The Pumpkin Patch

Do you go to a pumpkin patch every year? It isn't something my family did growing up (or at least that I remember doing, but my dad insisted he remembers going on a hayride or two) - we were more of the "grab a pumpkin from the roadside stand and go" kind of family. But since my first niece was born it's something we've made a point of doing every year. I guess that's how traditions are made, am I right?! 

I'm honestly kind of amazed by how cheesy a lot of the big pumpkin patches are (some feel like tourist traps!) but we found one that we love and have been to three times now - Kroll's! It's pretty small, but they have everything I want and need in a pumpkin patch: pumpkins, apple cider donuts, a small petting zoo (where you can tell the animals are treated well), hayrides, and a corn maze. 

We stayed at my parents' house over the weekend for a mini staycation, so we headed over on Saturday morning with my parents and my sister's family. We ate, we didn't get lost in the corn maze, and we touched every pumpkin that was for sale (and then one of us maybe melted down when it was time to stop touching every pumpkin!) - a perfect fall day! 

Mia's top, jumper, tights, shoes, and hair bow

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A Little Red, A Little Plaid

Shirt and Sweater - J. Crew Factory / Jacket (similar) and Bracelet - MICHAEL Michael Kors / Jeans - Gap / Boots - TOMS / Bag (similar) - Coach Factory

Okay, so how did we get to halfway through November!? I'm not mad about it or anything, I'm just wondering how we got here. The main benefit of this time of year is it's red plaid season!! I got this ruffled collar plaid shirt in the mail last week and was so excited I had to immediately put it on my body. I've maybe worn it three times in the last week. Don't judge me.

Seriously though, if you're starting to think about what you might wear to all of your holiday events, this. shirt. is. it. I mean, it's red. Check. It's plaid. Check. And it has a super adorable ruffle detail. Check. I love it layered here, but it really works well on it's own too (stay tuned for that!) If you're thinking about adding it into your closet I suggest doing it NOW because A) it's so adorable, B) it's currently on sale, and C) some sizes are already sold out so it's going fast!

I'm not sure I necessarily needed this one in my closet though, because it is literally exploding with red plaid button-downs at this point. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with myself come January, but I definitely know what I'll be wearing until then.

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Previously on KDTI - red plaid:

 

Linking up with Style Me Wednesday, Style Sessions, Confident Twosday.

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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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A Very Fall Friday

Happy Friday everyone!!  Even though the weather is cooperating and there are a couple of weird ghosts made out of table cloths hanging in my office, it isn't quite feeling like October to me yet.  To get a little more in the mood, I went back and looked at some of my posts from last fall.  Here are a couple of my favorites for you:

I went through a phase of making cakes in weird shapes, which culminated with a pumpkin shaped cake for Halloween.  In order to not disappoint the people eating said cake, I recommend making it pumpkin flavored, and not chocolate like I did... Original Post

Everyone likes fall candles.  I decided that not only should my candles smell like fall, but also look like fall.  Original Post

Meet the comfiest Halloween costume I've ever worn - the carebear!  Added bonus: it got me quite a few hugs ;) Original Post

One nightgown plus one ribbon equaled one of the easiest and cheapest Halloween costumes I've ever made - Wendy from Peter Pan.  

I hope you have a great fall weekend full of lots and lots of pumpkin flavored foods ;)


P.S. Today I'm being featured on Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins/FACE IT Catalogue and on Simple Easy Style.

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Dreaming Of: Comfort Foods

Yesterday the temperature dropped here in Chicago.  While I was a little relieved (since I've been reading a book about global warming and freaking out a tinge), I was also a little displeased since the heat coincidentally decided to go on hiatus in my apartment.  Being buried under piles of blankets made me start to crave anything warm, rich, and creamy.

French Beef Stew with Red Wine

Tuscan Bean Soup

Tartflette

Baked Potato Soup

Best Shepherd's Pie

Ensemble: Turkey

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!  With three turkey dinners in as many days my stomach was quite pleased.  All of the colors in this outfit reminded me of a Thanksgiving dinner, with cranberry sauce of course.  Velvet jeans have really become my go-to this fall.  They're so comfy and soft, I want to wear them every day!  

Sweater: Old Navy / Velvet Jeans: Target / Boots: Bandolino / Necklace: Loft / Ring: World Market / Manicure: Essie Powder Clutch

Whenever I rock this particular ring the boyfriend starts to get nervous, he calls it my brass knuckles.  Don't worry, I've never used it for harm.  I actually got it from World Market, which often has some cool pieces for cheap.  Unfortunately the store by my apartment recently closed so that a Walmart Express could move in.  Double thumbs down.

Ensemble: Embellished & Velvet

I bought a pair of velvet jeans last week, and oh my, they're my new favorite!  I love them so much that I may have gone out and bought a second pair this weekend.  They're oh so comfortable and soft, and they make any outfit feel a bit more special.  

Sorry for the weirdish pic, this was the only one I took where you could see the actual color of the jeans.  Burgundy, yum!

Top - Macy's / Jeans - Target / Boots - Enzo Angiolini / Watch - NY&Co

Ensemble: Halloween

Remember my favorite skirt?  Well I've been having a hard time styling it for fall so that I don't look, well, like a pumpkin.  Luckily on Halloween, pumpkin outfits are totally acceptable.

Tee - Old Navy / Skirt and Bracelets - Loft / Necklace - eBay / Tights - Simply Vera Vera Wang / Boots - Chinese Laundry

I hope everyone is having a fantastic Halloween!

My Halloween Costume: Loofah!

This past weekend my friends and I dressed up as loofahs to hit the town for Halloween.  We followed the instructions posted by Razmataz, except added quite a few safety pins to spread out and fluff the netting up a little more.  This is a no sew costume that is quick and easy to make.  I also added a toiletry bag as a purse, and threw in a Bud Light for good measure.

We were concerned, being that we were down at the University of Illinois, that the combination of Homecoming and Halloween would cause the bars to be super crowded.  We were wrong, got to the bars obnoxiously early, and were the only ones in costume when we arrived.  What to do?  Put some Spice Girls and Gangnam Style on the jukebox and take over the dance floor.  I really mean "take over" because there wasn't much space for other people to dance with all that tulle in the way, although a few were brave enough to jump in the middle and get a scrub down.  

What are you dressing up as for Halloween?  Will any of you be rocking your costumes in the office on Wednesday?

Happy Ron-oween Part Two

My friend Tracy sent this to me and I couldn't resist ;)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

I-L-L!

I'm heading down to University of Illinois today for Homecoming! Wahoo!  Yep, I just said "Wahoo," that's how excited I am.

I haven't actually managed to make it back for Homecoming since I graduated, terrible alumnus that I am.  We're going to tailgate, go to the game, and dress up for Halloween (!) along with the other alums and 18 year olds sneaking into bars.  

Oskee wow wow!!

A Pinterest Success: DIY Fall Candles

So last week I posted about wanting to complete some Pinterest projects.  It turns out that sharing your goals with others, no matter how small they may be, really sets a fire under your butt to get them down. And thus, I present to you, some fall candles.

(my roommate put out the pumpkins and gourds in the background, how cute!)

The idea for the cinnamon stick candles came from 320 Sycamore.  They were really simple to make, I simply hot glued the cinnamon sticks directly to the candles.  Each candle took about 1.5 packages of cinnamon sticks (look for them in the spice aisle).  

The twine-wrapped candle was a little trickier because for some reason the glue and the twine didn't want to stick to each other at the same time.   Eventually I got it though, and then wrapped the rest of the twine around the piece I had glued to the candle.  Hot glue might not be the best choice for this candle since it melts the candle.  

Not sure yet if it's safe to actually burn these, but the cinnamon candles smell great without having to light them!