A Christmas Treat

Every year we make this little candied chex mix for Christmas.  We only make it at Christmastime because it is dangerous for us to have around the house.  At first glance, or even first few bites, it's just a regular chex party mix.  But somewhere after the third bite or so, you realize that you just might be unable to stop.  At least that's what happens at our house.  My husband, who's not well versed in subtlety, refers to it as Christmas Crack, because he just can't stop.  Not being much of a chex mix girl myself, I didn't think I would really enjoy it.  That is until sometime after the third or fourth bite, at which point I became enlightened in it's addictive properties.  Anyway, here's the recipe.

5 cups rice Chex cereal
5 cups corn Chex cereal (or HoneyNut Chex is awesome)
4 cups wheat Chex cereal
4 cups honey and oats granola (I use the Nature Valley brand)
3 cups Honey Teddy Grahams
4 1/2 cups pecans
3 sticks butter
1 1/3 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup honey

Preheat oven to 250.  Combine first 6 ingredients in large roasting pan.  Combine butter and remaining ingredients in a saucepan.   Bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Pour mixture over combined cereals, tossing to coat.  Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Pour onto wax paper to cool, gently separating with a spoon.  Store in airtight container.

Merry Christmas!

Prickly Eyes

I have had a very easy pregnancy, virtually symptom free.  I know.  How lucky am I?  I never got any nausea, have had heart burn like twice, not had any real cravings, and my extremeties have not taken to swelling.  In fact, my wedding ring is looser.  I do have this one symptom though that I fondly refer to as prickly eyes.  Brad will look over at me and see this certain look wash over my face and just laugh.  He knows my eyes are prickling.  Here's the skinny: the emotional part of pregnancy has not elluded me.  I feel very even keel most the time, but things just get to me more lately.  I am simply more touched by things, in a good way. And you know when you feel that little stirring in your emotions sometimes followed by a lump in your throat, or a prickly sensation in your eyes like your tear ducts are just giving you fair warning that they are revving up and ready to go?  That's what I get.  All the time.  My tear ducts are revving up right and left I tell you.  Usually, I can hold it to the prickly eye stage, but sometimes it turns to actual tears.  Things that make my eyes prickle lately:

-I looked at this the other day. . .at work.  BIG mistake.  I thought I was going to have to take myself and my hormones to the bathroom to regroup.
-Every episode of Baby Story.  Those slimy looking litte squirmy things come out, looking rather terrifying actually, and I just can't help it.  Why do I watch that show anyway?
-On So You Think You Can Dance the other night, when Ryan interrupted to tell everyone to vote for his wife instead of him because she had worked so hard and he loved her.  Ah!  Brad laughed really hard at me for that one.
-Any Christmas songs about Mary.  "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant.  FORGET ABOUT IT.  Total sobbs with that one.
-This picture that is currently at Costco.  Even though I don't think it is a fan favorite, it has always been my personal favorite.  Something about how he is struggling to hold up his foot, and the way Jesus is looking at him.  Anyway, yesterday the sales lady at Costco was standing there asking me which size I like while I am having a full on attack of prickly eyes and throat tightening.  I just couldn't answer her.  I think she thought I was being rude.
-Random TV shows.  The other night my eyes prickled during a rerun of Bones that I was sort of half watching.  My eyes prickled when Zev and Justin were eliminated on The Amazing Race, every time I see Stephanie Nielson (of The NieNie Dialogues) interviewed, and any news cast that involves children in any way shape or form. 
-Brad. He just knows how to get to me. He leaves me little love notes and just flat out adores me all the time (this is nothing new, I married a Romantic you see) and the prickles just come and come all the time around him.

I shall spare you any more.  But if you see me crinkle my nose all of a sudden and look away with a weird look on my face, you'll know what's going on there.