I'm Off.....

That is a picture from when Ghost Hunters was at the Stone Lion Inn....but I am about to get ready and go..........I will have tons of pictures come Monday! Have a good weekend friends! Ps....my Murder Mystery character is a former 1920s Miss Louisiana who is now a drunk spinster! HA, Wish me luck!

Stunning......

 There are really no words that can describe how beautiful and stunning Kate looked this morning! I mean she took my breath away! And she is wearing a dress from the head designer at Alexander McQueen! I mean don't you just think this is exactly how a Princess would look?

 Even her sister is a dream.....I just love this picture so much. I can only imagine what she is feeling at this moment!

 This is really a fairy tale come true......... I don't think they could of looked better, the ceremony was so heartfelt and beautiful! I can't wait to see if she changes dresses for her different receptions today!

Just wanted to share with you all! The Royal wedding is so fascinating! I Love it!
Also, THANK YOU so much for the Birthday wishes.....I appreciate every one of you so much! TGIF

da dum da dum dadumdadumdadum......

First off in case you were wondering that was the "Jaws" them song......seemed to fit since this Birthday has been sneaking up on me! LOL
It's official.....I am 30 TODAY! And I decided to take an idea from my friend Traci and give you 30 facts about me......you may or may not know these all and I will try to sound more interesting than I actually am!!

1. I share my Birthday with Jay Leno, Jessica Alba, Penelope Cruz and a good friend named Kaylyn!
2. I am very excited about the Royal Wedding tomorrow!! Thank God for my DVR
3. Speaking of DVR......I am in love with mine....I am regularly at like 90% capacity!
4. I pick my cuticles...bad, but I would like to think that is one step up from my old habit of biting my nails!
5. I could eat cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner..........and some days I do
6. I am "into" the paranormal and with that said I would NEVER want anything in my home.....ever!
7. I like Matt's Birthday better than my own
8. I am 11 years older than my sister Marissa and 5 years older than my brother Curtis!
9. I am taking today off today to have lunch with Matt and do some shopping for our Murder Mystery tomorrow!
10. Tomorrow is my best friend Amanda's Birthday......we are 1 year and 1 day apart!
11. Most of the time I decide if I like a song based on wether I can choreograph a dance to it in my head. I don't think that will ever change
12. I LOVE Target.....I get 90% of my clothes from there.....pricey clothes don't impress me!
13. I HATE cleaning out the dishwasher.......I would rather vacuum than do that!
14. My mom gets the title of 1st Birthday wish .....coming in last night at 12:01am!
15. You know those frozen Sara Lee coffee cakes? I LOVE them!
16. My grandma (Oma) is from Germany and my family speaks fluent German.....I don't (Boo)
17. I spoon my cat while I sleep every night! HAHA, she has slept with me for 9 years!
18. I treat my dogs like they are people and to me they are!
19. I want to be Bethenny Frankel when I grow up....she literally cracks me UP!
20. I am deathly afraid of spiders.....I will not even step on one......One time when I lived alone, I was "trapped" in bed my a huge spider in between me, my bed and the door.......so I called my granddad to come over, step on it and flush it! And then he left!
21. I LOVE to check the mail and everyday I hope there is a magazine in there!
22. I still buy CD's......I am the last person on earth who still buys CD's!
23. I am not into singing shows like Idol!
24. I have met Top Chef's Curtis Stone before, I have pictures and a sweet autograph to prove it!
25. I hate shaving my legs and so your lucky if I do it once a week!
26. I have never had a professional massage, facial or anything like that....heck I have never been to a spa!
27. I do my own nails and toes every week and have since forever!
28. I tan even though it is awful......I literally look like death if I don't.
29. I baked a cake last night and it didn't turn out well, so sad
30. I AM 30 TODAY!!!!

Blue..

Hi again! SO stay with me here as I try to express some thoughts and feelings...........today on my Birthday Eve I am a tad blue. But not necessarily the complete down in the dumps blue....just weird. Everyone has been asking me "So how are you feeling about turning 30?" and I don't know.....I don't how I am suppose to feel?! It is so odd I literally can't put my feelings into words. Tonight I will be doing what I do best laying on the couch with my dogs watching TV while Matt is at work and in a way that is perfect because that is what I do best......but then another part of me thinks "is this how I want to spend my last day in my 20s EVER?"! I am not sure....then another part of me wants to bake a whole cake and devour it! Maybe it is also this weird cold, windy and raining Oklahoma weather that has got me down? I am not sure either.  (yes, I know nothing)  It is just weird to leave an ENTIRE decade behind! I mean really? I can't remember what I was doing on the eve of my 20th Birthday (probably something bad)..and I can't remember how I felt about leaving my teens behind? More than likely excited!!! But 30 is a bit different! It is like tonight as I lay my head on my pillow I am closing one whole chapter in my life and putting it away .....to wake up to something new tomorrow. And that is both good and bad!
Well guys, thanks for listening......wish me luck and if you don't hear from me tomorrow then I more than likely baked the cake, ate the whole thing myself and I am in a sugar coma on the couch still.....call for help!

Until Next Time friends..........when I start a new chapter of my life with you........

Go Rumble Go Rumble....

Epic Fail....

So about a year ago today I wrote out my "30 Before 30" list and then go figure I closed the notebook and didn't open it again until a few days ago. And I completely failed, sadly it looks like I only accidentally completed a few! But because we are all friends here I thought I would share the list with you and we can laugh together! Don't judge because some are silly (crossed out means I did it).......

Nicole's 30 Before 30 Failure

1. Take a Ballroom Class
2. Go see Curtis in Cali (I am happy to announce the trip is booked for Memorial weekend, yay)
3. Become debt free
4. Become President Elect of JH
5. Volunteer over 24 hours (I am 4 short)
6. Make Scentsy Director 6 months in a row
7. Get a new house
8. Loose 10-15 pounds
9. Save over $5,000 of my Scentsy money (well last year was Matt's 30th and it is hard to save)
10. Continue with Yoga
11. Take more cooking classes
12. Partake in some more Ghost Hunting (I did one last Fall)
13. Enter a cooking contest
14. Jog a 5k (well I can't call it jogging but I tried)
15. Take a mini-vacation with Matt (Hello, Denver 30th Birthday Trip)
16. Work on a future business idea with Melissa
17. Enter Abner in the Weenie Dog Dash
18. Visit some OKie Landmarks
19. Look into my ancestry
20. Learn some of my Oma's recipes
21. Be more positive and live in the moment more (eh, I try?)
22. Make Sushi at home once
23. Make Matt's 30th Special
24. Make homemade pasta and bread (Does homemade butter count?)
25. Work on my scrapbooks
26. Plan more for our future
27. Do a Murder Mystery in Guthrie (YES! This is not a joke and I don't ever remember writing this but how funny that this is my 30th Birthday from Matt?)
28. Be a good Scentsy Director (eh, debate-able)
29. Have a good Scentsy Holiday Season
30. Spend more time with Matt ( we try but with his job that is hard)

SO there we have it friends 9 out of 30 and I only have today to make the rest happen! HAHA! Do you have a list like this? I mean this isn't by any means a bucket list because mine would be a lot more grand than this ....but do you have a fun to do list? And did you actually complete it?

Murder Mystery

So Matt has a surprise for me planned for my Birthday this week but he decided to tell me on Sunday so I can plan ahead......he told me in a very creative way........Clues!
SO my first clue was in the Curtis Stone cookbook, clue being "Stone"
Next was a gift bag with a "Lion" in it
Followed by the board game "Clue".............
Look how cute the stuff was...........

SO what are we doing? Well Friday night both our families and some friends are going to the "Stone Lion Inn" to do a Murder Mystery Dinner Party! And heck ya, everyone is dressing up in 20s gear! I have a few days to find my costume!! Here is the old Stone Lion Inn.....

The Stone Lion Inn is actually haunted and it was featured on SciFi's Ghost Hunters with Jason and Grant!!! They caught multiple EVP's and said it was haunted, how neat to go to a place they have been!! Matt and I are staying the night along with our friends Amanda and Buddy who are coming in from Tulsa!! In the morning after breakfast we get a haunted history tour, I am so excited! This is right up my alley huh? To check out this Oklahoma Landmark click HERE!! I will have a ton of pictures I bet next Monday!

Mini Pies!!!!

 So IT FINALLY CAME!!! 5 MONTHS OF WAITING!!! What you ask? My Breville Mini Pie Maker and it is exactly what I expected and MORE!!! In fact they are actually on sale!! SCORE! You can only get it at Williams and Sonoma! Click HERE to see!

 So I made Mini Pies last night for dinner and it was so good!!!! Of course I used pre-made dough sheets! I stocked up so I can make them when I want.......

 The Pie maker comes with pastry cut outs to make everything easy for you! The Mini Pie cookbook is amazing you must get both!!!!! It comes with 40 sweet pies and 40 savory pies EVEN quiche and breakfast pies!

 Last night I made Shepard pies..........it just took a little pre-cooking in a skillet! I used Turkey this time!

 You literally close the lids and 8-10minutes later dinner! Some recipes you do not even have to do any pre-cooking but this one you did.

 The recipe said to top with mash potatoes and these were so yummy, I took one for lunch today and it was just as good today as it was yesterday!

 And then I made Maple Butter Apple Pie for dessert, so good! I promise...you guys must get one of these today!

I swear I love this so much W&S should pay me for the good advertising!

My Friday Night....

Hi, I hope everyone is recovered from their Easter sugar high by now........actually come to think of it, I could use a sugar high to get me thru my Monday! I have a lot to share with you all today but let's start with last Friday night.....This was our was our Book Club night, we had dinner and talked books upstairs at the Warren Theater since we were seeing Water for Elephants right after. I had a great time like always.......this is such a nice escape for me and I value the friendships below more than you can imagine.

So I bet you are wanting to hear my review on this movie...............
* Was it close to the book? Absolutely, they did a wonderful job
* Was it visually stunning? Yes
* Did I love the actors? Of course, they were PERFECT
BUT.............
I walked out, first time I have EVER walked out of a movie. I am not stupid, I read the book and I knew I had a hard time with some of the animal scenes so it was silly of me to think that it would not bother me. I also read before Friday that the National Humane Society signed off on this movie stating that ALL abuse scenes were totally CG. But actually seeing the abuse on screen devastated me so much more than I thought. Watching August beat that Elephant and hearing it scream brought vomit to my throat and I grabbed my bag and left...I cried the whole way home. I know what you must think....this is a movie, it is not real but I do not care I can not "un-see" something. The way that elephant acted (great actor) screaming like it did actually ripped my heart open and I have NO desire to even try and rent this and fast forward thru that those scenes. And yes, I know the elephant gets the "last laugh" but that does not matter to me at all, I thought this was horrific.

Sorry to be such a Debbie Downer but I should of known better than go to see this. Talk about disappointment....something I wanted to see SO bad. *sigh**
Did you see it?

A hip hop hippy to the hop....

Happy Easter Blogger friends!! I hope today you spend some time with your family and remembering what the true meaning of Easter is! And of course..........eat all the candy you want! I am sure I will have "gummy tummy" by noon!

Five for Friday

Today is a very special 5 for Friday.....Earth Day Addition! Today I will be sharing 5 ways I will pledge to celebrate Earth Day whether it will be bringing awareness or small actions that I will try to start implementing in my life! I will also be sharing 5 things YOU can do on this Earth Day!

To me Earth Day is not about "tree hugging/must go green/recycling like crazy" to be honest I do not even recycle! Earth Day to me is special because I think it is more about awareness and conservation. Earth day is about realizing we are not the only species living on this planet and we need to protect and conserve our Earth for all things. It is what you want it to be.....

 5 Ways I will celebrate and continue to do for Earth Day!
1. Zoo Story by Thomas French
I think constantly learning about the world we live in is important and it opens my heart more all the time. Zoo story is a behind the scenes book/documentary on Zoo life in Tampa. I got a lot more out of this book than I originally thought I would in a surprising way. I struggle with my thoughts on zoos and animals living in captivity but this book presents both sides so well I really think you should read it. This book teaches about conservation, preservation and how zoos fit into that mix. This book also tells you how animals really come to live at a zoo and how their lives are from then on. I really think you should read this book and educate yourself on both sides. I will say I feel a little bit better on "zoos" in general but my conclusion is still up in the air!

 2. I will continue to support the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Africa!
Below the smallest elephant is my Naipoki.....the elephant I "adopted" at Christmas. She is flourishing at the foundation and has been given a second chance at life after her mother was killed by poachers. Eventually she will be reintroduced into the wild....what a beautiful thing. To learn more click HERE

3. Global Awareness

I am so thankful for shows like Oprah because did you know that it was 2 years ago today that on a Earth Day special Oprah introduced us to the documentary The Cove and my life was changed. I mean how else would we be aware of such.....whats the word I want to use?......global problems? I am so thankful for Oprah using her platform to introduce us to such issues and then to tell us how we can help....whether big or small. 

4. Rescue!

I am going to continue rescuing animals and being a champion to the cause because they can't do it themselves. I mean I can only do so much but I have to realize that each time I rescue 1 animal I am saving it and I am glad to help!

 5. Going Green
I am awful at this, I really should use that blue recycling bin on the side of my house! I mean we all have to start somewhere small! You should take this quiz on the Oprah site to see how much you know about going green! Click HERE to take the quiz and it's ok, I did awful too!

NOW! 5 Things YOU can do or start doing today to celebrate Earth Day!
1. When you or someone you know is planning on bringing an animal into their lives.....use Pet Finder! You can visit the site by clicking HERE! You can also go to your local shelter or adopt from me....I will find you an animal! HA

2. Learn more about the Taiji Dolphins and see what you can do.....like buy a shirt, pledge money or spread the word on your own blog! Click HERE

3. Meatless Monday
Once a week, plan a meat alternative for dinner. Enjoy pasta with a marinara or Alfredo sauce, meatless chili burritos, or even grilled veggie burgers! Reducing meat consumption conserves fresh water, saves topsoil, and even reduces air pollution!

4.Try to start Recycling with me and reduce plastic use!
Did you know that there is a place in the Ocean called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? All our unused plastic goes somewhere and sadly there is a mile long patch in the ocean covered with our garbage. To learn more and see what you can do please click HERE!

5. Lastly, do a Five for Friday today about Earth day........what you are doing, things you will pledge to do etc! Be sure to link up below.......insert your blog below so we can all share with one another!
Happy Earth Day Friends!!!!!

I am a walking contradiction.....

Ok, I am going to kinda "talk about loud" here.....because something has been bothering me....I tend to ramble when I am passionate about something and switch gears often so I will put this "out there" in a bullet point kinda way......
* SO, we all know HOW excited I am about going to see Water for Elephants tomorrow night with my book club....I mean the previews give me chills.....And I am sure I will love it and tell you ALL about it!
* I do know that Tia the elephant used is the movie was more than likely treated like GOLD, given tons of love and respect.
* I also know that the book itself has a nice message mixed in about the way animals should be treated. So that makes me happy.
* But what I also know is that deep inside of me I don't necessarily agree with using captive animals as "props". I mean as much as I know about animals, elephants in particular ( don't tempt me....I read a lot) I know that this elephant didn't choose to leave her family to live a solitary life with humans. She didn't choose to want to learn "tricks" nor does she choose her own work schedule.
* So what am I saying? Should all movies never use animals? NO, that is where I confuse myself and get down on myself.........I mean here I don't agree with something so much but yet I am running to the theater to support it! I am ridiculous.
* I have had un-easy feelings about this since the first trailer came out and then I watched some footage of Reese training with the elephant "behind the scenes" ..... I can't help but think that this beautiful creature would rather be roaming the safari with her family. It makes me sad.
* I mean I am also going to see this movie on Earth Day which makes this worse, you know how much I love that day. I love that day because it brings awareness to conservation.........possibly the opposite of what is happening here! HA
* What am I going to do? I don't know, I mean like I said I am a contradiction .......I feel deeply one way but my actions will speak otherwise. SO it is at times like this I am thankful for my blog, so I can "put things out there" and share my passions and concerns with all of you.

I seem to spark a lot of passion/nerves/thoughts when I speak on animal rights....so dare I say what are your thoughts on this ?
Can I switch gears for a second? I am bringing out my "sell out" side......the new trailer for the movie on TV sparks emotion from me and I think it is the song, I have fallen in love with the song they used......

So I did some research and found out the song is called Cosmic Love by Florence and the Machines....when I listen to this song it stirs something inside of me....it makes me want to dance.........Enjoy!

Florence + The Machine - Cosmic Love by UniversalMusicGroup

Lookie Loo.....

Hey Guys....guess what??? I did a guest post today (my first) over at my friend Allison's blog....Refunk My Junk! So hope on over and check it out.....click HERE

HELP!

So..I am still learning how to use all the great features on my MAC as I go and I have a problem-o....
you know when you are writing a post and you put in a link over a word. (I hope that makes sense) so that way your readers only have to click on a word and not copy and past a link? Well when I copy the web address and then click paste into the link box NOTHING ever happens? It is different then with my Dell!

How do I do this????? I mean I will right click and hit paste and NADDA! Then I will do control/V thing and still nothing! Is there a secret? I am guest posting tomorrow and I want to figure this out! Please and thank you!

Guest Post Refunk My Junk: Anyone Can Glaze!

Hello Sizzlin Savage lovers!  My name is Allison, and I am a mommy of an adorable 9 month old, a wife, and a Cash Management & Commercial Card Consultant at a Bank.  And to add to it all, I also own Refunk My Junk in Edmond, OK. I have a little blog of my own where I show off my furniture painting creations, how-to's, and lot's of tips on how to refunk your house and furniture on a budget without sacrificing your personal style or fanciness.  Right now I am focusing on expanding my business and opening a booth at Beaucoup Boutiques and will also start hosting group workshops where you will learn how to prep, paint, distress, and glaze your own garage sale and grandma-hand-me-downs into something fabulous and functional!

I feel so lucky to be a guest poster on Nicole's blog today!  Nicole is one of the most talented bloggers I know and she really inspired me to start my own bloggy blog.  I feel so blessed to know Nicole and now I get to meet all of you!  So, I guess that means I'm the lucky one!

At Refunk My Junk I am celebrating the announcement of my up-and-coming workshops with a new series on my blog called "Workshop Wednesdays".  And the first post is right here at Sizzlin Savages!  So let's get right to it!

I have people tell me all the time : "I'm not crafty" or "I don't have enough vision to make something"... Well let me tell you - YES YOU DO!  I am going to show you one of the easiest little projects and you are going to be so impressed with yourself when you are done - Trust me! 

Here is what I started with...  Some old knick knacks around my house that have reallllly been annoying me.   And I am too cheap fabulously frugal to buy new stuff.  See what I mean...

BLAND & BORING!

So I bought some Valspar Antiquing Glaze in Asphaltum, which is pretty much a black color, from Lowe's for $9.00. 

 It's a pretty small jar, but a little goes a long way, and a great way to start glazing if your a glazing virgin and don't want to spend almost $30.00 for a quart of Ralph Lauren glaze.  I spray painted all of the knick-knacks in different funky colors.  And then I went to town!

All you need is a sponge brush and some rags. Old onesies are good, but I used all that I had so I splurged on some rags from The Habitat for Humanity Renovation Station for $1.29.  Somebody stop me!  Plus, they had some cute spray paint colors for $1.00, and the sponge brushes for $2.00, so it was worth the trip.

Start off by covering the entire piece in the glaze.  I like the sponge brushes because you can squeeze the glaze into all of the nooks and crannies if your piece has a lot - and this one did.  It doesn't have to be perfect, just slap a coat of the stuff on there and don't worry about it...

Here's the cross covered in the glaze. Not. Perfect.

Then just get that rag out and start wiping off!  Again, no exact science.  Just do it.

And wah-lah!  A refunked accessory!

I was able to do all of these pieces and I don't think I even used a quarter of the glaze! 

I love how this one looks like an artichoke now that it's green!  I didn't even think to do that on purpose, I just noticed it after-the-fact, so don't give me too much credit!

Yes, you too can glaze!  And the whole project cost me about $15.00 - that is what I would have spent at Hobby Lobby on one piece at 50% off!  So next time you are glaring at your accessories and have the urge to bash it against the wall ( OK, maybe a little dramatic!)  go getcha some glaze and make something you will be proud of!  And, if you do get to glazing, email me at allison@refunkmyjunk.com your before and after pics and I will feature you on my blog!

Come see me tomorrow at http://www.refunkmyjunk.com/ where Nicole is whipping up some delicious recipes on my site!