Tumbleweeds and Snowflakes: holidays

Every year growing up we'd have Chex Mix during the Christmas season, whether my dad made it fresh in our kitchen or my grandma sent it in a Ziploc bag with our Christmas presents. Its a tradition I continued when I started my own family. So every year I make the most delicious Chex Mix ever (if I do say so myself!) Just a warning, this mix is addicting; you'll find yourself nibbling on it all day long! Here's what you need:

Ingredients

3 Cups of Corn Chex
3 Cups of Rice Chex
3 Cups of Wheat Chex
1 Cup of Nuts (optional)
1 Cup of Pretzels (optional)
1 Cup of Bagel Chips (optional)
6 Tablespoons of Butter (not margarine)
2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce
1 1/2 Teaspoons of Seasoned Salt
3/4 Teaspoons of of Garlic Powder (or Garlic Salt)
1/2 Teaspoons of Onion Powder (or Onion Salt)
Large Aluminum Tin (usually used for cooking turkey in)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees
In the large aluminum tin, mix cereal and nuts, pretzels, and bagel chips (optional).
In a medium bowl, combine Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and seasoned salt.
In a small pot, melt butter on a low temperature on the stove, stirring often so it doesn't burn.
Add melted butter to Worcestershire sauce mix, stir, and pour slowly over cereal mix until evenly coated.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
Let cool and enjoy!

My favorite part of Chex Mix has always been the cereal. I've always picked out the pretzels, nuts, and bagel chips, so we only add nuts or pretzels to ours. This stuff goes fast! So grab some and stash it somewhere for yourself, seriously, you'll thank me later. If you're planning on serving this at a Christmas party I would double or triple the recipe.

Merry Christmas!

I have a lot to report, but I'll try to keep it short!
1. Thanksgiving
2. Black Friday/Cyber Monday
3. Yuma Visit
4. Zoo Lights

1. Thanksgiving
We had a great Thanksgiving! My mom wanted to stop and get some family pictures before we headed over to my Grammie's house in the afternoon. My brother was being a super grump and Aubrey hadn't napped yet, so the results weren't great. We'll be trying again on Saturday!

We enjoyed some football, lots of food, and family time. Oh, and more family pictures!

Then we headed to my great-aunt Vicki's house for dinner (like we weren't already stuffed)! Alas, more football, food, and family time. But, there's a lack of pictures. Oops!

2. Black Friday/Cyber Monday
Well, I can't say that we braved the lines on Thursday evening or even Friday morning. Heck, we didn't even leave the house unless we had to! However, there were some good deals I wish we had gotten, but I guess we (or I) will go out next year.
We got really excited about Cyber Monday! Although the deals aren't quite as good, they're still good! The odd thing about us, we didn't shop online until later that night. We went out and got a Nikon Coolpix L810 from Target that was still on sale from Black Friday. You see? You waited in those crazy long lines at the crack of dawn while I slept all cozy in my bed and I was still able to get the same deal you did days later. Here's where I stick my tongue out at you and say 'Ha-ha!'

3. Yuma Visit
We went to see our good friends in Yuma one last time before we move...again. Oh yeah, did I mention we're moving to the East Coast? Well we are, on Monday. Yay! Anyway, Aubrey loves her Godfamily and so do we! We had our own little Christmas celebration with them.

Our friend Cortney and her kiddos came over for a little barbeque and marshmallow roasting. Aubrey and Sydney got to "play" for a little bit. It was more like oogling and grabbing at each other, but it was adorable!

I swear they're only a month apart!

Then came the gift opening with a sleepy baby who was not too happy to be woken up, despite how she may seem in the pictures.

And after a long, fun filled night we had to leave in the morning. We're gonna miss you guys so much! Skype dates here we come!

On our way back to Phoenix we stopped by Zack's old barber shop, A Man Cave, to visit. They gave us four tickets to the Cardinals vs. Rams game that day! So sweet! Zack and my brother went while I spent time with some extended family. The Cardinals lost for the seventh time in a row, man are they bad!

4. Zoo Lights
Every year the Phoenix zoo puts up lights and stays open into the evening for an event they call Zoo Lights. There's limited access to the animals and to be honest most of them were sleeping, but it was a great sight anyway!

Aubrey really enjoyed it, as you can see by her big cheesy grin!

There was a talking giraffe who asked if he could ride in her stroller. I made a joke about his weight, but I don't think he thought it was funny. Aubrey even went on a carousel ride for the first time! She loved it!