Thanksgiving Thankimony

Once a month at church we have a fast and testimony meeting during sacrament (the first hour of our 3 hour block of church). It is a chance for members of the congregation to get up and share their testimony at the pulpit. It can be such a spiritual meeting, but sometimes it leaves me.... Ummm.... Underwhelmed?!?

One of Trevor's biggest pet peeves is when people get up and say what they are thankful for. That is not a testimony, he says. A testimony is when you get up and say what you KNOW. It isn't a "thank-i-mony" it's a testimony.

BUT... Guess what?!? This isn't church, it's my blog. It's also thanksgiving and a time to reflect on our blessings. Instead of discussing all the tasty dishes we ate at our 2 thanksgivings, I think I'll just have a Thankimony of my own!

*I'm beyond thankful for the man I married. For his good heart, his strong work ethic, for the great dad he is, and for always upholding his priesthood.

*I'm thankful for each time I have become pregnant, and that my body has carried the babies full term, and then safely delivered.

*Speaking of delivering babies, I am eternally grateful this last one was easier than the last!!!

*I'm grateful for my mom. For the constant lessons she has taught me. I would say the majority of any good parenting skills I have, have come from her. She's been a rockstar, as far as moms go.

*My in-laws I appreciate more and more each year. Besides raising my good husband, they are pretty great grandparents. I know without a doubt that they love my kids to pieces. They are also some of the most reliable people I know.

*I am proud, and glad to call myself a Mormon. When I think of all the decisions I've made in my life, I realize they are all tied to the teachings of my church. I'm so grateful for the knowledge and blessings I have because of the gospel.

*Despite having a current president that I did not vote for, I'm grateful we live in the United States where we CAN vote and choose our leaders.

 

I have so much to be thankful for. My list could go on for days. I need to take the time more often to recognize my blessings and to thank our Heavenly Father for them. 

I hope everyone else has as full of a heart as I do this year!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

A week ago we attended the baby blessing of my sweet nephew, Hudson. Afterwards we were treated to a luncheon at Spenser and Stormy's home. There was lots of yummy things to eat, but I especially loved the muffin/cupcakes. Stormy's sis-in-law, Tara, had done the cooking so I had to get the recipe from her. She has a great blog where you can get recipes, tutorials, and great ideas (http://saltandpeppermoms.blogspot.com) but I believe this recipe is one she found floating in the lovely land of Pinterest.

Here's what you need. Just 3 things really! 

1 spice cake mix (yellow cake mix if you can't get spice)

1 can of pumpkin

1 cup chocolate chips

*pumpkin pie spice (not necessary but I added a few shakes, and if you use yellow cake I would definitely use it)

I, of course, had 3 extra helpers. Luckily, this is pretty simple so they could help dump things in without making a ginormous mess.

After dumping the cake mix and pumpkin in I used my hand mixer to fully incorporate it all before folding the chocolate chips in. It is a fairly thick and sticky mixture.

While the oven finished preheating at 350 degrees the boys lined 2 regular sized muffin tins (24 muffins total).

The muffins are so thick and will come out of the oven looking exactly like they do when you spooned the wet mixture into the paper cups. If you don't like this textured appearance wet a spoon and smooth the tops.

Once the oven is heated set your timer and bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

I personally did not smooth out my muffin tops for 3 reasons: 1) part of the reason this recipe is awesome is because it's so simple, why make it hard?  2) I honestly don't have the patience and 3) neither did my teething baby.

In the end it didn't matter what they looked like, it was all about how they tasted and trust me, they were gooood! Just ask my boys!