Scenes From The Week

I apologize for my silence... 

I spent 36 hours working / decorating Monkee's for Christmas. Today, I'm doing nothing, and I'm freakin ecstatic about it! 

I'd typically would've already shared "scenes from the weekend", but now I have some catching up to do. Check out scenes from my week. 

Saturday night, we went to a friend's house for a fun night featuring Asian cuisine. Everyone brought a dish, and these peeps went all out! Brad made dark chocolate and banana egg rolls... Y'all, this is the first dessert Brad has ever made, and it was good!

We had sushi for the first time in a long time. My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach!

Hilary Duff keeps rocking this hairstyle, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I love it! I think it's my new go-to for the mornings I don't blow dry or brush my hair. 

Now for the decorating... 

I spent countless hours with my decorating sidekick, and I could not have finished this store without her! 

To see more of my Christmas window creations, head on over to the Monkee's blog!

XO Lindsay

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