JORDAN IS 21!

I can't believe that Jordan is 21. Time really flies at times.
Jordan did not want a big to-do, only her favorite, which is a BBQ at mom's. We enjoyed some great good, laughs, and a chocolate raspberry cream cake...YUM.

Jord has got this great thing that is a smile and a frown at the same time...we were laughing so hard when Nate and Jordan were doing the "smile-frown" together...

I guess you had to be there:)

I enjoy the time spent with this beautiful girl of mine. She is happy, fun, sweet, motivated and a refreshing ray of sunshine in my life!

I...

I was browsing through blogs today to make time in bed a bit easier, and came upon a fun little tidbit that Laura and Jen both put on their blogs....I loved it! I got to learn a bit about both of these cute ladies, and decided this would be fun...

Here it goes:


1. I've come to realize that my chest-size...
Used to be existent
:)
2. I've come to realize that my job...
Is something I am great at. I am good at dealing with people, diffusing tempers and helping people. I love people. I miss working right now...

3. I've come to realize that when I'm driving...
I have a bit of road rage. I also LOVE to harmonize with my kiddies to the radio at volume HIGH

4. I've come to realize that I need...
To hug my husband, to hear from my kids, to dig around in my garden

5. I've come to realize that I have lost...
Time...I look back at how quick my beautiful children have grown up. I remember hearing adults say that all the time when I was little and I soooo didn't think that would ever happen to me...I was WRONG!

6. I've come to realize that I hate it when...I am alone

7. I've come to realize that if I'm drunk...
It is usually with silly laughter at our dinner table with my silly family:)

8. I've come to realize that money...
Is incredibly hard to come by right now, and makes life overwhelming.

9. I've come to realize that certain people...
Make me smile, make me sad, make me think. I love people, and trying to figure out how they got to where they are in life and what their dreams and hopes are...

10. I've come to realize that I'll always...
Love MUSIC with all of my heart and soul

11. I've come to realize that my sibling(s)...
Are pretty crazy. I love talking to them, because they think like me, and we understand each other...I love them very much.

12. I've come to realize that my mom...
Was one of my best friends. She held me up when I couldnt stand. She was strong, funny, beautiful, ambitious and I miss her more than I can say. I am sitting here with tears running down my cheeks...I love you momma!

13. I've come to realize that my cell phone...
Is an addiction. Jeff calls is my "bink"


14. I've come to realize that when I woke up this morning...
I felt grateful and peaceful...haven't felt either of those things very much lately

15. I've come to realize last night before I went to sleep...
That I am incredibly impressed by my children. They have gone through more than most people can imagine, and still get up and keep trying. They are strong, beautiful people that are "my heart" itself...

16. I've come to realize that right now I am thinking...
That life has so much more in store for us, I am excited ( and scared)

17. I've come to realize that my dad...

Is my hero. He was so compassionate, kind, brave, smart. Loved the out of doors and instilled that in me. Would quietly teach me with love when I "KNEW" what was best for me...ha ha...oh daddy, I MISS YOU!!
18. I've come to realize that when I get on Facebook...
I too have a SLIGHT addiction.

19. I've come to realize that today…
I am slowly going CRAZY having to be in bed...this is going on week three...this surgery was worth it, right??

20. I've come to realize that tonight...
I get to be at the dinner table again with my family...what an incredible time of the day that it...(and Glee is on)

21. I've come to realize that tomorrow...
I will still be laying in bed...uggghhhhh

22. I've come to realize that I really want to...
Open a restaurant

23. I've come to realize that my butt...
Is sore...HA HA

24. I've come to realize that life...
Is SOOOO not what I imagined. If I would have seen what I would have to go through, I would have run so far the other way. I wouldn't be the person I am right now though, huh?

25. I've come to realize that this weekend...Is going to be good...we are going to go get autumn leaves:)

26. I've come to realize that marriage...
Is SO HARD! It is much better with someone you truley love! I promise. It is something you need to constantly work on. You need to learn how to forgive, how to be vulnerable, to share your thoughts, to compromise, to dream and laugh together...

27. I've come to realize that my friends...
Are amazing... I'm a very lucky person to have such great people surround me.

28. I've come to realize that this year..
has been one the the very hardest in my life, but the lessons learned and the love strengthened and the power I found in me have actually been gifts.

29. I've come to realize that my ex is...
ever present and will always be around as we have children together. I do wish him well.

30. I've come to realize that maybe I should..

Get in SHAPE

31. I've come to realize that I love...
flowers, the canyon, my garden, my husband, my children, music, laughter, the smell of fresh rain and cooking

32. I've come to realize that I don't understand...
Myself...you think at 44 I would know this person Kathleen...I am getting to know her though, and she is actually someone I like:)

33. I've come to realize my past...
is something that I am really glad is the past. Live and learn and grow.

34. I've come to realize that parties...
Make me happy! We need to have more...I really miss my extended family. I feel like our little family is alone sometimes.

35. I've come to realize that I'm totally terrified...
of MICE....(and men...ha ha...I slay myself)

Just My Gardens....

Secret Garden

For those of you who know me well, you know that I love the earth, the dirt, watching tiny seedling pop up from the soil...I even love to see the worms that help churn my soil.

Spring is my favorite season, because I am excited to see each new fern frond pop their head up to the sun for the first time, each bulb with their greenery reaching for the sun, and I get to plant, weed, prune get scratched by my roses and feel the sun and the earth!

I am so grateful I have a husband who loves the garden as much as I do. He has built me some great boxes for my vegetables, and loves to come home and putter in the garden with me, pulling a few stray weeds, harvesting and watering.

We have grown some regular vegies, but also some crazy ones this year that have all turned out to be a hit. We have a Salsa garden box, with Cilantro,various peppers, and TOMATOES....lots and lots of them! We then had radishes and snap peas, purple beans, eggplant, parsnips, kohlrabi, yellow and red and orange carrots. We have zuchinni, cucumbers, leeks, yellow and red beets, swiss chard, spinach. Then we have our herb garden up in the rock garden jeff and I made while I was going thru chemo. That garden was made rock by rock when I was SO sick, but wanted to create beauty in my yard still. Jeff would take me up to the canyon and we would hunt for rocks. Sometimes I was too weak to pick them up, sometimes, I would have to run throw up, but now when I look at that rock garden, the memories are strong and dear to me. We have our peppermint, lemon thyme, lemon basil, basil, oregano, tarragon and marjoram.

A few fun things we have made this summer with our produce:

Fresh Salsa ( which is a must in our garden)

Roma tomatoes ( I grill roast 3 of them for a smokey flavor)
1 roasted jalapeno
1/2 roasted red pepper
1 white onion
cilantro
juice of one lime
3 garlic cloves
sometimes 1/2 cucumber chopped fine
1 scallion
salt and pepper to taste
cumin

Another hit was

Kohlrabi Slaw

1/2 head cabbage, chopped fine
1/2 red apple chopped
1 kohlrabi bulb peeled and chopped fine
1 scallion, chopped to the top
1/2 large celery stalk, chopped fine
1/2 red pepper chopped fine
6 to 7 red grapes chopped
3 Tb. fresh parsley chopped
one shredded carrot
1 t poppy seeds
a touch of horseradish
2 T vidalia onion dressing
1/2 c mayo
1/4 cup white vinegar
salt and pepper

We have also enjoyed our fresh pears with chopped fresh mint leaves, cool summer dessert/ side dish

An easy, wonderful salad is fresh, sliced tomatoes, basil leaves and mozzarella chunks drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

fresh green beans sauteed with marjoram and garlic is a great dish

ratatouille with eggplant, fresh tomatoes, basil, zucchini, mushrooms and garlic

Parsnips roasted with a dab of butter, tarragon and brown sugar

We love our garden!!

JEN JEN IS 22!!

Oh my goodness...my beautiful daughter Jen, my first born, is 22!

I cannot believe the time has gone by so fast...memories of the little girl with the big grin and the cute voice...always singing and dancing and so artistic.

She really has not changed...she still has the big grin, is so good at entertaining and making people laugh and feel good. She has a beautiful voice, and is still a great dancer...artistic? INCREDIBLY SO!!

We celebrated her birthday with one of our favorite family past times...a BBQ with the best flank steak EVER.

Riley made a beautiful and very delicious cake for his sister...

I love you Jenica Nicole...may this year bring hope, love, peace and fresh new and incredible things in life for you honey...you deserve it ALL

Jacey and Brady...Jr. Prom

Jacey and Brady Pulver have been dating for about nine months now. He is part of our family and a fun kid to have around. They were so cute going to Jr. Prom...I only have a few pictures, and hopefully can get some more from Brady's parents.

My little Jacey is all grown up, looking beautiful! Brady did not look so bad himself...

Jordan's surgery

Jordan gave us a pretty bad scare. This is a child who has never even had stitches. Ok,she did fracture a skull a few times when she was a tike as she started walking at the young age of 7 months. She really had not stopped since, and has been very active and healthy.

They discovered two humongous tumors, one in each ovary. They filled her whole abdomen and had pushed all of her other organs aside...her lungs. She had an incredible surgeon, Dr. Rinda Ellis, and an Oncologist, Dr. Andrew Soissens, who both did an amazing job with the surgery. They could not do this laparoscopically due to the sheer mass of the tumors, but she has a very low, neat scar, albeit large.

It was a hard recovery in the sense that Jordan loves to be active, she climbs, swims, hikes, and rides her bike everywhere, works at Sundance and Outback, and is going to school to become a nurse. It was hard for her to stay down and feel so sick, but her boyfriend Nate was an incredible help, and I loved being able to be in her home and share with her as she is SO independent.

I think she healed so well because her body is in such excellent condition, she had SO many of you praying and sending her great thoughts...co workers helping out, as well as her sheer will. They told her 8 week recovery, but she was walking and trying before that.

The results are good, and we are So grateful...Love you Jordi bug!

Mom's Birthday!

OHHHHH What a fun day! My wonderful family cleaned the house, made an incredible dinner of Pasta Alfredo with Grilled chicken, a wonderful salad with spinach and grapes and the cake Jenica and Jordan made was INCREDIBLE! It was three layers of chocolate and vanilla goodness with creem cheese frosting, and a beautiful fudge piping with fresh flowers...
I got the Pink Floyd movie...YES! and had an incredible time laughing and playing...

I forgot to mention that my friends at work got me a tierra and a pink boa with a birthday wand! They know how much I love to drees up...YES, I WORE THEM!

Another incredibly special part of the night was the flower pots we each painted...each person had a pot that they specialized just for themselves, with personalities. We had SO much fun and it was such a great time. Each person had a "magic bean to plant. Jeff's said Success, Mine was Dream, Jenica's was Namaste, Jordan's was Health, Jacey's was harmony, Riley's says Peace and Jocelyn's was bravery. what an incredible night:) I love this crazy family so much...

Happy Birthday to ME! I am 44 years old and proud of every year...

Thursday March 11th

Today is a big day for us...a day of ending, a day for beginnings...I choose to think this is going to be the start of a sharp turn UP!!

I am happy...

kids...awesome husband...awesome
strength in this family unit...INCREDIBLE!

Christmas!!

Christmas at our house is usually a crazy, fun, and very unpredictable time of year. We started with a crazy McDonald Christmas party. We always have lots of delicious food (thank you Marcy) and fun, presents, then the famous "White board Pictionary game". This is a guys against girls game, and for those of you who dont know that McDonald family, it is an INCREDIBLY COMPETITIVE GAME. We usually get laughing pretty hard, and Sheila is highly entertaining during this game...oh, for the record...the GIRLS won this year:P

Christmas eve was special this year...we opened Pajamas, played games and had some wonderful food and fun. Jacey and Jocelyn got some fleece pajamas that werent their style, so the fashion shows with those were pretty entertaining. Jacey's boyfriend Brady could not quit laughing. We had a "Sing Fest" and broke out in some pretty serious harmony and actions with some Back Street Boys tunes...oh how I love my family and their fun personalities. We have had a hard year, but every one of us has grown, and figured out what was truly important in life, and most of all, we have STUCK TOGETHER. This is what strong people are made of...

I love my kids, my husband and our STRENGTH!

Merry Christmas!