Bad Blogger!

I have been a very bad blogger lately.  Life has just gotten in the way.  Hopefully, things will smooth out pretty soon, and I can get back to my normal routines.  I have been keeping busy.  Spending lots of time in the yard and garden.  Today I harvested all of my cilantro.  It was about to bolt with the heat, and I didn't want to lose any of it, so I harvested all of it.

I also brought in my first zucchini and yellow squash today.

It smelled so good in my kitchen!  I washed it all up, and then got busy making several batches of Pesto.  Not your usual pesto, made with basil.  I love to make it with cilantro!  In fact, I prefer it over the basil pesto. 
I got my Cuisinart out and got busy.  Bunches of cilantro leaves, fresh garlic cloves, handful of parmesan cheese, and large handful of nuts of choice.  I made one batch with walnuts, and two batches with sunflower seeds...which is my favorite!!  Pulse until incorporated. 

Then while machine is on, pour a steady stream of olive oil into Cuisinart.  Also, season with salt and fresh cracked pepper at this time.

When you reach the desired consistency, turn off, and enjoy over pasta, or on pizza (like we did), and you can also freeze it, to use later.  I used three ice cube trays, and put it in my freezer.  Tomorrow I will pop the cubes out into  ziplock bags, making it easy to take out and use in the future, when I no longer have any cilantro growing in my garden.

Then I took one of the batches I made, and put it on fresh pizza dough and made pizza for dinner.

Pesto, fresh mushrooms, tomato, yellow squash from the garden, mozzarella cheese, and black olives.

Mmmm!  It was delicious! 
We had a pretty busy weekend.  The daughter of good friends of ours got married on Saturday in Palm Desert.  It was a 5 o'clock wedding on a beautiful golf course.  It was quite warm, but it turned out so nice.  And the the reception that followed was lovely.  I did not take my camera.
On Sunday, Mother's Day, I was treated to a nice lunch on the lake with my family.   Afterwards, Greg and I went out to visit with my Mom and Nana.
I have experimented with drying some apples in the dehydrator.  I made cinnamon apple chips.

These were SO good!  They disappeared in a matter of minutes!  I need to make more!

I sprinkled them with a mix of cinnamon and sugar, and a sweet spice mix I have from Santa Fe.  Oh my!!!
I find myself looking around for what else I can dehydrate!!!  Bananas are next.

We have been having some pretty extreme heat here.  Crazy weather, really!  Just last week, we were having fires in the evening, it was so cold.
The chickens are not laying as much, and I have found several broken eggs in the coop.  Yesterday, I found this shell-less egg on the lawn.

These are sometimes laid, for no known reason.  It feels like a water balloon.  The egg inside, is fine. 

I have been blessed with the love and support of my family, in this recent few months of going through a difficult time.  As well as many friends, who lift me up, and make me smile.  My friend Jane dropped these beautiful flowers at my door the other day.

Along with this angel.

I am so fortunate to have so many special people in my life. I have also spent a lot of time thinking about how lucky I am to have my Mom.  A lot of people I know, have lost their parents.   Although we have lost our dear Dad, and miss  him every single day, I am blessed beyond measure to have my Mom.  She has been incredibly comforting, and supportive to me during this rough patch of my life.
In just a little while, I am leaving here to meet my friend Jae at Glen Ivy Spa.  My little piece of heaven on earth.  I will float, read, talk with my best pal, eat lunch, nap, and enjoy the entire day, pampering myself.
One last picture of something pretty.  They are not mine, they are Erika's.  Her sister Gennifer gave them to her for Mother's Day, but I am enjoying them too.

I hope that if you are going through something hard in your life, that you can find a little bit of happy in every day.  It is there.....keep your eyes open, and look, it is there.
XO  Kris