Chocolate Bundt Cake

I made this cake last weekend for my husband's birthday. It turned out to be a huge hit with everyone so I'm sharing the recipe. I originally found it on this site, but I'm reposting it here.

Chocolate Bundt Cake

Ingredients:
- 1 package German Chocolate Cake mix
- 1 small package Instant Chocolate pudding mix
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 pint (8 ounces) sour cream
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- Chocolate syrup

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) Grease bundt cake pan
3) Mix cake mix, pudding, water, vegetable oil, sour cream and eggs and beat well until thoroughly blended
4) Gently stir in chocolate chips
5) Pour into bundt cake pan
6) Bake for 1 hour
7) Cool on wire rack
8) Remove from pan and drizzle with chocolate syrup
9) Serve with vanilla ice cream

This is an EASY cake to make! Enjoy!

Things That Remind me of Fall

I first heard Rich Mullins' album A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band my freshman year of college. My beginning fall semester was rough. I was having a difficult time adjusting to college life, mending a broken heart from my first real relationship, and experiencing a lot of personal transition and growth. Every year about this time I crave listening to it to hear what to me are familiar songs of comfort. I personally like this style of Christian music more than traditional praise and worship and I appreciate Mullins' unique style. To me this album is about the beauty of the earth, acknowledging God in everyday life, and it served as a warm cup of comfort during a very difficult time for me.

Why I start Christmas Shopping in September

I'm one of those crazy people that starts her Christmas shopping well before the Halloween decorations are displayed. I started my early shopping last year as an experiment and I found it to be a much calmer and more rewarding way to get my holiday gifts. Now I start my shopping in early September and I have most of it done by Thanksgiving. Why shop early?

It's easier on the budget - With so many people to shop for, I'm able to spread out my spending over several months instead of cramming it into the month of December. This also helps prevent the "January hangover" of massive credit card bills.

I have time to make thoughtful gift selections - For all the hard to shop for people on my list (and I've got quite a few) it's nice to have the extra time to browse stores, flip through catalogs, and get input on gift selections. I used to spend so many December 20ths at the mall frantically searching for that one special present for that special person.

I enjoy the rest of the Christmas season - If I'm not spending my evenings and weekends at the mall or shopping online I can bake, plan parties, decorate, and take time to think about what Christmas really means.

True, there are some disadvantages to early shopping. It's hard to get in the holiday shopping spirit when it's still 80 degrees outside. The good holiday sales often don't start until at least mid-November. I don't have a lot of storage for gifts with no tree to put them under. People get annoyed when you ask them what they want for Christmas before football season starts. However I enjoyed my calm Christmas season so much last year that I'm willing to make the effort to shop early so I can have one again.

Books

I love reading. I love to read so much that when I was in school my teachers would take my books away because I was reading them during class (why bother with long division when I could read a Judy Blume book?). My love for reading has continued into adulthood and every year I discover new books and authors to enjoy. Some of my favorite books are:

The Bible - I've been reading this book for years and I still haven't finished it. History, wars, conflict, suffering, joy and for me the tools for a satisfying and joyful life.

Man's Search for Meaning - This was written by Viktor Frankl, an Austrian psychiatrist who survived a Concentration Camp during World War 2. He wrote about his experiences in the camp after losing his wife and family. Frankl sought to answer the question of how do you find meaning in life and the will to live among terrible suffering and death? This book has inspired me in so many ways and I re-read it whenever I'm at a difficult phase in my life.

The Innocent Man - This is the true account of a man named Roy Williamson who was sentenced to die on death row for a murder he didn't commit. There were many faults and inconsistencies in the gathering of evidence, bias among the police and prosecutors, and Williamson was severely mentally ill and unable to adequately testify in his defense. In 1999 he was freed by using DNA evidence with the help of The Innocence Project . This book completely changed my view of the death penalty and how it is applied in America.

What are your favorite books? What do you like to read?

Getting rid of "Stuff"

Note: This is not my house :)

This post over at Get Rick Slowly got me thinking about the invasion of "stuff". I've been trying for years to overcome my addiction to stuff, and I'm finally at a point where I don't feel like I'm up to my ears in it. I was a pack rat growing up. I had a large room of my own and never moved, so it was easy to accumulate extra toys, books, knick-nacks, stuffed animals, letters, you name it. Then I moved. The first time I moved, I got rid of a lot of stuff (or left it at my dad's house). The second and third times I moved, I got rid of even more stuff. Then I got married and moved into my first home. My husband, being a stuff-a-holic, moved in with all of his stuff. All of his stuff (and my lingering stuff) plus wedding presents put us in a very stuff-filled situation. Over the years we've managed to clean out most of our stuff and only keep the things that we need or want. We had our second garage sale last weekend where we got rid of the stuff that accumulated our first 3 years of marriage and made more than enough spending cash for our trip to Disney World next month. Here are some of the ways we're keeping the "stuff" from taking over:

• Avoid impulse buys - I used to buy a lot of books, DVDs, decor things, kitchen stuff, etc because it was something that looked neat and useful at the time. The problem was that I would only watch the DVD once or only read the book halfway. Now I only buy the DVDs of my favorite movies (or download them from iTunes to save space) and borrow books from the library. Target and Kohl's are huge stuff traps for me, so I limit my visits there and stick to a list.
• Clean out often - We clean out our closets once a season, the refridgerator weekly, and our desks monthly. If we didn't wear it, if it doesn't fit, if we don't want it, if we have no use for it, if it expired, out it goes. The only way I don't get overwheled by these tasks is to make sure I do them often enough.
• Have a garage sale - We went in with friends and we both did well. It helps if you are selling small things (books, toys) and big things (furniture). The results of making money and not having our stuff were well worth the time invesnted.
• Donate what you can't sell - Goodwill, the Salvation Army, and other local service organizations will be happy to take your old clothes, furniture, and housewares. Some organizations will come to your home and pick up your stuff. There are tax benefits to this as well.
• Re-think gift giving - This has been a huge stuff eliminator for us. My husband and I would buy each other a lot of stuff for our birthdays, Christmas, Valentine's Day and Anniversaries. Last year after Christmas we lamented on how much we wanted to get rid of our stuff but we knew we were contributing to each other's stuff by gift giving. We couldn't think of any gifts for each other besides stuff. Now we focus our gifts more on experiences. We take vacations, go out for meals, go to the movies, go to sporting events, go to parks, anything that doesn't come wrapped in paper. I know my husband really doesn't need another gadget from ThinkGeek and I really don't need that kitchen thing from Bed Bath and Beyond. This has taken a lot of initiative and creativity from the both of us, but we're starting to see the results.

Now that we're almost stuff-free, it's so much nicer to have the extra storage space. Our closets aren't crammed, our desks aren't cluttered (well, most of the time), and we're making memories instead of collecting stuff.

Randomness

It's been a busy week between work, home improvement, a garage sale, and starting Tai Chi. Here are some links that caught my attention:

Man tries to eat money during drug arrest - What drink would you use to wash down cash? Milk?

The 11 Coolest Wheelchairs - If I had my pick, I definitely go for the iBot

Classic Strange Advertisements - Check out the Lysol douche. Yup, you read that correctly.

Study casts doubts on the effectiveness of Gardasil vaccine - Yet another reason not to completely trust the pharmaceutical industry and its massive advertising machine

Canon in D electric guitar style - This is very addicting! Anyone know where I could find a MP3 of this version?

Supernanny

If I'm flipping channels and I come across a parenting show like Supernanny or Nanny 911 I'll stop and watch to catch a glimpse of this week's meltdown. I really shouldn't. I feel uncomfortable seeing entertainment for adults that exploits the behavior and social problems of children (which is why I also don't watch Jon and Kate Plus 8). I have always admired Jo Frost, aka Supernanny, for her no BS approach to discipline and kind but firm nature. Now I admire her ever more because a local family has just finished producing an episode of Supernanny. I happen to know this local family and I've known them for over 10 years. I can't even begin to describe the levels of dysfunction and chaos that have been a part of this family. If you're reading this Nanny Jo, you definitely have my admiration for putting up with the mother. While they may need help, is it really worth putting your family's dysfunction on national television? How will they be treated at school? By their friends? By other parents? At what point are you so overwheled with your children that you decide putting your problems on television is the answer?

Another blog on Sarah Palin

Over the past week the "blogosphere" has been ablaze with thoughts and commentary about John McCain's VP nominee, Sarah Palin. I can't seem to get away from the talk about her. I hear it everywhere from the office break room, to restaurants, and even at a baby shower. I think this is an important time in American History since we've had a woman who almost became a presidential nominee and now we have another woman as a VP nominee. I'll keep my political leanings to myself, but as far as Sarah Palin goes I can't help but ask...

• Is there a double standard going on?
  
• Can I really respect someone who encourages aerial wolf gunning?
• What does she think about abstinence only sex education? Would she change her position?
• If Feminism is about choice, than isn't an Anti-Abortion Feminist a bit of a contridiction?
• What about her ethics record?
• I understand that moms are awesome and apparently have super powers unattainable to those of us without children, but could she support her family and her country?
  
• More importantly, if I ask these questions, am I being sexist, picky, anti-family, or judgmental?
  

What am I doing with my time?

"Be very careful then how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil" - Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV)

This flier really got me thinking. What am I doing with my time? I have a job that I enjoy that I studied and worked very hard to get. I'm thankful that I'm at the point in my career where I no longer have to work evenings, weekends, and overnight. I have long known that when I "grew up" that I would not become a workaholic, but that I would strive to achieve a work/life balance.

The organization "Take Back Your Time", whose agenda is to make paid vacation and other types of leave mandatory by law, points out the the consequneces of our overworked society. "Time stress" threatens our health, realationships, and environment among other things. Suddenly a work/life balance seems more like need than a want, especially for Generation Y.

At my current job I work from 7:30am - 3:30pm with breaks and time for lunch. I've never had to work overtime or on a weekend. I don't have a Blackberry or a PDA. At my previous job I worked varied hours and weekends and also had a company cell phone and PDA. The PDA and cell phone were considered necessary tools of business, but made it nearly impossible to leave my work at work. Now that I'm out of the office by 3:45, am I making the most of my time? If I want to advance in my career, how much of a time sacrifice will I have to make? How much of "my time" am I willing to give up in order to meet my career and financial goals? Since I am in my 20's with no children, I have time to ponder these questions. My choices regarding how I choose my time until retirement will remain to be seen.

Engine Cat

This afternoon after work I planned to stop by the library to pick up a book, shop for my sister's birthday present, and figure out something to blog about. Well, I did accomplish the last thing on my list. As I was starting my car and heading out of the parking lot I heard a distinct MEOW from the engine. The meows continued. I stopped the car and looked for the sound in the wheel well but I couldn't hear or see anything. I figured that a cat must have gone into the wheel well and then jumped out once the car started moving. I started driving home and the meows began again. I pulled into to the nearest oil change place (luckily all the bays were free) and got out of the car. I told the scruffy looking mechanic that my engine was meowing and he stared at me like I was from Mars, but I go on to explain the meowing sounds from the engine and ask him to take a look. After he popped the hood he discovered this:



There was a little gray cat peeking its head out from under my hood! The mechanics said things like "Hey Jimmy come look at this!" and "I've seen everything, but I've never seen a cat caught in there". The mechanics freed her and gave her to me in a leftover oil box. Realizing that this cat could be sick or injured, I took her to the vet.



At the vet, they checked her out and examined her. She's about 3 or 4 months old and was spayed by the local animal shelter, but surprisingly did not have a microchip. They're going to run some tests to make sure she doesn't have any cat diseases and then place her up for adoption in about 10 days. Unfortunately I'm not able to adopt her because my husband and I already have one old cat at home that is very happy to be the only cat and would be pretty upset if we introduced this scamper in the house. The vet said she was confident this cat would find a good home because it was so young. I was very sorry to leave her there, but I'm thankful that I was able to save her. Hopefully she will be healthy and happy in a new home.

(Engine Cat is winking at you)

Labor Day Devotional

Happy Labor Day! In honor of today, I'd like to share a devotional my maternal grandmother wrote:

God has ordained from the beginning of man's existence that he should work. He commanded the first couple, Adam and Eve, to "dress and keep" the Garden of Eden. It was the desire of the Creator to save man from himself by keeping him busy in the beautiful surroundings of his first home.

Even after the fall of man, work was a vital part of his existence. Because of sin, however, the nature of work was changed. The ground was plagued with thorns and thistles and man was to bring forth his living from the soil by the "sweat of his face".

Jesus, the Son of God, dignified labor and magnified honorable work by following the trade of his foster father Joseph. He set the making of a living on a new plane by lifting both the laborer and his task to a new level of appreciation. He dignified everything he touched, including even the tools of the lowly trade of carpentry.

When some of the early Christians became lazy, anticipating the early return of Jesus to the earth, the Apostle Paul wrote to them"...if any would not work, neither should he eat."

Thus we see that work is in the very economy of God, planned for the good of man and the glory of God. Let us realize that, as we work in a honorable profession, we are fulfilling one of the purposes for which our Creator has placed us on the earth.

Our Father in Heaven:

We are thankful for the privilege of work. Help us to know that as we labor at our particular tasks in life we are fulfilling one of the purposes of our being. Help us so to place our faith in Thee, and use our days in honorable toil, that, at the close of this life, we may hear the Thy words of welcome into Thy presence..."Well done, thou good and faithful servant...Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, AMEN.