apartment style

i have been in my apartment here in franklin for just over a month now and have it just about perfect! with the help of my parents (especially my dad - cannot begin to thank him), all but my winter coats have been driven down 840 to franklin from murfreesboro... i might have to clear up some closet space to fit them! i am loving living here, my apartment is in the perfect spot: minutes to work, downtown, cool springs. nashville is just a hop on the interstate away and if i really need to see my mama and daddy, i can be home in 45 minutes. with the exception of needing a coffee table and the back porch and my room still being a work in progress, i have my apartment just about how i want it. a mix of modern and traditional, mostly feminine with hints of masculine, and a whole lot of white, my little place is home.

y'all come visit now! 

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

favorite friday finds

so i have been pretty good about not spending my money on things i don't need and sticking to a budget which was one of my new years resolutions! however, last weekend i went home so, of course, a trip to green hills ensued. mom and i went saying we weren't going to buy anything but next thing we knew, we had shopping bags in our hands! nonetheless, it was all for spring and getting ready for our cruise so we passed the purchases off as acceptable! today i also treated myself to a big-girl purchase since i landed a dreamy internship earlier this week. once again, i am not your typical college student and instead of celebrating by going out or another typical young adult way, i went to one of my favorite home decor boutiques in knoxville, fig and company, and bought myself a ghost chair! i have drooled over ghost chairs for quite some time and i finally found one in my budget!  i love how you can combine them with both modern and traditional decor and they mesh seamlessly! i can't wait to put it in my apartment next year! below are my favorite finds as of late!

dolce vita niro sandal 

tory burch vesper top

tory burch brinda tee 

kate spade brighton rock collar necklace 

my ghost chair! 

i think i need to join shopaholics anonymous because i just can't seem to keep myself away from the stores! new lilly pulitzer and j. crew spring collections should be coming out in the next week or so... fingers are crossed for self-control! happy weekend everyone! 

xoxo,

clp

tuesday target finds & a recipe

tomorrow i start my spring semester of my junior year. how weird is that?! really though, the time is flying by! i came back up to knoxville on sunday to beat the weather and not get stuck in murfreesboro so i have been spending the past two days getting back in the swing of things. trader joe's, publix and target have all been crossed off my to-do list and i think i am ready to start the semester! hopefully it won't be as bitterly cold tomorrow when i have to trek to class - these single digit temperatures getting to me! last night for dinner i was really craving spaghetti squash and italian so what better than to break out the crockpot on such a cold monday? this recipe is so easy and could be done in the morning before going off to work! it is healthy and can be made a variety of ways but the beauty of it is that everything cooks at the same time in one pot! i made a salad to round off the meal and it was delicious! 

crockpot spaghetti squash and meatballs

1 spaghetti squash, cut in half and seeds removed

4-5 meatballs per person (i used frozen, but you can use homemade if you want)

2 cans diced tomatoes 

3 cloves minced garlic

1/3 cup chopped onion

italian seasoning, black pepper, etc., to taste

1. in a large crockpot, combine tomatoes, onion, garlic and spices. 
2. place spaghetti squash cut side down in tomatoes.
3. spread meatballs around spaghetti squash.
4. cook on low for 4-5 hours, until meatballs are cooked through and spaghetti squash is tender. 
5. remove spaghetti squash and shred with fork. 
6. serve meatballs with tomato sauce over spaghetti squash, topped with cheese if desired.

*instead of meatballs and the canned tomatoes, you could easily use a meat sauce, homemade sauce with vegetables, or even a jarred pasta/marinara sauce of choice (but watch out for high sodium with the latter!).

i just love target. i can/have done some major damage in there, especially when it comes to apartment shopping. yesterday i was at the super target at northshore and had to practice some self-control and get out of there before i drained my bank account. i am moving to a new apartment next year that i get to completely decorate myself so i have started to shop around for decor! target's threshold line is one of my favorites since it is affordable and usually appeals to my style of decorating. the newest threshold collection is so cute and i am already coveting some pieces that i want for next year! the items below are from the threshold white and gold decor collection and the botanic blush collection!

Demijohn Vase

Butterfly Gold Foil Lampshade

Tufted Bench 

Tufted Ottoman 

Oblong Magnolia Decorative Pillow

i hope everyone is staying warm! i am keeping to my warm apartment and since it is the last day of my break, i felt it necessary to stay in my pajama's, watch netflix and read all day! 

xoxo,

clp 

apartment living

i am finally all moved in and decorated (for the most part)! i cannot tell you have long i have waited for this day. dorm life was not for me and i loved living in the beautiful alpha chi omega mansion (which some of recently nicknamed the Lyre Lair - which i am loving) but i think living in an apartment will be much more suitable for me. move-in went as well as could have. there was a lot to do but everything got done except a few cosmetic issues. here are the highlights of the weekend and the finished product!

mom got trapped in the back seat after the publix and target run...

dad the handy-man got stuck after fixing something under my bed...

living room

breakfast area

my room

closet

and the bathroom! 

i am so happy with the way everything came together in my room! i had a vision for it all summer and this is about as close to the dream as i could get! none of it would have been possible without the help from my mama and daddy! i definitely got the luck of the draw with those two. i am absolutely exhausted from moving this weekend and from recruitment. i gave my body a much needed break from working out. tomorrow starts a whole new week with exciting things happening so i am hitting the hay early tonight! 

xoxo,

clp

its only tuesday?

what a whirlwind of a past two days i have had. now back in knoxville for the semester, i feel like i haven't had a moment to sit down...

yesterday, the plan was for my mom and i to move in everything (with the exception of things that required manly-men) into the apartment that i would be living in this year. however, upon arrival we were informed that the unit was still under construction and that i was supposed to move into a temporary apartment until it was ready (which was a 3 bedroom - there are 4 of us). the funny thing was that we had called over two weeks ago and were told that the unit would be ready for me to move in. also, my uncle, who owned the unit, had given me the key to my room that very morning. obviously there was some miscommunication. you can imagine our frustration when we learned that we would be having to move my things not once but twice and also that we couldn't unpack everything and get settled. and then to top off this saga, i discovered that diet coke leaked onto my clothes on the drive here. the cards were just not in our favor. nonetheless, after a few tears and a breakdown or two, my mom and i got everything moved in the best we could (neatly stacked in piles) and my cousin was kind enough to let me sleep on her mattress. fingers are crossed that the apartment is ready by saturday so i can officially move into my first apartment!

my little bedroom for the week! 

after our horrible day, mom and i went to Sunspot for my first dinner back in knoxville. it is one of my favorites and mom had never been there. i love the sweet potato tamale (i need to branch out and try other things) and mom loved her fried green tomato BLT sandwich. i must say hers looked as good as mine! they also bring you yummy salsa and fresh chips to accompany your meal. 

it is officially recruitment time in tennessee! retreat began today and as a chapter we are working on getting the best possible pledge class. i have no doubt that we will do so with all the improvements that our recruitment team is making. 

since i will be spending the majority of the day at the alpha chi house and the TRECS is closed, my workouts will not be as intense this week. i think it will be good for my body to treat this week as sort of a "recovery week" and give my body a break for once. i will still be doing some cardio, but it will mostly just be walking at a fast pace on an incline and then some light weights and ab work. everyone needs to lighten the load sometimes. 

being the homebody that i am, i am already missing my mom and dad (and i guess my brother too). it will take some adjusting for me to get back in the swing of things here in knoxville, especially with the craziness and stress that comes with recruitment. add in the apartment saga and i am about at my stress limit but i will just have to keep on keepin' on. there may not be many recipes or OOTDs this week but i will be trying to blog as often as i can. fingers crossed that the rest of the week goes smoothly and that the unit is ready for move in saturday! 

xoxo,

clp