Time Flies!

It's true.  The older you get, the faster time flies!!!  I have heard that all my life, and now I am living it!  I have no idea where time  has gone?  I am so busy, every day, that blogging has just kind of been pushed aside.  I have tried to keep up with what all of my blogging friends are up to.  But with my camera broken, I haven't made the time to sit down and blog much.  My iphone photos are okay, but it is just not the way I am used to blogging.
My garden is at a bit of a resting period now.  I have harvested all of the corn, broccoli, spinach, swiss chard and cabbage and peas.  I have some new seedlings going of lettuces, squash and cucumbers.  My pumpkins are going like gangbusters.  And the tomatoes are coming in like crazy!  I am making roasted sauce, and freezing it about every other day or so.

The aroma is out of this world.  After it cools, I put it in the food processor and pulse til smooth.  Then jar it up, or freeze it, if I am not going to use it right away.

My sauerkraut is done fermenting, and it is gooooood!!!

I rinsed it of the brine, and repacked it in clean mason jars.

We had grilled Brats the other night.  Heaped with krout, and topped with diced avocado.  To die for!

On the side, some diced cantaloupe fresh from the garden.  Wow!  Today, I am making some homemade Thousand Island dressing and we will have grilled Reuben's on the Panini Press.
One night last week, I made a big ol pot of Chili Mac.  My Mom used to make this a lot when we were at Bass Lake, or at the cabin.  And it was such a great comfort food.

I posted this picture on IG and several asked for the recipe.  Well, I don't make it with a recipe, but here is what I do.
Brown up some lean beef, or turkey.  You can also saute some onion and garlic in there too, if you like.  I then added the prepared sauce from my garden.  I used a lot of it.  Probably equivalent to One large jar of pasta sauce, or a jar and a half.  You can obviously make a smaller portion, but I freeze some for later.  I also add a few Tablespoons of tomato paste for richness.  Then a can of black beans, two cans of corn, a large can of black olives, chopped.  I add a good amount of chili powder to the sauce, which is what changes this to Chili Mac.  I cooked a pound of small shell pasta, and added when al dente.  Don't over cook your pasta!  I always reserve some of the water that the past cooks in.  I add a good ladle or so of the water to the sauce.  Top with some shredded cheese of choice, put the lid on to melt cheese, and enjoy with a nice salad and some garlic toast.
We had our granddaughters here for the weekend  recently, so that Mommy and Daddy could go celebrate their 12th anniversary!  We were busy, busy!!  The only photos I got were in the pool.

Erika brought Noah and Linkyn over on Sunday.  Linkyn is Erika's fiance's daughter.  She is one year younger than Noah.  Such a sweetie.  The four kids all get along so well!!!!

Oh my goodness, how I love these kids!!!!!
We have certainly hit those dog days of summer here.  We have had triple digits for several days in a row.  I broke down and bought some of those black out curtain panels and hung them in our family room.  It has made a tremendous difference when that fierce afternoon sun begins to set, and we can now shut out the heat and the glare for watching the telly.

I got a smoking deal on them.  I had a 30% off coupon for Kohl's and these were on sale, from 50.00 dollars a panel, to 11.00 a panel.  I got them for under 10.00 a panel.  If they had three, I would have gotten another one.  But what a difference they make!!
I snapped this of my grandson the other day, one late afternoon while we were inside avoiding the heat of the day.

There is a new place in town called Live From Memphis.  My girlfriend Sue and I went one night to hear a friend of hers sing at open mic night.  She was terrific.  I called my son and told him to come down and check it out.  As it turned out, he was coming from teaching music lessons, and he had his guitar.  So he went up and did a few songs too.

We all went down again the following Monday night for open Mic, and the place was hopping.  There was an amazing band playing, and several other great musicians for the open mic.  Christopher and Breanne came to see Drew sing.  So did Christine's family and a friend of hers.  The place was packed!  Such a fun energy!

If you live in the Corona area, go check out Live From Memphis!!  It is located at the Dos Logos Shopping Center.  Easy to find, as it is right in front.  They have open mic every Monday night.  They do dueling pianos, and something fun every night!  Go check it out.  And try their sidewinders fries!!!  Yum!
Boy is it ever quiet around here this weekend!!!  Our oldest daughter Gennifer, and her family have left for Boise Idaho on vacation to visit her husband Jake's family.  Our middle daughter Erika, is at the river for a few days.  And our son Drew and his girlfriend are away at the cabin for the weekend to celebrate his girlfriend Christine's 25th birthday.  I can't ever remember a time that all three of our kids and their families were all out of town on the same weekend.  Yesterday we went to Sam's for groceries, and then came home and watched movies, (slept) the rest of the afternoon away.  It was heavenly!!!!
I appreciate all of the inquiries as to why I haven't blogged, and where I have been!  I am A okay, and all is well.  Just busy, and finding it a little difficult to blog without my camera!!!  
Have a great day!!!
XO  Kris