take a class {frocktober, days 22-24}

I can't believe we're already heading in to the last week of October/Frocktober. This challenge has been pretty fun and comfortable for me to accomplish, since wearing dresses tend to be the easiest and most flattering choice for me anyway. I've tried to still push my creative boundaries and come up with outfits that are interesting. A very special shout out to maternity leggings, which have made my life so very swell. Even so, I'm really looking forward to donning my maternity denim and some of the cute tops I've been waiting to wear. 

For day 22, I wore this black confetti-print dress with a stretchy high-low skirt belted on top of it. On day 23 I wore probably my most-worn dress ever. I think I say that a lot. I definitely have my favorites. I got it for $5 years ago on Zulily, and I couldn't help trying to sneak it over my baby bump. It was a tight fit, but it worked. I found the crochet cardigan at Forever 21 last month for our maternity photoshoot. Day 24 was classic Saturday comfort - stretchy bodycon dress, leggings, oversized sweater. 

Remixes:
Outfit 1: Dress / Cardigan
Outfit 2: Dress 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 / Cardigan
Outfit 3: Sweater 1, 2

We had our all-day birthing class on Saturday, which was incredibly enlightening. I could make a lot of jokes about it but I'm actually really, really glad we went. If you're on the fence about whether to take a class or not, I'd really encourage you to. It was a great overview of what to expect, and I think it gave my husband some really great information on what his role will be and what kinds of things I'll be going through, step by step. I think our approach before was kind of like, we'll figure it out - let's just not think about it until we have to. But being informed is definitely the way to go. It dispels fear and helps equip you with the tools you need to have that mind over matter perspective. It was a great day spent together learning and looking forward to the arrival of our baby boy! It's coming up so soon.

raining unicorns {frocktober, day 16}

Dress (remixed here, here): borrowed
Cardigan: Ruche, Leggings (shop!): Pink Blush Maternity

The weather has been gorgeous these past few days. It's a miracle. Cloudy skies, gorgeous sunsets, cool breezes. It's not quite Fall, but I'll definitely take the rain.

This is probably one of my favorite Frocktober outfits to date, and it's absolutely because of the unicorn cardigan. I bought this spectacular beauty while living in Virginia, and I have the fondest memories of wearing it while sitting in my favorite coffee shop downtown and reading great books and drinking lavender lattes. One of the last times I wore it was on St. Patrick's Day in Italy. It's one of those articles of clothing that is inherently magical (because unicorns), but is made even more fantastic by the many memories embedded in its thread from years of use.

This is the first time I've ever worn it tied in the front, although it seems to have been made for it. It's perfectly shaped for a little knot-tying. One of my favorite things about coming up with maternity style ideas is playing with different silhouettes - ones I'd never have wanted to achieve or accentuate before. It's sometimes an odd feeling to try and outline/highlight my stomach, which was always one of the areas that made me the most self-conscious. Now it's lovingly on display, held and cinched by unicorns. 

catching up {frocktober, days 10-13}

Frocktober continues, though I've been slow to post. Our evenings have been full of get-togethers and house work, so the blogging has settled to the back-burner a little bit. I've still been able to take a few quick photos every day (many of them against our newly painted walls), as proof of my dress-wearing and continued commitment to the cause!

This teal lace dress is one of my favorites (worn here, here, here, here, and a few times during my first Frocktober), but it's always been on the shorter side so I typically wear it with skinny jeans or tights and boots. Now, with my added belly width, it's definitely shortened into a tunic/tank top! But I'm still counting it as a dress. My favorite way to wear it is by layering a plain or striped shirt underneath.

My other favorite remix from the week was this green dress (worn here and here) with this incredibly long and cozy mint green Anthropologie sweater. They both have a layered handkerchief hem, so they almost morphed into one bizarre and ruffly color-blocked dress. The whole outfit was so flowy it made me feel like twirling all day long, which is always a plus.

We're heading back to the house to do more work this evening. We'll see if I can keep from drowning in our fabulous list of to-dos! Tally ho.

tgif {frocktober, day 8 and 9}

Outfit 1: Dress (remixed): gifted

Outfit 2: Top: zulily, Dress: borrowed, 

Leggings (remixed 1, 2): Pink Blush Maternity

This weekend has already been speeding by. Any time we spend working on the house seems to eat away at our days. A full day seems less effective somehow. So many projects, so many minutes slipping away. It's hard to feel like real progress is being made until you take a peek at those "before" photos and realize how incredible the difference is already!

Yesterday we finished the wood floors (!!!!!) downstairs; the only room that still needs them is the front office, which will remain closed off for a while until after we move in. No rush to get that room finished. I'll confess, I took a little break from working on the house to have a little girls lunch to celebrate the return of Reign. Season 3 premiered this week, so we had a themed lunch with Scottish Potato Leek Soup, French Bread, Madame Macarons, and Nostradamus' Brew. It was a blast.

The last two outfits of this past week were for basic comfy layering. As you can tell, I've been on a stripes kick. I don't think I've ever worn stripes with stripes before, but I really wanted to wear this cozy striped maternity top my mom got me for my birthday. I love the orange sleeves. I didn't want to wait until after Frocktober to wear it, so I needed to dressify it somehow. It's so long that it might almost be considered leggings-appropriate, but not quite. I used one of my borrowed bodycon dresses to add length and continue the stripes all the way down.

Now, I'm getting ready to don a big t shirt and workout shorts to go work on the house some more. I'll be dressing up this evening for a little belated birthday gathering with friends. Have a beautiful Sunday, friends.

sweater dresses {frocktober, day 7}

Leggings: Pink Blush Maternity

I've been living in leggings and stretchy dresses. While I'm technically participating in this "challenge" called Frocktober, I actually think it's much easier to wear dresses at this point. 

I'm borrowing an extravagant amount of maternity clothing from my sister-in-law, and she included a few tank top dresses/stretchy bodycon dresses from Forever 21 (one of which I wore last week). They're amazing. I would have never tried wearing them before, because they're so fitted and would hug me in all the wrong places. But when you've got a belly goin' on and just want to be covered from head to toe in comfy elastic fabrics, they're the best. You can layer them over leggings or wear them with jeans like a long tank top. They're the greatest non-maternity item I have at my disposal. They're so comfortable, and so inexpensive. 

So there ya go. Some maternity tips from yours truly. Cozy sweater dresses, maternity leggings and stretchy bodycon dresses are what dreams are made of.

working weekend {frocktober, day 2 + 3}

Remixes:
Outfit 1: Dress 1, 2 // Cardigan
Outfit 2: Dress // Sweater 1, 2

A few notes on the last two days of Frocktober. Maternity leggings are amazing. It makes me wonder why I haven't been wearing these for years. I was recently gifted 4 pairs for my birthday from Pink Blush Maternity, and they are so buttery smooth. It's a little bit absurd how happy they make me. I'd highly encourage you to try them out, whether you're pregnant or just a woman who enjoys having your bum cradled in a cloud.

Friday and Saturday have both been work days at #casaschan. I can't wait to show you complete room reveals, but for now you can follow me on Instagram for little updates here and there (@caitschan). We’ve been aiming to be moved in by the end of this month, which for the last few weeks has felt like pretty wishful thinking. But after an entire day of working on installing our beautiful laminate floors yesterday, things are looking up! I’ll confess I spent most of Saturday in a big t-shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes – but am still honoring Frocktober in the in-between. 

In case you’re wondering, our big list items that still need to get done are:

1. The rest of our floors – getting so close!

2. New countertops – we’ll find out more tomorrow!

3. Paint the master bedroom

4. Spray the property for scorpions (yuck!)

There are other bonus wishes, such as replacing our broken sliding glass door and painting the kitchen cupboards white. And, ya know, getting the nursery painted and decorated for the baby... There will definitely be plenty of projects to do once we’re moved in, but for now we’re trying to focus on the must-dos and save those other lists for later.