The face of a someone who finished her last presentation in college

• Biked over to and sat at a coffee shop for a couple of hours to put in some study time. Looking ahead at the new year, I plan to make doing things like this--for and by myself--more of a priority 
• Like I said, those 'lasts': gave my final presentation, took my last non-final test and attended my last actual lecture. Now only to make it through my final finals week with 3 upcoming exams 😩 
• Had brunch with my friend who happens to be my former roommate (from freshman and sophomore year). She's graduating this semester so we went to the dining hall for old time's sake and relive our first year of college. I hadn't been there in forever since it's a) incredibly overpriced, b) meh food, and c) out of the way. Weird to think that it may very well be the last time I go there... 

Breakfast with a side of tax notes

• Made this lentil and egg dish for a nutrient packed dinner one evening. Definitely enjoying spending time in the kitchen while I can since I'll be gone for almost a month and likely won't be able to cook much. 
• Finished packing a majority of my stuff for my trip ✔️
• Also officially done shopping for Christmas gifts! 

• Attended the holiday party for my accounting program that our directress hosts at her house every year. For future accountants, it is much wilder than it sounds. Sadly, this was the last one for me since my cohort is graduating in the spring, another reason I am feeling sentimental. It's hitting me that in just a few months, these people I see on a regular if not daily basis--even those I'm not close to--I may never see again. Siiiigh
• Even more in the spirit of the holidays, a couple of friends and I went to see these 'magical winter lights' (yup, that's what they're called) a 45-minute drive away. Definitely magical but also definitely very cold for me. 
• Baked a buttload of cookies yesterday morning for my professors. Hoping to play Santa and pass them around today! 🎅

Current Book:

Last week I finished Mitch Albom's The Timekeeper. Also attended November's book club meeting where we read and discussed Poe's poems and short stories. We'll be meeting again in mid-December before the holidays hit for our last book of the year.

One of the many quotes from The Timekeeper that spoke to me:

“When you are measuring life, you are not living it.” 

As the end of the year looms ahead, my book goal is too. Already planning out the rest of my reads including holiday novels: Dickens' A Christmas Carol (the book clue read) and the newer The Deal of a Lifetime. 


Current TV Show/Movie:

My friend and I are now making our way through the Netflix show, Black Mirror. Super creepy and incredibly interesting at the same time. What's even neater about it is that it's an anthology series so you can watch them in any order you please. We finished first season last week and are now moving on with the rest!

The current movie that I wish I had seen is Coco! Have heard only good things about it. Crossing my fingers for a 2-hour-long study break/movie in my future....


If you had asked me this a few days ago, I would have said Christmas gift shopping. Mostly because of said confession. So now, it's this waiting game. Waiting for all the presents to arrive so I can wrap, label and actually give them out.
Current Procrastination:

Studying for tests, writing papers, preparing for presentations. What's new.

Current Success:

Parallel parked the other day! 👏   Of course there's no proof of it though. Typically I'll avoid this at all costs--seriously, even if there's an open spot that's closer, I'd typically go out of my way to find a non-parallel spot--but I was in a neighborhood on the outskirts of downtown. Just finding a parking spot in the area was lucky enough.

Then went to a little cafe and a got this chickpea filled empanada. Wandered around for a bit perusing the local stores and streets (Re: the adorable-ness in that first picture), and even knocked out one Christmas gift off the list.

Current Gratitude:

Even with the stress that the end of the semester brings, I am attempting to stay grateful as this is technically my last semester of actual classes; I'll be taking study prep courses and sitting for the accountancy exams in the Spring rather than normal classes.

With every day, there were lasts conquered. For example, my last in-class quizzes or last shifts of work on specific days/times/hours. And there are even more to come this week. Call me crazy but it's kinda bittersweet.

Repurposing leftovers:

As we all know, Thanksgiving is the king of leftovers. I threw this (^^^) sandwich together that included turkey and the cranberry dish I made for Thanksgiving/the holiday meal. Added smoked cheddar, collards and carrot chips and called it lunch. Oh, and Harry Potter (DH pt 2!) on the side too to make it even better. 

Also, since I absolutely hate wasting food, I try to repurpose the things I take home after eating out too.  Had dinner out with family earlier in the month at a seafood place. I got the fried catfish plate with cornbread and collards, shared the fish with my sister but ate some shared apps beforehand. Then took home our leftovers and some leftovers of my parents too. Later I reheated the fish and turned into a sandwich with pickles from the local farmer's market (see below). Then I ate the remaining conbread with a baked egg breakfast skillet. 

Sunshine = better pictures AND happier me

Eating out: 

...or should I say eating outside. On the left are a couple of tacos I had for lunch with a friend at Tacos A Go Go when I was in Houston. Got a create-your-own breakfast taco with spinach, cheese and eggs plus a veggie filled tacos with black beans. On the right, a colorful plate of food from the Ethiopian buffet we ate in Austin. Went back for a little more. 

Farmer's market produce:

There's magic in wandering around farmer's markets, in picking out fruits and veggies, in talking to the local vendors. Here are some of the creations I made with what I picked up: 

A tempeh, sweet potato and radish greens hash...
A persimmon, eggs, cheese and spinach sandwich thing that I felt inspired to make after seeing something (not-so) similar from Joy the Baker...
A savory personal-sized galette with pesto and chard topped with feta...
A repeat of enfrijoladas I had shared in the past using this recipe minus the walnuts plus a generous sprinkle of cheese and side of roasted zucchini...Please also excuse the mess that is my kitchen. 




What's your favorite way to use up leftover turkey?
How do you feel about farmer's markets? 
Are you a Harry Potter fan (the only acceptable answer here is yes)?