Hi Friends! I hope you’re all having a good weekend! Mine’s been busy, but the good kind of busy. Especially because I got to go see my new niece-puppy!!!! Here name is Milly and she’s 6 months old and has paws that are still too big for her body and she has the softest ears and is just so darn cute! I’ll be sure to post a pic later. Speaking of pics, that one up there? It’s just a few of my finds from the Good Foods Expo here in Chicago yesterday. It’s “The Midwest’s Premier Showcase for Local and Sustainable Food!” So many fantastic vendors were there, probably over 100, ranging from food producers to farmers to activists and beyond.  Unfortunately I couldn’t take a pic of all the samples I tried, but thought a sampling of some of the brands that were there would be second best so you could check them out too. Many companies are local to the Chicago area but some traveled from afar too. Other than Millie, and the amazing reflexology appointment I had yesterday, the expo was one of the highlights of my weekend.

Anyway, As per usual I’ve been collecting the reads that I’ve come across this past week and must share. Enjoy!

First Things First

• This week Mercury went into retrograde and will be there until April 15. Not sure what that is or what it means? This article explains it all.

Life Things

• The secret to being fully present here. And a little secret: it has to do with cake. I can get on board with this philosophy. Have I mentioned cake is my weakness? Sometimes being present is a weakness too…maybe I should make some cake…
• Last week in The Scoop I posted about how knitting was a good activity for stress relief. Coincidence that I found another article about a book relating to this idea. It looks good, putting it on my reading list!
• Does this time of year have anyone else dreaming of adopting the snowbird lifestyle? Here’s a look at how it can be necessary to get away sometimes from a 37 year-old who snow-birded.
• How you spend your morning sets up the foundation for the rest of your day. If you’re into journaling, here are 31 prompts to get your day started on the right foot.
• Being mindful is key. It’s not always easy, but here are a few simple ways you can incorporate it into your day in 15 minutes or less.

Green Things & Health 

• Earlier this week I posted about my Goddess Provisions Box that had an Ayurvedic theme which is a health practice I’m so interested in learning more about. Then I ran across this article on how to eat to reduce anxiety based on Ayurvedic principles. Need somma that!

Pure Fun & Inspiration

• I love cotton candy too gal.
• I also love cookies, and these quinoa, chocolate chip, banana ones need to be made stat!
• On a serious note, the kids around this country are just so incredibly inspiring. The march this weekend was an amazing testament to that and included some really powerful speeches. Did you attend??

Tell me, what fun things were you up to this weekend?  And send me some reads too. Have a good start to your week!