KendallKendallKendall

I just wanted to share some recent pictures of our God Daughter, Kendall......I may be bias but she is SOO Cute I could eat her! And I swear she looks like Shiloh Jolie Pitt!

ABC's of ME!

Animals, I love them ALL of them!
Bundled up for work this week!
Cook
DuBois was my maiden name and I Loved It!
Excited about seeing Ingrid Hoffman tonight at the Celeb Chef Event!
Friendly
Ghost Hunters is one of my FAV shows!
Hates exercise!
I Love Matt!
Jokester! I make stupid jokes and laugh at myself
Kind, I would like to think I am Kind!
Love making new friends!
Misses Dance
Needs a new book to read...suggestions????
Overprotective of my animals, my motto is "It is our duty to care and love them"
Pleaser, I am a people pleaser and that is good & bad!
Quizy, I get car sick at the drop of a hat!
Rocks out at Concerts! I love Concerts!
Siblings, I have 2...Curtis & Marissa
TV, I love to watch TV
Use-to-be .... a Honeybee- HA! I am a use to be someone!
Vibrant
Work, work shmmwork!
Xcellant!!
Yours truly!
Zoo, I would like to work at a Zoo with Baby animals!

Ok, all my Blogging friends.......... TAG your it!!

SNOW

Three Things About The 2 Videos:

1. I am screaming into the camera (sorry) and it is pure Silliness!

2. Yes, we do treat our animals like they are actual children and we are ok with that! But I swear they were just as excited as if they were kids!!

3. Yes, that is a whole in our wall, you can thank Ralphie for that!! Hey, crap happens! HA

Enjoy!

Sunday Sweets & Dinner

Hey Ya'll..................( I am trying to sound like Paula Deen ) This Sunday I made Paula's Red Velvet Cupcakes and one of my favorite cold weather recipes from the Kraft site, Chicken & Biscuits!

I took several pictures thru out the day and put them into the slide show above and here below are both recipes! Enjoy!

CUPCAKES!
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.
Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.
Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip.

Chicken & Biscuits

What You Need!
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream, divided
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
1 cup all-purpose baking mix
3 Tbsp. milk

Make It!
HEAT oven to 375ºF.
MIX soup and 1/2 cup sour cream in 8-inch square baking dish. Stir in chicken, vegetables and cheese.
MIX baking mix, remaining sour cream and milk just until mixture forms stiff dough.
SPOON into 6 mounds over chicken mixture. Bake 35 min. or until biscuits are golden brown and chicken mixture is hot and bubbly.

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire is the masterful movie from Danny Boyle (28 Days, Trainspotting)......
Unless you live under a rock or never watch TV then there is no way around hearing all the Buzz surrounding this movie. So Friday night Matt & I wanted to go and see what the fuss was all about and this movie did not disappoint! I am sure you have heard this movie was shot on location in Mambai and the story is about a boy (Jamal) from the slums who wins India's version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" . Well the officials think he cheated, their thoughts are no way could a poor boy be this smart. SO the story unfolds in flashbacks of his life and how he comes to know the answers. This movie is so well told, it is interesting, and really transports you to India and you are almost a voyeur in Jamal's life. I felt like I was watching a true story and the leading lady is so beautiful I could not take my eyes off of her. As the Oscars get here I will find myself rooting for this underdog of a movie and the people involved who seem generally grateful to be even nominated! If you have time you should go and check this movie out I posted the trailer below...............

Movie Madness

Today they announced the Oscar nominees and now Oscar season has officially kicked off! And in honor of today I decided to share with everyone "some" I can only say some of my favorite movies. I am a HUGE movie buff and it was very very hard to narrow down but I managed! I could of divided them up into categories and eras but decided to spare you and start with the short list! And speaking of Oscars...........

~ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I loved this movie and was completely enthralled with the story, places and characters and I am happy to say this was the most nominated Oscar movie this year!

~ Girl Just Wanna Have Fun

~ Adventures in Babysitting

~ Labyrinth

~ Center Stage

~ Home Alone

~ The Notebook

~ Bride Wars

~ The Wedding Planner

~ My Best Friends Wedding

~ The Holiday

~ Sex & The City The Movie!!

And that is ONLY a fraction of movies I love but I will tell you hands down the movie I can watch OVER & OVER and I just Adore....................

~ The Devil Wears Prada!

Abner Gundy Savage

As you guys know Abner has been with us since the beginning of December! We love him dearly and he has already bonded with his "brothers & sisters" but since we got him he seems to be plagued with health issues.... we had his dental work done ( teeth pulled & surgery on impacted molars) then the intestine problems came, prolly due to the 'god knows what' he has been eating during his life and then switching over to actual dog food. Then the first seizure happeneddd and another trip to the ER and still no answers on what may be causing all this. So we have been watching him carefully when two nights ago Abner had another seizure and it was awful, just hard to watch . SO today I dropped Abby off at the vet for the day to hopefully find some answers for 2 reasons :
1. How can we treat this and what should we do to improve his life
2. We can't keep dropping $200 a visit every other week!
Soooooooooooo...... I got off the phone with our vet about an hour ago and it seems that Abby has Canine Epilepsy. We will treat it with medicine and close monitoring for now and see how things go. We/I am not sure what caused this but I will tell you that now more than ever I believe God sent Abner to our care. So this way he can live the latter half of his life with love and care, I couldn't imagine him battling this all alone in a cage in some shelter!
Keep Abner in your prayers that he is strong and happy! Thanks!

Weekend Wrap Up...

Ok, so you can't win them all!!! HA! This pic describes how AWFUL dinner was last night.... I was originally planning a Mediterranean theme and I was going to give Lamb chops at home a try, cous Cous, and a new grilled Caesar salad. (Ambitious right?) well......NO! They were out of lamb so we got (cheap) steaks but I decided to go thru with everything else, so note to self- cous cous does not go with steak and I am not sure what Rachael Ray is talking about all the time it is NOT that good! And now on to example A; Matt eating "grilled" salad. The salad was suppose to get crisp and I have eaten it this way before at a event and loved it, well for us it just wilted and looked yucky but by this time I said to heck with it, we are eating it! Matt is a good sport! ha! And the steaks, oh the steaks......pretty much like eating rubber! So tonight I will try to redeem myself, wish me luck!!!!!!!!














This is Matty & I at dinner Saturday night with some friends! We went to Bolero in Bricktown ( I don't think we will go back) but other than that we had a WONDERFUL time with friends!














This is Mike & Allison, they are great friends and it was Mike's Birthday hence the reason we all went out! Happy Birthday MIKE!















This is a pic from "Girl Talk" the event I mentioned Friday.. it was SO much fun! I did a dance Workshop and got to use my girl Britney's song "Womanizer" and we had a roaring good time and by the look on their faces it seem that they did to! I call this pic "JAZZ HANDS"















This is for your enjoyment, last Thursday I met my friend Becky for a glass of wine at Louie's lakeside and I was early. I had a super long day at work and this scene was very relaxing for me and I decided to take a pic. Turned out great from inside the car! Enjoy ..... I hope my week and all of your weeks are as enjoyable and relaxing as this pic!!!!

Junior Hospitality Club

I am a member of Junior Hospitality Club here in OKC.... this is a service club of women who meet once a month and then volunteer at different community organizations on the weekends. I would love for you all to check out our website and read our history.....
http://www.jhok.org/aboutjh.html

The pictures I uploaded are from the beginning of our club and they are so neat to see where the tradition began. Tomorrow we are volunteering at Emerson High School here on OKC ( a HS for pregnant girls or young mothers) and I am teaching a "Dance Workshop" which should be fun, we are also doing crafts, providing lunch and goodie bags for the girls! This is my first year to be involved in this event and I hear it is alot of fun & very rewarding!!

Below is the "Save The Date" for our HUGE charity event this March. I am on the Special Events Board so this project is close to my heart. All the money we raise from this event goes to our partner this year.... The Children's Center in Bethany. It is a wonderful place, if you do not know much about it you should check out their website! So mark your calanders now! More info to come later!!!

Migraines

Ah yes, the picture above is funny but other than that picture there is nothing funny about Migraines at all! If you can not already tell I have been diagnosed with them, and I missed work yesterday due to one but what is new? This is my life!
Migraine; is a neurological syndrome characterized by altered bodily perceptions, headaches, and nausea.
Yes, that is the technical definition but I will briefly tell you about my experience........
My mother has had them her whole life and mothers usually pass the gene on to one child! And "ding ding ding" I am the lucky one! And they started making an appearance in my life when I turned 20! I have been to every doctor imaginable and taken every drug you can think of. Nothing works, I luckily have found a pain med that I can take at the onset of a migraine that usually makes it subside but due to the extreme dosage Insurers will only allow 9 pills a month! WHAT? I mean that covers maybe two weeks for me, but that is another post entirely. I have tried a ton of preventative meds and now I am on to Holistic/Herbal meds and they do me ok ( I take 9 pills each day) Most people even friends of mine don't understand what i go thru and in the past when I have had to cancel plans due to a migraine I have had friends ( well no longer friends of mine) say I am a baby and I am faking... and that is so hurtful. The pain is excruciating, throwing up, tender body, light hurts my head and so will sounds. Many times I thought I was dying. And it is sad to me because people do not understand it and they think I am weird. I live a strict strict boring life because there are "triggers" that lead to a migraine and I have found out mine and I do anything to avoid here are my "rules"
1. I do not drink
2. Do not smoke & can not be around it
3. Can NOT miss a meal, I always have a snack with me
4. Must sleep 8 hours a night, this is a big one lack of sleep that is
5. Stress, Stress & more Stress!
6. Change in weather or pressure will do me in!
7. Work, no joke working on my computer all day like I do at my job is awful and there is nothing I can do about it!

So that is a brief jest of my medical problems! I am the Healthiest sick person i know!!! On to better subjects! Happy Hump Day!

Giggle Box

voicenote.wav

This is our God daughter Kendall, and she has discovered her cute little voice! I have been trying for an hour to find a way to post her "Voice Note" her mom gave me here on this blog and nadda! SOOo.... click on the link above me and you can hear the sweetest sound ever!!!
Enjoy!

Sunday Dinner....

Hello, I hope everyone had a fun & relaxing weekend! We did... we went to the Thunder game on Friday which is always fun then Saturday we had Sushi ( our fav) and went to see Bride Wars! Which in case you were wondering was so good!
"You don't alter Vera, you alter yourself to fit Vera..." HA ! Loved it!!!!
And as many of you know I usually make something new for dinner on Sunday and then I make a dessert because Marissa (my sis) comes over to enjoy dessert and some puppy love! I have fallen behind on sharing my recipes so here is yesterdays!
First of all Dessert was easy, I just made a Cherry Chip cake with Strawberry icing because that is Marissa's favorite!
Next main dish is Rachael Ray.................

Florentine Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken
Prep Time:
15 min
Inactive Prep Time:
hr min
Cook Time:
20 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
6 servings

1 box frozen spinach, defrosted
3 tablespoons pine nuts ( I omitted this and it was still good)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A few grates nutmeg
6 chicken breasts
6 slices prosciutto di Parma,
1/3 pound 3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Wring out defrosted spinach in clean kitchen towel.
Toast nuts and combine with spinach in a bowl, mix in cheeses, garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Cut into and across but not all the way through the chicken breasts, opening them up like a book with a sharp knife. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Fill each with a small mound of stuffing. Flap chicken breasts back over stuffing and wrap each breast with prosciutto to seal them, carefully covering the whole breast. Brush chicken all over with some extra-virgin olive oil and roast 18 to 20 minutes until cooked through.

For a side I did a Fav of mine........
Nicole's Garlic Noodles!
All I did was cook some Spaghetti noodles, drain then ..... then toss back in the pot with some butter, a tablespoon of garlic, and a dash of salt! And it is Super Yummy!!!!!! I also served a green salad drizzled with EVOO & Fresh Lemon juice!

The whole meal was really good, and I will tell you that since there was alot of prep work with the salad and it being my first time to make this meal that is was not a 30min meal but well worth the time spent!

ps.... this is how I feel about Mondays.......... Monday Shmonday!

"Your wedding can suck it..."

Oh the Joy I will get from watching this movie tomorrow!! I have been looking forward to this giddy, girly comedy for MONTHS! We all know I love the movies and there is nothing better than a feel good one! I laugh every single time I watch this preview...........
"If I were your wedding, I would be sleeping with one eye open..." that is too much!
Enjoy.....



And we are also going to watch the Thunder try to get a win over the Rockets tonight! Go Thunder!!!!!!!!!

The Brides of Oklahoma Magazine

It is official! Matt & I are in the Brides of Oklahoma Magazine! I was excited this morning and took some pics! ha! The first one is of the Nafieh Fine Jewelry ad and our picture was used because we won The Perfect Proposal contest last year!! The other is a picture is of our page featured in the magazine, and then me being silly! The magazine hits newsstands such as Hastings, Barnes & Noble and Borders on January 16!! SO pick up a copy! There are AMAZING weddings featured in this years magazine it is hard to imagine that some people have such lavish events! But it is always fun to see in a magazine!
Below I made a slide show of some high lights of the wedding for those who have not seen it before!!!

And ps................. BOOMER SOONER

Since we are talking Favs...

Good Morning!

Since yesterday I shared with you all my favorite music I thought that today I would share my favorite TV shows!! Because I know that everyone was wanting to know! ha! But really after I get home, make dinner, do some things around the house there is nothing I would rather do more than lay on the couch with the animals and watch some shows with Matt! It is the perfect way to wind down after a long day and get ready for the next day!
I of course LOVE the Food Network! I love all the shows and I love DVR-ing them to watch on a rainy day! ha
These are in no order......
~ Oprah ( I DVR it so I can decide if it is worth watching)
~ Desperate Housewives
~ My HBO Shows : Big Love, Entourage, True Blood
~ So You Think You Can Dance!!!
~ Nip/Tuck
~ All the Real Housewives shows in Bravo
~ Gossip Girl (This show is so crazy and over the top but I love it)
~ Biggest Loser
~ Dramas: Lipstick Jungle, Private Practice, Dirty Sexy Money, Greys
And Lastly........... Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International & Paranormal State
Now, people think it is weird but I have always had a "thing" for the paranormal. I think it is fascinating and I am a believer. The way the shows research the history of a place and then use science to back up the claims they investigate is amazing. And the proof they catch is unreal, I sometimes get chills and I can not believe my eyes! You all should totally look into watching these shows!
I found this on You Tube, someone put together the 10 best clips from Ghost Hunters! It is 9min but watch it if you want ! There is much more than this but this is a good compilation.

Music to my ears....

I know, I know another post.... two in one day!??? I just can't help it my mind is full of stuff (just ask Matt) I was in the car at lunch listening to one of my all time favorite CD's and I was like "I must share with others" HA! I am soo musically diverse, I am sure you can tell from the slide show above. Those are some of the people I have seen in concert, many I have seen more than once! I LOVE LOVE 70s & 80s music! No Joke people! I really think I should of been born in the 70s so I could of been a Disco Queen, long straight hair and all! With the exception of some modern people I love ( uhhhemm.. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE) I only listen to Magic 104 or KOMA! I have even seen KC & The Sunshine Band in concert, Huey Lewis & The News and I love Rod Stewart!

Now, with all that being said we all know I Love me some Britney Spears she will always have a special place in my heart but she is not numero uno! This title is a tie, a tie of two people/groups who could not be more different! Drum Roll please.............................

My main squeeze .......Michael Buble!! (Don't tell Matt) I just LOVE him, I am lucky enough to have seen him twice in concert and he is amazing! His voice is so soothing and his songs so classic ( some of them are classics) well point is, he is wonderful!!!!!! I could gush some more but I will spare you all!

And these fine fellas are INCUBUS! I not only have seen them 4 times in concert but 6 years ago I went back stage and got their autograph! Their music is not all hard rock, they have soft melody's and interesting lyrics. Their Album from last year "Light Grenades" is one of my favorites. I am not sure why I am drawn to them so much but I am, they have been hands done my favorite group for about 9 years now!

The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle, By Jeannette Walls......

I finished this book Sunday night and I laid in bed for awhile thinking about this book, recounting all the insane things that happened to this girl and trying to wrap my head around it all. This book is hard to describe the facts are it is a bestselling memoir about the partly crazy and mostly depressing life of the Walls family. To give you some in site her parents are like gypsies, dirt dirt poor, and they don't really believe in raising their children....not to give anything away but by the age of 3 Jeannette NO JOKE cooked her own meals! This story also speaks loudly for education and with that you have the ability to become who you want to be.

I am not sure this is the best book I have ever read but with that being said I could not put it down because I could not believe what I was reading and I had to see what pandemonium was in store. This book should make everyone grateful for their own lives and the loving parents that we were blessed with. This book was an easy read it took me about 5 days to finish it and I do recommend this book mostly because you will not believe what you are reading.

2008 Wrap Up

As 2008 closes and 2009 begins I thought I would share some of the Savage Families 2008 Memories! This is by no means includes everything we did or shared together but here are a few to highlight the 2008 slide show above!

1. We watched as our friends got married, went to showers, bought presents and Bridesmaid dresses. We welcomed the birth of our God Daughter Kendall Reese Kingry!

2. We found Ralph Lauren West Savage the last week of March at the itty bitty age of 3 weeks and we raised him in our family. And now I could not image life without Ralphie!

3. We went to concerts, movies, dinners, shared special events with our families and celebrated our 1 Year Anniv!! Time flies when you get older and your having fun!

4. We worked on our flower beds, patio, re did our floors, our office, got new furniture, worked more on our floors, got curtains and you name it!!!

5. We added Abner Gundy Savage to our family and he is very excited to know that he now has a family that loves him and a place to call home!

6. Matt plays in a basketball league and a flag football league and he loves to be active. His business has continued to grow as he enters his 5th year as an Farmers Agent!

7. I re-discovered my love for reading, I have always read but this year I read anything i could get my hands on. I also cooked & baked more than ever and I love trying out new recipes and reading cooking magazines!

It is hard to sum up 1 year in a blog but this year like any other was filled with ups and downs and we know that is life. This year we look forward to continuing on this path of ours as a family of 6 ( 4 animals) and see what life throws at us!

Short Movie Review by Nicole

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button......

" My Life began under unusual circumstances...."
I was not sure what I would think of this movie going into it I had read mixed reviews before seeing it... And on New Years Eve as Matt and I saw this movie the 3 hours flew by and it left me wanting more. It actually left me laying awake that night replaying parts of the movie in my head, longing to see it again. This movie is more than a drama about a man who ages backwards it is a story, a story about this mans life and all who pass in and out of it. The movie is shot beautifully and it was hard to tell who was prettier Brad or Cate! While doing press for this movie Brad mentioned they had used CGI for effects in this movie and it was so well done I could never see the difference from a CGI shot and Brad ( Benjamin) himself. This movie does evoke emotion and a couple of times my throat hurt while trying to hold back tears.

I recommend anyone who loves a good story, a story with heartache, romance, family, life and lessons learned. I loved this movie and thought it was a true joy and 3 hours well spent!!!!!