ut vs georgia weekend

this weekend couldn't have come at a better time. after last week, i was in need of seeing my mama and daddy again and just spending time relaxing and hanging out with family. since the game was at 3:30, we got to have our traditional big Lowe family tailgate, complete with flu shots for my cousins! my contributions were a cold mexican layer dip (recipe below) and my pimento cheese! we obviously had enough food to feed an army, with a tailgate spread including fried chicken, honey-baked ham, potato and pasta salad, desserts galore and a fruit and veggie tray!

cold mexican layer dip

1 can black beans

2 avocado 

salsa (homemade or jarred)

corn

lettuce

1/2 c reduced fat shredded cheese of choice 

diced jalepenos 

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp cumin 

1 tsp lime juice

1. puree black beans with garlic, onion powder, cumin and lime juice. spread evenly on bottom on casserole dish.
2. spread layer of avocado on top of beans.
3. next, spread salsa over avocado, followed by corn, lettuce and then a light cheese layer. garnish with diced jalepenos.

*i didn't put amounts on every ingredient because this recipe can be altered to fit your own tastes. i like mine without sour cream but some people add a layer of that to the bottom. you could even add a layer of cilantro lime hummus if you would like!

what a game it was! though UT didn't come out with a win, i still think it was a "moral victory," even though i hate that saying. i loved the smokey grey uniforms and i haven't heard neyland be that loud in a long, long time. the game yesterday just shows the potential that this team has and where Butch Jones is taking us. its a year to rebuild and yesterday was just a brick in jones's "brick by brick" plan.

you would never guess that it could be almost 90 degrees on october 5 and that you could get a sunburn but leave it to tennessee weather to prove you wrong. like i have said before, this unseasonably warm weather has thrown a wrench in my outfit plans so yesterday i was at a loss for what to wear to the game. after many opinions i decided on a simple shift dress and i was so glad i did. anything else would have been way too hot! i also snagged my mom's bracelet, shown in the "arm candy" picture below, for the day because it was the perfect shade of orange to match my dress!

target orange dress, tory burch purse, tory burch logo earrings, 

tory burch sandals, tory burch sunglasses

alex and ani AXO bracelet, lily and laura bracelet, 

j. crew orange bracelet, timex leopard watch

now that sunday has rolled around, its time to gear up for another week. luckily, this week is not as busy as last. fall break starts next wednesday so that is something to look forward to! today i am going to Sunspot with my parents before they head back home and i am making myself order something other than the sweet potato tamale that i get every time. after lunch, we have sisterhood retreat where we are doing a field day competition between pledge classes. i am then making a trip to Fresh Market for some essentials but after that, it is back to the apartment for the night. i am looking forward to a relaxing evening and maybe even an early bedtime! 

on another note, i want to thank all my readers! i have almost hit 8000 pageviews which i think is pretty impressive. i couldn't have done it without my readers so thank you for putting up with my rambling! i am still enjoying blogging and try to post as often as i can. here's to many more pageviews and to wishing all my readers a fantastic week ahead! 

xoxo, 

clp 

long labor day weekend

happy labor day weekend! between family coming in, the football game, and a long weekend in general, it has been a packed weekend!

the weekend started out great with a run to turkey creek with phillip. he drug me to gander mountain and i drug him to super target so i guess we are even. phillip, erin and i then met mawsie and tony for supper at our favorite, aubrey's. as usual, it was delicious and its safe to say that i certainly indulged with the slice of key lime pie i ate all by myself. below is the outfit i wore to dinner - sorry about the selfie quality!

j. crew schoolboy blazer, j. crew jeweled collar oxford, j. crew print shorts

kork-ease wedges, lilly pulitzer bangle

saturday brought college football back to knoxville. i woke up extra early with excitement! the entire family came into town for the game and brought along a big tailgate. since i have a kitchen this year, i can contribute to the tailgate spread so i made a southwest cornbread salad (recipe below) and some of my healthier pimento cheese. of course, i dressed up for the game because thats how we do football in the south and wore white since i adhere to the "no white after labor day" rule. i completed my outfit with my "AXO loves the Vols" gameday pin and power t nail appliques! 

lilly pulitzer shift, j. crew belt, j. crew orange bracelet, tory burch sandals 

as always, there was more than enough food at the tailgate. the lowe-parsley-jennings family knows how to tailgate and we don't mess around when it comes to food. the game was fun as well. the atmosphere in neyland stadium is unlike any other and 97,000 people singing rocky top will give you chills no matter how hot it is. most of the alpha chi's sat together in the student section so we had a good time. i liked what i saw on the field last night and its always nice to start to season out with a W. 

this morning, i am meeting the rest of the family for brunch at chesapeake's, one of our favorite restaurants. there isn't an OOTD for this outing because i am committing a crime to fashion and repeating an outfit i wore in july to loveless cafe. it is one of my favorite outfits and i wanted to wear it one last time before labor day. 

southwest cornbread salad

1 Granny's Cornbread 
1 can reduced-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 can no-salt added corn, rinsed and drained

4 Roma Tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup chopped onion 

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper 

cilantro, finely chopped

1 jalepeno, finely chopped

cumin, lime juice, garlic powder, to taste

creamy avocado dressing 

1 avocado, diced

1/2 c Greek Yogurt

lime juice

1 tbsp olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients for dressing in blender and process until smooth. Place in small bowl and set aside. 
2. In large serving bowl, crumble cornbread. Combine all other salad ingredients and stir to combine with cornbread. 
3. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 
4. Serve with dressing on the side. 

this afternoon i plan on grocery shopping, maybe stopping by the new anthropologie (eek!), spending some time with my mom and dad and doing homework so i can hopefully relax by the pool all day tomorrow. i love being busy all weekend but it sure can be exhausting so i am going to try to rest up and get ready for this coming week.

xoxo, 

clp