Merry Christmas Day!!

 Good Morning and Merry Christmas!!  I was a little slow on the uptake this day.  I spent the first hour remembering the reason for the season and being thankful for everyone and everything in my life.  

Then, like most families with kids, we got right down to the stocking.  Cooper smelled something immediately and sat at the fireplace barking his "come help me" bark, louder than normal.  OKAY!!  I see Santa left you something in the sock!

He grabbed it in a flash and like Santa, was across the room in a nanosecond.  PLAY with me!!!  And the squeaking began!!

Wait Cooper ... there's something else in here!!  Sure enough, there was a brand new ball to add to the five already scattered around the family room.  He was in Heaven!!  

I on the other hand, required caffeine, so I whipped up a mug of cocoa and stuffed not one or two, but THREE marshmallows in it for good luck!  I toasted the beautiful desert before slugging down that tasty concoction.  There was no beautiful sunrise this morning, just clouds and overcast-ness (is that a word?) all day long.  No matter, it was not cold and the forecast of rain for the next five days is okay, as long as it doesn't snow.

Time to do something with that most gorgeous four pound piece of pork lounging in my fridge.  I cut off the small piece to cook for Cooper with no spices.  It's one of his favorites and he deserves a nice Christmas dinner too.  I browned it beautifully in a pan on the stove and turned on my gas oven.

I'm not very good with ovens, and that gas thing that goes WHOOF every time it turns on and off is scary.  It sounds like it's going to blow up!!

I smothered it in garlic and herbs and stuck it in the oven.  I have absolutely no idea how long it took to cook.  Why?  Because I think I've found the secret to roasting meat!

THIS is my secret weapon.  Who knew such a small device could bring so much joy!  I now have TWO of them and need one more for the fifth wheel.  Stick the end into the meat and close the door.  When it reaches the desired temperature, you turn the oven off.  This time I was looking for 145 degrees.

I have to be honest, when I took the meat out to rest, I thought it was too squishy.  Maybe even still raw.  I let it sit on the counter covered for fifteen minutes.  Let me just say it was done to perfection.  That's the absolute best pork loin I've ever cooked in my entire life!!!  From now on I'm using this gizzy exclusively!

I really did not plan on any big dinner, so had very little goodies in the fridge.  I had purchased one of those rice-in-a-bag packages for the trip here, thinking it would be easy to heat on the stove.  They suck.  don't buy them.  Even after adding onions and garlic, it still tasted like glue.  I consumed the pork and gravy like I hadn't eaten in weeks.

We played and played while watching Santa Clause 1, 2 and 3, along with the Grinch.  Yes, I spent most of the day on the floor.  Finally Cooper crashed on the couch.  By the way, Jonathan got a big chunk of pumpkin muffin from Costco, his all time favorite.  

It was a nice slow relaxing day while I contemplated MY Christmas present which will be delivered this Thursday.  I'm so excited, I'm finally getting a longarm quilting machine, which is sure to provide hours of consternation while I figure out how to make it work.  Sort of like trying to put that bicycle together for your kids on Christmas Eve.  I can't wait!!!