TurboTax Commerical with Tori Spelling and Deam McDermott 2012

This post is extremely random as I haven't blogged in about a year and a half...

Nevertheless, I wanted to share our TurboTax commerical publicly. This commercial was shot in December of 2011 and aired on the Oxygen network during Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood from mid January through March of 2012. Please excuse the poor quality of the video - it's from my phone as we didn't receive a copy from the producers.

Enjoy!

Strange LA III: Doggie Shades

Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of attending a TV taping at the CBS studios near The Grove in LA and I'll be blogging about this adventure later in the week. Anywho, as we were waiting in line this cute little PT Cruiser pulled up to the curb and the big fluffy dog caught everyone's attention. The crowd's reaction is what made me do a double take and upon doing so I saw that the dog was wearing sunglasses! Me being super stealthy I rushed over to take a quick pic.

The best part was that the dog was super comfortable with these shades and didn't seem to be bothered by them at all, but he certainly digging all the attention! Looking good fido!

InStyle Parties & New Barware

Hello Lovelies, I wanted to share with you my favorite books. As a lover of entertaining, this gem has become my go-to guide for all things hosting.

Chapters on parties are divided into dinner parties (spring dinner, early autumn supper, and Mediterranean dinner); holiday parties (Thanksgiving dinner, holiday cocktail party, New Year Eve's supper and Halloween cocktail buffet); occasions and theme parties (Super Bowl party, Oscar party, game night, afternoon spa party, baby shower and birthday dinner party); and summer parties (backyard luau, backyard barbecue and Tuscan dinner).

There is also an extensive resource list for invitations; barware; hors d'oeuvres; pantry items such as spices; cheese; fresh and prepared meats; seafood; specialty foods; desserts; tabletop; decor; theme elements; etc.). There is a menu, a suggestion for setting the scene (from the invitation to room decor to music), a countdown (what to do three weeks, two weeks, one week, two days, day before, morning of, etc.), wine pairing suggestions, recipes and a section on how to make it all "even easier" (such as buying rather than making dessert, paring down the centerpiece, etc.).

The chapter on how to properly stock a bar was extremely helpful. With a trusty resource like this I didn't have any trouble getting buy-in from my husband to purchase some much needed essentials. :) The beautiful photography is worth the purchase price alone. This book would make an excellent choice for a birthday or bridal shower gift. Hopefully you'll enjoy this book as much as I do!

Moving onto my new barware. Last week during a quick trip to Marshalls for some candles we came across the most exquisite Kate Spade crystal barware......wait for it.......wait for it......on clearance! Each piece still had the original tags and were $125 each and were reduced several times until I was lucky enough to scoop them up for $23 each. Cha-ching, helllllo savings! The design is called Banyan Stripe and it has been discontinued, but you can still find it online at full price.

I've been on the hunt for an ice bucket for some time now, but just wasn't finding anything that fit the bill. Needless to say I was thrilled when we came across these beauties and the pitcher is a lovely addition as well! So glad I held out until I found "the one". hahah

Last Friday my brother and sister in law met us at our place before heading out to dinner. I was thrilled to be using the new goods so soon. I jumped at the chance to whip us up some yummy concoctions from InStyle parties - the Touchdown (tequila, OJ, Lime juice and triple sec). So delicious! Both of our guests are tequila lovers so this was the perfect beginning to our night out at Tequila Jack's in Long Beach.

I'm very much looking forward to putting these bad boys to good use in the upcoming months. Who wants to come over for a cocktail party?

Till next time!
xoxo Shortious Maximus

****P.S. funny story about my nickname****
A couple weeks ago when I had the pleasure of meeting my brother's roommates girlfriend and we were all sitting down talking getting to know each other. A while later I got up for something and as I started to walk across the room in my heels (which make me just shy of 6' tall) and the hubby called out "Hey Shorty, can please grab me a beer while your up?" I didn't think anything of it until I heard the girlfriend ask all confused "Did he just call her Shorty?!?!" She is only about 5' tall, so it was pretty funny!!

I Knew There Was A Reason

That I've never set foot inside of Dodgers Stadium aka Chavez Ravine. Have you heard the news about how a SF Giants fan was savagely beaten after the season opener last week? Yep, that's right, once again LA sports fans have proven to the world their idiocy. Now this poor man is fighting for his life in a medically induced coma and may suffer brain damage. Why does this continue to happen in LA? Anyone recall watching the riots break out on TV after the Laker's won their 16th Championship last Spring? I for one do, and it was absolutely nerve wrecking watching those scoundrel's attack random people outside of the Staples Center. Thanks so much for giving reinforcing one of many Los Angeles stereotypes!

The city has hired former LAPD Chief Bill Bratton and his new security consulting company to review security at the stadium and provide recommendations. They get an A for effort, but that doesn't do anything for me as far as enticing me to visit stadium is concerned.

I'll stick with the Anaheim Angeles in a nice little bubble we like to refer to as the OC. Yes, I'm an Angeles fan and this has nothing to do with my disgust for LA sports fans. OC fans know how to have a good time, respect rivalries and enjoy a game. We go to at least a handful every season.

Lisa & I (summer 2010) Shannon and I (summer 2009) I realize that this post doesn't offer any solutions or the like. Perhaps my goal in sharing these thoughts was to prove that my inclimation to stay away from Chavez Ravine proved correct. Anyways, I needed to get that off my chest. Le Sigh.

I'll be back soon with happier thoughts. Thanks for listening.
**Shorty Out**

A Little Bit of This....A Little Bit of That

Hello blogosphere! Lots going on around here lately and I wanted to give everyone a quick update and share some things that are making me happy lately.

My husband seriously rocks my world - handsome, funny, smart and a child of God – I am so blessed. Last weekend we went to a Roaring 20’s party and he was hamming it up all over the place. The photographers couldn’t get enough of him and rightfully so in my opinion.

Taking a day off during the week to go snowboarding. Last Wednesday we took a little impromptu trip to Big Bear for some fun in the snow. I’m so thankful that I have ample PTO at work and can take a mental health day with no qualms.

Making new friends. The hubs and I have always been social butterflies and we really enjoy meeting new people. Weekend before last we met up with a couple that we met in Mammoth. Tamir and Francesca are world travelers and we had some much fun hanging with them at their loft in downtown LA’s art district.

Getting out of our bubble. After hanging with Tamir and Francesca we headed over to West Hollywood to celebrate a friend’s birthday. We hadn’t seen this group of friends for some time and it was really refreshing to change up the scene. The late night dance party was the highlight of my night.

Spending time with family. We celebrated my brother Rory’s birthday last weekend and had so much fun hanging out with him and his fiancée. After church on Sunday we got to chill with our niece Mikayla for a few hours. We put her in the bumbo seat for the first time and it was a blast watching her take in the new experience.

Funny Friends. Our stylist/friend Renee is so stinkin’ funny! We recently paid her a visit and Mike was inquiring whether or not she offers barber services. She was adamantly opposed and later posted these pictures on FB.

Ladies Lunch. I have a very close relationship with two women whom I work with. I first met them about five years ago when we worked for a different company and they have been mentoring and supporting me ever since. I’d like to think that they see me as a younger version of themselves. We don’t all work in the same department but enjoy getting out of the office and treating ourselves to a fancy lunch. Sadly our last lunch was a farewell as Trang is moving on to greener pastures but I will be seeing her again, I’m sure.

The Real Estate game. Mike’s cards are finally finished! I love passing out these bad boys. If you or anyone you know is looking to buy or sell in the SoCal area let me know and I'll hook you up with the best agent around! ;)

New hairstyles. Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm not really into styling my hair. I found an online tutorial for this hairdo a couple weeks ago and have worn it twice since. These little mini buns are super easy (even for a hairstyling challenged person like me) and great for day old hair.
Yodlee hee hoo!

One more thing before I go. I've been stressing about our tax situation this year because we don't have school to write off. I thought we'd have to pay a ton because we don't own a home or have a kid. I'm so relived though now that the numbers have been crunched. We're actually getting a teeny tiny refund. Praise the Lord!!