Sunday Social [11.3.2013]

Yay, happy Sunday everyone! How'd it go these past 7 days? Me? Well, I had a marvelous time [*southern belle accent implied*].

Today I'm linking up with Neely @ acompletewasteofmakeup for the Sunday Social linkup. Don't forget to link up and make some new blogging friends!

1) What is currently on your wishlist? A blogging & vlogging camera and a car!

2) Share a new iPhone app that you've recently discovered and we all need. Does Candy Crush count? Because I'm basically addicted and I advise all of you to download it so you can send me lives. It would be greatly appreciated/

3) What is a new fall TV show that you have added to your DVR? The Blacklist. If you haven't seen this one yet, you have to. I only like select crime shows and this one has managed to wiggle its way onto my list - check it out Mondays @ 10 on NBC. [I even stay up late to watch it people. I don't even do that for PLL.]

4) Share your social media sites so we can follow you. 

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dotgblog
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dotgblog
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/misscarolynxo

I'm trying to be more consistent with my social media! Don't mind the fact that I've only tweeted like 10 times. I'm a dweeb but I'm working on it, ok?

5) What is a TV show, movie, or song that you could watch or listen to over and over and never get tired of?

TV Show: Law & Order SVU. If you know anything about me, you'd know of my obsession for this show; I'm not much of a TV watcher but I've seen every episode. Let's be real, that's why Netflix exists, right?

Movie: Bridesmaids & When in Rome. Josh Duhamel. Do I need any more explaination?

Song: Anything country, pretty much. Blake Shelton is my man, though.

If you participated in this linkup, tell me, I want to check out your blog! Spread the love, ladies!

5 Things I Probably Hate About Your Blog

While I'm not someone to talk about having an awesome blog, [I know I don't], there sure are a few things I've run into that I cannot stand when I visit someone else's blog.


1) No Bloglovin account/button. Let's be real here, I'm all about the simple life and making things so I barely have to work to achieve anything. [Don't read too much into that.] So having one website where all bloggers can find each other with a few strokes of the keys is prime in my eyes. Get a bloglovin! It's the new face of blog followings, so sign up!

2) No about page. If you don't have a sidebar autobiography doo hickey, make an about page. At least has something. Mine hasn't been updated since 2011, when I first got my blog [and trust me, there is a new one in the works], but it's something for potential readers to go off of.

3) Too many colors and/or fonts. KISS. [Keep it simple, stupid.] Pick 1-3 featured colors for your blog titles/text/gadgets and what not [not including black and white] and no more than 3 fonts. Not only is it easy on the eyes, but your font and color preferences say a lot about your personality. Give a good first impression!

4) Nothing in the sidebar; give me something to look at! Okay, so you have 4 bloglovin followers and a blog archive. Nice, good luck with growing that following! Sidebar widgets and pictures are even more vital than a nice header/logo. Think of it as the foyer of a house: the front door [header] might look really nice and the front room [the posts] may be so well thought out and designed, but then you're in this nasty entryway that provides no connection between the outside and the inside. Ew!

5) Having paragraphs upon paragraphs upon paragraphs of text. I love to babble on about nothing, trust me, I really do. But I've come to find how much I skim through posts that have huge chunks of text. This isn't high school people, there's no need for 15 sentence long paragraphs in which you are continually repeating yourself.

Like I said, I don't have an amazing, eye catching, one hundred percent fool proof layout. But my template is clean and appealing; that's all a new blogger should strive for!

What are some things that irritate you about other blogs? Let me know!

Things I've Learned As A New Blogger

There's nothing more relaxing than waking up on a Sunday morning, and after a hectic week, to a house that smells like a bakery and knowing there's a new blog post to be written in the midst of my younger siblings playing with friends and my mother working up a whirlwind in the kitchen.

And what better way to start off my second week of everyday posting than to reflect on my first [and successful!] week of everyday posting?

I feel like such a noob still, but I've learned so much over the past 7 days, both about blogging and myself. How cheesy, but so true. There's sucha contrast between vlogging and blogging and I've gained so much insight to another part of the Internet that I just have to share with you. 

Here's what I've learned:

1) Blogging is hard work. Let's be real: I thought I would just be able to sit down for an hour every day and write up a quick post to publish. But I've come to the realization that blogging is a serious task. A fun one, but it takes a lot out of a person. My posts alone take me an hour because I change them 87,000 times. Then there's 

2) How to balance my schedule. I have a part time job, all honors classes, a YouTube channel, a social life, marching band, a bird (AKA my child), and chores all to balance. Then I decided to add a blog to my crazy schedule?! Yes, yes I did. And it's been a crazy task. But I've gotten everything done, and I am now counting on Sundays to be my chill days. 

3) Pinterest is the bible for bloggers. I've spent more time on Pinterest in the past few days than I have collectively in the past year. I've gotten inspiration, tips, found new blogs to read, and a nice break-while-working. Follow me here!

4) Taking pictures is going to be vital. I've used a lot of images that aren't my own this week just so I could focus on writing and getting my foot in the door. (Make sure if you do this that you give credit to the original source!) At any rate, this is my "diary" [hence my URL] and pictures are going to be important in this documentation of my life. 

5) HTML is the key to success. Basically. I knew basic HTML coding before hand but I'm starting to get a real grasp of it and it's making my new theme [wink, wink] a lot nicer and more user friendly! This site has been a huge help. 

And things that probably won't pertain to any of you, but things I've personally come across:

*I hate having themes. Kiss them goodbye. They were a nice guide for a few days but now I've come to the realization that there's so much to write about. 

*I hate my layout//theme. I'm working on a new one but I'm not uploading it until I'm completely happy. Expect it this week!

And that's pretty much that! Obviously I'm not a huge success [yet] but I can't wait to keep working towards my goal. What is one of your biggest tips to new bloggers? Even if you are new, leave me a nice comment!