Starbucks vs. Me

Starbucks won.

I am a pretty loyal Dunkin Donuts girl.  I am happy with a medium French Vanilla Light and Sweet any day of the week.  I can't be bothered with Latte's or Frap's or whatever else S.B.'s has to offer and quite frankly I still don't get the whole "Tall, Grande, Venti" system.  I think it's stupid and I think I sound stupid asking for my size that way.

Anyhoo.  My mother-in-law feels the same way, and had TWO gift cards in her wallet that she had been carrying around for over a YEAR!  She asked me if I could use them, so I told her I would.  I mean, it had been over a year!  If it came down to it, I would happily order a hot chocolate or something.

I am not even joking when I tell you that I actually researched what to order and how to order it!  I went in with my mom, who also had no clue what to get, I should have also preplanned for her.  I asked for a Grande Mocha...simple.  Mom got some sort of Caramel Latte.  I should have known something was up when the girl asked me if I wanted room for milk....um, no, I thought to myself, I'll just mix in the whipped cream when I get home and that should be good enough.  

 I get home...no whipped cream!  Man, I got ripped off!  Because after my hours of research, a standard Cafe Mocha COMES with whipped cream.  So I sipped it anyway and thought I would die.  There was no sweetness (remember I like a light and sweet coffee), no chocolatey flavor.  So I doctored it with Splenda, and my own whipped cream, more Splenda, then some Half & Half, then DUMPED more Splenda in.  OMG why is this not tasting better!????  I finally pull the receipt out of my wallet (which got covered in coffee on the way home, ugh), and surprise!  I was served Dark Roast Coffee, not the Cafe Mocha I could have written a 4 page thesis paper about.  

 
Damn you Starbucks.  Damn you.

Things I'm Loving

So it's a new year!  Lately I've been finding myself obsessed with a few new things, so here we go...
Firstly, it's not that cold here in NJ, we haven't had any significant amounts of snow since October!  I've hardly even seen a random flurry...it's breaking my heart!  I usually love the beginning of the winter after the holidays.  But anyway, it's still cold enough to be in LOVE with these babies:

If you like flannel sheets, you have to try this Polar Fleece set from QVC.  They are so soft and warm!  I'm curious to see if they hold up after a lot of washing, but for the moment, I am smitten.

THIS was under the Christmas tree from my wonderful husband!  This flash has been on my wishlist forever!  I am in no way a professional, but this has totally changed the quality of my shots!  Thank you, husband!

I am completely into pampering myself lately.  I bought some stuff to treat my feet and hands.  It was like once I hit 30, my skin took a nose-dive to Flakey Town.  Gross.  But the lotion I can't get enough of this winter is a new one by Carmex.  It's been hard to find in stores, but it's awesome!  It's a healing lotion for dry skin.  It smells good and it's not greasy at all.  If there is one thing I hate about lotion, it's sticking to my new plush sheets when I'm ready for sweet dreams.

Self-manicures are a must!  I've been getting pretty good too!  My favorite polish brands are Zoya (I have a BUTT load of those due to them always giving away freebies on their Facebook page), Sally Hansen (Their Gem Crush colors are FULL of sparkle!), and China Glaze.  What's not to love about any of these brands?

Here is something you will never get me to like...


Cakepops.  I'm sorry, Bakerella, your talent as an artist amazes me (have you seen some of her other more decorative pops?), but I just can't figure out why they are so popular!  The only thing I can picture when I see them, is someone taking a bite out of a beautifully decorated cupcake, chewing it up and then spitting a wad out into their hand, shoving a stick into it, and saying, "isn't it darling?!"  Nope, not hopping on that bandwagon.  Wake me when it's over and cupcakes go back to being eaten from a wrapper again...pre-chewed.

 Now you have the visual too, you're welcome...