~OuR cRaZeE LiFe........ tHe JeNsEnS~

hEaT WaVe....

2011-07-21T13:21:00.004-05:00

This...

Plus this...

Has been a great way to beat this...

I don't want to complain to much about the heat...but wow it has been hot hear in Iowa this week!

Hope you are all staying cool!! :)

nAtiOnaL nO hOuSeWorK dAy....

2011-04-07T13:04:00.002-05:00

April 7, 2011 is

National No Housework Day

Are you always looking for an excuse to put off housework and cleaning for just one more day? Well look no further, today's holiday absolutely insists that you put down the sponge and cleaning supplies and just relax!

A 2008 study conducted at the University of Michigan found that the average American woman scrubs her house at least 17 hours a week! After a long day at school or work, housework is the last thing anyone wants to come home to do.

Doctors and health experts say that it is essential for people with busy lifestyles to factor in time to relax. Relaxation can lower heart rate and blood pressure, reduce headaches, and improve concentration.

Celebrate National No Housework Day by ignoring the dirty dishes in the sink and the piles of laundry that need to be done and just relax. You deserve it!

Now this is reason to celebrate if you ask me!!! :)

You can go here to check out some interesting facts!!!

National Caramel Day

2011-04-05T07:02:00.001-05:00

National Caramel Day

This is reason to celebrate!! :)

Have a great day!!

cHaLkbOaRd PaiNt...

2011-04-04T13:18:00.002-05:00

Have any of you used the chalkboard paint?

We used it on a wall in our kitchen and love it....but how do we get it to look new again? When we wipe it off it still has a dull chalky film over it. Do we need another coat of paint?

iS iT sPriNg yEt???

2011-03-29T13:30:00.005-05:00

Why does my calendar say it is time for this........

But when we woke up this morning it looked like this outside?!?!!

I am ready for this.....

AND this......

Hope you all have a agreat day!!

hApPy sT. pAtRiCks DaY......

2011-03-17T13:28:00.000-05:00

Cancer patient wishes for a million cards

2011-03-09T13:36:00.001-06:00

Cancer patient wishes for a million cards

This touched my heart!!

So if any of you could help make this little guys wish come true....I am sure it would put a smile on his face!!

2011-03-01T13:13:00.001-06:00

So today is March 1st.....how has your day been?!!?

MiKe & mOLLy vALeNtiNe'S dAy

2011-02-15T06:09:00.000-06:00

If you missed Mike&Molly last night here is a clip from the show....

iCe cReAm AnD sNoW....

2011-02-04T15:04:00.002-06:00

Well we have a lot of snow...as many of us do!! So yesterday I took advantage of the white fluffy stuff and the kiddos and I made ice cream.....it was really good!!!

SNOW ICE CREAM.....FROM PAULA DEEN

Ingredients

8 cups snow, or shaved ice

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Place snow or shaved ice into a large bowl. Pour condensed milk over and add vanilla. Mix to combine. Serve immediately in bowls.

NaTiOnAL cArRoT cAkE dAy.....

2011-02-03T07:07:00.002-06:00

National Carrot Cake Day

Not sure how you all feel about carrot cake....but yummmmmm!!! It's one of my favorites!!

I remember when the kids were little they would spend the night with my mom and she would let them eat carrot cake in bed and watch cartoons!! It always reminded us of Bill Cosby's song.....Dad is Great.....you know....he gives us chocolate cake!! :)

Enjoy your day!

MiKe & mOLLy

2010-12-02T14:18:00.003-06:00

I am not sure if any of you watch this show.....but oh my goodness!!! We laugh so hard every time we watch it!!!

TgiF.....

2010-07-23T06:35:00.001-05:00

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!!!!!

nAtiOnAL pEcAn PiE dAy.....

2010-07-12T14:07:00.005-05:00

Today is National Pecan Pie Day.....so to celebrate I think you all need to go out to DQ and get yourself a pecan pie blizzard!!!!!!(flavor of the month) We had one last nite and all I can say is get a medium or large.....small is not going to do the trick!!!!! :) They are amazing!!!!!!

TaYLoR....

2010-05-12T09:03:00.009-05:00

Taylor's last day of highschool is today!!!! They will have a cookout at school to celebrate.

WOW...I can not believe she is a senior and will graduate this Sunday, and before we know it August will be here and we will be sending her off to college.

Congrats to the class of 2010!!!!!!

Just want to share a FEW pictures of what has gone on this past year....

2010-05-09T07:02:00.000-05:00

Insanity is hereditary; you get it from your children. ~Sam Levenson

8oTh aNniVeRsArY oF tHe TwiNkiE.......

2010-04-06T13:37:00.002-05:00

Twinkies by the Numbers:

500 million: The number of Twinkies baked each year.
10: The minutes it takes to bake a Twinkie.
1930: The year James Dewar invented the two-for-a-nickel treat.
150: The number of calories in one Twinkie.
50: The number of recipes in the Twinkies Cookbook.
7: The number of Twinkies needed to make the "Patriotic Twinkie Pie" recipe in the Twinkies Cookbook.
1: The rank of New Orleans in terms of per capita Twinkie consumption compared to other cities in the U.S.
1999: The year President Bill Clinton included Twinkies in the millennium time capsule.
26 days: The shelf life of a Twinkie.

sPriNg......

2010-03-20T05:51:00.000-05:00

First Day of Spring!!!!!!!!

I can't wait for this.........

or this.......

ahhhhh or this.......

or this!!!!!!!! :)

giRLs LuNcH....

2010-03-18T10:09:00.005-05:00

Sunday I got together with a group of friends that I have known....a long time!!!!! [HS days]

When I say long I am not saying you girls are old!!!!!! :) I promise!!!!

But anyway....we got together because our friend Steph is moving to Florida, so we had one more girls lunch before she left. Just have to say what a great time we had talking and laughing!!!! No matter how much we have all changed, we are still the same.......does that make sense?!?!!?

Just want to say thanks to all of you who came and maybe next time we can get some more people to join us!!!!! AND good luck Steph in your Florida journey!!!! Love ya tons and miss you already!!!! :)

hApPy sT. pAtRiCks DaY......

2010-03-17T07:16:00.002-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!!!!!!!!

mY aDdIcTiOn.....

2010-03-16T13:16:00.004-05:00

I spent Sunday afternoon with some friends and drank waaayyyy to much Diet Pepsi (as I always do) and they let me know how bad it is for me......

So I am letting you know I am on DAY 2 WITH~OUT ANY Diet Pepsi!!!!!!

Ugh.....

My head felt like it was going to explode yesterday.

Today it doesn't hurt as bad....but it still hurts.

And I will be honest......I REALLY want a Diet Pepsi!!!!!!

So I have to say.....that I am not saying I will NEVER have another Diet Pepsi again.......

but I will say I need to get control of it!!!!! :)

It is not good when you text your family and ask them to bring you a pop next time they come home. I felt like I was having them do something illegal!!!!!! :)

I may become addicted to these now!!!!!! :)

{TgiF}

2010-03-12T06:51:00.002-06:00

I googled TGIF this morning and this is a picture that came up.

Not sure what that is all about...but it made me smile!!!!

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!!!!

worDLeSs wEdNeSdAy.....

2010-03-10T08:18:00.002-06:00

tHe sHaRk....

2010-03-09T08:28:00.002-06:00

Do any of you own The Shark cordless sweeper?!!?!??! What do you think????

We just bought one off of Ebay....I have used it a couple of times, I am not in love with it, but it does get those small jobs done. It is not a big heavy duty vacuum but it will work in a pinch!!!!

Let me know if you have one and what you think about it!!!!

mArCh....

2010-03-03T08:50:00.003-06:00

So I am trying to think spring.....but I have a question!!!!!!!

You know how they say if March comes in like a lion it will go out like a lamb!??!?!?!

Well....what if March comes in like a lamb........does it go out like a lion!??!?!?!??!

Oh I hope not....we are ready for the snow to be gone and the green grass to come!!!

The winter is really starting to drag now!!!!

You know when you think 35 degrees is soooooo nice.....there has to be something wrong!!!!

But I will look at the bright side.....it's not snowing!!!! :)

Have a great week!!!!!

fRiDaY....

2010-02-26T06:40:00.000-06:00

yUmMmM.........

2010-02-24T14:11:00.002-06:00

Oh my gosh I have to share with you one of my new FAVORITE things!!!!!!!!!

Frosted Blueberry Muffin Pop~Tarts......they are heavenly!!!!!

Just warm them up and add a little butter!!!! Yummmm.....

bANANa BrEaD dAy....

2010-02-23T08:43:00.002-06:00

February 23, 2010

National Banana Bread Day

Though the first breads originated some 12,000 years ago during the Neolithic times, bananas were not added to the mix until the the end of the 18th century. Housewives in America discovered that pearlash, a refined form of potash, could be used as a chemical leavening agent. Because baking powder was not yet invented, the pearlash served to produce carbon dioxide in dough, thus creating the first types of quick breads. Banana bread as we know it today, was created shortly thereafter.

This delicious type of bread became very popular during the Depression, as people were relecutant to throw anything away and mushy bananas could be used to bake banana bread. There are multiple variations to banana bread that are around today, some with added fruits and nuts. Bake yourself a delicious loaf of banana bread today to celebrate National Banana Bread Day!

You can go here to check out more exciting stuff!!!!!!! :)

wAsHiNgToN's BiRtHdAy...cAn yOu sAy...cHeRrY!!!!!!

2010-02-22T14:46:00.003-06:00

I have to share one of my favorite websites with you!!!!!

And it is Washington's Birthday.......so we all need a good cherry recipe!!!!!

Just go here and ENJOY!!!!!!!!

CaNoN PoWeRShOt Sx20 iS.....

2010-02-16T08:36:00.002-06:00

Just a little UPDATE.....we took the Nikon Coolpix P90 camera back. It was not at all what we were hoping for!!! We had a hard time getting it to focus correctly and what did focus was just grainy looking. The camera shop said that alot of people had those same problems!!!!

So as you see in the pictures above we brought home a Canon PowerShot SX20 IS.....I will let you know how this works out. We have taken a few pictures and so far they look ALOT better than the ones we took with the Nikon!!!! Troy has all Nikon cameras and lenses and loves them...maybe he will convert over to Canon?!?!!??! :)

pReSiDeNtS dAy.....

2010-02-15T07:50:00.000-06:00

(picture from google.com)

Presidents Day 2010.

No school to observe Presidents day, but would have probably had to cancel school due to ANOTHER Monday snow storm!!!!! I think it has snowed almost every Monday so far in 2010!!!

Hope you all had a great day!!!

hApPy vALeNTiNe'S dAy.....

2010-02-14T08:12:00.000-06:00

(photo from google.com)

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!

hApPy BiRtHdAy......

2010-02-13T04:20:00.000-06:00

Happy 89th Birthday Grandma Dixie!!!!!

ICCC...

2010-02-10T17:09:00.003-06:00

Big day today!!! We went with Taylor to Iowa Central Community College to sign her letter of intent to run cross country and track for them!!! Wow.....what a ton of emotions I am having right now!!!! We are so excited for her, but are NOT ready for her to leave, I think graduation reality is sneaking up on us!!!!! We loved the college and the people there, and her coach is wonderful!!!!! What a great guy and a perfect fit for Taylor!!! We have visited other places and when she says she felt a little weird around the coach.....then that is not the place for her because we want her to feel at home and be able to talk to the coach about anything....and I think this is the guy!!!!!! The hard part about her running at college for us is going to be the fact that we will not get to watch her run very much!!!!! We have not missed very many of our kids' activities, so this is going to be an adjustment for us and her too I think, so we will have to try to get to as many as we can.

wEaR rEd.....

2010-02-05T07:49:00.002-06:00

Wear red today and help support the fight against heart disease....the #1 health threat for women!!!!

sEniOr NiTe.....

2010-02-04T07:01:00.004-06:00

Seniors..Taylor,Ally,Jo,Katie,Dani

Tuesday nite(Feb.2nd I'm a little slow) was senior nite for our last home game. Taylor has played basketball or any sport with this group of girls from the time they started school. They are a great group of girls!!!!!!

And I have to say......Taylor had and AWESOME nite!!!!! She scored 24 points!!!!! wOoOhOoO!!

And 3 of those 24 points came with 1 second left on the clock at the end of the quarter and she gave it a toss from way behind the half court line.......and it went in!!!!! It was amazing!!!!! This was her career high!! Great job Taylor!! And I have to say as a team it was a fun game to watch, everybody had a really good nite!!! You can go here to read a story about the game.

worDLeSs wEdNeSdAy.....

2010-02-03T00:31:00.000-06:00

gRoUnD hOg DaY........

2010-02-02T01:27:00.001-06:00

(picture from google.com)

Happy Groundhog Day!!!!!!

NiKon CoOLpiX!!!!!!!!!!

2010-02-01T09:05:00.003-06:00

I am so excited....I got a new camera over the weekend!!!!! I got the Nikon Coolpix P90.....do any of you have it???? If so what do you think!?!?!? Did not have a chance to use it.....so basketball game tonite.....here I come!!!!!!

tHiS&tHaT.....

2010-01-29T08:58:00.002-06:00

Just letting you know we have been doing ALOT of [this]

and ALOT of [that] the last few months....and loving every minute of it!!!!!!

The girls start regional play in a few weeks and have a really[did i say really...that is an understatement]tough bracket this year. I will let you know how the season is going later!!!!

Kale has had a really good season so far...not sure when his districts start. Once again...later on that too!!!

Good luck to them all and we are very proud!!!!!

tAcO sOuP.....

2010-01-28T11:51:00.001-06:00

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef

2 pkgs. taco seasoning

1 can pinto beans

1 can black beans(rinsed)

1 can tomato sauce

1 can Rotel

1 can whole kernel corn

1 can cream corn

2 pkgs. hidden valley ranch

3 cans water(more/less to desired soupiness)

Put in crock pot.

Top bowl of soup with Doritos, sour cream, cheese or whatever you like on your tacos!!!!!

Hope you all enjoy!!!!!

I know I have shared this before but I love this soup...it's the best!!!!

Hope you are all having a great week and are able to enjoy your weekend!!!

iCe cUbE....

2010-01-20T10:25:00.007-06:00

The ice has not been our friend the last few days!!!!!

I thought this was very interesting!!!!

Wednesday{{ Jan.}} 20th......We are on another "snow day" from school again....I think this makes 6 days total so far that we will have to make up!!!! Taylor is HAPPY about that because she is a senior so will not have to make them up.....Delaney and Kale are NOT so happy about it!!!!! :)

The trees and roads were covered in ice when we woke up this am....as the day goes on the branches are falling off the trees because of the weight of the ice.....just hope that it does not knock out the power like it did last time we had an ice storm.....I think we were going on 3 days without electricity!!!!!!! {now that stinks!!!}

Thursday{{Jan.}} 21st........Day 2 of this week that we are home for yes....ANOTHER snow day to make up for this school year!!!!![[7 days total so far]] The ice on the trees looks so pretty....but it is a scary feeling when you go outside and hear the the cracking of the ice/tree limbs falling to the ground.

But we still have electricity!!!!!! [[YiPpPpPeEeE.......]]

Friday{{Jan.}}22nd......well off to school the kiddos go today...starting 2 hours late because of the ice on the gravel roads and the FOG......wow!!!!!

Back to our CrAzEe LiFe tonite with basketball games and a wrestling meet...I know I need to share pictures as soon as things get back to crazee[normal]!!!!!!

Could this be a tiny sign of spring....and warmer weather!??!

This is what our yard looks like......our trees may not give off much shade this summer!!!!!

cLoUdY wiTh a ChAnCe oF mEaTbaLLs...

2010-01-07T13:15:00.002-06:00

We are snowed in today so we watched this movie!!!!! If you get the chance to watch it......DO it is pretty cute!!!!!!!

HApPy nEw yEaR...

2010-01-01T00:26:00.001-06:00

(picture from google.com)

HaPpY nEw yEaR!!!!!

wE hOpE tHaT 2010 iS EvEryThiNg yOu hOpE FoR!!!!!!

NeW yEaRs eVe 2009....

2009-12-31T21:11:00.004-06:00

New Years Eve........

Some of the things I am thankful for.......

My loving and VERY understanding husband.

My KiDs....wow they keep us busy..but I love watching them grow&&mature!!!

OuR FaMiLy.....ThAnKs for everything you all do.

oUr fRiEnDs....gOoD TiMeS aNd LaUgHtEr

ThAnKs tO aLL oF yOu FoR tHe mEmOriEs iN 2009....LoOkiNg fOrWaRd tO 2010!!!!!!

sHe'S nOt a LitTLe GiRL aNyMoRe.......

2009-12-30T20:48:00.000-06:00

Taylor has said all along that when she turns 18 she wants to get a tattoo.....

So her and her dad were going to go together and get one. But I think she got tired of waiting on him, his work has kepy him very busy and all of Christmas vacation he has been sick....so she decided to do it alone!!!!! WOW was she ever a trooper!!!!!! OUCH is all I can say!!!

But I think it looks very nice. She got it on her side so it is not going to show very often. And that made us happy that she really was getting it for herself.....

mErRy cHriStMas 2009......

2009-12-25T16:07:00.002-06:00

chRiStMaS eVe sHoPpiNg....

2009-12-24T13:17:00.000-06:00

So my first thoughts when I decided we have to go to the mall on Christmas Eve day to do almost ALL of our shopping was......oh my gosh...have you lost your elfin' mind Missy!?!?!?!?!?{{sorry had to do that!!!! I thought it was funny...go ahead you can at least smile!!!!}}

But I have to say.....I may start doing ALL of our shopping on Christmas Eve!!!!! It was easy, I am not joking....I do not think we waited in line at any store we shopped at other than WAL-MART but I think we all know how annoying WAL-MART can be on a good day!!!!!! And I only stopped there to get veggies for the veggie tray......but come on people I am not sure that the people at the cash register have the same sense of urgency as I do......UGH!!!!! But as for my day of shopping it was a good one and I hope the kids are happy with their gifts!!!!! And I hope you all have a great Christmas, eat lots of yummy food, and enjoy your family and friends as much as I plan to.

Merry Christmas from The Jensens

ChRiStMaS iS cOmiNg....rEaDy oR nOt

2009-12-23T07:15:00.004-06:00

Well here I sit at the computer on December 23rd. The kids last day of school.....for the year!!!! :0) And wonder when I am going to finish my Christmas shopping!!!!!!! The weather is suppose to get kind of.....well let's just say crappy!!!! So I guess I may have to skate to the mall.....but I know my kids will love my efforts!!!!! {{you can insert sarcasm at any point here!!}}

Anyway what I am trying to say is I think Christmas has snuck up on me this year......oh man who am I trying to fool it happens to me every year!!!! Maybe I need to join all of the crazy{{not to offend any of you I use that term in a FUN way!!!}} people the day after Christmas and shop til I drop and get all of my shopping done for 2010....hmmmmm now that sounds like a plan.

I have had alot going on lately and have not blogged very much...but was reading some blogs this morning and stopped by here and had to do a post like hers...so stop by and check her post out!!!!

She just talked about some of the things we do for Christmas morning and Santa to make memories for our kids. So do you do anything crazy or fun???? Our Christmas Eve consists of wrapping gifts until midnite or later and Christmas morning comes no later than 5 am for us!!!! We wrap ALL of the gift on Christmas Eve...we never have gifts under our tree for our kids...so when they come down the stairs on Christmas morning the tree is bursting with gifts!!!

At our house each child has their own color/print of paper. Each child has their own "santa sack" that their Santa gift comes in. We do the stocking first before they open any gifts. We used to wrap every little thing in their stockings...but ugh....we stopped doing that...that took FOREVER!!!!! I just love Christmas!!!!! But now that the kids are getting older the "Santa" factor is missing.....but I know they still are happy to come down the stairs on Christmas morning!!!! I would love to hear your stories so if you do a post about this please let me know!!! If I do not get back on here before Christmas I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with your families!!!!!!

HapPy tHaNksGiVinG......

2009-11-26T01:44:00.001-06:00

HaPpY ThAnKsGiViNg...fRoM oUr FaMiLy tO yOuRs!!!!!!!

woRdLeSs wEdNeSdAy.......

2009-11-25T01:51:00.000-06:00

God Bless The USA - Lee Greenwood

2009-11-11T13:35:00.001-06:00

I really love this video....just wanted to share with all of you!!!!

worDLeSs wEdNeSdAy.....

2009-11-11T01:05:00.000-06:00

photo from google.com

iNdiAn sUmMeR......

2009-11-10T09:27:00.003-06:00

This past weekend was AWESOME!!!!!!

It is November and we had the windows open in the house all weekend AND we even slept with the windows open!!!!!!!

AaAaAhHhHh...........

This is what Wikipedia says about an Indian Summer:

Indian summer is an informal expression given to a period of sunny, warm weather in autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, typically in late October or early November, after the leaves have turned following an onset of frost but before the first snowfall.

woRdLeSs wEdNeSdAy.......

2009-11-04T06:43:00.000-06:00

hapPy BiRtHdAy....

2009-11-03T10:05:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday to my husband Troy today!!!!!!

Have a great day and we love you ALOT!!!!!!

Thanks for everything you do......you do make life very interesting!!!!!!!

Love........your family!!!!!

Awwwwww.......

One of my favorites!!!!!

I LOVE this picture......the pants are great!!!!!!!

This one cracks me up......not sure who he is trying to fool!?!?!??!?!!

BaHahAhAHa......I am sure this was a picture taken by his grandmother!!!!!!!

oh you gotta love the 80's!!!!!!!

cRoSs cOuNtRy 2009......

2009-11-02T02:48:00.000-06:00

It is looking like fall is over and winter is on it's way!!!!!!

The girls had their 1st basketball scrimmage today.

Our schools football and volleyball seasons are over.

Halloween and trick~or~treating is in the past.

And as of Saturday the Cross Country season for 2009 is OVER.

I have not done a good job of keeping up with what the kids had going on lately so I will cram alot into this post......sorry!!!!!

Delaney and Taylor both ran cross country again this year....they both had a great season and we are sooooooo proud of both of them.

Kale played Jr. Hi football this year and this was his first year of contact football and he LOVED it.....I am not a huge football fan but REALLY enjoyed watching him play....he really had a great season too. I will post about that later.

I would like to focus this post on the girls' cross country season.

Taylor ran here last high school meet at regionals last week....she came up a little short to make it to state.....but ran a good race on a very tough course!!!! The team fell short too by placing 4th and they take the top 3 teams to state and we missed 3rd by 7 points.....grrrrrrr!!!

Anyway Taylor has had quite a career....she has ran cross country for 3 years and she went to state her first 2 years, has alot of medals to show for her hard work, has been ranked in the state many times, and has made some AWESOME friendships along the way!!!!!! Taylor I can not tell you how proud we are of your accomplishments so far in your life!!!!!! Not only has this experience alone made you a better athlete....it has made you a great person....lessons you will use the rest of you life. She is planning on trying to run when she heads off to college next fall....so we hope this was not our last time to watch her run cross country....one of our favorite sports to watch!!!!

Delaney too has had an outstanding year. This is her 2nd year of cross country. This has been her year to shine!!!!! She has gotten MANY gold medals, ranked in the state, many good friends, placed 1st in the conference and got 4th at regionals....and yes that qualified her for state!!!!! They take the top 10 individuals...so off to Ft.Dodge we went this past Saturday.....yes Halloween day...and brrrrrr it was quite chilly!!!!! But she was ready to run......she gave it everything she had and placed 29th out of 123 girls. Not as good of a finish as she would have hoped for but as a parent what more can you ask for!!!!!! We are very proud!!!!!

She has 2 more years to run so we are looking forward to that too!!!!

hApPy BiRtHdAy......

2009-11-01T20:45:00.001-06:00

HaPpY 3Rd BiRtHdAy tO oUr fRiEnD aDdiSoN!!!!!!!!

dAyLiGhT sAviNg TiMe.....

2009-11-01T20:39:00.002-06:00

November 1st.....Daylight Savings time ends.

Set your clocks back 1 hour.

YiPpPpEeEeEe.........an extra hour of sleep!!!!!!

HaPpY HaLLoWeEn......

2009-10-31T01:00:00.000-05:00

HaPpY HaLLoWeEn........fRoM tHe JeNsEns!!!!!!!!!

worDLeSs wEdNeSdAy.....

2009-10-28T15:19:00.001-05:00

hApPy BiRtHdAy......

2009-10-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

hApPy BiRtHdAy

gRaNdmA jAn!!!!!!!

tHiNk PiNk......

2009-10-11T20:18:00.000-05:00

yOuTh sEaSoN.....

2009-10-04T22:09:00.003-05:00

Kale got his buck for youth season 2009!!!!!

Tonite was the last nite to hunt and this is what he got.......

LiVeStRoNg dAy......

2009-10-02T12:35:00.002-05:00

October 2nd is the Lance Armstrong LIVESTRONG DAY.

Go here to get some info on how you can help.

nAtiOnAL cOfFeE dAy.....

2009-09-29T14:25:00.002-05:00

National Coffee Day

Did you know that coffee dates as far back as the 9th century? It was first discovered in Ethiopia by a goat herder named Kaldi. He noticed the stimulating effects that the coffee berries had on his goats and began to experiment with them.

A century later, coffee began being roasted and traded by Arabs. From there, the beans entered Indian and European markets and the first coffee shop opened in Constantinople in 1475. From there, coffee's popularity grew at an exponential rate.

Today, over 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed each year. It is a world commodity that is second only to oil. To celebrate this historical and important beverage, head to your favorite coffee shop. On National Coffee Day some of your favorite coffee shops will give out free cups of coffee!

i got my info on national coffee day here.......

hapPy BiRtHdAy....

2009-09-28T21:30:00.006-05:00

Look who turns 18 today.........

I can not believe Taylor is 18........

Oh my gosh look at how much she has grown up!!!!!!

ADORABLE then.........

BEAUTIFUL now!!!!!!!!!!

We are so proud of the young lady that you have grown up to be!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Taylor!!!!!!

We love you!!!!!!

HaPpY 18tH biRtHdAy tAyLoR!!!!!!!!

wOrDLeSs wEdNeSdAy.....

2009-09-23T08:48:00.001-05:00

FaLL.......

2009-09-22T09:08:00.003-05:00

Today is the first day of Autumn!!!!!!!!!!

I love the fall days.....cool, beautiful leaves, pumpkins,sweat shirts, and caramel apples!!!!!!!!

What more could you ask for?!?!?!?!

hOmEcOmiNg....

2009-09-21T12:00:00.014-05:00

Wow......what a busy week we had last week!!!!!!!

HOMECOMING WEEK.......

I think anybody with kids involved with homecoming knows what a crazy week it is!!!!

Taylor was on the homecoming court.

CONGRATS to this years queen and king.......

Dani and Matt.

Taylor and Nick

Troy was the faculty king....

LOVE this picture of all the kids!!!!!

Senior float...Taylor's class got 2nd place.

7th grade....Kale's class took 3rd place.

The sophomores ....Laney's class didn't place.....and I thought it was a pretty good float.

This was my favorite.....the juniors.....they didn't place because it was not a "float" whatever that means......I liked the "thinking outside the box idea!!!!!!!

The QUEEN and her attendants.

Taylor, Jo, and Ally.

Taylor & Ally.

Ty, Kale, and Alex....AKA....ball boys.

hApPy BiRtHdAy......

2009-09-20T01:10:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Aunt Shell!!!!!!!!!

my sisters birthday is today and she is.........39!!!!!!

WoooooHoooooo.....next year is the big......40!!!!!!!!

Enjoy your day!!!!!!

We love ya!!!!!!

hApPy BiRtHdAy....

2009-09-18T00:21:00.001-05:00

Our babys not a baby any more.........

Happy 13th Birthday Kale!!!!!!!!!!

We love you!!!!!!!

Hospital picture.......

Welcome to the world......

9 pounds 21 3/4 inches long

NO.....he is NOT on the bull all by himself.......see the human feet behind it!!!!!! ;0)

I am pretty sure he does not care for this picture.......he is NOT an Iowa State fan now!!!!!!!

GO HAWKS..........is who he cheers for these days!!!!!

Our little devil......with a burn on his hand........I am pretty sure I did not get nominated for mother of the year that year!!!!!!!

Awwwwww, so cute!!!!!

Oh my gosh look at him......

One of my favorite pictures!!!!!!

Ahhhh....the hulk party........

that would be the party that [we the parents] thought it would be a good idea to invite every boy in his class for a sleep over........all 16 of them!!!!!!!!! UGH!!!!!!!

If you are thinking about doing this for your child........may I suggest........NOT!!!!!!!

I have to share this one......not because I like this picture but because it is one of his favorite things to do......cross eyed and plastic teeth!!!!!!

See I told ya......cross eyed and......oops those are not plastic teeth!!!!!

He would not let us pull his last front tooth....so yes that is his tooth dangling there!!!!!!

I am sure every time he took a breath that tooth flapped in the wind!!!!!!!

WOW!!!!!!!!

So watch out world here we come.........

We are now proud parents of a teen~aged boy!!!!!!!

So hold on tight this could be a wild ride!!!!!!!

One last thought.........

I need to add that we will be living in a house with 3 teens now!!!!!!!

My how worldly we will become!!!!!!! :0)

wOrDLeSs wEdNeSdAy.....

2009-09-16T11:59:00.000-05:00

mOnDaY aFtErNoOn fOoTbALL.....

2009-09-15T12:07:00.005-05:00

Last nite was Kale's very first contact football game.

He has only played on flag football teams in the past.

To say he was excited would be an understatement!!!!!!

He did GREAT......everybody on the team played AWESOME!!!!!

They won 30-8!!!!!!!

Great job guys!!!!!!!

I am going to try to get some pictures of him on here......he is #56...so if you did not see that number i must not have chose the right pictures off of the computer out of the 500 that i took!!!!!

sUnShiNe.....

2009-09-09T21:51:00.003-05:00

Look what i got!!!!!!

Yipppeeeee!!!!!!!

Go here to check her out!!!!!!

Talk about an awesome blogger!!!!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!

I would pass it along if i knew how!!!!!!

{haha.....i am serious!!!}

So if you can figure out how to get it I would love for all of you to have one on your blog!!!!!!!

WoRdLeSs wEdNeSdAy.......

2009-09-09T21:40:00.001-05:00

bOyS WiLL bE bOyS........

2009-09-06T21:17:00.003-05:00

We took the kids out today to take a few pictures........

The following pictures kinda tell you how our day went........

Kale did not want to take pictures........

Can you tell!?!?!?!?!?!??!

cRoSs cOuNtRy 2009......

2009-09-04T21:10:00.000-05:00

The girls ran their 1st cross country meet for this year last nite.

We took the camera but the battery was dead so I will post a pictureless post.......

{not a fan of no pictures!!!!!}

So anywhooooo..........

Delaney got 1st place with a time of 15 minutes and 35 seconds!!!!!!

And Taylor got 11th place with her time 17 minutes and .06 seconds!!!!

As a team they got 3rd place.

Yippppeeeee........AWESOME job ladies!!!!!!!

We are soooooooo proud of both of you!!!!!!!

Looking forward to a great season!!!!!!

jAy&tRaE.....

2009-09-03T14:10:00.002-05:00

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!

Troy's brother Jay and his wife Trae......just got married today!!!!!!

Love ya both and welcome Trae to our CRAZEE LIFE!!!!!!!

wOrDLeSs wEdNeSdAy.....

2009-09-02T14:31:00.002-05:00

Ok I am going to try the WORDLESS WEDNESDAY this week.

If I am suppose to link to someone please let me know!!!!!!!!

sEniOr PiCtUrEs....

2009-08-31T10:24:00.005-05:00

We took pictures of Taylor yesterday trying to find just the right one to use for senior pictures.

What one is your favorite!?!?!?!?!?

I still have about 400 of them to pick thru.......

YIKES.....who would have thought that would be such a job!??!!??!

But when you have such a cute little subject......I can't find very many that I don't like!!!!!!

Hope you all had a great weekend and having a super Monday!!!!!!

fOoTbaLL fRiDaY NiTe.........

2009-08-28T22:06:00.001-05:00

Football Friday nite.......last Friday nite we had our scrimmage/fundraiser to kick off the football, volleyball, and cross country season. Our sports booster club has a meal/membership drive after the volleyball scrimmage...we sell t-shirts and have an auction.....we auction off all of the football, volleyball, and our 2 cross country runners.....the highest bidder gets to have that athlete do chores for them for 4 hours......it's fun!!!!!!! After everything was done we made over $5,000.00!!!!!!!!! We were very happy!!!!!!

[[The football team after the scrimmage.]]

[[Taylor being auctioned off.]]

[[Delaney being auctioned off.]]

Last nite was our first game of the season.......it was a really good game but we came up a little short.......so looks like we will have to get past that one and get focused for this Friday nite.......GOOD LUCK SAINTS!!!!!!!!!!

LiFe....

2009-08-26T17:44:00.002-05:00

Sorry I have not been on here much.

But our community lost a very wonderful lady.

Would like to send out our prayers to the Starckovich family.

Tina will be missed by many!!!!

Please keep her 3 children and family in your thoughts and prayers.

40 is way to young to pass on.....it really makes a person think about their own life and how we live. You never know what tomorrow will bring.

2009-08-21T09:08:00.000-05:00

fiRsT dAy Of sChOoL......2009-2010

2009-08-20T08:34:00.002-05:00

First day of school was yesterday!!!!!!

WOW......I think the summer went by sooooo fast!!!!!!

It's just going to be a weird year.......Taylor is a SENIOR!!!!!! {{oh no!!!!!}}

Delaney is a sophomore {{already?!!?!?}} and Kale is in 7th grade {{yikes!!!}}

So now I hope you see why I say weird.......senior, sophomore, and 7th grade!!!!!!!

They have all grown up so fast..[[how did that happen]] they were all just little kids last time I looked!!!!!!

Have fun kiddos......love you all!!!!!

tHe GooD..tHe bAd..tHe uGLy...

2009-08-13T15:06:00.006-05:00

I found some old pictures of me the other day.

So thought I would share them with all of you.

Please do not laugh to loud!!!!!!!

nAmE gAmE......

2009-08-11T15:33:00.002-05:00

I found a little bit of something to make me smile yesterday while I was on facebook.

So I thought I would share it.

It's called......howmanyofme.com

You type in your name and viola....you can get info just like what I am going to share with you.

709,437 people in the US have the name Melissa.

Melissa is the 66th most popular name in the US.

127,886 people in the US have the last name Jensen.

Jensen in the 244th most popular last name in the US.

And finally.........295 people have the name Melissa Jensen.

hmmmm......I bet you all sleep better tonite knowing that info?!!?!?!??!?!

hahaha.......it was kind of interesting........and it kept my mind off of my little Bentley!!!!!!!!

THANKS sooooo much to all of you for your VERY kind words!!!!!!!

You all made me smile!!!!!!!

bEnTLey

2009-08-09T09:08:00.004-05:00

{gEttiN sOmE zZzZzZz's.......}

Just a quick post.

Our sweet little Bentley passed away yesterday.......

This is a picture Taylor took of her when she was just a baby.

One of our favorites!!!!!!!

She will be missed!!!!!!!

kiDs....

2009-08-06T08:33:00.003-05:00

Oh no.......is summer really almost over?!!??!?!?!?!?!

School registration is TODAY!!!!!!!

In a couple of weeks the kiddos will be back to school.......

I say oh no because......Taylor will be a SENIOR {oh my goodness say it isn't so}

Delaney will be a Sophomore {already!?!?}

And Kale......will be in Junior High {wow}

Where does the time go!?!??!!?

pOkEr rUn......

2009-08-03T13:05:00.005-05:00

A picture of us on the poker run + a little picnik.com!!!!!!!!!

WOW......our weekend flew by.......

We rode the bike on Friday almost all day....put on a little over 200 miles that day.

Saturday we rode in a Poker Run that the Pleasantville Fire Dept. puts on every year and rode about 140 miles that day!!!!!

I don't know how to play poker.....but I am guessing my hand was not very good......

My behind was a little tender by Sunday but we loved every minute of it!!!!!!!

rAnDoM.....

2009-07-31T01:00:00.000-05:00

It's finally Friday!!!!!!!

I have been a horrible blogger && blog friend......

I talked Troy into using one of his vacation days today......so we are hopping on the bike and hitting the hi~way!!!! We don't have GPS{{$800}} on the bike yet so we are tucking our handy little map in the bag and taking off for the day......who knows where the open road will take us!!!!!!

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!!!

And I will try to get around to catching up with all of you soon!!!!

yUmMmM.........

2009-07-27T13:46:00.002-05:00

Look what we had the other nite after dinner.......

YUMMMMMMM!!!!!!

I have never made strawberry shortcake or anything close to it...so for us it was a treat!!!!!

So if any of you have an awesome recipe please send it to me in an email.

troyandmissy[at]iowatelecon[dot]com

sAiNtS sOfTbaLL.......

2009-07-23T13:32:00.006-05:00

[[The girls with their certificates from Blue Grass All Conference nominations.]]

Last nite we had Taylor's softball banquet.......so now that softball is over she is officially a Senior!!!!!!! WOW that sounds weird to say.......as I have said before I am so excited for her.....but I am so not ready for her to grow up and leave the house!!!!!!!! I know she will still come back but it just is not the same!!!!!!!!

Anywho........just want to share a few hi~lites with you from the banquet.

Melcher-Dallas was the Blue Grass Conference Champs.......AGAIN!!!!!!!

That makes it 3.....yes I said 3 years in a row!!!!!!!

The record was 16-0 for the conference.

26-9 overall aaaaannnnd a school record for the most wins in a season!!!!!!!

Taylor got 1st team All Conference in the outfield.....5 of the 9 spots on the 1st team were from our team!!!!!! {{yiiipppeeee}}

And every single girl on our team got a nomination for 1st, 2nd or honorable mention!!!!!

Way to go ladies.......you had a great year!!!!!!!

wEeKeNd.......

2009-07-20T22:29:00.006-05:00

NOTE TO DAD'S.......{{mom's really feel uneasy about pictures of their son flying threw the air on something that does NOT have wings!!!!!!}} Kale LOVED it!!!!!!!!! :0)

Kale......I think he found the biggest mud hole in the entire place to go through!!!!!!!!

WOW.......the weekend flew by!!!!!!!

And Monday is almost gone.......

and come to think of it where has summer gone?!!?!?!??!?!

BUSY, BUSY weekend!!!!!!!

Friday we did bike nite as I have already posted about.

Taylor was on day 2 of dance camp on Friday.

Saturday was Taylor's last day at camp and she said......WOW!!!!!!

{very sore muscles!!!!!!!!}

I went to the Farmer's Market in Des Moines with my girlfriends from high school......good food and great fun!!!!!!!

And Troy and Kale went to Bluff Creek to ride dirt bikes......I sent the camera with them so that is the only pictures I have to share from the entire busy weekend!!!!!!!

And Sunday Delaney had an all day basketball camp at Graceland University.

BiKe NiTe......

2009-07-17T23:05:00.004-05:00

This is our bike in the very front......and that is Troy, Shawn, and Jodie at their bike in the background......I wish I would have taken a picture of his bike.......it is VERY cool!!!!!!

Just got home from our first bike nite in Indianola!!!!!!!

We really had a good time.

Troy's cousin Jodie and her husband Shawn invited us to go along.....THANKS GUYS!!!!!!!

So now that we got our first time jitters out of the way.....maybe we will head out to a few more.

I say we......but all I do is sit on the back of the bike....Troy does all the drivin'.

But I got a little nervous for him as we pulled in tonite......there are rows and rows of bikes parked up and down the streets and he had to drive down through all the bikes plus all the people to find a spot to park!!!!!!!

YIKES is all I can say.......but he did great....no scratches on our bike or anybody elses!!!!!!

Had a great time but don't think we are ready to head to Sturgis quite yet!!!!!!

THANKS SHAWN & JODIE..........we had alot of fun!!!!!!!

Looking forward to the next time!!!!!!!!

kALe....

2009-07-16T15:36:00.000-05:00

Kale came home from wrestling camp today.

He must have been ready to be home......he called me 3 times to make sure I knew what time to be there and to see if I was almost there!!!!!! :0)

We got him and his 2 huge bags of stinky& super smelly wrestling clothes from a weeks worth of wrestling camp!!!!!!!! {Eeeeewwwwww}

We missed him!!!!!!

And I think he missed us too{wink,wink} even though he won't admit to that I am sure!!!!!

fAtHeR/dAuGhTer sOfTbaLL gAme......

2009-07-15T21:16:00.006-05:00

Tonite was our father/daughter softball game.

At the end of the softball season the dads always play against the girls.

It is always one of my favorite things to go watch!!!!!!

I am not sure how many years in a row the dads have won......and this year was not the year for the girls to claim a victory!!!!!!

The dads won.......but they are getting a little big for their britches......next year could be your year ladies!!!!!!

But with the end of softball and baseball......comes the start of school.

We only have 1 month before school starts.........wow where has the summer gone!?!?!?!?!?!?

Anyway getting back to the game......here are a few pictures from tonite.

Taylor & Troy

Girls & Dads.......after the game.

The girls......great season ladies........we are all proud of you!!!!!!!

bAkEd bEaN mOnTh........

2009-07-14T23:47:00.000-05:00

I am not sure if you all know this or not............

BUT........July is baked bean month!??!?!?!!?

Here's a little tid~bit for ya.........

Americans consume 50 million pounds of baked beans during the month of July.

WOW......is all I have to say about that!!!!!!!

So do you think the Beano company sells more Beano in the month of July?!!?!?!?!?

Just think about it!!!!!!!!!

TOOT~TOOT.....for now!!!!!!!!

wReStLiNg cAmP......

2009-07-13T21:13:00.003-05:00

We took Kale to wrestling camp yesterday!!!!!!!

It has been a little weird for me.......I really do miss him!!!!!!

Ya know that feeling you get when you think you have had just about enough of them and would just LOVE to have a little vacation from your kids?!!?!?!?!??!

Here is my chance.......Sunday until Thursday he will be gone.........

It's only Monday and I wonder what he is up to and hope that camp is not getting the best of him!!!!!

And most of all......I worry that he is not taking a shower and changing his underwear as often as he should!!!!!!!

Wow......he will be 13 soon.......time flies!!!!!!!!

He told me to just pretend it was like when they will all go off to college.........I am trying but I think sending them all off to colleg is going to be a VERY hard thing to do!!!!!!!!

I better start buying the tissues now........I am going to need it!!!!!

rEciPe......

2009-07-06T16:38:00.000-05:00

Just want to share an awesome recipe with you!!!!!!

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

2 {10 oz.} cans chunk chicken, drained

2 {8 oz.} packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup ranch dressing

3/4 cup red hot sauce {i use franks red hot buffalo wing sauce}

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients together. Heat until warm. Transfer to crockpot, cover, and cook on low until hot and bubbly.

Serve with crackers, chips, or celery. {celery is my fav to dip with}

For those of us watching our girly figures you can use fat free or low fat products and it is still very yummy!!!!!!

Hope you are all off to a great start of the week.

And let me know if you try this and what you think!!!!!!