back now with more of "today" on this monday morning, the 20th day of february, presidents' day 2012. we have a great crowd. a lot of holiday revellers starting the morning with us, enjoying the long holiday weekend. good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie with cnbc's carl quintanilla. the rest of the gang has the morning off. just ahead the final farewell for whitney houston. >> it was a star-studded event over the weekend here in new jersey. obviously a lot of stars mourning the loss of a beautiful singer but at the same time celebrating her life. we'll have the details on that

and whitney's godmother, darlene love, will share her memories coming up. >> it's presidents' day and for a lot of people that means one thing, going out and shopping. if you have questions about where to get the best deals we have your answers from clothing and jewelry to electronics. we'll tell you where to get the best deals. if you're looking for something larger, barbara corcoran will be here to tell us what you can get, great houses coast to coast for less than $350,000. >> always a good day to buy a house. >> why not? >> tamron hall has been manning the news desk for natalie morales and she has the morning's top headlines. good morning. >> good morning. whitney houston has been buried next to her father in a brief private ceremony at a new jersey cemetery. craig melvin has the latest. good morning is. >> reporter: good morning to you. the balloons, flowers and bears, all part of a public memorial that's grown since her death.

saturday the private funeral, a final farewell for a talented woman many hoped was on the verge of a comeback. whitney houston's body arrived at its final resting place in westfield new jersey, ending a weekend filled with stories and songs, a celebration of houston's life. saturday, family and friends gathered in her hometown of newark, new jersey for a funeral service that lasted nearly four hours. actor and producer tyler perry talked about her faith. >> she loved the lord. if there was a grace that carried her through it was the same grace that carried her home. >> reporter: music executive clive davis and long-time mentor talked about the legendary voice. >> is there any performance of the star-spangled banner that remotely compares to her?

[ applause ] >> reporter: and kevin costner, whitney's costar in "the body guard" had a moving message for girls dreaming of being like houston. >> i think whitney would tell you, guard your bodies and guard the precious miracle of your own life. and then sing your hearts out knowing that there is a lady in heaven who is making god himself wonder how he created something so perfect. ♪ and i will always love you >> reporter: it was houston's own voice, a powerful rendition of "i will always love you" that brought the service to a dramatic close. the day was not without drama. houston's ex-husband bobby brown who was invited to the funeral left early. he said he and his guests were asked to switch seats three different times. brown released a statement saying in part, quote, in light of the events i gave a kiss to

the casket of my ex-wife and departed as i refused to create a scene. this was a day to honor whitney. i doubt whitney would have wanted this to occur. at a concert sunday night brown briefly mentioned his ex-wife. >> whitney, i love you. >> reporter: more than a week after houston's death, the cause is still unknown. results of a toxicology report are still pending and officials say results of that could take weeks. while speculation continues to swirl, family, friends and fans alike say what will forever remain is the very thing that made houston famous -- the voice. ♪ i look to you >> reporter: more on that career resurgence. a lot of attention will be paid to the film "sparkle." that was the last movie houston was working on before her death.

it is set for a summer release. tamron? >> all right, craig. thank you. a female skier who survived a deadly avalanche in washington state says an air bag-like safety device saved her life. three experienced male skiers were killed when the slide swept them about a quarter mile down an out of bounds canyon at stevens pass in the cascade mountains. a male snowboarder was killed at a separate avalanche east of seattle. judi dench is suffering from macular degeneration and said she struggles to see faces in front of her. she said friends have to read her scripts so he can learn lines. elizabeth smart is on her honeymoon after getting married this weekend at a mormon temple in hawaii. she became engaged last month to 22-year-old matthew gilmore. they moved the marriage up to this saturday to avoid months of

media scrutiny. smart was kidnapped ten years ago from her home in utah when she was only 14 years old. she was held captive for nine months. the race for the top spot at the weekend box office was almost too close to call "safe house" in first place with $24 million. "the vow" in a close second with $23.6 million and "ghost rider" came in third. for one kentucky bride, age is nothing but a number. earlier this month dana jackson tied the knot on her 100th birthday. the blushing bride married 87-year-old bill south in a ceremony at the bowling green nursing home where they live. congratulations. six minutes past the hour. let's go back to carl and savannah. that's the cutest story of the day to me. >> thanks, tamron. >> let's check in with stephanie abrams for the weather across the plaza. >> good morning. i have sam. she's taking her driver's test

next month. what if a big snowstorm comes? >> hey, dad, i hope i get a ford f-150 for my birthday! >> how about a trip to new york city? >> i think mom says a trip to new york city. good luck on the driver's test. >> thank you. >> maybe you're taking your test today. here is the weather you will be driving in. we'll see sunshine on the east coast but we have messy weather in the middle of the country and along the west coast. i-10 looking gorgeous and comfortable. warm into chicago. 42 degrees above average temperatures for a lot >> good morning. we will see clearing skies as we go through the morning and it will become mostly sunny this afternoon.

tamron, over to you. >> thank you, stephanie. this morning on "today's consumer," presidents' day sales. millions of americans will hit the stores today looking for bargains. not everything is a deal. so where can you find the deepest discounts? vera gibbons is an msnbc financial analyst. >> good morning. >> why are sales so popular on presidents' day? >> the holidays are over, so it's a lull. retailers need to boost traffic, get people in there. big significant deals on the winter stuff because they have to make way for spring merchandise. you're talking up to 70% off. jackets, scarves. >> we had a mild winter. >> they have things to move. this is one way to do it and they know consumers wait for a weekend like this to make purchases. >> is there a big trend other

than winter wear? >> yes. a lot of people say now is a good time to buy a car, for example. >> oh! >> that's not the case. we don't have the excess inventory and incentives we have seen. in 2009 everything was heavily discounted. you will save only about 15% on a 2011 and 11% on a 2012 car. >> you have broken it into four categories of things to look out for that could be a good thing to buy. home furnishings. the national retail federation predicts shoppers could find sales of 25% to 50% off retail for furniture. >> right. this is the time of year people take a look around. things look a little bit shabby, so they are looking to spruce things up with spring around the corner. go out and get a new sofa, sheets, towels. you can save up to 50%. the showroom models, this is the time of year. >> you say to ask about the show room. >> they do it twice a year.

typically now and again in august. so you save up to 70% off that stuff depending on the popularity, what the item is. there could be additional room for haggling. >> the next category is exercise equipment. i laugh because i'm not buying that. you also have clothes on the list. >> yeah, yeah. with the exercise equipment, people make resolutions to lose weight, go to the gym and get fit. if they are having success they think, hey, now is a good time to buy an elliptical, treadmill. you're looking at saving up to 50% off this type of thing and the exercise apparel as well. sneakers, tops and the whole nine yards. >> once you get in shape from the exercise equipment you need a new swim suit. you say this is a good time to buy swim wear? >> you're looking at saving 25% to 35% off. you get additional markdowns in march and april. >> that's good. swim wear can be pricey. if you can get it on sale that's a good thing. and with appliances you say to

look for bundles. >> 15% to 25% off. not the best time for applian s appliances. not the worst either. the national retail federation says you will see washer/dryer combos, refrigerator/stove. just a way to drive traffic and get people in there. they said the sales may last beyond today and through the remainder of the month depending on how things go. >> and then jewelry. diamonds are a girl's best friend but men like it, too. >> apparently if you see in the new york times today. men are buying that sort of thing. jewelry, watches, earrings. 40% to 70% off. >> really? >> the most significant discounts will be on the valentine-branded merchandise. >> hearts and things. >> "be mine." that stuff has a limited shelf life. they have to move the merchandise. >> for people who don't necessarily want to battle the crowds, online, a lot of free shipping and deals as well. >> you don't see the deals like on cyber monday but there are

special promotions and people are hitting the web before they hit the malls or go to web comparison sites like price grabber, biz rate, shopping.com and in the store they are using apps to make sure they are getting the best deal. apps like red laser and others. >> not just mattresses on sale. >> they're always on sale. >> thank you so much. up next, how much house can you get for $350,000? barbara corcoran has some amazing properties to show off. later, what do you do if you have a crush on a co-worker? tips for minding your social q's after these messages. ♪ i am you ♪ you are me i'm jennifer hudson, and i believe. i was strong before weight watchers, but i'm stronger with it. i believe weight watchers can do the same for you. i believe you have more power than you think you do. i believe because it works. ♪ if you want it, you got it

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there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. hi. we're spreading the word about new honey bunches of oats fruit blends and their unique taste combinations. like peach/raspberry. with one flavor in the granola bunch and one on the flake. two flavors. in harmony. honey bunches of oats. make your day bunches better. hershey's air delight. experience light and airy, melty bubbles. made from pure, delicious hershey's milk chocolate. hershey's air delight. time to deploy the chex mix boring potato chip decoy bag.

now no one will want to steal the deliciousness. with five different taste and textures, chex mix is a bag of interesting... this morning on today's real estate, what you can get for $350,000 or less. barbara corcoran is today's real estate contributor and is here with stunning homes for sale. good to see you. >> thank you. >> let's start in lakeland, florida. lakeland has a total of 38 lakes but they count every little puddle there. it's midway between tampa and orlando. it's a half hour from disneyland, lego land and busch gardens.

it's on a golf course and has 21 little bushes they planted there. i don't know what they were thinking. it looks like flower pots or something. if you're here for five years you will have a continuous bush in front of the house. it has a fancy paved walkway in front. the kitchen has expansive granite counters and a back splash and a granite-topped island which is popular with people. it's a little bit too monochromatic, but it's pleasant and it looks dark. in the dining room there are tile floors and two sets of big windows that make the house look like a nice spot to hang out in. there is also in the living room a cathedral ceiling and the highlight of the room should be the floor to ceiling stone fireplace. what a good fireplace. that tv ruin it is look up on the shelf. but that's a house you can get for $310,000. >> come on, kids, gather around the television set. >> that's how it happens. >> in hamilton, montana, a house

with beautiful views. >> beautiful bones. it sits between two big mountain ranges. this is a log cabin in the sky that comes with elk, moose and deer if that's your thing. if you notice the front photo of the house it's color enhanced. the latest thing. it never works and shouldn't be done. makes people mistrust it to come have a look. inside there are cottonwood floors and the dining room has a bay window with dramatic views surrounding the entire house. there is a galley kitchen with breathtaking views and a schoolhouse black board counters. fits the style of the house. the loft has a cozy seating area that shows off the log construction of the house. that's throughout the entire rooms. the decking looks over the private canyon that makes this a bird lover's paradise. they have more birds there than any other spot of the country.

>> ouit's beautiful. for a modern and clean look, seattle. >> people love seattle. this is down next to the waterfront. today this area is a hot bed of galleries, designers and creative and tech professionals that made seattle famous. if that was here in new york they would throw in 30 towers above it. it was an old hotel called the alaska hotel. it used to house everybody during the yukon gold rush. the loft has exceptional high ceilings, hard wood floors and wood beams throughout. that gives you a nice view. that's a feather painting on the wall. i thought it was crooked shelves or something. took me five minutes to figure it out. the kitchen is too seafoam for me. makes it sad, but super modern with stainless steel appliances and butcher block counters. the clean white walls fit the space throughout the loft. luscious wood floors. oversized double hung windows set against brick walls which make the windows pop.

the monthly maintenance is only $440. in new york it would be $4,000 a month. >> we don't want to think about it in new york. in the northwest, oregon, another contemporary home. >> this is a neat community. it has 300 acres of parks, a farmer's market and the famous hot air balloon festival. this is a contemporary home that over looks a creek and green space in perfect condition. i think the purple chairs are lovable in the backyard. it has an open great room with warm wood panelled walls and light-filled windows along the vaulted ceiling and a stone fireplace. we can get a shot of the space in that shot. it has an island kitchen with open cabinets, glass shefls and french doors opening to the large deck. in the master bedroom it's romantic. there it is. very clean. who couldn't move into that room? french doors to a private deck

with a large new deck that runs the whole length of the back of the house that overlooks -- remember, the open mountain ranges. you can't shout to a neighbor there. there is nobody to hear you. it's wonderful. >> your last one is a charmer in charlesville, virginia. >> everybody likes charlottesville. this is in the middle of the historic downtown section of charlottesville. it's every family's idea of a simple, honest house. i like the clean lines on it. nobody objects to that kind of house. the kitchen is delicious with light wood floors and cabinets. there is a granite counter top and a tile back splash. the formal dieping room has an elegant ceiling, decorative molding and it's clean and simple. the light and airy family room is a knockout with built-in shelves and entertainment console over the fireplace. the living room has enough seating for maybe a hundred friends. what a relief. there is no tv in the room.

i never see a room without a tv anymore. the garage is on the back of the house along with a small fenced yard and a pretty patio. has a little of everything. >> lots of great options under $ $350,000. barbara corcoran, thank you. >> my pleasure. >> still ahead, the beautiful voice now silent. remembering whitney houston. first, these messages. [ male announcer ] what if we could keep enough plastic waste to fill over 200 garbage trucks out of landfills each year? we can, with new glad trash bags,

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>> good morning, everyone can it will turn out to be a pretty nice day today. the big storm is flying off the coast. we will end up with mostly sunny skies, maybe a few clouds this morning. temperatures will make it into the upper-40's this afternoon and in little on the british side. a slight chance for some rain [ male announcer ] at pepperidge farm,

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♪ we are less than a week away from the academy awards and we will be there giving you the hits and misses on the red carpet, hitting all the fabulous parties and of course running down all the big winners on the big screen. ann and al will be in hollywood covering the oscar glitz and glamour monday on "today." >> i love the oscars. >> i do, too. mostly i like the outfits, to be honest. >> me, too. >> coming up this half hour one star who was glamorous in her heyday, whitney houston. adored for her voice and popular music. coming up, her godmother shares

special moments and fond memories of whitney. >> from facebook and twitter to texting and e-mail how are you social skills, savannah? carl is good. >> i don't know where you're going with that, tamron. >> i meant it as a compliment. >> i can have my revenge. >> speaking of etiquette, how to handle things. that's not how. lessons on navigating today's sticky situations. later you can call it a grilled cheese but this is more decadent. we have a portuguese version of croque-monsieur. i'm a hillbilly, so i don't know if i said it right. >> we call it a crock monster. >> i'm sure he appreciates that. >> first a check of the weather from stephanie. >> the cheese was on the outside. >> i know. >> let's have a look at how we'll see beautiful cooking weather today. let the windows, let the smell go to the neighbors.

messy in the center of the country into the northwest. temperatures also above average. look at chicago. 42 degrees in february. what's going on. >> good morning.osed to know we have some cloud cover left behind but that will be clearing. it will become mostly sunny into the afternoon. so a pretty nice day overall for everyone that has it off. >> thank you, stephanie. up next, social etiquette in the digital age. how do you handle awkward situations? we'll be put to the test. later whitney houston remembered. we'll hear from her godmother after these messages.

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issues in the new york times and wrote "social q's." excellent, philip. good morning. >> good morning. >> here's how the segment is going to roll. you have viewers who read your column have written in. >> thousands. >> i will read the question. carl and tamron will say what they would do and you tell us what to really do. >> love it. you're on the hook. >> watching you. >> first question is about posting on facebook. the person writes when we go to a restaurant my fiancee spends half her time taking pictures of our food posting them to facebook and checking for comments. i have told her it's rude but she disagrees. >> taking -- that's rude. you can't do that. i would confiscate the phone. >> would you say something? >> absolutely. >> are these two in a relationship together? the abcs of relationships, always be compromising.

i was at a restaurant yesterday and the lady asked if she could take a picture of my lamb chops. people are into it. >> that's terrible! >> on the plate. >> it means something to this wife, girl, fiancee. let her take the pictures and she can post at home and check all the comments. you guys are not into the subculture of food. are you on facebook? >> i do. i don't take pictures of food. >> compromise, dudes. >> next question is about television watching. this person wrote when i met my boyfriend i pretended i loved watching sports on tv. football, basketball, you name it. but i don't at all. still i spend my weekends glued to the tube with him and his friends. what should i do? >> you lied. you pretended to be someone

else. >> you love sports so that's easy for you to say. >> i have lied at the beginning of a relationship. you have to be yourself at day one. >> if she said, the whole sports thing was a lie i would dump her. >> exactly. >> i guess you could be flattered that she would have lied. but i also think you may think she was kind of a freak. so maybe the thing to do would be to figure out if there is anything else in common that you have like going to the movies, walks in the park. >> taking pictures of food in restaurants. >> yeah. taking pictures of food in restaurants. the thing is you have put your finger on it. it's really seductive to be who you think somebody wants but that's not a relationship. >> she has to come clean. >> it's march madness around the corner. basketball every night of the week. >> god love her. she'll never leave the house. >> this is a hard question about shoplifting.

i saw a little girl shoplift candy from the drugstore. i know her mother a little but neither the mother nor the store clerk saw it. should i say something? if so, to whom? the girl, the mother or the clerk? >> that's a tough one. >> yeah. >> as a parent, i think i would let it go. sad to say. i think the parent will have enough instances in which she can instruct the children to behave later on. >> my first job was at toys r us. i saw kids swipe things and i never said a word. >> you didn't? >> i didn't want them in trouble. i'm a softy. >> they say to stay out of it. >> she said she knows the mother a little bit. right? >> a little. >> when it comes to parenting the rule is i can say anything i want about my kid, but you better not. if you can share it in a way that was not judgy, just saw it, but i think it's a real risky

one. i might steer clear but know my better angel would be telling me to speak up. >> let's do a lightning round. i have a crush on a girl who works in the same company in a different department. i don't know her well but i have a hunch we'd like each other. there is nothing in the employee manual to prevent our dating. how do i ask her out or should i not? >> just start socializing outside of work more. >> i'm married to my former producer. >> well, there. >> i bet you went slow, right? >> no. >> after cupid dies you are still sitting in the same cubicle. slow, go slow. >> our next question. i'm a secretary and somehow have the job of buying birthday, christmas and anniversary gifts for my boss's wife and kids and grandkids. it's gotten annoying. is there anything i can say now or is it too late? >> you're stuck. you have allowed it to go on too long. >> think you can say, can we

renegotiate this arrangement? >> i'm with carl. i bet we can hook him up with a personal shopper who will be glad to do it. >> i hope you and carl will hire her. >> right. not so bad. >> you guys were impressive. >> this is the easy job. philip, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> up next, fond memories of whitney houston from her godmother darlene love after this. [ mom ] to me, chex is not just a little bowl of cereal, it's kind of a big deal. to find nutritious and gluten-free cereals actually loves? well, the word "wow" comes to mind. and then a friend told me chex has five flavors that are gluten-free. even a cinnamon one the kids love. a nutritious cereal that makes everybody happy? like i said, wow. [ male announcer ] chex cereal.

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you'll love peat butter and snickers. try snickers peanut butter squared. whitney houston was laid to rest on sunday, a day after a star-filled funeral to celebrate her life. this morning i spoke to her godmother darlene love and began by asking about her fondest memories from that day. >> you know, when we have funeral services we don't call them funerals. we call them homegoing ceremonies. you're going to another life. you're going home. the one thing that stuck out is when some of the ministers were speaking they were saying that people have to be better to entertainers, nicer to them.

when we walk out on stage we give them 200%. we're theirs, you know. that's the way we feel. that's the way i feel when i walk out on stage. >> clive davis talked about her voice. just her sheer ability to sing. he said when he first heard "the greatest love of all," it shattered him, in his words. i wonder if you think that voice is really her legacy in the end? >> it is. and it will be forever. there is never going to be another sound like that in life. that was it. >> i was surprised to hear kevin costner talk about her insecurities. >> yes. >> even when she was a global phenomenon, still wondering if fans would like her in this or that. >> we have those insecurities. we're not sure. but each of us have that. we are insecure about different things, especially when we leave what we really know what we are doing and go to television or movies.

that's an insecurity we have. we have it and we get over it. >> how did whitney get over that, do you think? >> i think her faith in god. because her mother, her whole family, they are all christians. they believe in god. that's our strength. that's what we hang on to. >> you mentioned her family. it's obviously been devastating for her mom cissy, her daughter bobbi kristina and over the weekend there were reports that bobbi kristina's whereabouts were unknown for some time. >> that's not true. she was with us. she was with the family. the burial was very emotional and the best thing was it was like a procession. the people lined the streets and we looked out of the windows of the car and they were crying. so it made cissy and kristina feel good. everybody is getting over yesterday. now it's a closure and now we have to go on with life because whitney would have wanted that.

>> finally, craig mentioned "sparkle." this was talked about as her comeback and of course it will be her final good-bye. is that bittersweet? >> it is. there is a line in one of her songs called "bittersweet," but we'll do that like we did everything else. we'll watch it, love it and move on. >> my conversation earlier with darlene love. we're back in a moment. first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning in today's kitchen, what's on the menu? a portuguese version of a croque-monsieur. >> this sandwich has three kinds of meat, manchego cheese and a fried egg. >> the owner and chef of doro restaurant is cheehere. good to see you. >> good morning. >> what is this? >> it's called a fantazinia.

you find it in the doro area of portug portugal. it's like a croque-monsieur but finished in tomato sauce. it's hearty. >> comforting. >> we start off with a mirepoix of onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf and garlic. add portuguese chorizo. >> how is it different from other chorizo? >> more pepper and not as fatty as some of them. it's meatier. we'll put in a little bit of bacon, portuguese chili for spice. >> what's that? >> tomato paste. a little bit of ketchup. >> ketchup! >> wow. >> we'll add one beer. >> you had me at chorizo. now you've really got me. >> what does beer do? >> moisture and acidity. >> that leaves you five others

to drink. >> we'll add tomato sauce, water. we'll let it all cook up for longer and a little bit of corn starch to thicken up the sauce. basically once you have this going you let it cook down for a good hour so it marries in flavor, becomes hearty and thick. >> okay. >> then we start with meats for constructing the sandwich. we have thin-sliced steak here. we put a little bit of portuguese cured ham. again with the chorizo. >> this is not a vegetarian sandwich. >> not at all. >> next step is nice pullman's loaf bread cut thick so you can grill it and it stands up to the meat. butter it. take a panini press and grill the meats like this. once the bread is nice and pressed, hot and basically has traveled the heat all the way through you have cheese and you can pop it in the oven to melt on top. >> why is the cheese on top?

>> it's very visual. you could put it on top and in the middle. then fry a nice egg. >> i love this sandwich. >> amazing! >> we do this and you take the sauce once it's done. strain it and get rid of the vegetables in there. you will have a pure sauce. while it's hot, take a little bit of the sauce and go right over the sandwich. >> you extracted the flavor from the chorizo and stuff but it's not chunky. >> right. this is the sandwich. at the restaurant if you come back here we show you what to serve it with which is great portuguese chips. we cut them thicker. they're meatier, not as crisp as most chips. we serve it with the sandwich. >> what's the etiquette of eating this? grab it with your hands or a knife and fork thing? >> definitely knife and fork. >> what about the rest of the sauce? >> discard it. >> we hate to throw a beer away.

>> the sandwich is great. it's a male eal on a plate. goes well with a nice lager or a hearty beer. >> i can't wait to try it. >> yum. >> thank you for everything, chef. >> thank you. >> coming up, we have answers about men that we have been wond rg about. >> and take a break from the cold weather with spring getaways. >> i'll pick it up. >> do it, tamron. >> all coming up after your local news and weather. have a great presidents' day, everybody.