Our family blog is www.thecwardfamily.blogspot.com

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This was so good! My family liked it. I tripled the recipe and ended up having two big tupper wares extra and stuck them in the freezer. We had some yesterday for lunch and I will be taking the other tupper ware bowl to next Sunday's church dinner.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 50 min.

Ingredients:
■1 tsp. olive oil
■1 mediumonion\cooked, chopped
■2 clove garlic, minced
■2 chicken breast, cooked and chopped (or use packaged chicken pieces)
■1 cup corn
■1 Tbs. hot sauce, optional
■1 tsp. ground cumin
■1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
■1 tsp. chili powder
■3-1/3 cups chicken broth
■1-3/4 cups Mexican style diced tomatoes, undrained
■1 can tomato soup
■20 tortilla chip

Cooking Directions:
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Stir in chicken, corn, hot sauce (if desired), cumin, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, chicken broth, tomatoes and tomato soup. Simmer for 45 minutes to one hour to meld the flavors. Break tortilla chips in small bite size pieces. Top each bowl of soup with a generous amount of chips. Although this recipe has a few more ingredients than my normal recipes, it’s well worth it when you taste it! Make extra and freeze for 2-3 months.

Praise the Lord for children

Today, I am still having some pain from the wreck. The good news is the cab company got in touch with my Dad and said they would cover the damage that their driver did to our van when he ran into me( WHICH THEY SHOULD)and pay for chiropractor bills for my back/neck. I have been taking some cell food so that should help, as well. I have to rest in between doing chores and cannot do all the chores that I normally do because of my back and such. My arm is sore, too.

We got bunk beds and my 6 year old brother(who is just so cute) said that it's kind of like a two story house except a two story bed...children are so funny:)

I will have to post a picture of my brother with his missing two front teeth. It is quite cute and funny. It's funny how he talks with his teeth missing.

I sit with him and have him read the Bible a few verses a day. He is currently in Genesis 7. It's amazing how reading that good ol' AV 1611 that it expands ones vocabulary especially my brother learning words he doesn't know and might not no till later on if we didn't have him start reading the Bible, now. I had him draw a picture to go with what he learned from reading the Bible. It is of the windows of heaven opened with rain and animals of every sort. I will have to take a picture of his drawing and post it. He was wanting to go camping again but I can't go until my back is better from the wreck and I don't want to be left out because I enjoy camping very much.

I still have to say PRAISE GOD that I got to witness to the guy, though! God is just so merciful and good!

Oh, Sunday I took two home made cakes to church for our church dinner. On was a chocolate cake with truffle frosting and the other was a yellow cake with white frosting. I didn't pay close attention to the chocolate cake recipe and instead of putting unsweetened chocolate in it I put semi sweet chocolate chips in it which I was supposed to only use in the frosting! FYI- read and make sure what is supposed to go in there *smiles*.

Do any of ya'll get the Above Rubies magazine through snail mail? I like the helpful information in it. I really enjoyed reading how this one woman's husband has a zero tolerance zone for teenagers. They refer to them as young adults so as to give them a better picture of what is expected of them. Not to say they cannot have a little enjoyment but if you look back maybe a hundred or two years ago young adults were not immature at 16 they were mature and ready for life. I am thankful for a father who has made me grow up. I have come to realize that I don't have to be immature and down to where they are to be a blessing to them. I have also come to realize that they are that way because of their upbringing and parents do not realize what they are doing by letting them be foolish. I have noticed that some of these daughters who are at home and have graduated are more mature than most because of the way their parents have taught them and treated them. I think it is very important that families are close and homeschooling is an important role in it, as well. But, that doesn't mean just because they are home schooled they won't know how to socialize or they will be sheltered. It all depends on what is allowed in the home. I know quite a few people who home schooled their children but ya can't tell because they are like everyone else in the world and there's not much difference because of what they let into the home. It's not always bad to have your children sheltered but also make sure at certain age groups they are aware of the stuff that they need to be aware of so that they can avoid it or understand what it is that's going on. Like for instance we have a chick tract that my brother found in a drawer but I couldn't go into detail all that was in it because of the subject but I just said well it talks of how it is a sin for a man to like another man in the same way as a man liking a woman and that's all I said and left it at that. He doesn't need to know all about it at 6 years old. He is at an age that it's not always appropriate for him to know it all and he's innocent and it's good to keep it that way.

Well, I better get going... I want to try and get a few dishes done before I rest again.

Have a blessed day!

Yesterday Morning

his morning(Tuesday) after I took my dad to work I got in a wreck. Surprisingly, I wasn't the one who hit anyone(since I haven't had much sleep last night and woke up about 2 or 3 this morn). I was stopped behind someone and letting them turn and after they turned I was just starting to go and a Yellow Taxi cab hit me. I was so scared. At first I was shocked and didn't understand what happend and so I drove a few yards when I realized I had been hit so I stopped the van and turned the engine off. I was shaking and crying. I found the insurance document and realized how it all happened and that it wasn't my fault, so I wasn't in trouble or anything. I didn't know if anyone called the police or not until the taxi guy came up and asked me if I was ok. I told him I was and asked if he had called 911 and he said no because he thought I might and I said no because I have no phone at all. So, he called it in and I had to move the van into a parking lot. He couldn't move his car at all. The front of his taxi was smashed, but our van only needs the bumper, the light, the back door replaced. I was cold standing outside and shaky(nervous and stuff). We were there for aawhile. The guy was two miles away from me when he saw me but looked down and when he looked back up he was pretty close that he tried to miss me. I am still kinda shook up, but the thought that hit me as we were waiting for the cop to show that God may have provided this opportunity for me to witness. So, as we were waiting for the cop to be done calling in or whatever he was doing in his car I gave him two different tracts. Asked him if he went to church and he said he works all the time. I said ok. Then I asked him if he would of died today in that wreck if he knew for a 100% sure if he was going to Heaven and he said no. I asked why he said that and he said because he had done so many things to repent of. I told him that i didn't know if anyone had talked to him or heard any of this before. He said it's been awhile. I quoted Scripture(wouldn't ya know it that I couldn't remember references!grrr). I said by one man entered sin in the world which was Adam and he acted as if he knew. I said there is none righteous no not one. I said for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. I told him that a person can know for sure whether they are going to heaven and not hell. I found out that he was an absent catholic. I asked him if he grew up catholic and he said catholic and southern baptist and kinda confusing. I said yes, I can see why it would be confusing. I didn't get much further than that because he was more concerned about what had happened and what was going on(he will be out of work for awhile since he has been a taxi cab driver, driving the company car). Honestly, I can say praise the Lord for the wreck! Witnessing to people will help me grow even more. I had to let go and just do it anyways because I know the Lord would want me to witness for Him and that it's not my own power that I can do it. I also thought about how there are quite a few bad cops but at the same time they are souls that need truth, too. All I can do is try to witness and let them do what they want with what they've been told. And by the way that cop talked to us with tobacco right there in his mouth between his lower lip and teeth and he spat in a cup(ewwwwwwwwww)! Leave it to me to notice little weird stuff. I am weird....praise God I guess for that! But, praise God I am safe. I am just exhausted, very exhausted. It seems God might be pruning me what for I don't know but I want to be found faithful even if I am alone and lonely.

P.S all I have is some pain in my neck and mainly middle and upper back. Arm is sore and so is my right leg. My Legs are swollen some... guess it'll be awhile before my Dad can teach me to change the oil and tire...that's a bummer.