Kreativ Blogger

Thank you Nicole for choosing me for one of Kreative Blogger. Unfortunately I am not as savvy as you with the blog construction, but I am trying!

One of the responsibilities of this award is to list 7 things that I love in this world along with 7 blogs I love following. These 7 blogs I mention must do the same. Let's do it to it shall we?!

1. My husband, Michael. He is my best friend and the yin to my yang. We are very different, but fit together very well. We have been together for almost 12 years and married for almost 3 years. The photo above is one my favorite photos of us together. The day of our wedding was the happiest day of my life.

2. Audrey Hepburn. I love everything about her. She was beautiful on the inside and out. Always a perfect role model for fashion, style, grace, philanthropy and selflessness. Sounds funny, but I have many childhood memories that involve her. At the ages of 5 and 6 I would watch My Fair Lady over and over (I live for the part when she descends the stairs transformed and magnificent). As I got older I discovered Breakfast at Tiffany's and it is still my favorite movie to this day.

3. My pugs, Oscar and Leo. I could go on and on about them. They both have the most adorable faces, but very different dispositions. It is truly amazing how your troubles from the day can melt away when you come home and see your dogs so incredibly happy to see you.

4. My mother Margaret. Isn't she just so lovely?! She has always been there for me even if at times she is not in full agreement with me :) She has taught me to love and appreciate the arts and culture, tradition and family, and how to make even the most simple of things special. "Maggie" is an incredible and passionate person and I am so blessed to have her as a mother.

5. Christmas. It just involves so many wonderful things...family, friends, gifts, cooking, parties, and of course the hope and faith that go with the whole day itself. The most wonderful Christmas I have ever experienced was in 2007. We were in Salzburg, Austria with my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and sister. It was the most picturesque holiday I have ever experienced. However, it was very cold (very hard for a sun bunny like me!)

6. I HEART NY...and Sex and the City! If I ever had the opportunity to move to a large city in the U.S., I would pick NYC 100 times over any other place. The city is never-ending with things to do, see, and eat...that is my kind of town. Plus, it is our fashion capital, which leads me to ...

Sex and the City! Probably my favorite television show of all time. The two best things about the show are the friendships and the fashion. As silly as it sounds, when I moved to Tulsa and lived by myself, these 4 characters got me through some tough times since my Opa had just passed away and I had not made any friends in the T-town yet.

7. Food! I live to eat, cook and bake! However, when it comes to food, I love thinking about the question that Anthony Bourdain often asks so many chefs...if you were going to die today, what would you want your last meal to be? I have narrowed it down to 2 choices. The southern girl side of me would want some hearty and comforting chili, cornbread, and red wine.

However, the Austrian half of me would want Wienerschnitzel (pork, not veal), rice and peas, and champagne (w/raspberries). Bon Apetit!

7 Blogs I love:

1. http://newlywedsavages.blogspot.com/

Nicole and Matt! Such wonderful friends and I love our dinners. What I always find hilarious is that when we get together we talk about our animals and food most of the time. Nicole, your blog is adorable and it inspires me to blog more!

2. http://kmawds.blogspot.com/

My baby sister Katherine! She is studying abroad in Bamberg, Germany right now. Stinky, you are my heart and I love all your writing, witty observations, and photos.

3. http://thepotatoqueensays.blogspot.com/

Tami, the Potato Queen! You are the one who introduced me to blog spot and I love you for it! I miss seeing you every day at work, but then it just makes it that much more fun when I see you and your sassy self.

4. http://detjessandalltherest.blogspot.com/

Long story short, I believe Jess and I were separated at birth. It is astounding how we have so many common likes and loves. Jess is also becoming a master baker and just remodeled her newlywed nest, modern ski-island style!

5. http://www.hostessblog.com/

The blog for the "Hostess with the Mostess". This blog is a feast for the eyes. So man chic ideas for parties, decor and food.

6. http://dallaspugrescue.blogspot.com/

This is the Dallas Ft. Worth Pug Rescue blog. We actually resued Leo through this organization. They are the largest pug rescue in the nation and are awesome because they will leave "no pug unturned". Warning: some of the photos are hard to see if you have any kind of heart for animals.

7. To be Announced (I need to follow more blogs!)

Hooray, it is almost Friday!

Love is in the Air

Happy Easter everyone! I apologize for my lack of blogging lately. Since Michael and I were in Kansas City last weekend, we were very busy this week. Okay, so here are updates for all of you:

-Michael and I were in Kansas City to attend the wedding of our dear friends, Kim and Angie. Kim has been one of my best friends since we attended Oklahoma State University together. The whole trip, festivities and wedding was such a fabulous time! As you can see, I have posted some of my favorite photographs from their day. Kim being the true OSU fan that she is, wanted the wedding colors to be orange and black. It looked beautiful and it is a bonus that Kim's birthday lands on Halloween. The ceremony was gorgeous as well and they had the most wonderful soloist I have ever heard at a wedding. The man sang so well, it almost sounded as if it was not live. Even though I am not fond of public speaking, I did a toast and managed to hold it together without crying (but almost did twice). It is just so amazing to be in the true presence of love and that day for Angie and Kim was a perfect representation of their love for one another.

-I just found out a couple of weeks ago that my brother Andrew and my sister-in-law Christy are pregnant! My brother is currently in Iraq, which provides a challenge, but I know that they are making the best of it. I am so happy for my little bro and Christy and I cannot wait to be an aunt! Speaking of aunts, I will actually be an auntie for the first time twice over this year since Andrew and Christy are expecting in October and Michael's brother David and our sister-in-law Amber are expecting in late July! They are having a girl and I am so excited that I will have a little niece to spoil!

-Easter has arrived and in true Oklahoma fashion, the weather is not cooperating and it is gray and raining outside. No worries, Michael and I are stuffed to the gills after a brunch of buttermilk pancakes, berries and mimosas. Later today we plan to make egg salad and have an Easter egg hunt for the boys inside. I cannot wait to see the sniffing of plastic eggs and trying to get the treat inside.

Love you all and have a wonderful week!

~Allison

Good Bye Winter, Hello Spring...kind of...

Happy Champagne Wednesday folks!

Last week I decided to celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of spring in two different ways. As a nod toward the winter, I made a DELICIOUS beef stew from my new favorite cookbook. Michael and I enjoyed the stew with a delicious bottle of Jester shiraz (thank you Margo and Kyle!). In celebration of spring, I decided to go out and buy a dozen roses in one of my favorite colors, orange!

Well, it seems that in true Oklahoma spirit, the weather gods have decided to drive us crazy again! I cannot believe that it is almost April and this weekend it is supposed to be around 30 degrees and we are expected to get some snow. However, this does not surprise me since this is the same state I moved to when I was 13 years old in March of 1994 and there had just been a blizzard. I tell you, living in Oklahoma is quite the fashion quandry. One day I am wearing a skirt and peep-toe shoes and the next I am wearing lined pants and boots! This is one of the reasons I truly do not store my cold weather clothes.

I hope all you lovely friends and family have a fabulous rest of the week and weekend. I write to you as I am finishing up my last glass of bubbly with 'Will & Grace' in the background and as the hub begins to sleep off the ridiculously hot yellow curry dish that made him cry this evening.

Much love,

Allison

Eden Salon

I know, I know...you all must be thinking "2 blogs in one day...how much caffeine has Allison had?!". I just felt compelled to share something that I just found.

No wonder I love my new hair stylist and salon! I was just signing up on the Eden Salon website in order to receive coupons and updates, when I saw this picture. This is my stylist, Tiffany, with a certain famous someone...

I truly do love the Eden Salon! Everyone is so friendly and professional, and the quality of service I have received there has been excellent. I just got my hair colored and cut on Tuesday and it is probably the best color I have had yet. Also, for Valentine's Day the hub gave me a certificate for a one hour massage and I can sincerely say it was the best massage of my life!

If you are interested, here is the web address: http://www.edensalon.com/ Sweet dreams!

Make Me a Supermodel Darn It!

In honor of the new season of Bravo's 'Make Me a Supermodel', I have decided to post a blog that I wrote last year on MySpace. Happy Champagne Wednesday everyone!

*Did you all know that Michael and I have been taking part in Bravo's new hit show, Make Me a Supermodel? We have been keeping it top secret and the commute to NYC has been killing us. However, they have transformed us into quite the supermodel...just check out these before and after shots!*

10 Things True About Myself

Jess, this is all your fault! How can I be expected to show my true self on this blog?! (jk) So here it goes...10 Honest Things about myself:

1. I can be very much like a child when it comes to sugary snacks. Give me anything...sour patch kids, gummy bears, skittles, Twizzlers, jelly beans, Gushers, candy corn, Lucky Charms, Froot Loops...I HEART it all!

2. I never thought I would be one of those "little dog people". Growing up I always had golden retrievers and had a strong preference for bigger dogs. I would make fun of the toy group while watching dog shows and scoff at people who would put clothes on their dogs. Once Michael and I got married we decided we really wanted to get a dog, but it would be unfair to have a large dog in a condo with no true yard. We decided on the pug...once little Oscar came home with us, that was it for me. I will forever be a little dog and a big dog person...who occasionally puts little sweaters on her pugs :)

3. I miss my Oma so much. On February 28th she passed away 3 years ago, but I know and feel that her spirit is constantly with me.

4. I strongly dislike knock-off designer purses (for me, not for others). I would rather hold out for the real thing.

5. I think that there is a strong correlation between Austrian women and their social staying power at parties/outings/events.

6. I absoloutely love things that have to do with paper...stationery, greeting cards, thank you notes, wrapping paper, tissue paper, gift bags, bows (okay, so that's not paper). I have boxes and boxes of it and I am very particular about my choices. Can you tell my "love" language is gifting?

7. My sign is Leo and I live up to many characteristics of my sign, but not to the typical Leo extreme (i.e. pride). However since I am right at the beginning of the Leo dates I am more of a Leo Lite, or maybe a lion cub...

8. I used to play competitive tennis and was pretty decent at it. I always preferred singles opposed to doubles (I only wanted to be responsible for myself). However, at 18 years old I got burnt out and quit cold turkey. I have not picked up a raquet in 8 years and I miss it now.

9. I love visiting modern art museums. As silly as it sounds, looking at all the amazing and cooky art somehow feeds my soul.

10. My husband is my best friend...no matter how much he annoys me by reading over my shoulder (this just happened).

Monday is almost over. Yippee!

Mama Bear is out of Hibernation

Hello dear friends and family! Do not worry, I did not fall off the edge of the earth :-) February is an odd month for me. It is by far my busiest month at work and the Oklahoma February weather has never agreed with me. As a result, I often hibernate a.k.a. watching lots of Bravo television (even reruns) in my pajamas in the evenings and on weekends, and enjoying the occasional glass of sangria. During February my brain is often like cottage cheese when I come home, so that the last thing I want to do is be on the computer. I usually just want to chat with the "hub" and cuddle with the puglets.

Good news is that I am out of the hibernation cave and ready for Spring to bring it on! Sunny and warm weather often energizes me and places an inexplicable smile on my face. In fun news, Michael and I are redoing our guest room/office! I will keep everyone posted on the great changes for the room (furniture is supposed to be arriving this week).

~Al