Country Lifestyles
Baking Dreams Come True – Sweet Mother of Pies
By Jessica Crabtree
Hebrews 13:2 reads, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” That is the favorite verse of pie-maker, mother, grandmother, sister, wife, daughter, believer and owner of “Sweet Mother of Pies,” Betti Jo Weber. Sweet Mother of Pies is a dream come true for its owner. Weber describes her pie business as being a “crazy blessing.”
Weber is a native Texas, born in Midland and raised in Carlsbad, N.M. Attending Texas Tech University brought her back to her roots and led her to a summer camp for special need kids where she met her husband Joe. The two married in 1986, officially making Weber a Texas girl. The couple moved various places, Lewisville then Denton, before relocating and settling in 1994 in the community once known as Hood. Much like other towns that dwindled with time, Hood had a store, cotton gin, Methodist and Baptist churches and Hood cemetery, a some-what town marker for locals. Fun fact being Hollywood movie moguls shot a couple scenes from the popular movie “Armageddon” in Hood.
A teacher, Joe began teaching at Era school in 2000. Weber also taught for eight years, as well as occupied various jobs until 2016 when a new slice of life appeared. When she and her family moved to Hood, the yellow house she calls home was not her first choice. “We were looking for a fixer-upper and two acres. We passed by this place several times and on the third time we stopped. It was once the Hood grocery store before becoming a home,” Weber explained.
As the Weber family of six began to flourish, Weber busied herself making the house a home. “It was an old house and run down. It just needed some elbow grease,” Weber said. That is the way she wanted it, being a self-proclaimed lover of restoring things to their former glory. Always loving crafting, Weber was all too happy to paint and recreate her space. “I knew I wanted country and not new. I love a home with character, to make something from nothing,” Weber concluded. The family combined adjoining pieces of property, acres at a time, even their neighbors’ home, Mr. and Mrs. Pledger. After their passing the home sat vacant, awaiting its next breath of life. “Everyone asked me, ‘What will you do with it?’ I thought about a Bed & Breakfast or place for crafting.”
To read more pick up a copy of the April 2018 issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
Pie maker and owner of “Sweet Mother of Pies,” Betti Jo Weber. (Photo by Jessica Crabtree)
Weber inside “The Pie House” surrounded by signs custom-made for “The Pie and Sign” parties. (Photo by Jessica Crabtree)
By: Martha Crump
Most cattle producers can tell you quite a lot about balancing cattle diets for energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals based on the specific needs for their herd and type of operation.
A key factor, and one that is often overlooked, is that how your animals perform is also directly affected by their water intake.
Now many of you may already be thinking “well of course water is necessary, anybody knows that!”
In many years, as September marches into October, we are beginning to experience some return of rainfall. But as many of us know, that is not always the case. Often we are still experiencing hot and dry weather, and water supplies are dwindling.
When we find ourselves experiencing those types of fall conditions, it is critical to not only understand the daily water requirements for cattle, but also the impact that the quality of water can have on herd health and development.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Annette Bridges
A friend and I were recently talking about our husbands. She made a comment that I felt also perfectly described me and my hubby.
“He slows me and I hurry him. I’m sure that is why we do well together,” she said.
“Precisely!” I thought. Why?
Because when two different worlds collide, it can be magical.
No matter what those two different worlds are- a man and a woman with very different personalities, beliefs, or backgrounds, two partners with contrasting passions, strengths, or talents, or when a country boy marries a city girl.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Watauga, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, is known for its rich history as a railroad stop, but over the course of the last year, one teen girl has put it on the map for agriculture as well. Emma Harvey has lived in Tarrant County her entire life. Despite being highly involved in her local 4-H chapter, she still felt there was more she could do. In the spring of 2023, she stepped up to the plate to take over the title of Tarrant County Teen Miss Agriculture USA.
“It all started when I put in an application for the teen title here in Tarrant County,” explained Harvey.
The Miss Agriculture USA program is a national non-profit, age-inclusive pageant program that offers both competition and non-competition titles to women dedicated to the promotion of agriculture.
Read more in the October issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available online and in print. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive NTFR in your inbox each week.
Photo by Hannah Claxton.
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