Friday again!

Thank you to everyone who shared their Christmas traditions & experiences. I really enjoyed reading every single one. That was definitely one of my favorite posts. We've had so much doom & gloom the past 2 years, that it was refreshing to talk about something fun. So, in order to keep the Christmas spirit going, I've been thinking about us doing a holiday treat recipe exchange. It doesn't matter if it's cookies, cakes, desserts, your own family recipe or someone else's. What do you all think of just posting or linking your favorite recipe in the comments, then I'll add it to a post every other day, so everyone gets to see it. Wouldn't it be fun to learn some new holiday recipes or get some new ideas? 

I already have Anne's rum brownies recipe. Hawaii Planner, I'd love your cardamom bread recipe please.

Not much happening in my neck of the woods this week.

• I did very little grocery shopping, since we don't need much. I mainly bought a few produce items. I also bought more Kraft cheese at Meijer. It's on sale for $1.79 this week. You can't beat that price.

• I received another unexpected gift, so I'm applying it to groceries. 

• I've bought all our Thanksgiving food, with the exception of pumpkin pie. I buy 2 pies at Sams every year. I tried making pumpkin pie after MIL passed (she used to make our pies), but it flopped. I think I didn't bake it long enough, so the filling was loose. I gave up and bought our pies instead. Besides, it's only $5.98 for a large pie. That's far less than me buying ingredients and using my own electricity. Not to mention time.  None of us care for turkey, so we eat a non-traditional dinner and include a few traditional items. 

• I did zero drugstore shopping this week. The only good thing was toothpaste & I wasn't gonna waste time to just pick up toothpaste. 

• Loft sent me a $10 Birthday reward. Then they sent me a $25 Q that said "Ms Goose, we miss you. Come shop again please. Here's $25 to spend". The $25 was good this week only. From experience, I knew that they always have a free shipping day after I receive my birthday Q. So I waited & waited and the Free shipping day finally rolled around. It was extra 40% off clearance. There was also an extra 10% off, but you can only use 2 promo codes per order. So I split my purchases, used a reward and 40% off each time. I bought 3 blouses & a shorts for $2.04 ($1.90 + 14c). Then I earned 3c from Rakuten...lol. Hey, every penny counts :) Besides, you can't beat this price. This is how I normally shop for myself. 

I'm busy and I'm not sleeping enough. Too many nights of waking up at 3 or 4 am and not being able to fall asleep again. Looks like everyone's doing holiday shopping early, because business has picked up again. I'm thankful, but I'm also stressed. I can do the work, but I hate those people who wait until the last minute to purchase things, then expect me to get it to them on time. It's always my child/spouse/myself need this for birthday, halloween, christmas, school play, easter (pick any event) by such a date. This is at least 3-4 days before they need the item. They don't want to pay for Priority mail, but expect me to deliver on time. Yep, I now supposedly work for USPS too. I always go the extra mile for my customers, but I don't like the pressure this time of year (and it's not even November yet).  This is why I do all my holiday shopping (groceries & gifts) early. It's just one less thing for me to worry about. 

I was never this stressed at the office though. I could work 14-16 hour days, without breaking a sweat or being stressed. I wear many hats here though and am always pulled in different directions. I just have to learn to say No to some people & things. 

I'm thankful that things have picked up though. I read an article about a month ago about how we're already in a recession again. The last recession was very hard on my business. It took me years to try and recover from it. I'm hoping that things have picked up for all of you who sell online too. 

I've also been dealing with some personal things, so that's been weighing on me too. This is why I'm so interested in doing some fun holiday things. I need a break from all the negative things. 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I can't believe it's time to do monthly numbers again.