Okay so first a pie update - I did the pie thing… (and you are going to have to wait until the end of the story to hear the results – just like I did!!!)
So Friday I baked and baked and everything that could go wrong did! I don’t know why, I have made these pies 350,000 times! But I started the pie doughs, and I was out of butter, so I went to Publix to get butter and health bars, so I went to Publix at 7:30AM to get the stuff, and got home and started the pies… and put the Cookie Dough pie in the oven, let it do it’s thing and when the buzzer rang it was over cooked! Like not burnt, but definitely over-browned… so I figured I’d make another. While I was letting that dough chill, I started the Cream Puff pie, and realized I was out of Milk! So I sent John to the store to get me some milk, and started the crust for that pie… did it, came out great! And John got back, made the pastry cream, and it turned out lovely! Then started the second Cookie Dough Pie, and after the pastry cream – I was short ONE EGG! So I called my neighbor, because I didn’t want to go to Publix for one stinking egg!

And low and behold, they weren’t home… so I did what I could with out the egg…. Made the cream puff pastry… and then I needed the stupid egg… so I called my neighbor again, and this time they were home… so I got the egg and got started on the pie – well I didn’t have enough Milk Chocolate, so I substituted dark, and the health was a bit lighter than I wanted it to be… so it wasn’t has choc full of stuff… I put it in the oven, and waited 35 minutes, and pulled it out, and then it looked beautiful, it looked perfect! Set it on the counter and turned to my left and the oven mitt hit the pie right dap smag in the center of the pie, and it caused a gaping whole in the center of my beautiful pie… so then I could have laughed or cried, so I grabbed a diet coke and turned up the music and danced around my kitchen debating on making 5 more pies, or throwing in the towel… I did neither… I bought whipped cream to dap on whole if I so desired.

I finished what I could for the cream puff pie, packed, showered and got ready to go…. It’s now 3PM and still haven’t eaten anything. I packed up the car, cooler for the cream puff pie, and put the pies very carefully in the pack of the SUV, with that non-slip rug stuff under them so they wouldn’t shimmy and shake all – I told John to drive safely and not to take any hard turns… this is very hard for him, but to his credit, he did great!!! He had no control over the bazillion pot holes that we went over, and I held my breath every time – I just knew the pies were going to be spilt in half by the time we got there. But when we got there and opened up the back of the car – the were fine!!!
So we checked into the hotel (aka The FleaBag Hotel) – it really wasn’t that bad, but room was kind of old, and they tried to hide it… but anyway, it was icky… but the pies were okay, and that was my worry… Got the pies into the room, into the fridge, and we were good to go!
I woke up at 6:15 to get the pies ready for their debut to the real world…. I assembled the cream puff pie, I decided not to use the whipped cream on the cookie dough pie, and put it in the cooler and very carefully walked to the pie check in area across the hotel. I got there, checked in – got my pies checked in, but on the way to the delivery – my pies got a good look at their competition, and can I just tell you that the other pies were BEAUTIFUL!!! I mean gorgeous! My pie was totally jealous of the other pies! I told the pie that it was okay, that the other competitors had nothing on them, and it’s what’s on the inside that counts!

That made the pies feel better, but on the inside I knew that we were in trouble! But after the pies were securely taken away – all checked in, I went back to the room, and said to myself, that it was in the judges hands!!!
We went shopping for a while, then went to the ALL You can Eat Never Ending Pie Buffet! It was amazing, I ate so much pie, that I don’t want to see as much as a Pizza Pie anytime soon! I ate every single kind of pie you can imagine! Peach, Apple, Key Lime, Mango Lime, Sour Cherry, Cherry, Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Rhubarb, Strawberry, Strawberry Rhubarb, Coconut Cream Pie, Banana Cream Pie, Chocolate Cream Pie, Chocolate Turtle Pie, Pecan Pie, Sugar Pie (don’t ask), Chess Pie, Butter Pie, Blueberry Pie, Strawberry Pie, Peanut Butter Pie, Berry Berry Pie… and a ton more!
Then we saw the car show they had going on right next to the pie stuff, and it was like 4PM and the announcements didn’t take place until 6:45, so we went back to the hotel room and showered and changed, and then went back just in the nick of time for the judging! We got there, and they had pie music on in the background! Funny, I didn’t know there was a rhubarb pie song, but uh, they found it! And they talked and talked and talked… and we waited and waited and waited… so then they started the pie announcements- they went in alphabetical order of category… apple, cherry, citrus, - cream! That’s me… nope didn’t win.

Then we waited for Open, that’s were the Cookie Dough Pie was… nope didn’t win –

I was really disappointed, because the winning pies, didn’t sound super delicious to me – but who am I!
We went out to dinner, and then Sunday morning I went to get my pie plates and I had my cookie dough pie (or what was left of it….) in my hands – and the Chairman of the Board came up to me and said “You made that Cookie Dough Pie, huh?” and I said yes, and he said “Well that was very good, but you also made that cream puff pie too, right?” and I said “yes”, and he said with a fairly large smile on his face “I loved that pie! I thought it certainly should have won, or placed, but we have some pie traditionalists on our judging panel, and I think they were thrown off by the crust [since the crust is all crushed nuts] so next year when you enter this pie again, make it with a traditional pie crust and mix all those nuts in, and you’ll definitely place” I said thanks, and started to look for the pie and he said “oh your pie plate is right here, it’s empty, we uh, finished it” so I grabbed my pie plate and turned around, had a big ole’ smile on my face and left – That is my honorable mention! After 400 pies, he remembered mine!
SO maybe next year!
I'll have to do personals later, but thanks for thinking about me guys! Step father is out of the hospital and at home recovering, Grandpa Joe is in a nursing home with 24 hour care, I talked to him, it was really sad, I just don't have a good feeling about it

And my bum is better - but still hurting and still bloody, but I am working on it, taking my meds and waiting for the colonscopy and endoscopy... what a week!!!
I miss you guys, alot!
Personals up next!