Watch...

• Easy on Netflix! Another anthology series showcasing different types of love. It's the perfect length of time for my lunch break at work since all the episodes are under 30 minutes. Breezed through season 1 and will likely be done with the next season in the upcoming week too.  
• Last night Grammy's! Every year I seem to forget how this is one of my lesser liked award shows; I feel it's less awards and more performances. Blerg. 

• The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace. So. Many. Inspiring. Poems. like the ones above. 
• Plus, all these must-reads that I shared a few days ago! 

Food...

• And by recent I mean really recent--eating this for dinner as we type... The much awaited beans and greens from the lovely Queen of theWeek in Review herself. Mine had kale and chard for greens and pinto for beans. It's deliciously garlic-filled and exceeded expectations. Thanks Meghan!
• Also made this vegan lentil shepherd's pie from The Full Helping's blog 

Excitement...

• Last Friday my family and I watched the first musical of the series this year, The Color Purple! Very very good but also very very sad. I haven't seen the movie (feat Oprah and Whoopi Goldberg) so now that will be going on the to-watch list. 

• Joined my aunt for dinner and the latest Bachelor episode. Before she got home, I tried to sneak some studying in but this little white ball of fluff obviously didn't want me to study either. 

a convenient excuse to not study...

Worry...

• After getting a worse grade on a test than anticipated, it feels like my studying is going no where and I am scared I'm not retaining anything. 
• I had the home visit for the dog I am looking at adopting, which went pretty well. I am fearful though that I won't be the best dog mom... That I'll be lazy... That I am not ready. There was just a lot of doubt in my own capabilities (what's new).  

Frustration...

• Being two minutes late (two!!!) to a yoga class last Saturday and getting locked out. In the studio's defense, there was only one instructor in at the moment. Just annoying how  
• Forgetting to bring cash to the farmer's market and being out of luck since the only produce seller did not take card. Saturday was just not my day. 

Success...

• Not freaking out about said plan ruiners and adapting my sched. 
• Finally opening up a bottle of wine that my friends gave me for my birthday months ago. 

• Had to ask my roomie for help though in figuring out the 4-in-1 corkscrew #noshame
• I gave up on the Grammy's 2/3 of the way through... 

Pleasure...

• Bought a LUSH hair balm using some GC money I had. Will keep you posted on how it turns out. 
• Chai lattes! Went out to try another coffee shop where I got one and put more study hours in. (Thought of you Alyssa!) 

Gratitude...

• With all this being said, my family and their company (as usual) 
• My roommate 
• For the yoga studio for being understanding and putting a credit back onto my class pass.

Questions:
If you watched too, what did you think of the Grammy's? 
What is a recent confession, pleasure, worry or success?
Have you used LUSH products before? 

Another week, another round of lovely links. January is chugging along albeit slowly. Despite this dragging month, I still feel I am crunched for time. There's so much I want to get done and never enough hours, which causes me to lose the intention in what I'm doing. So I thought I'd take a moment for myself to slow down and share what I've found on the Interwebs with you. Whether you are spending today cozying up inside by yourself, or are out and about running around, sending you good vibes this weekend.

As a naturally risk-averse person, I love this more relative way of defining and looking at risk especially in the context of creating a more meaningful life for yourself. What is a risk for me may not mean that it is a risk for you but that doesn't mean it's not a risk.

"The 'exquisite risk,' she says, is daring to live from a place of true openness, a place where we aren’t shielded by our pre-existing ideas of who we are and what is acceptable. Operating from that place — a place of 'unconditional presence' — is a risk, yes, but also the only way to discover both what we are capable of and what we truly want. Risk is the path by which we become more fundamentally ourselves."

Wise words from Joyce at The Hungry Caterpillar on how the meal plan and intuitive eating fit together as part of her Eating to Gain series.

More positive things to keep telling yourself every day. Numbers 2, 6 and 8 are my faves!!

We often are told that we have to constantly strive to improve ourselves, to be better versions of ourselves. But to what end? This read from The Pool goes into the potential down sides of the search for self-improvement and will make you go hmmm.

As read on Girl Boss, self-care is making sure your basic needs are being met. Love their little handy dandy illustrated guide to keep yourself in check in terms of self-care.


Questions:
How did you take care of yourself this week? 
What are your thoughts on any of these posts? 

• Went out to try a new coffee shop a few streets over from my school. Ordered a TABLT--turkey, avocado, bacon, lettuce, tomato--sandwich while getting some studying done. 
• Invited a friend over for a Hump Day movie night. Decided to try this Mediterranean make-your-own-bowl type place that's in my apartment complex for the first time and rewatched 13 Going on 30. 
• Posted twice on You've Got Kayl: Some lovely links that you should definitely take a look at and a Thinking Out Loud post on the Weather & Control 
• Speaking of weather, managed to survive the freezing cold and now we're back to the normal Texas winter of a chilly 50 degrees 
• Mulched and planted at the monthly community garden meetup

• Bought bras for me and my sister at the first stop in the Lively pop-up. Super good deal--I got 3 for $75 with an additional $10 off for donating a used bra! Plus, they were giving out these cute mini desserts for free. As a slight aside, as I've mentioned previously, I hate buying things for myself so this was also an accomplishment in that regard. 
• Signed up for the first section of the CPA exam! I'll be taking it in about a month from now. In doing so, it made it feel so much more real. Yikes!
• Took the trash out, ran the dishwasher, did a couple of loads of laundry (including my sheets!), cleaned my bathroom and swept the kitchen floors. 
• Made some progress on this 500-piece peacock puzzle that my mom bought. We obviously tackled the easiest parts first.  

not the most eye-pleasing spread but what else can you do

• Sunday evening I joined another friend at her apartment to make dinner. We had roasted potatoes, hummus, pita bread, chicken in a spiced mayo sauce and eggplant stuffed with walnuts (something like this). The eggplant dish was so good so I'll definitely be attempting those again. 
• Finished reading two books, getting even further ahead of my yearly goal and January has yet to finish. Self five! 
• Lastly, I went to another greyhound adoption event....and am getting even closer to adopting one! Trying not to get my hopes too high as there are other things that have to happen before it's final. Crossing my fingers!!!! 

What is something you've bought for yourself recently?