This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...Finally saw a Second City show!! I know, I know, I live in this city with amazing improv yet I rarely actually think to go see it. It was my sister-in-law's birthday so we went to celebrate. It was seriously so funny, I was dyyyying.
...Ordered this gorgeous green off-the-shoulder dress for a wedding we're going to in DC in a couple of weeks. I'm really hoping it fits because I maybe don't have any other options in my closet. Okay, you and I both know that couldn't possibly be true, it just feels that way ;)
...Went to a little dinner party at a friend's house, which was really all a ruse so I could see their perfect little baby. What's up with all of the babies in my life these days? I'm not super mad about it.
...Had Jeff's family over for a little brunch party that I got way too excited about planning. We're talking mimosa bar, build your own bloodies, homemade pastries, and all of the breakfast tacos. Here's a tip, friends - never do tacos for a party. Every time I do, it ends up being way too much work to get all of the pieces together and hot at the same time while hosting, and you use every single dish you own. Of course, now I have piles of leftover tacos in my fridge so I'm not too mad about it ;)

I hope you had a good one!

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Friday Finds

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Shorts and a Sweater

Tee and Shorts - J. Crew Factory / Sweater - Old Navy / Bag - Sole Society / Flats - BP / Necklace (similar) - c/o LovelyWholeSale / Bracelet (on sale!) - Michael Kors

Why is it that wearing a sweater with shorts is so unusual, while pants with a tank is totally normal? I remember being younger and hearing from someone (god only knows where the style talk came from back then) that people in Europe wore sweaters with shorts, and I quote, "all the time." I have yet to determine if that is actually factual, having only been to Europe in the summer, or if some eight year old style guru was a little too confident in her knowledge of European trends.

Well anyway, with the funky early fall weather in full effect, with cold mornings and hot afternoons, I've been tossing this camel cardigan over just about everything. By themselves a white tee/white shorts combo would feel super summery, but toss in a camel cardigan and some darker accessories and it's perfect for transitioning into fall.

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Previously on KDTI - white shorts:

 

Linking up with Mix It Monday, Friday Fab Favorites, Flashback Friday.

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Favorite Cookbooks

I don't know about you, but I basically have ADD when it comes to dinner. I have a couple of recipes that I consider my standards, but for the most part I'm always trying something new. While I love pinning and trying recipes from Pinterest, I really prefer cooking out of cookbooks. You know that those authors really put in the time to test each recipe so you know that the directions are correct and that what you make is definitely going to turn out. Here are a couple of my favorites:

The Skinny Taste Cookbook
I got this in Jeff's family gift exchange last Christmas, and I seriously love it! Jeff and I often have a hard time eating healthy because we love rich and flavorful meals, and this is showing us how to make tweaks to our favorites to make them fit into a healthier lifestyle. It also has my new all-time favorite recipes for fish and for baking or grilling vegetables. I'm definitely putting their new SkinnyTaste Fast and Slow cookbook on my wishlist!

Keepers
The goal of Keepers is to show you easy, weeknight meals that make it so much easier for me to actually cook instead of ordering delivery when I get home at night. This cookbook has a lot of ways to speed up the cooking process, like making lasagna made in a skillet or using puff pastry to make an easy chicken pot pie. They also have my favorite recipe for fancying up those boneless, skinless chicken breasts! The book is also really fun to read, the authors fill it with stories and advice that make it more than just your average cookbook.

Betty Crocker Cookbook
This book is a classic for a reason: it's filled with those recipes that just taste like home, and is also full of cooking skills and tips to teach even the most amateur chef different techniques to improve their kitchen skills. It's such a classic that we actually have two copies in our house! Everything in the book is great, but I swear by Betty's chocolate chip cookie recipe .

What are some of your favorite cookbooks?

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Tuesday Things

Dress - Gap / Scarf - Sole Society / Sandals - Dolce Vita / Bag (similar) - Coach Factory / Earrings (similar) and Bracelet - BaubleBar

1. How cute is this leopard scarf?!? I actually bought it two years ago and have barely worn it, but that may need to change now because it is so cute. I always buy scarves but then have a hard time styling them, so I have a drawer full of scarves that barely get worn - someone help!

2. I tried the modern greek quinoa salad at Panera last week (when our work provided lunch ran out before I got there, wahhhh no free lunch for me!), and ohmygod you guys, it was so good!!! Like, so good I actually ate kale without complaining and didn't notice I wasn't eating meat. Which literally never happens for me. I'm always all, "That was pretty good but I still want some chicken." Feta and almonds and quinoa for the win!

3. It cooled down a little over the weekend and I was so excited to pull out my sweats and slippers for lounging around the house. Am I excited for fall?! AM I?????

4. I've been working out more lately and decided it was time to spring for some new workout clothes - my old stretched out 5k tees weren't cutting it! How adorable are these mesh inset leggings?! And the back of this top, ohmygee, dyyyying. I'm guessing it won't be super supportive but will definitely work for walks around the neighborhood!

5. I'm heading to a weeklong tradeshow for work at the beginning of October where I'll either be standing or running around for 12+ hours a day, and I'm so freaking scared for my feet that I'm considering buying these shoes even though they are so gosh darn ugly. Could I wear them with wide leg dress pants and no one would notice the ugliness on my feet?? Help!

6. I tried to change a lightbulb in our house with one of those lightbulb changing sticks last week. Ten minutes later, I had the lightbulb stick stuck in the ceiling with the can from behind the lightbulb hanging completely out of the ceiling. Oh, and the old lightbulb was STILL IN THERE. We decided that Jeff should be in charge of changing lightbulbs from now on....

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Previously on KDTI - Green Swing Dress:

 

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

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...Took Jeff out for sushi at Fin, which has the most adorable little outdoor patio area - chandeliers hanging from trees for the win! Some of their sushi was a little too weird for me though, I don't really need honey or plantains in my rolls. But, you know, it was BYOB so I think I can forgive them ;)
...Went out to my aunt and uncle's house in the suburbs to celebrate my cousin's engagement. We drank a lot of bubbly plus I got to see my niece take some of her first steps and somehow managed to get a video of it (as you may have seen on Snapchat - @kristinadoes), which all-in-all add up to a pretty good afternoon.
...Watched a whole lot of football with our friends and did a whole lot of couple's fantasy league trash talking, despite the fact that my team is not doing great so far - maybe that's why you shouldn't pick players based on how handsome they are!
...Did a little bit of shopping and somehow didn't buy anything. I am seriously considering this sweater cape though. It's more than I'd like to spend, but the plaid is perfection and I can see wearing it all fall and winter long.
...Felt the tiniest of chills in the air and decided to make this White Bean & Bacon Soup and ohhhhhh my god it is so good! The recipe calls for topping it with brown butter but we have a ton of truffle oil sitting around (because that's totally normal right?) so we went with that instead, and then I had to lay down for the rest of the night to recover haha.

I hope you had a good one!

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Friday Finds

one / two / three / four / five

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