birthday weekend comes to an end

i guess all good things have to come to an end... including my birthday weekend. it was nothing short of perfect though, thanks to family, especially my wonderful parents. i know i say that often on here but you really have no idea how lucky i know i am to have parents as great as mine. mom and dad, i love you to the moon and back. thanks for 21 amazing years.

i spent my actual birthday doing whatever i wanted to do! we had pumpkin pancakes for breakfast, mom and i went to target and did some damage, stopped by publix and then hung out at home for the rest of the day. i had a few visitors and then the family came over of the annual birthday fiesta! on the menu was tacos, tamales, pinto beans, rice, guacamole and salsa! all of my favorites! dessert was of course cupcakes from IveyCake, my absolute favorite. i had the most perfect 21st birthday even though i didn't do what most do on their 21st birthday. it was exactly what i wanted.

the drive back in the rain today wasn't very much fun but i am ready to crank this week out. hopefully, i will be headed home for thanksgiving a week from tomorrow (my classes got cancelled on tuesday and wednesday luckily) and i am already looking forward to being back home. this time of year always makes me miss my family even more than usual. i think that is one thing that i will never get over. looking at my planner, this week doesn't look to crazy and i am thankful for that. hopefully it stays that way but you never know! lastly, i want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes, every person made me feel special! it is so strange to actually be 21 since it is something you look forward to for most of your teen years. i do feel a little bit older but not much different besides that. i am certainly looking forward to what 21 has in store for me.

xoxo,
clp

day before birthday recap, recipe & ootd

day two of birthday weekend! i am going to make this post short and sweet because i am exhausted but today was nothing short of perfect! i started today out with body pump and now i am ending it with an iveycake lemon blueberry cupcake! in between came lunch at goodness gracious with mom and phillip, a quick stop at green hills, and then mom and i went to christmas village in nashville! we came home to delicious buffalo chicken chili and cornbread so you could say that today could not have been better! posted below is the recipe for our chili and a picture of my outfit from today with my handsome looking brother, phillip, at goodness gracious! 

buffalo chicken chili

1 1/2 lb. raw boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved

1/4 tsp. each salt and black pepper
3 cups low-sodium fat-free chicken broth + more if needed
2 15.5-oz. cans cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups peeled and chopped carrots

2 cups chopped onion

1 tsp. chopped garlic

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 cup Frank's RedHot Buffalo Sauce + more if desired
crumbled blue cheese, feta, etc. for topping

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and place in a crock pot. Add all remaining ingredients except hot sauce. Stir. Set crockpot on low for 6-8 hrs or high for 3-4.
2. After chicken is fully cooked. shred with two forks and return to crockpot. Add hot sauce to chili and stir in crockpot. add additional chicken broth if needed.
3. To serve, top with additional Buffalo Sauce and cheese if desired! 

(slightly adapted from Hungry Girl)

green piko top, june rabbit fur vest, AG jeggings, j. crew mcalister boots,

j. crew statement earrings, louis vuitton speedy 30 and bandeau scarf 

told you it was going to be short and sweet and to the point! happy friday to everyone and happy almost birthday to me! 

xoxo, 

clp 

j. crew holiday style guide favorites & a throwback

i love getting holiday catalogs in the mail and of course, j. crew's is my favorite. as usual, its a work of art. just like with their last style guide, they debuted their holiday style guide on Pinterest. all the plaid, tartan, wool and cashmere is getting me so excited for the holiday dressing season! many items from this collection will be making their way onto my christmas wish list! here are a few of my favorites that hopefully i will be warm and cozy in this season! 

sleepshirt in bright cerise plaid flannel

plaid lodge moccasins

shirttail mini in sequins

crepe boatneck dress in modern red 

(a must for christmas eve!)

collection cashmere tunic, gold stripe mini skirt and the chevron checker snood

 boyshirt in deep ivy plaid, Collection trouser in royal duchesse and the Riviera earrings

jeweled starburst sweater, stretch perfect shirt and the Collection Café Capri in berry bouquet

boyshirt in rock salt plaid, stretchy toothpick jean and the colorblock wool baseball cap

(all images via Pinterest and jcrew.com)

today kicked off birthday weekend! i took some "personal absences" from two of my classes and headed home this morning after class. i got all my homework done before i left so i am really looking forward to a mostly school-free weekend. i was actually happy to see my cat and can't wait to sleep in my own bed tonight (not to mention happy to see my parents too). caroline came by so we could exchange 21st birthday presents (so strange that we are 21) and megan also stopped by! for her birthday, i got caroline a kate spade idiom bracelet. even though they market it as a bridesmaid gift, i think it is perfect to give someone that has been my best friend for literally my whole life. i am so happy i got to see both caroline and megan while i was home! i am glad i have been able to keep in touch with them after high school.

tomorrow is busy busy full of birthday weekend celebrations! i am going to body pump, lunch at goodness gracious with mom and phillip, green hills and christmas village! needless to say mom and i will be on the go all day long! i promise tomorrow's post will come with a full day recap, an OOTD and a recipe that has become a favorite here at the Parsley house!

xoxo,
clp

p.s. since my birthday is just 2 days away, here is a special throwback thursday picture from my very first birthday!

happy birthday to my BFF!

today is a special day! it is my very best friend in the whole wide world's 21st birthday! caroline and i have literally known each other our whole lives - i think we even met in the nursery. not many people can say they have known their best friend for their whole life but i am lucky enough to be able to. though we have different friends and go to different schools, every time we get together (which unfortunately is not as often as we would like) it is like nothing has changed. we can pick up where we left off last time. from preschool to elementary school to the summers we lived at each other houses, we have so many memories together. as shown in the picture below, we have changed quite a bit but i know one thing will never change: from the cradle to the grave, she is my best friend no matter what happens and i hope she has the happiest of birthdays!

xoxo,

clp

p.s. birthday countdown for me: just 3 more days!