Easter.

This year our "Easter Photos" came from our own couch instead of my parents entry way. Which is where they've been taken for the last 6 years. I guess I could have gone over there and set my camera up and taken them just for the sake of tradition. But that's no fun if my parents aren't there. It was slightly chaotic, but I've come to expect that from remote control photos.

It's becoming very evident that Gus has a stopping point with his sisters. (And this might be my favorite photo in a long time)

He also got new top siders for church, but wore them for about 12 minutes and they rubbed a blister on his heel. So he refused to move. They seem like the most perfect church shoes to me. immobilizing.

I could eat these two up...

I hope your Easter was filled with lots of ham and cadbury eggs!

love love

Seattle.

Excuse the back log here for a moment. Before I became completely neurotic about pie, I was stewing all the options in my mind. Writing a business plan and price matching all sorts of ingredients, including the testing and perfecting recipes. While I was letting everything settle in my mind I ran away with my mom and sister to Seattle. Happy Birthday Mom! A surprise trip from my dad to a city she'd never been too. It was just a quick get away, but the loveliest long weekends. We stayed up way to late, ate way to much, walked everywhere, and were nothing but inspired by the sights of Seattle. The weather was, dare I say, perfect and the company even better.
I was constantly dreaming of pie and wandering Pikes Place feeling all sorts of inspired. This trip couldn't have come at a better time!

Thanks Dad for giving Mom a weekend with Micall and I, best birthday present ever!
love love

super photogenic.

yesterday I took a small break from baking pie. I figured the kitchen could be flour free for a few hours. And then I noticed that my children were still in their church clothes and a photo was required. I mean I might have required it, but that doesn't mean it was successful.

Hey Gus, where's your nose?

Oh. right there?

Where's Ruby's nose?

I'm sure I could have photoshopped some heads around, changed a few things, but really this is our life. Gus shoves his finger in his nose and gets real mad when there isn't a ball to throw. Stella poses perfectly and tries to make sure everyone is looking the right direction. And Ruby, oh she is just pure feisty that one...
Happy Monday!

love love

Pie Pie Me oh My

As a child I played "cafe" not restaurant, because I did not want a restaurant. I wanted a little cafe, where I could bake. I always had cute little menus with whatever my mom was fixing for dinner, and my pretend shop was named "gerts". (my dad always called me gert as a child, and I'm not entirely sure why.)

In the 5th grade we had a school program where we all lined up and told the audience what we wanted to be when we grew up. I'm sure we did some other stuff too, but thats not important. As I stood at the back of the line, not really sure what I wanted to be. I was feeling all sorts of conflicted about what I would say. Every girl in front of me wanted to be one of two things: a nurse or a hair stylist. Apparently my 5th grade class was dreaming big. Because everyone was destine to wear scrubs or trim hair, maybe thats what should be too. But I didn't want to be either of those things. I really wanted to be a baker; and with sweaty hands, thats what I told the audience.

Through school my answer to "what do you want to be when you grow up?" was always owning a bakery. I wanted a little shop where the locals could come in and order the usual, and I wanted to know what that was. Always. When I was in High School I had an itch for a video camera. Because they were cool, and social media didn't exist nor did cell phones with cameras on them. I didn't have enough money for a camera but I figured out a way. I sat down with my parents one night and we mapped out the cost of pie. I broke it all down to the ounce then figured out a menu. I went door to door to all my neighbors, members of our ward and even my school teachers, selling them on homemade pies to be delivered to your doorstep. I had a great little sales pitch and I sold pie.  I would wake up early, mix crusts together and chill them. Then after school I would bake them and deliver the pies of the day. I had this awesome little scooter that I drove around and it had a perfect box on the back for pie. I remember it took me 3 weeks and 55 pies to earn enough money to buy that video camera. After I made my purchase, my mom kicked me out of her kitchen. I can't blame her, there was flour everywhere.
Always in the back of my mind there is pie, and ways to bake it. I enjoy a slice of pie, but rolling out crusts and filling them with amazing ingredients is what makes soul happy. I named my girls after potential bakeries. When my babies are scared at night I sing them the pie song. When I am looking for forgiveness from my husband I bake him a banana cream pie. I haven't always made successful pies. I have tweaked and studied custards until they were just right. I just keep trying until the perfectionist in me is satisfied.
Regardless of the time and place in my life, baking pie has always been my happy. They are a thing of beauty, but simple. They don't take days to bake, or have any fancy ingredients, but they are always a crowd pleaser. Everyone loves pie. I'm pretty sure you could change the world if you showed up with a handmade pie.

After 15 years of obsessively baking pies,  I've decided to sell them all over again.  I won't be delivering them on the back of my scooter anymore and maybe someday there will be a shop. But for now, there is "June Pie". One flavor, five pies and it changes daily. I'm only gonna bake five a day, but i'll announce the pies of the week on Mondays via Facebook and Instagram. You can reserve your flavor there and pick it up in the evening. I have never been so excited about something in all my days! I haven't slept in weeks, I find myself dreaming of pies!

I love to bake pie, and I hope you enjoy it too!  Head on over and like the Facebook page, start following me on Instagram and get ready for pie! Maybe you'll get lucky and find your hands on some of my "test pies"

love love

just a post

a few things worth mentioning...

- itunes radio. I wasn't completely sold on it until we discovered the "Van Morrison" station. I can listen to it for hours and hours and never hear a song worth changing. Never.

-In Kevin and I's latest bed war, he sat straight up at about 3am and poked me in the eyeball. !!!!!! Then he laid back down as if nothing had happened. Seriously! who eye pokes in their sleep? So i kicked him in the shin and rolled over. When the sun rose, my eye was all blood shot and he wondered what had happened.

- I threw away all the sugar in the house, and it's not going so well. I'm an addict.

- Don't think that because the sun has started to shine that my obsessive hobby of knitting has gone by the way side. I've just switched to bigger projects. Like poufs. with rope. you can imagine the rope burns on my fingers...

- My sister announced she's having a baby! boy! in September. Naturally I started going through the boxes underneath my bed for maternity clothes. But they weren't there. Henry is almost 18 months old and my maternity clothes were still hanging in my closet. whyyyyyyyyyy......

-On my trusty "van morrison" radio station, crazy love came on as I was pulling Gus out of his high chair. He didn't wiggle out of my arms, instead he laid his head on my shoulder and patted my back as we danced in the kitchen. for the entire song. I know it's not a long song, but that kid never has much affection for me. But there he was dancing in the kitchen to crazy love covered in goldfish crumbs and maybe a few tears rolled down my cheeks. maybe.

- Today is Pi Day. and naturally it seems like my kind of day. As I sit pouring over a few different recipes and options to commemorate this glorious holiday, I just really love baking pie. and since all my pie pans have been delivered to grateful homes, it's time to purchase my yearly stash of pans. I go through about a dozen every year. Easily.

- Last week I made the most beautiful pie. Salted Caramel Apple. from four and twenty blackbirds, and it was the best way to spend the morning. It was just so much fun baking it. Early in the morning, with a clean kitchen and a good playlist going. I was in my moment and grove and it felt so nice. Especially when it all turned out.

-and worth noting, in my fifteen years of obsessive pie baking, I have never changed my pie crust recipe. never. I've been there when someone's tested a vodka recipe, or listen to people drone on and on about an all butter crust and read all about the reasons why you do it one way or another. There has never been a different crust in my pie pans. Its the same recipe my mom used, her mom used, and my great grandma used. It's trusty and good, and you shouldn't fix something that isn't broken. But I had an itch, and I changed it last week. I did a part butter, part shortening crust. It was good. It had a different flavor, a different feel, and now I can say I've tried something else. But it won't be replacing my crust. not really ever again.

-also, all three of my kids are burying each other in the sand box and i'm so grossed out. I hate sandboxes and would give a lot of things for my kids to hate them too. But cheers to the sunshine and Gus being able to play outside with the others, he's in heaven.

love love