...It's Us Again

Guess what?

Yes, our downstairs has morphed into something new again! Hence - we're blogging...again. I guess we're making up for a pretty blogless summer.

So, to get our walls ready to texture, we have to tape all the cracks.
(Heath & Sam taping the ceiling)

Oooh! Can you see the difference now?
Because after we tape - we have to skim the entire downstairs with mud - twice!
The walls are white with their first coat now. :)

Must be hard work to mud the walls?

Rough life, eh?

Well - here's the downstairs as of 10 minutes ago.

Not bad, huh?
Don't let it scare you - that white stuff on the floor would be the cracked part of the ceiling, the 4 empty buckets are what's left of the mud, and the ceiling still needs a first coat.
But! It looks beautiful to us. :)

Yawn. I think I feel an episode of Beverly Hillbillies or Andy Griffith - that and a couple scoops of the rhubarb crisp that just came out of the oven. Got to go! Our mouths are watering!

- the kelleys

35 Weeks TIRED...

Hello Pregnant Lady!
Well, believe it or not, I am 35+ weeks now and on the home stretch. Of course, Heath and I still have a checklist of things to do:

• Order cloth diapers
• Pack bag
• Preregister
• FINISH HOUSE!

Actually, the downstairs is almost finished!

Mom apprenticed Heath into mudding this week and they tackled our "green" dining room. Next on the list is the living room, study, and parts of the kitchen. After that...we'll actually be able to texture and PAINT! Hallelujah - the Lord is good! :D

This weekend, Heath and I "relaxed" and popped popcorn in our newly hooked up microwave! I'm pretty sure we watched "Father of the Bride"...
Either way, Dad hooked up the rest of our kitchen lights and the storm windows went in this week too! No more waking up to trains in the middle of the night! They cut down on that much sound...only, now I'm waking up in the middle of the night simply because I'm grouchy and very pregnant. :P
(Yes, that's zucchini bread on the stove...yum yum!)

Well - that's our quick little update. Things are going well with the baby too. Had a prenatal appointment today and after measuring, the doctor guessed our little girl to be AVERAGE SIZE! Hallelujah AMEN! After traumatizing my poor mother (I was over 10lbs)...I've been starting to have nightmares about my Snitker genes crossing over. Haha. Anyway, regardless of how much she weighs, little girl Kelley can really pack a punch! You'd think she'd have already run out of room, but I guess if she's half Snitker, she'll come out fighting. :)

Have a great week everyone!
Blessings and love,

the kelleys

Yes...We are still Alive!

Hi Everyone,

I've been told numerous times that our blog has been missed.
Sorry!
Life has been a little crazy lately with a sister-in-law getting married, two other sisters-in-law having baby showers, and then of course, Heath and I preparing for our own little girl.
Thirty-four weeks have already come and gone...yikes!

Let's see -
Heath finished up his first coaching season with only one loss and a great experience.
Right now, he's getting lessons ready for the "Mr. Kelley, your wife is in labor - leave now!" intercom call and I'm becoming more and more anxious to get this baby out!

Meanwhile, the house has been an ever challenging project.

Our first "viewing" of the house before we put in a bid.

The infamous day of "hedge removal".



New side windows and a lawn minus the verbena overgrowth.



Today...November 8. New landing, new fence, and minus 5 trees, 6 hedges, and 1 massive verbena flower overflow.

It has been quite the experience. Nevertheless, it's been a lot of fun too. :)
I'm finally cooking and washing dishes in a REAL kitchen. New floor and new cabinets - sigh - I can so wash dishes and almost enjoy it now! We also have the full bed set up so...guests are welcome. :D The upstairs is just about finished with the exception of the bathroom.
Below is the new baby room that is we just finished. I still have to wash all the clothes and bedding, but other than that and hanging a few quilts on the wall...it's ready!

Our dining room has taken on a totally new look too...or maybe I should rephrase that. I think we've jumped back in time a few decades!

We're not sure what this decorative stencil is supposed to be...but it lines the entire dining room!




Yeah - scary!



Austin (my cousin) came and spent his birthday weekend with us tearing off wallpaper and cleaning. Don't worry though - he got a peach pie out of the deal. ;)



This is what was beneath the living room wallpaper...Heath and I actually really like it. It's a whole lot prettier than what we were looking at before!



Ahhh....a newly mopped floor and fresh (well, clean) walls!



Heath and Austin watching Iowa lose to Northwestern. Boo.

Well - we hate to overwhelm you with pictures, so we'll stop here for now.
Pregnancy is going well and I'm happy to say that I only have a little over a month left now. Whew!

Enjoy this brief but beautiful Indian summer we're having!
Much love to you all.

the kelleys

We've just been TP'd

Good Morning DeWitt!

Heath and I attended our local homecoming game only to watch our poor Sabers lose
the battle by over 20 points. We'd been watching the town get TP'd all week and watched our
yard pretty closely. Who gets TP'd after homecoming?
Apparently, we have a lot to learn.

Well...
Sorry we haven't written much. Baby Girl Kelley is growing (and kicking) like a weed and we are so beyond excited to be parents. :) Our home is gradually becoming just that and our weekends are full of baby showers, bridal showers, and bachelorette parties...okay, maybe mine are. ;)

Much love to you all!

- the kelleys

Another Kelley Home Video

Well, we've made it through another week! We took the last few days to relax, watch movies, and spruce up Heath's classroom. (And...make another home video!)

Even though it was humid, Heath and I braved the outside to finish off what was left of our verbena plants (hint: don't ever plant these - they're invasive!). Of course, I wore out before we came close to finishing...but our neighbor came over with a spade and he and Heath finished digging out the last of the massive roots. (Pictures to come)

Squash Pie: I've never cooked with any type of squash, so when Heath's mom gave us some garden squash - I was at a loss. So! I consulted with Betty Crocker and found out that you can make squash PIE! I kid you not...it was delicious! Heath kept sneaking into the fridge to eat off little bites here and there. 

Anyway! Here is our latest home video of the house. We've actually done a lot more, but the video already has upwards of 80+ photos in it...so we resisted adding more. 

P.S. Enjoy the pictures of Sam at the end of the video. ;) 

It's crazy that Heath will be back in the classroom this Wednesday and then the following week -coaching! We're headed to the Iowa vs. Iowa State game next month...we are so ready for football season. Go Central Sabers! (Actually, it's me who can hardly wait for jean/sweatshirt weather!)

We love and miss everyone!

- the kelleys

It's a GIRL!

Hi Friends and Family...

In case this hasn't made it to you through the grapevine already (which I have already discovered is still alive and well), we are having a little baby girl this December!

Although the ultrasound tech couldn't give us a "100%" educated guess as to the gender, she said she has only been fooled once by a boy. Our little gal moved around like crazy and made it hard to get measurements...but refused to unlock her little knees. (GOOD GIRL!) Lol.

We had so much fun watching the ultrasound and Heath is thoroughly convinced there really IS something in my gradually growing belly. I've officially gained my first 5 lbs since the first (sick) trimester and Heath is assuring me I can now "pack on the pounds"...whatever that's supposed to mean?

Sorry this post is yet again long in coming, but our laptop died on us and we're scrambling to get that up and running again. Funny how lost you feel without one?

Heath is loving his football coaching job. The jr. coaches are great and this week he's working with 3rd-7th graders in a camp. Go COACH KELLEY!

Anyway, the house is now fast becoming a home. We had some nice little surprises when we tore up the nasty carpet in the hallway. We don't have to recarpet at all, the wood is in fabulous shape and our hallway is now sporting a fresh coat of paint...compliments of mom (aka Rhonda) and Aunt Chris.
Better go...my 1/2 hour is up at the library. Talk to you all later!

- the kelleys

A little TLC

Well, it's Day 3 for Heath being gone in the Boundary Waters (hopefully we can post some spectacular photos to make up for all the nasty ones we've taken lately!).

I just finished my cereal and I decided I'm probably way past due for getting another post online. A lot of things have been happening lately! A good friend is now a mom, another good friend is now a wife, my new neighbor is going to be a mom, a sister-in-law is going to be a wife and a mom...and our house just keeps on soaking up TLC like a sponge.
(I'm shucking garden peas here, by the way.)

Sam is up visiting my folks this week...darned if Heath and I didn't miss his antics. :( I will admit, the house has been a whole lot quieter this week, but I haven't decided if I like that or not?














Heath looks pretty forlorn here in his "HIV Awareness" shirt. This is the part where he and dad totally destroyed our bathroom floor (and my kitchen ceiling). I'm happy to say that the bathroom floor is now tiled (we still need to grout it) and Heath installed the toilet and a makeshift wall sink! We now have running water upstairs...even if it is only cold water. :)

A lot of you have been asking to see our "new" bedroom. Here are a couple of pictures we took right after it was "officially" ready.

I'd just waxed the floor that morning and we figured we couldn't wait any longer to put in the furniture. :)

The quilt is special gift that my great-aunt Renetta quilted for our wedding.

We still haven't decorated the room with pictures because I can't bring myself to put a hole in the wall...even if it is a nail! We decided that when we had a few more rooms done, we'd decorate together. :)

Heath starts school again on the 12th already. Next week, football starts. He's now the assistant 7th grade football coach. What he doesn't know is that next week after the staff meeting (I'm supposed to check all his email) he'll be going over his new "coaching position"...he's the official QB and Defensive Line coach. Hurray! That should be lots of fun for him.

Well...at this rate, I'll be late to work, so it's goodbye for now.

I'll try to write and update more!

- the kelleys

The Kelley's Home Improvement Video

Sweat Equity: the burning out of oneself (and family) in renovating a home.

Until purchasing our home, this phrase was merely a laughable description of how to improve home equity - we now have a greater appreciation for the term and the people who daringly take on an "old house" project!

"Uncle Donny" (who is really a great uncle on Stephanie's side) took a look down our kitchen sink to find the source of our clogs...what he found was disgusting! A drain so built up with yuck that only something thinner than a pencil would actually find its way down the pipes.

On a brighter note, we're now one kitchen ceiling less! ...And once more looking at terrible plumbing, this time underneath the bathroom. Surprise surprise. Okay, on a truly bright note, our master bedroom is completely new (thanks to Mom's efforts). We mudded, sanded, textured, primed, and PAINTED our bedroom and it looks brand new. Heath and I also finished repairing, cleaning, and painting our front porch - which now looks positively amazing!

Here is a video we put together for you all - maybe you'll find this more enlightening than our commentary. ;) Enjoy our version of "Sweat Equity".

It looks crazy, doesn't it? Don't worry, we're actually having a great time! We hope you enjoyed our video. :) The Lord has really blessed us throughout the process of buying and "renovating" our home.

Here's the really incredible part: the day we found out our central air was "kaputt" (broken, unfixable, dead) and our thermostat started reading 87+ degrees, the Lord provided for us in the form of our neighbors; they had just decided to sell their two gently used air conditioners. Needless to say, we now own both units!

I don't want to make it sound like it's been all peachy and wonderful...the heat can wreak havoc on our "marital communications" (in other words, it's a whole lot easier to get irritated and argue). But, through the grime and the sweat, the Lord is making Himself evident in our lives. :)

Oh! And hallelujah, thank you LORD, morning sickness is a thing of the past! I am now just a tired pregnant lady. :D

Blessings and Hellos to everyone!

- the kelleys

Long Time No Blog!

Hi Everyone!





Sorry it's been so long! We've officially moved and now have no internet...so I'm blogging from the library (which is about to close in 10 min).





Just wanted to let everyone know we're doing well (so is baby Kelley) and Sam is loving his new backyard. I'd put up pictures, but we left the camera cord at the Snitker's last weekend when we visited for a wedding. Whups! We'll put those up soon. So far we've taken out three trees, 6 hedge bushes, torn down part of a doorway...and made a royal muddy mess of our now front yard. :D Great huh?

(This is the four of us after we took Sam to the pond).

Okay, I just got the 2 min. warning. That's all for now! Talk to you all soon!

love,
the kelleys

There's a Baby on Board!

Yep! You read right...

Heath and I are going to be PARENTS. We found out earlier in April and have had trouble keeping the secret simply because we're so excited and I'm so sick!

I'm 9 weeks today and actually heading for another prenatal visit this afternoon. Heath has been stellar about everything and is actually on his way to becoming the world's next gourmet cook! He's now the master of breakfast, dinner, and supper :) but he will be the first to tell you he's ready to give my apron back.

Despite my more than obvious lack of participation in our usual day-to-day activities, Heath has been busy! He has less than two weeks left of school and is busy finishing everything up. He and Sam have been...no joke...rollerblading almost every evening now! I still think one day it'll be a disaster, but so far, only Sam has battle wounds. :) Go figure! He scraped up a paw running on the cement, so out of sheer irritation at his constant licking...we socked him! ;)

Actually, Sam has been great company for me. I've been spending my mornings curled up on the couch - you fill in the rest of the blanks!

Either way, there's something almost oddly human about him. I'll be working on the laptop and he'll walk over, plant his behind on the couch, and just sit there. Weird! Even crazier, he still has no idea he's 90lbs and growing! This picture says it all!

Well, it's been an exciting month. We're moving into a new home (actually, we're already packing up boxes and getting things moved over) and I'm having a baby! I'm due on December 22 for anyone who is a compulsive calendar person. :)

It's hard to believe we just had our f1rst anniversary last weekend. To celebrate, we went for a drive and hit Eldridge's city-wide garage sale - took a "sick" break and a nap - then I somehow ate 4 pieces of pizza while we watched reruns of Andy Griffith and yes, Scooby Doo! I've been on a Disney kick lately too.

Yawn! I guess this is all the typing this little mamma can handle for now. I go back and forth between trying to eat, sleeping, trying to work, sleeping, eating a little more...and repeating the whole process numerous times. :) The Lord really blessed me when he provided my job this year. I am able to do a lot of things from my home computer and it has allowed me to keep up with work and yet...still experience the "mixed-blessings" of being pregnant (aka sick and exhausted)

We'll let you know if we find out any more exciting news after today!

- the kelleys

Alrighty Then -

Wow...am I ever loving my haircut! It's so easy - going from 40+ minutes of blow drying to - let's face it - 5!!! Okay, straightening my hair takes a little longer, but even Heath is lovin' this hair-do!

(Picture compliments of my awestruck husband!)

Okay...so you want to hear the big news? No! Not that big news, this big news!

In a span of 6 hours - we offered, counter-offered, and signed on a house! Crazy huh? Want to hear how the evening really went?

3:20 - Heath calls me and says, "The realtor called and said there were 2 offers made on the house today!" So it sits for like, 5 months, no lookers, no offers and we start looking and bang! 2 offers? Give me a break!

3:30 - I'm driving to DeWitt because we have to make an offer before the end of the work day. Lord, I don't like to be hurried...I'm not sure I'm okay with this.

4:00 - I finally made DeWitt and we're calling back and forth from parents to other realtors (friends of the family) trying to figure out what to offer! Our realtor can't tell us what was offered, only what she feels might be acceptable. Okay - we go with our "gut" and what we've prayed about and still gave a lower offer. Our realtor was a little sad we couldn't go higher and honestly didn't think we were in the running at all.

5:30 - We finally made it home and we were so stressed about waiting (we were told we'd know for sure last night or today by noon) that Heath strapped on some rollar blades and took Sam for a WALK?

9:00 - "Well, there were a total of 4 offers made today. One was too late, the other was thrown out, so they looked at yours and the other one, which was slightly higher than yours." Okay, we're sick by now thinking we blew it. "But they've decided to work with you because your lender is more reputable."

For the next 40 minutes, it was tag on the phone as we waited to hear about everything. The executor for the owner of the property countered and then...feeling sick about having to "stick to our guns", countered only a paltry amount more. Ring ring! "She has accepted your offer. Congratulations!"

(To the right: Master Bedroom with crazy pink/yellow wallpaper and retro flowers!)
(To the left: Downstairs living area with velvet wallpaper!)

It's a fixer-upper, but we're super excited. We close on May 29th and we'll have all kinds of pictures and stories to share as we start tearing out walls, repairing ceiling cracks, painting, landscaping, and moving in!

Here's what I've been reading about lately...go figure!

"So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life - whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes...Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not." -Taken from Matthew 6:25-34

Well - I hope this catches you up on things. The folks stayed with us this weekend and we loved it! Although...I do think it's time to invest in a spare bedroom now...I'm not sure air mattresses are going to encourage more company. ;)

That's all for now!

- the kelleys

P.S. And if any of you want to join this venture of fixing up our new home, we won't be denying you a hammer, paintbrush, or a mop! :D

Locks of Love

Hi Everyone -

We know it's been super long since since we've been able to post. This past weekend, we visited the Snitker family for an Easter gathering, we looked at the house again, got pre-approved, had our basement flood, among a host of other things.

Blogging somehow fell to the wayside... :D

But! Big exciting event of the weekend - I have now joined the ranks of women who have normal hair! I cut off about 11" for Locks of Love this weekend and I feel like I shed a bag of potatoes off of my head. Haha - maybe not quite that bad, but almost.

Sorry, no picture yet. That'll be next weekend. I have to remember how to work with shorter hair again! (It's been at least a decade since I've had it this short! Scary!)

Must go. Work has been crazy for both of us. Graduation is in three weeks here so everyone suddenly feels the urge to order the rest of their senior pictures, making it a jungle for me. Heath is dealing with pre-adolescents with spring fever! (Good luck hubby!)

We'll post more on life next week. :)

- the kelleys

Jump on the Wagon

I know it's been a bit since we've written. Honestly, there haven't been too many exciting things happening in Eldridge. :) Well, I take that back! Heath and I have been praying for a home and just Sunday, we met up with a Christian Realtor in DeWitt who is going to meet with us and discuss possibilities. We're really excited about that because we've been praying for some obvious direction. We'll see what happens and get back to you. :)

(This is me having to share the couch with Sam)

On another note - Heath and I have noticed that, although it happened gradually, all of the sudden we're much more open about our convictions and moral beliefs - which, especially today, are constantly attacked by the government.

Though I will probably rarely use our blog as a "bandwagon" to shout out from, Heath and I are extremely concerned about the new bill the House Committee is taking up on "Hate-Crimes". This would make it a "hate-crime" for anyone to speak out against the homosexual lifestyle. I'm not saying speak out against the actual person...rather the lifestyle - it's the sin that God hates.

It's so easy to ignore the garbage on television or in the newspapers, but Heath and I are more determined than ever to keep up with it all because if we're unaware - how can we make a difference?

Okay - enough said. :) Heath and I just signed an electronic petition on the "Hate-Crime" bill, so if you want to get involved, visit Focus on the Family's Citizen Link and take a look. We also get updates from Citizen Link site - it's a great source of information!

Until our next post!

- the kelleys

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

P.S. This video is not for the faint of heart! Watch with caution!

World's Largest Dead Snake EVER!

Happy Easter Ya'll

Every year it seems that Easter rolls around and little (or gigantic) chocolate bunnies just naturally seem to jump into your mouth and squishy peeps fill your stomach with a "sponge-like" feeling that seems to absorb whatever liquid it is you're trying to wash them down with.

Christmas is the same - except you're attempting to choke and stab yourself with candy canes and drown in eggnog!

This past year (yes, our anniversary is coming up!), Heath and I have been employed in 10 different jobs, married, and lived in two equally diverse housing situations. Ants and spiders in one home and bright pink carpet in the other...I choose the other! We spent the Christmas season moving in sub-zero temperatures and this Easter, I had the "joy" of sharing Easter with several hundred, hungry families that were not my own. While I was waitressing, Heath was at home washing our dishes and waiting for me to finish at work.

All this to say...God has graciously given us a new perspective on "holidays". When the chocolate bunnies disappear and there isn't any money to buy extravagant Christmas gifts...if there's nothing to your celebration, there's nothing to celebrate when it all falls away.

This year, we both spent more time thinking about how we were going to "celebrate" Christ's resurrection - and hallelujah, He is alive - then how many family dinners we could eat. Despite the fact that we did indeed spend Easter in a somewhat less than glorious way, somehow I just don't think that was the point...

Why Does My Pillow Smell Funny?

Last night when we finally crashed into bed after having our first Easter "family" dinner for two: fresh Hy-Vee Pizza - there was the strangest smell on our pillows!

"Why does my pillow smell like hot dogs?"
"I don't know...mine smells like burnt hot dogs."
Apparently - neither of us had bothered to shower off the campfire smell from our cookout the day before. Oops!

Heath, Sam, and I spent our entire Saturday camped out around a bonfire eating hot dogs, playing backgammon, and eating more hot dogs. Heath used his mad-scientist skills to predict that we were going to have some rain because no matter which side of the fire we moved to - the wind kept shifting to blow the smoke back in our faces! It was AMAZING! Heath's face is all "fired" burned, so he looks like he got a nice little suntan and Sam was so tired he hardly moved when we got home. :)

Buoyant Boats
This was last week's lesson in Mr. Kelley's class. The kids all competed to see which team could build the boat to hold the most weight. (Left: this one was dubbed "The Junkyard") A whopping 9+ lbs was the winner! Heath loves his job and is so gifted with teaching that age group (pre-teens don't seem to be the easiest), but he really is looking forward to the summer when he can hopefully catch up with all the lesson planning and lab work. :> Me? I can just hardly wait to catch some sun rays! We keep praying about where the Lord wants Heath to be in education. He hopes to start some classes soon, so we just keep "knocking" on the Lord's door asking Him for direction.

Tae Bo Mania!
We've been relatively healthy this last week. Heath's virus is almost gone and I escaped catching it. (Thank you Lord for vitamins!) Although kickboxing doesn't seem like the best solution to a painful hip joint, it has done wonders in the last week for me...although I'm not sure the rest of my body agrees! Groan. This last month, I wasn't sleeping as well because of soreness in my hip and lower back. It got bad enough in the last couple weeks that I finally (and I do mean finally) saw a doctor who gave me a simple diagnosis of "an inflamed sciatic nerve". I guess sitting for 6-7 hours at a time designing on the computer is bad for the eyes and the hips!

So! I recruited my husband and we're both kickboxing and tae bo'ing it up! ...And am I ever SORE! I'm sore in muscles I'm not even sure I have, but I'll admit, I'm sleeping better than I have in months.

Sorry - Sam doesn't even really make the blog this week. Our home has (we hope) ceased to become a disaster zone until we decide to up the "challenge" and have real, live people kids instead of practicing on dogs. :) Until then, it's a sigh of relief that we can now live in peace and a big "Happy Easter" from the Kelleys.

"Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!" Psalm 81:1

Sam caught...drinking?

This morning, we listened to a podcast from January of Pastor Korver (our pastor from Pella) talking about sharing the kingdom of God in every area of our lives.

(Unfortunately, that's not the only thing that gets shared in Heath's classroom...this weekend he picked up a nasty bug, so we stayed home from church and listened to Pastor Korver's message online!)

He spoke about praying "Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done" and how powerful a prayer that is. The most provoking statement he made was how we should view God as the monarch (king) that he is instead of treating him as a once-a-week attraction. How does that look for us? Heath and I talked about how sharing the "kingdom" looks in this generation's classroom - especially with all of the political controversy going on. How does it look for a waitress? Doesn't everyone smile and act pleasant to earn tips? ...We'll get back to you as we continue to figure out how this looks in our own lives.

We never like to miss out on a good deal - and even being sick, this weekend was no exception! After checking in at the walk-in clinic Saturday and finding out it would be at least a 2 hour wait...Heath and I slipped over to our now favorite little store to sniff out some buys. We were not disappointed! I found a fabulous end table for $1 and Heath found a game of backgammon (we taught ourselves how to play on our honeymoon) and "The Encyclopedia of Aquarium Fish" each for 75 cents! Needless to say - we're now considered "regulars".

On a side note...Sam is now an avid drinker of Pepsi products - which we must sadly alert our poor neighbor of. This morning, on the way to church, our little neighbor left the garage door open and...now that we've fixed Sam's garbage/recycling eating habits...he found a new avenue to wreak havoc! I'm not sure how many cans of Pepsi and Sierra Mist he relieved our neighbor of, but it was enough that he spent the rest of the morning sulking when I took them away!

We've decided that owning a dog is excellent training for child-raising. We have to practice patience in not: yelling or screaming our heads off when we find a prized article trashed; howling in frustration when we step in something less than pleasant; giving of our own "wants" to satisfy the "needs" of someone or something else; and finally, apologizing to other people for the pain and suffering caused by a member of our household.

That's all for now, so we're signing off!

- the kelleys

"Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! His greatness is beyond discovery!" ~Psalm 145:3