Stained Couture’s weekly series, Link-End Round-Up, features interesting reads I read from around the internet this week.

Happy Friday, peeps! I had a very emotional week; good and bad emotions. This week, I found myself feeling very sad and sympathetic for the 800,000+ federal workers who haven’t gotten paid in  over a month due to the government shutdown. Although a law was just passed that will give these employees back pay when the shutdown ends, it’s not enough. These employees are having to deal with the possibility of evictions, negative credit scores, and not having the money for daily necessities such as food and gas.

Although this situation made me feel grateful that I and no one in my family is currently going through this, it doesn’t outweigh the stress that those 800,000+ people and their families are going through. I just can’t fathom going through this and I pray that this ends sooner than later.

As for my weekend plans? Thankfully, I’ll have a chill weekend, which is just what I need. Last weekend, I did clean out my closet and bagged the clothes I no longer wear. So, I have another closet in my spare bedroom to purge, before I go to Goodwill to drop them off. I’ll do all that on Sunday during halftime of the NFL Playoffs. At this rate, I might not have much to during spring cleaning!

I hope you all have a good weekend and let’s chat some more next week.

LINK-END ROUND-UP: January 18, 2019

• 43 easy sheet-pan dinner recipes – Epicurious
• An introvert’s guide to networking – Ideas.Ted.Com
• 50 ways to live on your own terms – Thought Catalog
• How to tell if your wine has gone bad – Cooking Light
• Small feel-good routines for anyone in need of self-care – Goodful
• What happens to your body when you stop eating sugar – Domino
• How to stay neat and tidy according to organized people – Refinery 29

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Stained Couture’s weekly series, Link-End Round-Up, features interesting reads I read from around the internet this week.

Happy New Year, Boo! How was your first week of 2019? Still writing and/or typing 2018? Me, too!

Earlier this week, I was happy to go back to work just for the sake of normality. However, late Tuesday afternoon, it started to sink in that I wouldn’t be able to lounge around my house. Instead I would have to go back to work and answer emails while sipping on subpar free office coffee. Not to mention, it was happening in the middle of the week. So, it wasn’t going to be completely normal. By 8 pm, I was dreading having to go back to work on Wednesday. I did go back and I wasn’t ready.

Another thing I wasn’t ready for this week was preparing for the new year. I legit just woke up in a new year without much intention. I was going to do my annual “Hey 2019” post, but decided not to in the end. In the post, I share a few things I want to work on in the new, but this year I only had one thing I want to work on; ME. I’m notorious for being the one that people call when they need help, because if I can help, I help. It’s a characteristic that I inherited from my mom.

However, trying to always be there for others means that I can’t always be there for myself. On New Year’s Eve, the straw broke this camel’s back and I’m over so much stuff. I’m putting my best interests at mind. Before I could agree to work on me, I had to remove the whole “selfish” mindset. Doing what’s best for you is not always selfish; it’s mental care.

So, for 2019, I’m going to work on doing things that I enjoy, letting people know that my “No.” means NO. Also, like most people, I plan to take better care of myself, which includes cooking more, cutting back on bad vices, and moving my body more. PLOT TWIST: When you take care of yourself first, then you be better at helping others.

Here’s to better year than before! Enjoy this week’s Link-End Round-Up!

LINK-END ROUND-UP: January 4, 2019

• Simple ways to banish bloat – Covetuer
• Essential whiskeys for your home bar – Liquor
• Why having a crush is good for you – Love/Hate
• 6 ways to feel better about your money in 2019 – The Cut
• Why you shouldn’t be afraid of your brain aging – Boston Globe
• How to prep your suede and leather boots for the winter – Fashionista
• Why you need to use a password manager. (I highly recommend them!) – Tech Crunch

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