Creating Your Own Christmas...

I know, I know...Christmas has been long gone.  The decorations are tucked back into their containers and there is not a tree to be found. Well, actually there is one on the side of the road up the street, but I figured the hubster wouldn't appreciate me dragging it home last night.


Before I go too far into this post, I want to thank you all for your prayers and well wishes regarding my youngest son's surgery yesterday.  He had to have a cyst removed...he called it Herman.  He is glad Herman is gone.  :-)  He did very well during the surgery so it did not require an overnight stay and I was able to come home last night.

A little side note about my youngest son.  He has a rare syndrome called Loeys-Dietz.  It is similar to Marfan's, but is more rare.  It is a connective tissue disorder and affects the entire body.  His veins are primarily spiral in shape, so Loeys-Dietz patients are prone to aneurysms.  By the time he was 16, he had been through about 18 surgeries and has had a few more since then.  He's had an aortic root transplant, caused by an aneurysm, and has some valve problems that may require surgery in the future.   He has already had his aortic valve repaired.   He also has some other health issues...but we can discuss those another time.  Again, thank you all for your support, thoughts and prayers...you are all too kind!!

Soooo, I needed to get home last night because we here in Tennessee were expecting some severe winter weather...ice, sleet and snow.  Our first of the winter.


I was thrilled at the prospect of snow...a whole 3 inches was predicted for our area.  Now, you have to understand, this is the South...if you mention the "S" word, all kinds of pandemonium takes place.  I'm sure the lines at the grocery stores were out the doors, but we were going to have to live on what we had in the house for a WHOLE day.  I figured we would survive.

The first ice pellets started about 4:00 a.m....you know, it is weird that the sound of ice falling wakes you up out of a dead sleep.  I was excited but fell back asleep quickly.  When we got up there was little to nothing on the ground (bummer), but after watching local news, we saw that more of the white stuff was headed our way and that the roadways were already a mess.  We decided to delay our trek to work and enjoy the downtime, so I created some goodies to celebrate our little "white" Christmas.  We deserved it given it was over 70 degrees on Christmas day! :-)  I'm glad I had planned ahead for just such a day!

The hubster installed our new master bath light fixture while I worked on our goodies.  I first dug out the packaged Christmas cookies I had been saving and popped those in the oven.


Simple enough, right?!  While the cookies were cooling, I brought out the pièce de résistance...the crown jewel that I had been saving for our first snow....EGGNOG!


When I purchased all of those cartons, I made sure the expiration dates were far in the future...this little carton doesn't expire until February!

After the light was installed, we had a nice fire and enjoyed our little piece of Christmas and watched the snow fall.  It was wonderful and relaxing.  The eggnog was great, the cookies were horrible...all was right with the world!

After our accumulation of 1/4 inch, we decided we would make our way to the office.


Not a big event, but enough of one to keep me excited about winter!  :-)  Our next winter storm threat is Friday...we will see what happens!


34 comments

  1. Love those cookie shapes. I'm happy that it went well. Here we don't know how to drive when it rains. xoox Su

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    1. I thought these little cookies were adorable when I bought them. I should have baked them at Christmas rather than waiting...LOL. Don't feel bad, we don't know how to drive in the rain either..LOL Hugs!!

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  2. I can't believe you still had cookies! I'll confess we still have eggnog that hasn't been opened. A little snow is very exciting to us too. :)

    Continued prayers for your son and you too.

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    1. I can't believe I had them either...I had totally forgotten about them. That eggnog is a treasure...LOL It snowed every year that we lived in Dallas...I loved it!! :-) It's a big deal...LOL Thank you so much, I appreciate it greatly!! Hugs!!

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  3. Oh Benita, I want to come to your house if you are still celebrating Christmas! ;)
    I love that you did that little Snow Celebration...bad cookies and all!
    I am so glad that your son's surgery went well and they let him go home, I was thinking about you all day yesterday!
    I heard on the news this morning that you guys may get up to a foot of snow in the 'next round'...yikes...you will need to ration that egg nog!
    Stay warm my friend!
    Big Hugs!! Kimberley

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    1. I would love for you to come visit….when we get snow again, I will be celebrating again…snow and Christmas go together…LOL Thank you so much for the sweet thoughts! I’m glad it went well also. We are still waiting on results. We got 8 inches, which was awesome…for me. I don’t know how everyone else felt about it, but it was great! :-) For the next go ‘round, I’m going to have to make my own. LOL Hope you are staying warm up there! Love and hugs to you!!

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  4. So glad your youngest son is doing well after surgery. Our first snow was a couple of weeks ago the day after we moved in our new house and on my birthday. 5 inches. It was so pretty, but I tired of it very fast since it was interfering with our move. Huh! As you said it looks like you are in for more snow on Friday, hope its not to much, but enough to enjoy the view. Take care! Hugs!!!

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    1. Thank you so much! He is doing well. I love when we get snow because it is not every year that it happens. I know what you mean though...beautiful, but when you've got things to do, it's a nuisance! Our 8 inches only lasted a couple of days, but I am hopeful for more before winter scoots away! Hope you are having a great week! Hugs!

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  5. You are the cutest :) I love hearing your snow anecdotes! I have lived in Nebraska for 54 years now, and if I never saw a (real) snowflake again, I would be happy, haha. I do have a kind of compulsive habit of collecting pretty snowflake ornaments, decor, and fashion pieces, however...weird, I know. Enjoy your snow and eggnog!

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    1. LOL…thank you! I suppose we treasure it so because it is not something that happens that often, but I do love it so! :-) You are too funny! I think that is hilarious about the snowflake ornaments and such, because I totally get it! Hugs!!

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  6. So pleased to read that all is well after surgery ...

    I love to see a little snow, as long as it stays at a little!

    Take Care, and sending positive thoughts to you all

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thank you so much Jan, I appreciate it! Yes, a little snow is beautiful!! Hugs!

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  7. Dearest Benita,
    I am thankful that your son went the surgery well and that he is such a strong boy and fights so hard. All of this news, pulls at my heart so much. More prayers for you and him.
    Your snow is pretty-we had a few flakes today too!
    Stay warm sweet Lady,
    xo
    Jemma

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    1. Thank you so much Jemma! You are so sweet and thank you for your prayers! We appreciate it!! I’m so glad we had this brief snow and then the one we received last Friday. It all just made my day! :-) Hope you are having fun with the new home…wait, I know you are!! :-) Have a wonderful day! Love and hugs to you!!

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  8. loved that top hat on your tree! so YOU!
    and dad gum you girl. now i want some eggnog and there is virtually
    EGGNOT in this wren house. and I just came back from the store.
    not sure I could even find any now. and horrors that I should make it from scratch!!!
    bless your son. he's your baby boy. they always remain so.
    but he sounds strong... and has his mom's own fantastic humor. it goes a long way into making any situation better.
    love and hugs dear bean. XOXOXO♥

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    1. Thank you so much! It was just a fun bit of whimsy this past Christmas. I knew when I saw it that it would go home with me and perch on top of the tree! :-) We have no eggnog left but I'm seriously considering making some homemade again! :-) Thank you so much and yes ma'am...they are always our babies, regardless of how old they get. Love and hugs to you!!

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  9. I thought of you when I saw the forcast for your area. Up here in the northeast we are just missing all the snow....or so they say. I've had to cancel three outings this week because of weather! Your sweet son has been through a lot! I have a son like that too....we never know what health issue is going to hit next. So glad to hear all went well with the surgery.

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    1. I so hate you missed all of the snow. We ended up with about 8 inches last Friday, so we just stayed put and enjoyed the beauty of it all. I’m so sorry that you had to cancel your outings and hope that you were able to reschedule. And I hope your son is doing well….it just hurts us so much when they hurt, and you are so right. We are thankful that all went well with this surgery and thank you again so much AnnMarie. Love and hugs to you!!

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  10. You're so funny!! We were supposed to get a good storm this weekend but apparently it's fizzled for my area....bummer!

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    1. I try to keep myself, and others, entertained...LOL. I hate you missed the snow. We so enjoyed our snow fall last Friday...it was just beautiful. But I don't like being cooped up, so we had to get out in it on Saturday. Glad the hubster was driving...LOL Hugs!

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  11. So glad your son is okay. We all take good health for granted. No so for everyone.

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    1. Thank you so much Donna. We are still waiting to hear about the cyst, but all seems well. And I agree with you. I’m so thankful there are so many talented and skilled surgeons who care about their patients!!

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  12. Thoughts and prayers for your son. Isn't it funny when the "S" word is spoken, bread, milk, and gas disappear?

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    1. Thank you so much! I appreciate it greatly! I know, it is so crazy that southerners go nuts when they hear the "s" word. And I have no idea why they want break, milk and gas!! I want hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, dip and a few good books to read or movies to watch!

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  13. Prayers for your son. xx oo
    Ha...I am still laughing about your snow. ;-)
    Have a great weekend!
    Carla

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    1. Thank you so much Carla! I appreciate it greatly! Snow in the South is a funny thing...we go crazy over it and for it...until it arrives. Then, everyone just wants it gone...LOL But not me....I want more and hope we have some snow in our near future!! Hugs...hope your week is going well! Going to check out your hubby's potato soup recipe! :-)

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  14. Benita I am glad your son's surgery went well. I used to have a turtle named Herman! I wasn't familiar with his illness so I googled it. Prayers for your son and your family.
    xoxo

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    1. Thank you so much Vera...for the sweet words and prayers. LOL @ Herman. It is a bizarre syndrome and was only discovered a few years ago. No one knew what was wrong with him. At 16, he almost died from an aortic aneurysm and we traveled to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore to get the diagnosis...an ordeal for sure. He's lived much longer than they anticipated, which is a great thing! Thank you again! Love and hugs to you!

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  15. I feel terrible Benita! I had no idea your son was going through surgery. He sounds like a trooper (he's his mother's boy after all), but I'm sure that it was difficult for you and your family as well as him.

    Blessings to you all and keep safe and warm this weekend.

    xxx

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    1. Thank you so much Doreen! We’ve been down the road many times, so we know the routine and sad to say, are used to it by now. He came through it well and we are waiting on some results. Thank you again so much! I hope you had a wonderful weekend in sunny Florida and missed all of the bad weather! Hugs sweet friend!!

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  16. So glad to hear the surgery went well and you made it back home in time for the storm. It's messy here. Freezing rain, plain rain...a big disappointment! We may have a few flurries tomorrow. You and your eggnog! You crack me up! I've never met a cookie I didn't like...they must've been pretty bad! Stay warm!

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    1. Thank you so much Sherry, I appreciate it greatly! The Friday snow was a really big deal here in the south, 8 inches for the Nashville area...roads closed, icy travel conditions, people stranded...about the norm for when it snows down here! I do hope you guys got some good snow before the weekend was over. So crazy about this eggnog business...I just don't understand how I missed it all these years...LOL I'm like you about the cookies...but these were horrible! :-) Hugs!!

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  17. Eggnog glutton! You are hilarious!
    I'm thrilled to hear that "Herman" is gone and that your son is on the mend. Though he's had many surgeries, each one is scary and breaks your heart for him. He's a fighter, quite clearly. Be well...all of you...and enjoy that eggnog! Hugs, Tina

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    1. :-) Thank you so much Tina! They are nerve-wrecking for sure and hopefully one day, he will not have to have any more of them. He has my temperament, that's for sure...keeps him in trouble...LOL. Thank you again so much! Hope things are going well! Hugs sweet friend!!

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