...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