This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...Celebrated my last day working out in the suburbs! Just in case you were confused with all of my Instagrams & Snapchats (because I was really freaking excited - find me @kristinadoes), I'm not changing jobs. Our office is just moving from way north of the city into downtown Chicago. I worked downtown for the first five years of my career, and I could not be more excited to be going back! I'm a little worried for my wallet though, since working downtown is what led to my full-blown shopping addiction hahaha.
...Got a little too excited at West Elm and picked up some Christmas stuff, and then ACTUALLY PUT SOME OF IT UP?!??! What?! Okay, okay, so the only things I put up that are specifically Christmas-y are this branch and a candle, but still. It's still October. Someone come and give me a hard poke in the side please. I'd promise that I'd at least wait to turn on the lights, but I would have already broken that promise sooo....
...Went to a Halloween / Cubs watch / Oktoberfest beer tasting party. Just as I suspected, I hate just about every October or pumpkin beer. However, getting to bust out our costumes (I dressed up as Jeff, Jeff dressed up as me in this particular outfit lollllllll) was so fun, I'm always down for an excuse to dress up!
...Ordered in from Fork, and let me tell you, those brussels sprouts still do not disappoint. I think the giant pieces of bacon help ;)
...Drove down to the University of Illinois with the fam bam (almost all of us are alums!) to celebrate homecoming and watch a little football. Err, okay, I barely paid attention to the game, but had a ton of fun watching the band because #nerdalert.
...Maybe maybe maybe managed to make VIB status at Sephora (weirdly this was what put me over the top!), which is obscene. I don't know what's happened to me. And then I was driving past Ulta and stopped and picked up another armload of hair supplies. Don't tell Jeff.

I hope you had a good one!

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Friday Finds

Happy Friday! What are you up to this weekend? Something Halloween-y, I'd hope. We're going to a little party tonight, but we have sports plans for the rest of the weekend so I'll be dressing up as a fan hahaha. We did have our Halloween party at work yesterday thought (and I may have busted out this bad boy again) so I got plenty of costume time already ;)

Here are a few of my finds this week:

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Five Things To Do This Fall

Blouse - Target / Jeans - Madewell / Bag - Sole Society / Heels - Sam Edelman / Bracelet (similar) - Michael Kors

I know we're still in October, but it feels like fall is already slipping away! I mean, I wore a hat to work the other day. Not like, a cute hat for fashion, but a warm hat because it was 40 degrees out when I left the house. I just am not ready for this! There's so much fall I have left to experience. Do you feel the same way? Well here are five ways to get your fall on before it's too late:

1. Pull out the pumpkins! Lattes are fine, but I'm talking about the real deal. Pumpkins aren't just for Halloween (not that there isn't still time to carve a jack-o-lantern!), but they're also great for decorating after the 31st too! I love going with all white pumpkins to add a more subtle, classy touch to your interior decor. Oh, and don't forget the pumpkin candles - I've been burning this baby almost every day for the past couple weeks and it's still going strong.
   
   
2. Spike some cider! You know all of that cider you picked up because you got super excited about fall but is still sitting in your fridge untouched? Oh no, just me? Well anyway, it's the perfect time to make a fun fall cocktail. My family always makes it in the crockpot for parties (which also gets your house smelling amazing!), but how fun does this apple cider sangria look?!
   
3. Go for a drive to see the colors! My parents took a spontaneous road trip last weekend to see some foliage and it sounded like such a fun little day trip. For most of the United States the peak time for leaves is supposed to be this weekend, so go go go!
   
4. Catch a football game! We're heading down to the good ole University of Illinois for homecoming this weekend, and I'm really excited for the whole day, from tailgating to the band to, of course, the actual game. If you can't get to a pro or college game, even a local high school football game is always a fun time, especially under the Friday night lights. And hey, even if you don't like football, don't forget about the food. Ohhhhhh, the food ;)
   
5. Wander through a corn maze! While most of the apple picking and pumpkin patching is done for the year, corn mazes tend to stick around a lot longer. I love corn mazes even though I'm terrible at them, which is funny because in real life I have a pretty good sense of direction. I love going at night, it makes the whole thing a little spookier. 

What are some of your favorite fall activities?

P.S. Don't forget, Halloween is on Monday!!! Just in case you're still looking for something to wear, check out my easy Parks and Rec and Mean Girls costumes!

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Previously on KDTI - cowl neck sweater:

 

Linking up with Mix It Monday, Flashback Friday, Friday Fab Favorites, What I Wore to Work.

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October Budget

Every month I post about my clothing budget. My budget per month is $300, which to some may seem like a lot and to others a little, but feels just right for me. You can read my thoughts on my 2015 budget here. 

Well it looks like my September and October shopping really did get flipped this year, because while I bought just three items in September I went a little crazy this month. Whoops. I say that because I usually barely shop in October, and one year even did a shopping ban.

I actually probably would have ended up under budget if these beautiful lace-up heels hadn't walked into my life. I'm not really a heels person because I'd much prefer to be comfortable (plus I have really fussy feet), but I've had these babies for a week now and have already managed to wear them three times. I wouldn't say they're SUPER comfortable or anything, but I did walk a mile in them last Friday because you have to walk a mile to get to anything in Chicago, and my feet felt fine afterwards!

So anyways, here's the damage for October:

LOFT Shawl Open Cardigan (in white and eggplant): originally $59.50, on sale $29.75 x2. This sweater is so cozy, not too oversized, and still the perfect length for leggings, so I had to buy two ;)
LOFT Tunic Sweater (seen here): originally $49.50, on sale $24.75.
Sam Edelman Lace-up Heels: $130. Love, love, love, love, love.
J. Crew Factory Flannel Button Down (seen here): originally $69.50, on sale $34.50. The fit in this is "perfect fit" and yes, ohmygee it seriously is the perfect fit. So flattering.
Target Scarf: $19.99. Because I definitely needed another scarf.
L.L.Bean Scotch Plaid Shirt (in Black Watch and Prince Charles Edward): originally $44.95, on sale $35.96 x2. These are so warm and cozy I might buy a few more ;)

Total spent: $340.66
Total saved: $137.23

In all honesty, I did actually buy two more things that didn't wind up on the budget. Jeff and I bought each other some presents in a little fit of celebration from Vineyard Vines last week during their friends and family sale, and since they didn't come out of my normal clothing budget I decided not to include them. I got this adorable striped Shep Shirt and a flannel hat that I've been eyeing ever since I included it in this packing post last year. Jeff got a new button down because I bought him one Vineyard Vines shirt over the summer and turned him into a preppy little monster. They're basically all he wears now.

I honestly have no idea what I'll be shopping for next month. I thought I was going to snag this cute coat but tried it on over the weekend and didn't love it. I have been wanting a new pair of boots but haven't seen any I like yet so we'll see.

Did you budget in October? How did you do?

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Vest Season

Shirt - L.L. Bean / Vest - J. Crew Factory / Jeans (similar) - Madewell / Booties (similar) - Target / Bag - Sole Society / Watch - Wristology / Necklace - Stella & Dot

Who else is super excited for vest season? Okay, just about everyone? I was in line at the outlet mall over the weekend and every single woman in front of me was wearing one. It may be super #basic, but hey, it's warm and cozy and adds a little more interest to an outfit, so I'm going to keep at it ;)

Speaking of vests, I'm currently in a vest arms race with one of my male coworkers. He had one more than me, but then I picked up this white beauty so we were tied. Then he managed to score a Patagonia vest through work, so now he's winning again. I may just let him pull ahead though, because he said last week that if he were to be paid entirely in vests he would be happy. And, you know, I prefer the dollar dollar bills.

So tell me, are you all in on vest season?

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...Went to Soho House for the first time for a blogger meetup. I thought the whole thing was super exclusive and you had to be a member to get in, but it turns out that's just to get to the stuff upstairs! I could have been going there all along! So if you're in the West Loop looking for a good spot for drinks before dinner, definitely check out The Allis - it was super cute and not too crowded.
...Drove out to the outlet mall to make a few returns, and somehow didn't buy anything! Okay, so that's not really true, I did buy a new winter hat. But I didn't buy anything unnecessary? I'm still counting it as a win.
...Met up with a girlfriend for mani-pedis and drinks, and then ended up at Compass to watch the Cubs game. I actually could have had a ticket to the game, but I've been to a lot of games lately so I told Jeff to bring a friend instead. Well they WON and are going to the World Series so now I feel like a dummy haha - I could have been there!
...Wound up at O'Shaughnessy's for dinner again and ordered the steak sandwich again - if we don't watch out we're going to end up being those regulars who want the usual!

I hope you had a good one!

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Friday FInds

What are you up to this weekend? For the first time in weeks we don't actually have anything planned, and I'm so excited! We're hopefully going to finally finish putting together the new storage unit for my closet and I'm hoping to make it out to the outlet mall (danger! danger!), but besides that I'm looking forward to a whole lot of lazying around.

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Stripes & Plaid

Dress (similar) - Gap / Scarf (similar) - Target / Boots - Hunter / Bag - Sole Society / Bracelet - Michael Kors / Socks - Lemon (similar and adorable pointelle version)

Jeff and I finally managed to do some fall-tivities last weekend! Every other year we've attempted to go to a pumpkin patch, it's basically been the coldest and windiest day ever, so we've really wanted to get in and out. This year, while still super windy, it was actually really beautiful out! While that meant our outdoor time was a much more enjoyable experience, it also meant that the crowds came out with us. We managed to snap these pics in some quiet corners, but the place we went was packed!

We went to Goebbert's in South Barrington with my sister's family for our little fall adventure, and immediately realized that last time we went to Goebbert's we actually went to the other location! If you have little kids who just want to run through a million playgrounds while you sit on a bench and relax, then South Barrington is the location for you, but we really preferred the location in Hampshire. Hampshire is a bit further from Chicago and more rural, which means it's quieter, more spread-out, and less crowded. Although both have a giraffe so I guess you really can't go wrong ;)

I was excited to get to wear this sweatshirt dress, which requires a very specific temperature point to work ;) I added in the boots because I knew it would be dusty and dirty (p.s. check out how to clean your Hunter boots!), which confused my sister to no end since it wasn't anywhere close to raining. I pointed out that lots of other people were wearing rain boots too, they just, you know, weren't bright red. Great minds think alike, and then some of those minds think they could somehow be greater and choose red.

Have you done any fun fall activities this season?

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Previously on KDTI - striped dress:

 

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Casual Fall Style

Three cheers for sweater season! I'm having a hard time not adding every sweater I see to my closet. I took a little shopping break with my coworkers yesterday and had to literally hold myself back from five or six super soft and cozy ones. This striped turtleneck is super adorable, and I can see it being perfect for a lot of fall activities, from picking out a pumpkin, doing a little fall wine tasting (like I'll be doing in a few weeks, eep!!), a road trip to see the fall foliage, or even next month for a casual-but-still-put-together Thanksgiving. In the fall I like to mix rich accessory colors, like these pretty burgundies and tans and olive - they add so much dimension to your outfit. Oh and I'm dying over these little monogrammed stud earrings - I'm not even a monogram kind of girl but I may need these!!

lip pencil / earrings / coat / sweater / leggings / watch / loafers / bag

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Perfect Fall Tunic

Sweater - LOFT / Jeans - Old Navy / Boots and Bag - Sole Society / Necklace (similar) - Madewell

I don't know about you, but one of my goals when shopping for fall and winter clothes is always to find more sweaters that work with leggings. You know, because leggings are basically the best ever, but I'm not wearing a shirt that doesn't cover my behind when I wear them! A lot of tunics don't really work on my body type, but this oversized beauty definitely does! I might have to buy it in every color. It doesn't hurt that the sleeves are extra long too. Growing up as a taller person, my sleeves were basically always too short, so I always get excited when sleeves are actually long (or pants!). So, you know, if you're a shorty this top may not quite be for you, but if you had some painful middle school years where your pants were always embarrassingly too short, then go for it!

What have you been up to this week? Jeff felt like he hadn't been around much lately, what with it being his busy season at work and all of the football and baseball he's been watching, so he took me out for a little weeknight date night yesterday night. We went to a little BYOB neighborhood Italian place, and it was so nice to have a little time with the boo and a lot of pasta in my belly. And now I'm happy to be a sports widow for the rest of the week ;)

I also had some good news at work this week - really, the trifecta of good news. First, my office is finally moving downtown! I've been working up in the northern suburbs for two years now, and they've been teasing us for months about how we were moving downtown "soon." Well, now it's finally official, and we'll be downtown in two weeks! I'm a city girl through and through, so it's definitely good news for me. I also found out that I got a new job in the company! I also start that in two weeks.  The third piece of good news is that my first day is at an offsite in Napa!! This girl likes a glass of vino, so I'm so excited to finally check out wine country. I even convinced Jeff to come out and extend the trip with me - more wine, more wine! To say I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks would be a bit of an understatement.

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Previously on KDTI - white denim:

 

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