where i've been... and where i was supposed to be

july is almost over, and i am so relieved. while i've enjoyed myself this month, i've also been working like crazy and i haven't had a second to breathe. i've read every magazine in the airport. i've seen a lotta airports this month.

on july 16th i flew out to denver, colorado to spend time with my friend mike & his family in littleton. i was prepared for a totally different landscape, and colorado delivered.

over the course of 4 days i explored downtown denver, visited boulder, golden and red rocks amphitheater, perused downtown littleton (which is adorable) and had some delicious food! we went to this adorable coffee shop downtown called spur - y'all, this place had the most incredible gluten free desserts (pictured below) and coffee. YUM. around day 3 the altitude started to wear on me and i was exhausted. but i powered through!

so, on july 24th i was supposed to fly out to san diego to go on a cross-country roadtrip with my friend priscilla. i chose to fly standby. so, yeah. that didn't work out. i waited all day friday at the airport. no dice. on saturday, i got to the airport around 6am and waited for more flights -- and i got a seat! i was so excited. it was happening.

but no. nah. no plane for you. you will never get this, you will never get this. (i'm combining soup nazi and borat.....?)

delays at the charlotte airport caused them to make efforts to combine the 7:30 & 8:30 flights. i lost my seat. and that was my last chance to get out to san diego that day. so, i had some chick fil a breakfast (why not at this point) and went home, took a nap, went out and bought cosmetics and things to make myself presentable (because even though i didn't go to san diego, my luggage sure did) and went to get cocktails at collins bar. typical.

all in all, standby flying = 1/10, would not recommend. colorado, on the other hand? i need to go back. i didn't spend nearly enough time there! it's way too gorgeous and diverse not to go back. hello, skiing? anyway, i'm going to lay low in birmingham for a while and recuperate. it's much needed.

katie & julie from a cup of carolina

hey y'all! today, fellow birmingham bloggers katie & julie are going to fill you in on their brand new blog, a cup of carolina! enjoy!

Hi, friends! We are so excited to begin our journey in the Deep South and start our new lifestyle blog, A Cup of Carolina. What do you get when you mix two UNC Journalism School alumnae with a new apartment in Birmingham, Alabama? Well, three coffee pots, four different types of coffee (currently), two different types of tea and many, many, many new ideas. As new Birmingham residents, new college graduates and newbies to the professional world, we wanted to create something that allows us to share with everyone just what makes our coffee brew.

If there is one thing we’ve learned throughout our 20-something years of life, it would be that life is what you make it. Just like coffee, life can be a bitter at times (i.e. months and months of job searches). However, with a few added ingredients you can sweeten it right up! To us, a cup of coffee is a more than just a necessary start to the morning. For a brief moment every morning we take the time to gather our thoughts and prepare for the day accompanied by each other and a cup of coffee. It is our time of devotion. However, the definition goes further than that. Coffee is universal. No matter where we are or whom we’re with, coffee and that brief moment in time can be shared together. To us, that connection is the most important. As life takes us on a new journey in a new place, the single instant that connects us with each other (and with you!) reminds us that life is indeed sweeter than sugar.

We hope you will join us every morning over a cup of coffee as we talk through life. We will share with you our thoughts, ideas, experiences, troubles and triumphs. This blog is designed to remind us of everything we go through in life has an important value added, with a little taste of our opinion. Each day, one of us will be posting (some days even together), and we want you to indulge with us. Here is a little intro of who we are, and why we came to Alabama!

The College:

Where we met! We attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and majored in Journalism and Mass Communication. Our sequence was public relations. Side note: Freshman year, Katie was on track to be a biology major, and Julie thought she would be a reporter. As chance would have it, we both ended up studying PR.


                                             

The Sorority:

Okay, guilty as charged. We are sorority “sisters” of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. Julie was President and Katie was Philanthropy Chair. Let’s just say that year of college we had our hands full.

                                             

The Hometown:

We are both North Carolina natives, though from very different places. Julie grew up in the capital city of Raleigh, while Katie spent her childhood in the small town of Reidsville.

The New Job:

What brings us to Birmingham? Well, that would be our jobs. Julie is an advertising/marketing fellow at Southern Living, and Katie is a public relations intern at Intermark Group. Ya have to start somewhere, right? That’s another bonus – follow along to see where we land full-time jobs! Trust us, we still work 40 hours a week.

So, now you have the basics! We want to use this blog as a way to introduce (or re-introduce for those family members and friends following along) you to who we are and how we got to where we are today. We are so excited for the opportunities that are ahead of us and cannot wait to explore this new chapter. Life is indeed very, very sweet.

Thank you Floral Frocks for having us today!

Katie and Julie

tamera's 5 ways to stay in shape this summer

hey y'all! today i've got another fabulous guest poster on floral frocks, and you're going to love her! tamera is a chic and super smart nyc blogger who blogs at plan t style on all things fashion, lifestyle & business. today she's sharing her tips on how to stay fit in the summer (it's so difficult with all the parties and the humid weather) so stay tuned! give her a follow on twitter as well.

I find myself negating all of the hard work I did in the Winter, in the Summer. With cookouts, outdoor brunches, and the occasional movie blockbuster, I'm tempted left and right with bad food choices! I know you've all been there too! Well, I will not be a victim of the Summer food coma. Here are some ways I'm maintaining the waistline that you can follow too.  

1. Drink Water. Surprisingly, people do not drink as much water as they should. The recommended is at least 8 ounces per day, but we can aim for higher than that, right? Drinking water keeps you hydrated and moreover, helps regulate how much you eat at the dinner/cookout/brunch table. Drinking water helps to prevent overeating. Try switching out sodas with water and you'll immediately notice a difference.  

2. Eat more fruit. For every hotdog you consume, you should be eating a banana or grapes to balance. Fruit has dietary fiber, which helps regulate digestion and a great way to get hydrated and full. Banana is high in fiber which combats bloating. So instead of those 3 scoops of ice cream and a belgium waffle (guilty) treat yourself to a small banana split to get some fiber and fun.  

3. Exercise. No surprise that adding high impact activity to your lifestyle will fight the bulge. But you do not have to spend $70/month for a gym membership. I am not about that life. When I was injured and could not run for about four months, I did strength and conditioning at home. In addition, you can find yoga you tube videos to help strengthen your core & lose weight. Quite honestly, that's what caused me to drop additional water weight and build lean muscle. Another way to get in a workout? Take a SoulCycle Class. Every week, Soul Cycle offers Community Rides. Free classes where all you pay is the $3 shoe rental. Spin your cookout woes away for free! To find a location near you, visit www.soul-cycle.com.  

4. Eat Breakfast. Eating the most important meal of the day is helpful to prevent overeating. You can have a filling 500 calorie breakfast to start you on your day. One example is mini pancakes 4" diameter, 1 egg with veggies & 2 stripes of turkey bacon, that is approx 500 calories and is a great balance.  

5. Cut Dining Out. Going out to eat is one of the easiest ways to gain weight and lose money. Instead try limiting dining out to only two meals a week. With one of them being brunch of course! Your waistline & wallet will thank you!

lush mini haul + review

the other week when i was in atlanta, i stopped by lush in lenox square and picked up some goodies! i don't get to go to lush as often as i'd like (uh, why don't we have one in birmingham yet?!) so i always stop by one when i can.

i got three products i've never used before. i tried to break out of my butterball/sex bomb/honey i washed the kids routine. i love those products, buuuut it was time for something new. i got 2 bath bombs, phoneix rising & fizzbanger. i also picked up the cupcake facial mask.

of course, everything smells amazing. so far, i've used the cupcake facial mask. it smells vaguely chocolately and rich, but more herby and fragrant with sandalwood than you'd expect. it feels so refreshing to put on if you use it right when you take it out of the fridge. i let mine on for 15 minutes, and the entire time, all i could think about was how i was going to get the chunky brown stuff off my face. the mask is thick, very much like the consistency of cake batter!

i was pleasantly surprised that with some warm water, the mask came off super easily - no mess! it made my skin feel really soft, refreshed and clean. the next day, i noticed some redness i had had subsided, and my skin felt great. this is the first facial mask from lush i've used, and i think i'm in love. i'm going to use it again tonight.

i can't wait to use my bath bombs to relax after i'm done traveling this month!

molly of make today lovely

hey y'all! i'm currently in denver, colorado for a little vacation, so i'm welcoming fellow birmingham bloggers member molly of make today lovely for a guest post! her blog is wonderful - my favorite recent post is for this cinnamon caramel peach pie. see y'all soon!

Hello there! My name is Molly-Brown from www.maketodaylovely.com. I am so happy to meet all of you, and thank you to my blogging friend Floral Frocks for welcoming me to her blog! I am a twenty something nursing student, and I currently reside in sweet home Alabama.

I chose to blog because I wanted to bring a little brightness to my readers' day by sharing everything that I find lovely. I believe in enjoying every moment, and Make Today Lovely allows me to share those special moments with all of you in hopes of inspiring your own zest for life. I never want the little things to pass without me noticing their true beauty. Through my blog this ordinary beauty is brought  to your day through style and good taste. Come by and visit Make Today Lovely to take a break from everything that is strictly business, and enjoy yourself through fabulous clothes, delicious food, and lovely sights. Make Today Lovely is a way for me to express my creative side in hopes of bringing smiles and joy to my readers.  Here are a few lovely loves of mine, and I hope to see you over at Make Today Lovely very soon! You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

         

                                            Fresh Food                                        Flowers                                     

My puppy Eden

XOXO

in-flight essentials

july is insane for me - work is nuts, and i picked the most inopportune month to travel my heart out. it just sorta happened that way. it's been a minute since i've been on a plane - 2010, exactly. i had to ask my friend mike to remind me how the whole process works. "where do i get my tickets again? how many bags can i take?"

as you're reading this, i'm on my way to atlanta to hop on a flight to denver for a little mini vacation. i know, i know, i was JUST in atlanta for the southern blog society's 2nd annual conference -- but flights out of birmingham are crazy pricy. i've never been to colorado before, and i'm super excited to see real mountains (not to knock you, birmingham, but i dunno if red mountain counts).

i'm using my kate spade andee bag as my carry on. it's the biggest bag i've got, and it easily fits everything i need. i actually bought one of those silly airplane pillows for my neck. will it help out? i mean, maybe. i've loaded up my ipad mini with movies, books and other things to keep me entertained. and i can't forget my quest bar - i'm going to attempt to stick to my diet while i'm traveling this month. keyword: attempt.

don't forget -- birmingham bloggers, if you're in town this weekend, don't forget to head to see jane write's bloganista mini con! also, stay tuned for my #SBSCon part 2 recap!

2nd annual southern blog society conference {part 1}

WOW. i had to do this post while everything was fresh on my mind! i just got back from the most incredible weekend in atlanta to attend the southern blog society's 2nd annual conference. i learned so much, met some amazing women & got some incredible swag bags!

friday: i got to atlanta around 4:30pm & immediately headed to buckhead where i met whitney & her mom! we settled into the hotel, and then promptly went across the street to lenox square to check out the mall & the sprinkles cupcake atm. we had dinner at true food kitchen just as molly arrived!

that night, we ventured to whiskey blue at the w hotel for the welcome party, complete with champagne, macarons & a gorgeous rooftop view. 

saturday: what a long, crazy day! we got up bright & early around 6am to get ready for the coffee talk at the w. we had a gorgeous spread of fruit, pastries & coffee ready for us! this talk featured experts from ahalogy & shopsense, who gave us some insider blogging knowledge on pinterest, marketing & monetizing your blog. next up was the brilliant amy flurry of recipe for press - i quite literally hung on her every word! i cannot wait to read her book, which she so generously included in our coffee talk swag bags. 

afterwards, we got a chance to mingle & interact with the brands - kendra scott, intimacy, pla beauty, asos, dermalogica & dress up. (psst... a kendra scott is opening in birmingham soon!) asos had a gorgeous clothing rack full of tons of floral goodies... and y'all know how i feel about that. we also got to preview kendra scott's fall 2014 line!

jessica & cathy truly outdid themselves on the swag bags (just wait till you see part 2 of my recap, it gets crazier!) we received the most adorable notebooks, pens, jewelry, clothing and so much more! my favorites from the coffee talk gift bag were these gorgeous kendra scott earrings & this moon and lola hashtag necklace! adorable!

stay tuned for part 2 of my sbs weekend recap later this week!

glorifying busy + life behind the blog

i've been busy lately.

actually, busy is an understatement.

between working 70 hour weeks at my day job, managing birmingham bloggers, social media, preparing to travel the entire month of july and recently learning i'll be moving in the next two months, i haven't really had a second to breathe. or do my laundry. or go to the gym. normally my days are structured, i get to leave work at 5pm, i have time to meal prep, do my yoga, get drinks with friends, and breathe. not lately. but, for someone who thrives on routine, i'm doing surprisingly well having it all thrown out of wack. i'm not sure if i'm just functioning on some bizarre auto-pilot mode or what.

busy, busy, busy. we're all so busy. and we use that excuse for everything. caught up in our own busyness, it often feels impossible that anyone be busier than us or even begin to parallel the madness our life sometimes feels it is.

lately i've tried to remind myself that i'm but a piece of the puzzle. that my busyness is no more or less important than anyone else's, and that we all deserve a breather every now and then. i'm trying not to glorify 'busy'. i'm trying to be grateful and receptive to 'busy', but able to take a step back and take care of myself. busy isn't validation, busy isn't a purpose, busy is a word we use to feel important sometimes.

i still have time for what matters - myself, my relationships and my well-being. and letting busy overtake that isn't cool. (aka i have got to stop ordering takeout to the office)

be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

review: nyx's dream catcher palette

ok, i do love my naked palette. and i've used the hell out of it. it's a little embarrassing how dirty and busted up it is. i've even gone out and purchased singles of some of the colors. needless to say, i love me some neutral shadows, so this palette caught my eye in ulta when i was perusing for a a shimmery champagne shade after my single pot of 'sin' ran out.

nyx's dream catcher palette comes in 3 varities - golden horizons, dusk til dawn and stormy eyes. originally, i was set on the golden horizons palette. when i got to ulta, it was sold out! i was really drawn to the dusk til dawn palette and ended up picking that one up instead.

for $14.99, it's definitely more affordable than the naked palette. this week it was on sale on ulta.com for $8.99! i wanted to see the colors in person though, just to be sure. so far, the pigmentation on colors is a hit or miss - some are far more pigmented that others. these shadows are also slightly more chalky than i anticipated, and it feels like there's lots of product going on and not enough color payoff. however, as i said, this is differing from shade to shade so far. using a primer is a must.

it's a good buy for the number of colors you get. however, if you've got the money to spend and you're looking for a neutral palette, you're better off with naked or a too faced palette. i'm going to continue playing with the colors here as i do enjoy the shimmery shades for basic lid colors, but will i repurchase this? probably not. nyx is a wonderful brand for the price point, but this palette only looks gorgeous - the actual color payoff and shadow texture falls just a bit short.

overall rating: 3 of 5 stars.