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A Look Back on 2013

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New Years Eve is a the day we all turn around and take a peek behind us.  We like to remember where we’ve been, what we did, and what was accomplished.  Those are the things memories are made of!

For the believer, this day is more than just remembering the good times; it’s also a time to look and see if what we’ve done in the last year has been effective in an eternal way.  Whose life have we touched?  Have we changed others’ perspectives about their lives and their trials because of the Scripture with which we gave them?  What biblical truths and principles have we poured into our friends and family?  How has our marriage pointed the world to our Savior?  How have we grown individually closer to the Lord in this last year?  How much more of His Word do we know?

If you sigh when you read those questions because you didn’t accomplish as much as you’d like, then you have a whole clean slate in front of you, starting at this new year.  Be sure to come back for some simple encouragements tomorrow about how to branch out in this next year to accomplish those goals the Lord brings to your heart. I won’t be writing about making resolutions, by the way.  =)

In “blogosphere” review of my year here at RefreshHer, I thought it might be interesting to see the most popular posts from 2013. Let’s look at the five top viewed posts, starting with Number Five and working our way to Number One!

#5 Unexpected and Inconvenient
#4 Hosting a Pinterest Party
#3 House Cleaning

#2 Full of Excuses

#1 Mothering for the Lord

One of my favorite personal memories from this past year was the day we came to look at the inside of this house for the first time.  I knew it was what I had prayed for the minute I walked through it.  My husband and I were on the stairs when I asked if he would pray with me that the Lord would give us this house, if it was His will.  Dale took my hands, and we prayed in the stair well.  Then the day we moved in, we stood in the same place, held hands, and thanked the Lord for answered prayer!   What is a favorite memory of yours from 2013?

Happy New Year!

With love,

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What’s Cookin’ in the Country?

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Christmas dinner. . .ahhhh. What’s not to love about those delicious holiday meals (aside from the calories!)? I broke a little away from our traditional ham dinner to Pork Roast with Cranberries. Why? I had gotten a pork roast on sale the week before, and just decided pork is pork! It was a nice change and a delicious one! Here’s my plate. . .Yeah, it was too much and I didn’t finish it!
My menu:
 
Pork Roast with Cranberries
Twice Baked Potatoes
Broccoli and Corn Scallop
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Pork Roast with Cranberries
Ingredients
1(2 1/2-lb.) boneless pork shoulder roast, trimmed of fat
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon shredded orange peel
1/2 cup cranberry juice cocktail
2 tablespoons cornstarchDirections:
1. Place pork roast in 3 1/2 to 4-quart slow cooker.
2. In small bowl, combine cranberries, broth, orange peel and 1/4 cup of the cranberry juice cocktail; mix well. Pour over roast.
3. Cover; cook on low setting for 7 to 9 hours.
4. To serve, place roast on serving platter; cover with foil to keep warm. Pour juices from slow cooker into medium saucepan; if necessary, skim off any fat.
5. In small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup cranberry juice cocktail and cornstarch; blend well. Stir into juices in saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly and thickened. Serve with pork roast. Garnish with shredded orange peel if desired.

The side dish pictured above is a fabulous recipe. With corn AND broccoli in one dish, you’re doubling your time in preparing vegetables. This is creamy and yummy and has a cracker topping for crunch. Yum!

This is a dish from Kraft that I got several years ago. Am I ever glad I discovered it in my recipe box before Christmas!

Broccoli and Corn Scallop
2 Tbsp. chopped onions
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, divided
1 Tbsp. flour
1-1/4 cups milk
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese
1 can (11 oz.) corn, drained
12 RITZ Crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup), divided

2 pkg. (10 oz. each) frozen broccoli spears, thawed, drained (I used fresh, raw broccoli instead)

HEAT oven to 350°F.

COOK and stir onions in 1 Tbsp. butter in medium saucepan on medium heat 1 min. Blend in flour. Gradually stir in milk; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until thickened. Add cheese; cook 2 to 3 min. or until melted, stirring constantly. Stir in corn and 1/4 cup cracker crumbs.

PLACE broccoli in 12×8-inch baking dish; top with sauce. Melt remaining butter; mix with remaining cracker crumbs. Sprinkle over sauce.


BAKE 30 min. or until heated through.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar, plus 3/4 cup sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 (8-ounce) container whipped topping
2 (3-ounce) packages strawberry gelatin dessert mix
2 cups boiling water
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen strawberries
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple
Whipped topping or whipped cream, to garnish
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
For the crust, mix the pretzels, butter, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Press this mixture into a 9 by 13-inch pan and bake for 7 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and 3/4 cup of sugar. Fold in the whipped topping, and spread over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until well chilled.

In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, and allow to cool slightly. Add the strawberries and pineapple, and pour over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until serving time.

We didn’t have dessert until later that night, but it was our traditional Kentucky Derby Pie. Oh my. It’s worth the wait to only have it twice a year!

I’ll share with you later this week about our great Christmas, but in the meantime, happy cooking!

What special things did you cook up for Christmas?

With love from my country kitchen,

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A Peek From My Porch

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Merry Christmas!  What a special day this is for those of us who know Christ as our personal Savior.  How thankful I am that He left the glories of heaven to be born in a humble manger bed.  When I look at my home, I think about the fact that Christ didn’t have a home while on this earth.  His grace enables you and me to enjoy so many blessings…all because He came!  The greatest blessing is a relationship with Him.  To walk with Him and know Him, to allow Him to make sense of all the hard things in our lives; and to One Day be with Him is the greatest blessing.

As I show you the rest of my picture tour of my home, I’m very mindful of the truths I just mentioned, and give Him the glory for the grace blessings He pours out so abundantly.  Without Him, my house would just be a structure.  Because of the Lord Jesus Christ, my house has become a home where love abounds through Him.

Now, on with the last half of the house tour…

The three bedrooms are upstairs.

The first guest room…

The middle guest room (still a work in progress)

The Master Bedroom (my favorite room in the house!)

 Master Bathroom with walk-in closet
 My little tree on the vanity decorated with ornaments and  jewelry. =)

I love this beautiful pine cone doorknob ornament a friend gave me years ago.  

I have a full-length mirror hanging inside my closet.
The first reason is obvious, but I also hung it there so it would reflect
the fireplace in the bedroom.  I love that I can see it there!

There you have it, friends!  Thanks for stopping by for a virtual visit.  Stop in for a “real” visit!

No matter where you live, it is a gift from God, whose Son left His home to make a way for you to be saved.  Now He’s gone to make a place for us in heaven!  Rejoice in His birth on this Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas!

With love from my country home,

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The House In the Country

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Today and tomorrow I’m going to share some pictures of our home in the country.  This is in no way a post to brag about us or what we have.  This is to the glory of a great God who answered my ten-year prayer for a place we could call “ours” with enough room to entertain family, friends, strangers and God’s servants.  In the nearly four months that we’ve lived here, we’ve already gotten to serve all of the aforementioned.  It’s been so wonderful.  This house is the Lord’s, and we desire to use it for His honor and glory, and it is with that heart that I share these photos with you today.

I placed these luminaries at the front walk…

I placed about a cup of Epsom Salts in the jars, then added a tea light.  The salts sparkle like snow.

Step up to the front door…

I love this doorbell ringer I found on clearance at Gracious Designs.
My sweet husband got it wired in before our open house!
Down the hall from the front door is a dining room area that opens into the kitchen.

The dining room table is an antique that I’ve had for about 20 years.  I painted it this off-white before we moved to the country.  I love the way it turned out.  I love all painted furniture and my house is evidence of that!

 I LOVE my rooster stained glass in the dining room window. My dad made it for me a good number of years ago. It gets the afternoon sun and is so pretty with the light pouring through it.  It’s so cheerful and adds such a colorful spot in that room!

The kitchen:

 The Christmas touches I added in this room were in this corner – the wreath on the pantry door, the gingerbread garland in the window, and the greenery and “Merry Christmas” sign on top of the cabinetry.  There’s a strand of battery operated lights up there, too (I failed to turn them on for the picture!).

Here’s the official Back door that leads out to our covered porch.

Opening up from the kitchen is the family room.  All warm and cozy for a cold winter day.

 My Pinterest inspired chalkboard…
At the top of the stairs is our family room, which is still lacking curtains and other wall hangings.  I haven’t found just what I’m looking for yet.  However, I still love this room.  
It’s very bright and cheery first thing in the morning.
 With our tree in this window, it’s visible from the road at night.
I love seeing it when we pull in the driveway.

 Come back tomorrow for the rest of the “tour.”  Thanks for stopping by!

I pray you’ll have a wonderful Christmas Eve preparing to celebrate our Savior’s birth!

With love,