A day in the life...

I've finally done it. I've accomplished my goal! I am officially a teacher that everyone likes, but I am also a teacher that they think of as being mean. I realized that I had reached this milestone in my life when I received a note from one of my sixth grade students last Friday. It said
"Mrs. Collins,
I love you. You're my favorite teacher. We still love you even when you're really mean." There was also a bible verse inside of this handmade card.

HAHAHA!! I laughed my head off. Anyway I thought on this rainy Tuesday that might give you a little laugh :)

And I also have a recipe to share that is SUPER easy to just throw in the crock pot before heading off to work.
Put in chicken breasts (thawed or frozen)
Add a 15 oz. jar of mango pineapple salsa (I buy the fresh salsa made by Kroger)
Add a regular size can of corn
Add a regular size can or black beans
Cook it on low for about 6-8 hours.
Then an hour before serving it place a fat free block of cream cheese on top and let it melt.
You can serve it over brown rice or cornbread or egg noodles.

This is SO good!! Brad said it was the best thing I had ever made, and it was hands down the easiest. Have a terrific Tuesday! :)

Out of Surgery!!

Just got a phone call from Grandbess that Grandbud is out of surgery and in recovery. Surgeon's nurse says it went well. Thanks for the prayers and continue to lift him up!

Find me faithful

God. Thank you for blessing me with family. My family is amazing, and I am so blessed every single day. Thank you for giving me grandparents that I don't just go sit and talk with thank you for giving me grandparents that are fun, that do stuff with me, that are sincerely interested in what's going on in my life. Lord, thank you for the privilege of having people like that in my life. I am so nervous for Grandbud's surgery tomorrow God, and I know that worry is not what you have for me. Help me to lay this worry at your feet, and help me to place my faith in you and not in the doctors or the surgeons or the nurses, Lord find my faithful in this. I know that everything you give us is for your purpose, and I pray that lots of good will come out of this experience. Please give the surgeons doctors and nurses clear heads and steady hands tomorrow as they perform the surgery and as they take care of Grandbud after. Give Grandbud the strength to survive the surgery, and to recuperate and be back to his old self again. I pray that you will be with Grandbess as she waits for Grandbud to come out of surgery give her calmness Lord, let your peace that surpasses all of our understanding surround her and protect her. Give her strength to care for Grandbud as he recovers and give her the wisdom and the humble spirit to know when to ask for help. God give the rest of us your peace Lord, help us to be confident tomorrow, and God help us to be faithful. Amen.


As you may or may not know Grandbud (my Dad's Dad) is having open heart bypass surgery tomorrow morning at 8 o'clock. He has a 90% blockage in his coronary artery. This surgery is risky because of his age and because the lower half of his heart is very weak due to some health complications from years past. I am so anxious, and I am just asking for all of you to pray with me tomorrow as he goes into surgery and this whole next week as he is recovering. This is a really scary time for all of us, but I know that my God is bigger!!

Fun at the Apple Orchard...

This Saturday Brad and I had a GREAT time at the Apple Barn apple orchard with the Millers and Alisha! We were really lucky that Alisha came because she took some cool pictures, and she knew what kind of apples we needed for baking our apple pies! Here are some of the pictures of the fun.










Days like this make me thankful to be in Roanoke, and thankfulness breeds contentment, so I will choose to be thankful :)