Author: CJMillar82

And so it starts. Or rather, continues. It’s 11:22PM and I just finished dinner. The last 2 pies are in the oven, and it’s been a whirlwind week. Only it’s just Tuesday. Crap. Somehow now that I’m working for myself, a short week seems like a curse rather than something to look forward to!  Can I have a few more days in this week please? Pretty please? With rum on top?

Baking with Jack. While working.  #byob be your own boss

Speaking of rum…I managed to make 2 Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum Apple Pies (that smell delish in the oven and are making my house smell amazing!), and a kick-you-in-the-ass-and-get-you-buzzed Jack Daniels Spiced Pumpkin Pie. Two of those two.  Two for here, two to bring to my friends’ house for dessert after my family leaves. Because they converted their pool house to a private bar and we will all be watching football and after family at my house all day, I’m sure I’ll be ready to relax for a drink for a lot of drinks. And I stole their Captain to make the apple pies, so it’s only fair I bring them two.  The Jack I at least bought myself. But hey, it’s the holidays, which means it’s all about sharing.  Shots, er, I mean pie for everyone!

Jack the Pumpkin approves

My house now smells like Jack Daniels and pumpkin pie with the scent of spiced Captain and baking apples now wafting through. I do have to say, despite the wicked freezing rain/icing mess outside (that keeps interrupting my ID murder tv…), with the wood stove roaring and the oven going, it sure smells amazing in here! I just hope that means that the pies turned out as good as they smell, because I’ve never made them before.  I also didn’t have a rolling pin. And I wore gloves like I use to dye my hair because don’t like getting dough stuck to my hands (yes I made the crust, but it was from a box, I know only 1/2 a point for me for this). And mostly, because if you know me, you are probably more shocked at the fact that I baked. On purpose. And it smells good. than you are by the fact that I wore gloves because dough is sticky.  I just like to shock people really.

The house is (mostly) clean and laundry is (mostly) done. All the throw blankets and whatnot have been washed and the couch has even been vacuumed out because my mom is allergic to cats and dogs and I have a menagerie here. Seriously I do live on a farm. What did you expect? A hermit crab and some fish? As if! 

Yes I did totally just throw that back to Clueless. Which sort of makes me want to watch that movie now, because it’s funny and the TV keeps going in and out. But I also love my ID TV.  Nothing like some good real life murder charges on a cold, dark, rainy, icy, stormy night on a 40 acre farm all by yourself to set the mood. I feel like I’m setting up myself as some Suzy Homemaker turned horror movie scream-fest soon to be killed featurette. Clearly, I watch too much murder TV. Hmmm…well I have all the Captain and Jack around. Maybe I should go make myself a drink and let my imagination run wild relax. Really. Sometimes it’s like you hardly even know me. of COURSE I am going to relax. Or something like it…

Yum!

G’night all! I’ll post those recipes soon, because DAMN does everything smell good. Tomorrow is time to brine the turkey, prep the stuffing and turkey glaze, set up the green bean casserole, bake the biscuits, and make the home made whole berry spiced cranberry sauce.  And wipe down the cabinets because after all day baking destroying the kitchen, there’s more than a little bit of pie on the front of the cabinets. Somehow I’m sure tomorrow will contribute to the mess.  Wish me luck!

Preface: something I wrote a long time ago, that a great friend reminded me of today. Thank you, Lauryn. Love you! And because this bears resaying and is something that always rings so true to me, to my heart and my soul.

Never and Ever and Ponies and Snow

I believe in me, in all that I know
The things that my heart has told me so
My crooked smile and stubborn ways
Will be only mine for all of these days
I’ll not fear change, nor fret defeat
Never say never nor ever retreat
The more you say can’t, I do and I will
I don’t like to run, but never stand still
I believe I can fly, I can dream, I can be
Anything, everything, I’ll ever need be
Never say never nor ever say die
Keep your feet on the ground and your dreams in the Sky
Forever is now and always is here
Maybe’s not maybe what I want to hear
Tomorrow is new and Yesterday’s past
Now is enough if you make Today last

If chances were raindrops, I’d play in the rain
And welcome the storm clouds whenever they came
If Luck were a pony, on his back I would ride
Through the snow in the hills to the wild oceanside
And if dreams grew like apples from blossoms on trees
I’d pick all of mine and do what I please

And when I awake from chances and dreams
Next to my horse Lucky beneath apple trees
I’ll smile at the sun and swear to the Sky
I’ll never say never and never say die
Forever is always and now that I’m here
There’s nothing to worry and nothing I fear
Time is my friend, and nothing’s my foe
And I will be happy wherever I go
I believe in myself and all that I know
And in raindrops and apples and ponies and snow

– CJ

Ahh, I feel so homey.  The wood stove is going, I brought in wood from outside to get me through the next few chilly days, stalled the quad because I ran out of gas, averted panic thanks to my friend having a gas tank in her car, and was able to unload the wood.  Of course she has a gas tank in her car, but I mean a container with gas in it, I didn’t have to siphon fuel out of her car (fortunately, but the thought crossed my mind).

Once I got the stove stoked, I made popcorn the old school way – in a frying pan on the stove. And I didn’t burn it, or set fire to the house! I feel so accomplished. It actually came out pretty good and between the traditional popcorn and the smoke smell of the wood stove filling the house, it was like I was on Little House on the Prairie. Just call me Laura Ingalls Wilder from now on. 

If I had apple trees, this is how I imagine my day…

Now it’s back to work as the holidays mean a lot of busy stuff for me. Clients doing pre-Thanksgiving promos, Black Friday through Cyber Monday promos, 12 Days of Christmas promos…and theres a ton to do to support all of that. Not to mention creating the emails and making sure everything is linked and tagged and tracks properly.  So much to do!

Tomorrow I have horses to work (hopefully it won’t be windy like it was today) as well as more digital marketing work to do, and I didn’t bring in enough wood to get me through more than just a few days. Damn. Not to mention that I need to actually CUT more wood if I want to have enough to get through winter. Anyone want to come fix my log splitter? While that homestead idea sounds so lovely, somehow splitting wood by hand just doesn’t sound like fun…

Or better yet, don’t. It will be 5 minutes of your life you never get back. Oh Kanye. How did no one think to tell you how absolutely awful this video is? I feel like someone did a mashup with Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas mixed with the worst wrap and sappy chorus ever sung. With Kim, naked. Apparently this was all planned and a part of Kanye’s creative vision.  My favorite quote is West rapping, “I wanna f—k you hard on the sink! After that, give you something to drink.” That’s love, y’all. 

Wait what? Sex on the sink? Is that the new thing? How exactly does that work? At least Kanye knew to include horses in his video. Clearly, that was clutch. Life on the homestead is looking better than ever! 

Wild horses make it all worthwhile. Of course.