A Tale of Two Christmases
It all started with one of my favorite things of all time.
Fajitas.
On the 19th, my parents and sister graciously came down to San Antonio to have Christmas at Casa de Pond.
Queen Bitty was most delighted.
Espiecially as Booger the Lobster didn’t come to hog the pies or tacos. Queen Bitty demands her fair share of pies and tacos.
After a delightful Mexican lunch, Dad took me down to Lucchesse to buy me some fabulous boots in honor of my booksigning. Lucchese Boots are the top boots, folks. They’re like the Prada and Louis Vutton in the Texan world.
This isn’t the exact boot that I got, but it’s pretty similar.
Then I presented my family with some butterscotch Hello Duckies (Recipe to come Thursday!) My dad was delighted that not only had I used double the chips, but I had some cream cheese icing (gravy) for him.
We do love our gravy up here.
Everyone admired our tree, with it’s whimsical ornaments, including seashells from our trip to Treasure Island….
Yes, I just stuck a shell on a branch. Don’t judge me.
I got wonderful gifts, including a brand new toaster and grill, wonderful clothes, a darling angel frame and the most fabulous thing of all…
A Luby’s Cookbook. For those of you who don’t know, Luby’s is a cafeteria style diner that is a staple in Texas.
The fried chicken and macaroni and cheese are calling my name….
A few days later, we were bound for Shreveport. I immediately set about to taking over my mother-in-law’s kitchen, making things like pumpkin squares…
pumpkin bread…
oatmeal raisin cookies…
This German Apple Pie… (recipe to come!)
And my all time favorite, pecan pie.
They’re all glad that I’m gone. They can button their pants again.
Queen Bitty and Bear spent most of their time terrorizing poor Ace….
Though Queen Bitty tolerated his presence when it came to warming herself in front of the fire.
While I drooled over the fabulous new cookbooks and workout DVDs I got, including the Pioneer Woman’s cookbook….
Ben prepared to help make himself ready in the kitchen.
We also got some darling new ornaments.
And a new friend for the Land of the Flowered Bed, Augie (short of Augustus) the Otter. Why Augustus? You’ll find out soon…
Bear didn’t have to wear a Christmas sweater, just like he asked Santa, but I did try to make him wear a bow.
He was not amused.
We had a wonderful Christmas, and want to thank our wonderful family and friends for such a pleasant holiday. I just hope we gave them as much joy as they gave us, even with the occasional allergy attack of sniffles, snuffles and snot.
Even the cookie-stealing bunny had a good time.
Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! Tomorrow we have the recipe to hello duckies, than the New Year’s Resolutions of the Pond! Stay tuned!
December 29th, 2009 at 4:11 am
What a lovely holiday you had! And nifty gifts too. My daughter gave me some super cookbooks….I can’t wait to get into them. But I still have family here until the 4th so it will have to wait.
December 29th, 2009 at 4:36 am
looks like you had a great christmas, which is good.
christmas is my favorite time of year. 
love your blog and your post. keep up the great work that you have been doing. visiting from sits. 
December 29th, 2009 at 5:01 am
I love the pictures! (And can’t wait for the recipes!)
December 29th, 2009 at 5:04 am
Looks like you had a fabulous Christams, I’m so glad. Congrats on getting those boots daaahling, that sounds like a score!
p.s. u drool for workout dvd’s?????? whats that about?
December 29th, 2009 at 5:12 am
How lovely that you popped in to say hello and brought me back to your space where chihuahua’s wear crowns and bunnies steal cookies – delightful! Looks like you had a fabulous holiday full of all the good stuff that makes it special…
December 29th, 2009 at 5:27 am
Glad you had fun with the family~Love the boots!!!!!!
December 29th, 2009 at 5:28 am
thanks for stopping by! i love *your* blog design!
looks like you had a great christmas. oh man. that cookie stealing bunny is hilarious.
also. i’m ok with you sticking shells in your tree. i stuck pine cones in mine. in my fake tree, that is. because it’s a pine tree. a fake pine tree. so. yeah. it totally needed real pine cones. that smelled like cinnamon.
December 29th, 2009 at 6:02 am
All the food looks so goooood!
December 29th, 2009 at 6:05 am
Looks like ya’ll had a wonderful XMAS. Beautiful boots. Congrats on your book signing!
Love the treats, they all look delish.
December 29th, 2009 at 6:05 am
Cute dogs! I got the PW cookbook too! Looks like you had fun.
December 29th, 2009 at 6:06 am
Dr. hubby got a pair of Lucchese boots too…Black Cherry Lizard…very sharp! Glad you had a great holiday!
December 29th, 2009 at 6:14 am
What a wonderful Christmas! I thought we had alot to eat, but you take the cake (and the cookies!). Fajitas, boots and those adorable doggies – heaven on earth!
December 29th, 2009 at 6:40 am
That bunny is hilarious! And the boots are great. Looks like a wonderful Christmas! Thanks for commenting on my blog too! It’s so much fun to meet new people who I might not have otherwise found in the huge blogosphere.
December 29th, 2009 at 7:28 am
Love that you do Christmas fajitas. That is just so TX, it hurts
xoox
kHm
December 29th, 2009 at 7:31 am
Very cute! I’m glad both of your Christmases were so much fun. For the record, my poochies were at the groomer on the 23rd and while Miss Cleo is still sporting bows on her ears and mini present on her collar, Kairo rolled on the carpet as soon as we got home and wouldn’t stop until the little presents attached to his collar flew off. Grr…boys! LOL
December 29th, 2009 at 8:07 am
That is quite the spread! My mom used to make the best fajitas.
December 29th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Wow! What a nice Christmas you had! Congrats on the book signing!
December 29th, 2009 at 9:23 am
wow that pumpkin bread looks fantastic
looks like you had a great christmas! happy holidays!
December 29th, 2009 at 9:32 am
Sounds like a wonderful holiday filled with lots of goodies. Glad to hear everyone enjoyed it!
Happy New Year!
December 29th, 2009 at 10:06 am
You are multi-talented: you can write and cook!
December 29th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Yum! I think I would have enjoyed your Christmases!!! Yum! I love cookbooks too. I think cookbooks WITH pictures are one of my favorite things to spend time with.
December 29th, 2009 at 10:48 am
I’m glad you had great fun and good food!
December 29th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Really fun post, darling! Love all these pics, especially the last one!
xoxox,
CC
December 29th, 2009 at 11:52 am
What a grand holiday post! Merry Christmas and happy 2010 to come. Looking forward to those recipes to come…. (how seet they are!). Many thanks for the visit. Trying to get the blogging organized for 2010!
December 29th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
What a cute, cute Christmas! I have a pink ornament like the one by the shell. And I LOVE the ducky one too. Awh!
A very yummy Chriatmas on the pond! I can smell the delight from here. I am looking foward to Augie-tales.
December 29th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
What a lovely Christmas! I love your gorgeous boots!
December 29th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Poor Bear! When Thor advised him to hold firm against the sweater, he never pictured a bow in the future. Bows are not manly. Thor said so. Glad you had such a wonderful Christmas, and I’m especially glad you remembered the gravy for your Dad.
December 29th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
It looks that you all , inclusive the lovely dogs had a fabolous time!
I wish you & your family a lovely, healthy & fun 2010!!! Yeah!
December 29th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Your Christmases sound so nice!! I am glad they were good for you.
BTW, I have lots of cookies left up here — I can send some to you and your cookie-stealing bunny. I need to start buttoning my pants soon. heh.
December 29th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Surely, Christmas is a state of mind more than one day: I think it should go on all year!
December 29th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Look like it was a wonderful time! Queen Bitty is really pretty!
Happy New Year 2010!
December 29th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Sounds like a fabulous time – but what *is* that ‘hello duckies’ dish? I’ll have to come back for the recipe to find out what on earth…!
December 29th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Sounds like you had a wonderful time! Great goodies, great loot and great fun!
December 29th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
I did tons of cookies this season, was able to give most of them away but unfortunately there still is a pile on the table that is just forcing itself upon us.
December 29th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Merry Christmas Duckie, looks like you had an excellent one!
I love the boots too-with roses no less! 
December 29th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
What a lovely dinner spread, and such great cookbook gifts! Lucky you.
December 29th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
I just KNEW there were gonna be a lot of lovely sweets in your christmas! Glad I was right! Have a great rest of the holidays!
December 29th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Congratulations on the booksigning! Looks like it was a great holiday.
December 29th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
You certainly had quite a ducky Christmas, Miranda! Now, you know I can’t wait to see what you conger up out of those New cookbooks of yours, (I don’t have either, yet:(
You have a beautiful family. How sweet of you to share them with us. I’m sure everyone had a wonderful time:) I’ll be offline while the final move goes through so I just wanted to say Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year to you and yours. Have FUN!!! “See” ya next week.
Congrats on the book singing, how cool is THAT!!!
December 29th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
What a beautiful fun time with your family. LOVE the boots! I had NO idea Luby’s had a cookbook. I remember them from when I was very small…very fond memories indeed
December 29th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Ohhh, it looks like a wonderful visit. Love the boots. Ummm, all that food looks so delicious I can hardly stand it. You guys are good cooks!
Happy New Year!
December 30th, 2009 at 6:28 am
Book signing?!? How did I miss that? Congratulations!
So happy to see you had a lovely Christmas, fancy boots and all.
December 30th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Cute post. Love your tree!
December 30th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Classic photo of dog removing bow!
I want those boots!
Happy to know you had such a wonderful Christmas!
December 30th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Ya’ll raked in!
I did not even know Luby’s had a cookbook! I lived at Luby’s in college. So yummy!
And, you dad could not be cuter with his cream cheese icing gravy!
December 30th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Sounds like it was a delightful (and delicious!) holiday!
December 30th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
It looks like you had a lovely Christmas filled with light and love. Your new boots are hot! I’m glad that everyone liked their necklaces!
Luby’s has a cookbook? Weird.
January 4th, 2010 at 8:59 am
What a great Christmas!!! Happy New Year!
January 4th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
What fun! I am so glad you had a good time!!