The Facts of Me

Since I'm a brand-spankin'-new blogger you guys don't know a whole lot about me yet, so I thought I'd tell you a little about me today. I'm also incredibly interesting and I figured everyone would just want to read about me.

I don't have a smart phone. I know, crazy. But my phone was pretty state of the art when I bought it 3.5 years ago... I just can't justify that extra $25 a month when my phone does everything I want it to, except instagram.

I watch Netflix every night before bed. I can't fall asleep without the TV on, but that's pretty much the only time I do watch TV.

I started dancing when I was 3 years old. I even minored in dance for a little while, but I dropped it so I could graduate early instead.

How cute was I?

I hate knick knacks and all things useless, like stuffed animals. Someday when I have a house I'll probably have a few decorations, but I feel like they just take up space and add to crap you have to fit in your car when you move.

I have the shortest attention span ever. I can't even believe I've stuck with this blog thing for a whole week.

I have over 300 pins on my "Cats" board on Pinterest. I'm kind of embarrassed by that, but kind of not. I'm really not that crazy, it's just how I chose to procrastinate in college.

I still sleep with my baby blanket. Yep. 23 years old and I still can't fall asleep if I don't know where he's at. Oh, and I refer to it as a he.

I can't stand it when people breathe loudly. Like, I really just cannot handle it. I saw on pinterest that that's some kind of psychological disorder, but I don't know if that's true.

I didn't know that racism existed until I was at least six. Yeah, I was naive, but I wish everyone would raise their children like my family did.

Taylor Swift is my main beyotch. I don't care if she's terrible live. I don't care if her songs are cheesy. I don't care if you think she's totally overrated. She is amazing and you should never try and tell me otherwise, especially after a couple bud lights. Drunk Amanda is an even bigger fan than sober Amanda, and I'm likely to punch you square in the forehead if you insult T. Swizzle.

And on that note...

It's time to #backthatazzup with Whitney! Happy Friday, all :)

My Love Affair with Pink Moscato

Pink Moscato & I first officially met on New Year's Eve of 2011, and it was love at first sip. I'd had my eye on him for a while, but I wanted to wait for a special occasion to make my move; New Year's Eve was the perfect night. Boyfriend & I were hosting a pretty kick-ass roof party in downtown Charlotte and we'd bought some plain-jane champagne for everyone, but I knew that we had to invite Pink Moscato Champagne, too- he was the only one I wanted to kiss cheers with when the clock struck 12. I partied with bud light all evening long, but he knew I was really thinking about Pink Moscato. Finally it was midnight and I went for it; I had my first glass of Pink Moscato! And then I had another. And another. And 15 minutes later I had consumed an entire bottle by myself.  Damn those tiny plastic party glasses! You don't even realize how much you're tossing back. I ended the night by throwing up 6 times. Classy.

I knew it was real love the next day because, even through my raging hangover (first one ever, might I add), I wasn't mad at Pink Moscato. There was a point where I muttered the phrase "I'm never drinking again," but I immediately realized that was absurd. Me & Pink Moscato were going to be together forever.

Ever since that day, Pink Moscato and I have been seeing each other on a regular basis. He still leaves me with hangovers sometimes, but I always forgive him. I know he doesn't mean it, and he's just so sweet.  My friend Alex & I like to invite him and at least three of his friends over for all of our girls nights. Bud Light usually tags along, too- we're still seeing each other on the side.

Even though there's been rough times between Pink Moscato and myself, we know that true love can last through anything :)

And now that you read the creepiest alcohol love story of all time, check out what I found on Sutter Home's website! Have I ever mentioned that I collect salt & pepper shakers? Excuse me while I go craft these immediately...

Linking up with Hopelessly Ever After & When In Doubt Just Add Glitter today! :)

A Lesson on #Hashtags

One of my greatest pet peeves (I have a lot of pet peeves) is the misuse of hashtags. I am a firm believer that if you don't know how to use them, you just shouldn't try. But since no one seems to follow that rule, I've decided to post a lesson on how to properly use hashtags. You're welcome.

Rule #1: Only use Hashtags on Appropriate Forums

Hashtags don't work everywhere. You can use hashtags on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and now (much to my dismay) Facebook. Hashtags are meant to link together similar posts. If your hashtag doesn't turn into a link then you are not allowed to use it. So don't even think about texting me a hashtag! And saying it in normal conversation? Just no. (This goes out to you, boyfriend)

(Okay, so this meme no longer applies. Pretend it says "blogger" or "YouTube" or "iChat")

Rule #2: You CANNOT use Punctuation!

No, really, you can't. It ends the hashtag. This is the one time in life that punctuation is NOT important! If you type #SorryI'mNotSorry then your hashtag is just #SorryI. Yeah, Sorry I suck at hashtags.

Rule #3: You Can't Use Spaces, Either

Again, the hashtag ends when hit the space bar.  So don't hit the space bar until the hashtag is over, which brings me to my next point...

Rule #4: #Dontmakeanentiresentenceahashtag

Keep it short! Again, hashtags are meant to bring similar posts together. No one else is going to post #mycatissofunnywhenhelaysonehisbackandcloseshiseyeshahaha, so you shouldn't either. Just pick a short phrase for the hashtag, it's okay if part your status is just a normal sentence.

#sillycat will suffice

Rule #5: Less is More

#Do #not #put #a #hashtag #before #every #single #word. This seems to be a huge problem on instagram. Not only is it unnecessary, it's hard to read. Please don't do that, for everyone's sake.

And now you know how to properly use hashtags! Be sure to share this post with every hashtag abuser you know ;)

PS. I'm linking up with Dawn's Disaster for #BlogTwitLov... it seemed very appropriate today!



I'm ALSO linking up with Shanna for Random Wednesday!

June Cara Box Reveal!

Well, sort of. I haven't recieved my Cara Box yet, but since Kaitlyn is so wonderful and really cares about her participants, I will have one on the way soon from my new partner, Jessica! I promise to update when it gets here :) (It's here!)

Have you ever heard of Cara Box? It's a themed monthly exchange program where you get paired up with two other people, get to know them throughout the month, then send them a package filled with goodies and an encouraging note! This is my second month doing it (I also participated in March) and it's been a lot of fun.

This month's theme was Take Me to the Fair!

Now, you may have noticed above that Jessica's name isn't a link. Well, that's because I just started blogging four days ago, so I was in the "non-bloggers" pool. But I still had a wonderful swap and am excited to share it with you!

Since I can't show you my own box, I'll show you what I sent to my other fabulous partner, Kristine!

Included in her box was:

-Caramel Apple Pops- if you haven't tried these you really should

-Cotton Candy Lip Balm

-Nail wraps that reminded me of clowns!

-Peanut M&M's in honor of her favorite fair- The National Peanut Festival in AL!

-"Fireworks" nail polish- around here there are fireworks after every carnival!

-Cotton Candy Frosting Creations mix-in and a recipe for the best frosting ever

-Fair themed scrapbooking stickers because she loves to scrapbook just like me :)

-A stuffed monkey that I won playing balloon darts bought for the little girl she cares for

I was really happy with the way this box turned out, and I hope Kristine was, too! What about you guys, did you participate in Cara Box this month? What was the best item you picked out for your partner's box?

The Best Frosting Recipe Ever of All Time

Well, I think that title pretty much sums it up! But really guys, this recipe is the shizz. My boyfriend's mom gave it to me (though I don't know its origins), and it is literally the best frosting recipe ever of all time.  I love it plain, but if you're a chocolate person you can also make the choco version and I'd still willingly lick it off the floor eat it.

With the fourth of July coming up I've been thinking about this recipe because cupcakes are my go-to for cookouts, so of course I just had to share it with you!  I wish I could share a cupcake recipe with you, too, but all my baking comes from a box.Whoops!

This pin was my inspiration last fourth of July

Best Frosting Ever

2 3 oz packages of Cream Cheese

2 tbsp evaporated milk

1 tsp  vanilla extract

dash of salt

1 16 oz package confectioners sugar

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and milk at medium speed, just until smooth

Gradually beat in vanilla, salt, and sugar until blended

Is Chocolate more your style? Just add in 1/4 c cocoa powder

Frosts 2 dozen cupcakes. I also recommend eating straight from the bowl.

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday! Today I'm linking up with Sami & telling you all about my boring weekend shenanigans.

Friday:
Lesbi-honest, I don't even really remember Friday. It was a whole 3 days ago. I think I just ran errands and lounged around. I was supposed to work, but it got canceled. Hey, I'm not complaining! Here's a little kitty to make Friday more exciting.

Saturday:

Saturday was a little more exciting, but just a little. I went to a Dove Chocolate Discoveries party. Have you ever heard of this? They have chocolate everything! It's expensive, as expected, but we sampled some deeee-licious chocolate things! I recommend the barbecue sauce... seriously!

Later in the evening my momma and I had a little girls night. We had fondue for dinner- yum! Along with some teriyaki chicken & mushrooms she made, and for dessert we had strawberries with white chocolate fondue- YUM! :) We also killed a bottle of wine or two.  Then we watched Safe Haven. Have you seen that yet? It really exceded my expectations! It was a really good movie and the ending threw us both for a loop.

Last but not least, I ended the night with a longgg phone chat with my most favorite guy ♥ It was nice because we've barely talked all week!

Sunday:

Sunday was a little nuts. My mommy dearest lost her phone at the lake Saturday night (her and her best friend like to go on walks in the middle of the night. Weirdos) so I went to help her look for it. We walked to wholeee beach and couldn't find it anywhere, ugh. She decided she wasn't going to buy a new and she was giving up cell phones- crazy lady. Well, she did end up finding it! It was in the pocket of her folding chair in the trunk of her car... where I told her to look in the first place. Moral of the story? Amanda's always right. At least I got this pretty picture of the creek during our hunt!

The First Day of the Rest of This Blog's Life

I'm starting a blog! Okay, I already have a blog. But I'm going to really try and write on it! I'm gonna participate in link ups, and interact with other bloggers, and be funny and interesting (well, that part comes naturally). I'm gonna write about my life, teach you some fun diy's, and share my love of glitter and pink wine with you. Oh, and you should probably know right now that my kitten obsession is comparable to the puppy obsession of Two Thirds Hazel... you've been warned.

I'm also thinking a new layout & a new "About Me" is definitely in order! So, you have that to look forward to.

And lastly, I've been considering a name change? But I don't know... I kind of like my name! I want something shorter and more memorable like Basically Bre, how cute is that name?! But Cats, Cuddling, and Carrot Cake is so perfectly me. Read where that name came from in my First 1st blog post (but keep in mind it's about 2 years old). So what do you guys think- should I change my name? Got any brilliant ideas? Let me know!

Oh, and I'm linking up with Whitney for #backthatazzup Friday! CELEBRATE NEW BLOGS, C'MON!