life lately

Easter came and went and April is being very quickly chewed away, just like the bags of leftover candy that I have hidden in my purse and in my belly. We celebrated my husband's 26th birthday, a barista renamed me KayKn, and we legitimately have a year's worth of candy still in our house.

Speaking of, let's take an almond Snickers break. Because the sweetness of life can sometimes be found in....the quite literal 21 grams of sweetness they cram into these mini chocolate bars the size of my thumb. Sheesh!
Maybe I'll have two. 

I have a few important announcements:

1. I am an official contributing author over at Hello Giggles! My first article on the joys of being an aunt was posted last month in their guest post section, and as of this month I am a regular contributor. My first post was published Easter weekend, and it was about the beauty of sisterhood (coming from a gal who grew up sisterless). I am over the moon about this part-time writing gig and I cannot wait to publish more articles! You can check out my personal contributor page to keep track of all of my published articles.

2. We are house hunting. Big news! We are hoping to find a dumpy house with tons of potential to fix up over the next few years and eventually resell. Our ultimate plan is to build our own home, so this project will hopefully provide us with enough cash to start building our dream home. We're in no rush, so it's an exciting (instead of stressful) endeavor at this point. We saw a house yesterday that was pretty disgusting - we're thrilled!

3. I made the most beautiful red wine pasta dish last night (recipe courtesy of A Beautiful Mess) and I'm now obsessed over one-pot pastas. Did you all know about these?

recipe via abm

4. The Harry Potter Book Club is finishing up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone! Come back on April 15th for the review and discussion here on the blog, and don't forget to join our group if you would like to jump in. Better late than never!

5. I just finished reading The Republic of Thieves, the third installment in Scott Lynch's epic Gentleman Bastards series and I feel quite forlorn about it. I have an uncanny attachment to these books. Go read them, unless you're particularly sensitive to language, thievery, violence, and crudeness. Stunning endorsement, eh? But really, The Lies of Locke Lamora (book 1) is absolutely incredible. A must read, in my humble opinion. They'll blow your mind but they'll also make you blush. My favorite thing in the world is to recommend great reads to friends, so follow me on Goodreads and let's talk about stories. 

What are you reading?

instagram post

simple sunday {frocktober, day 12}

Keeping things nice and simple yesterday. 

One of the greatest things about dresses is that even though they're fun to layer and they're extremely versatile, they're also a simple ready-to-go outfit in and of themselves. Dress and sandals, go.

I had my book club last night, and we met at a local donut shop that's open late which I think is a superb idea. My dear friend bought a book for me this weekend, The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt, so she brought it with her to book club. It was a book I started reading in Virginia, but had to return before I finished it. I'm so excited to get back into it! It's fantastic. If you're interested in the history and society of Venice, I'd highly recommend it. Books are the best gifts. 

I'm fighting a nasty cold this morning, so this work day is going to be long and dull. I'm counting down the minutes until lunch, when I can sneak away to Starbucks for a hot drink to soothe my throat! I'm foreseeing immediate pajamas when I get home this evening. 

Currently loving: 

My book club! #theCGbookends

Currently reading: 

Emma by Jane Austen (for book club), 

The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt,

 and The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (a.k.a J.K. Rowling!)

Currently watching: 

A to Z, the cutest new rom-com show that feels like a mix between the quirky and sadly canceled-way-too-soon Pushing Daisies and classics like You've Got Mail. I'm totally in love with it. 

Currently listening to:

My Reign playlist on Spotify. You should listen to it!

the little things

Just a few little things I've come across this week that have made me smile!


-- 21 Important Style Lessons from Disney Princesses

-- A sweet boutique called Colie's. 
(some of my favorites):

Leopard + Bow = Love.

How cute is she? Ashley, the owner of Colie's, modeling the Neon Aztec dress.

I'm really intrigued by monograms! This could be really cute!

Obsessing on bows.

-- Currently Reading: One Day by David Nicholls

-- Currently Listening to: NEEDTOBREATHE

-- And of course, my giveaway!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a gift box valued at $40+ from Posies by Cait!

Pass it along to your friends, and keep checking back for more sneak peeks and ways to earn more entries by sharing the giveaway.

You can keep up with me on Instagram (@caitschan) and with new items and updates on the giveaway at Facebook.com/PosiesbyCait.

The giveaway ends May 1st!