Sleepy

   Last night, I was not able to sleep at all, and I finally decided to not go to sleep this morning.  I usually wake up late, but my husband and I headed toward La Jolla Beach, which we had planned on going, early morning. We had plenty of time to do and spend quality time today. That's why I'm very sleepy now. I'll write about today' short travel next time.

Our Thanksgiving Dinner

     Yesterday, my husband and I cooked a roast turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.

     I bought a  frozen 11.76 lb whole turkey, which was about $8, at my local Albertsons on Saturday and defrosted it in the refrigerator for four days. We soaked it in salt and sugar water and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator until this Wednesday.

     On Thursday, we filled stuffing into it and rubbed grind garlic, salt, pepper, and oil on its surface.

     We roasted it for four hours. I checked the temperature of the turkey to know if it was perfectly cooked.

     Our roast turkey was just as good as last year. It was moist, delicious, and beautiful turkey. :) It was fifth time for us to cook a roast turkey, and we've cooked it every time well so far. :)

     We baked stuffed potato from Omaha Steaks during roasting the turkey.

     I also baked pumpkin pie for dessert.

     Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. We enjoyed cooking together and thought about what we were thankful for. :)


      This is my entries related to my favorite recipe.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/recipes

      This is my entries related to cooking.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/cooking

Black Friday Haul - Target & Macy's

     My husband and I went to Irvine Spectrum Center for Black Friday shopping at 11 p.m. tonight. First, we headed toward Target because he wanted to look at electrical appliance. While he was looking at them, I found that there were still some $3 tees left, and I bought three of them for him. Target's door buster deals started at 8. p.m., but it was not very crowded unlike last year. I saw that a lot of door busters were still left there such as TVs and boots.

     Then, we went to Macy's because I wanted to get new bed sheets. This Luxury 550 Sateen Easy Care Queen Set Salerno Collection was regularly $140 but was a door buster sale for $29.99! It came out 78% off! I was glad that I got a luxury white one. :)

Luxury 550 Sateen Easy Care Queen Set Salerno Collection

     My husband bought Martha Stewart Collection Sleep Wise Support Foam Contour Pillow. It was originally $60 but was a door buster sale for $17.99. It came out 70% off!

 Martha Stewart Collection Sleep Wise Support Foam Contour Pillow

     At the entrance, $19.99 boots caught my eye, so I tried them on. The price was very inexpensive, and they were very stylish! I really liked them and waited in a long line for checkout. While waiting, I was asking myself if I would really need them. Since I am not a student now and am a housewife, I don't have many chances to wear my favorite boots I own. That's why I gave up purchasing them. If I hadn't needed to wait so long there, I probably would have purchased them. :P

     Many people who looked like teenagers or 20s were waiting in long lines at entrances of H&M and Cotton On just the same as last year.

      Irvine Spectrum Center has an outdoor ice skate rink through February, and many people were skating there at midnight.

     There was a booth for K-Cup coffee sample and we got coffee there. :)

     It was a great Black Friday shopping! We also ordered some stuff online at home. :) I'll share with you after I receive them.

What I Got at a 100 Yen Shop in Japan - Daiso Haul

     While I was in Japan two months ago, I purchased some products at Daiso. I didn't buy a lot though. It's because as I mentioned in my previous entry, I had already bought some in Japan this year. Anyway, I'm going to share with you what I got there.

     I bought this lint brush. I don't need to use this often, but this is very useful. For instance, after I washed my brand-new bath towel twice, I finally washed the new bath towel and my clothing together, but it was still covered with lint! It sometimes happens to me, but I don't need to be disappointed about it too much because this brush removes lint very well and easily. My husband also uses it when he wears a black suit.

Lint Brush

      I bought these pedicure toe separators. These are must-have items for me. These work great to keep my toe separate while I am giving myself a pedicure.

Pedicure Toe Separators

     This is a 10-piece facial mask sheet. I found that this has many positive reviews on Japanese cosmetic review site, so I bought it for the first time. I have been making my own homemade lotion, so I will use it with my lotion for my special care.

a 10-piece Facial Mask Sheet

     The back of the facial mask package describes features and directions.

       I bought this foaming net. I think that this is a must-have item for everyone. I have been repeatedly purchasing one for 15 years or so. As I mentioned in my previous entry, it is very easy to create lather with this foaming net.

     I purchased this nail polish remover. It's only because I wanted to remove my nail polish during my stay in Japan for two weeks. I used to find it difficult to remove nail polish with using U.S. nail polish remover. Now, I have no problem with using U.S. one though. It's because I learned how to use one properly and finally got use to it. :) However, I still think a Japanese one is better because it removes nail polish faster and easier.

Nail Polish Remover

These are my entries related to Daiso.

■Top 3 Daiso Beauty Products

■Top 3 Most Popular Daiso Hair Products

■Top 10 Products You Should Buy at Daiso

■Must Go to Place in Japan - Daiso part 1

■Must Go to Place in Japan - Daiso part 2

■Sake Shizuku Lotion

■Diso Haul - Sake Shizuku Lotion

■Daiso, 100 Yen Shop, in Japan Haul



     My entries related to beauty can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/beauty

Kohl's Black Friday Sale

     Last night, I knew that Kohl's Black Friday sales had already started! I found that there were many great deals going on, so I quickly ordered three kinds of appliance before they sold out.

     I ordered a Bella Waffle Maker, a Presto Griddle, and a Bella Panini Maker. These were originally $39.99 each but were on sale for $19.99 each. The total price was $59.97. Then, I used a 15% off promo code, and I ended up paying for $50.97 plus tax. Because I ordered through Ebates.com, I will get a 6% cashback, which is about $3, later. In addition, I got a $15 off Kohl's Cash coupon with purchasing $50 more. Moreover, I will get three $12 Kohl's Visa Prepaid Cards with my purchase. It will come out for free!

Bella Waffle Maker

Presto Griddle

Bella Panini Maker

      I had bought a $100 Kohl's gift card at Albertson, so I was glad that I used the gift card soon after I had purchased it. As I mentioned in my previous entries, Albertsons is offering great gift card deals, which is that you can get a $20 Catalina coupon for next purchase when you buy a $100 in select gift card there. It made my Kohl's shopping sweeter! If you are planning on going to Kohl's Black Friday sale, you should go to Albertsons first to purchase a $100 Kohl's gift card and get a $20 Albertsons' Catalina coupon. :)

Omaha Steaks - Top Sirloin & Stuffed Baked Potato Review

     Last week, my husband cooked top sirloin steaks and stuffed baked potato which we bought from Omaha Steaks.


2 (5 oz.) Filet Mignons & 2 (5 oz.) Top Sirloins

4 (5.75 oz.) Stuffed Baked Potatoes

      The taste of top sirloin steaks were incredible and better than what we had expected! It was surprisingly tender and juicy!


Top Sirloin

      The first impression of their stuffed baked potato was very huge. It was big enough for two people, so we shared one. What I liked the most about it was how easy it was to cook! We just heated it in the microwave for a few minutes. The top of the potato which had flavor of cheese was fluffy and the inside of the potato was pure potato. It was incredibly tasty! :) I thought that it was very good along with their steaks!

Stuffed Baked Potato

      In addition, my husband cooked homemade tomato soup for dinner. This tomato soup has been our all-time favorite for 8 years or so. :)

     The products of Omaha Steaks were all tasty beyond my expectation so far. We still have more of their meat in our refrigerator and were looking forward to have the rest of their meat.


My previous entries related to Omaha Steaks are here.
Omaha Steaks Deal - Our First Purchase
A Package from Omaha Steaks
Filet Mignon from Omaha Steaks



      This is my entries related to my favorite recipe.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/recipes

      This is my entries related to cooking.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/cooking

Amazon Gift Cards Were Sold Out

     As I mentioned in my previous entry, Albertsons is currently offering up great gift card deals.

     Today, my husband and I went to Albertsons to purchase some gift cards again. $100 Amazon gift cards were already sold out there. While we were waiting in a line for checkout, I was surprised that two people who were standing in front of us were also purchasing $100 gift cards and purchasing some items with using $20 off Catalina coupons. Moreover, other two people who were standing in behind me also were waiting for checkout for $100 gift cards! This means that six customers purchased $100 gift cards in a row! I thought that $100 gift card sales were increasing at Albertsons significantly. Now, it is too popular because the deal is too good to be true!

A Great Amazon Gift Card Deal at Albertsons

     I usually receive a lot of ads by mail on Wednesdays, but I didn't receive any this Wednesday somehow. I was little disappointed about that because I needed to plan on shopping for Thanksgiving dinner. I was supposed to get an Albertsons' in ad coupons. :(  However, I knew that there was a great gift card deal going on at Albertsons. When you purchase a $100 in select gift cards, you will receive a $20 Catalina coupon for your next purchase.

     I was excited that Amazon gift cards are included in this sale! I purchased some Amazon and Mastercard $100 gift cards and received $20 Catalina coupons.

     I bought a frozen turkey and other groceries for Thanksgiving dinner with using the $20 off coupon! Even though I didn't have in ad coupons, my shopping ended up being much great! By the way, if I had had the in ad coupon, the turkey would have been 49 cents per pound instead of 59 cents per pound.

     After shopping there, my husband activated the Mastercard $100 gift card, and we headed toward a gas station because his car was running out of gas. We paid gas fee by the gift card. :)

     This gift card deal was incredibly great, and this will continue through December 3. :) However, $20 Catalina coupons expire a week after they are printed. Make sure to use your coupons before they expire.

My Two Year Blog Anniversary

     Today is the day of two year anniversary of my blog! I have been updating my blog everyday for two years to improve my English skills. :)

    Looking back two years ago, I didn't like writing in English at all and hoped to improve my writing skill by trying my huge challenge, which was continuing my everyday blog at least for a year. I accomplished the goal a year ago and was able to notice that I had improved my English skills significantly by continuing to do so. After accomplishing my goal, I decided to keep doing it and hoped to improve my English skills more and more.

    During the second year of my blogging, many things have changed in my life. I finally finished an upper advanced writing class, which was the last writing class at ESL level, with a good grade. I should give myself credit for it! However, it was not easy for me, and I was unsure if I could keep up with the class. That's why I tried to work harder than anyone else. Writing in English everyday on my blog helped me a lot, and I already got used to writing. Writing essays was much more difficult and complicated than my everyday blogging, but I didn't have to hesitate to write essays at least. I think that was a huge improvement! :) After finishing my writing class in May, I started studying for NCLEX seriously. I ended up passing NCLEX and got a RN license! That was my biggest accomplishment!

     My English improvement has enabled me to accomplish my goals. Because I started learning English as an adult, it is very important for me to study and use English on a daily basis. Otherwise, it would be difficult to retain English and I will definitely forget after a short while. I'll continue my everyday blog for the next year. Hopefully, I will notice my English improvement a year after from now.

The Worst Cough Ever

     Last Sunday, my husband and I went to Newport Beach. It's been a while since we went there last time. Because I was sick for a month and was suffering from a persistent cough, I spent most of my time at home and only went out for little shopping on weekends. My condition was getting better, and I thought that I almost recovered that day, so we decided to go to the beach. :)

     
     We bought some doughnuts as usual we do there.     

     Now, I am okay, but I think that I had bronchitis. The cough was very severe and was the worst cough I have ever had. I couldn't sleep well because I was coughing badly with sputum and had wheezing in my throat. I think my resistance was down due to physical and mental fatigue. I was studying for NCLEX for four months and went to Japan. After coming back here, I was still worried about my family in Japan, but I needed to seek what I should do next for my future. I need to move on but also need to take care of myself. Now, I am trying to prepare myself for taking the next big step. :)

Whole Foods Fresh Juice - the Hangar

     Last Sunday, my husband and I went Whole Foods again to get fresh vegetable juice. These days, we have gone there every weekend for it. We are really into their juice. :)

     Because he didn't like Choppers, which we tried last time, we ordered the Hangar, which is his favorite, this time. The Hangar contains apple, pineapple, orange, ginger, lime and kale.

     Just as we expected, it was great. I liked its taste of ginger and lime. :)

These are my previous entries about Whole Foods fresh juice.
Choppers
the Orange Crush
the Hangar

Filet Mignon from Omaha Steaks

     Last night, my husband finally cooked filet mignon from Omaha Steaks. :)

2 (5 oz.) Filet Mignons & 2 (5 oz.) Top Sirloins

     It was our first time to have their steaks. We were surprised that filet mignon was tender and very tasty, and then we learned that filet mignon is considered the king of steak. It was obviously the best steak I've ever had. Considering that these quality and tastes are equivalent to ones at steak restaurants, I thought that Omaha steaks were pretty reasonable! We still have a lot of their meats, and I can't wait to have more of their steaks. :)

Filet Mignon

 

 

     My previous entries related to Omaha Steaks are here.

Omaha Steaks Deal - Our First Purchase

A Package from Omaha Steaks

 

 

       This is my entries related to my favorite recipe.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/recipes

      This is my entries related to cooking.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/cooking