thank you

A big thank you to my husband and family for a great birthday. I spent the day at work, but was able to leave a little early and get a surprise massage :). That evening I opened up gifts with my family and then went to a nice dinner with Peter at one of our downtown faves, Mama Roomba.

I have been trying to fill these built-ins with white serving pieces. I still want to paint or stain the shelves in the future, but want them to look cute in the meantime. Many of these pieces were a birthday gift from Peter's parents and my sister-in law--Thank you! They look fabulous, kick start my collection, and will be great additions to my table.



I was quite shocked when I opened this gift from my husband (and parents). Truthfully, I was expecting a bike basket and the fourth Twilight book. The book I received (thank goodness, because I was going through withdrawals) but this was a complete surprise....


A KitchenAid mixer! I have been wanting one forever and have been frequently stealing my moms. I have mentioned to Peter that I love the Martha Stewart blue color mixer and he surprised me with it! Of course, in true Toni fashion, I screamed and clapped my hands really fast as soon as I ripped off the paper--I love it!

happy birthday

to me!

Plans include work (boo) and dinner out with my husband (yay!)

Edited to add: plans also included getting off work early and enjoying a company paid massage!
And receiving some fabulous gifts!! (more on those later)

concert

My sister and I went to the Carrie Underwood concert last Friday. Carrie definitely did not disappoint. Fresh off the heels of her big CMA win, she put on an amazing show. She sang every song I really wanted to hear and some fun covers too. And her voice? Aaaamazing. Seriously.

me . nikki

vanessa . nikki . toni . jill

birthday list

So my birthday is next week. I know all of your are just dying to know what I want. I give you even more. I will tell you what I NEED. Here are a couple options....



Now the Hawaiian Chair is a little pricey, I know that. But I am moving to a new office soon, and this chair would just really make the transition that much better. So maybe it could be a combined birthday and Christmas gift.


Or...if you are watching those pennies a little more carefully, I would also love to receive one of these. The red color please, so it can double as a monk outfit for next Halloween.

it's back

I love this show. I love, pretty much all, Bravo reality shows, but this one takes the cake. It combines drama, competition, interesting personalities, and food--all the necessary components for an amazing hour of television. I am super excited for season 5 to start tonight!

Will Chef Tom be as brutally honest as ever? Will Padma continue to wear completely ridiculous outfits and pretend to know a ton about food? Will the contestants have to prepare an entire 5 course meal using only canned food? Will Stephanie come back as a guest judge? More importantly, will Sam or Ilan come back??

Ahh!! I cant wait for it to start!

saturday at the coliseum

We spent Saturday tailgating and watching the USC game with friends. We bought tickets a few months ago, and Jay and Jill shared Dave and Angie's season tickets. Luckily, we were all able to sit together for the entire game.

Highlights included:

Spending time with these people...

Dave and Angie, us, Jay and Jill

-Finding creative ways to light the bbq...umm, excuse me sir, do you have a cigarrette we can borrow?
-Yummy food
-The strange, confused (high?) woman who had her eye on my purse, demanded a piece of bread, settled for a cookie and then placed it on the ground a few feet later. Only to pick it back up again and take a bite. Only to place it on the ground a few feet later...
-The USC lifer who wore maroon velour pants (what is it with ladies in velour at sporting events?), made her own necklaces, covered her eyes on every play, and high fived with everyone in site (including Jill and Peter)
-Kettle corn
-The USC victory!

buddy poppys

These small, red flowers are dear to my heart. They are provided (with a donation) as a fundraiser by Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and benefit disabled and needy veterans around the country. What is really neat, is that those veterans who will directly benefit from the monies raised are also they ones who assemble the small sweet flowers. Programs are set up in VA hospitals to make the buddy poppys and active VFW members set up outside grocery stores and shops to offer them to the public.

I grew up watching my grandpa sell these every year. For Pop, buddy poppy time was a season of the year, we all knew when it was coming and knew he would be out in the community every day. He was a very active member in his local VFW, serving as President for many years. I have so so many memories of being with him at VFW events, he was a dedicated military man and a dedicated VFW member. He was also the most sweet and gentle man with white hair and a deep love for his family.

So today, when I walked up to Vons and saw those sweet men with their white hair and pin-covered VFW hats, I felt the lump in my throat and new I would have to stop on my way out. And I did. And I told them my grandpa sold these for many years and he was very, very dear to me and I miss him very much. And then I walked out to my car and called my mom and texted my brother to tell them it was buddy poppy time. And closed the door and cried.



So if you see these sweet men with white hair and pin-covered hats, please consider stopping by. You could drop in fifty cents and they would love you.