Wednesday, December 30, 2015

2015 Year in Review and 2016 Goals

I'm not a person who is huge on resolutions, however I am a big list maker. So I'm writing this down as basically a "to-do" list for 2016.

New Years Resolutions and Goals | Alanna & Company


Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Easy Lasagna for the Lazy Chef

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #YesYouCAN   #CollectiveBias

I would like to preface this by saying that even if you aren't a lazy chef, this recipe is great too. Like you know, I tend to avoid recipes that have 10 + ingredients, so often I stay away from lasagna because there are usually way too many ingredients to buy that I don't already have in my kitchen. However, I was really craving lasagna the other day on a rainy night, so I decided to give it a whirl and see how it goes.


Since I always have cans of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, I tried checking out Hunt's Pinterest (Yes, they have a pinterest!) for a lasagna recipe. The recipe I adapted was from straight from Hunt's recipe collection. You can find the recipe and other great, easy-to-make recipes, there too!

If you don't have all the ingredients already, you can stop by any local grocery store or Walmart to pick up the rest of the ingredients below. I stopped by Walmart on my way home to pick up some extra Hunt's petite diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. You can find it in the grocery section of Walmart along with the rest of the canned vegetables/fruits.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Things I Never Grew Out Of

Happy birthday....to me! For some reason I forgot to take this day off and I am currently at work (or maybe riding in on the metro slightly late after brunch yesterday...) and I'm probably regretting every second of it it. So I'm obviously writing to you from the past because I knew I had to schedule this post out far in advance.

Anyways, in celebration of my birthday I want to share with you some things that I never grew out of.


Being easily entertained

I literally snapped and texted all my friends the other day when I finally got to ride on a new metro car. It was shiny, the voice was automated, it was smooth! I'd like to think that half of my friends were just like this


But I got absolutely no responses so I'll just have to assume...

Being overly cautious

I know most kids aren't overly cautious and then grow into it, except I've always been over-cautious. I had hoped that I'd be more adventurous at this age, but even hearing someone saying they're going scuba diving gives me the sweats.

Gliding on shopping carts

There's just something so exciting about getting a little running start and gliding down the aisle to where you need to pick up more chicken stock.

Naps


Licking the baking bowl.

I could care less that I could get salmonella. I gotta test it before putting it through the entire process of baking it.

Counting with my fingers

Oh yes, you better believe that I counted on my fingers during my GRE. Fool-proof ways of adding.

So hope you are all having a wonderful Monday and aren't nursing a hangover like I am (most likely). What are some things that you never grew out of?


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Friday, December 18, 2015

Trendsend Subscription Box Review

So I've been big on getting Stitchfixes every time I get some credit in my account. I've reviewed them before, I like them, and some I don't like. But about a month ago Chelsie wrote about a newer service called Trendsend and I was totally intrigued. So of course, I signed up for them ASAP. 

Here's the scoop. You fill out a style profile, like Stitchfix, and enter in all of your information, your likes, your dislikes, etc. The fun part is that they also ask you to take photos of yourself and send it in so they can see your physical body shape too!



Initially, I was so excited because it seemed like Stitchfix but without the $20 styling fee. What a steal? I could send back everything without having to pay a cent. Then I got an email last week saying that they are now implementing a $20 styling fee :( Sorry, gals. 

The other differences between Stitchfix and Trendsend are:

-Trendsend offers clearance and sale items.
-Instead of receiving one item and then giving you suggestions of what to pair with it, Trensend sends you full outfits. 
-You have five days to try and return your items with Trendsend instead of three days.
-With Stitchfix you can decide the exact day you want to have your fix sent to you by. Trendsend says they will send you your fix "within 14 days," however mine took 16 days to send. So I just had to wait around and hope I was at home when it arrived.
-They send  you more items per package. I got seven, where Stitchfix only sends you five items. 

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Humpday Confessions | A 70 Degree December

Happy Humpday Confessors! It's been a crazy year hasn't it? I can't believe it's almost coming to an end so soon.

I confess...

that I went to go see the National Christmas tree for the first time....ever. I'm probably a bad Washingtonian for not ever going to see it before, but it was just never on my priority list. 

I was going there for a purpose. I had to get photos for my parent's holiday card. So of course, I cart out there with the boyfriend, the dog, my camera, my remote and tripod. What ever was I thinking? We got yelled at my secret service for having a tripod because everything needed to be "on" or "with" you at all times. So we had to set up and then run away quickly after getting a few snaps of us with the White House behind us. Then trying to get a good photo without 100 people in the background was definitely difficult. I got so frustrated at one point that I just took down the tripod and just started asking people to take photos of us. #Cuethecropping

Totally doesn't look like it's December...

Monday, December 14, 2015

Seven Books That I Couldn't Put Down

So thanks to Goodreads and reading challenges, I have realized two things: I don't read as fast as you people! and the older you get the harder it is to find time to read books. Seriously! I am shocked by how many people's reading updates include over 10 books per month. I was struggling with one book each month. This year was also the year I've traveled the least since probably 2009, and I read a lot on vacations. So there's my terrible excuses for the year.

I'll start by recapping my Modern Mrs. Darcy reading challenge.

A book you’ve been meaning to read: Bossypants by Tina Fey
A book published this year: Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova
A book in a genre you don’t typically read: Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
A book from your childhood: Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
A book your mom loves: Wicked 
A book that was originally written in a different language: IQ84 by Haruki Marukami 
A book “everyone” has read but you: Big Little Lies by Lane Moriarty
A book you chose because of the cover: The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
A book by a favorite author: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
A book recommended by someone with great taste: Girl Boss by Sophia Amoruso
A book you should have read in high school: Lord of the Flies by William Golding
A book that’s currently on the bestseller list: The Martian by Andy Weir


So not too bad considering that I'm reading Light Between the Oceans right now. Out of all 21 books that I read this year, these were the books that I couldn't put down for the life of me. Links lead to Goodreads pages for each of the books.


Friday, December 11, 2015

Winter Styles with Firmoo

Disclosure: I was provided this free product in exchange for my review of these glasses for Firmoo.com. Any opinions are 100% my own.


A little while back I got some prescription glasses from Firmoo.com. I love wearing them, they're perfect for nights in when I want to take out my contacts and relax my eyes. They're also super durable. So when Firmoo contacted me a second time, I was more than happy. Since I now have two prescription glasses, and  I was in need of a new pair of sunglasses I opted for a style that would work as sunglasses. 

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Humpday Confessions | #HashtagMadness

Happy Humpday Confessors! So just some housekeeping alerts for you guys. The holidays are getting a bit hectic and it's tough for me to write as I go so I've scheduled a bunch of posts for the rest of December. With that being said, I will not be hosting Humpday Confessions on December 23 or 30th. I just don't know how busy I will be. However, you can still link up with all the other Wednesday gals.

I confess...

My GRE test is on Friday. I'm about as ready as I can be at this point but I've definitely been studying vocab like a crazy person. Wish me luck.


I'm so not comfortable in front of my camera. I really need to get better for a few pictures of myself here and there because, HELLO, my blog is my brand and my brand is me. I have to take some holiday photos of myself this weekend, so if some of them turn out good I might share them here. We'll see. 

I'm still surviving off Thanksgiving leftovers that I froze and have now unfrozen. #Turkeyforweeks

My menorah broke last year and I haven't fixed it, so I haven't been lighting any lights. #BADJEW! Whoops, Can I arrange my B&BW candles in a row and say it's a menorah?

Speaking of holiday decorations, I'm loving everyone's! I like mine and my roommate's too. It's a pumpkin still filled with Halloween candy. #Wesuckatdecorating

I just realized how many hashtags I've used. Laura, you should be proud of me. I usually can only find ways to incorporate one or two hashtags into posts, but this week I'm going wild!


My birthday is now only 12 days away! What are you all getting for me? Should I have written a gift guide of what to get me for my own birthday? #Nomoregiftguides

I'm trying out this new brunch spot for my birthday brunch in Chinatown that just opened a couple weeks ago. $15 bottomless drinks and a killer menu. I can't wait to go. #countdownison!


I really do try to take my own photography however these types of posts require gifs, and I need to attribute sooooooo.......

All gifs from Giphy


Now onto the link-up with Plucky in Love and I!

Here are the ground rules for the link-up:
  • Each Wednesday create a post about what’s going on in your life and confess!
  • Grab the button and include it in your post or include a text link back to the link-up. 
  • Link up with either me or Sarah, so we can see what you're confessing this week.
  • Comment on at least one other blogger’s post from the link up.
  • Feel free to share on social media with the hashtag #HumpdayConfessions and I'll retweet.
  • Enjoy!
Alanna & Company



Linking up with #HashtagHumpday



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Monday, December 7, 2015

Festive Drinks for the Holidays

With the holiday season approaching, instead of blasting the Christmas/Channukah music, I opt to pull out my holiday recipes instead. There are definitely some foods and drinks that always remind me of the holidays and I tend to only make them around that time.

So today, I've teamed up with Alexis from Chemistry Cachet to bring you our favorite holiday recipes.

Creamy frosted sugar cookie tea!


Friday, December 4, 2015

My Tattoo Stories and My Tips To You

I have three tattoos. Two are pretty large and one is small. I was thinking about it the other day because the small one that I have is a simple flower I have on my foot that I got a week after I turned 18 years old. I got it as soon as I could get a tattoo based on the parlor's availability and legal age minimums. 

I was laying my legs over my boyfriend last week and just looked at my foot and said, "Wow, I've had this for forever." And it's definitely seemed like it, so much so that I think of it as part of my body now, not something I elected to get permanently etched into my skin.


Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Humpday Confessions | It's DECEMBER YAY!

Happy December! I'm so excited. Let's get right to confessing!

I confess...

That December is seriously the best month of the year. Channukah is about to start, my birthday countdown is on, Christmas is coming and then NEW YEARS!