Where there's smoke...

The other night, I made this recipe of pineapple and shrimp skewers.  Yum.  If you look at the recipe, you'll notice you use a broiler, and you can also use a broiler to cook french bread, which is what we decided to do for a side.  In the interest of just using one dish laziness, I laid foil on top of the rack and placed the bread on top instead of removing the rack and putting the bread down in the pan.

Unfortunately, this led to the bread being WAY to close to the flame and yes, the bread caught on fire.  I had flaming bread.  Fail.  In the theme of "waste not, want not", I cut off the burnt part and heated the rest up in our toaster oven.  For those of you that have never tried smoked bread, you shouldn't.  But we ate every bit.

But really, the pineapple and shrimp skewers were fabulous.

Gallery wall pondering...

In my quest to continue decorating our first home, I have a decided to attempt a gallery wall in a little space in our living room.  I was already thinking about this, inspired by a few different house blogs, and then, my favorite house blog- Young House Love, did this in their home, which you can see here.  

I'm taking it as a sign. 

Right now our old entertainment console is housed in this space, and there is a large expanse of open wall above it.  I have debated if I want to do a conglomeration of family wedding photos, or images from trips we've taken, if I should do all the same frames or a mix of different frames in the same color, or different frames in different colors. 

I think I've decided to do different frames in the same color, and as for the images that will fill the frames, right now I'm thinking it will be some wedding, some travel, and some others I have in mind.  I still need to collect more frames, and decide how to get them all the same color (I'm thinking brown spray paint of some kind), so this won't be a Here's-what-I'm-going-to-do-and-now-it's-done post.  Instead, this is a I-will-post-it-so-then-I-have-to-do-something.

I'll keep you updated.

A fun little quiz

Borrowed from Glamorous Housewife:)

A. Age: Twenty-Six

B. Bed size: Queen

C. Chore you dislike: Mopping.  It used to be ironing, but I just don't iron anymore so there's nothing to dislike:)

D. Dogs: Ellie, our 8lb Maltese, and Gus, our 108 lb Chocolate Lab (who thinks he's a lapdog)

E. Essential start to your day: a kiss from my hubby

F. Favorite color: Hmm I have quite a few- probably teal.

G. Gold or silver: White gold

H. Height: 5' 5"

I. Instruments you play(ed): I took piano for seven years, but no longer play

J. Job title: Communications Specialist, Photographer

K. Kids: Just the puppies

L. Live: Broken Arrow

M. Mom’s name: Carol

N. Nicknames: Lori doesn't really lend itself to nicknames, but Blake calls me George-ous.

O. Overnight hospital stays: When I was born, and my appendectomy

P. Pet peeves: People that don't use their turn signal, the stupid copier at work that hates me, and internet that doesn't' always work, even though we always pay for it.

Q. Quote from a movie: "Inconceivable!"

S. Siblings: 2 older brothers, plus all my in-law siblings:)

T. Time you wake up: 6:30 on weekdays, around 8 on weekends

U. Underwear: Yes, I wear it.

V. Vegetables you don’t like: Lima Beans, beets.  Yuck.

W. What makes you run late: The snooze button.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Too many to name.

Y. Yummy food you make: Marchetti (my momma's recipe), Chicken enchiladas (my MIL's recipe), and Meatloaf (The Pioneer Woman's recipe).

Z. Zoo animal favorites: Sea Otters.

Welcoming baby Kyla

A few weekends ago, some friends and I threw a baby shower for an expectant couple in our small group.  April and Sean will welcome baby Kyla this Tuesday, and I am so excited to meet her!  Everyone really pitched in and the shower was a great success!

I got the cake from my friend Erin over at Caked by Erin!  She did a great job of making the cake match our theme (Kyla's room decor), and it was not only gorgeous, but delicious too! I definitely recommend her for your next special occasion!

We played some fun games...

And opened presents, including Dr Pepper Marinade for baby Daddy...

My friend Jamie made the diaper cake.

 Now just waiting on Kyla to make an appearance!  Pray for a safe delivery and a healthy baby!

Finally Friday!

It is gloomy and cold outdoors, and I'm having a bit of a Nancy day (Negative Nancy, that is), but the thought of the weekend ahead has me smiling!  First up, my parents are coming to town!  For Christmas, all of us kiddos went in together to buy them Cirque du Soleil Allegria tickets here in Tulsa.  When I went to purchase their tickets, it was Cyber Monday, and tickets were half price, so of course, I snatched some up for hubby and me as well.  The big event is tomorrow evening, but tonight we have Cultural Night at Blake's school!  We attended last year and it was a lot of fun to see different performances, and especially to taste different foods.  I had tabouleh for the first time (yum), and I'm excited to see what this year's evening has to offer. 

What are your plans for the weekend?

Chicago... shopping, food, and public transportation!

In the midst of the snow Armageddon that was Tulsa, I hoped on a plane for a long weekend in Chicago!  Two of my sorority sisters, Susan and Heather, live up there and I've been planning on visiting for the last ummm, 4 years.  So, when a great deal on plane tickets came up, I pounced on them, along with two of our other sorority sisters.  Unfortunately, due to the snow, one of the girls had to cancel, but Dee and I still made it up there! 

She and I met up on my second flight, so my flight from Tulsa to STL was my very first solo plane ride.  I was really nervous, as I normally self medicate with Dramamine for flights, due to a weak stomach.  However, this tends to knock me out, and I didn't think it would be in a good idea to be in a fog while looking for my connecting gate, and I didn't want to miss out on any of my time in Chi Town!  I handled the flight fairly well, and, after purchasing a 3 day pass for public transportations, we met up with Susan.

Our big plans for the weekend were food, shopping, and girl time, so after seeing Susan's adorable apartment, we got ready for dinner out at a yummy sushi place.  SO GOOD!  After our rolls, Susan told us we had to try Mochi Ice Cream, and I also had some Bubble tea.  The sushi was definitly better than the Mochi and Bubble tea, but I'm glad we tried them!

For day two, we started with something that Susan had always wanted to do in the four years she's lived in Chicago- we went ice skating in Millennium Park.  We didn't last long, but we met Susan's goal! 

We then took some photos with the nearby "Cloud Gate", more commonly referred to as "The Bean".  The last set of photos was all my idea and both girls were actually making fun of me until they saw the picture, then they joined in!  See guys, not all of my ideas are crazy!

The rest of the day was filled with cupcakes, shopping on Michigan Ave, and site seeing.  Then we ate some yummy Mexican for dinner.  I am not normally a fan of rice- unless it's surrounding fish, but I had the most delicious Cilantro Lime rice at this place that I immediately tried to replicate upon my return to OK.  I've gotten pretty close!

Day three was Superbowl Sunday, and our chance to meet up with Heather, who had been in Vegas for the weekend!  Fabulous trip with fabulous friends!

Dining room redo!

While all the snow was falling here in Oklahoma, we were making a big change in our dining area. We had a pretty clean slate to start with:

Boring, neutral, blah blah blah.  The table and chairs were actually purchased from a college roommate, and while they have been perfect for hosting friends and family, it was time for a bit of an update.  And so, I announced to Blake that I was going to paint them white.  I googled how to paint wood furniture, he laid down a tarp (no way was I painting out in the freezing cold garage), and I started on step one: sanding.

 Sanding= boring.  And tedious, and boring some more.  So, as I finished up the table and side table, I decided the chair didn't really need to be sanded.  Now, some sites had said sanding wasn't always necessary, so I wasn't too worried about skipping this step on the chairs.

Then came step two: primer.  Except we didn't have any primer.  And there was over 14 inches of snow on the ground, so a quick trip to Walmart wasn't an option.  So, I pulled on my non waterproof suede boots, and trudged over to our nice neighbors house to ask to borrow some.  Some neighbors borrow an egg, or a cup of sugar, but I go for Kilz water based primer.

 So then once everything was primed, I got to painting.  Just joking.  By the time everything was sanded and primed, I had been working on this stuff for about 7 hours and I was dunzo for the day.  I was also kind of regretting my decision to start this massive project.  I mean really, what's wrong with neutral and boring?

However, apparently primer is not an acceptable final look so the next morning I started the first coat of paint.  The first of four coats.  Five in some areas.  And somewhere between coat two and three I started thinking very not nice thoughts about all of my favorite home improvement blogs.  Blogs that had led me to believe that it's easy to paint wood furniture.  That the money you save is worth the time and energy you pour into the project.  I started to think they were all a bunch of LIARS.  Nice liars, but liars nonetheless.

Midway through the second day, we ventured out to pick up some paint for our accent wall.  We had gotten curtain material (score!) from Blake's grandma, from some old curtains she didn't use anymore, and when we put them up we realized they didn't exactly "pop" against our neutral wall.  You can see the beginnings of the blue we chose in the background of the above image.  Blake actually painted that whole wall while I was in Chicago for my birthday, and when I got back we finished up the rest of the furniture.  We also bought a bench for our dining set and Blake hung the rest of the curtains this past week.  Without further adieu, here's the finished product:

We're really happy with how it turned out!  I still need to work on some different artwork, and I bought a vintage Pottery Barn table runner on ebay I'm still waiting on, but this is what the room currently looks like.  Definitely a big improvement!  What do you think?

Snow-klahoma!

This post is a bit delayed, but I didn't want to let the blizzard of 2011 completely pass without mentioning it here on the blog.  My 26th birthday was February 1st, and that was also the day we got 14 inches of SNOW!!!  Blake's classes were canceled, my work closed, and I got 4 snow days for a birthday present:)  We never lost power, so I actually really enjoyed the time off.  I noticed over on Facebook a lot of people complaining about cabin fever a day or so in and personally, I thought they were all crazy!  Everyone always talks about never having the opportunity to slow down, or having enough time at home with loved ones, and then it was dropped in our laps and they were all complaining!  We took the snow days as a little stay-cation, filled with sleeping late, snuggling, watching movies, and eating way too much food!

The view out our front door- still snowing!

Blake and Gus playing in the snow- Gus LOVES the snow!

But of course I couldn't be completely lazy for long- Wednesday I started in on redoing our dining room.  But that's a story for another blog post- don't worry, I've been taking photos!  If you're in Oklahoma, how did you spend your snow vacation?

Meal planning

I have always liked the idea of meal planning.  It seems to be one of those things that very organized people do that results in meals being eaten before 9pm, and also, allows them to shop for deals and save money.  Who doesn't like that? 

However, if I'm being honest, I suck at meal planning.  I mean, I can totally write out meals for a few weeks at a time, and compile a grocery list, and have the best of intentions.  But then I forget to make sure my meat is thawing at the right time, or, more often, I'm not hungry for what's on the menu.  Granted, what I'm usually hungry for is sushi, but there's usually something else I CAN make at home that I would rather have than what I had planned. 

Blake and I are busy people, and we're always looking for ways to cut our grocery bill, so I am again going to give menu planning a shot.  This time around, I'd like to put together some freezer meals that we can use as backup, and also give ourselves a few days a week to either eat out, or put together something that wasn't exactly planned.   I'm also asking my sister-in-law, Jeni, to do some meal planning with me, so we can help keep each other accountable and also trade recipes.  Do any of you have any suggestions of how to make it easier to stick to a meal plan?  Any amazing recipes I have to include that I won't decide it's not what I want that night?  Any fun meal planning excel templates that would make meal planning more interesting to my list happy self?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Blake and I don't have a LOT in the way of Christmas decorations, but what we do have, I love.  So, here is just a glimpse of what makes our house festive this time of year.

This is my newest Christmas decor- just a bundle of poinsettias for our dining area:)

Our stockings hang above the fireplace- Ellie and Gus's are more exciting as ours.  We hope to have Blake's grandma make us some next year.

Our tree was given to us by my parents, and it's decorated in silver, white, and Crimson (Boomer!).

My favorite decoration is our Willow Tree Nativity.  It was a gift from our wedding and I just love it.  I've even told Blake we could just put it up, place the presents around it and forget about the tree haha.

So there you have it, some of our Christmas decor.  We have a few other pieces, but it's definitely a process, collecting things we love.  What does Christmas at your house look like?

Caked

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up that there is a giveaway on one of my favorite blogs today: Caked!  Here's the link: http://bit.ly/gLJU60

Love this blog and all of the gorgeous cakes and goodies she creates!  Head on over and check out the eye candy! Yum!

Melt my heart

So, I'm pretty sure I win the bad sister/ aunt award this year.  I took photos at my niece's dedication back in June, and I just now got around to editing them.  Seriously, bad job me.  But, since I finally edited them, I thought I'd share some of my favorites, because she's just so darn cute.

Christmas Questions

Borrowed this from Glamlife Housewife!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both- gift bags are easier, but hard to transport.  I'm actually a very bad present wrapper (patience isn't one of my virtues), so I usually only wrap my neice's gifts.  They enjoy pulling the paper off more than getting into a bag.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial please!!!  I like the uniformity of an artificial tree.  I'm sure when we have kids we'll do a real tree at least for a few years.  But, for now, we put up the plastic tree, light a pine candle and call it good.

3. When do you put up the tree? After Thanksgiving.  When I was little it was always the weekend after Thanksgiving, but with Blake and I, it's usually sometime the week after, or whenever he can take a break from studying.

4. When do you take the tree down? Whenever Blake can take a break from studying:)  Usually the week after Christmas, but this year it will be after New Years since my family is coming to our house then to celebrate Davenport Christmas.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, yes, yes.  Mmmmm.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Barbie House my parents made for me out of a bookshelf.  They painted, and wallpapered, and cut rugs out of felt.  It had a kitchen, livingroom, bathroom, bedroom and attic.  Ah- mazing.  My parents still have it and my neices love playing with it now.  Best surprise EVER.

7. Hardest person to buy for? That would be my dad.  He never wants anything except peanut MnMs.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Jeni- she usually just sends me a link to whatever she's eyeing at the time.  But, when it doubt, size small in pink usually works:)

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, and I LOVE it.  Willlow Tree.  It was a wedding gift.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? One year my brother, Cory, gave me dog treats.  I was ticked!  A few minutes later, I figured I might as well give the dog a treat.  When I opened up the box, inside was a shiny blue belt I wanted (I was 9, don't judge).  So it wasn't really a bad gift, but I thought it was at first, that stinker!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas.  And Love Actually.  And Elf.  I love Christmas movies.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Black Friday with my in-laws!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My mom always made monkey bread cinnamon rolls and we get oranges in the bottom of our stockings.  We'd eat after opening presents on Christmas morning.  Other than that tradition, just all the yummy appetizers we have at my in-laws. 

16. Lights on the tree (colored or clear)? White lights! And, I'd like to get some white bubble lights for our tree for next year!

17. Favorite Christmas song? I love the traditional carols like Silent Night and Hark! How the Bells.  But, I also like some fun songs thrown in- Baby it's Cold Outside:)

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel normally.  This year we'll be at my in-laws for Christmas, then having my side come down New Years.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? No.

20. Angel, star or ribbon on top of tree? Star.  After all, that's what guided everyone to the manger.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Whenever anyone will let me!  With my in-laws it's always Christmas eve, after candlelight service.  At my parent's it's one gift Christmas Ever, and then the rest on Christmas morning after reading the story of Jesus' birth in Luke.  Blake and I usually try to exchange gifts sometime before traveling.

22. Favorite children's Christmas song? I didn't know there were songs specific to children?

23. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Feeling pulled in too many directions. 

24. Favorite ornament theme or color? Our tree has silver, white and Crimson (Boomer!)

25. Turkey or ham on Christmas day? Brisket

26. What do you want for Christmas this year? Most of what I want is for the house and too expensive to ask for.  Other than that, I want some brown boots that I happen to know are waiting for me under my in-laws tree!

27. Does anyone in your family dress up as Santa? No.  Thank goodness.

28. Age you discovered who Santa was? I never believed in Santa.  My parents didn't do Santa, and I don't really want to with any children we have either.  Gifts are given to symolize the gifts the wise men brought, and I'm not sure what Santa would have to do with that.

29. Eggnog, hot chocolate, or apple cider? All three, thanks!  Not together, of course.

30. Traditional colors (red and green) or other colors? I love lots of greenery, and then accenting with white and pops of crimson.

31. Do you have any Christmas decorations on your roof? No.

32. How does Santa get into your house? Chimney or magic key? See 28.

33. Do you prefer gifts or gift cards? I love gifts, but gift cards are always awesome so I can try stuff on, or combine gift cards for bigger items.

34. Favorite children's Christmas Cartoon? We just watched regular Christmas movies.

The week after Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving holiday was fun and full!  We went up to Springfield, MO on Wednesday night and had dinner with my parents, then headed over to my aunt and uncle's house in Republic on Thursday for lunch with my Mom's family!  It was wonderful to see my grandparents, and aunts and uncle and cousins, some of whom I hadn't seen in over two years!  I also got to meet a sweet new member of our family, Miss Taryn, who I may or may not have snuggled with most of the day:)

I'm the youngest grandchild (thought there are now lots of great grandchildren) on both sides, and there's a bit of an age spread between my cousins and I.  So, growing up, I kind of felt a little behind- they were graduating college when I was starting middle school.  They were having babies when I was in high school.  Just not a ton in common.  Plus, I was also the annoying little cousin that asked lots of inappropriate questions such as "When are you getting married?" to my oldest cousin and her boyfriend, (who is now her husband, so I think I've been forgiven- sorry again, Amy and Steve).

But, it seems like as you get older, the age difference becomes less of an issue.  We're now the grownups- there are family recipes to share, babies to hold, and hunting stories to compare (I'll leave that part to Blake).  And, my cousin Amy is a blogger, which left us talking about our Internet friends and attempting to convince my aunt and mom that we're not crazy:) 

And so, this Thanksgiving left me especially thankful for my family, and for the opportunity to reconnect.

The week before Thanksgiving.

I adore Thanksgiving.  It is so wonderful to have a holiday set aside to spend time with family, eat amazing food, and remember all the blessings in our lives.  When I was little, right before eating we would always go around and name something for which we were thankful.  This was quite possibly my favorite part of the day- this and my Grandma's mac n cheese (Grandma makes a mean mac n cheese). 

The other day, I was checking out one of my favorite blogs: YoungHouseLove.com and found this post: http://www.younghouselove.com/2010/11/thanks-glassing/

I MUST DO THIS.  When I hit the Black Friday sale, a glass container and that etching stuff is on my list.  I could go beforehand, but I make it a rule to only step foot in stores when I have to:)

The Election

This past Tuesday was a big day for Blake and I.  He had a big test (which he did well on), and the election was Tuesday as well.  My boss was up for re-election, so there was a lot of nervous energy around the office.  I drove precincts that evening, calling in numbers, and then Blake and I went up to celebrate at the watch party.  My boss won by quite a bit, and it was a huge relief for Blake and I as we suspected my job was in jeopardy if it had gone the other way.  So glad it's over!

This weekend we're heading up to Lamar for the opening day of duck season.  Blake is hunting with his brother and dad, and we're also going to all attempt a family photo this weekend using the fabulousness that is a tripod.  We'll see how it goes.

I'm thinking of trying to make my own curtains in the dining room and my studio.  I found some material I loved for the dining room, but I think it's been discontinued.  The search continues!

Lori as a decorator: FAIL

Blake and I bought our lovely home in June 2009 (or July- maybe I should check my blog).  Before this we rented, and I was constantly thinking how excited I would be when we finally had a home I could decorate.  And here it is, a blank slate before me!  Our house is fairly new, built in 2005, and has a great layout, and wonderfully neutral walls.  I could do ANYTHING I want.  So what do I do?  Nothing.  Because I'm too stinkin' indecisive, and feel like a move in any direction will have me on this path I can't reverse in case I change my mind.  I'm afraid to decorate.

The way a home is decorated says so much about the people that live there.  I adore home decor and home improvement sites, and I come up with tons of ideas about what to do in our house.  Painted walls, interesting art, homey touches.  I'm a creative person, gosh darnit.  I love color, and shapes, and texture, and the way a perfectly placed image can make you cry (just me?).  And yet, my house is boring.  Neutral.

However, I will say that a bit of this neutrality and indecisiveness has come in rather handy lately.  We recently did a little switcheroo in our house.  Our former game room/ formal dining is now Blake's office.  Blake's former office is now our guest room, and our former guest room is now my photography studio!  We had talked since the day we moved in about buying a futon for Blake's office, but never got around to it.  Good thing as we now have no place for a futon.  We JUST purchased curtains for the guest room, but hadn't purchased anything for the office.  Good thing, as we just purchased the same curtain rod and moved the curtains into the new room and have a rod in my studio begging for curtains (won't that be a fun decision?)

What I'm saying is, it's been a good thing so far I wasn't super decisive.  But, seeing what a difference curtains in one room made, I'm motivated to move forward.  Plus, I'm pretty thrifty, so for the most part, decor decisions will not be breaking the bank in the Crockett casa.  If I change my mind, it's ok.  Explaining to Blake I've changed my mind... well, it's a good thing he loves me:)

Hi there!

I'm BA-ACK!  Yes, it's been a long time since I've blogged on here, but it has not been a long time since I've blogged:)  My blogging has simply been taking place over on LoriCrockett.com.  I started my photography venture just around a year ago this month, and by the grace of God, a lot of support from my hubby, and a lot of time and effort, it has become a successful little side venture.

And so, as much as I would love to tell you I was able to do it all, something had to give, and this little blog about our personal goings on has suffered.  But I missed it!  I love all of my blogging friends, and being able to keep up with them through their blogs, and also being able to keep our family and friends informed. So, hopefully, I'll be able to carve out some time to blog on here, even if it's just a quick little note!

So, to catch you all up, I was doing some posts on my wonderful family, and I may continue those sometime in the future, because I have some wonderful people to tell you about, but they will (obviously) not be tied to their birthdays.  A big thing that happened this summer that I haven't told you all about yet was adding a new member to our family in the form of my wonderful new sister-in-law, Jeni!  Brad did good, and I'm so happy to have another sister!

Blake is in his third year of pharmacy school and we are so excited to be halfway done, but we know we still have a long ways to go.  I'm so proud of him, he's doing a great job!

Well, I have some photos to edit, so I'll end it here, and hopefully be back soon!

May 14

Lets pretend today is May 14, because I'd like to introduce you to Darrel.  He's the father-in-law of one of the least consistent bloggers ever.

That would be me.

Darrel's a pretty interesting character, and a fantastic father-in-law.  He's pretty quiet most of the time, until he's thought of a good "Darrel Joke", which are usually random, and always good for a laugh, even if we're only laughing at how funny he thinks they are.  He can quote every Mel Brooks movie, loves his wife's cooking (as do I), is exceedingly proud of his boys, and makes the women they married feel loved and accepted.

He's also a busy, successful farmer, and awhile ago, I went and did chores with him.  And by did chores, I mean I took pictures of him doing chores and pestered him with questions about cows.

I love cows.  

I took lots of photos, and he answered lots of questions.  Did I mention that patience is another of his virtues?  It was a good day, and I'm thankful to have him for a father-in-law.

Happy (late) Birthday Darrel!

Here comes the bride!

As many of you know, Blake's brother, Brad, is getting married one month from today!  And so, Blake and I have been hitting the road for pre-wedding celebrations!  Jeni is a beautiful, smart, accomplished sweetheart and we are so excited to be welcoming her into the family.  And, her family is also pretty amazing and has been wonderful about welcoming all of us into their clan!  Here are some pictures from the last couple of months of showers and parties!

With all of her bridesmaids at her first shower, hosted by her matron of honor, Alexis

One of my favorite pictures from her bachelorette party- yes, that is a coonskin cap Sarah and I found at a gas station on the way to Springfield.  Welcome to the Crockett family.

The bride, our mother-in-law, and I at her Casey Family shower

Jeni, Sarah and I at her Tiffany's themed, Pampered Chef, Crockett Family shower hosted by Sarah and I (I'll do a more in depth post on this later)

Jamaica themed shower hosted by Brad's church family in Lamar