Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays Everyone! I apologize for my long absence in the blogging world...buying a house & moving - then going into the holidays - makes a girl forget about her blog :) Not "forget" per se, but to be honest, I was just so busy with house stuff that there was nothing exciting to blog about. We are loving the new house and ALL the space!!! We have already had a couple of dinner parties, a great Christmas party, and we are hosting my mom's side of the family for Christmas on the 26th.

Just wanted to check by in and wish everyone a wonderful, safe holiday filled with special memories! Thank you for another year of reading my blog! It means the world to me!

Here's a few festive things that I've been doing lately.... Enjoy! xx

Table set for our first dinner party! Taken with iPhone..

Did a fun manicure on myself, with Sally Hansen "Gilty Pleasurese" and the copper glitter from Sephora for OPI

Love this color combo for the holidays!

The first gift I wrapped this year! Y'all know I had to add leopard in there some how!

Super cute & easy candy idea...

Take the old timey candy canes, dip them in melted chocolate, and sprinkle with any kind of sprinkles

Another version of the manicure I did on myself for our Christmas party!

I used Essie's "Marshmellow" and the red glitter from Sephora for OPI

I made this punch (from December's InStyle) for my Christmas party, and it was a HIT!

....and so easy! A definite crowd-pleaser!

Montage Jewelry One of A Kind Pieces.

Remember when I posted about the "Knock Your Socks Off Jewelry" here? Well, the designer behind that fabulous collection has done it again - this time equally unique yet at a lower price point! And let's be honest, who among us doesn't love beautiful, unique, one-of-a-kind jewelry that is easy on our bank account? I wanted to feature a few pieces on my blog, but to see the rest of the collection, visit The Montage Collection website and click "One Of A Kind" on the top part of the site. Many of the long necklaces can also be looped around the neck twice for a shorter look. Check it out, and don't forget Christmas is right around the corner! Giving a gift so unique is an art - and a treasured surprise for the one receiving it! Enjoy! xx

The "Shari" Necklace

This is my favorite from the collection due to its eye-catching design & ability to turn a plain outfit into something special! It's a statement necklace without going overboard. 

"Kate" Necklace

Long vintage-looking chain necklace with a woven piece at the end.

Would look great with brown, bronze, and grey!

"Babbie" necklace (look at the acorn hook it has!)

"Yvette" necklace

"Leticia" necklace

Love the bright orange color against the bronze chain! 

You can wear this 3 or 4 different ways because the toggle in the middle of the necklace can come undone!

"Lynnie" long necklace

Another one of my faves! 

This necklace can be worn looped around the neck twice, like it's shown here, or 

worn very long and layered with other pieces. 

"Yvette Agate Necklace"

This would look gorgeous against a plain white or black t-shirt, boyfriend jeans, and some heels!

Hammered Cuff

This would be a staple in any wardrobe!

Stretch bracelets - They look great alone or all together!

The "Fringe" bracelets

The "Bronze Bar" earrings

The "Double Drop" earring

"Knot" earrings

My favorite earring of the whole collection!

Go check out the rest at The Montage Collection website. Click "One Of A Kind" to shop the pieces I've featured today. Click "Shop" to get a link to shop other stunning collections from the same designer on Endless.com (Or you can click here and go straight to the Endless site) Do some Christmas shopping early! You will be glad you did :)

Everyone have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving! 

Riller and Fount Love.

There are only a few brands that I own a lot of pieces from...J Brand, Missoni, Alexander Wang, Forever 21. Most of the time, I share the love with any brand and any clothing item that inspires me and/or is very flattering on my body type. One of the brands I truly love is Riller and Fount. I own 6 or 7 pieces from the line, and each one is comfortable, travels well, and can be dressed up or down with ease. You can't ask for much more in any clothing item, can you? Well...unless it hides my addiction to Halloween Oreos ;)

Below I've posted pictures of some of the pieces I have. They are styled for everything from a high school reunion, Seattle Mariners team dinner, get together with friends, days full of running errands, and a night on the town in Atlanta. So check out Riller and Fount online - or with the links below - and add a piece from this amazing line to your wardrobe! (Or add it to your Christmas wish list!) You will love this "work horse" piece!

This one-shoulder dress is my "go-to" dresses when I want to dress up yet be COMFY!

I added a big belt to give the dress some shape, but you could leave it loose for a drapey look.

Here are a couple of close ups, of the dress above. I blogged about it already, here.

Just change the belt to a more casual one & add flats or wedge booties...

and you've got a more casual look or a more laid-back dressed up look.

See how versatile this one is, even though it's one shouldered?

This is a plain little T-Shirt type dress. I have it in navy (shown here) and olive green.

I wore it super casual here, with flip flops and a cool belt.

Just add a casual belt and a couple bracelets, and you're good to go!

Another casual look with this dress, worn at a music industry event.

 I added a plain white tank underneath, and wore the dress off one shoulder. I added fun sandals to punch up the look. It is casual and comfortable - yet looks put together.

These Riller and Fount dresses also cover a multitude of flaws ;)

Here is the same dress as above - but in olive green.

Here I left the belt off but added a statement necklace & platform shoes for a monochromatic look.

All of these dresses can be taken from summer to fall/winter by adding 

A) a long cardigan over it & belting for a layered look, or

B) Put a sweater over the dress, add tights & boots...and poof! You've got a great winter look!

Get it in black here.

This is another basic black dress, with a bit of a dolman sleeve.

As you can see, I dressed it up a bit by adding black wedges. 

I've also worn this more casual with layered gold necklaces and gold flats.

See? These pieces are a great staple to have in your wardrobe! The price point is great, but you can also find similar dresses at a lower price point if you do a google search for "T-shirt dresses." I know Express has some cute ones! I don't have anymore pictures of the other styles I own, but you get the idea. Any piece that can go in so many directions is a "MUST" for me! Here are some of my current favorite Riller and Fount pieces, below:

From the Fall 2011 collection, here.

Love this as it is, or with tights and booties/boots!

"Atlantis" Long Sleeve Drapey Tunic

Rosebud Maxi Dress

Would look great paired with a black or brown leather jacket and boots!

"Fiona" One Shoulder Kimono Dress

"Jinx" Draped Tunic - on Sale now!

One Year Anniversary!

Today is our one year anniversary!

WOW!

This is exactly right :)

One year ago today, we were here...

I am thankful for a year of blessings with my perfect match!

I am thankful my little honey is so kind, thoughtful, and supportive.

I am thankful we both come from loving, supportive families.

I am thankful for our amazing friends.

I am thankful we have each other!

I am also thankful he doesn't know I call him "little honey." :)

Must Try Side.

I know I've been posting a lot of recipes lately, but what can I say? It's the off-season, so my little honey and I have been cooking almost every night. I love to cook, and so does my other half...so let's just say our kitchen can rival that of a Top Chef get a little intense & busy sometimes! I tried a new side dish last night that we LOVED! As soon as the first bite was eaten, I knew I had to share it with y'all. You'll thank me later ;)

I have posted the recipe below, but I think you could definitely cut down on the sugar. Maybe even to 1 or 1 1/2 tablespoons - but that's just me. This recipe makes an 8x8 dish perfectly, so double it if you want more. Enjoy the recipe and a few other things that have made my week enjoyable so far!

Creamy Corn Pudding

SO AMAZING!

CREAMY CORN PUDDING

from Sunday in the South cookbook 

2 rolls frozen white creamed corn, thawed

1/2 stick butter, melted

3 TBS sugar (or less, just adjust to taste)

1/2 cup milk

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

2 TBS flour

3 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour into a greased 2 quart (8x8) baking dish. Bake for 45 mins or until set and golden. (It took an hour in my oven.)

Had this wine at a tasting recently and was blown away!

Great price and VERY tasty!

Most comfy PJs EVER... and in leopard, of course :)

Now that it's getting cold, these babies are my fave!

This candle is perfect for the upcoming holidays! Smells just like Christmas! 

Got mine today & can't wait to burn it! Get it here.

Fall Cooking Part 2.

Here is another wonderful fall recipe. My little honey LOVED this one!! Your kids will love it, too!!

Chicken with Roasted Pears & Cranberries

 2 1/2 cups wild rice (or you could use brown rice but I think wild rice is better!)

2 1/3 cups apple juice

1 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1 TBS olive oil

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 cup sliced green onions (or any kind of onion)

4 small (or 2 big) pears, cored and sliced

Cooking spray

1 cup dried cranberries

1 TBS sugar

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan & bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer rice mixture for 20 mins. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and onion, sauté 8 mins or until chicken is done. Preheat over to 450 degrees. Arrange pear slices in a single layer on baking sheet & coat with cooking spray. Bake pear slices at 450 degrees for 10 mins or until tender. Combine rice mixture, chicken mixture, pears, cranberries, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in large bowl. Toss gently. 

All I did was add some veggies for a complete meal, but you could just pair this with a salad for a great and easy meal, too!

Picture from a wedding we attend this past weekend.

Wearing a Missoni dress and necklace from Kittie Kyle.

Not sure how I did this, but I accidentally took this pic! I like it, though, because it shows the details of this stunning dress that Chris got me for Christmas last year! Goes with my purple Loubs, too :)

Hope you all had a great weekend! xx

Fall Cooking.

Look who's back in the blogging world? Sorry for my lengthy absence... after the baseball season ended, we went straight to Charleston for a wedding. Once we were back, we had an insane amount of packing/cleaning/closet cleaning out to do! And to top it all off, we've been looking at houses almost every day since we've been back in Nashville. May have some exciting new for you guys in the upcoming days, too, so stay tuned!!

Since it's October, I can officially start cooking with pumpkin, cinnamon, and cranberries without feeling like a nut. (Even though it's still in the 80s on some days here in Nashville!) I've made two AMAZING dinners this past week that I wanted to share with you. Fall-inspired and highly recommended by my little honey, these two recipes are easy to create - yet full of taste. No one will believe that these recipes are that simple...but they are! I will post one dish today and one dish later this week. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did! Happy Fall, Y'all!

Fall Meal: Stuffed Pork Loin Chops (Recipe below), baked sweet potato, and a fall-inspired salad

I was too lazy to write the whole recipe out, so I took a picture of it! Ha!

This one is GREAT! Try it for your "little honey" or group of friends.

These Crispy Sage and Garlic Mashed Potatoes go very well with the pork dish!

I didn't make them because I am trying to be (somewhat) healthy before my 10 Year High School reunion. (Gasp!) 

Another fall dish I wanted to share with you guys is Pumpkin Oatmeal.

Truthfully, I've made a version of this every other day for the past 2 weeks. It's THAT good!

I use this recipe, then add my own ingredients.

I use skim or 1% milk to make the oats, and I add 1/2 of a mashed banana for sweetness.

Once it's done I add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, toasted pecans, cranberries, and a drizzle of almond butter over the top! So warm and satisfying! 

Also LOVING the book "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls! Such a touching story!

My little honey and I went to "Grapes and Grains" this weekend, benefitting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Wine and whiskey tasting? 

Perfect for both of us... I taste the wine, he tastes the whiskey!

Since I am doing a MAJOR closet clean-out, I will be doing a sale on my blog with some amazing, gently used clothing and shoes. Keep checking back for that! 

Follow me on Twitter here. (@lindsaykharper)

Follow me on Pintrest here.