Search Results

I had so much fun sharing my 12 Days of Christmas Cooking videos with you! I had a lot of great feedback and messages about my must have kitchen items so I have curated them all here! This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Breville Toaster Oven and Air Fryer Combo: I use this every single day! Toast and bagels by morning, frozen pizza for my son's afternoon snack, and so many air fryer recipes for dinner that are delicious and healthy. Plus easy clean up! Kitchen Aid Counter Top Mixer: This mixer makes everything from mashed potatoes to pound cake a cinch. The paddle and whisk attachments are my most used. I've had mine for several years and it has definitely been put to the test! Slow Cooker: I use this at least once a week. 2-3 times a week in fall and winter. Countless recipes to set it and forget it and have a tasty and easy supper! Breville Food Processor: Essential for food prep, especially if you meal prep and want to prepare a lot at one time! The abundance of attachments make the possibilities endless! Breville Juicer: I use this more in the summer but it is a year round staple for making fresh juices as mixers and for cooking! Fresh juice not only tastes better but is healthier! Le Creuset Casserole Dishes: Not only do I love the fun colors these are available in, they are the best cooking casserole dishes I've ever had. And they clean up really easily! Le Creuset Dutch Oven: The perfect piece to go from stove top to oven to table. Oh, and it comes in fun colors too! Calphalon Non Stick Fry Pan: When scrambled egg clean up is easy, you know you found the right non-stick pan! Bar Mops: An essential for drying dishes and clean up! So absorbent and helps cut down on paper towel waste! Silicone Spatulas: I use these for cooking almost anything! From stirring taco meat to scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl. Wooden salad bowl and tongs: Well, a salad in a pretty bowl just tastes better, right? Cookie Scoop: Essential! How did I make it without one of these before? Not real sure. I use it for so much more than cookies. Works great for pancakes and scooping batter into cupcake pans! Water Glasses: Glasses that are perfect for water and tea but also make a great glass for a breakfast trifle! Covered Cake Stand: since I love to bake, I love to have sweets at the ready for my boys! And it is pretty sitting on the counter. Nesting Mixing Bowls: I love nesting bowls for their use of storage space and they can be used for serving. Pour Spout Mixing Bowls: These bowls are perfect for mixing and then pouring right into a dish without making a mess. Flip Lid Water Bottle: These are essential! Perfect for keeping filtered water chilled in the fridge and for storing all the fresh juice you made from your juicer! Parchment Liners: These aren't just for cupcakes! I use them for making single serve quiches too! (Remember, egg clean up can be sticky) Salad Spinner: Chopping your own lettuce saves a lot of money. This spinner gets it all washed and dried in bulk so you can keep up with your salad routine! And the items that don't need an explanation as to why I use them: Wine Glasses Champagne Flutes Happy cooking my friends! I can't wait to share more fun recipes with you!

On October 14, 2021, I was a speaker at the Crystal Coast Women in Business Conference. I spoke about creating value to maximize profit for your business. Here is a copy of my speech from that event! Welcome everyone! I am Booth Parker and I am so excited to be here with you today. While I am an accountant, I am going to do my best not to bore you today with accountant talk. Now, when I was asked to speak about a financial topic, I wasn’t sure what I should go with given the large group here and the vast differences in each of your business’s financial needs. We all have different goals and we are all on different paths and at different stages of our business journey. Some of you have established businesses, some are just beginning, and some are about to take the leap. But the bottom line is this: We all are focused on the bottom line. Whether you are a single mom supporting your family or you have a hobby type side hustle; we all are in business as a way to make money. Even non-profits have to make money to carry out their purpose. The bottom line is our net profit. In the simplest of terms you can break down the Income Statement (or P&L Profit and Loss) into a very basic formula: Total Revenue minus Total Expense = Net Profit And the goal is to maximize net profit. We do that by minimizing our expenses as much as possible and maximize Revenue. Total Revenue is simply the number (the volume) times Price. Volume is how you scale. The more volume the more revenue. The other part of that equation is price and you want to maximize that as well! How much should you charge for your product or service? There is an old saying: something is only worth what someone will pay for it. That leads us to this: If you want to maximize the Price you charge you have to create Value! You want to ask the highest possible price based on the perceived value. Value has a two-fold perspective especially when applying it to women and their business. First, we are going to talk about creating value in your product or service. Your business is generally also your name. It may not operate under your name but your business is also your reputation and you want to have a good reputation. Delivering value is how you accomplish that. So, what is Value? If you Google it you will get “the importance, worth, or usefulness of something.” In economic terms, it is a measure of the benefit provided by a good or service. We are generally passionate about what we go into business for which means our enthusiasm for the product or service is already high. We already see the value because of our passion and excitement. But if we fail to communicate the value we feel then the customer isn’t going to see the value. Value pricing is an accounting concept, much like cost plus pricing, but value pricing focuses on the customer. Small business must focus on the customer because it’s sustainability is relationship based. Think of places you go to solely for cost: Wal Mart, Dollar General, and places like that. While we have all had “an experience” at these places, that isn’t the kind of experience we are talking about here. When you use value pricing for your business it keeps your focus on the customer and their experience. If you make a product, do you deliver it in beautiful packaging so the unboxing experience is part of the value of the product? Think of a beautiful blue Tiffany box with it’s white bow. Receiving and opening the beautiful box is part of the elevated experience. So how do you go about creating value to price your product? Pricing something by just applying a mark-up to it is simple and straightforward. That is cost plus pricing. Even if you have a business where the price of the products is dictated such as a boutique or gift store that buys products at wholesale and sells them at the manufacturer’s retail price, you can still do the Value homework to create value for your store’s personal brand and why people want to shop there. If you are a boutique selling $50 garments then your Value looks different than a boutique selling $300 garments. The value you create for your store diminishes the need for sales and clearance items because it has curated the right customer. Value pricing takes effort and research but it’s how you maximize price and thus profit. Step 1: Research! Who is the target audience? Who is the ideal customer? The customer is going to determine the perceived value so you have to get it in front of the right people. For example, my husband needs a lot of towing capacity in his vehicle. He sees value in towing capabilities while I don’t. He sees Value in paying for those towing capabilities because they are how he gets his work done. I would see Value in paying for some other kind of amenity in a vehicle. It isn’t just about the income demographic, it’s about the customer having the need or want for your product or service and how much they are willing to pay for that need or want. You also want to get feedback from customers so you can understand the value they perceive and better that going forward. Step 2: Research! Who are your competitors? Who are you sharing this space with? What are they charging? You don’t have to be the cheapest if you have more value. Think of a construction project and you get bids for it. You don’t always go with the lowest bid and generally the lowest bid is lower quality work, not as good an overall experience, and someone that doesn’t have an impeccable reputation. People often go with the bid where they will get what they pay for. Maybe the more expensive bid guarantees a time frame for completion. That’s value. This step is also when you evaluate how your product or service is different and how you can add value by honing in on your differentiation. Step 3: Determine the value of your differentiation, price, and market. How much more would your target customer be willing to pay over the competitor’s price based on the differences in your product or service? Do you focus on features, the experience, service after the sale? Depending if you are selling a product or service really drives what you focus on here. How is your product or service unique and how does it benefit the customer? People are very focused on experiences these days; how something makes them feel! Feelings create value! But you have to communicate that value to the customer!! When you not only create value but deliver value then not only do you maximize price but satisfied customers give you organic growth on the volume side of the Total Revenue equation. Testimonials are huge in creating value and they also are great for growth, especially in the social media world. Know your audience, know your competitors, know how you differentiate and capitalize on that. Deliver the value that commands the higher price. Let me give you a personal example. As y’all know, Mary Cheatham King is our key note speaker. I am probably not the only person here that has used her services. Almost two years ago (shortly before the pandemic shutdown), I purchased a new home (lucked out before the prices got crazy around here). Mary Cheatham was the listing agent and we also used her as our buyer’s agent. This was the 7th home purchase I have made in my lifetime. And I can tell you that the experience was unlike any other home buying experience I have had. Not just the professionalism, but the prompt communication. Even though she was dealing with numerous clients at the time, her team made me feel like I was the only one. The level of service was above and beyond expectations. This is Value! She has taken a service and elevated her customer’s experience. Remember me mentioning testimonials and growth? Read some of Mary Cheatham’s testimonials. She has 174 Five Star reviews on Google! And I would say being the #14 Keller Williams team in the WORLD is some pretty remarkable growth! NOW, for the other side of Value we need to discuss. I started with the Value based pricing because I wanted to get you thinking about how you differentiate and the value your product or service brings. I wanted you thinking about YOUR business. But think back to your first job or maybe even a job you are still in. Historically, when we have been offered a job, the employer tells us, or offers us, what they are willing to pay us. They are in essence setting our value to them. And often times, especially in our first jobs right out of school or getting our foot in the door at a big company, we feel undervalued. And those thoughts stick with us in the back of our mind. And while the gender pay gap is improving, it is still an example of women being undervalued in the workplace and in business every day. When I started my career in the automotive industry back in the 90’s (man I feel old saying that), it was a man dominated field. While I was paid pretty well, I didn’t feel respected which in turn made me feel unworthy and not valuable. It took years of perseverance to find my place and my voice. And I can honestly say, that I truly didn’t recognize my Value until I left that part of my career behind and started a new path on my own. The personal growth I have discovered on this new journey empowers my value everyday. Now, how many of you here are moms? … What do us moms do everyday? We make breakfast, change diapers, pack lunches, do laundry and the list goes on. And we do it all without being paid. It’s part of our giving, nurturing nature. To do things for others and give it. Wanting everyone happy, taken care of, and without conflict. And that’s why, especially when starting out, women have almost a guilty conscious in naming their price. We don’t value ourselves and what we have to offer as much as we should, even when we are confident in the product we’ve made or the service we are offering. Because of that we often undervalue ourselves with a lower price. Women often fear rejection or being told no and we feel that people will say yes to a lower price and we crave that acceptance. Here’s the thing: there will always be rejection in business. So stay objective and don’t let your emotions takeover. Keep the emotions focused on the relationship building. Your product or service is not something everyone needs or wants. AND THAT’S OKAY! Don’t take it personally. That’s how you find your long term customers. The customer that is only looking for the lowest price isn’t going to be a loyal, long term customer. Those one and done customers are not the ones you are wanting to attract because they aren’t going to grow your business! And, if you want to offer a friends and family discount that is your choice but by all means don’t let family and friends make you feel undervalued by wanting a discount or something for free. If you want to do some pro-bono work or donate product through your business, that’s great, but let that be for people that truly are in need and can’t afford it not someone who is able to pay but isn’t willing. Do the value based pricing exercises and substantiate your value. People need or want your product or service because it’s something they can’t do for themselves. Substantiate not only it’s value but yours. This is your business! This is your name! Build value and know your worth and be proud of it. Maximize price through value, grow volume, maximize profits! Thank you so much for your time today. I wish you all the best with your businesses!

It has been a cold winter for coastal North Carolina. We've had freezing precipitation twice and numerous nights well below freezing! That means I have spent time indoors by the fire! While I have spent a good bit of time working on the curriculum I am writing as well as closing out 2021 for accounting clients, I have found some time to cozy up with a good book. My first read of 2022 was The Midnight Library by Matt Haig for my book club. It did not disappoint. The book was very thought provoking for me and left me doing a good bit of self-reflection on my own life. It helped me put a lot of my life and decisions into perspective and helped me let go of regret. It also has made me dwell less on the past and focus more on the future because I can't change the story in the past but my future story is waiting for me to write it! While that may seem a little strange from a novel, the story line makes you think about life; the good and the bad and all the decisions we make. My second read was Inez Ribustello's Life After Windows. It is the memoir of a woman that worked at Windows to the World but was not there on 9/11 because she was away for her sister's wedding. It was the perfect book to follow The Midnight Library and everything it made me think about our own lives. This book was very different from what I anticipated it to be (it was actually really funny in a lot of places)! It was a great read! I have just begun The Wedding Veil by Kristy Woodson Harvey. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy! I am about 100 pages in and it is fantastic! Again, so much to think about life, our decisions, the people we choose in our lives, and the stories we write for ourselves! If you are looking for a great read, I highly recommend all of these. I have linked them and some of my other recent favorites HERE. Happy reading! This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This simple version of Shrimp-n-Grits uses basic, quick grits but you can definitely upgrade to more "gourmet" stone ground grits. Quick grits typically use a ratio of 1 part grits to 4 parts liquid and I use half water and half heavy cream. So, if you are using a grit that has a different ratio, I would encourage you to do half the liquid as water and half as heavy cream. Ingredients: 1 cup quick grits 2 cups water 2 cups heavy cream 1 5.2 ounce Garlic & Herb Boursin Cheese 1 tsp salt 1 tsp seasoned salt 4 tbsp butter, divided in half 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 bell pepper, diced or thinly sliced 1 tsp prepared garlic FOR THE GRITS: Cook the grits according to the package directions but using 2 cups water and 2 cups heavy cream rather than just 4 cups water. Add the salt and seasoned salt. When the grits are almost done, add 2 tbsp butter and the Boursin cheese. Continue cooking and stirring until the Boursin is melted through. FOR THE SHRIMP: Melt 2 tbsp butter over medium heat (medium low if using gas). Add the garlic, shrimp, and bell pepper. Saute, stirring regularly, until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Serve the shrimp over the grits. Makes 4 servings.

A simple casserole that can be served as tacos or as a stand alone. A great new twist on Taco Tuesday!

A simple slow cooker recipe that is comfort food all the way! Plus it's packed with veggies! Pair it with a grilled cheese sandwich and sit by the fire!

This chicken is perfect for taco Tuesday! We have had it on repeat since the first time I made it. Make the ultimate soft taco by adding shredded pepper jack cheese, fresh avocado, sliced tomato, and black beans! Or make it more fajita style with sautéed peppers and onions! It also serves well over rice and beans! So many options and so simple!

A family favorite for an easy weeknight dinner. Pair with green beans for a low carb option or mashed potatoes for a more filling meal.

The sun is already setting on the first week of 2022. Time continues to fly by. It has been a busy week! Back to school schedule, working on year end for clients, and getting geared up to start teaching again on Monday when spring semester begins! While I greatly enjoyed the down time over the holidays and the complete lack of schedule, it has been nice getting back into a routine, being productive, and holding myself accountable. One of my priorities in getting "back to reality" was getting back on my sleep schedule. The holidays saw a lot of late family movie nights (they were awesome and I enjoyed every minute) and thus a good bit of snoozing the next morning. When I was younger, I could function on 4-6 hours of sleep a night but the older I get the more I really need my solid 8 hours. Wake up time is 6:00 on school days so to get my 8 hours I have to make a bedtime routine that works and stick to it! Here are my evening habits to make it happen: * Kitchen cleaned from dinner no later than 8:00 (it's usually by 7:00 but baseball makes us eat a little later some nights) * In bed by 9:00 to read and unwind and turn my brain off * Leave the phone in the kitchen when I go to bed (I simply adore my sunrise alarm clock instead of my phone) * Lights off by 10:00 Monday was a little rough getting up but I felt great and quickly got into my groove packing lunch boxes and making breakfast. I don't know why but packing the lunch box is truly one of my favorite things to do. I truly believe my good sleep schedule has been essential in having a productive week. I was a little overwhelmed when I looked at my January calendar last week. Not only do I have clients that I need to prepare W-2's and 1099's for, I also need to prepare their year-end financial statements PLUS the exciting part is spring semester starts and I get to teach Personal Finance to high schoolers again! I really love it and I am writing my own curriculum! It has been a big undertaking but a fun challenge! Who knows maybe I will publish it someday? I am super motivated! I am sticking to my habits that achieve goals and holding myself accountable each day! If you feel like you aren't off to a great start in 2022, it isn't too late to turn that around! Make your 2022 goals and your action plan to achieve them! Then break down that action plan into daily habits that get things done!! If you need a book to help get you on track with your daily habits, I highly recommend Atomic Habits and High Performance Habits! Plus, you can download my Habit Tracker HERE! Go seize 2022 and make it your best year yet! While sleep is my essential habit, what is your essential habit that makes you function at your best? Focus on it and make sure you take great care of it; it's your foundation! This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Do you know that feeling you get when you walk into a nice hotel room and you are completely taken to a new level of calm? The room just invites you to come in and relax, rest, and recharge. We spend roughly 1/3 of our lives sleeping, so why do we neglect ourselves and not create the perfect environment to relax, rest, and recharge everyday? Quality sleep at night creates quality days where you are more focused, productive, and motivated. Plus, you just simply feel better when you wake up in the morning and you are rested! My bedroom has not always been the sleep sanctuary I needed and for a long time I didn't get adequate sleep and my days reflected that. When we moved into our home in February 2019, creating a sanctuary was a top priority for me! Even though I love color in my home, I wanted our bedroom to be a place of calm so I started with a neutral pallet. I worked with a local store, Beaufort Linen Company, to order and install the wallpaper. I wanted simple yet sophisticated and we quickly chose Acanthus Stripe by Schumacher. In keeping with the simple and neutral theme, I knew I wanted all white bedding. I know it sounds crazy with kids and dogs but the beauty of it is you can throw a little bleach in the wash if need be. I wanted quality linens with a fabulous hand and Matouk linens do not disappoint. And the casual throw from Serena and Lily adds texture. For a small splash of color, I add some seasonal pillows. Once I had the bed complete, I moved on to the nightstand. I like to read in the evenings so I keep a stack of books on the nightstand shelves. I now need some readers and love mine from Warby Parker. Some fresh flowers and a carafe of water round out my needs. Oh, and I almost forget my alarm clock. When I turn in for the night, I leave my phone in the kitchen so that I can truly unwind and unplug. But, I am not a morning person so I definitely need an alarm clock. My husband purchased me a sunrise alarm clock and I love it! About 10 minutes before the alarm goes off, which is chirping birds, a sunrise effect light gradually comes on so you feel like the sun is waking you up and you can pretend that it isn't still dark outside! So go ahead and get started creating the sanctuary you deserve. If there is one thing to splurge on it is quality bedding for restful sleep. It will welcome you in each evening and you will want to get in bed early and get plenty of rest! Be sure to make your bed each morning so your sanctuary is ready and waiting for you at all times! Happy sleeping! This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Goal setting for 2022? Set yourself up for success! Make those goals happen by establishing habits that achieve! Goals are achieved by working toward them consistently! You have to take action, even if it is in the form of small steps each day so make your action effective! First and foremost, don't be vague about your goals, be specific. For example, instead of saying "I am going to lose weight" say "I am going to lose 20 pounds." From there you set the smaller goals and the action plan to achieve the major goal. How do you create the action plan once you have your specific goal? Well, in order to achieve something new, you have to do something new. What you are currently doing won't achieve your new goal (otherwise you would have already achieved it). That means you need new daily habits to replace the current habits that aren't working. Here's the thing, if you are currently doing Thing X then you can't just say I am now going to do Thing Y. Our brains just aren't wired to change like that. It may work for a couple of days but it won't create a new habit that gets you on the path toward your goals. We often think that creating new habits (or stopping bad habits) is all about self-discipline. The truth is, if we create other factors that guide our new habit, we won't need as much self-discipline and the new habit will be both easier and more achievable. For me personally, environment has been the biggest factor in achieving goals. You have to create an environment that makes the habit easy and attainable on a regular basis. Let me give you some examples: You start with your vague goal of "I want to eat healthier" and change it to "I am going to pack a salad for lunch every day instead of getting fast food and I am going to cook dinner at home instead of take out every night." You have changed vague to specific so now it's time to create the action plan. Planning is important but the action is what achieves. Your action plan would start like this: Make a meal plan and get the groceries. Meal prep and organize the groceries so each meal is convenient to make. Set a reminder in your phone to prep the next day's lunch salad while you are cooking supper. Another benefit of this goal is that you are going to save money on food! New habits that achieve more than one goal are always more motivating! A different example would be you start with a vague goal of "I need to get more sleep" and you change it to "I am going to get 8 hours of sleep each night." This is a goal where you have to stop and ask yourself WHY are you not getting enough sleep? Do you end up watching too many shows? Do you scroll on your phone late into the night? A situation like this would require a different action plan such as remove the TV from the bedroom or leave the phone in the kitchen at night. Creating an inviting bedroom sanctuary or setting a reminder of when it is time to go to bed can help you as well. (For more tips read my blog post on creating a bedroom sanctuary HERE) Another big factor that drives new habit success (and ultimately goal success) for me is who I surround myself with. First and foremost, I communicate new goals and needed habits to my husband. He is my biggest fan and I know he will always support me. He will even be my tough love that I need sometimes in supporting my goals! But who we surround ourselves with outside the home matters greatly too! If you are looking for major changes in your life, you most likely will need to make some major changes in who you surround yourself with. We are a summation of the 5 people we surround ourselves with the most. Look at your 5 and ask yourself if they define who you want to be? This can be a really hard step but people that hinder your growth will prevent you from your goals. Soooo! Want to make 2022 amazing? Make a list of your specific goals. Then make your action plan to achieve those goals. What new habits do you need to create to achieve them? Hold yourself accountable to them with the Habit Tracker. When I was revamping my life, I created new daily habits. Here are the 30 Habits I Live By that helped me completely reshape my life, my focus, and my path. When I went through a really hard time this past year, following the death of our 3 year old dog to cancer, I leaned on these habits to get me through the day and retain some normalcy. Want to read more about personal growth? Check out a few of my top book picks HERE This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.