beans and cornbread had a fight.....cornbread won!!!

Well early this afternoon I sat out some steaks to thaw so that we could grill them this evening. Well after me and JT had talked about it we decided to put it off until tomorrow, because he needed to wrap up the last bit of his sermon prep for Sunday morning and I didn't want to eat the steaks without him. So he left and time for supper rolled around and I realized that I had not looked to see what my other alternative for food was. So , i'm sure like every mom or wife does at some point, I opened the cabinet and sighed. Thinking to myself, I really don't want peanut butter and jelly or ravioli and no mac-n-cheese or
spaghetti o's and absolutely no tuna fish. So I started digging through all the canned goods and found 2  cans of cream of mushroom soup. I thought...hhhmmmm....then i saw carrots and peas and canned chicken breast. I can make this work....i hope. So i then immediately thought about chicken pot pie, but I had no bisquick or a pie crust, so that was a no. Then I found cornbread mix. That's the winner. So i got on the good ole' google search engine and looked up how long to cook chicken pot pie and discovered that cornbread chicken pot pie really is a dish. Ecclesiastes 1:9 , "History merely repeats itself. It has been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new".   So then I had to call my mother-in-law to find out if the canned chicken was already cooked (YEAH, THIS IS HOW IGNORANT I AM TO COOKING). So finding out that it was, really helped in the time it took to prepare it. So anyway, I cooked it and it actually turned out really good. I was very pleased with myself. I couldn't believe that I had actually made my very first, homemade meal. Here is the recipe if any of you would like to try it. It is super cheap to make and super easy.

First, set your oven on 400*

2 cans of canned chicken (or you could, I am sure, use actual chicken breast and boil them and cut them up into tiny pieces)
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken)
1 can of sliced carrots
1 can of peas
1 can of corn
about 1/4 cup of flour
about a tablespoon of olive oil
1 box of corn muffin mix
and you will need a 2 quart casserole dish

So, first pour the cream of mushroom into a large pot and add the olive oil (to help with consistency) and then add the flour. Let it begin to bubble a little (and continue to stir it so it will not stick to the sides) then add your canned veggies and chicken. Pour all the ingredients into the casserole dish.

In another bowl prepare the corn muffin mix according to the box instructions , then pour it evenly over the ingredients in the casserole dish. Put it in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the top of corn bread is golden brown and it looks done. Get it out and enjoy.

Here is the finished product:

If you make it, I hope that you like it.

all things work together for the good of those who love Him

This is an experience that happened some time ago, but I always feel that it is good to share, because there may be someone out there going through something similar in their own life.

In February of 2009 me and my husband found out that we were expecting. Isaac had just turned 3 in December and we were excited to find out that he would have a little playmate and that Seth would be a big brother for the second time. We couldn't be happier. We went to the doctor to get an ultrasound, because we didn't know how far along we were. We got our ultrasound of our little peanut, I was about 5 weeks along so we went home and told everyone of our exciting news. Exactly a week later, I began having some issues, so I went to the doctor. Supposing that we were about 6 weeks they did another ultrasound to check for a heartbeat. They saw the baby, but determined that their was only a faint heartbeat, which could mean that the baby was still developing and the heart had not fully developed yet or that the baby was not going to make it. Well, we went home praying for the life of our child growing inside me. We were scheduled to come back a week later. At 7 weeks we went back in for another ultrasound and there was no baby. We meet with the doctor and she explained to us what had happened. Absolutely devastated we went home. I remember laying on our bed with my face buried in my pillow crying my eyes out.  JT was absolutely amazing though. He, crying, reminded me that even though we don't understand and want to ask ourself WHY GOD?, that we must remember Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose". It honestly was the strength of my husband and the faith in this verse and in the Lord that got me through that day. So many marriages crumble and fall in hard times like this, but I honestly think that God squeezed us a little tighter together that day. I had told the doctors that I did not want to have a D&C and wanted it to just happen naturally. A few weeks went by and nothing happened. I went back in to the doctor and had some blood work done to check my levels, because my HCG levels should have been dropping significantly. That weekend I was going on a ladies retreat with my church, I had helped our pastor's wife plan this event. So while we were there decorating I received a phone call from the doctor and she said that she couldn't explain it, but my levels were really high and that it looked like that they were just wrong in predicting how far along I was. She told me that it looked like everything was going to be okay. Well I was ecstatic. I called everyone. I had a wonderful weekend and praising God the whole time for this amazing miracle. She had me go in Monday for another ultrasound just to see how the baby was doing. When I got in there the ultrasound tech looked and looked and it showed that at this point the placenta was breaking down. The baby was gone and the sac was basically releasing fluid.  My worst fear at this point had come true, we were officially having a miscarriage. Another long car ride home, with many more tears. My husband suggested that I go get Isaac from Parent's Day Out and take him to the zoo and just be with him. As I sit here now I am brought to tears how the memory of that day is so real and precious. How, Isaac looked just a little sweeter and little more precious in my eyes from that day forward. We had an amazing day together at the zoo. Laughing and just focusing on the most beautiful little boy I had ever laid my eyes on.

Well, I will pass over all the gory details leading up to me ultimately having to get a D&C on April 1, 2009, but it was the most traumatic experience as of yet. Another year went by and we then found out in August of 2010 that we were expecting again. As we took Isaac to his first day of Parents Day Out for that year, JT giggled and cried and said that he had been praying and asked God that he would give us twins. He said wouldn't that be like the character of God to give back what had been lost. Joel 2:25 "The LORD says, "I will give you back what you had lost to the swarming locusts......It was I who sent the great destroying army against you". We went in for our first ultrasound and saw the most wonderous ultrasound picture I have ever seen.

TWINS!!!!! The LORD is truly amazing. We embraced each other in the ultrasound room and held on to each other and cried and laughed and cried and laughed. My pregnancy was not the easiest and that can be told at another time, but a very sweet part of this story happened 2 years and 2 days after the "official loss" of our baby, on April 3, 2011

 MORIAH & HANNAH HUMSTON

 Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose"  

THEY WERE GODS PLAN!!!!!

a little more about me

I have been married to the most amazing man in the world for 6 years. My husband, JT, is the associate and youth pastor at Grace Tabernacle. He is probably one of the most dedicated men I have ever known, to his wife, his kids, his schooling, his work, and most importantly his calling. God has used so many experiences throughout both of our lives to shape us into the individuals we are today. 

Yes, I mentioned kids, we have been blessed with 4 beautiful children. The oldest is Seth, 11, who JT was blessed with from a previous relationship long ago. He is such a joy to have around , when he is not here the house is just not the same. I was blessed to have Seth come into my world when he was 3 years old. He has always been wild and crazy and full of laughter and goofy faces, and still is that way, but always such a joy. Isaac, our 4 year old, is well, Isaac. He lights up the room when he walks in, never meeting a stranger and going out of his way to let everyone know that he is here. He really is a true goofball. He , like any 4 yr old, has his moments, but truly is an amazing little boy, there really is no other words to describe him, just amazing. Last, but not least, is our precious twin baby girls, who graced us with their presence on April 3, 2011. Moriah and Hannah are, honestly said, the most beautiful little girls I have ever laid my eyes on. Their smiles light up my life. They are 2 amazing gifts from God. I look at them and they remind me that I do not deserve any of this. 

Here lately my days sure have had to change, with now having twins and having to get up and get Isaac ready for school everyday, but I would not trade it for anything. I love watching all of them grow and learn new things. I only pray that the Lord would help me treat all of these precious gifts with great love and care.