Friday, November 28, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello! I'm out on our property right now. No internet connection, no Starbucks, not even a phone charger! (oops...heh.)

I just wanted to say hi and Happy Thanksgiving while I was out here. It's a much more interesting event writing a blog out here even though I cannot post it yet.

I had an awesome time out here. We got here and forgot our keys to our cabin so we had to go searching the other houses to see if anyone else kept a key. Luckily, and obviously, they did. When we got inside it was freezing! Staying out of a cabin/mobile home for so long keeps all the odd air inside. We had snake tails on sticky traps and dead wasps everywhere. Thats the country for you. Plus acorns. Tons of them. In pantries, on mattresses, in air vents, in shoes. The hollowed out acorns never fail us everytime we stop by here.

Finally around noontime, our big lunch hit. We gathered ourselves and walked down our dirt road to my grandpa's house where all our family brought the most awesome food in the world. Sadly, my grandpa didn't make the jalepeno turkey again this year. We had some good honey ham though. Let me see...turkey, 2 things of dressing, cranberry sauce out of a can, little dill pickles, corn on the cob, veggie tray, cauliflower casserole, green bean salad, something with peas, rolls, peanut butter fudge, banana cookies, chocolate covered nuts, and pumpkin pie. Ooh and plenty of flavored Kool-Aid and well water. Yum.

We're not huge on the "preparing for 2 nights" sort of thing but all that food was awesome.

I got to see my family too, which was pretty cool. It's one thing hearing about how everyone's doing but its another to actually see how much they've changed since the last time you've seen them. My cousin's 13! He's actually cleaned himself up and started acting like a human instead of some crazy child! My little cousins are still pretty much the same. They're making guns out of window panes and throwing cats off the porch (we have tons of cats out here).

But really the biggest thing I wanted to say is happy thanksgiving. Like I said, I thank God for sending the Pilgrims over here for some heavy feasting. Feasting's an awesome concept and I wish I could shake hands with whoever invented it. I'd also like to thank everyone who's stuck with me through the hyper times, the sick times, the depressive-like times, and even the I-think-she's-ignoring-us times. I couldn't and probably wouldn't have gotten this far if it weren't for the awesome support and fans I have. (Also a big shout-out to my assistant, Bobby. Seriously, I probably would be in shambles [failing classes, still working in the awful office] if it weren't for him.) Also a big thanks for justin.tv. The site has changed so much from when I started last October. It's gained so much publicity and just because of all the updates and community events, small people like me can quickly gain a social network!

So, a big "We're no strangers to love..." to all of y'all. I love every one of you and hope that everyone has a great holiday season. Keep in touch!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Let's Say Thanks

Send a free Christmas card to soldiers over seas! Together we can spread the Christmas cheer!

-Janey

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Store Holiday Meeting 2008

This year's meeting was pretty fun. I've always loved Starbucks store meetings because its really the only way I we can see everyone at once.

Well, anyway, we're getting tons of new merchandise. First of all, there's the Comfort and Joy Trio. It's perfect for any coffee lover in your family. It comes with samples of Starbucks House Blend, Caffe Verona, and Breakfast Blend, with an ideal food pairing for each.

There's also the Tazo Sampler, an awesome idea for any tea connoisseur. It's a nice reusable bamboo box which comes with 6 Tazo Teas.

We've also got our Starbucks chocolates again. We've got the Coffee and Truffles pack and we've also go the Advent calendar, an awesome idea for the children, or any chocolate loving person!

Our biggest thing we're selling now is the Sirena Espresso Machine. It's one of the best quality espresso machines, and it was made by BMW. You get awesome additions if you buy one too. You'll get a free burr grinder and either a free pound of coffee, box of 12 espresso pods, or a box of 6 filter packs. That's an awesome deal.

I think my favorite thing that wasn't mentioned in our Holiday guide that we're selling is the French press set. It's a gift set with a French press, coffee, and a 4 minute sand timer, perfect to enjoy whenever! Plus, its cheaper than buying most french presses alone! I'm thinking about getting one for myself....

Remember to buy your Thanksgiving blend while you can. We'll be selling it until Thanksgiving day and then it's gone! Even if you don't drink coffee, get it for your family. It is an awesome pairing with a Thanksgiving dinner. We tried it from a french press at the store meeting with some homemade stuffing and oh...my....gosh. It was perfect. It's also great tasting with our pumpkin or zucchini loaf that we sell at Starbucks. I really recommend at least trying it.

I'm excited about the Christmas season. I love all the colors and fast-paced coffee making! Can't wait to see y'all in the stores!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Rain

It stormed pretty crazy today but I did not get into an accident! *Cheers* I saw a couple of them on my way home, like t-bone accidents at intersections, but I was not involved in any way. It's a lot for me to not be a participant in an accident.

I found my old Christmas plush toys today. Someone in retrogirl73's channel was talking about the Coca Cola polar bear and I remembered I got one for my birthday back in 4th grade. I still love holding that thing. I also remembered a TV special I used to watch back in the day, Snowden. No one I talk to remembers or saw that show! I loved it so much. I mean, heck, I'm a huge Christmas person and I used to want to be an ice skater a lot when I was younger. That catered to both. I was so disappointed when it stopped playing.



I finally went up to the bowling alley today. It's been so long. I didn't get to bowl, of course, due to my injured ankle, but I missed the loud, smoky environment. It was good to be back and see all my old friends.

Well, I should probably clean my bed off so I can go to sleep. I have to do tips at work and train the new guys from 3pm-8pm tomorrow then we're having a store meeting from 8pm-10pm at a pizza place. I think tomorrow's going to be a good day. I just hope its better than early this morning when I was all over the store on a throbbing ankle.

Ibuprofen has become my friend in the last couple weeks.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

doot-doot-doot DOOO! Hyundai!!

Work in 7 hours and 13 minutes. I'd better do this fast.

I decided I don't blog as much anymore, mainly because I was lazy. I went through my older blogs, back when I used to blog almost every night and cracked up at my odd humor. I know, I know. I laughed at my own jokes but you gotta say, they were at least humorous tries.

Alexis made it big! She was discovered via. JTV and is going to be a featured host for a New Zealander website. I'm happy she and I got to converse a bit over a very Batman-ish evening. She's a sweet and adorable girl and I'm happy for her.

7 hours 5 minutes till work.

Yesterday I spent about half my paycheck at the mall on Christmas gifts and stuff for myself. I'm excited for this holiday. I'll be at Starbucks celebrating, finally. I've been waiting all year for it. Why did I have to start working there in January?? Blasted!!

We get Product (RED) aprons this year. I can't wait. Proceeds from our 3 top drinks (Eggnog Latte, Gingersnap Latte, and Peppermint Mocha Twist) will go to save lives in Africa. It's going to be awesome. We also started up selling the long-awaited Starbucks Gold cards. These things are genius. You get 10% off all purchases (excluding newspapers) for as long as you have the card. Plus you get surprise benefits all year long, including free drinks on your birthday. It's a $25 annual fee but seriously, it will soon pay for itself. We sold out of them in our district so you better find one fast!

Well, I've found I have nothing else to say. I've got 6 hours and 58 minutes till work starts anyway. I should probably get some rest. Goodnight all.


Friday, November 7, 2008

Snickadoodas via. Janea

I've been getting tons of requests for me to share my Snickerdoodle recipe. Well, here you go!!


Snickadoodas
Bake: 10 minutes + plus, eh... a minute for luck
Yield: about 25 cookies


Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened (I use a huge tub of Country Crock. It's the best tasting, in my opinion, than those butter stick things)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tarter
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, shortening, butter and eggs in a large bowl with a large spoon. I've never actually tried to do this with an electric mixer before. I mean, it could work, but I'd rather use my hands.
4. Plop in flour, cream of tarter, baking soda and salt on top of the mixture and then mix it all together. I tried mixing them into the mixture but the dough ended up being waaay too sticky in the end. Adding everything and then mixing them makes it easier to shape them without having to wash your hands every 5 minutes.
5. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch or so balls. Roll in the sugar-cinnamon mixture you set aside before. Place about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Unless you have an enormous oven and huge cookie sheets, you'll have to use 2 cookie sheets. Bake about 10 minutes on the middle rack. Don't put both cookie sheets in at the same time or you'll get burnt or under-cooked cookies. Who wants that?
6. Once the 10 minutes is up, open the oven to see if they're golden-ish. If they're still puffy and yellow-ish, bake for 1 more minute. If not, take them out and place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack before actually taking the cookies off.
7. While those are cooling on the cookie sheet-cooling rack, put the other cookie sheet in for another 10 minutes.
8. Wait a couple minutes then take a spatula to the cookies and place them directly onto the cooling rack to cool. This makes it so that the cookies don't fall apart right out of the oven. The sugar-cinnamon on top hardens the outside of the cookies and it makes it easier to take off the cookie sheets.
9. Let cookies cool for about 20 minutes or so before you eat them. Or just eat them whenever you feel they're cool enough. They're awesome warm. Enjoy! Let me know what you think when you make them! They're awesome this time of year.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Happy November

Well, it's officially the holiday season. I'm excited about this winter. I've started singing Christmas carols all the time now. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I can't wait. So many things are happening! I love this time of year!

My one year anniversary was October 25th. It really wasn't terrible. I mean, yes, I had a fever Friday and Saturday but I got to spend the whole day at home and rest. It was good quality time at home and I got the rest I needed to come back Monday. While sick, I was still able to do this.



Work's becoming more and more awesome. Our new beverage lineup starts Tuesday. We're starting a Gingersnap Latte, bringing back our Eggnog Latte, and promoting our Peppermint Mocha with chocolate curls and peppermint whip on top. It's going to be awesome. Plus, November 27th is the start of our Product (Red) promotion. We're going to raise more money that goes toward African charities by selling (Red) products. We even get red aprons!

I'm going to be training 3 people at a time in about 2 weeks. I literally mean 3 people at a time too. It's going to be like a mini class. Not just training one person one day and another person another day. This is going to be tough for me since I'm used to only having one at a time, but I think I can do it. It will be fun. We need the people.

School's almost done too. I think I've got about a month to go. I've got a test coming up today in my business class, which I did do some studying, and a paper due Wednesday for my Psychology class, which is real simple.

Oh we had a Wootoff about a week and a half ago. It was fun but tiring. I got to host the night after the WootOff, too. It was my first time hosting a Woot night item change. It was a different crowd than I'm used to but it was actually really fun. I love WootTV and everyone affliated.

Well, I should get some sleep before my test tomorrow. I've also got to close at work again so I should get some rest anyway.

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Texas, United States
I'm Jane, an internet lifecaster.