Chex Mix and Crafts

Good morning!

On Sunday, I headed down to my sister's place for a day filled with homemade Chex mix and crafts. My mom, sister, and I have been making homemade Chex mix each year since Andrea and I were little. It's a snack that we always look forward to and the bags that we produce rarely make it to see Christmas Day. 

We all brought a few ingredients and got to work! We made three batches so that we each could take one home to share with our husbands. Each year we make the classic recipe that is on the back of the seasoning packet, but we also make a few changes:

• We add Kix and Cheerios (or Joe's O's this year)
• Extra pretzels
• Extra wheat Chex since those are our favorite
• No bagel chips

This is how we've always done it and it is so good. I love all of the flavors and textures that are in each handful.

Check out my sister's huge measuring cup--that baby holds 4 cups! I mixed and measured all of the cereal and dry ingredients while my mom and sister melted butter mixed with the seasoning packet.

Stirring it all together to ensure an even distribution of flavors. You'd better believe we snacked on the dry mix a bit before tossing it into the oven to bake.

Working on batch two! By the third round, we had quite the system down!

My mom poured the mixture into baking pans before tossing it into the oven--stirring the mix every 15 minutes for even coverage.

Finally it was done! It made the house smell so good!

Crafts

My sister and her husband are picking up their new puppy tomorrow! His name is Hurley and he is a mix of a chocolate lab and a Corgi. From the pictures I've seen, he is adorable! They already have his bowl, food, collar, etc. all laid out and ready for him. I can't wait to meet this new addition to their family on Thanksgiving.

My whole family puts their trees up before Christmas--not just me! How cute is my sister's purple and silver themed tree? Please ignore the fact that I cut off the star at the top. Gah!

While the Chex mix roasted in the oven, we helped my mom with a Thanksgiving day craft. Well, my mom and I worked on them--my sister surfed the web and ate Chex mix while watching us do the crafts. 

My mom needed help creating and assembling little paper turkeys as placeholders for our Thanksgiving dinner. Speaking of which, we'll be headed to my in-law's on Thanksgiving day and my parent's on Sunday. Twice the celebration!

It was fun to sit back and do a craft while chatting with my family. I haven't done a cute project like this in so long! I often forget how fun it is to create things off screen rather than just on the computer.

We munched some salad while we worked--we weren't too hungry after all of that Chex mix so we kept it simple.

I cut out the turkey beaks and had way too much fun with them before they were glued down...

Seasonal candy was also consumed during the craft.

The finished product! We made 12 altogether and the letters stand for the initials of everyone's name. Here are the Laura and Andy turkeys. 

The whole army! Hopefully they stay strong this Thanksgiving so that we can use them again next year.

Today

Well, I'm off to go get ready for the day. Thankfully it's a short work-week this week and it's already almost half over. I'm working on some holiday e-card designs with animated snowflakes falling down and so far they're turning out well! This is a client that I don't usually design for, so it was nice to switch things up with a totally fresh look rather than a standard corporate style.

After work, I'm hitting the stores in search of some new jeans--the zipper came off the track of my favorite pair so they're kind of useless now!

Do you have name cards on your Thanksgiving table?

Homemade Chex mix fan?

When does your Thanksgiving break start?

Seasonal Flavors Fill the Air

Hi there!

First cocoa of the season--complete with puffy marshmallows

I don't know about you but I still get super excited for the holidays. As in, I listen to Christmas music in October and anxiously await Halloween since the next day holiday gear kicks in full-blast. That being said, be prepared for seasonal overload below!

Seasonal Flavors

Seasonal flavors such as pumpkin, gingerbread, and peppermint sneak their way into my daily eats. Lately, peppermint has come in the form of this new limited-edition flavored bar from Clif! Awhile back I saw on Twitter that Clif was sending out free samples of their new bar if you followed them. Being a loyal Clif fan, I jumped at the chance.

The bar actually came while we were on our honeymoon, but you'd better believe I was pretty excited to see it in my mailbox when we arrived home.

I taste-tested it this past weekend in between designing at Starbucks with Krystine and hitting up the gym for a sweaty elliptical ride while watching Wheel of Fortune (have I mentioned that I'm obsessed with that show? Andy and I may or may not watch it most evenings after work...)

At first I was surprised to see the bright red bits of peppermint flavor woven into the bar. I was not expecting this at all! These are definitely different than the Luna Chocolate Peppermint Stick bars that I love, but it was a good different! These bars seem to be more minty and more spot-on candy cane flavor. I love anything mint, so this was definitely right up my alley.

I was actually really impressed and would definitely purchase these to enjoy throughout the holiday season. Now if only I could find the pumpkin and gingerbread varieties of these bars! I'm itching to try them before they're all snatched up for the holidays.

Holiday Baking
On Sunday afternoon, I headed down to my mom's house for the day since my dad was out of town and we wanted to get some seasonal baking under our belts. On the agenda: our annual granola and pumpkin white chocolate chip muffins!

(source)

My mom actually came across the recipe for pumpkin white chocolate chip muffins over on Pinterest! I was so impressed!

We immediately started making them after reading through the recipe--the batter smelled so good! Pumpkin and cinnamon filled the air! I wasn't sure if I would like the addition of the white chocolate chips since I'm not a huge white chocolate fan, but in the end it turned out to be a great flavor complement to the pumpkin.

After mixing all of the ingredients, off to the oven they went! About twenty minutes later, we had a dozen delicious muffins--and you'd better believe we sampled one right away! 

After having another one this morning for breakfast, I've come to the conclusion that I like them better when they aren't warm from the oven, but either way--they're so good! 

Next up on our baking agenda: homemade granola! My mom and I make this granola together every year as a tradition. We also make homemade Chex mix but we didn't get to that this weekend--we decided to save it for a day when Andrea could make it with us, since she enjoys it just as much! 

Each year we switch up the ingredients just a little bit, but overall, we stick to the same tried and true recipe. This year's new addition was a swirl of real maple syrup for some extra sweetness. Also into the mixing bowl went oats, honey, cinnamon, brown sugar, oil, coconut, and sliced almonds. 

We stirred it all up before pouring it onto a cookie sheet to bake in the oven--stirring at regular intervals until it was golden and crunchy! After it cools, we always add mini dark chocolate chips to finish it off! It's great in yogurt or eaten as cereal, but I prefer it plain as a snack--it's got the perfect amount of crunch, texture, and sweetness! 

I was also super excited when I found out that my mom had Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea in her cupboard! You know I stocked up upon leaving her house. For those that were asking about it, I usually get it at my local grocery store, but my mom said she found it at a Wal-Mart Superstore.

I'll have to find a box of my own sometime soon to add to my snack drawer in my desk at work. This drawer of snacks has saved my butt more than a few times when I've forgotten my lunch bag on my kitchen counter in the morning. 

I almost always have the following in my snack drawer:

• Candy
• Peanut Butter
• Granola (to add to my yogurt)
• Varieties of tea (our office is so cold all year round!)
• Clif-Z bars
• Luna bars
• Dry cereal
• Drink mixes (Pure by Crystal Light, etc.)
• Microwave popcorn
• Instant oatmeal
• Snack crackers like Kashi or Goldfish
• Can of soup

It's great for if I find myself needing something in the afternoon or if I'm in a pinch and don't bring a lunch for the day!

Speaking of work, it's time to head out for the day. I'm excited because I'm meeting up with Kaaren after work! We're headed to one of my favorite places--and no, it's not Starbucks this time! 

I promise honeymoon recaps will be coming soon...I'm still in the process of sorting through hundreds of images from that week.

Have you been able to find the seasonal flavors of Clif bars?

Do you like white chocolate?

What's in your snack drawer?

Let's Talk in Tangents, Okay?

Good morning, friends!

Fall is here! 

So far The Shack is pretty good!

Hope you are doing well on this mid-week marker! I'm super excited for this week to fly by because this Saturday is my bachelorette party with my friends! Since the whole "let's bar hop and be super obnoxious" isn't really my thing, Andrea is throwing a "girl's night" themed party at my place instead. It'll be great to see a bunch of friends that I haven't seen for awhile--some since college.

So, I just got all excited because I thought I heard thunder, and when I looked out my window, I realized it was my neighbor rolling his trash bin down to the curb...killjoy.

Is it sad that I get more excited about the food photography and design/layout of Target mailers than I do about the coupons that are inside? Either way, I always save these mailers in my inspiration file. Speaking of which, I'll have to do a post on that sometime in the future--I keep a filing system of design ideas that I've come across over the years. It's a great resource when you're stuck on a project and need a fresh idea!

A thank-you card I drew for my mother-in-law after she showered me with a ton of gifts a few weeks ago. I'm so excited to be using my new kitchen gadgets! Now if only she'll share her recipe for pumpkin bread...that stuff is so delicious!

My mom and I always grab a free Starbucks coffee after trading in the empty bags whenever we run errands! This past weekend we added a pump of Pumpkin Spice syrup into them and it sure was delicious for a chilly fall morning!

We were on a mission to figure out the wedding table centerpieces and the wedding cake! We left rather inspired and hope to go flower shopping within the next week or so to get that item checked off of the wedding to-do list.

Car snacks en route to my bridal shower. A string cheese was also consumed along the way.

Reading blogs on my mom's phone during the ride--it made the time fly by! Now I just need to get my hands on a smart phone!

Pumpkin bread and some pretty flowers that are adorning my kitchen counter this week! 

Finally took 5 minutes to clean out my purse--makes for a less stressful day since I don't have to dig around for everything. It's funny how my phone always seems to sneak to the bottom of my purse--it makes it hard to find when it rings! To see what I keep in my purse, you may read about it here.

Mid-afternoon snack before getting my tires rotated and hitting up the grocery store!

What in the world?!

Last night's dinner: Trader Joe's Roasted Red Pepper + Tomato soup and a side of multigrain bread. I just love soups on cold nights...this was my first time trying this soup and I loved it--I'll definitely be picking this up again soon.

I also picked this up at TJ's...I wasn't sure what to expect from it...it's dairy-free and I didn't realize that until after I got home. I guess that's what sorbet means...? 

However, it was actually really good! It tasted like a fudge bar (remember those from when you were a kid?!) and is just slightly less creamy than regular ice cream. It also has a very strong dark chocolate flavor--mmm, it definitely hit the spot! 

Dippin' Ketchup

source

While riding the elliptical the other day at the gym, I saw this new product being introduced on the evening news and I was intrigued. Heinz just launched new ketchup packets that you can either dip your food into or you can tear the opposite end and squeeze it onto your food or plate. How nifty! Have you seen these at fast food places yet?

Ever had dairy-free "ice cream"?
Have you seen or tried the new ketchup packets?
Favorite thing to put ketchup on? Sweet potato fries for me!

A Beautiful Bridal Brunch

Hello there!

This past Saturday was my first bridal shower! Attending this event definitely made the "oh my gosh I'm getting married" feeling much stronger! Now that we're getting closer to the date, things are starting to feel more real; for awhile, it felt like our wedding was so far away but now it is just around the corner!

After brunching, we moved to the living room for a fun dice game! We passed plates of dice around the circle, and if you rolled doubles, you grabbed a small gift from the middle. After all of the gifts were gone, if someone rolled doubles, they could snatch a gift from someone else. It got pretty intense rather quickly! 

After that game, we played another one in which everyone was given a sheet of paper with questions about Andy and I. My mom and sister both tied for first place (go figure! They're a little biased...) but my Aunt came in pretty close!

Next, gifts were opened! We received so many great things from our registries and we can not wait to use them! One of my favorite gifts that wasn't on a registry was this neat bike that one of the guests gave us. She also included a little poem about how riding a tandem bike can be related to our relationship with God. It was such a unique idea! I am looking forward to displaying this bike in our new home! 

I was so excited to receive such useful gifts! It will be so fun to have guest over and be able to use all of these new kitchen gadgets and serving dishes. Plus, I'm sure that many of them will make their grand appearance on the blog, as well! :D

My grandma assembled a cookbook for us with all kinds of great recipes all categorized and organized into a neat little book! This will be great for meal ideas! 

A Vera Bradley bag from my aunt! A new Kitchen Aid toaster was hiding inside! 

Lots of cards! 

The whole group that came to celebrate with me! I am so thankful to have all of these wonderful women in my life! 

Relatives from my mom's side of the family. Left to right: 

My cousin, myself, my other cousin, my mom, my sister, grandma, and my aunt!

2 of my bridesmaids and my personal attendant! 

Andy's sister Jen, myself, Andrea, and Krystine! You might recognize Krystine from a previous post since we are coworkers now! 

My two moms! Andy's mother is on my left, and my mom is on my right!

The wonderful ladies that thew the shower for me! Aren't they adorable?! My mom has such great friends--they threw a shower for my sister last winter too.

They had decorated the house both inside and out! I was so touched by their generosity and thoughtfulness!

After the shower, I headed back to my parent's house and chowed down a bowl of cereal since I hadn't eaten since earlier that morning! My sister and I sat down to plan my bachelorette party before my mom and I headed out to run a few wedding errands. Our first round wasn't too successful on the wedding front since my mom purchased a dress and a purse, and I came out with a pair of khakis and some new jeans. Oh, and a pretzel from the shop in the mall was also bought and consumed as well. 

After  the mall, we headed to another store and finally crossed some items off our our list! I found my bridesmaids gifts and I can't wait to give them to my bridesmaids for being a part of my special day. We also ran into one of my mom's neighbors at the store and it was so great to catch up with them! 

The next day, Andy and I met with our musicians to choose our ceremony music! Things are really coming together! I am so excited for the song that will be played when I walk down the aisle with my dad. Rather than doing the traditional route of canon in D, I chose "Interlude" by Shane and Shane after hearing it at a friend's wedding last Fall. I loved that we added this twist to our ceremony music and that we were able to incorporate an artist that has a special meaning to the two of us since we attended a Shane and Shane concert when we first started dating. 

After choosing our ceremony music, we went out to lunch with Andy's parents before checking out another place to live! We even got root beer floats--I haven't had one of those in so long! It definitely hit the spot as summer comes to an end.

Andy was so sweet and scanned in all of my pictures for me so that I can start working on our wedding slideshow! I can't wait to start on this project--it will be fun to watch us grow up on the video! Okay, and just to prove that I wasn't that strange as a kid, here's a normal one:

Those were the days!

Time to go blow dry my hair and head into work! Have a super day!

What special songs did you have in your wedding? Or, what songs would you like to have in your wedding?

Do you remember what your favorite age was? I'd have to say 7 or 8 was mine!

Best/worst bridal shower game you've played?