God Answers Prayers

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Craig started working for the Kroger Co. in 2002 when the grocery chain he was working for, Winn-Dixie, pulled out in this area. He had started working for Winn-Dixie when the first grocery chain he ever worked for, Furr's Supermarkets, filed bankruptcy. So all of that had to happen to get to where we are today.

As of September 4th, Craig became Kroger's newest Store Manager! We couldn't be more excited. Craig is elated and the rest of the family is soooo proud of him. He is certainly the hardest working, most dedicated person to his job that I know (besides my dad).

We have prayed for this promotion since he started working with Kroger. Craig was a Store Manager with Furr's and Winn-Dixie. However, when Kroger hired him, he was only a co-manager. Craig worked so hard, for so many hours (at salary pay), missed many holidays and special events to prove that he can get the job done.

The hard work has paid off and prayers have been answered. We thank everyone of you that have prayed along with us for so many years. God's timing is always perfect and knew this day would come.

Silly Chicken

Since school has started our schedule has been crazy. Well, really, it's always crazy. To make things just a little easier, I plan on making at least one, maybe two, crockpot meals per week. I LOVE crockpot meals. You pretty much throw everything into a crockpot and let it cook all day. Not to mention it makes your house smell so yummy. I especially love it when the weather is cooler. Ahhh, I can't wait for Fall. But, I digress. Back to crockpot meals.

I've found several sites recently full of crockpot recipes. Here are a few:

Source: kellyskornerblog.com via Desiree on Pinterest

Source: crockpotgirls.com via Michele on Pinterest

Source: sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com via Desiree on Pinterest

The following recipe I found on Crockpot Girls. It is originally called Stupid Chicken (don't know why), but since stupid is a bad word in the Kelley house, I changed it to Silly Chicken.

You only need these ingredients:
2 cans of 14 oz. Garlic and Onion Diced Tomatoes
1 envelope Savory Herb with Garlic Onion Soup Mix
3-4 chicken breasts, cubed (I actually used 2 lbs. chicken tenderloins because it's cheaper)
















Mix the soup mix and tomatoes and pour in crockpot. Add chicken to the mix and stir. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. That's it!!!!















As you can see, I also use the crockpot liners. They come 3 to a box and are wonderful!!! It makes clean up so easy.

This is what the chicken looks like when it's all done. I served it over steamed rice, but pasta would be good too. I sprinkled a little bit of parmesan cheese on top and served steamed veggies on the side.















It was very tasty and we all enjoyed the Silly Chicken. We'd love to hear any crockpot recipes that your family enjoys. Please share!

We Survived!

The first day of school came and went and it was an emotional roller coaster! Kaitlyn started 2nd grade, but knew she would be fine. She had several of her old friends in her class. Preston, however, worried us a little. He can be so shy and hesitant to try anything new. Even though he kept saying he didn't want to go to 'big school', we tried our best to make it sound as exciting as possible.

They both woke up to their alarms (the first time for Preston) and eagerly got ready for school. Here are their school bags. Preston used this backpack for Pre-K, but it looks brand new still. So, we didn't buy another one. The iCarly image on Kaitlyn's messenger bag from last year completely came off. So, she asked for just a cute tote bag. I got this at Sam Moon for $10.



They picked out their first day of school outfits from Target. Still smiling!

Handsome Kindergartner!

Beautiful 2nd grader!

Here's the school!

I took this picture of the kids on one of the benches in front of the school. Right after I took it, a photographer from the Keller Citizen newspaper came up to us and said she took a picture of me taking a picture of the kids. Then, she got our names. Soooo, we might be in our local paper!

We took Preston to class first. He picked out his cubby for his back pack.

Then, he found his name on the table and sat down. All of the chairs have a denim cover with pockets for their supplies. Preston is still smiling. And then...

Complete meltdown. I started saying my good-byes to Preston and started tearing up. He already had red eyes and his 'whiney lip'. Craig and Kaitlyn said good-bye and then he started crying. We explained how much fun he was going to have and we needed to take Kaitlyn to her class, blah, blah, blah, nothing helped. We tried just walking out the door, but he would chase after us. I waited in the hall with Kaitlyn and Craig took him back inside. I don't even know how many times Craig tried to walk out, but Preston would get up crying and running after him! But we were not alone. There were several boys in his class doing the exact same thing. I guess we all raised Mama's Boys!!! Finally, a Teacher's Aide came in and took care of Preston for us.

We walked Kaitlyn to class and dropping her off took about 2 seconds. She walked right in and already had her designated desk with her friends. I took a picture and this is her "Mom, get out of here already" look. So different from her brother!

We went to the Cheers and Tears breakfast afterwards and talked with other parents. Then, it was off to reality. Craig went to work and I had a dentist appointment. I also worked on some surprises for the kids.

I got this placesetting idea from Pinterest. So, I thought it would be fun to make for this special day. I printed out this week's special menu on notebook paper and stapled it to construction paper.

I got a large sheet of construction paper and placed the menu in the middle. I added Kaitlyn and Preston's name to the top right corner. I also made a special pocket out of notebook paper for our silverware. They each got a new water bottle as well.

I also made pink lemonade and baked Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars. So yummy!!!

I picked them up from school and they had so much to tell me. Even Preston!!! They also loved coming home to their new cups and treats.

I'm praying for a much easier day tomorrow!

A New Book

I always think of Life's Journey as a series of books. Each book may contain tons of chapters, some happy, some sad. And some of the books may end surprisingly, with a cliffhanger.

I feel as though we are starting a whole new book right now. The last book has come to an end and life is in the midst of clutter until the new book begins.

How does the new book start? So far, it is very bittersweet. There is a sadness that has been floating around our house. But there's also an eager anticipation for the great things that are to come.

Chapter 1 starts tomorrow with the First Day of School. How will the kids do? Will they immediately make new friends? What will Mommy and Daddy do now that both kids are in school?

So many questions to be answered, so many answers to be questioned.

With the beginning of each book is a dedication. Of course, this book is dedicated to God. The One who has guided us through our series so far. The One who has heard our cries of pain when our journey has seemed at a standstill. But God doesn't have writer's block. It just simply wasn't the time to finish that chapter yet. He is also the One who has heard our cries of joy when a chapter was completed in just the perfect way it was intended.

So with this new book, dedicated to God, we bittersweetly anticipate what stories will unfold, what chapters will begin and end, and what new characters may be introduced.

Happy Reading!

'Twas The Night Before School Starts-Repost

'Twas The Night Before School Starts


'Twas the night before school starts, when all through our home
Excitement was abuzz, in not just one person alone.
New clothes were laid out for the new day ahead
Everyone's anxious as bedtime stories were read.

Kisses were given and prayers were said
As children fell asleep snuggled up in their beds.
Mommy and Daddy were the last to lay down
So tired they were, they didn't make a sound.

When before they knew it, off went the alarm
The kids had to be risen from their beds that were so warm.
The sun shone brightly through the windows in their room,
Is this day really here? It seem to come too soon.

The children were dressed and ready for school,
Backpacks were ready and lunches packed full.
Parents walked their kids to class the first day
The kids were fine, would the parents be okay?

The teacher happily greeted them all,
Parents started sniffling as they stood in the hall.
The kids waved good-bye and blew them a kiss,
Did they really know how much they'd be missed?

As parents slowly returned to their car,
They knew their child wouldn't be far.
So they gathered their courage and began to drive away,
The whole time thanking God for giving them this day.

By Desiree Kelley

It's A Whole New School

Literally. We are so proud that our kids will be attending a brand new school. I think everyone was really worried that the school wouldn't be finished in time for the first day, but it will be done. There is still some landscaping that needs to be worked on and I'm sure some smaller projects around the school need to be finished, but overall, the kids will walk into a new school.

Tuesday, we were able to tour the school and just get to know the layout. We were blown away but all the little details that were put into this school.

Here is the cafetorium with the stage on one side. There is a door in the back of the stage that leads to the choir room. There is also a whole wall of floor to ceiling windows.


Here is one side of the gym. It's just your average gym with basketball hoops.

But on one side are two garage doors that can open all the way up. I wish I had that in my house going to the backyard!

The Library/Media Center is two-stories. Two-stories!!! It's the only library in our school district that is designed like that. There will also be iPad's and iPod Touches available for students and teachers to use.

Here's the top floor of the library. As you can tell, a lot needs to be done.

All the hallways are designed the same way. The 3rd and 4th graders are downstairs and the Kinder, 1st, and 2nd graders are upstairs. The hallways are very wide and have 'learning centers' There are dry-erase boards on the walls in the hallway and built in benches. This can be used in case a class wants to do an activity in the hallway or if the teachers want to combine their classes for a lesson. Great idea!!!

This little amphitheater is in the Kindergarten hallway. The teachers can bring their class here for different lessons and projects. Love it!

Last night, was Meet the Teacher. So far, Preston is excited about seeing his new class, meeting his new teacher, and most importantly, getting new school supplies! He already found the teacher's reading chair.

Here's a view from his classroom. I would be daydreaming all day! Every class has large windows on one side. The counters are low and hold the students cubbies underneath. Some of the teachers turned the counters into window seats with a reading area. Smart idea!

Then, we went to Kaitlyn's class. Every class is designed just a little differently. Some classrooms are completely square, others have an angled wall. It's pretty neat. This is Kaitlyn's 'desk'. It's not your normal looking square desk with a shelf underneath. Their desks are triangular shaped and do not have a shelf underneath.

This is the view from Kaitlyn's classroom. It looks onto the field and playground. She's super excited that several of her old classmates will be attending this school as well and will be in her class.

There are soooo many other cool features about this school and we are so excited that we get to be part of this school's history. I will be completely involved in the PTA (I'm on 3 committees) and helping the teachers. With the school being brand new, I'm sure there will be a lot of kinks to work out. For now, we are eagerly (and sadly) anticipating the first day of school on Monday.

Baked Ham and Cheese Croissants

It's been awhile since I've posted a recipe, so here's a super easy one.

When our schedules are hectic, we have sandwich nights and I'm always looking for new variations on a cold cut sandwich. I found this recipe on the site Eat Cake For Dinner. It was so quick and easy to make and we all enjoyed it. I served the sandwiches with a Caesar Salad mix and it was perfect!

Baked Ham and Cheese Croissants
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 Tbsp honey dijon mustard
6 large croissants
monterrey or colby jack cheese, sliced
3/4 lb. sliced deli ham (I got smokehouse ham, thinly sliced, from the deli)

Combine cream cheese and honey dijon mustard. Slice the croissants in half horizontally. Spread top half with cream cheese mixture. Layer the bottom half with ham (I used 3 slices of ham per sandwich, but you can choose your amount) and top with a slice or two of cheese. Cover the sandwich with top layer and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until slightly golden and crispy and cheese is melted. Serve immediately.