What the Junk?!

I went to Starbucks today as it was double star day and I have been wanting to try their new sugar cookie almond milk latte.  It's supposed to come with almond milk, but they were out of that today. I got it with regular 2%. It's very sweet but not overly so as I was afraid of.   It's rather good. I'd like to try it with the almond milk to see which I like better. I always preferred my beloved Cascara lattes with almond milk.  I"m just hoping against hope that the smoked butterscotch latte comes back this year. They didn't have it last year and I really, really, really, wanted it!

As for NaNoWriMo. I got my writing done while sipping my latte!  I am not a bit over 16,000 words!  It's been going okay. I still need a major thing to happen, but I need to figure out what that is! lol  I will, I'm sure, for now, it's slow and steady.  I am glad to get the writing done every day. I haven't written on my other story in a few days and I need to get back into that, but I don't want to mess up my groove for NaNo! We'll see how that goes.

Guess where I went to tonight?  If you guessed Starbucks, you win! I sat waiting on another package for my friend all day and couldn't go out.  Well, the package never came, but it did. What the hell you say?  Well, the driver stopped here.  He got out, went in the back of his truck, scanned something, looked around in there and then got back in his truck, and left. D'OH. I was not amused. So now it will be delivered tomorrow (maybe) who knows at this point?

After I realized that it was not coming, I ran out just to get out and went to Starbucks. I decided to try a new drink. It's the pistachio latte.  It was pretty good.  It was sweet without being overly sweet.  Just like my beloved cascara latte. If it tasted just like my cascara latte, I'd be in love.  Sadly, it doesn't, but it's still a pretty good drink.  I'd probably get it again. I got a tall  just in case I didn't care for it.  They still have the holiday cups! I am not complaining at all. I love them.  I hope they bring the smoked butterscotch latte back this year. That is sooooooo good.  I want one so badly!  Here is hoping!

We are under a winter weather advisory here. They are calling for snow tomorrow! YAY!!!!!!!!  As you know, if you've read this blog in the past, I LOVE snow. I am going to enjoy sitting in the window watching it fall. I'll have on fuzzy socks, drink some coffee, and enjoy! Now watch it just rain and spoil everything. :p

So, my floor lamp has been blinking on and off lately.  I thought the bulb was about to go.  I checked the bulb and it was okay.  It didn't do it for a while and then today, it was flashing off and on and I couldn't take it.  It was making me sick so I turned it off.  I figured that my lamp must have a short in it.  I look at Target.com and find they have a lamp that looks a lot like the one I have.  It was only $8.99 so I drove over to get it.  I got it and one other item I needed, did self-checkout and headed out.  I was right there near Starbucks, so I went to the drive-thru there.  I decided to try something new since they don't have my cascara any more.  I gave the smoked butterscotch latte a try.  OMG, It was delicious! It was sweet without being overly sweet. This is what I loved so much about the cascara latte. This is definitely a new favorite.  I only got a tall to make sure I liked it.  I did! Delicious!

It was after 4 am when I finally laid down and tried to sleep last night so I've been pretty tired and out of it all day.  I did get a puzzle done though. It's a pretty scene, too!  I enjoyed working it.  While I was in the process of working it, my shoes came.  I tried them on and they fit fine.  I was distracted then, so I didn't really walk around in them much.  I'll try them out soon and see how they are.  I think they'll be okay.  They come with a spare set of insoles and a pair set of laces.  Pretty nice for $10.  Now that I see them in person, they are more red than pink.  I think I'll like them, but that all depends on how they feel when I wear them.

My friend had plans tonight, so I knew he wouldn't want to walk.  I hope he wants to go tomorrow.  I'd like to give them a try.  Ah! I got distracted by Starbucks earlier and forgot to finish my thoughts about the lamp.  So, I get it put together and plugged in and guess what? It is doing the same thing as the old one!  I noticed when I bought this one that it is supposed to take a three-way bulb.  The old lamp did too, but I never had an issue.  Well, I turned it off and ran up to Family Dollar and bought a three-way bulb and put it in the lamp.  No blinking!  So, I didn't need a new lamp, just the correct bulb.  That is okay, I can definitely use the old lamp in another room.  I just need another 3-way bulb.  I only bought one to make sure that is what the problem is. 

At Family Dollar, I also got a small table lamp. It was marked down to $4.  I have two just like it. I put it away for a backup.  Couldn't pass it up at that price.  I also got a few other things I needed and I got a couple of bags of Cheez Doodles. :p I
love my Cheez Doodles!  

So, there is a novel for you.  Here is the pretty puzzle:

What a day! First of all, I was so tired when I got up even though I went to bed a little early last night.  I started a puzzle this afternoon and was working away on it when my friend texted and said he wanted to walk today.  I said, okay!  We did and it was nice.  We didn't get to walk a long way, but we did walk for about an hour and it was nice to get back into it.  He dropped me off and I called my other friend to see if she perhaps wanted to go to Starbucks. :p   She said she was going to carry her son so he could pick up food so I rode with them and we went by Starbucks too!  Guess what they don't have anymore? Yes, my cascara syrup. I was so sad.  I decided to try something different.  I got a blonde cafe latte.  It was okay, but it wasn't as good as my beloved cascara. I'll be on the search for the perfect replacement!

Since I was interrupted, I didn't finish the puzzle today.  That is okay, I'll finish it tomorrow.  I would have finished it today if hadn't gone out and then as soon as I got home turned around and went out again!  I'll post a picture of the puzzle below. I'm also going to share a few pictures of the trail.  I was able to get a picture of one of the fallen bridges.  It's been messed up for well over a year!  The other bridge that is gone was too far behind barriers for me to get a picture.  

That bridge is toast!  I hope they are planning to fix it along with the other one.  The other bridge was a wooden one with metal sides.  This one was was concrete.  It just washed away in the hurricane rains in 2018.

I haven't decided yet.  I have my bed linen in the dryer.  The load of clothes I washed and dried last night are mostly put away. I have a little bit more to put away.  I was heating up water to wash my hair while I was folding and carrying my stuff off and it finished so I decided to stop my folding and wash my hair. I'm currently under the hair bonnet dryer.  I am deciding if I want to go to Starbucks or not. I could definitely use some!  LOL!  I am so out of it today.  I hate the time change. My Fitbit went off at the usual time this morning but AGAIN I was dreaming and it was part of my dream.  I woke up 5 minutes later and looked at the clock to see if I had a few more minutes and realized what had happened.  I laid there a bit longer and at the 10 minute mark, it went off again.  I got up groggily and made my way to fix some coffee. I definitely needed it today!

I got my puzzle out and did it this afternoon. It was a bit harder than the yarn one, but I was able to finish it in a few hours.  I'll share it below.  I looked at the 300 piece Puzzlebug ones last night and saw that they are the same dimensions as the 500 pieces ones with just bigger pieces.  That will be fun.  These little puzzles are cute, though!

This one was all different colored scarfs.  It wasn't as hard I was thinking, but it wasn't the easiest puzzle ever either. I did enjoy it though!  I'll finish my hair drying and then get some other things done.  I might go to Starbucks as I stated in my blog post title.  We'll see!  It is warmer today, so it might be a good day to see my favorite Corgi over there.  Of course, being a warm day, it's going to be fun to try and get a hot drink.  If I had air conditioning in my car, it would be okay, but I don't, so, we'll see!  Maybe I'll break down and get a frappuccino. Who knows?

I went over to Starbucks this afternoon to start the month off right.  I didn't go in, I went through the drive-thru.  It was delicious as always! I got a cascara latte and a double smoked bacon sandwich.  Delicious!  The little bag the sandwich came in had a little note on it and I thought it was cute.  I also thought it would look good on the cover of one of my TN inserts.  Guess what I did?  Yes, I put it on the cover.  It looks good too!  Here is my goodies from Starbucks and the cover on the notebook:

I think it looks pretty cool!  My order was great as it always is.  I decided to have one of the sandwiches today since I haven't had one in a long time.  They are so good!  I went by the post office while I was out and I checked my box.  I got my bank statement and three pen pal letters. Yay! My one penpal just got a puppy not long ago and she sent me a picture. OMG so cuuuuuute! :D  

I also started a puzzle today.  I decided to work another thrift find one. It's the puppy one I got while thrifting.  It's bigger than my usual puzzles even though it's 500 pieces like the others I usually work so all the pieces won't fit on the board at the same time.  I still have some in the box and I'll put them on the board tomorrow when I finish the puzzle. I got a good portion today. I did the middle part with the pup!

Well, sort of! It was overcast today and it was drizzling when I was out earlier but it wasn't too bad.  I got my puzzle finished today and I was sitting here thinking I'd love to go to Starbucks and get a latte.  I also wanted a birthday cake pop!  I went over and got both.  My cascara latte was delicious as always and the cake pop was amazing, too!  Nice combination.  Yum.

A funny thing happened after I finished the puzzle today.  I usually tape them together after working with them.  Today I didn't do it right away and when I came in my room with my lunch, I went to grab the puzzle and put it on my desk until I could put it where I keep them.  Well... I hadn't taped it.  Oops! Luckily, I only messed up a small corner so it was a  quick fix.  I'm glad I realized what I was doing before I messed the whole thing up!  

I guess you know where I just got back from, right?  I decided to go to Starbucks to get the complete set of heart-shaped gift cards.  I got them.  I also was able to pick up nine other new cards.  That was a good trip!  I almost missed one of the heart-shaped cards and the nine cards.  I had looked through all the ones at the counter and found four out of five of the heart cards.  While I was waiting on my drink, cascara latte, I saw the ones I had missed.  They were at the back with some of the tumblers and stuff.  There had been a couple there when I came in so I couldn't see the cards.  I was happy to find my last card to complete my set and to get the new cards.  It was great and I got a cascara latte! :)   

I had plans to go to the post office today and then to Starbucks.  Well, I go out to my car and guess what? It won't start. ~_~;  So I was not happy.  The jump box didn't get it started either so I'll have to wait until my friend can come and give me a jump.  SO frustrating.  

I DID get to go to Starbucks though!  How you ask?  Well, I had already asked my friend and she didn't want to.  After my car wouldn't start, I asked her again.  She wasn't sure so I went up to her house to see her mini Doxie. You know I love my Cocoa! I loved and cuddled her and I spoke to her son and then was getting ready to leave when she tells her son to grab some shoes as we are going to Starbucks. LOL!  I went....???? Oooookay!  I got my beloved cascara latte and it was delicious as it always is!

I finished my puzzle today.  It wasn't hard to finish as I thought it would be.  It is really pretty just as the other Thomas Kincade ones.  I'm so going to miss those nice thick securely fitting pieces. Here is the completed puzzle.  Isn't it nice?

Yes!  I was at home today watching Reddit videos on YouTube and working a puzzle.  I was minding my own business when my friend that never wants to go to Starbucks asked if I wanted to go to Starbucks. lol   I, of course, said yes. She had to run by and get food for her son and then we all went to Starbucks. Sadly, it was just a drive-thru trip, but at least we went. :)   

I started a new puzzle today.  It's 500 pieces like my others, but it's got the small pieces like the typewriter one I did a few days ago.  I am not sure why these particular puzzles are so small.  I do like the rounded corners on these, though.

By the way, I have a Fossil purse on the way.  Well, soon. They haven't shipped yet, but I won it today.  It ended around 6 this morning and I was afraid I'd get outbid since I wouldn't be up in time to see it end.  I bid a bit more than my initial bid just to be on the safe side.  Luckily, I won and for the opening bid! YAY!  This is a special win for me because it's the same type of Fossil bag I had ordered that one time when the person sent me a completely different bag. This is the same style and looks to be in good shape.  The best part? It's blue! I'm so looking forward to getting it.  I love Fossil bags and I love blue.  I will finally have a blue Fossil bag and it's a design I wanted from before.  That one was bone colored.  This is MUCH better. :)
 

Welcome to 2020.  I watched the ball drop in New York last night via streaming.  I also watched the new year count down five hours earlier than that from a webcam in an Irish pub in Ireland.  That was pretty neat!  I thought I was going to be able to watch Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve just to see the ball drop.  I found out that my local channel wouldn't stream it here.  Luckily, Stirr, that I have on my Fire Stick had a stream from Times Square so I was able to watch the ball drop.  Yay! 

I ran out today and picked up one item I needed and while I was out, I started the year right by going to Starbucks! :P  I got a delicious cascara latte and a birthday cake pop. Oh yeah!  Yum!  They were both delicious and it was a nice way to start off the year.

I started a new puzzle today. It's going to be an interesting one. It's a picture of a bunch of lobster buoys from Maine.  All different colors.  I haven't gotten a lot done, but it feels like I have! LOL! I'm probably done with it for today.  I need to fix dinner soon and I have no idea what I want.  Hopefully something delicious.  Sadly, I am out of almost everything good.  On Friday I will be re-stocking. I'm ready now. :p

I went to Starbucks tonight and got a delicious cascara latte.  Wonderful!  I didn't do anything else while out.  I got several orders of Starbucks cards from eBay auctions in the mail today and an Evernote shirt. :)  I found an Evernote t-shirt on eBay and I bought it. It's too small, but I hope to lose weight again and then I can wear it.  I would have a picture to share, but I had to toss it in the washing machine.  It smelled horrible.  It smelled exactly like clothes that come from Goodwill.  I am not sure, but I'm thinking they all have some kind of spray they use on stuff. The jeans I got recently had to be washed a bunch of times just to get that scent out.  The scent smells like perfume and it's horrible.  I wish they would stop using it.  I am hoping only one wash will work for this shirt.

I finished the puzzle today. It's missing a piece.  The last puzzle was missing a piece too! I looked for it everywhere and didn't find it.  Then, yesterday, I look at the floor and it's laying right there!  I'm hoping the missing one from this puzzle shows up too.  I swear it's so annoying to not have all the pieces.  These were both brand new sealed puzzles.

My friend texted me today and asked if I would like to eat around 7. I said I'm ready now.  This was about 5:20 or so. lol . He picked me up a few minutes after 7 and we went to eat.  We ate at one of my favorite local places that we don't get to often so that was a treat.  It was delicious! He wanted a milkshake at Cookout but the line was around the building, so he went to get gas and carried me around to look at some lights. Yay!  We went back by Cookout but they were still busy so he went to look at more lights.  He also asked if I'd like to go to Starbucks. YES, Yes, I would!  I asked if he minded if I were in there for a bit as I wanted to try to get the cards I didn't have.  He said no problem, so I went and found several that I needed. I ordered a drink, not what a wanted because they are out of cascara.  Well, I am talking to one of my favorite baristas about the cards.  She didn't ring me up but she was making my drink.  As she was about done with my drink, I mentioned cascara and asked if she thought they would get some back in the summer.  She said they HAD cascara. Me: O_o She looked and sure enough, there was a brand new bottle opened and on the counter.  

"Would you rather have that?"  She asked.  I told her if she'd already made the other, nevermind.  She then pours the almost completed drink out and makes me a cascara latte. AND she gave me a grande.  I had ordered a tall. I love my baristas! I got my favorite drink and it was so delicious.  Since I'm the only one that orders cascara, I should be able to get them for a long time. YES!  So happy!

OH! I also asked her about the multipacks.  Those you can't get without loading them.  I asked if they had any left over after the holiday could they save out one for me if they were just sending them back. (I guess this is what they do) . She said she'd ask and if it was okay, they'd save them for me. Yippee!  So happy! I now have almost all this year's holiday cards. I am still missing a few, but I hope to get those on eBay.  These are single ones that they either didn't get or are out of.  I got a cascara latte, got delicious food, and got to see lights. I was a happy camper!

How you ask?  Well, I went to mail off my letters.  My mailbox was full but not one of the things in there was a pen pal letter. D'oh!  I left the post office and went to Starbucks. I thought starting the month off with a cascara latte would be a good thing since the syrup is going to be gone soon. I'm going to miss my cascara syrup. I'm glad I was able to get one more. I hope to get over there before they are totally out.  The Barista told me that the last bottle they have runs out on the 7th, so I hope to get one more.  I know they won't run out of the syrup because I'm the only one that orders it. lol