Pie Night...Another One

"The most wonderful night of the year" according to a friend who attended Garlick Family Pie Night this past weekend! Fifteen scrumptious deserts made the holiday lineup this year.

Did you know it takes 44 eggs, 5 pounds of butter, and over 25 cups of sugar to turn these empty pie tins...

into this...

and this...all in one day! 

Incidentally, while measuring ingredients for the final pie, a Lemon Meringue...I'm one egg short of the 4 the recipe required. All afternoon...willing those chickens in the backyard coop to lay one more egg. Dean go squeeze a chicken or something!

Cream...lots and lots of cream...

almost an entire gallon.

Two complete bottles of red food coloring for the Red Velvet Cake.

8 bricks of cream cheese, and pounds of pecans, bananas, apples, peaches, coconut, lemons, key limes,

Big thanks to Joni...for taking most of these photos while I served pie

and flour...a TON of flour. But don't worry, I take all the fat and calories out...just in case you are worried!


There is always a flurry of last minute tasks (like wiping flour from my face and sugar off the floor) before everyone arrives. Once the doorbell rings, anxious pie eaters converge on the delectable sweet spread of yummy goodness, trying their best to decide which slice or slices to taste. Mother and daughter, Susie and Meghan came all the way up from the big city.

As friends and neighbors gather in my home,


I can't help but reflect on each of them and the perfect and poignant role they play in my life. I love Michelle's look...this being her first pie night, she seems eager to jump right in.

A friend of The Teenager's samples German Chocolate Pie...the latest addition to the pie lineup.

Olivia learning to use a fork ends up wearing most of her attempt.

Over the years, the guest list has grown, and so has my love for all of them.

Another couple of rookies to pie night this year...I was completely surprised when Karen and hubby Mark peeked around the corner.


Posing with Joni, I am reminded of my infamous college years spent giggling and eating late night Lucky Charms instead of studying. These girls have known me even longer than Dean. Collectively we've experienced years of ups and downs, remaining close to cheer each other on through it all.


It seems The Teenager has been charming the ladies.

To some people it may seem a tremendous amount of work...spending an entire day baking pies preparing for a big party. But the tradition of pie night is as important to The Garlick Press as decorating our Christmas tree.

And now that Pie Night is over for another year...I can really relax and enjoy the holidays ahead! Just don't ask me to make another pie crust for quite a while.

Adorable November

Today being the last day of November, here are just a few things I found adorable during this month of gratitude.

Lately, Henry has been going by the nickname Hammyburger...and now we know why. A toy hamburger patty has become his new favorite thing at Nana's house. Not sure why...I guess he just loves meat!

Olivia finding a comfy place to sit. This is what happens when Nana is tending.

Henry...adorable, sweet baby Henry. The back story on this photo...digging through storage boxes of old toys, we came across this hat. Dean bought one for each of the girls during one of his many trips to Russia. Cass, Dione and Jocie wore these hats for years.

Scrunchy nose face!

Shooting photos with the babies is always adventuresome and adorable. Add freezing cold temps, fresh wet snow, a snowman whose Oreo eyes were eaten by the dog, and then throw in a live chicken just to really create mayhem!

You know those babies must think we are NUTS!

And that 's the end of the photo shoot! Sorry Henry...but even your pout is adorable! By the way, the cards turned out great...I can't wait to find one in my mailbox!

Ah...sweet tender moments of Olivia and Papa snuggling on the sofa...love her adorable little belly!

A birthday cupcake surprise from Jocie's friends...Autumn, Sid, and Lindsay. They spent hours making them...aren't they gorgeous? Love you girls...truly, madly, deeply I do!

Getting ready to send out a few orders of jiggysticks...adore...adore...adore! A big thank you to everyone who has supported our adventure so far. Dean continues to send me a text every time he receives one of your orders...he adores it completely!

The latest jiggystick flavor...Raspberry Vanilla. I love how this label turned out!

Taken with the iphone 4s...not bad.

And finally...The Teenager on the first day of the ski season Saturday. As he stepped into those new Line skis and headed down the mountain, I couldn't help but sense Jocie skiing right along with him; smiling and proud of her totally legit baby brother!

Pausing The Press to Give Thanks

Undeniably there are some things we absolutely wish were different here at The Garlick Press...however, we are truly grateful for bounteous blessings.

Gathering my girls together, donning matching aprons and cooking up a feast! It is so satisfying to see my grown up daughters excited about cooking a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Mama Cass and Lawyer Girl are both excellent chefs...and Olivia, you should see her stir! 

Of course there is admiration for the toddling toddler...watching Olivia as she gains independence, wobbling for balance and strutting around the house feeling so BIG! And she is learning new words daily.

But my favorite word happens to be when she reaches out those chubby pink arms, looks at me with her gorgeous innocent eyes and calls me "Nana!" Making my heart skip a beat or two, I am so so grateful to be her Nana!

Lawyer Girl sneaks a moment with Nephew Baby, the youngest addition at The Garlick Press. Henry is 100% boy, intelligent and generally happy. He moves across the floor with something we call "The Wounded Soldier Crawl." Henry and Nana are buds too!

It's times like these that I"m grateful for the chaos that ensues when we congregate together. Four dogs, six adults (now that The Teenager is taller than me I guess he is adult-ish), and two babies. 

I will always be especially thankful for The Teenager; I don't know how I would have survived the last three years without his daily presence in my home and in my heart! Plus...I really LOVE his freckles. Henry, if you are lucky you'll get freckles like your Uncle Chet. The Teenager is the best uncle...all the babies love him!

As the oldest of my offspring, I admire and revere the wife and momma that Cass has become. Being one of her children has got to be so much fun as she makes each day an adventure! Momma Cass is deep in baby laundry, diapers, baby food, and keeping up with crawling and toddling little people.

Yet she still finds time to read; not just picture books, nearly one hundred novels a year. I have seen her reading Harry Potter to wide-eyed Henry or Little Women to inquisitive Olivia.

Brilliant and driven, Lawyer Girl is accomplishing something I never even dared dream about. Not only envisaging her future as a lawyer, Dione is accomplishing her goals and more. She is the only person I know who gets giddy when discussing anything related to the law! I am grateful that she is happy in her life and close enough to fly home for holidays!

Like most of our celebrations, we take Thanksgiving serious at The Garlick Press, and go all out...right down to our pies!


Pie...so grateful for pie...but not as much as Dean is!  By the way...pie night is just around the corner!

With gratitude and respect, I love my wonderful son-in-law Bob who works so hard at providing a beautiful life for the grand babies. He adores Cassandra, especially when she says something funny. He is the first to laugh out loud, admiring her sense of humor. And you should see how Olivia and Henry adore their Daddy.

 Learning how to use utensils...both hands at the same time!

 Henry's first Thanksgiving was fabulous. I don't think either baby said a word the entire time we were eating dinner. And that's something, with two babies at the table!


Dear hubby Dean...who makes my whole life complete. We've been through so much together. I remember concerned friends and family wondered if our marriage would survive losing a child, because so many do not. I'm grateful not only that we survived but that we are living and loving each other with every breath we take.

As we sit down to share this Thanksgiving table with family members, I also have to express gratitude for double ovens, electricity, and fresh turkeys from the store; thanking my lucky stars that I am not a pilgrim plucking feathers for my holiday bird!

Oh yes...and chocolate cornucopias...yum! Doesn't it look like Izzy is telling Dean a secret..."Say Dad, could you please pass the cornucopia!"

 Patient, lovable Izzy...I'm even grateful for the pooch...she makes the days delightful!

 These three appear to be thankful for a Thanksgiving nap.

Oh yes...and Izzy is most thankful for leftovers!

Hope your Ho Ho Turkey Day was wonderful too!

Additional thanks... As I posted this one, I noticed it was my 200th post! I am thankful for those who read The Garlick Press and also those of you who leave comments. I love them all...and each one inspires me to keep writing and photographing life.