Darn Good Chocolate Cake

This is SUPER good. The best!!!! This is the one that my family requests most. Does not need frosting.

Darn Good Chocolate Cake

1 pkg. plain devil's food or dark chocolate fudge cake mix
1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) chocolate instant pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. warm water
1/2 c. vegetable oil (canola, corn, safflower, soybean or sunflower)
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pan aside.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, warm water and oil in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2-3 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are well distributed throughout the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.

Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 45-50 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto the rack to cool completely, 20 minutes more. Or invert it onto a serving platter to slice and serve while still warm.

For more recipes hop on over to Grocery Cart Challenge here

Awwwwww

I love sons....this is sooooo good. Turn off my player at bottom to hear...I'm getting all misty

Then Sings My Soul Saturday

I love everything about this song. It really just puts me at peace.

Be sure to go down to bottom of my blog to turn off music to hear it.

If you would like to get in on Then Sings My Soul Saturday click here

What Makes Me Feel Safe....

You might be wondering what my husband is doing. It looks like he is checking out the ground or holding the tree up.

My husband is praying.....

I started noticing that he would come and kneel down on the driveway or at the front porch or by the tree after running. For a long time I just thought he was really tired out. One time I caught him at the porch though and asked him what he was doing. He told me everytime he runs he comes back to the house and prays over it and the people in it.

That sure does make me feel safe.....

I would not give that up for any amount of attractiveness, financial stability or smarts (although he has all those too).

Onward Christian Soldiers

Many people woke up this morning with different feelings about what is going on in this world. I struggled with voting at all, although I did. Now that all is said and done may people are saying God is still on his throne, but do they really believe that? HE IS!!!!! Hallelujah that we can count on that....

I still love the verse "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"...and that cannot be changed, even with whatever is happening outside of this house. I will try to raise my children to be soldiers for God and to proclaim the Good News..even in the face of immorality. I still have a choice. I can still chose to raise my children and my household up to know God, try to live my life as an example to others and get rid of things that would hinder that.

I say Onward Christian Soldiers...don't be frightened by what may be happening in our world...your destiny is ultimately heaven...this is not our home!

Pray for our world leaders as you should and lead your families so that they may be able to make the right choices in the face of decisions possibly made by those leaders.

Blessings to all...



Be Still My Soul

1. Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heavenly, Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

2. Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

3. Be still, my soul, though dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears;
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrows and thy fears.
Be still, my soul; thy Jesus can repay
From His own fulness all He takes away.

4. Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Great Deals!!!!

Went to Kroger and got some great deals today...maybe not the best, but for being within my first couple of weeks of using coupons, I am pretty darn happy.

I got

4 Vitamin Waters
1 Land O Lake Butter
2 Gallons Skim Milk
10 bags of Quaker Mini Rice Cakes
2 lbs of lunch meat
2 boxes Orville R popcorn
5 rolls of Viva Paper Towels
1 bag of parsley
1 large bag of baby carrots
3 packs of Bic Razors
2 Scotch brite sponges
2 tubes Colgate
2 Carnation Evaporated Milk
1 bag Nestle Choco chips
1 small carton Quaker Oats
1 Dial soap
1 Cider Vinegar
2 boxes swiss miss

Manufacturer Coupon Savings $31.35
Bonus Cpn Savings (what was doubled) $4.10
Str coupons/plus savings $48.28

Total coupon savings: $83.73 70% savings

Total paid $35.62

Kielbasa and Pasta Skillet Dinner

Another recipe off The Grocery Cart Game's menu Monday. For official recipe go here

I actually made this yesterday. It was just me and the boys. The furry hubby (yes, it is nickname) and Court were doing their thing...which consisted of one working and the other attending a band thing out at Michigan State.

This was a very good meal.

Jump on Over for a GREAT deal on Victoria Secret Bras

I got 2 bras, 1 pair of underwear and an eye mask and I only spent 22.24..no lie. Along with the deal came a free messenger bag valued at 50 dollars.

I found about this deal at My Penny Pile's website and you can find out about it here

Halloween

Anderson went as a pilot. He has never been a big trick or treater. He just goes a couple houses and the thrill building up to the actual trick or treating exhausts him and we end up coming home after a few houses ;)



Brothers



Jack's first halloween.

Jack's First Halloween

Make a Smilebox greeting