Pampered with Sip and Dry

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Hey everyone! It’s Katie, still laying low at home and very thankful for my health and my community. St. Pete has been doing such a stellar job of working together on staying apart. The Kennedy family, David and I, are doing what we can to support our local businesses by ordering take-out from our favorite restaurants and treating ourselves to some coffee and cocktails to go. Other types of businesses are a little bit harder to get behind, but are equally as important to helping our city thrive. I wanted to highlight one of those spots today and maybe convince you on showing your support too. Sip and Dry, St. Pete’s sweetest blow out bar has been a part of my weekly ritual for months and I can’t wait to get back in that groove again.

About Sip and Dry

Opening in August 2019, Sip and Dry serves as St. Pete’s only dedicated blow dry bar. The owner, Blair, is a third generation St. Petian and her bright personality is showcased with the space’s IG worthy aesthetic. When you walk in, its a welcoming sea of bright green palms and pink, with a few fun flamingo accents. It’s easy to see that so much love has been put into the space. More importantly, you’ll feel so incredibly pampered by the team of ladies who, I swear, all dish out some of the best blowouts in the Sunshine State.

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The Location

To receive the royal treatment from the Sip and Dry staff, look no further than St. Pete’s Crescent Heights neighborhood. It’s a stone’s throw away from our ever growing downtown district and easily accessible from the beaches and bay. I have the luxury of living just a few blocks away, which makes it even better if you live in Old Northeast. Whether you’re a local, visitor, or somewhere in between, this is the best place to get gussied up before a date night or special event.

The Service

Like I said before, they have practically mastered the blow out. Flip through their menu, with hairstyles inspired by local landmarks, or go off script with ideas of your own. Staying true to my favorite place in St. Pete, I usually relay on the Vinoy for a polished and wavy look. To give yourself some literal sparkle, they have the option to add tinsel in any color. It’s fun, youthful, and can last up to a week.

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Become a Member

No matter when you schedule, a blow out at Sip and Dry will only cost $40. By becoming a member, which I did almost after my first visit, that’s going to be discounted for you to $35 PLUS a complimentary blow out on your birthday. Even sweeter, there’s no contract that you have to worry about. Just stop by, get pampered, and go on with your day. It’s a great program to take advantage of if you want that fresh out of the salon look all the time.

How You Can Support Them

Since we don’t really have anywhere to go right now, there’s not a huge demand for getting a weekly blowout. It’s just as well because they have opted to temporarily close up shop. It’s still very possible and super easy to support this local salon. Here are my favorite options:

• Buy Your Hair Products: Sip and Dry is offering a 15% discount and contactless delivery on their great selection of hair products. Just give them a quick message or phone call and it will be ready the same day. I promise, this is a much better option than trying to give yourself bangs or dye your own hair.
• Grab A Gift Card: This stressful time will soon enough be in our rear view mirror. When it is, I have a strong feeling there’s going to be a long list of parties and celebration. Get ready to see your friends and family for the first time with impeccable hair. The other option is to send a gift card to someone close. Either way, it sends the same amount of love to this favorite St. Pete business.
• Send Some Virtual Love: Do you already love Sip and Dry? Then leaving kind words and reviews is one of the easiest things you can do. It’s free and will create a new buzz for when they decide to open up their doors again.

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Our local businesses is what makes St. Pete so special! Now more than ever, they need our support. By doing little steps now, we’ll be all able to bounce back as a community sooner.

Love from Florida,
Katie

As always, thanks for stopping by! To keep up with all things about the Sunshine State, be sure to visit my exclusive Florida page, here.

Daily Dose of Vitamin C

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An old tip for staying healthy is getting a generous amount of Vitamin C each day. In Florida, that’s a pretty easy request since it literally grows on trees here. Vitamin C has a long list of benefits, but the most impressive is its ability to boost your immunity. Although it’s not a cure all, it certainly isn’t going to hurt to add a little bit to your daily diet. On a less serious note, adding some Vitamin C to your wardrobe has non-scientifically been proven to boost your mood. To show it, I’ve rounded some of my favorite pieces that are certain to add something bright and cheerful to what you wear.

SERPUI MARIE Orange Clutch

This little gem has been my own latest addition to my ever-growing straw bag collection. Considering my blog name, it pretty much hits the nail on the head and is a must for any Floridian. I was surprised to find that all of my must have items (phone, wallet, lipstick) fit comfortable inside. Grip it as a clutch or utilize the included gold chain for a more hands free option.

SOUTH PARADE Spritz Sweater

Sometimes our daily dose of citrus comes in the form of a cocktail. That’s okay! I’ll be sharing my favorite quarantine drink later in the week, but this fun sweater is a great placeholder in the mean time. Summer is fast approaching and the Aperol Spritz is almost guaranteed to be a crowd favorite yet again. Say cheers with this cocktail inspired sweater and go ahead, poor yourself tall and strong. You deserve it!

J. CREW Short-Sleeve Pajama Set

If we’re being honest, I know many of us have been spending a lot of time in our comfiest pajamas and loungewear. That doesn’t mean you have to miss out on your daily dose of Vitamin C. This pajama set from J. Crew is absolutely perfect. The short-sleeves make it a great option for the increasingly warmer days. I can almost bet that you won’t feel weird at all wearing your PJs outside to get the mail.

GAL MEETS GLAM Lemon Dress

This dress is truly special. It’s from Julie Engel’s gorgeous collections of dresses, with the pattern designed by her equally talented sister. Midi dresses are always my favorite. They can dressed up for a more elegant evening or styled to be incredibly laidback. The tied shoulder details are just a charming element you can expect to find from anything in the GMG Collection. For the moms out there, it also is available in a darling romper set. If you are more orange inclined in your citrus choices, that’s available for you too!

Don’t you feel healthier already? Even though there’s no obvious benefits to wearing a piece of Vitamin C, I still want to bet that you’ll feel a little extra pep in your step. During these trying times, that alone can be worth its weight in gold. Shop more of my favorite and have fun!

Love from Florida,
Katie

As always, thanks for stopping by! To keep up with all things about the Sunshine State, be sure to visit my exclusive Florida page, here.

Teaching From Home with Erin Condren

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Even though I’ve been spending nearly all of my time at home, my teaching life hasn’t turned into a picnic. There’s so much to juggle like the lesson plans, remembering who has consistent access to the internet, and always feeling like I should be on call for my students. I don’t regret my career choice for even a second, but it’s more important that ever to stay organized and keep my teacher brain in check. To give you the inside scoop, here’s a quick overview of how I’m scheduling out my day.

7:00- Morning Rituals

David may have gotten up long before the crack of dawn, but I’m letting myself sleep in until around 7. It’s kind of my little silver lining and I’m okay with taking advantage of it. From there, I get dressed, casually sip my morning coffee, and mentally get ready for the day. I also take this time to take care of any blog related elements, like responding to e-mails and getting ready for the day’s blog shoot. I live for this time of the day, especially with the morning light in our St. Pete bungalow.

8:00- The Starting Bell

Now I’m unofficially on the clock. My focus is solely on navigating my virtual classroom, making sure all of the links are live and that all of my directions are clear enough for my ten-year-olds. Believe it or not, some of my students are already online at this point. A few are ready to get started on work, but some just want a moment to talk with me. In my mind, being accessible to my students is more important than anything academic out there.

9:00- The Kids Start

Around this time, the students start trickling in. Although I try and make my lessons as straight forward as possible, I compulsively check my messages. One of the biggest challenges with teaching online is software error. Imagine a quarter of a million people in one area trying to get on the same website at the same time. There’s bound to be glitches in the system. The other side to that coin is not knowing what my children are struggling with. A huge portion of my day feels like tech support, trying to talk children through computer skills that some adults haven’t mastered.

11:30- A Quick Break

We all needs breaks and my school district has been very generous with ours. On the schedule, my lunch break is from 11:30 until 1:00, but I sometimes feel too guilty to be away from my computer for too long. Still, I take advantage of the break while I can. That usually means making lunch for David and I, and starting on some small chore around home. On particularly pretty mornings, we get ourselves out of the house and go on a walk through the neighborhood. Sometimes, that’s the most important piece of the day.

1:00- Back to Work

Most of my students get their work out of the way ASAP in the morning. That’s fine by me. It gives me an opportunity to get my lessons ready for the next day or go over the classwork. Yes, I’m trying to take grades during this time, but please know I’m being very lenient. This is also the time where I touch base with my teacher friends around the area, typically finding a good laugh.

3:00- Done For the Day

Trying to be respectful of my own time, I call it at around 3. Since it has been so gorgeous in St. Pete, the first thing I want to do is go for a quick run and get in a workout for the day. The downside is its the hottest time of the day, but it feels so refreshing to sweat it out. Tripp, my dog-baby, also gets a full piece of my attention with a long walk through the neighborhood. Don’t worry, he’s not starved for love because I am constantly petting him through out the day.

6:00- Last Minute Details

Now that my teacher brain is unplugged, I take care of everything else of my to-do list. Dragging David out for a quick blog picture is frequent, but usually I just want to veg and watch something easy on Netflix. We make dinner together, relax, and share our nightly dessert. This downtime is the perfect way to finish off the day.

11:00- Winding Down

David and I both have issues with ‘turning off’ our brains. If we have something on our minds, we will work on it right in the moment. When that happens, and we’re on a roll, we have a hard cutoff time of 11 pm. Funny enough, Tripp is usually the one to tell us to go bed when he makes his way to the couch and tries to steal a spot. He’s honestly more consistent that any alarm clock. From here, it’s time to say goodnight and recharge for the next day.

Whether you’re a teacher, or anyone else working from home, finding a consistent schedule and staying organized are both critical elements. My Erin Condren Teacher Planner has been my lifelong for several years, but that rings so true now. It gives me an opportunity to keep track of lessons, grades, and attendance without needing to stay online. These planners are fully customizable and are made just for what you need. If you have any burning questions about how I utilize my planner, be sure to reach out!

Love from Florida,
Katie

As always, thanks for stopping by! To keep up with all things about the Sunshine State, be sure to visit my exclusive Florida page, here.

Thank you so much to Erin Condren for gifting their latest Teacher Planner and inspiring this post.