As I write this, my son is sleeping soundly in his hospital crib. It has certainly been a frightening experience for us all. Owen was found to have a congenital heart defect called Coarctation of the Aorta which essentially means that his aorta had a narrowing in it causing his heart to have to work harder to pump blood through that narrow opening. We have been blessed with some of the finest doctors and nurses during our stay.

The surgery to correct the coarc took place Monday afternoon. Owen was then placed in NICU again where he was monitored for 24 hours by his own personal nurse. The chest tube was removed Tuesday morning and the breathing machine was unhooked Tuesday afternoon. We were transferred up to the floor this afternoon and hopefully will be discharged by the end of the week.

I would like to thank everyone for their prayers and thoughts for our son. It has been one terrible roller coaster ride. I am just so thankful that he is on the mend. It is amazing how much you can love someone you just met six short weeks ago. I thank God every day for this precious gift he has given us.

Please keep our son in your prayers. Owen was flown to Jacksonville on Monday due to a heart problem. They are having to wait to perform surgery until he gets over a respitory virus. I am out of my mind with worry but know that the more people praying for Owen the better.

Second Annual Bake-A-Thon
Today was our second bake-a-thon. The only recipe used from last year was the cornflake holly clusters. The picture above shows just a small sampling of this year's treats. From left to right: Holiday Pretzel Treats, Cornflake Holly Clusters, Nutty Caramels, Oatmeal Crisps, Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies, Tommy's Granny's Fruitcake Cookies.

My favorites? The cornflake holly clusters (reason why they were repeated from last year) and the Oatmeal Crisps. The Holiday Pretzel Treats were super easy and would make great treats for co-workers and neighbors. We ended up with 12 dozen fruitcake cookies even though the recipe was supposed to yield 18 dozen. We made about 4 dozen of everything else. Now that the dishes are washed, the kitchen floor is mopped, and the treats have been divided equally, I can look forward to next year!

A few weeks ago, I made a tomato pie. My mother watches the Food Network especially on the weekends and happened to see the recipe on Paula Deen's show. So she made one and told me how excellent it was. When she first told me about it I thought it sounded very strange. I watch Paula's Home Cooking occasionally and love her southern recipes. Well, the pie was a definite hit at our house. It may sound gross but it was a recipe I will be making again in the future. The only problem is I don't think the pie would be very good the next day reheated. So, we ate all of ours the night I made it.

In other cooking news, we are planning our Second Annual Bake-A-Thon this weekend. (It sounds fancy when I call it that!) So far, we are planning on Fruitcake Cookies, Oatmeal Crisps, Cornflake Wreaths, and a few candy recipes. The homemade Heath bars we made last year might sneak their way back into the mix, as well. We are baking at my house this year so hopefully Cousin Erica (hi, Erica) will come along to babysit the little one.

The little man of the house might finally be asleep. He's been fighting it for hours now. I really should be sleeping while he sleeps but instead I'm up and on the computer.

I didn't realize how little time I would have even staying home all day. I would love to sit down with some felt and do something crafty. I need to make Baby Owen's birth announcements. I think I have narrowed down the picture choices.

I still haven't decorated for Christmas. I feel like such a slacker. My goal is to do something crafty before the end of the week and to decorate for Christmas.

I'm finally getting around to posting the recipe for the Caramel Pecan Pie I made on Thanksgiving Day. I wish I had some right now. I used Werther's Caramels in mine. By the way, the credit for this recipe goes to all recipes.

Caramel Pecan Pie
1 9" unbaked pie crust (I used deep dish)
36 caramels
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup pecan halves

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) In a saucepan, combine caramels, butter, and milk. Stir frequently over low heat. When mixture is smooth, remove from heat and set aside.
3) In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt. Gradually mix in the melted caramel mixture. Stir in pecans. Pour all into unbaked pie crust.
4) Bake in preheated oven for 55 minutes.