Weekly Menu Round Up: October 5-9

I am very excited because this week is the week that I *FINALLY* get a break!!! Due to the coronavirus, my school has eliminated all breaks throughout the semester up until Thanksgiving when we end classes right before the holiday, in order to limit travel and activities off campus. However, this Tuesday, we finally have our one break of the semester with a day off of classes!!! While it has been super overwhelming just going without any break, I am most definitely grateful that my school is working to keep us all safe and contain the novel coronavirus on our campus. That being said, this week’s menu will be reflecting my one day off of classes this week.

Monday: Pesto Salmon

My mother makes the most amazing roasted pesto salmon. So, I decided that I wanted to try it out myself! I found this recipe from Food.com that tops it with cherry tomatoes and I will be serving it with roasted sheet pan broccoli and sweet peppers. Definitely cannot wait to kick off my week in a delicious way!!!

Wednesday: Roasted Garlic Pork Tenderloin

Now that it’s Fall y’all, I have been wanting to try out some new Fall recipes. I love myself some pork and I wanted to be adventurous in the kitchen. That being said, I will be finally trying another meat in my kitchen that is not bacon. I will be using this recipe from Sweet C’s. I am going to serve it with roasted potatoes and Brussels sprouts which are two of my favorite vegetables.

Thursday: Pork But Add Butternut Squash

For Thursday night, I will be enjoying my leftover pork from the night before, but serving it with roasted Butternut Squash this time. If you saw my photo of myself failing at cutting up a Butternut squash last week, do not fret, as I will be purchasing my Butternut Squash pre-cut this time. That being said, I will have an easy to make yet delicious dinner Thursday night!

Friday: Picnic!

I am getting together with some friends this Friday for dinner and a picnic. As I love hosting, I wanted to do something safe that also allows for social distancing. I will be making pesto pasta and serving it a cheese-meat platter and some apples. For the cheese-meat platter, I will be having Swiss and Gouda (my favorite cheese) cheeses and prosciutto and salami. That way, we can have a classic picnic with a nice Fall twist!!!

Dessert: Pumpkin Cookies

For about a year now, I have had some of Betty Crocker’s Limited Edition Pumpkin Cookie Mix sitting in my pantry. So, I will finally be popping it open this week to make something sweet for the Fall season, especially with my picnic and Fall Break coming up.

XOXO – Katie <3

#KatiesConfettiStyle September 28-October 2

Hey y’all! It’s officially Week 2 of showing off how I style different pieces for my brand-new weekly style series Katie’s Confetti Style. Today, I am sharing a round up of my looks from this past week. Please note that this week will be a smaller number of outfits, as I have had midterms. However, I did plan some super fun looks that I hope y’all enjoy!!!

Tuesday: A White Dress for Fall!

Whoever said that white dresses were made just for the warmer months clearly never knew how fun wearing a white dress in the Fall is! This white dress from SheIn that I got over the summer is such a fun piece. I did a shoot with it last summer, and it’s such a great staple!!! In order to style it for Fall, I added my chambray button down as a jacket, my Madison Boutique top knot hairband, and Kate Spade leopard print flats. Let’s just say that it is one of my favorite outfits of the season!!!

Thursday: Lilly Pulitzer’s Mila Shift for Fall!

I LOVE my Mila shifts!!! The fact that I can only wear my Mila shifts in the warmer months is clearly a fashion rule that I do not want to follow. So, I made my own fashion statement by styling my Mila shift from The Pink Crab in Zanzibar Ruff Night with my navy Vineyard Vines Shep Shirt (pullover). My Vineyard Vines Shep Shirt most definitely topped off the cake of my Fall Lilly look!!!

Friday: Mad for Plaid!

I don’t know about you, but I feeling ALL of the Friday feels!!! Plaid is most definitely one of my favorite Fall and Winter weather prints, so I had to pull out my plaid cape that I got while in Scotland. Consequently, I paired it with my white Talbots top that I purchased at a thrift store and have had for YEARS as well as my blue Murano glass heart necklace that I got while in Murano, Italy on a day trip from Venice, Italy. To top it off, I added my Jack Rogers blush tan suede boots and my black leggings from Kohl’s. Definitely a Friday look for the win!!!

XOXO – Katie <3

My Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale Haul!

Let’s throw some confetti in the air because my Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale haul has arrived and I am FINALLY SHARING IT WITH Y’ALL!!! I am SO excited to have all of my finds here with me, especially super early for After Party Sale finds to arrive. Before I share my finds, I want to thank my sweet influencer friend Kristen from Kristen’s Southern Splendor and a few other Lilly loving ladies for hosting a Lilly Pulitzer gift card giveaway that I was fortunate enough to win. Without winning that exciting giveaway, this September’s sale would not have been nearly exciting for me.

For this sale, I not only shopped on Lilly Pulitzer’s website, but I also supported a few small Signature stores – Palm Avenue Raleigh, The Peppermint Palm, and The Printed Peach – as well as a few pieces off of Poshmark. Many of these pieces are back to school items and early Christmas gifts as I did get a lot of exciting finds. Additionally, I bought a few pieces when I received my $20 off coupon for shopping the After Party Sale. What can I say?! I LOVE a good deal!!!

Headband in Totally Blossom

Adalee Shift Dress in Resort White

Kristen Top in Sunshine City

Ophelia Dress in It Was All A Dream

Billie Dress in FlaminGOALS

Wrap Dress in Southern Charm

Sophie Dress in Unicorn Of The Sea

Palm Avenue Printed Reusable Bag

Sophie Dress in Lilly’s House

Aleah Top in Hey Hey Bouquet

Trista Stretch Shirtdress in Who Let The Fronds Out

Delia Shift Dress (forget the print’s name!)

Shea Stretch Dress in True Navy

I am SO grateful that I found some really exciting and super fun finds during this year’s After Party Sale! While I know that this sale is a lot of items, I am also very blessed to have won a giveaway and have some super great Back To School finds for my final year of college as an undergraduate. As someone who consistently strives to look for fashion finds at an affordable price, the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sales allow me to find my favorite pieces for each season at a much cheaper rate than paying full price. While we cannot have a party in-person as in the past, I’m still having a big party over my sale finds and making the best of the current situation!

XOXO – Katie <3

DIY Laminated Placemats

Being on a budget, I always wanted to have cute placemats in my apartment, but did not want to pay the price for them. The majority of placemats that I see are around $10 each, which can be a hefty price tag for one placemat. That being said, I really wanted to find a way to DIY a placemat into something super cute yet practical. Today, I will be sharing how I made my own laminated placemats!

First Up: Pick Your Poison!

From wrapping paper to scrapbook paper to collages and everything in between, the base paper for your placemats can be pretty much anything that you wish. Using wrapping paper and cutting it into equivalent sizes (like I did) was the way that I DIYed my placemats. I purchased my wrapping paper from Paper Source for $10. You can also use fabric squares or cut pieces of fabric into squares to your liking. If you want to use pre-cut pieces of paper, there is always scrapbook paper which can be purchased at stores such as Michael’s or Hobby Lobby for 25 cents-$2.00 a piece. All still at a fraction of the cost!!!

On the custom made end of things, I have thought about printing out my favorite Lilly Pulitzer prints onto 8×10 sheets of paper. At the same time, you could easily put their favorite Lilly Pulitzer prints from their old Lilly Pulitzer planner into a collage and then laminate that as well. Moreover, you could easily custom design each placemat with a unique painting or with a customized monogram/saying on each placemat. A custom-made placemat will definitely brighten your tables!

Second: Get It Laminated

Now that you’ve picked your poison, it’s time to get it laminated! If you have a laminator at home, that is definitely the way to go. However, luckily, places like Staples and Office Depot offer lamination services that are affordable and easy to use. I got mine done at my college’s library, but I would definitely hit up a local Staple’s if I were at home. However you choose, to laminate your placemats, they will be done on the affordable side!

Third: Enjoy!

Now that you’ve laminated your poison, you now have your very own set of placemats AND at a fraction of the cost!!! The best part about laminating your own placemats is the practicality of it – they are easy to clean and super light. As always, you can customize your placemats to your liking! Hopefully, your placemats get a lot of love out of them for many more meals and years to come!

XOXO – Katie <3

Weekly Menu Round Up: September 28-October 2

To be blatantly honest, I did not make ANY of the recipes that I had on this week’s menu. Reason being, I went to Trader Joe’s on Monday and totally got sidetracked from my list and decided to cook what looked amazing on the shelves, especially all of the Fall stuff. At the same time, I was craving Shrimp n’ Grits Wednesday evening, so I somehow managed to whip up a bunch of cheesy grits, which was an unexpected plus to this week’s menu! That being said, I do plan to make each of the items on last week’s menu again, plus a few more special dishes!

Monday: Pepperoni Pizza

Homemade pizza is a favorite of mine, especially in my kitchen! Last Monday, I picked up some pizza dough from Trader Joe’s, so I will be trying that. I will also be topping it off with some pepperoni, which is a childhood pizza topping favorite of mine! Fun fact: my mother used to have us make homemade pizza’s and I ALWAYS topped mine off with pepperoni. It’s most definitely a tradition in the kitchen that I want to pass onto my future children as well!

Tuesday: Pasta with Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce

Since Fall is *finally* here y’all (!!!), I will be making pasta with noodles in the shape of pumpkins brought to you by Trader Joe’s with a homemade Pumpkin Alfredo sauce from Delish, as listed in last week’s menu. Funny enough, I got SO sidetracked from my menu planning that I never picked up some pumpkin puree which is required for this recipe, so this week I promise I will! I will be serving my pasta with a Caesar salad, as I will be trying a new Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing from Trader Joe’s and a baguette with olive oil!

Wednesday: Butternut Squash Soup

Just like the Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce, I will also be making my Butternut Squash soup from Allrecipes this week. I am SO excited for this soup, as it is a favorite of mine! At the same time, I will be serving it with roasted carrots and my favorite side dish green bean casserole. To allow for some dipping in the soup and as an appetizer, I will also be serving my baguette toasted and with olive oil and rosemary as well!

Thursday: Leftover Butternut Squash Soup

I plan to cook a lot on Wednesday, which will minimize my cooking come Thursday. Also, Butternut Squash soup is a favorite of mine, so I am looking forward to having it a lot towards the end of this coming week!

Dessert: Pumpkin Cookies

Who doesn’t love the Pillsbury Pumpkin cookies?! I have a BUNCH in my fridge and I cannot wait to bake them! Fun fact: I suck at baking cookies, so Pillsbury will have to do!

I am SO looking forward to this week’s menu. Luckily, I have been able to keep it simple yet practical and delicious. Here’s to our first full week of Fall y’all!!!

What I Wore Last Week

Hey y’all! If you have not heard already, I started a style series called Katie’s Confetti Style. Each day, usually weekdays, I will be sharing how I style a different piece in my closet for various occasions/seasons. I’m really excited that my first-ever week of Katie’s Confetti Style has been a success!!! Today, I will be sharing a round up of each of my four looks from throughout the week.

Monday: Lilly Pulitzer Skort for Fall

Start it out with a BANG! To kick off Katie’s Confetti Style, I decided to style none other than a piece from my favorite fashion designer: Lilly Pulitzer. Since I have SO MUCH Lilly Pulitzer in my closet, I opted to style my skort in my favorite print from this past Spring – Who Let The Fronds Out. With this print being extremely summery, I knew that it would be a super fun challenge to style for the Fall season. To transition this skort of mine to Fall, I paired it with a long sleeve grey top that I have had for years from Kohl’s along with a baby pink tweed jacket that I thrifted from the Nice, France-based fashion house Faconnable. To top it off, I added my pearl strands that I have had for years from Nordstrom Rack along with my vintage pink silk scarf that I wore as a hairband. Last but not least, NO Fall look is complete without riding boots and pink knee high socks courtesy of Target, like the one’s I am wearing from Tommy Hilfiger!

Tuesday: Dressing Up a Flannel

For the First Day of Fall, I could not choose a better piece to style than a flannel. The flannel that I am wearing is from Vineyard Vines and was gifted to me by my step mother about a month after I moved into my first semester at Meredith. To dress up my flannel while staying comfy, I wore my black Nicole Miller leggings that I purchased from TJ Maxx and added some dressy accessories, including my J Crew Factory necklace that I have had for years and my pearl embroidered top knot hairband from Madison Boutique in Raleigh. Lastly, I could not not wear my Tommy Hilfiger riding boots yet again!

Wednesday: PINK!

On Wednesday’s we wear pink! If you’re a Mean Girls fan like myself, then you know that quote ALL too well!!! As silly as it sounds, I just LOVE wearing pink on a Wednesday – it is my favorite color so what can I say?! For styling my pink outfit of the day, I decided to wear my long sleeve hot pink top from one of my favorite small North Carolina-based businesses Haley & the Hound and pair it with a Lilly Pulitzer skirt that I have had for years which I got from ThredUp. Since the skirt is in more of a geometric print, I knew that it could easily work for Fall! To top it all off, I added my Elie Tahari black and white bow flats.

Friday: Dressing the Part for a Virtual Career Fair!

Coincidentally, Friday happened to be a rainy day and also the day of Meredith College’s Virtual Career Fair. Since I strongly dislike getting my fancy shoes wet and well everything is on a virtual front for the time being, I decided to style my tweed Rebecca Taylor dress with my pink Hunter Boots. I mean everything is done better in pink aka the Elle Woods way, right?!

Katie’s Confetti Style has most definitely become a highlight of my day to day life. I know that y’all enjoy seeing them too!

XOXO – Katie <3

How To Fall In Love with YOURSELF More

They say that “the trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let things go.” During the past six months of social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic, I have been taking advantage of the free time that I have had to work on myself. One of the things that I am truly thankful for with the pandemic is that fact that I have been able to work on and fall in love with myself all over again. With today being the first day of Fall *eek*, I wanted play on the theme of Fall with one of my favorite topics: self love.

Do Something You Have Always Wanted to Do Yet Never Did

JUST DO IT!!! There are SO many things that I have wanted to do, but for some reason I did not. One of the best ways that we can showcase love and compassion to ourselves is by doing things that we want to do/try. Whether that be taking a trip you have always wanted to take, trying a new hobby, or going on a walk on a new trail, simply get out there and do it. If you cannot right now, then save up the money to do it when you can or get the resources to do it. The reward that you reap when you do that thing(s) will be much greater when you do it for YOU and not anyone else. There is SO much that we want to do and we can do it all for ourselves.

Take Time for YOU

One of the greatest ways to show love and care for yourself is to simply take time for yourself and only yourself. We all live crazy busy lives. I get it, too. However, it is really important to put away some time to simply do something for you. If that means taking a nap, then do it. If that means binge watching your favorite show with a glass of wine, then do it. If that means online shopping/browsing, then do it. Getting your mind off of the grind, which is what our minds are on practically ALL THE TIME, is such a great way to show yourself some love and compassion. Moreover, taking time for yourself shows your willingness to keep going to the best of your ability. When you put time away for you, you can then put your best self and foot forward when you are on the grind.

Practice Self Care

Self care takes all kinds and forms. As humans, we naturally spend so much time loving and caring for others that we forget about the most important person in our lives: ourselves. For myself, self care means knowing my limits and what I am willing to do and not do. At the same time, self care means for me to step back when needed and take time for myself to watch some reality television and sip some wine. Sometimes, self care simply means scrolling through my phone for minutes on end. Whatever it means for you, do what you have to and got to do. Once we take time to love and care for ourselves, we learn to grow and love ourselves for who we are and are meant to be.

Be Comfortable with Yourself

I’m going to be honest: this is something that I struggle with still. Guess what?! That is OKAY! We all are unique human beings, but unfortunately society strives to paint us all to fit one mold. The sad reality with society’s distortion of us all is that people feel afraid to come out and be comfortable in their own skin. We are all unique people, and we need to embrace who we truly are. Whether that means dressing in a certain way or style or embracing your love for Disney, the more you become comfortable with yourself, the happier you will be with your own self. Being comfortable in your own skin is one of the best ways to find love and compassion for yourself.

Don’t Care What Others Think About You

The only person whose opinion matters of yourself is your own. There will ALWAYS be haters. I hate to break it to you, but the more you begin to become more comfortable in your own skin and compassionate towards yourself, the more you will distance from those who do not align with your true self. Taylor Swift said it perfectly in her song Shake It Off, as “the haters gonna hate hate hate.” And guess what?! The people who are the proclaimed “haters” in your life, DO NOT MATTER!!! The only person that matters in your life is YOU. No one else is living your life but you. Remember that it is YOUR life to live and no one else’s.

Know YOUR Worth

Knowing your self worth is SO important. For many of us, our past experiences can easily make us feel as if they define our future one’s. However, that is NOT the case. Only YOU define YOUR future! You are worth SO MUCH more than what may have happened in your past. It could take some time for you to realize just that but overtime you will. Just know that you are capable of so much, which knowing yourself is key to falling in love with yourself all over again.

Only Compare To Yourself Yesterday NOT Others

Naturally, it is SO easy to compare ourselves to others. Every single time we do it, we make ourselves look worse in our own eyes as compared to someone else. A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on How I Began Comparing Myself to Others LESS, and it elaborates more on this subject matter. Long story short, comparing ourselves to others is such an unproductive thing to do with our time. At the same time, if we are to compare ourselves to someone, then it should be ourselves yesterday. When we begin comparing ourselves to our own self, we start to examine our self growth and work on ourselves instead of trying to work on others. When we do just that, we begin to love ourselves even more.

When we fall in love with ourselves, we easily let things go that we did not let go before. Falling in love with yourself is something easier said than done. However, it can and must be done by us all, in order for each of us to live out our best lives. This Fall, I hope y’all make it a goal to work on yourself more and to fall in love with yourself. It may take time, but it will happen and it’ll be OH SO WORTH IT. Once you do, you will not look back! You know what they say?! Self love is the BEST love!!!

XOXO – Katie <3

Weekly Menu Round Up: September 21-25

To be blatantly honest, I have not been the best recently about planning my weekly menus. With everything going on with the coronavirus and the extreme uncertainty that sits atop all of us, it has been difficult for me to keep up. At the same time, I know that y’all love seeing my Weekly Menu Round Up posts. So, that all being said, I do and will continue to share my weekly menus, but they will be a lot more simplified. As always, I hope that my weekly menus provide you with some inspiration for your own kitchen!

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash soup has been a classic family favorite in my family’s household. Now that it is starting to feel like Fall #YAY, I wanted to make this favorite of mine in my own kitchen! I will be trying an easy recipe from AllRecipes. At the same time, I will be serving it with roasted vegetables, whatever I find at Trader Joe’s that looks appealing, and crostini’s.

Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta

It is most definitely Fall y’all in my kitchen! This week, I will be making a Pumpkin Alfredo sauce from Delish. As for the noodles, I will be using the pumpkin-shaped noodles from Trader Joe’s that I CANNOT wait to have back in my kitchen. I will be serving the pasta with Texas toast.

Pumpkin Cookies

The other week, I picked up some of the classic Pillsbury Pumpkin Cookies. I cannot wait to whip some up this weekend, as they are a favorite of mine!!!

I hope y’all have a great week, as we go into Fall!

XOXO – Katie <3

My Craft Bucket List

Let’s get CRAFTY!!! Last week, I mentioned that one of the blessings that I have experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic is establishing new hobbies, including crafting. Since starting to dig into this brand-new hobby of mine, I have come across several different DIY crafty things that I want to try. Today, I have listed all of those to help gather myself some inspiration as well as y’all!

Home Decor

  • Coffee/Tea bar out of an antique armoire or shelf
  • Chair covers
  • Painted bar stools
  • Glitter confetti desk chair
  • Table runner
  • Lilly Pulitzer printed placemats
  • DIY laminated placemats using wrapping paper
  • Spray-painted picture frame
  • Curtains
  • Wine & design canvas
  • Fleece throw blanket
  • Area rug made out of fabric scraps
  • Door hanger

Fall

  • Pie banner
  • Painted pumpkins
  • Door sign
  • Wreath
  • Canvas

Christmas

  • Christmas cards (annually)
  • Photo ball ornaments (as gifts)
  • Lilly Pulitzer printed ornaments
  • Banner of some sort
  • Canvas
  • Wreath

Scrapbooks

  • Family trips/reunions
  • Friends & family graduation notes
  • My Meredith College experience
  • Study abroad

Accessories

  • Fleece scarf
  • Hairband
  • No sew skirt

If only I had the time to do it all!!!

XOXO – Katie <3

My First Month of College During Covid-19

To think that I would ever be going to classes while wearing a face mask or through Zoom is truly above me. At this moment, I feel extremely fortunate that Meredith College has not moved all classes permanently online for the Fall semester like many of the other colleges around me. While I feel really lucky to still be on campus a month in, it is still pretty tough to be taking on Senior year in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Today, I am sharing my one month reflection of being at college during Covid-19.

It is most definitely weird to be back on campus without the social aspect that my professors, classmates, and I really cherish. At Meredith, social events play an extremely vital role in the college experience, just like at pretty much every other college. To say that I miss that part of being at college would be an understatement, as I am a social person by nature – actually very very very social. Pre-pandemic, I was definitely that girl who hosted parties and gatherings of all kinds in her apartment. Not to mention the several activities that I did with others off campus as well. At the same time, I do know that in-person social events are put on hold right now and for good reason. That being said, I have strived to make it work for the time being, with getting together with friends both a virtual and/or social distanced environment. While it most definitely is not the same for me this semester

In terms of classes, I have had a mixture of in-person and online – 3 in-person and four online. Over the first few weeks of classes, I decided to switch two of my in-person classes to all online. Oddly enough, I have really enjoyed the online environment for classes during the pandemic. Although it was forced, I really like having the flexibility and honestly not having to leave my apartment or even bedroom for that matter to accomplish what I need to. At the moment, I have one in-person class and I chose to keep it in-person, as I have a bond with my classmates and professors in it. This class is also a favorite of mine, so it really worked out to keep it in-person.

Since I do have a lot more free time on my hands, I have been using it in many different ways. First, I have truly been able to invest in my platform here on The Pink Chickadee. Having the ability to be able to share what I do with y’all has truly been a blessing during this entire pandemic! At the same time, I have been able to invest in looking towards the future, through making connections at potential graduate schools and with potential employers. I have been conducting a ton of informational interviews with graduate school students at programs that I am interested in as well as people at companies that peak my interest. In my free time, I usually spend it crafting, which has become a new favorite hobby of mine! To be able to invest in myself so much more than before has really been a blessing even while in classes during this pandemic.

Looking back on my first month of classes of my Senior year, there have been many ups and downs, but one thing that remains for sure is the friends that I made, the family that I have, and the degree that I am attaining. Senior year, Coronavirus edition, was definitely not in my plan for my four years of college. However, like many things in life, plans can and will change and we have to be OKAY with that. Even though there is SO MUCH uncertainty at the moment, I do know that things will always work out in ways that we could have never even imagined. Simply hopping along for the ride and knowing that everyone around me, even if it is virtually, is going through similar things is extremely comforting and the way to go!

XOXO – Katie <3