simple overnight oats recipe

breakfast can be a struggle, especially for people my age. most people don't take the time to fix something to eat, much less something healthy, before leaving the house in the morning. me, i can't survive without breakfast! its my favorite meal of the day... sometimes i even have breakfast for lunch or dinner! the recipe below is great for those of you who don't want to have to add in extra time for breakfast in the morning. prepare it the night before, put it in the fridge and grab and go in the morning!

simple overnight oats

1/2 cup oats

3/4 unsweeteneed vanilla almond milk

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp vanilla

cinnamon, to taste, optional

fruit, nuts, dried fruits, nut butters, honey, etc., of choice for topping

1. mix all ingredients together in sealable container (you can either add your toppings now or in the morning). cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. enjoy cold or warmed in the microwave! 

(serves one)

the other morning, i topped mine with more cinnamon (i love it), a fresh peach and a banana! it kept me full through my classes until lunchtime! 

xoxo,

clp

born and bred a vol

its football time in tennessee y'all! we can now countdown to game day on one hand! i have been a vol fan since day one... even my hair is just the right shade. though we haven't necessarily been on top the past several years, as butch says "brick by brick" we are coming back. some of my favorite memories involve tennessee football and with it being the throwback thursday before game day, it is only appropriate that i share some snapshots from rocky top, from the very beginning to the past three years as a student!

freshman year

sophomore year

junior year

through it all, i'll always be a vol! go big orange!

xoxo,

clp 

p.s. the publix right off campus opened today! its like christmas for me!

red carpet: emmys 2014

i love award show season for one reason: the red carpet. i care more about the best and worst dressed than the results from the show. the red carpet of last night's emmy awards was no disappointment. orange and coral hues were a trend as well as neutrals that didn't blend in. from shorter hemlines, to peplums and cut-outs, classic silhouettes to modern styles, the red carpet was one for the books. check out my favorite celeb looks below! if only i could have one of each hanging in my closet (and an event to wear them to for that matter)!

(all images via huffington post)

xoxo,

clp

sunday's lust list

getting back into the school routine has taken up most of my time this week and i haven't been able to get a post in! the past few days have been filled with tweaking things in my apartment, going to classes (i'm in for a hard semester) and seeing my friends! still, i have found time to do some online shopping! i am dreaming about quite a few new things that i have found so here is the latest lust list!

topshop textured crop-top and full midi skirt

stella mccartney "the 70's flare" jean

kate spade "sabine" velvet flat 

tory burch regina calf hair bootie

tory burch collins fringe moccasin

tory burch fleming medium bag

halogen v-neck sleeveless jumpsuit

LEONA perfect party dress

today is another very special lady in my life's birthday: my grandmother. she is the reason i have red hair and my role model. if i am half the woman she is, i will be better than most. i am forever grateful for the close relationship we have. the redheads of the family have to stick together! today i am lucky to get to have lunch with her! after that, the online shopping will have to stop so that i can start getting back in the "you actually have homework now" groove. on the plus side of school starting back up, it will be football time in tennessee this time next week! go vols! 

xoxo,

clp

the new apartment

it was a long day, but the smoothest of all my move-ins! without the help of my daddy, brother and mom, it would just be me and a coffee maker up here in my new apartment! with them, we got everything unloaded and unpacked... which was quite a job (i'm not the best at deciding what i do and don't need when it comes to packing). we made the annual target trip, with phillip along as our comic relief. the finishing touches are still being put on, to the complex and to my apartment, but i am in love with my new place to live. it is going to be just perfect for me my senior year. there are still a few pictures to be hung and pieces of furniture to be added, but here is a peek into my new apartment!

it was also the least emotional of my move-ins. freshman year was a waterfall of tears that turned into a steady stream for months afterwards. sophomore year was similar and junior year was a little better. this year though, i teared up, but just because i am really going to miss my parents and brother (even if he does drive me crazy sometimes). i will always miss my home and my family, but know that this is where i need to be right now.

today though, i am missing something at home i love the most. it is my mom's birthday and i hate that i can't be home to make her day absolutely perfect! i am sending lots of love and birthday wishes from knoxville to her and hope she has a fabulous birthday! recruitment is winding down here at UT with bid night approaching tomorrow and school is gearing up as classes start tomorrow. i think life is about to get very busy!

xoxo,
clp

see ya soon, murfreesboro

i am off to knoxville for my senior year! as much as i don't want to leave home, i am ready for all that knoxville has: football, alpha chi, friends and a brand-spanking-new apartment! it is crazy how much has changed since i moved into my freshman dorm. i know i have said that quite often lately but its the truth. you truly do find yourself and figure your life out in college - at least i have.

the day i left to move in freshman year

today, leaving for senior year

safe to say i am have changed a bit since i started college. healthier and happier, the "claire with red hair" is off to knoxville for one more year. i am looking forward to new challenges and the many "senior year" memories to come. and last but not least, i am ready for some tennessee football! go vols!

xoxo,
clp

meet the LEONA intern: me!

as probably most of you know, i interned at LEONA this summer and loved every minute of it. today i am being featured as part of their "meet the intern" blog series.

(image via LEONA blog)

for more LEONA life, visit the blog at www.leonany.com/blog. michele works so hard on all the blog posts and i love getting a new one in my inbox!

xoxo,
clp

life lately: august update, summer recap

well, i am closing in on the end of my summer. these past few weeks have been busy but i wouldn't want it any other way. my internship at LEONA ended and i can honestly say my time at LEONA and in nashville was the happiest i have been in a long time. the internship presented me with an amazing opportunity to have a hand-on experience with the business and operations side of a growing designer label. every day was different, sometimes i did a task just right, sometimes i was presented with a challenge, and sometimes i made a mistake. it was an experience i will be forever grateful for. the LEONA team taught me so much, about myself and the business. i truly feel like i have found where i am meant to be and what i am meant to do. hopefully it won't be the last time i am working at LEONA! i already miss 2309 12th South Avenue more than i thought i ever could!

as far as my summer bucket list went, i think i added more to it than crossed off. i did read most of the books on my list, though found more to put on my wish list. unfortunately, i didn't make it to any movies but that's what red box is for! there was no lake day this summer but i spent a few afternoons by our pool and a weekend in charleston which i would choose over the lake anyway. i made it the local farmer's market as often as i could, both the one on 12th South and the Murfreesboro market. i have more than eaten my share of fresh veggies and fruits, with no plan of stopping. knoxville apparently has a wonderful market at market square on saturday mornings that i am hoping to get to soon. i also ate at some new restaurants & dessert places this summer (the pharmacy, taqueria del sol, the flipside, epice, saint anejo, gray's on main, boca loca, jeni's, crankee's) and dined at my all-time favorites (the puffy muffin, the frothy monkey, mafioza's, fido, las paletas). i definitely added more restaurants to my nashville bucket list! the summer was everything i could ask for and more. rewind it and let me press play again!

i have spent the past several days in murfreesboro at home. though i didn't want to leave nashville, i have relaxed here at home. mom and i went shopping and i have been packing up my things getting ready for my last move to knoxville. it is so strange to think that just 3 years ago i was moving into humes with a random roommate and now i am moving into my own single-girl apartment as a senior, with my best friends just a look out the window away. so much has changed since then, for better or for worse, but i couldn't be happier with where i am at this exact moment.

i have started blogging for my sorority and couldn't be more excited about launching the alpha chi omega at UTK blog! we plan to use the blog as way for parents, alumni, family and friends to stay involved in all that is going on with the delta pi chapter. check out our first post, sign up to get posts in your inbox and stay tuned for a recruitment recap coming next week!

i am still hoping to build my blog followers so please continue liking and sharing! also follow me on instagram, twitter and pinterest (links on the right). your support means the world to me and i appreciate my readers taking time out of their busy days to read my ramblings. speaking of ramblings, that is what this post has come to. i'm off to read my textbook-sized september issue of instyle!

xoxo,
clp

arrington vineyards afternoon

to celebrate my mom's upcoming birthday since i won't be here for her actual birthday, mom, dad, and i went to arrington vineyards yesterday for an afternoon of wine tasting and a fabulous picnic lunch. to say it was picturesque was an understatement. we all three said we felt as though we had actually gone somewhere far away and that home wasn't just a short car ride away.

located among the rolling hills of middle tennessee, arrington vineyards offers visitors a "wine country experience" through its wine tastings and picnic areas with views of the grapevines. there are outdoor tables and and abundance of seating to enjoy a picnic lunch or dinner with your arrington vineyards wine and music for entertainment. with multiple tasting options and wines to choose from, arrington vineyards has handcrafted "tennessee's wine country".

as soon as we arrived, we drove up the short drive to the tasting lodge and put our name down for the bar tasting. we milled about and explored the grounds until our name was called. i actually decided to live a little and sample four of the wines. groundbreaking, i know. of the four i tried, the dessert raspberry was my favorite, especially since it was served with a chocolate truffle! still not a wine-or-alcohol enthusiast, the experience was quite fun! mom and dad each sampled wines of their choosing and found some new ones that they enjoyed.

we packed a picnic lunch/dinner of summer sausage, baguette slices, assorted cheese, fruits, veggies and pickled okra for after our tasting. it was quite nice sitting outside the tasting lodge, mom and dad with a glass of arrington vineyards wine, taking in the stunning view. i wouldn't have to think twice about returning to arrington vineyards. it would be a great place to take out-of-town visitors, have a girl's day or a nice date spot!

one more thing crossed off my bucket list!

xoxo,

clp

artist spotlight: mary miller veazie

i am lucky to call such an amazing artist a close family friend; she is actually a part of our family. since mary miller veazie and her daughters moved back to murfreesboro, my family's life has been more colorful. caroline and ellie, her daughters, have become two of my very best friends. extremely talented, mary miller veazie is my first choice for hopefully a future blog series: artist spotlight!

based now in middle tennessee, mary miller veazie has painted and lived throughout the country. she is well-known for her commissioned portraits, but her landscapes, often done "en plain air" and still-life paintings are equally popular. according to her clients wishes, mary will paint in a controlled, formal technique or in a loosely impressionistic style. to keep her approach and technique fresh, she enjoys switching between painting disciplines and has created a body of work that reflects her love of combined landscape and figure painting. 

mary's portraits and paintings hang in home and galleries across the country. my family is lucky enough to have multiple "veazie" paintings in our home. i also have had the privilege to both model for her classes and take lessons from her. i personally love the painting she did of my dad kayaking the marsh in south carolina, as well as the still-life pomegranates hanging in our kitchen. for my 21st birthday, she painted an as-requested magnolia bloom that i am excited to hang in my new apartment (picture of it coming soon!). it is the perfect combination of abstract yet traditional and is more beautiful that i could have ever dreamed it could be. 

abstract: "implied horizon"

impressionistic: "between the lines" 

figurative portrait: "claire"

commissioned portrait: "charles jordan muse, architect"

her paintings are available through her etsy shop, saatchi art gallery and by contacting the artist herself. visit her facebook and her website for more information and to see more paintings! 

xoxo,
clp

friday finds

well, nashville shopping got the best of us today... we came home with a full trunk and an empty wallet. but, back to school clothing shopping is done! and mom said i'm not allowed to get anything for a good while... going to have to practice some self control! we had the most perfect mother-daughter day: eating lunch at our favorite brentwood spot, the puffy muffin, and then stopping by LEONA on 12 south (i can't seem to stay away) and then going to the the mall at green hills! with lots of coffee (probably too much) we powered through and had quite the successful day! see all my friday finds below!

brittany fuson luggage tags

LEONA peppy top and very v blouse 

tory burch bernadette metallic flat

nordstrom faux leather leggings 

j. crew broken-in boyfriend jean

j. crew pleated lattice skirt

j. crew cotton cropped sweater

j. crew endless shirt

j. crew silk sleeveless blouse in heart dot

xoxo,

clp