National Coffee Day!!

Ah, one of my favorite not-really-holidays of the year!  Sure national donut day, daughter's day, dog day and underwater basket weaving days are pretty awesome, but Coffee Day?  Come on, that's the best one of the not-really-holidays!

So raise your latte, iced coffee, flat white (my new favorite) or whatever java you prefer in a toast with me today!

Just a few of my favorite cups of coffee from the last year. :)

For today's coffee freebies check out: 

Dunkin’ Donuts: Free medium cup of Dunkin’ Donuts hot or iced dark roast coffee. The limit is one per guest, and is available at participating locations.

Krispy Kreme: Free small coffee and original glazed donut. 

Panera Bread: Rewards members have been able to score a free coffee every day of September, so that deal will still be in place for National Coffee Day.

Whole Foods: Stores nationwide are offer 12-ounce cups of coffee for $0.25 through September.

Dutch Brothers (in AZ at least): Receive 9 stamps for ANY drink 20oz or larger at all Dutch Bros. locations! (which is one stamp off from a freebie!)

Once again Starbucks isn't giving out free coffee, because really they don't need to!!  However I did read that they are starting a program where they plant trees or something like that.  Perhaps your local barista can fill you in on the details. 

Fisher Price Friday - Classic Ferris Wheel vs Original

Happy Friday!  I've got an oldie and a newbie to share with you today.  It's the brand new 2015 Fisher-Price Ferris Wheel #2077 version facing off with the 1960's #969 Musical Ferris Wheel version.  Our playroom isn't big enough for both of them so I've decided to pass my rather worn out #969 on, but first I'll show it off to you.

 

The original Ferris Wheel had a masonite base, wood sides and a plastic wheel/house.  Each side of the wheel should have colorful lithographs but mine are missing.  There are also lithographs on the top of the house, side of the wood pieces holding the wheel as well as the base.  There were a few variations to the toy over the years (1966-1980) and this is one of the earlier versions.

An angry boy cranks the wheel and never gets a break since he's attached.

The Wheel has 4 seats and early versions of the toy included a plastic peg in the middle of the seat as shown in my photo.  Later versions did not have a peg and could fit regular little people inside.

The original set came with 3 people and 1 dog.  They all had straight sides and fit nicely in the peg seats.  Note that regular people would not fit into the peg seats, only these straight sided figures.

Now to move onto the recently released 2015 version of the Ferris Wheel.  It is advertised as a Fisher-Price Classic Toy and is sold online and at Target.  Both toys play the same song; "In the Good Old Summertime".

The Ferris Wheel is marked item #2077 and Mattel as well as Basic Fun.  It is made only of plastic and comes with Chunky sized people instead of the original size.  My older chunky sized people from the 90's are the same size and look remarkably similar.  In fact I purchased this set so that my daughter would have more places to play with her basket of chunkies that we've collected.

Here's a little comparison for you.  Each wheel has 4 seats; red, yellow, blue and green.  The new set doesn't have an angry boy turning the crank but there is an angry boy that can fit on a peg behind the wheel house (as shown).  Or he can ride, options people, options! 

Each set came with four figures.  My (early) set is missing the green boy with a happy face, he's somewhere in my house but I couldn't find him for the photo. 

I haven't listed my #969 in my Etsy shop yet, but if you'd like a well loved but still working Musical Ferris Wheel let me know. :)

For more Musical Toys check out:

Change a Tune Carousel #170

Play Family Merry Go Round #111

Music Box Record Player #995

Dollar Shave Club - Not just for Men!

About a year ago I joined a new and trendy men's razor subscription club called the Dollar Shave Club.  I decided why should men have all the cool razors with low prices and easy direct-to-my-mailbox shipping?  Well a year later and I am still a very happy customer!

I am still using the 4 blade razor and my handle is as good as new.  I initially received a monthly shipment of 4 refills for $6 a month (including shipping!).  However, I realized that I don't change my blades as much as a man would so I switched to 4 refill blades every other month instead.  So my cost is equivalent to only $3 a month!  They have 2 other razor options as well, one a little cheaper (humble twin $3 a month) and one a little more expensive (the Executive $9 a month).  

Here is my updated review. 

Pros: 
Sturdy razor, easy to grip handle with a nice weight to it.  
Amazing price (see my last post for cost comparisons with my old "lady" razor).
Super convenient that it comes to my house.
Credits! Thanks to lovely readers of my blog who used my referral LINK I've accumulated credits for free blades!  

Cons:
If you drop the razor the blade refill will most likely break.  I learned to be careful about this so that I don't have to throw away an otherwise perfectly good blade.  I would also recommend starting your subscription with an extra set of blades for this very reason.  Just so you have a few on hand in case you break one.  

If you are in the market for a new and improved razor that comes in a convenient box with a bit of humor and whimsy included (a different humorous insert comes each month) then check out the Dollar Shave Club!

Have you tried it?  Are you a fan?

Fisher Price Friday - Play Family Tow Truck & Car

Happy Friday!  I've got a sweet and rather old little set made from only 1969-1970 to share today.  The Play Family Tow Truck & Car #718 is a simple set with a lot of color and character.

The set has two figures, the driver attached inside the tow truck and a little boy driver.  The driver inside the tow truck is just a head that bobs up and down when the truck moves.  The little boy has a yellow body, blue hat and a smiling face with freckles.  One variation had the same boy but with a white hat instead.  Note that unlike later FPLP this little guy has a straight body and is a little smaller.

The car that comes with the tow truck set is similar to the Amusement Park #932 cars but has slightly larger wheels and a hook in the back.  The car attaches to the tow truck via a metal hook that resembles a christmas ornament hook.  

The tow truck has wood wheels/base/driver and the rest of the truck is plastic including the boom that moves.  It can have a red top/boom as shown or a white top/boom.

My little 4 year old can hook up the car herself and even found a fun spot on the boom for the little guy to hang out.

Each side of the tow truck has the same lithograph with the older FP logo.  The top of the truck has a white knob that spins around and makes a clicking noise.

She's a fan!

For more Fisher Price trucks check out:

Little Trucks Rigs Dump Truck #342

Play Family Fire Engine #720

Fire Truck #2361

Fire Truck #124

Milk Wagon #131

And if you want to know where to find the cute FPLP tank that my daughter is wearing check out this post about it.

Cream Cheese Banana Bread

If you have a couple mushy bananas hanging around your kitchen you must make this recipe today.  Trust me, you won't regret it!  Well, unless you're on a diet then you'll pretty much hate me. ;)

But seriously, I made this cream cheese banana bread on monday and it was gone by tuesday night.  My children, friends and even my husband (who doesn't like banana bread) thought it was delicious.  My youngest thought it was particularly spectacular when I spread butter all over it.  Ah, yummy!

I found this recipe online but made a few changes to suit our needs.  If you want to see the original recipe go here. 

Cream Cheese Banana Bread
Ingredients 
1 large egg 
½ cup brown sugar (packed) 
¼ cup coconut oil 
¼ cup sour cream 
2 tsp vanilla extract 
2 bananas mashed (about 1 cup) 
1 cup flour 
½ tsp baking powder 
½ tsp baking soda 
¼ tsp salt 

Filling 
1 large egg 
6 ounces cream cheese 
⅓ cup granulated sugar 
2½ tlbs flour 

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat (or spray) a 9 x 5 loaf pan with coconut oil and flour, set aside.
2. In a large bowl mix all filling ingredients using whisk and set aside.  It may be a little lumpy, especially if your cream cheese came straight from the refrigerator.  Just keep coming back to mix it in between the next few steps. 
3. In another large bowl mix together egg, sugar, oil, sour cream, and vanilla using a whisk until smooth. Add bananas and stir to incorporate. 
4. In a small bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently stir the dry mix into the wet, folding it in and stirring until just combined.  Be careful not to over mix. 
5. Put about ⅔ of the bread mixture into prepared loaf pan. Put filling mixture over top, and carefully smooth over with a spatula. Top with remaining bread mix and smooth over the top. Bake about 50 minutes, until top is golden, and center is set. If top is getting too brown, and center is not set, tent foil over the top. 
6. Allow bread to cool for 10-15 minutes before turning out on a cooling rack.

Serve alone or with butter and a smile! :)

For another equally amazing banana bread recipe check out: Coconut Banana Bread with Lemon Glaze