Cake Anyone?

My stepmother made a chocolate chip cake for me after the birth of my daughter in 2002, and because it was so yummy I have been baking it ever since (have no idea where the original recipe came from!).  

This is my favorite "go-to" recipe for a quick and easy dessert and everyone always LOVES it!  I have made it many, many, many times and it always comes out perfectly moist and scrumptious!  I actually like to make it the DAY BEFORE serving it, as it tastes even better the second day!


Enjoy!!!

CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix

1  3 oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding

1  3 oz. pkg. instant chocolate pudding

1/2 cup vegetable oil (sometimes I use half veg. oil & half olive oil ~ tastes great!)

11/2 cups water

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup flour

4 eggs

powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour bundt pan.  In a small bowl, combine flour and chocolate chips; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mixes.  Add oil and water and beat 2 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time and beat well.  Stir in chocolate chips mixed with flour.  Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 1 hour.

After cake has completely cooled, remove from pan.  Dust with powdered sugar before cutting and serving.

Love home decor?

If you love keeping up with the latest home decor trends or simply just want some creative ideas to spruce up your space, check out my friend's "Embellished Home" blog at http://embellished-home.blogspot.com/!  Karen Larson is not only a very sweet friend and a great mom, but she is extremely talented and very stylish as well (you should see her gorgeous house!) and you'll love all of her decorating tips!

I hope to be able to hire Karen someday to help breathe new life back into my home with new accessories, fabrics, and paint colors!  Until such time, I am going to follow her blog and get some great ideas I can do on my own!


Talk to you soon and, in the meantime, have a GREAT day!

MY FIRST POST!

I am so excited to begin writing my first post!  I have never blogged before, so bear with me!!!  :-)  I am writing tonight just to tell you a little about myself so you can get to know me a bit and also to let you know what this blog will be about.


ABOUT ME . . .
I am a lucky Texas mother of 3 wonderful children (2 boys & a girl) ~ these kids bring such joy to my life!  After almost 15 years of marriage, I am currently going through the divorce process but we won't focus on that (staying positive and forging ahead!).  I have been a stay-at-home mom for the past 12 years and enjoy volunteering at my kids' schools.  In my 20's, I worked in the corporate arena as a Personal/Executive Assistant to several high profile executives and busy families in the Dallas area and had to leave my career behind, unfortunately, due to health issues in 2000.  I am self-employed now and work part-time from home supporting several busy female sales directors.  In addition to my administrative work, I have a side business ~ please feel free to visit my cool new website at http://www.marykay.com/pennys!

Below is a picture of two of my sweet kiddos and me, taken at Christmas.  My son is 13 and my daughter is 9.  I also have another son, not pictured, who is 22.

ABOUT MY BLOG . . . 
I have decided to start a blog because I enjoy baking, cooking, entertaining, decorating, and even crafting on occasion.  I am admittedly better at the cooking, baking, and entertaining however!  :-)  I feel this blog will be a great form of expression for me and perhaps may even be helpful to others as they search for recipes, cooking tips, entertaining ideas, inspiration, etc.!


Please come back and visit my blog often!  I am not the best writer, but will certainly give it a try and attempt to post regularly.


Before I end this post, I would like to share a really great quote my sister emailed to me earlier today.  I have no idea who wrote it, but it really moved me so I thought I would share it with you.  I hope it touches you, too!  :-)

"May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.  It is there for each and every one of us."

Thanks so much for visiting!!!