Friday Five

1. My favorite One Room Challenge room is this lovely dining room from Stephanie Kraus. Isn't is so southernly beautiful?

2. The most impressive ORC makeover goes to that of Naomi. I mean, this kitchen was UG! And now... pretty freaking spectacular!

3. I bought this new chair for next to nothing for my desk. You can't tell from the picture, but it needs a little TLC... coming soon!

4. I bought this Quadrille China Seas fabric at closeout at a local fabric store. Now I'm rethinking my whole guest bedroom scheme... This will include painting that newly painted green a navy blue. Thoughts?

5. My job is so fun! I created, styled and photographed (with an iPhone- eeeek) our new ads for Monkee's 4th annual vintage Chanel party. 

XO Lindsay

Easy Roasted Tomato Bacon Soup

Okay, you guys. This recipe is easier than easy and so so good! Brad doesn't love soup, but he enjoyed this one. There's nothing better on a cold night than old fashioned soup & grilled cheese. 

Am I right?

Ingredients

2-3lbs. roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise

2tbsp vegetable oil

6 strips bacon, chopped

1 small white onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

1.5c chicken stock

2 bay leaves

1tbsp smoked paprika

2/3c heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil, and lay out tomatoes so that they are in a single layer. Drizzle with oil, and then sprinkle generously with salt & pepper. Roast until tomatoes are tender, about an hour.

2. Meanwhile, heart a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy (8-10min). Transfer to a bowl and set aside, reserving the bacon fat in the pot. 

3. Add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Then add the chicken stock, bay leaves, paprika, tomatoes, and bacon and bring to a boil. Reduct heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15-20 minutes to slightly reduce.

4. Use an immersion blender or transfer the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer soup back to the pot and stir in heavy cream. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Recipe via

XO Lindsay

Halloween 2014

Happy November! 

It's so hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just a little over 3 weeks away.... WHAT!? I'm okay with it, though. This is my most favorite time of the year. From October 1st through December 31st, you will not find me in a bad mood. 

My Halloween party was a major success. We had about 50 of our friends over Friday night once the trick-or-treaters were home safe and sound. I thought I'd share with you my party decor, the food, and some pictures of our party goers. 

For me, a house party with your closest friends beats the hell out of a bar with a bunch of scandalous ladies and gents on Halloween. Don't you agree?

P.S. Here's my confession. When the guests left Friday night, I stayed up until 4am cleaning up and taking down every single Halloween decoration both inside and outside. I was so over everything Halloween, and I knew I'd be much happier waking up Saturday morning with Halloween gone. And I was right! Bring on Thanksgiving!

XO Lindsay

Selfie Cam

How often do you take selfies? Me, once every 3 weeks or so... And I usually make a stupid face when I take a selfie because I feel so awkward taking one. Let's be honest, selfies aren't usually taken to capture a serious / precious moment anyway...

Last night, my coworkers and I were heading out to attend Wilmington's Fall Fashion Preview. It features all of the best boutiques around town, so we just had to be there! Before we got to the event, we wanted to be sure to get a picture of ourselves... Cue selfies number 1, 3, and 12. 

"There has to be an app with a timer that will take a picture of us..."

Indeed, there is!! 

Photo Timer+, you genius man, you!

Ta-da!

XO Lindsay

Pinterest Dump

Good morning, Everyone!

There's no usual "scenes from the weekend" post today because we did NOTHING over the weekend... And I loved every bit of it. Seriously. Every invite we got to do something, we turned down. So instead, I'm dumping some of my favorite Pinterest things from the moment onto you. 

This tablescape is everything! With some tweaks here and there, this could easily become my Thanksgiving or Christmas table. 

via

I love hamburger helper, but I don't make boxed anything! I like to control what ingredients go into my meals, so I often make this copy cat. Tastes like the real thing. So good!

This beef stew looks delish. I plan on making it tomorrow night. 

I'm loving this look. It would even be cute with tights and booties. Anyone know where I can find this dress?? The link led to a dead end.

What I'm really crushing on this fall are camel colors. I'd rock both these looks. 

via

I'm a firm believer in this. I used to be quite the talker in my younger years. As I got older, I met so many people that talked more than me and never listened to a thing I had to say. It has become such a pet peeve of mine when someone can't just be quiet and listen that I try my damnedest to talk a lot less these days... 

XO Lindsay