Appliance Sneak Peek, Toaster Question and My Garden

I bought a bag of these Pink Lady apples the other day and I've been eating them like candy. They're so good! Kind of tart and sweet at the same time. You also get a little sneak peek of my new KitchenAid appliances in this pic. Well, the ones that have arrived. Still waiting on the fridge and range...

Can't wait to get them all and add the new counters! 

That toaster in the background is on its last leg. I need to replace it soon. We've gone through about 5 or 6 toasters since we've been married. I'm thinking we need to get a good one this time around and maybe it'll last a little longer. Here's where I need your help. I'll show you the three we're looking at and please let me know if you have one of them. 

This is the one I'm leaning towards. It's a Breville 4 slice. It's made by an Australian company. We really need to have a 4 slice. I like this one because there are no handles. You just push a button on top and it lowers the bread down. It also has a "lift and look" button where it'll raise the bread for you to see if it's done enough and if it's not, it'll lower back down and continue the cycle. The lift and look button doesn't cancel the cycle, it just pauses it. It also has "a bit more" button. If you don't think it's done enough when it pops up, you can hit the "a bit more" button and it'll toast it for 30 more seconds. With four people with four very different toast preferences in the house, this would come in handy. :)

Next up is the Smeg. This one is made by an Italian company. I like the retro look of it, but it doesn't really have many features. Basically, it's the prettiest, but I don't know if it would meet our needs.  

 And last but not least, is the Dualit one. This one is made in England and is supposed to be close to commercial grade. They sell all the parts, so if it breaks, it should be easy to repair. It doesn't have the neat features of the Breville, but it seems like a solid piece that should last for years and years. 

So if any of you have one of these toasters, let me know if you're happy with it. Who knew picking out a toaster would be so confusing. 

Now for a few garden pics...

The morning sun peeking through the bald cypress tree in my backyard...

And the other side of the yard...

You can see the Blue Plumbago is still going strong with blooms and my little shamrock plant is loving it outdoors. 

I finally refreshed my patio pots with some Pansies. The Torenia lasted all summer long, so I think they'll be on the menu for next spring/summer too. I tried to get Pansies the other weekend, but it was still in the 90's, so I decided to wait. Now we're "only" in the 80's during the day, so hopefully they'll do fine. 

My breakfast the other morning. Sausage balls, a Poptart and coffee with Almond Joy creamer.

Nutritious, no? :) 

Thanks for stopping by!

~Lisa