Samantha K Schmidt

I think even the snobbiest of coffee lovers can admit they love a quick and easy stop at Starbucks every now and then. Okay, maybe not. The coffee giant isn't for everyone, but those of us aspiring connoisseurs like to take the easy route from time to time. However, there are a few drinks that Starbucks is fooling you with. The Coffee Let's start from the beginning. Many people have stated that Starbucks burns their beans during roasting. Beans are temperamental and require a slow process of heating.  This seems to be the culprit when it comes to the bitterness of Starbucks coffee. If you are going to make a Starbucks run it's better to go with an espresso drink or a dessert-like frappucino (which there is no shame in!) Macchiato What Starbucks calls a macchiato is actually more akin to a latte. The typical macchiato is made with one shot espresso and a very small amount of steamed milk. Starbucks version is about 3 parts milk 1 part espresso. Now it seems that...

Fall is my favorite time of year for two reasons. The clothes and pumpkin! Every year my favorite past time is to visit Bath and Body Works and check out all the new fall scents. This year they featured a pumpkin bucket. An entire bucket filled with pumpkin goodies. I couldn't resist. The bucket contains a pumpkin loofa; one foaming and one deep cleansing hand soap in pumpkin pecan waffles; a body lotion, spray, and body wash in sweet cinnamon pumpkin, and 3 mini candles.  I love this cute little pumpkin loofa. Bath and Body Works never fails on these babies. It's soft and the perfect size for traveling. The foaming hand soap is definitely my favorite. I think I would have preferred getting another fall scent instead of the two different kinds of soaps. This scent has been around for a while, but it's never been my favorite. The pumpkin aspect is really missing. However, I will say the body spray has an interesting spi...