Happy Pi Day!!

Mmmmmm pie..... okay, so I do know that pi and PIE are two totally separate things and only one of those do I understand. :) I'm sure you can guess it is the one that normally has crust and can hold any number of preferred fillings to satisfy the taste buds. Pie. One of those yummy delights that my sister never could master and I heard many horror stories of her throwing balls of pie dough across the room at her laughing husband and I'm most certain lots of curse words were uttered under her breath. He learned to either duck or stay out of the kitchen. My mother, on the other hand, was the master of pie dough. Actually, she could pretty much win the grand prize on anything she made, but her pie crust was and always will be the best I have ever had.  When she was battling cancer and staying at my house as I cared for her, I decided that while she still could, she NEEDED to teach me her secrets to making the perfect pie crust. Even though I always held out hope that she wouldn't leave this world or me behind, I somehow knew deep inside that it was now or never.  We spent time in my kitchen as she showed me and taught me and I practiced over and over. For some reason, this seemed really important at the time. And honestly, I do not regret it in the least bit. It is some of the best memories I have of us together. Regardless to say, I now proudly make pie crust (much to the disgust of my sister who still cannot make pie crust to save her life) with the same confidence that my mom had. I think its perfect or as perfect as any pie crust can be that's not my mom's. I am happy with it anyway, and Lord knows, I am my worst critic! So there you have it. My pie story. And one of the fondest, most cherished memories I have with my mom. Now, every time I make a pie ~ which strangely enough is usually only at Thanksgiving or Christmas even though my 14 year old son BEGS for me to make them ~ I look to heaven and thank my mom for her undying patience and for teaching me the simple things in life that mean so much now. Happy Pie Day, Mom! {blows kiss towards heaven}