85° Love

We love the Taiwanese bakery 85 ℃ and there just happens to be a location that opened up right near the Daiso in Buena Park. I like going to grand openings because they give out free stuff, and today was no exception. For 85℃, the line wasn't very long, but as we entered, one of the associates handed us keychains as thanks "for waiting in line".

They were also offering a gift with purchase. The red mug has a picture of a girl calling out "Fresh bread!" as they do in the store. On the other side, little faces smile at you from a variety of pastry shapes. You, too, can have this cute mug with a $20 purchase, while supplies last, of course.

When you enter the store, grab a pair of tongs and a tray. Select your culinary delights with the tongs and place them on your tray. When you pay, the store personnel will bag and/or box your food, unless of course it's going to disappear before you even get back to your car.

You will find one line for pastries and a separate one for cakes, drinks, and other desserts, though you can order drinks in the pastry line.

The desserts are awesome, but use caution because your hips, bottom, and belly will agree. Word travels by mouth, and just like any popular Asian establishment, the wait is long but wort it.

Free housing

After assembly, before cleaning (hence the bottle
of 409 on the roof)

I love getting really cool free stuff! And, by the way, we are the poster children for Little Tikes

The before picture

I have been scouring Craigslist for a playhouse, but I just wasn't up to biting the bullet and paying for one of the Little Tykes playhouses. I'd even approached a neighbor, who has older kids, about getting his play gym. His wife was the holdout, so...Not so much.
Well, recently an older couple moved out of the neighborhood and apparently the bank now owns the house. The poor structure was in dire need of renovation when they moved in, so now it is being totally re-worked. There is a lot of trash to move out, and I noticed that in the rubbish truck was a beautiful (and perfectly fine) playhouse. It was in pieces, so whether or not it was complete was a bit of a gamble. I decided to chance it and ran over to ask about it.
It turns out that it was on its way to the dump. It was also a complete set complete enough. You can see it at Apartment Therapy in the before picture. It certainly needs a good scrubbing, and after seeing various makeovers I am inspired to do something with it...later. I have to finish my bathroom storage project first.
Anyway, free (in this context) is always awesome. It may require a good dose of elbow grease and a healthy helping of creativity, but I don't mind. It means the difference between toys and no toys.

Little Tikes house with picnic table inside

More free stuff

I sent away for another magazine freebie from Instyle. This one wasn't as good for me personally because I don't do well with most perfumes.
The box came with a flier inside, as well as, 2 perfumes, hair spray, leave in conditioner, a coupon for Hue, a L'oreal nail polish, and 2 Loehman's gift cards totaling $20.
Like I said, not as good as the last one. I will probably only use the nail polish and the gift cards, and I have already re-gifted the perfumes. One was by Beyonce and the other, XOXO. Not quite sure what to do with the hairspray. If I was still into art, I would have a use for it, but... Not so much. It was worth a try, though.
Still, given the chance, I'd do it again. Gotta love free stuff!

Trash & treasures

Free stuff is good, especially when it would cost a good chunk of change to get it with your own money.
Since I've had the monkey, I've realized there is no shame in taking other people's cast offs. I've bought second hand stuff. In fact, a good portion of the monkey's clothes are second hand, and we're starting to get to the free stuff, now. But I digress...
So, today b-chan was taking the monkey for a morning walk when he found a Little Tikes slide out by someone's trash. It's in better condition than the Cozy Coupe we found, except aesthetically. The owner child decided to give it a green paint job. So, if you have any good non-toxic paint removal techniques, I'd love to know. Still, both items have life left in them, and we would not be able to afford them otherwise. Also, it was a nice birthday gift for me to see my kid get a new (to us), otherwise unaffordable toy.
Anyway, the point is free is good, especially if its in good condition. It's a green practice, too, since it keeps stuff out of the landfill.