What's Your Coffee Order?

Jacket - Old Navy / Top (similar here and here) - LOFT / Jeans - Gap / Flats (exact on eBay, similar here) - BP / Bag - Clare V

Something that people are always shocked to learn about me is that I don't like coffee. It's really funny to tell people, because the conversation alway goes exactly the same: 

"You don't like coffee? Do you drink tea?"

"Nope, I don't like tea either." 

"So what do you drink in the morning?"

"Water." 

"But how do you wake up?"

"I... just do?" 

I've never been a caffeine person, I thought that might change when I had Mia and couldn't get eight hours of sleep a night, but nope, we're still going strong over here uncaffeinated. I can't get past the taste of coffee (bleh) and too much caffeine (read: a normal amount for most adult humans) gives me the jitters and an immediate headache. 

I usually don't even think about my non-coffee preferences, unless someone asks me on a coffee date.  In college a guy asked me on a coffee date, and we both got to the register and realized neither of us liked coffee and we were like "WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?!" and went and got a beer instead.

I literally taught myself to like chai lattes because I knew they were really mild and I needed something to drink in coffee shops so I wouldn't embarrass myself when I was networking. No one wants to hire the girl drinking a "kids temperature hot chocolate" (which, yes, I have ordered before ;)

So what's my go-to order? In the summer, I'll go for a non-fat iced chai latte or a lightly sweetened passion tango tea at Starbucks, which is basically adult Kool Aid. The rest of the year, I'll get that chai hot or a peppermint hot chocolate around the holidays. 

Maybe someday I'll start drinking coffee, but I doubt it. Me and my water are doing just fine over here.

Jacket - Old Navy / Top (similar here and here) - LOFT / Jeans - Gap / Flats (exact on eBay, similar here) - BP / Bag - Clare V

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Blue and White for Spring

Top - LOFT / Jeans (these are old, linking a super similar pair here) - Gap / Mules (similar here, here, and here) - Nordstrom / Bag (similar) - Ann Taylor / Earrings - J.Crew Factory / Sunglasses - Amazon

White and blue are 100% my spring and summer colors. They're so pretty and fun and fresh. Perfect for getting that beach vacation vibe, whether you're actually on a beach or just hanging out in Chicago's 50 degree spring weather.

I love the look of white denim with a blue and white blouse, and have the closet to prove it. As things heat up, I'll swap out the jeans for my favorite white denim shorts or maybe even a skirt, or I'll pair the top with denim shorts and a white sweater blazer for a cool summer night.

I'm so sad that this top sold out so quickly (although as I'm writing this, I did find one size left in petite). I hate when I come on here to share something new with you guys and it's already unavailable. But, no fear, I did some searching for similar tops and found a few winners:

I've actually had these white jeans for a couple of years now and still love them. White jeans may seem scary to keep clean, but they really aren't so bad. To keep them looking fresh, I toss them in the wash with a couple of bleach packets. And, for any stubborn stains, I have a new trick - laying them in the sun! I started trying this for tomato stains and had one completely disappear off of my favorite fleece, then for baby poop stains. It's freaking incredible. Oh sun, who knew you were always the best man for the job?

Top - LOFT / Jeans (these are old, linking a super similar pair here) - Gap / Mules (similar here, here, and here) - Nordstrom / Bag (similar) - Ann Taylor / Earrings - J.Crew Factory / Sunglasses - Amazon

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Spring Colors

Sweater (similar here and here) - Halogen / Jeans - Gap / Bag (similar) - Coach Factory / Necklace (similar) - BP / Flats (similar here and here) - Banana Republic 

I had to pull out a sweater for date night this weekend. Yes, I'm very upset about it. I'm sure you don't want to see photos of me in sweaters at this time of year, and I certainly don't want to show you sweaters any more.

But.

Chicago has been bouncing between 80 degrees and 50 degrees. If you live near the lake this time of year, life is rough. And while I know you want to pull out all of your cute little summer dresses, sometimes you can't. Because you will get hypothermia. In May. 

So you pull out your cutest, springiest sweater, add in some white jeans, and go find yourself a pizza and a glass of wine and dream of warmer weather. Yes, I got red wine. My pants and I survived somehow. 

Oh, and you also have to bring a pink bag. This may look just like a pink bag that I've carried for years, but no, I bought an almost identical bag this weekend. That coral bag was my favorite but it was starting to get a little beat up from carrying it on the daily for four springs and summers. Like here and here and here and here and here and here. Plus I was at the Coach Factory store at the outlet mall and this stunner was marked down from $350 to $99. I couldn't find the exact bag online because it's from the factory store, but I did locate this one which is amazingly the exact same color and a very similar shape. 

Thank goodness I have another pink bag in my life. Not sure what I would do without it. 

Sweater (similar here and here) - Halogen / Jeans - Gap / Bag (similar) - Coach Factory / Necklace (similar) - BP / Flats (similar here and here) - Banana Republic 

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Striped Spring Blouse

Top and Sunglasses - LOFT / Jeans - Gap / Bag (similar here and here) - Ann Taylor / Heels - J. Crew / Bracelet - Jet Set Candy / Earrings (similar here and here) - handmade by my sister's friend! 

Yayyyy for white jean season!! Anyone else?

I tend to wear my white jeans year-round, but spring is when I tend to get the most use out of them. They just take any outfit with a springy top or shoes and really make it pop. I got this shirt on the mail on Friday afternoon (sorry sorry sorry for not managing to do try-ons on Instagram yet - I've got a lot of stuff coming at you soon!) and pulled it out the next morning to wear to my friend Sarah's baby shower! I've been in all baby showers, all the time mode between the one I hosted for my sister last weekend (hoping to share some photos this week!), Sarah's on Saturday, and my friend Emily's in two weeks. 

With all of these showers, I've been dying to pull out all of my pretty spring dresses, but unfortunately Chicago hasn't quite cooperated weather-wise yet. My tip for you if you're wondering what to wear for a shower when it's 50 degrees out is to pick one warm-weather item to get you into the warm-weather mindset, but to pair it with warmer pieces. In this case I went with sandals, but added in pants and a blouse so I wouldn't freeze to death. Thank you always to white jeans for looking more formal than regular denim! For my sister's shower I chose a pretty spring dress, but paired it with over the knee boots for warmth. It was actually just this exact outfit - I'm definitely an outfit repeater over here! Anyone else?? 

Anyway, back to this blouse! I love it, I love it, I love it. I mean, the sleeves! Those buttons down the back!! It's so cute with white jeans, but could definitely also work tucked into a skirt, and I'm looking forward to pairing it with shorts this summer. It's really light and breezy fabric, so it'll be great for really hot and humid summer days. The only thing I'm not loving is that it wrinkles pretty easily. I ended up wearing it to the shower, which included smushing it into a coat and then sitting in a car an hour there and back, so when I got back to my house I ended up steaming it again before heading out for the rest of the day. The light fabric steams really easily though, so really it just depends on how much that would bother you. 

Oh and I would be remiss not to mention the sandals - how freaking cute?! I freaked out and bought these the second they were included in a sale and they initially sold out, but I just checked and it looks like they're back in all sizes! The heel is a tinge higher than I would normally go for, so they're definitely not a walking heel. For an event that I drove to though, they were surprisingly comfortable! Oh and those bows? Dying!! For shoes like this that are lighter colored suede, I definitely recommend using a protective spray. I hosed these down with Scotchguard, which has been my go-to for years - since I wore knock-off UGG boots from Target back in college (hahahahahahahahahaha - oh those were the days). It keeps even that cheapo fake suede looking great. Jeff was just making fun of me because I bought a new bottle for these sandals, only to discover we already had three! Anyone have any shoes they need to protect? 

Top and Sunglasses - LOFT / Jeans - Gap / Bag (similar here and here) - Ann Taylor / Heels - J. Crew / Bracelet - Jet Set Candy / Earrings (similar here and here) - handmade by my sister's friend! 

Linking up with How I Spring, Style Me Wednesday.

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Suede Jacket for Spring

Jacket (exact here in a couple of sizes, or a super similar jacket, and another) - Kut from the Kloth / Tank and Earrings (similar here and here) - LOFT / Jeans (these are my fav - not see through and they don't stretch out!) - Gap / Flats (similar here) - Banana Republic / Bag (similar here and here) - Kate Spade / Necklace - Stella & Dot

Last week, as I complained yet again about the lack of spring weather, I said to myself, "Kristina, get a grip." 

I mean, I live in Chicago. Cold springs are kind of our thing. 

Until I looked back at some of my posts from last spring! I was going through them to repin some content to Pinterest, and I really was just wearing little outfits like this, and not topping them with a full winter coat. Really, when we took these photos, Jeff had the furry hood of my favorite gray wool coat over his head to keep it from getting dirty. Just know, that if I ever look cold in a photo (ahem - like here - get those shoulders down girl!) that Jeff is likely wearing my coat behind the lens. He loves it, definitely not embarrassing for him at all ;) 

Well anyway, to try to make it through this chilly spring weather, I've been doing the double coat - with my winter coat on top, and this little suede jacket underneath! This jacket is so soft and comfortable to wear - it's kind of like wearing a cardigan! I originally bought it for fall, but the pretty taupe/gray color works really well with spring colors too. 

Jacket (exact here in a couple of sizes, or a super similar jacket, and another) - Kut from the Kloth / Tank and Earrings (similar here and here) - LOFT / Jeans (these are my fav - not see through and they don't stretch out!) - Gap / Flats (similar here) - Banana Republic / Bag (similar here and here) - Kate Spade / Necklace - Stella & Dot

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