* I was gifted this product for the purposes of this post, all opinions are my own.
One of the ways I like to decompress at the end of the day is cooking or baking. I know that is opposite to a lot of people, but I like the routine of it. Christian and I are slowly trying to swap out our old and cheap cookware to better quality, easier to maintain pieces. I was very excited when Alva Cookware offered to send me one of their stainless steel pans to test out!
They sent me the Chef 8" stainless steel frying pan which can be used with any heat source, is oven safe (to 392°) and dishwasher safe! I do love easy cleanup. (Alva does recommend hand washing to keep the finish nice, but the pan can be put in the dishwasher.) This size would be perfect for someone cooking for one, but since I usually make larger batches of food it's not the most practical size for me. That being said, the moment I picked up the pan I could tell it was high quality from the weight and feel. The handle is great for gripping and easily moving it around. The 8" is currently sold out but the Alva Chef 9.5" frying pan is available.
A bit of history on the brand - Founded in Belgium in 1949, Alva has been making high-quality cookware from recycled materials. The first pots and pans were made with repurposed materials from World War II and that practice continues today with the brand focusing on sustainability in its products. All Alva products are free of PTFE, PFOA, PFAS, lead, and cadmium, including ceramic-coated products.
Next I've got my eye on their Nesting Cookware Set, 5-ply stainless steel frying pan and Carbon Steel Wok. I make fried rice so often I feel like I could use one!
It’s cooking time! I made crispy gnocchi with veggies since Christian and I are in the middle of a vegetarian dinner month. We love doing this as a way to switch things up—it’s a nice reset. While we usually include a couple of vegetarian meals in our weekly rotation, going completely meat-free for a while feels refreshing.
This dish was super simple and cooked in just one skillet. I started by pan-frying the gnocchi in olive oil until crispy, then sautéed the veggies until they softened before adding the gnocchi back in. Easy peasy!
Cooking with the Alva pan was great! Its solid weight gave me confidence throughout the process, and the high sides made stirring and sautéing a breeze—no veggies escaping! Cleanup was just as smooth. A quick wash with soap and water, and everything came right off.
And just like that, it's the end of January. This was a weird month for me because the first 10 days I was dealing with some issues with our house while also finishing preparations for our 2 week trip to Japan. From the 11th through the 24th we were in Japan and then it was back to work for the final week of the month.
I did make my first purchase of 2025, and it's a good one! I knew I wanted to try and find a secondhand designer bag in Japan since the exchange rate is amazing right now and they are very strict with counterfeit items so I knew whatever I found would be authentic. I would have loved to grab one of the many Birkin bags I saw, but they were still very expensive. I came close to a few Chanel bags in various colors and a Dior Saddle Bag but in the end I found a 2018 Mini Loewe Puzzle bag in a lovely red color! A puzzle bag was on my short list of things to find. At the beginning of the trip I had seen a few, but none in exciting colors (I didn't want tan or black or cream.) There was a nice light blue but it was a Nano size which I don't believe they make anymore.
I bought a shirt and a sweatshirt at Tokyo Disney as well, but since I won't really wear them outside of Disney I don't count them in my wardrobe, ha ha.
THE (modified) RULES
- Be mindful of purchases
- Quality over quantity
- Basics are best
MY PROGRESS
Clothes:
Basics:
- Nothing yet
Shoes:
- None
Handbags:
- *NEW!* Loewe Mini Puzzle Bag in Pomodoro red classic calfskin ($895 in Japan, retail $2650)
Accessories:
- None
Activewear/Swimwear:
- None
Gifted from Brands:
- None
Spent in January: $895
Spent in 2025: $895
Spent in 2025 - counting ad money: $895
A couple weeks before Christmas I headed over to my Mom's and we had a full day of cookie baking to prepare for Christmas Eve. Including some of what we made as separate items here because I have links to the recipes, the others I'll just add at the end. Here's an Instagram post I did of our baking day:
Christmas Lofthouse Cookies
You know those horrible sugar cookies at the grocery store that you can't resist and enjoy eating anyway? Well these are a better version of that!
Spritz Cookies
My Mom needed a new spritz recipe this year becasue the one she used the past couple years never turned out right. We went with Sally's recipe and they came out great! After they came out of the oven we added the cute star sprinkles (last year we put them on before baking and they melted, haha!)
Turtle Thumbprint Cookies
I've made these a couple times before and they're always tasty! They also look very impressive and they aren't that hard to make. It was definitely easier to have someone help this time though. Rolling them in the pecans is always a little tricky with one person. With help I was able to coat them in the egg whites and my Mom got the pecans on. Way less messy!
Others we made: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, Rugelach and Biscotti! We also made Snickerdoodles
Snowflake Shortbread Cookies
I used my snowflake shortbread and cake pan again, this time to make shortbread. They came out with much more detail than the cake I made with it last time!
Blossom Cookies
We did a cookie swap at my Mom's the Saturday before Christmas and I made these fun kiss cookies. The recipe has 3 flavors but my brother is allergic to peanut butter so I didn't make that variation. These are chocolate, sugar cookie and gingerbread!
Christmas Light Hostess Cupcakes
I made my version of Hostess Cupcakes with some M&Ms to look like Christmas lights for our Christmas Eve celebration. I used the cake recipe I have used in the past which is a couple recipes mashed together and then baked in cupcake tins instead of cake pans. Funny going from cupcakes to a cake inspired by those cupcakes and then back to cupcakes with the inspiration recipe, hah!
Chocolate Mousse Cake
And so 2024 comes to a close. I barely shopped this year, which is good and bad. I miss going out and trying on clothes, even if I'm not going to buy anything. But lately I just haven't felt like shopping for fun. Anyone else feeling the same, or just me?
THE (modified) RULES
- Be mindful of purchases
- Quality over quantity
- Basics are best
MY PROGRESS
Clothes:
- C&C California Tropical Print Linen Dress via Marshalls ($13)
- Cynthia Rowley leaf print dress via Marshalls ($13)
- AllSaints Jayda dress in black splash print (polka dot) via Roundabout Resale ($16.80, retail $260)
- C&C California tropical print tee (similar) via Marshalls ($10 on clearance)
- Disney Mickey Mouse Holiday Pullover Sweater via Target ($52.49, retail $69.99, used gift cards)
Basics:
- Joie long grey vest via Marshalls ($14, retail $68?, used gift card)
- LC Lauren Conrad High Rise 5" Rolled Cuff Shorts in Doria ($24.99, retail $36.99)
- Sonoma Goods For Life Premium Roll Cuff Jean Shorts in medium wash ($14.99, retail $24.99)
- Nicole Miller orange linen cargo pants via Marshalls ($16 on clearance)
Shoes:
- None
Handbags:
- None
Accessories:
- None
Activewear/Swimwear:
- Colorfulkoala High Waisted Yoga Pants with Pockets in Deep Teal ($20, retail $30, used CC rewards)
Gifted from Brands:
- None
Spent in December: $0
Spent in 2024: $108.69
Spent in 2024 - counting ad money: $0
I wore this to help Christian with a Christmas photoshoot for my brother and sister-in-law. We went to our favorite park and I roped Christian into taking some outfit photos for me too. We took some at the park and also the local historical society. He had his camera and was in photo mode, so why not?
It was a very chilly day but this Burberry sweater coat is always so comfy and warm! I just needed to block the wind from my face a bit. It's been a while since it appeared on the blog but it still gets plenty of wear in the Winter.
Cardigan Coat: Burberry Brit (Net-a-Porter)
Sweater: Everlane The Fall Seed Stitch Raglan
Jeans: FRAME 'Le Skinny de Jeanne' (Shopbop)
Shoes: Splendid Harvest Mules in Tiger/Cheetah Print (eBay)
Bag: Chanel Classic 2.55 Double Flap (Madison Avenue Couture)
Ombre Hat: Disney World
I took a little unplanned break from baking new things the past few months. You'll also notice I didn't really post anything all of November. I was on a bunch of trips on the weekends and some personal stuff came up where I wasn't really in the mood. I tried to get myself back into it but most weekends I was home I didn't bake. Then towards the end of November I started back up again for various holiday gatherings.
Sugar Cookies
I made these cookies for a collaboration post with Ocean State Job Lot that I posted in November. They're super easy to make, I just need to work on my frosting skills, ha ha. This time the border icing was a little thick so I wasn't able to get super smooth lines. But the flood icing was perfect!
Muffaletta Roll Ups
Christian loves Muffuletta sandwiches so when I saw this recipe pop up on Budget Bytes I knew we had to make it! We also love stromboli so this seemed like a perfect match. The only problem I had with it was I didn't love the flavor of the Muffaletta Salad we bought. Next time I'll try to make my own like the recipe says (we wanted it to be a quicker meal and the pre-made was on sale, ha ha!)
Sweet Potato Bread with Meringue Frosting
I made sweet potato muffins with leftover mashed sweet potatoes a couple years ago so when this recipe popped up on Jenna's Instagram I knew I would enjoy it. It was a fun Thanksgiving dessert! I don't have a kitchen torch so I improvised on the toasted meringue topping with a heavy duty lighter, hah! Then when I got to my Mom's I remembered she had one so I touched up a bit. The slideshow below also includes photos of the other 2 Thanksgiving bakes I did.
Jamaican Toto Cake
For Thanksgiving #2 with my Dad's side of the family we went with a Jamaican theme for our meal instead of traditional. Fun fact: my Dad's side of the family has some Jamaican heritage (among many other nationalities, ha ha) I googled Jamaican desserts and this one sounded fun and easy. It was tasty but the family thought it could use some sort of icing.
Honey & Olive Oil Rosemary Cornbread
I don't usually make recipes that are only posted on Instagram, but this one was too pretty to resist when it came up on my suggested Reels. I made this for Thanksgiving #2 (even though it didn't really go with the Jamaican theme) because one of my aunt's is lactose intolerant and this is diary free because it uses almond milk! It could also be gluten free but I used regular flour. They were a little cakier than I like for a cornbread but super tasty!
Almond Snowflake Cake
I got this shortbread and cake pan from the King Arthur Baking store on my birthday weekend and I wasn't exactly sure what to make in it first. I decided to just google snowflake cake and see what google popped out. I found this recipe for an almond cake and then decided to search America's Test Kitchen for an almond cake recipe to see if they were similar, since I had never heard of the blog before. I was originally going to go with the Test Kitchen recipe because it used less butter but when I actually went to bake it I didn't have enough almond flour so I went back to the original recipe I found. I also only had enough butter out for the original recipe so I had to do 2/3 of the recipe. What a struggle! (AND I used almond milk instead of regular since I had a ton leftover from the cornbread)
Unfortunately it didn't want to come out of the pan nicely even though I vigorously sprayed it. I guess next time I'll flour it too even though the recipe said just spray. But the flavor was great! Just not the best fit for the pan. Most of it came out clean but it wasn't the right texture for all the intricate details to be fully visible. I think I need something denser. Guess I'll try shortbread next since that's it's main purpose!
Last week I shared one of my Thanksgiving outfits. Today I'm sharing what I wore for our small Thanksgiving celebration with my immediate family (plus my sister-in-law's brother!) I wanted to wear these super old pants because I haven't work them in years. My statement-making Saint Laurent patchwork blouse was the perfect match along with purple Proenza Schouler pumps that do not get enough wear. They also happen to match my Prada bag. I ended up taking the blouse off fairly quickly after arriving because I didn't want my brother's puppy (he's 2) to ruin it. Gotta be careful with Saint Laurent!
P.S. I am SHOCKED I was able to find a pair of these pants to share in this post. I almost didn't bother searching because they're so old.
Blazer: Sandro burgundy double breasted blazer (Roundabout Resale) - whoever owned it before me changed out the buttons to match
Pants: Glo
Purple Suede Pumps: Proenza Schouler (Roundabout Resale)
Bag: Purple Prada Cahier in Viola (Rebag via Vestiaire Collective)
Necklace: Endless Pearl Station Necklace in rose gold c/o Aurate
This was the first time in a few years Christian and I were able to attend the "extended family" Thanksgiving. Last year we were doing the runDisney 5K and the two years before we were in Missouri. I know it gets warm during large gatherings so I decided to brave the chill in the air and wear a sleeveless dress. Luckily this purple Greylin coat is super warm so it kept me toasty to and from the car (ha ha.)
Purple Coat: Greylin Longline Shirt Jacket in purple (Anthropologie)
Sweater Dress: Miss Selfridge (Lord & Taylor)
Boots: IMPO Patchwork Suede Boot (DSW, snakeskin version)
Sunglasses: Michael Kors (Marshalls)
Bag: Purple Prada Cahier in Viola (Rebag via Vestiaire Collective)
Beaded Necklace c/o Aurate Destination Aura Beaded Necklace in Marrakech
