Pie Crust lessons from the Kitchen

Today was a amazing day that I got to share with my Dear Friend Laura Bevilacqua.  I don't get to spend much time with Laura.. both our lives are so crazy busy.  She has two tiny kids one with special needs and a little preschooler both whom take a lot of time, energy, love, patience and tenacity.  She also has a husband that is fighting Lymphoma... and doing well at it while being a active honoree for Team In Training Marathon runners to raise money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society... Today however was all about reconnecting and what better way to do that than to Bake PEACH pies.   We attacked 3 cases of peaches dillegently... and learned that pie crust works best with butter that is of salted sweet cream... not of the Trader joes Unsalted variety.. you know the pure healthy butter.  The crust was impossible to roll out and we had to piece one pie together.. we baked it and it still tastes great..It did however fall apart.  We were able to put the Unsalted healthy butter aside and save it for cooking other dishes and brought out the Salted sweet cream butter for my pie cruse recipe.   Its a recipe from Virginia from a friends great grandmother.  I use this recipe instead of the older recipe that uses crisco shortening.. The rich butter flavor is so wonderful.   To follow are pictures of our day. We laughed our guts out and had a wonderful day and enjoyed a piece of pie together after cleaning up our horrible mess. 

Pie Crust
4 Cups Flour
3 1/2 Sticks Butter
1Tblsp White Binegar
2 tsp Salt
1Tblsp Sugar
1/2 Cup Water
1egg white to coat the pie top crust before baking

raw sugar  as desired  sprinkled on the pie before baking.

Farm girl sisterhood for all the farmgirls out there... are you one too?

Have you ever heard of Mary Jane Butters? She is a Farmer that lives in Idaho that has created a big sisterhood called MaryJanes farmgirl sisterhood.  Well, about 3 years ago I read her magazine, was interested but this last summer Dominique gave me her idea book, it's a amazing book with recipes, patterns, gardening tips, life tips etc.   The movement is quite huge throughout the country, in austrailia as well as europe.   I Joined the sisterhood a couple of months ago and have been busy reading all I can about it.   I found it interesting that it's not just for farm women, but for city dwellers and suburbanites that want to better their homes and families lives by growing thier own food, sewing their own quilts, aprons, clothes, or stitching, knitting, etc.   Its not what you do, but rather the understanding that there is a lot to do and a lot of women with hearts for the same thing.  Good friends, simpler lives and the love of family and friends. Well, i've been shy since I joined a few months ago lurking in the shadows.. reading the posts, and peeling back the many layers of the sisterhood. Most farmgirl sisters have blogs, which i've read many... and i've come to the conclusion that these are very good women, with great minds, great talents... and I'm excited to be a member. I joined a few swaps yesterday, have shared a little and gotten some responses back.  I'm excited to say that I think I will meet some real women who don't care what "label" your purse is... or how big your house is, but rather.... what can we do together and make some friends.   If you, like the sound of this, I invite you to join me on this farmgirl sisterhood journey.  I hope you will consider it. Think of the possibilities.  could be fun!    

I love my LIFE!!

I am lucky enough to have a career that merits many vacations throughout the school year.  I work at a school district that has a semi traditional year round school schedule.  That allows me  8 weeks of summer vacation, 2 weeks of october break, 2 weeks in Decemberl, 2 weeks in March.   In which I reacquaint myself with things I love.   gardening is one huge one.  This past week I was able to help someone I love put a garden in.   This family will be able to grow their own veges and enjoy the harvest of their fruit trees.   I can't wait to have a farm of my own someday.  Did I mention I'm a farmgirl?   I love spreading the love of gardening and farm life.
And, today..... I get to re-arrange and re-organize my craft room.  I'm like a kid in a candy factory.

Neglected my BLOG

I realize how I've neglected my BLOG... I'm sorry Blog. I'll try harder from now on.  See, I have a very happy full life and sometimes when the day is done I forget about you.   Not intentionally however.  I wonder if Youll ever forgive me.   So much to do in such a short day.  If I try harder will you be a blog that actually has readers?

Dutra Family Gathering

Carins Memory Quilt

Made from T-shirts

My Joy Buttons.

My Grandchildren

My Ken with our Grandson Mason

He loves that little man! 

Cherri Picking 

Cherri Pie Yumers

Autum is ready for the pool!

Teaching Dom to SEW! 

Dominiques first chicken apron! 

Welome to my club Dom! 

My Daughters new orchard and garden and her new home. 

Her mother is sooooo excited. 

can you tell?

A amazing backyard paradise and my Christina

is on top of the hot tub getting ready to clean it.

My Handsome Son and I at Joshua and Courtney Shaffers Wedding

Newlyweds first dance as man and wife.

Congratulations Courtney and Joshua

So, you see... I HAVE been busy!  

My Baby is Graduating Highschool tomorrow....

I am so emotional today, My daughter Carin graduates from highschool tomorrow.  Rain or shine they say.... outdoors too.   So, I did all the preparations and worked hard to make her day special... and inside. I am a mess.   See, my daughter and I drive eachother crazy...with everything, we yell all the time, she says i'm stupid but the status quo i'm hearing is that all mothers are stupid when their children turn 18.   But, regardless, through all the years... my little girl scout, animal lover, drama queen... is growing up... and I am growing OLD. 

I wonder where the years went... and what mistakes I've made with her... and I hope she knows how very much I love her.  

she is bright, funny, smart.. smart ass, bossy, arrogant and mean sometimes... but she's all me~

Congratulations carin... may all your dreams come true.

Girls Day out

A day out with Tabitha and Vanessa always ends up to very fun and adventerous.  Tabitha and I always say that Vanessa takes us to the best places.. and she does. Here is our first stop.. Pleasant Hill Library Rummage sale........

Me and Tabitha with our Book Sale finds... Our boxes were full of great books,to include old cook books, planting books, I even found a cook book called White Trash cooking...

Found a lot of music sheets books and childrens books... we paid almost nothing for our treasures.

Vanessa Always takes us to the Best Places.   Next on the agenda for the day was the 50th White elephant Sale in Oakland.   It was a Massive warehouse that basically was a garage sale.  We rummages through boxes of junk to look for treasures.. and we all found some.  I found a ton of lace for my crazy quilts and we all fount emphemera or art supplies of all types.. we spent hours in there gawking at antiques, old books, office supplies, and a lot of sewing supplies.  Proceeds from this sale went to a non profit agency.  Lots of people, lots of stuff... equals sore feet!

We were laughing at this adorable dog, english bulldog as it just stared at us as if were were a t-bone steak. 

Another place Vanessa took us to is a Store called Elegant Clutter in DanVille... oHmyGaud!!!!  I could have done some serious damage to our retirement fund in this store... take a peek.

Ok, so I love
Chickens.. those girls are so cute.   I loved the one on the top shelf display at the store peeking down below.

We three really loved this Tea Pot and Tea cups to match... for the queen in all of us!

Next stop........ one of our favorite hobbies....

yes, quitling & sewing. This was our first time in this very sweet and wonderful quilting store in Danville.

We were greeted with friendly women and so much eye candy that I gained weight just looking at the stuff.  Take a look at this Apron.. I bought the book so that I CAN and I will make it!  Of course the hand bags are adorable too... patterns can be found in this book. (Thats my hand holding it up)

Here were a few other wonderful items we liked in this store....

Of course we just Had to go into Scrapbook Territory in Berkely.  we all fell in love the the sample of the Donna Downey's canvas bag that was on display.

Oh I don't dare to forget to mention the best burger joint I've ever been to in my LIFE.  Barneys in Berkely on college avenue... You have to go there. It was amazing.  Vanessa said the sweet potato fries were amazing... and let me tell you. I have never known sweet potatoes to be as good as they were this day. Tabitha had the Mushroom burger, I had a terriaki burger that had sauted vegetables with pineapple Yum! The chocolate shakes were amazing too.

Thanks Tabitha and Vanessa for a great day and for the laughs.  Thanks Tabitha for taking the pictures.

Lets do this again soon!

Being a Woman.....

How can it be a large career to tell other people's children about the Rule of Three, and a small career to tell one's own children about the universe?
How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No. A woman's function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute. I will pity Mrs. Jones for the hugeness of her task; I will never pity her for its smallness."
— G.K. Chesterton

Because I work with Autistic Children, and have 5 of my own.. sometimes I wonder whom I give the most of myself to.  Soon, I am retiring and my life will be about my husband and I and starting a new phase in our lives together.  It will be all about us and for the first time in many years... I am totally excited about my life again.  without a housefull.  I know I will miss it, and them,  but i so yearn for days in which I get to fill with what I want to fill it with. With 3 kids away in college and one with a exciting career as a firefighter and one with a family of her own.. I look foward to Farming, sewing, raising chickens, making homeade books, canning and putting food up, traveling, photograpy, rubber stamping arts, sewing aprons, quilting... my days to call my own. visiting my children and letting them cook for me... swooping up my grandchildren to see a movie and a trip to a zoo. 

My life is Blessed, I am greatful and I am excited.