Starbucks VIA® Latte Caffè Mocha

     Today, my husband gave me these four packs of Starbucks VIA® Latte Caffè Mocha and Vanilla Latte. He told me that Starbucks staff gave him these samples at our local Starbucks today. These will expire two weeks later. I thought that people prefer cold drink now due to hot weather, so I guess that they decided to give them away before they expire. Anyway, I was glad to try Starbucks VIA Latte for my first time. :) Starbucks VIA® Latte is originally $6.95 for six servings.

Starbucks VIA® Latte Caffè Mocha & Vanilla Latte

      Today, I decided to try Starbucks VIA® Latte Caffè Mocha for my first time. :)

Starbucks VIA® Latte Caffè Mocha

        It was easy to make! All I needed to do was just add 8 fl oz of hot water. :)

Starbucks VIA® Latte Caffè Mocha

        Before tasting it, I checked its reviews and was surprised that it has many negative reviews! Nonetheless, I really liked this Caffe Mocha. :) It had decent chocolate taste and was very delicious. I liked the fact that it was slightly bitter and was not too sweet. Even though Starbucks VIA series are probably ones of the most expensive instant coffee products in the U.S., this Caffe Mocha is worth more than the price you paid.

Starbucks VIA® Latte Caffè Mocha

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


          My Starbucks entries can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks


          This is my entries related to our Starbucks collections.
 http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks%20mugs

Starbucks Band of Outsiders Double Wall Ceramic Traveler Mugs

      When my husband and I went to our local Starbucks last month, we found these mugs, Starbucks Band of Outsiders Double Wall Ceramic Traveler Mugs. Starbucks collaborated with Band of Outsiders, which is a Los Angeles based clothing label, for these coffee mugs. These were just released in June, but now it's extremely difficult to find one. Specifically, we haven't seen rainbow ones at our local Starbucks stores for a while. Apparently, these have been very popular.


Starbucks Band of Outsiders Double Wall Ceramic Traveler Mugs

       As you might know, we have 14 different Starbucks You Are Here Collection mugs now, and we will still try to collect those mugs when we travel somewhere in the U.S. I think that our shelf will run out of space for mugs soon though. Haha. :) Nonetheless, we were under a spell of new Starbucks Band of Outsiders mugs. It's because these are very colorful and stylish! That's why we couldn't resist buying them and decided to bring them into our Starbucks mug collections. :)

Starbucks Band of Outsiders Double Wall Ceramic Traveler Mugs

       I can't wait to have coffee with using them!

Starbucks Band of Outsiders Double Wall Ceramic Traveler Mugs

Starbucks Band of Outsiders Double Wall Ceramic Traveler Mug - Black

Starbucks Band of Outsiders Double Wall Ceramic Traveler Mug - Rainbow

                                  

           This is my entries related to our Starbucks collections.
 http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks%20mugs

My Favorite Starbucks Drink in July

     My husband and I ordered Caffè Espresso Frappuccino at Starbucks on weekends in this month. This is our favorite drink in this July. :) I believe that Caffè Espresso Frappuccino has been listed in their menu since May this year. We tried it for our first time this month though.

Starbucks Caffè Espresso Frappuccino

       At our first try, we simply ordered it and were impressed that it was pretty good. Since we don't like excessive sweet drinks, this sweetness was perfect for our preference. However, we expected that it should have more espresso taste because of its name. Next, we ordered it with a shot of extra espresso and turned out great! We were able to notice its coffee bitterness. :) Then, we ordered it with two shots of extra espressos. The taste was much better than the previous order, but its ice was melting and became watery because of adding two hot espressos. Haha. :) In conclusion, adding one shot of espresso to Starbucks Caffè Espresso Frappuccino is just right for our preference. :)



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

          My Starbucks entries can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks


          This is my entries related to our Starbucks collections.
 http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks%20mugs

Making Soap for His First time - 2

     As I mentioned in my yesterday's entry, my husband is trying to make soap for his first time now. Tonight, it's time to unmold the soap! :)

Making Homemade Soap

      He cut the soap into bars and placed them onto parchment paper.

Making Handmade Soap

      We need to wait for another month to cure the soap completely.

Making Handmade Soap

     My entries related handmade soap can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Handmade%20Soap

Making Soap for His First Time

     My husband has very sensitive skin, and his colleague recommended him to use handmade soap. She told him that she used to make handmade soap for her son who had been suffering from atopic dermatitis. Her son's skin trouble was gone by using it. She gave her three bars of her handmade soap to my husband to try and see the result. He has been using it for three weeks since then, and it has worked very well. He noticed that they relieve itchiness of his skin and scalp.

     We decided to try making handmade soap, but it was not easy to collect all ingredients. Last weekend, we went to ACE Hardware to purchase sodium hydroxide, lye. We told staffs that we were looking for sodium hydroxide to make handmade soap. Then, they showed us drain cleaner and told us that you cannot touch it directly. It sounds very dangerous, doesn't it? We thought that we should research more about it before purchasing it. Yes, sodium hydroxide is drain cleaner and can be used making soap as well. My husband ordered it on Ebay after reading so many reviews on it. He also bought security goggles, a N95 mask, and so on.

     Today, he tried making his own homemade soap. Now, it is sitting in a cardboard box until tomorrow. He said to me that it was simpler than we expected. It will take another month for it to be  ready to use though.

Making Handmade Soap

      If his own homemade soap comes out well, we will share how to make it with you. :)


     My entries related handmade soap can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Handmade%20Soap

Jimi Hendrix - USPS Forever Stamps

     Today, my husband and I went to post office and bought new forever stamps. This sheet of 16 forever stamps, Jimi Hendrix, is one of USPS Music Icons series. Frankly, I didn't know who Jimi Hendrix is. He was one of the most important musicians of the 20th century.

Jimi Hendrix - USPS Forever Stamps

Jimi Hendrix - USPS Forever Stamps

Jimi Hendrix - USPS Forever Stamps (the back of the sheet of stamps)

       My entries related to USPS stamps can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/USPS%20stamps

      You can check and buy stamps at Official USPS Store on Ebay.

How I Keep Banana Fresh Longer - My Youtube Video

      My youtube video, How I Keep Banana Fresh Longer, has been played over 10,000 times since five months ago! It took me a week to record videos and days to edit videos. I am glad to have shared how I store bananas with so many people. :)

How I Keep Banana Fresh Longer

     This is my Youtube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/user/AMERICAnoRINGOchan

How to Brew Coffee with a French Press

     Last weekend, my husband and I made coffee with French Press coffee maker. I'm going to share how to brew coffee with French Press with you.


     1. Pour hot water in your French press to warm it up. Then, discard hot water.

     2. Put 50g of medium coarse grind coffee into your French press. Then, add hot water, only enough to saturate the grounds initially. After 30 seconds, add the remainder of the water. Stir the water and grind coffee briefly. Place the lid on the press but don't press down or make contact between the screen and the water yet.

     3. After 4 minutes, plunge down the filter.

     4. Enjoy!

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mugs

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mugs

     We had coffee with cup cakes from Costco. The bold black coffee was just perfect with these sweets. :)

       I uploaded my YouTube video, How to Brew Coffee with French Press.

How to Brew Coffee with French Press

     This is my entries related to our Starbucks collections.
 http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks%20mugs

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


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

Ray Charles - Ellie My Love

     As I mentioned in my yesterday's entry, I found out that Ray Charles covered the very famous Japanese song, Ellie My Love, Itoshi no Ellie in Japanese, in 1989. Itoshi no Ellie was released by one of the most famous Japanese bands, Southern All Stars, as their third song in 1979.

Lyrics

There were times I left your heart in pain
Time again I've turned and walked away
I get to where I'm going just to find
Won't be happy in this world
If you're not by my side
Ellie, my love so sweet

My heart told me to break away
Now I'm out here far away
Wish that I could hold you in the night
Then I'd wake up to a morning
That is warm and bright
Ellie, my love so sweet

Smile for me, won't you, baby
Forever you'll be on my mind
Drink with me won't you baby
We're gonna make it right this time

There's no one else like you
Anything you want, I'll do
Ellie, my love so sweet
Ellie, my love so sweet

My heart told me to break away
Now I'm here so far away
Wish that I could hold you in the night
Then I'd wake up to a morning
That is warm and bright
Ellie, my love so sweet

Smile for me, won't you, baby
Forever you'll be on my mind
Drink with me won't you baby
We're gonna make it right this time

There's no one else like you
Anything you want, I'll do
Ellie, my love so sweet
Ellie, my love so sweet

Smile for me, won't you, baby
Forever you'll be on my mind
Drink with me won't you baby
We're gonna make it right this time

There's no one else like you
Anything you want, I'll do
Ellie, my love so sweet
Ellie, my love so sweet




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

Ray Charles - USPS Forever Stamps

     Last weekend, my husband and I went to our local post office and bought this sheet of 16 forever stamps, Ray Charles. I didn't know who Ray Charles was, but my husband told me that he is one of the most famous American musicians. That's why I decided purchase this.

Ray Charles - USPS Forever Stamps

Issue Date: September 23, 2013

Art Director/Designer: Ether Kessler, Neal Ashby

Ray Charles - USPS Forever Stamps

Ray Charles - USPS Forever Stamps

      After coming back home, I searched about Ray Charles and was surprised that I am familiar with many of his songs. Specifically, Ellie My Love, Itoshi no Ellie in Japanese, has been very popular in Japan. According to Wikipedia, in 1989, he recorded a cover of the Southern All Stars' "Itoshi no Ellie", releasing it as "Ellie My Love" for a Japanese TV ad for Suntory releasing it in Japan where it reached No. 3 on its Oricon chart. I didn't know that he covered the famous Japanese singer's song. By collecting USPS forever stamps, I've learned so many things unexpectedly! :)

     My entries related to USPS stamps can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/USPS%20stamps

      You can check and buy stamps at Official USPS Store on Ebay.

Fireworks at Downtown Disney California

      Last Sunday, my husband and I enjoyed watching spectacular Disneyland Park fireworks at the parking lot of Downtown Disney. It's pretty hard to find good places to watch fireworks there because there are so many big trees were stood inside Downtown Disney. If you want to watch fireworks perfectly, you might watch those from parking lots or the entrance of Downtown Disney. These are secret spots to watch Disneyland Park fireworks.

     I took pictures of fireworks with my iPhone. The actual fireworks were more beautiful and spectacular than these photos though.

Fireworks at Downtown Disney California

Fireworks at Downtown Disney California

     I uploaded my YouTube video which I recorded that day.

Fireworks at Downtown Disney California

     My entries related to Downtown Disney can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Downtown%20Disney


Downtown Disney
1580 S Disneyland Dr
Anaheim, CA 92802

Let It Go - A Brilliant Violinist at Downtown Disney

      Yesterday, my husband and I took a walk at Downtown Disney. There are always some music concerts going on at nighttime. A huge crowd formed around the violinist who was playing Let It Go, a song from Disney film Frozen. As I mentioned in my previous entry, this song was one of my favorite songs, so I was amazed at his stunning performance!

     I uploaded my YouTube video which I recorded yesterday.

Frozen "Let It Go" - A Brilliant Violinist at Downtown Disney in California



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




Starbucks Reserve Coffee, Sun Dried Ethiopia Yirgacheffe

     Today, my husband and I went to Starbucks and tried their Reserve Coffee for our first time. Starbucks Reserve coffee, the finest of their coffee, is available in limited quantities at a limited number of stores. He asked the cashier about their recommendation and finally ordered this grande Ethiopia hot coffee, Sun Dried Ethiopia Yirgacheffe. This was bold and slightly had blueberry-like fruity taste. We were really impressed at their reserve coffee!

Starbucks Reserve Sun Dried Ethiopia Yirgacheffe

Starbucks Reserve Store

Starbucks Reserve Store



Starbucks Reserve Store

Starbucks Reserve Store

     I uploaded my Youtube video which I recoded today.

Starbucks Reserve Store

          My Starbucks entries can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks


       This is my entries related to our Starbucks collections.
 http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks%20mugs


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

Trader Joe's Gift Card

      My husband and I go to Trader Joe's weekly to purchase organic milk and eggs. While we were waiting in a line at the cashier, I found there were some kinds of very adorable Trader Joe's gift cards there. We decided to purchase this card. I know that this is the same design with their reusable bag. :)



Trader Joe's Gift Card



Trader Joe's Gift Card

     I'd like to purchase other kinds of their card next time. :)

Trader Joe's Haul - 73% Extra Dark Chocolate Wedges

     Today, my husband bought this dark chocolate, 73% Extra Dark Chocolate Wedges, at Trader Joe's. This contains 16 pieces of dark chocolate and was $3.49. I've already eaten some and was impressed at its taste!

73% Extra Dark Chocolate Wedges

73% Extra Dark Chocolate Wedges

     This chocolate container is so adorable, so I think it's perfect for souvenirs for my families in Japan. :) Frankly, I am not used to American sweets because of excessive sweetness, so I don't usually buy sweets at supermarket here in the U.S. However, Trader Joe's products are exceptions. Their products almost always taste very good, and I have bought some of their sweets for my families in Japan. :)

73% Extra Dark Chocolate Wedges

        My entries related to Trader Joe's can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Trader%20Joe%27s

Hot Rods - USPS Forever Stamp

     As I mentioned in my previous entry, I bought two sheets of forever stamps. I'm going to share Hot Rods forever stamps today. I bought the sheet of twenty stamps with emblazoned with two hot rods. Frankly, I didn't know what hot rod meant before purchasing. According to Wikipedia, hot rods are typically old, classic American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The two cars depicted are 1932 Ford® “Deuce” roadsters.


Hot Rods - USPS Forever Stamp

Hot Rods - USPS Forever Stamp

Hot Rods - USPS Forever Stamp

    In addition, I ordered some stamps on USPS.com after coming back from my local post office yesterday. One of them was the sheet of Farmers market forever stamps, which I always wanted and will be released on August 5. I'm looking forward to receiving those stamps!

       My entries related to USPS stamps can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/USPS%20stamps

      You can check and buy stamps at Official USPS Store on Ebay.

Songbirds - USPS Forever Stamps

     I went to my local post office this morning and purchased some forever stamps. Disney forever stamps were still not available, but I was able to get two other kinds of sheets of forever stamps. I'm going to share Songbirds forever stamps with you today. :)

Songbirds - USPS Forever Stamps

Songbirds - USPS Forever Stamps

Issue Date: May 05, 2014

Art Director/Designer: Greg Breeding, Jennifer Arnold

     I bought the sheet of 20 forever stamps emblazoned with 10 kinds of beautiful songbirds. Each colorful bird is shown sitting on a fence post or branch embellished with vines, pine cones, leaves, or flowers.

・Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)
・Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides)
・Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus)
・Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)
・Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana)
・Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris)
・Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)
・American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)
・Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)
・White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

Songbirds - USPS Forever Stamps

Songbirds - USPS Forever Stamps

Songbirds - USPS Forever Stamps

Songbirds - USPS Forever Stamps

 

       I'll share the another sheet of forever stamps with you next time. :)


       My entries related to USPS stamps can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/USPS%20stamps

      You can check and buy stamps at Official USPS Store on Ebay.

Starbucks Haul - Starbucks® Cold Cup tumbler for 24 fl oz

     Yesterday, my husband and I went to Starbucks to purchase the new Starbucks® Cold Cup tumbler for me. As I mentioned in my previous entry, we bought the same tumbler for him a month ago. I sometimes used his tumbler at home and noticed that I drink more water when using this tumbler somehow. It's probably because of its size of tumbler and the hard plastic reusable straw. The tumbler is bigger than my mugs and allows me to drink more water with the straw without noticing it. I sometimes tend to forget to drink much water even though I have dry skin, so in order to keep my skin in good nick, I should try to drink enough water every day. Specifically, people who drink coffee, which has a diuretic effect and dehydrates your body, should drink enough water as well. That's why this tumbler is perfect for me. I told him that I'd like to purchase the same tumbler with his.

     We ended up getting two same tumblers! I like the fact that the double wall constructions keep iced drink cool. :)

Starbucks® Cold Cup tumblers for 24 fl oz

       This is my entries related to our Starbucks collections.
 http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks%20mugs

Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mugs on Ebay

Our Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mugs

     My husband and I decided to collect Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mugs this year, and we've collected the 14 different kinds of mugs so far. If truth be told, we finally became sellers on Ebay to sell Starbucks mugs! :)

     As you might know, Starbucks You Are Here Collection mugs are released locally only, so it's not easy to collect so many mugs in different states. The reason why we decided to become sellers was my sister in Japan. After we bought the Las Vegas mug in January this year, I shared the picture of the mug with her. Then, she asked me to purchase Las Vegas one for her. I wasn't expecting that and told her that I didn't know when I could go there next time because Starbucks Las Vegas mugs are released in Las Vegas only. I thought it's also possible that I would go there years later, and I didn't know if they still continued to sell Las Vegas mugs in some distant future. Because my sister has never been to U.S., she has no idea how far it is. From this episode, I realized that how difficult it is to purchase Starbucks You Are Here Collection mugs and thought that I probably should buy extra ones just in case she will want ones. Even if she didn't want those, I could sell those on Japanese auction site some day. (We have sometimes become sellers on Japanese auction site in the past 7 years and sold about 500 times without any trouble so far. Probably, I have been very lucky though.)

     That's why we started buying extra mugs during our traveling and ended up having so many mugs in our home! As we collected their mugs and searched about Starbucks, we knew that there are so many Starbucks fans in all around the world just like us. At the beginning of this month, my husband suggested me that we could sell those on Ebay and would learn so many things including English from the experiences as Ebay sellers. Considering the time we spend for Ebay and commission, it's not good remunerative work; however, it's fun to sell our favorite mugs to Starbucks fans like us, and it's worthwhile to gain a range of experiences in our life. :)

"Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. As Amazon Associate and eBay Partner Network affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases."

     If you are interested in Starbucks mugs, you can see our selling products here. We are looking forward to meeting you on Ebay. :)
http://ebay.to/2hPuTGp



Our Starbucks You Are Here Collection Mugs

           As you can see my previous entries about Starbucks mugs, we purchased our mugs at Starbucks stores in the U.S., so all our products on Ebay are 100% authentic. :)

This is my entries related to our Starbucks collections.
 http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Starbucks%20mugs


Hawaii

Waikiki

Las Vegas

Los Angeles

California

Orange County

San Diego

Chicago

Dallas

San Francisco

Utah

Vancouver

Arizona

Phoenix