The Best Pork Roast. Ever.

That's a pretty bold claim, isn't it? I don't care - I stand by every word. The only reason it's not "The Best and Easiest Pork Roast" is because the easiest food is the food that someone else makes. Can I get an amen?
I've had Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader for a while and have made a few things from it, but not many. While I was flipping through it during Christmas break, I thought it would be a good idea to rectify the situation. And while the book calls this recipe "Emma's Pork Roast", I think my name is more descriptive. :)

Emma's Pork Roast, from Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader

4tsp seasoned salt

2 tbsp flour

2tbsp dried thyme

3-4 lb pork roast

2 tbsp vegetable oil

4 cups chicken or beef stock

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 onions, peeled and quartered

1 cup sliced button mushrooms (I omitted these)

1 1/2 lb new potatoes, quartered

1 cup baby carrots

 

Mix together the seasoning blend, flour, and thyme and rub it all over the roast. Warm the oil in a large pot over med-high heat. Place the roast in the pot and brown. Add stock and vinegar, then the onions and mushrooms (if using) and reduce the heat to a simmer (about 3 on my stove). Cover and cook for about four hours.

Add the potatoes and carrots, cover and continue to cook for another 30-45 minutes. When it's done, remove the roast and let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes before slicing.

So much yum.

My Handy Man

Our laundry room is not my favorite place. It's always kind of a mess with recycling and boots thrown hither and tither. There was no place to keep winter items, either - wet stuff was often left on the floor to form puddles or tossed into a laundry basket.

Toby'd had a bee in his bonnet to organize the laundry room, and during the Christmas break, he had his chance:

Basically, we took down a large corner cupboard that had been on the wall and stuck way out into the room and installed a coat rack that we've had for ages. He also scratch built the boot cubbies, with only one minor drilling injury (just a flesh wound...)!

I'm excited about this little detail, as it's one of my own inspirations: drill coffee can to wall. Insert gloves, hang scarf around and use hat as a lid. Everything has a home and everything can get dry.

The room isn't finished yet - I'd love to finish the walls and stain and seal the floor. But we've taken a big step in the right direction, and now when I enter the room, I smile rather than sigh. That makes a big difference.

Better late than never!

It took a while to get around to, but here's what some of our Christmas vacation looked like:

Dan and the Doggie-Guitar

The Princess Castle

Our delicious Merry Berry Trifle and Double Chocolate Christmas Pudding - yum!

A White Christmas!

Our totally cool snowman. We didn't have any carrots, so he had a celery nose. It doesn't make him wrong, just special.

Book List 2013

Well, it took a little while, and I daresay I'll be adding to it through the year, but here is my new book list for 2013:

Something More by Catherine Marshall

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

Forever Erma by Erma Bombeck

Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Amy Carmichael by Lois Dick

7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness: Adventure Peril, Lost Jewels, and the Fearsome Toothy Cows of Skree by Andrew Peterson

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

At Home by Bill Bryson

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

The Hole in our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung

Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian

Grace for the Good Girl by Emily Freeman

George Mueller by Basil Miller

Think by John Piper

Counsel from the Cross by Elyse Fitzpatrick

Give them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick

So, that's it. I'm looking forward to getting to know a few new authors and characters, and I admit, I'm a little intimidated by some of my selections, but that's not necessarily a bad thing - a little bit of stretching never hurt (much).

Feel free to share some of what you'll be reading this year, or link up to your own list!

Here it is!

Remember a while ago I was thinking about working on a cardi project? Well, I've finally made my decision!

Effortless

I started it on my way to NJ for our family get together, and so far, so good. It's a top-down knit, and I'm getting ready to divide for the sleeves. Once that's done, it should be pretty straightforward until I add the ribbing. I don't really care for picking up stitches, but it's one of those aversions that you deal with, and when it's done you wonder what the big deal is.
I'll let you know when it's done (hopefully it won't take too long - I'm cold)!

The Command Center, phase 1

Remember way back when I mentioned I was thinking about a command center? Well, Toby and I went over and over the idea, trying one idea, then another. We looked at corner units and high and low cupboards. In the end, we couldn't decide on something that worked well, so we decided to put the project on hold. Which is, of course, when inspiration struck.

 

We picked up this dresser at a yard sale a couple of summers ago, and it's served several purposes during it's tenure here. It was in our guest room for a long while, then it was by the front door, holding hats, gloves, etc.

Checking in with The Nester one day, I read the phrase "Shop the house." I love that idea. Not much different from re purposing or "make do and mend", but I think I was particularly struck by the idea of shopping for free. So, as I walk through the house to see what might work, at least temporarily, in the command-center spot I had picked out, I must have walked past this dresser about 5 times before I began to consider it's worthiness.

Upon evaluation, it's got everything I need: high surface to avoid little fingers? Check. Plenty of storage space? Check. Just the right height and depth? Check. Currently, it ain't purtty - I have grand painting plans. But for now, I'm happy.

 

We're also in the process of looking for a wall-mounted filing system, kind of like this:

 

Photo by Ihearorganizing

For now, though, it's working. The hats and gloves are still in there, which is fine, not to mention all the office-y type things like tape and scissors, and there's even a drawer for our letter writing material. Good stuff.

Shopping the house - who knew?

So, how'd it go?

Now that the holidays have been and gone, it might be a good time to look back and look ahead...

How was your Christmas break? Ours was delightful but busy. We had a wonderful Christmas dinner, and I delighted to spend most of the morning in the kitchen, pottering around. It was so good (toot, tooting by own horn, here), Toby didn't even make it away from the table before dozing off! Everyone had a great time opening and using their gifts - and I was so gratified that the sweater I started knitting for Tobes more than a year ago (!) actually fit.
We had snow for Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and again over the break, which delighted the children to no end - we still have the remains of an impressive snowman in our backyard. There was dinners with family: Boxing Day dinner with my parents, followed by some shopping, and the annual sibling get together - kudos to the winner of the chili cook off!
The horseback riding session that Abi and I had booked got postponed due to weather, but Toby and I  (and Caleb) still got to see The Hobbit. Excellent movie, must see. Caleb was perfectly behaved!
New Year's Eve was the best I'd had in a long time. Toby and I are not party people, which usually means we go to bed around 10:30pm. This time, we got together for dinner with another family of non-party-ers and ate food and played games. So. Much. Fun. After they headed for home and the kids were in bed, the two of us saw the New Year in while watching The Return of the King. What a great way to finish the year.

What are some of your plans for 2013? Maybe you're a resolution maker, maybe you're not. Either way, the beginning of the new year is a good time to take stock, make a plan and get in gear. Personally, I feel a little behind on things. (I told Toby last night that I haven't even made a reading list for this year yet, and his helpful reply was a mocking gasp, "But you're already 2 days late!") I'm still kind of in the place where I'm making lists of what lists to make, you know? But it's all good. I make a list and if something is important, it'll happen. Eventually.
Aside from the reading list, another thing that I do annually is go through Shopping for Time by Carolyn Mahaney and her daughters. I've done this at least once a year, sometimes more, for the past few years, and it's always served me well. What are the priorities and how do I approach them? I always feel steady on my feet when I have a biblically-informed, God-honoring plan, and this is the tool I use to help me strategize.
Some of the other ideas we're working through together as a family is whether Abi can try violin lessons and where, signing Noah up to play baseball for the first time, when is the right time to sign up at the local YMCA, and evaluating our various commitments. All good stuff, but the need for wisdom is high when weighing the good against the best.

What are your methods for getting ready for 2013?

Merry Christmas

Well, my kitchen is a wreck, cooking prep is complete, gifts are wrapped and awaiting placement under the tree.

From the Gayners, have a very Merry Christmas!

 

And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.        Luke 2:16-20 ESV

Messy

Just a few days to Christmas now. In my mind, I want our days leading up to Christmas to look something like this: 

 And this:

 And sometimes it does. But sometimes, it can also look like lots of laundry (at least it's clean)...

 ...and an unmade bed...

...because Christmas, just like any other time of year, can get messy.

Lately, I've been tempted to succumb to discouragement and weariness because Christmas isn't always peace and joy. Those things haven't been absent, but there's also been a fair amount of dashing about, frantic list-making and plan-plan-planning.

I'm realizing a little each day, though, that while things are a little crazy (and perhaps some of it is self-imposed?), it's another reminder that this is why we celebrate Christmas in the first place - that our world and our hearts are so very messy that we need Someone to come and set things right. This messiness is why Jesus endured birth in a stable (messy), life in a family (definitely messy), and death on a cross (horribly messy).

Slowly, I remember that my messes - both big and small - don't have to stay messy, but in the hands of the Redeemer, can be made beautiful.

My first Cookie Exchange!

Sunday night was my first cookie exchange! I'd seen the idea online and decided (almost last minute) that it would be such a fun thing to do.

The seven of us enjoyed cherry almond cookies, pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip, chocolate chip & pretzel, peanut butter reindeer, cookies & creme cookies, red velvet brownies, chocolate-covered saltines, and gingerbread.  So much yum.

Toby printed out a bunch of little number for each (kind of) cookie and some voting ballots for ladies to vote on best looking, most unique & overall favorite. They were so cute, and a much better job than I could have done! 

While each of the winners got a little something special, each lady was able to take home a little homemade ornament as a "thank you for coming". The pattern is here.

It was so much fun and definitely something I'd do again. Perhaps a new holiday tradition?

One thing's for sure - 6 dozen cookies don't go too far in this house...