A Southern Heart Guest Post: Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Today, I have a special post for y'all: my first ever guest blog post from Julia!

Hey y’all, I’m Julia from A Southern Heart! I live on the North Carolina coast and will be attending East Carolina University in the fall (Go Pirates)! I’m currently traveling abroad in Europe and hope you’ll catch up on all my adventures via Instagram and Twitter. I’m so excited about this guest post with Katie, be sure to check out her Lemonade Pie on my blog as well!

I’m a huge fan of chocolate and enjoy baking these delicious chocolate chip cookies! I’m so excited that Katie has allowed me to share my favorite recipe with y’all. It’s so simple and is the perfect treat after a long summer day.

Here is what you’ll need: 2 sticks of butter, 1 cup of granulated sugar, 1 ¼ cup of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 2 large eggs, 2 ⅓ cup of all purpose flour, a pinch of salt, a pinch of baking soda

This is what you’ll do:

*Preheat the oven to 350º

1| mix butter and sugar together with an electric mixer

2| add in vanilla extract, eggs, and mix again

3| sift flour, salt, and baking soda

4| add sifted mixture to first mixture, and guess what?! more mixing!!

5| place 1 inch (give or take) sized balls on a cookie sheet

6| cook each sheet for about 10 minutes, timing will depend on your oven

That’s it, it’s time to devour your chocolate chip cookies! I hope y’all enjoy these cookies just as much as I have. A big thank you to Katie for having me guest post! Be sure to check out my blog, A Southern Heart!

Thanks Julia so much for guest posting today! These cookies look amazing!

My Chic Week June 12-18

It's Friday, which means it's time for another My Chic Week! I have a lot to share with y'all as I spent last weekend at the beach so let's jump in!

Friday was our first full day in Florida so my mom and I went to the gym before enjoying a morning by my grandparents's pool. After lunch, we went to the beach for the afternoon and also dinner at the beach club. 

Saturday morning, we took my dog to the beach (which she absolutely loves) early before it got too crowded. We went back home for lunch and my mom and I went to the beach for a few hours in the afternoon. We went to Saturday night Mass and came home for a nice steak dinner.

Sunday, we slept in before heading to the beach. My grandparents met us at the beach club for lunch and we stayed at the beach for a few more hours before heading home. That afternoon, we packed up and relaxed before enjoying a Chinese takeout dinner.

On Monday, we made the 6 hour trek back home. I spent the afternoon unpacking, running some errands, and catching up on blogging.

Tuesday morning, I went on a nice, long walk with my dog before spending the rest of the morning running errands. It was so hot so I went to see Pitch Perfect 2 (again) with my family.

On Wednesday, I went to lunch with my family before a dentist appointment. I then went to the nail place with one of my best friends for a much needed mani and pedi! Following that, we went to a new juice place that just opened up and let me tell y'all, I am picky with fruits and veggies and I liked it! Later on, I drove my neighbor to his golf and took him to Chick-fil-a afterwards.

Gorgeous views during my neighbor's golf practice

Thursday morning, I had a doctor's appointment and then I went to the gym. I spent the afternoon preparing for my trip and packing.

What are your plans for the weekend? Let me know in the comments!

National Wear Your Lilly Day

Sunday is Father's Day, the First (official) day of summer, and National Wear Your Lilly Day! Lilly is big on promoting National Wear Your Lilly Day (or NWYLD) so I'm sure you have heard about it by now on social media.

On the actual day, I'll probably be wearing a shift dress for brunch and then my bikini in Let's Cha Cha in the afternoon since my family will be at Kiawah Island. But, last week while I was at the beach, I took pictures of one of my favorite Lilly outfits this summer (so far) so I figured that I would share them to go along with National Wear Your Lilly Day!

Dress- Lilly Pulitzer Sandals- Jack Rogers Sunglasses- Ray Ban (similar) 

I'm in love with this dress (it is so comfy) and the print is so gorgeous. (I would say the only bad thing is it is a little on the short side on me since I'm 5'7) It was perfect for dinner at the beach and I will definitely be wearing this dress a ton this summer!

What are you planning on wearing for National Wear Your Lilly Day? Let me know in the comments!

Big Announcement: Bloggers Get Cookin' on Pinterest

As y'all probably know my other post of the day is a collab with Classy Cathleen about our favorite spots in the Carolinas. Well, that isn't the only fun thing Cathleen and I have planned. We were talking about ideas for a linkup and we both loved the idea of each blogger choosing a recipe from her Pinterest and making it. Because if you are like me, you have hundreds of food pins that you never make (I'm not joking about the amount of pins!). Cathleen and I decided that this would be a fun way for everyone to test out some recipes from their food boards.

So (drumroll please), Cathleen and I are introducing: Bloggers Get Cookin' on Pinterest!

The linkup is on July 8 and all we ask is that you choose a recipe from Pinterest and blog about it. If you use social media about the linkup, please use the hashtag #bloggersgetcooking. If you have any questions or just want to join the linkup, email me at chicincarolina@gmail.com or Cathleen at classycathleen@gmail.com.

In need of some recipe inspo? Check out my Pinterest here!

My Carolina {Collab with Cathleen of Classy Cathleen}

Today, Cathleen from Classy Cathleen and I are teaming up to bring y'all our favorite spots in the Carolinas. Cathleen is from South Carolina and I am from North Carolina so we are each blogging about our favorite spots in our home states.

I have lived in North Carolina for 12 years (I was born in Baltimore, Maryland then moved to northern New Jersey before moving to NC at age 4) and I love it. I am very proud to call myself a North Carolinian! One little known fact about NC is it is a lot bigger than it looks: it takes probably a good 8 hours to drive from the mountains to the beaches! Even though NC is a coastal state, it is shorter for me to drive to a beach in South Carolina than it is to drive to one in NC!

Lake Norman

Lake Norman is a large, man-made lake located north of the city of Charlotte. It is so pretty and I love spending weekends on the boat here.

Southpark

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Southpark is a mall in South Charlotte that has a ton of luxury brands. It is hands down my favorite place to shop.

Crowder's Mountain

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Crowder's Mountain is a mountain with trails located south of Charlotte. At the start of my freshman year, my class went on a field trip here and it was so much fun!

Davidson

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Davidson is a cute, little town north of Charlotte and near Lake Norman. Main Street is adorable and has great shops and amazing restaurants (if you are ever in Davidson, try Toast!). Davidson College is also located in the middle of town.

Corolla

Located in the Outer Banks, Corolla is the cutest beach town. The majority of my childhood beach trips were here and even though we haven't gone in a few years, I love it. The beaches are gorgeous, you can drive on the beach in certain parts to see wild horses, and it has great restaurants and shopping.

Boone and Beech Mountain

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Boone is a town in the mountains. Beech Mountain is really close by. A few family friends have houses here so we sometimes visit up there. There is so much to do- in both summer in winter. You can do things like river tubing in the summer and in the winter, it is really close to skiing.

Blowing Rock

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Blowing Rock is another town in the mountains. We went on Black Friday a few years ago and it is so cute!

Places in NC that I want to visit that I haven't been to yet:

The Biltmore

The Biltmore is located in Asheville, North Carolina and is a large mansion in the mountains. My parents visited a few years ago and I have been dying to go for years.

Wilmington

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I blame this on One Tree Hill (which is filmed there). I really want to see all of the spots they filmed in and it is a cute, coastal town.

Want to hear some of Cathleen's favorite spots in South Carolina? Check out her post here!

Have you ever been to NC? What are some of your favorite places? Let me know in the comments!

What to Wear on a College Tour

Summer is the perfect time (I think) to tour colleges: you don't have school so there is no worries of making things up if you miss a day or two or losing a whole weekend to see a few schools. It's the perfect time to see schools that are farther away than a day trip. For me, I always think: What am I going to wear? (This applies to everything, not just college tours!) You want to make a good first impression on the school but you also what to be comfy since you'll be driving in the car and it may also be hot out!

T-shirt- J Crew

Skort- Lilly Pulitzer

Sandals- Jack Rogers

Purse- J Crew Factory

Statement Necklace- J Crew Factory

I love this outfit for a college tour! Skorts are great because the built-in shorts prevent ride ups. Jacks are my favorite walking shoes that are also cute (be sure to break them in beforehand though). This bucket bag is a cheaper version of the popular trend (under $100!).

What is your favorite outfit for college tours? Let me know in the comments!

Lilly Pulitzer Agendas

It's June which means one thing. You're probably thinking "Katie, we know that it's summer, we don't need another reminder!" Well it is summer (thank goodness) but it is also Lilly Pulitzer agenda time!

I have had a Lilly agenda for the past 2 years and I have loved them (see my agenda organization post here!). They are bright and colorful but also serve as a functional agenda (I use mine to keep track of homework and to write down social events).

1 2 3

4 5 6

My problem every summer is which one to pick! I love the Red Right Return one but it is jumbo sized (I typically buy the Large). I also love the covered ones in Lobstah Roll and Bazaar since the spirals on mine typically get all messed up. But the Pink Lemonade and Scuba to Cuba are adorable as well. And Tusk in Sun is so chic looking! See my problem?

Luckily, I have plenty of time to decide! Which would you choose? Have you ordered your Lilly agenda already? Let me know in the comments!