Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake

You know how I said I'd be trying a new recipe every week? Well I did great this last week and tried two new recipes.This cake being one of them. It's good, but nothing extra ordinary really.Next time I would add a few extra spices like nutmeg and all spice maybe, and you could really boost the flavor! = )

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake

3/4 cup butter,softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 can (15 oz.) solid packed pumpkin

1 cup (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

2 squares (1 oz. each) unsweetened chocolate,melted and cooled

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans, divided

In a large mixing bowl,cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.Add eggs,one at a time,beating well after each addition.Beat in vanilla.Combine the flour,baking powder,baking soda and cinnamon;add to the creamed mixture alternatley with pumpkin.Fold in chocolate chips.

Divide batter in half.Stir melted chocolate into one portion.In a well greased 10 in. fluted tube pan,sprinkle 1/2 cup pecans.Spoon chocolate batter over pecans;top with pumpkin batter.Sprinkle with remaining pecans.

Bake at 325* for 65 - 70 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack.    Yield: 12 servings

The powdered sugar icing was my addition to the cake.It really does make it better! ;)

Helicopters,leaves and cute kids...

I decided an anniversary post was so special,it deserved to be a subject all to itself - so,now on the same day I will do another post! Amazing,hu? Two posts in one day from me! Yep,amazing indeed.

Earlier this month Jason brought the helicopter to school to give the kids rides.The rest of us not in school were invited to come and take rides too, if we wanted.Since Joel didn't have to work that day,we decided him and Braxton could go for a ride.Let me give you a parenting tip here..."never,ever, tell your 3 year old the night before,that maybe tomorrow he can have a helicopter ride!" He will be asking you that night to pack a snack to take along and he may have a very,very hard time settling down to sleep! Trust me on this.(It probably didn't help that it was the first night at our "new house" which was very exciting to him : ) )
He was so excited...and I really thought I knew my little boy fairly well and figured once he sees those big scary blades and hears that loud,thundering noise he wouldn't go anywhere near that big,scary chopper.And my plan was that if Braxton refused to go with Joel than I'll go and fill his seat.I was slightly dissappointed :) because he marched up to that helicopter,got in and after they landed came off beaming from ear to ear! I was extremely glad he had fun tho' so...

We've been having beautiful fall weather! And it has gotten me into the mood to cook! I have stacks of Taste of Home magazines that I'm going through right now and I'm cutting out all the recipes that I want to try.And there's ALOT! So,I came up with this awesome idea that I'm going to try a new recipe every week and share it with you. So at least I'll be able to blog once a week now ;) I'm hungry for pumpkin things right now.A recipe I want to try this week is one I found for pumpkin cheesecake.It looks so yummy but since I can't eat to much cheesecake and the rest of my lil family neither,I may need some help devouring it :)
I went out to mow our lawn for the first time since we moved.It's a new lawn for me and since I can't stand crooked lines and such it took me awhile getting it mowed to my satisfaction! To some it would probably have been comical because I left a few big skippers(which I later did mow) in attempt to straighten my lines.But if I have crooked rows it bugs me!!!! :)And then after mowing through a roll of string that got caught up in the blades,I was down on my knees cutting it off!I finally did get it mowed.
It was slightly boring mowing with our John Deere since I got used to Joel's cadillac AKA walker, that he uses on his yards,but the John Deere does the job so I won't complain ;)
And I promised the children that after I was done mowing I would rake leaves and let them play in the pile.So we went and just had a fun time.

I figured you grandparents would appreciate the pictures! ;)

Happy Fall to all of you!

~ 5 Years! ~

 This month marks 5 years that I've been married to the wonderful man that I loved back then ... and love even more now! I don't even know where to start! We've had so much happen over the last five years - moving, moving,  out of state moving, kids, moving, job changes, new church, moving, ER visits (way to many for 5 years!) You may notice all the moving I put into that sentence and before you start judging me for exaggeration,please don't! Because every "moving" that I wrote in that sentence actually happened ;) Yes, it did.We have moved way to much in our 5 years.But sometimes that's how it goes.We have finally moved into our church community and I told Joel I just want to stay here for the next 20 years ;) Maybe 40! We didn't warn Matt's ( our new landlord) that they may have a very,very,very,difficult time getting us out of this place,in fact,if they want us to move any time soon they may literally have to drag us out - and if they drag us out I will be fighting...screaming,clawing,crying,kicking....ok,you get the picture! We've looked at way to many places,had way to much stuff fall through the cracks and now we're here,and I'm happy :) Extremely happy,so happy that ,good chance the above scene would actually happen if needed : D
Are we settled ? is the question I've been hearing.I don't mind the question at all,just in case you asked me and you're reading this ;) "We're gettin' there" would be my answer.Once I can have a place for my storage stuff instead of the carport,it'll all be great.Those boxes piled in the corner bug me!Other stuff I can work on as I have time.
Back to the five year thing now :) This last weekend me and my dear hubby took off for the weekend! Yep,we acted like we had no responsibility,left the kids off with Jan and went.It was such a refreshing,wonderful,relaxing weekend.Exactly what we needed! My mind has been stretched trying to get everything together to move and then we moved and it was the "movers mess" after that.So like I said this weekend was exactly what we needed!

How's that for handsome!? ;)

We went to Charlotte and totally had a great weekend of sleeping in,eating,staying up late,sleeping in,eating,eating ( btw,I ate salad for lunch today ;). Saturday we spent the day shopping - yes,literally.I was so excited! We've wanted to go to Ikea for a long time so we decided to do that this weekend.I know,sounds funny for an anniversary trip but it was "da bomb." Oh and then we went to Bass Pro Shops in the evening and later went to watch "Courageous". All around fun weekend to me! And I loved the flowers we got too!

Two beautiful Mum plants from my hubby,because he knew I wanted them so much!

A GORGEOUS boquet from my mum & pops & baby sister

And a BEAUTIFUL boquet from my grandparents - pretty pink roses and calalilies!

I love having fresh flowers around the house.It's so cheery and pretty! And thinking about the people that sent them always warms me :) 

Yep,it's been a wondeful 5 years and I'm hoping for many more to spend with my Awesome Man! I love him so much and thank God for him! I am beyond blessed.