
+ Bought a lovely fall arrangement for our dining room table- flowers make me so happy!
+ Saturday- bonfire + apple cider beer & cheese plate with the hubby

I'm so ready for today- I have a list of to do items that I can't wait to get started on! I honestly haven't been this excited and motivated in a very long time- I wish I had listened to what my heart was telling me and pursued my passions sooner, because doing what I am passionate about has really made me excited to wake up and work every day! I just sent the hubby off with his healthy breakfast & a packed lunch and I'm just sitting down with my coffee, getting ready to start my work day!

Y'all have a lovely Monday!

Getting my Hustle On//

    

It's Day Two of being at home and I love it! Some people would probably get bored or not have enough things to fill their time, but not me- I have so many goals and things that I want to accomplish! 

Here are some things that I accomplished on Day 1:

|| Made hubby breakfast and packed a lunch

|| Gave hubby a haircut

|| Had a healthy breakfast for once! Scrambled eggs + GF raisin toast + grapes  (usually have a banana or protein bar for breakfast)  

|| Completed 8 Restaurant Reviews on Trip Advisor

|| Put up dishes

|| Washed bedding/made bed + another load of laundry

|| Cooked Chicken & Rice Casserole for dinner

|| Completed Blog Post

|| Listened to 1 Being Boss Podcast

|| Signed up for Photoshop Course

|| Fed the squirrels

|| Walked with the hubby for 20 minutes

|| Sent important emails RE: Blog & Career Opportunities

|| Hair Treatment

|| Made hair appointment at Madison Grove

|| Read 80% of "Nice Girls Can Finish Last"- I highly recommend this book to women are too nice and tend to not get back what they give to others and how they can change their behavior to get what they deserve! The author talks about you can still be nice, but be firm in what you ask for and expect in life and remove the people who take from you but are never there in your time of need.

This morning, I am currently listening to my second sermon of the day and finished reading my book from yesterday. I also just downloaded Photo Director 5 to start learning some new photo editing and I plan on beginning my Photoshop Course today as well so I can refresh my memory. So yes, busy day of learning ahead and I'm excited!

Hope you all are having a lovely day where-ever you are!

God's Plan For My Life//

Hello there- I have somewhat of a confession to make...

I haven't been completely honest and up front on the blog- recently I put in my notice as Legal Assistant/Office Manager at the Law Firm after almost three years of working there. Yesterday was my last day after I worked my one month notice.

This past year, I began noticing that I just wasn't myself and that I had lost the passion that I had for my job in the beginning and I knew that it had come time for me to make a change.

God actually gave me a vision  (you can read about it here) about 8 months ago that I would be leaving this job- so knowing that really helped me feel at peace when I was making the decision.

Here are a couple of interesting quotes from that vision that I wrote about in my blog post:

I almost feel like he (God) knew this would hurt me, but he knew in the long run that it was the best thing for me, but he was still sad to see me hurting//

I know ultimately that anything in my future that God has planned for me will be the best for me- I trust him fully and completely with my life// I know that he loves me with an everlasting love and I love him more than anything// 

I have always put my trust in God and not once has he ever failed me- not once. People keep asking what my plans are, what am I going to do for a job and I want to tell them- it's not about my plans, it's about God's plans for my life. I want to go in the direction that he leads me. I don't know what is best for me, but he does and I trust him with my life.

Now that I have all of that behind me, I really want to slow down and focus on the things that I am passionate about- social media/email marketing, writing/blogging, design, photography, etc. I am very thankful for the things that I learned in my job in the time that I was there- such as email/social media marketing and CRM databases. I also learned how to use a Mac and I was able to have some creative freedom in graphic design to create flyers for non-profit events and seminars. I met so many great people and some life-long friends along the way. Instead of feeling as though I have failed, I feel that I have grown throughout this journey -I've learned so much more about myself and what I want and do not want out of life. I've gained more confidence and I have learned how to stand up for myself and ask for the things that I want. That is definitely a success, in my book.

So, starting today- I begin my new chapter and I will be keeping you all updated to my progress and how things are going! Stay tuned for what Day 1 brings!!

I love weekends//

It's been such a great weekend- I basically ran around catching up on things! Those are the best types of weekends, in my opinion.

I was able to get quite a few things done:

|| iPhone updates
|| Ordered 3-year subscription to Star Magazine + Dwell Magazine
|| Spent Friday night relaxing- watched Insidious 3, Kingsman + had Mexican take out & margaritas

|| Listed more Swap & Shop items

|| Re-opened my Etsy Shop (The Fig & Peach)

|| Wrapped a few Christmas gifts

|| House cleaning- dishes, put away laundry, wiped down kitchen drawers, cleaned fridge, emptied trash, ran a bleach wash to freshen/clean the washing machine

|| Made more peanut butter & chocolate truffles for the hubby
|| Made a fish chowder + Chicken Tortilla Soup 

|| Made a new art calligraphy print for my home office space!

|| Organized my Pinterest Boards (deleted over 2,000 outdated pins)

|| Planted White Mums
|| Picked up Library books on hold at the Library
|| Put another 10 books on hold to read
|| Walked about 5 miles total- both Saturday + Sunday
|| Hubby did lots of prep work/painting on the house

The electricity went out on Saturday night around 9'ish, so the hubby and I decided to call it an early night- so I got some much needed rest which usually never happens! We also made concrete plans to visit Savannah with family to have Thanksgiving this year- so I am so excited to be visiting for the second time this year! Savannah is one of my favorite places besides Charleston, S.C.- my top two picks if we ever move to another town!

Well, I'm off to read some of my book & take a lovely bath to relax. It's been such a lovely weekend- hopefully y'all had a great weekend as well!

Fall- the loveliest time of year//

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. I love the cooler weather, sweaters, boots, drinking coffee, reading books- I adore everything about it! 

My Fall Bucket list consists of: 

+Camping & wine

+Festival

+Baking lots of cookies, pumpkin bread, etc.

+Mountains

+Playing Scrabble

+Coffee & Shopping

+Bonfires & S'mores

+Fall Photos

On my wish list- a Barbour Jacket

Catching up!

Hi lovelies! I can't believe that it's been over 1 month since I last blogged- but life has been a little crazy for me lately. I have been working on my online shop, The Fig & Peach and honestly I have gone back and forth in my head so many times trying to decide if this is really what I want or not. It's something that I have wanted to do since I was about 20 years old, but all of the paperwork, website building, business licenses, sales tax, etc. is becoming too much for me right now. The last thing that I want to do is add extra stress in my life right now- so for now, I am taking a mental break from it just to think things through, then I will re-visit it again.

I have also been doing some cleaning up in my life; both physically and emotionally. I have sold so many things that I do not need or ever use on my local swap and shop. It has been such a great experience getting rid of things and honestly I don't even miss any of it! I just want to get down to the minimal and spend money on things that I enjoy in life, like travel, good food and coffee, adventure and less money on material things.

I finally made the decision to go and visit all of my family a couple of Sunday's ago at my Mom's house and surprisingly, it was a really lovely visit. No one was rude to my husband or myself and it was really nice not having to feel attacked or that I had to defend myself for once. Everyone was truly loving and nice and that has always been what I have wanted from my family. I want to believe that taking a long break from my family to show them that I wasn't going to allow the verbal/emotional abuse hopefully opened their eyes. For me, standing up for myself is such a huge step, mostly because I hate conflict so much. I would rather let the other person be right than have to be at odds with someone- I am more of a submissive personality and not aggressive, which tends to get me into trouble at times.

 

I've been spending so much time with my hubby lately and it's been so nice. Friday night, we grabbed a couple of movies and Mexican take-out and just relaxed. Then Saturday morning, we went to Brunch at Liam's and went shopping at the downtown sidewalk sale and picked up a couple of Christmas gifts. I love having time alone with my hubby and even after almost 20 years together, I never tire of our time together:)

On another note, I have some career changes coming soon- I have always liked working more independently behind the scenes with social media marketing, organization, scheduling, graphic design, etc. instead of on the front lines interacting with people all day. Lately, I have been looking into becoming a Virtual Assistant and I have an interview next week for a part-time position and I am both nervous and excited!

Anyhow, I need to do some more organizing and cleaning- but I will be back this week with another blog post. I promise I won't wait an entire month next time!! I hope that you are all having a lovely weekend and enjoying this beautiful fall weather!