Apple Pie Trials

There's something that I've been trying to do for seven years, and I still haven't been able to do it...I have thus far been unable to make an apple pie like my mother-in-law makes them.  It's not for lack of effort - I've made dozens of pies.  But somehow, they just aren't the same.  Here are a few pictures of my latest effort, which my husband graciously ate, even though I know that it was yet another disappointment to him...