It's the time of year where things are starting to slow down for me - in terms of shoots, anyway. And the weather is getting colder. We had our first tiny blanket of snow. And the holidays are quickly approaching.

That means my brain starts shutting down, and it just cant.

For no other reason than I have clients who are expecting their photos, and more often than not would like them prior to Christmas, so they can use them in gifts.

So even though it's a holiday week and a bit shorter, I need to stay focused. And not get distracted - both in terms of my work and my spending

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Over the weekend I did spend a bit at Target and Marshall's. Mostly on groceries and personal care products. We had some people over to watch the Ohio State game, so I grabbed some snacks. I also needed to get conditioner and moisturizer. While at Marshall's I saw little sweaters for pets, and snagged one - we now have 2/4 of the sweaters we need for our Christmas card photos. Mine and DH are the only ones left. Though I realize we need to get those soon and get that photo done to send them out.

The only other money I spent over the weekend was for a movie ticket - $6.75 yesterday, to see the new Hunger Games. It was good, and nice to go with friends. It was also a matinee on a Sunday, so not too expensive. I opted out of any popcorn or drinks.

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It's time, too, to start thinking about the holidays. I'm not a Black Friday shopper. I loathe crowds and prefer a more relaxing shopping experience. So I will not be venturing out. We have pretty much everything we need in terms of decorations. I *might* grab some different tree ornaments, as ours don't really match (one another or the living room). I saw a pack at Target, plastic ones that come in a pack for like $15. We also don't have a tree skirt. Though I might just use some burlap and call it a day. I have some on hand, and all of the tree skirts I've seen in the stores are like $30-40! I may run to Pat Catan's and get some cheap fake greenery and some little odds and ends as well.

Mom asked what we wanted, and I think I'm just going to have her buy us Christmas stockings. We don't own any, and I have some in mind. But they're $13 each, so I figure that's a good gift. We'll ask for 5 - two for me and DH, one each for the kitties, and an extra for any additional family members that might creep up in the next few years. I mean, I want the baby's to match when the time comes... Also, my MIL bought us christmas stocking hangers that go on the mantle and spell out our last name, which conveniently has 5 letters.

As for gifts, DH wants an Amazon Echo. I've got a few Amazon gift cards I'll use toward that purchase, but that will be his one big gift and I'll just get him a few other things to open that are smaller. I'll be asking family members what they want at Thanksgiving, but we don't have too many people to buy for, thankfully. In our friends group I think we may be doing a secret santa gift exchange - two of the couples we're close with are having babies in the spring, so they're trying to reduce spending. That's fine by me, of course. I'm putting together a personalized project for everyone, so I should for the most part be covered anyway.

So that's that. Back to work! Hope you all have a lovely week