A Duck In Her Pond » Christmas

We’re back!

Blond Duck — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 12:51:00 +0000

I have a confession to make.

A secret I must share.

Please don’t hate me, Invisible Friends but…….

I think I’m actually tired of sweets!

I know, I know. But when you combine this….

And these…

And this tasty cobbler…

With more hello dollies/ magic cookie bars….

And pecan pie….

You get a Blond Duck who needs to get on the treadmill. Stat.

Of course, I did more than just eat myself stupid while on the second destination of the Christmas Shreveport/ Austin Invasion ‘08 (but not much.)

While my mom and sister baked cookies for the neighbors on Christmas Eve, I escaped outside for a run and later took the Babies for a walk with Rascal, the Pike family dog.

Then I listened as my Dad grumbled and groused about Christmas and growled “Bah Humbug!” every time I put on Christmas carols. Scrooge and Eeyore are his idols.

Wuffle.

After I stuffed myself with chicken fried steak (I inhaled it too fast to get a picture), we opened presents. While I was thrilled with all the lovely things I got, including great new clothes, some kitchen stuff and Christmas stuff for next year, the Babies were not amused.

Snarl.

Not amused at all.

The next day, we opened our stockings and Mom cooked a lovely Christmas lunch.

And just in case you ever thought we here at the Pond were classy folks, this is how we drove back.

The Grizwalds ain’t’ got nothing on us. We’re spoiled rotten from the generosity of our folks.

We’re both very lucky to have such wonderful, kind, generous families.

We’ve also got lots of new kitchen toys you kitchen queens and kings will be enthralled with. Such as a new panini press, stew pot, Le Creuset pot…

A ton of new cookbooks that I spent all last night drooling over…(and a bunch of Southern Livings I stole from Shreveport….thanks Mama K!)

A pancake Christmas pan… Have I mentioned I love pancakes and waffles?

And a PINK frying pan! Elle Woods would perish in jealousy! And pink ice cube trays, pink tongs, pink refrigerator clips….

It’s good to be pink. And it’s good to be home. I hope ya’ll had as great of a Christmas as we here at the Pond did!

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! We have a new Twirl tomorrow, a new Kitchen Magic Sunday and the second part to Samantha’s mysterious gift. Stay tuned!

We’re back!

Merry Christmas from the Pond!

Blond Duck — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 11:00:00 +0000

Merry Christmas from the Pond!

We wish all your Christmas dinners to be delicious,
Your families to be healthy and safe,
Your pies to be tasty
and your days filled with joy.

Invisible Friends,
you mean the world to me.
Thank you for filling my days with laughter and joy.

And now, a Christmas story from the Blond Duck’s past…

Once upon a time, the Blond Duck wanted to celebrate Christmas with Ben. They had been dating a few years, and she wanted their apartments to look festive rather than the wastelands they usually became before the Christmas holidays.

So she went to Wal-Mart and bought a $20 tree.

With a few boxes of cheap glass ornaments and tube lights, they transformed the tree into a tree the Who would be proud to call their own.

The next day, Ben awoke to a terrible horror.

The tree, the perfect $20 Wal-Mart Christmas tree, was covered in spider webs.

From millions of tiny spiders.

When the Blond Duck trotted up that afternoon, the perfect $20 Wal-Mart Christmas tree was on the lawn, most of the ornaments with it.

The Pond has had an artificial tree ever since.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Pond!

Shreveport/ Austin Christmas Invasion ‘08

Blond Duck — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 11:00:00 +0000

My mother-in-law is a very patient, kind woman.

You see, not only did she let me invade her kitchen, but she let me make these.

Grace calls them Hello, Jollies. Folks in the South call them Hello Dollies. My mom calls them magic cookie bars. Others call them Texas brownies. (Recipe at bottom of post.)

I call them delicious.

I made traditional ones–pecans, coconut, chocolate chips and a graham cracker crust soaked in condensed milk goodness and Blond Duck friendly ones (since I’m allergic to chocolate) with peanut butter chips.

They’re gone now, just in case you were wondering.

I also made an entire pile of my mom’s pumpkin bread for everyone down there.

They’re also almost gone.

And just in case I have eaten enough, with the hello dollies, pumpkin bread and peanut butter pie, but our Shreveport Christmas dinner consisted of beef tenderloin, boursin potatoes, bbq green beans, Mandarin orange salad and dinner rolls. And grilled catfish, macaroni and cheese and banana pudding from the Southfield Grill, my father in law’s restaurant.

Yoga pants, Chihuahuas and apron chic.

I’ve spent the rest of my time on the treadmill, just in case you were curious.

In the Pond, it rarely gets below 70. But here in Shreveport, it’s been 30 degrees.

The Babies were not amused when I tried to drag them on a walk. My logic was if they had lots of exercises, they’d have less time to pee on the carpet, terrorize Ace the Dog and get up in everyone’s business.

It was a lovely Christmas.

I might even sneak another dolly. Or two. Or three.

Today, we’re on the road to Austin to go terrorize my parents. The car is loaded almost to the ceiling with gifts received and to be given and the Babies are full of nervous energy.

My parents aren’t going to know what hit them.

Stay tuned Friday for the recap of the Austin invasion! And Merry Christmas, ya’ll!

Magic Cookie Bars/ Hello Dollies (from www.eaglebrand.com)

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or butter, peanut butter or white chocolate. Or both or a mixture!)
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees for glass dish). Coat 13×9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.
Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with a fork.
Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars or diamonds. Store covered at room temperature.

Variations:

7-Layer Magic Cookie Bars: Substitute 1 cup (6-ounces) butterscotch flavored chips* for 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and proceed as directed above.
Peanut butter flavored chips or white chocolate chips may be substituted for butterscotch flavored chips.
Magic Peanut Cookie Bars: Substitute 2 cups (about 3/4 pound) chocolate-covered peanuts for semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped nuts.
Magic Rainbow Cookie Bars: Substitute 2 cups plain candy-coated chocolate candies for semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! We’ll have a fun Christmas post, a recap of the Blond Duck’s Austin Christmas, a new Twirl, the end of Kitchen Magic and the reveal of what is in Samantha’s box…Merry Christmas!

Shreveport/ Austin Christmas Invasion ‘08

Dear Santa

Blond Duck — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:00:00 +0000

Dear Santa,

I’ve been good this year.

Pretty good.

Somewhat good.

I’m a queen. I can do whatever I want.

So anyway, I know it’s the night before Christmas Eve, but I have a few requests.

Grab a pen. This may take awhile.

1) I require lots of new toys.

2) Some tasty treats.

3) Three or more human servants to do my will.

And now, Bear has a few things he’s hankering for.

1) Some fish for my friend, the Dolphin.

2) More toys to rip the arms off of.

3) A moose to ride on in the backyard. I’ve never met a moose, but they look like the perfect travel vehicles to go bark at the dog next door.

So Santa, I’d appreciate whatever you could do for me. I’ll make sure you’re reimbursed with cookies and all sorts of tasty things. I’ll be nice to Ace, stop blowing my breath in people’s face and quit peeing on carpets.

Well, I’ll try.

After all, I am the Queen of the Pond.

Love,

Bitty and Bear

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! We have the Shreveport/ Austin Christmas Invasion 2008 post tomorrow and a fun Christmas post. After Christmas, we’ve got Twirl, the end of Kitchen Magic and Samantha discovers what’s in the mysterious box…

Dear Santa

A Christmas Tour through the Pond

Blond Duck — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 11:00:00 +0000

Hello, I’m the cookie-stealing bunny and I’ll be narrating this trip through the Pond.

Queen Bitty is busy hiding the Santa hat behind the couch. But I didn’t tell you that.

I just work here, folks. I report the news.

For the beginning of our Christmas Tour of the Pond, let’s start with the bathroom. It’s the one place in the house I’ve never searched for cookies. Wait a minute….

Yes, it’s true. The Blond Duck has a Christmas tree in her bathroom. And a yellow duck toilet lid cover.

Next, we’ve got a lovely whimsical little thing next to two cheap Wal-Mart decorations.

A nativity scene that has survived Bear’s curious pawing action.

Here, I give you peaceful Santa.

And as any good Texan, the Blond Duck has a cowboy Santa.

Excuse me, cookie-stealing bunny? How much longer is this going to last? I have to pee. Do you know how heavy this sword is?

For those of you who were curious about the stocking situation….I went for simple.

Now we come to my favorite part of the tour….

A flying pig’s butt.

Just kidding.

We have some moose poop, which is a Pike family tradition and a really long story.

The Blond Duck gave this ornament to Ben when they got engaged.

And this ornament is from their trip to Alaska.

If you couldn’t tell, she’s kinda into angels.

Obsessed, really.

Neurotic.

Fanatical.

Angel-crazy.

This is the kitchen fairy Sprinkles was based off of in the “Kitchen Magic” series.

The Santa and the tree are friends. They keep all the other kitchen appliances up all night with their gossip.

Excuse me, cookie-eating Bunny! Excuse me! You forgot to talk about me, the fat little chicken pot. I may not have a Christmas cactus or poinsettia, but I’m still festive.

I would be festive, but I have a bag of dog food in my back.

Merry Christmas from the Pond!

Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a box of Nilla Wafers in the pantry with my name on it…..

Stay tuned Invisible Friends! Tomorrow the Fuzzy Duck and Rubber Chicken go on a date! Thursday we have a special recipe and Friday a brand new “Twirl.” Then this weekend, a new “Kitchen Magic” and the release of my book of Christmas Tales! Stay tuned for purchasing details!

A Christmas Tour through the Pond

Woes of a Christmas ornament

Blond Duck — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:00:00 +0000

Life is not easy as the fuzzy duck ornament of a Christmas tree.

This is not the first time I’ve had self-confidence issues. But this time, it’s worse, much worse.

To start, I am permanently wind blown. No amount of hair gel, flat irons or electric shock therapy will tame this wild mass of fuzz.

But I was ok with that. I was content with my frizzy fuzz, my wild masses of yellow dandelion feathers.

And then he showed up.

How can I compete? That elegant glittery silver breast, that noble upturned beak.

And just look at that shimmery plummage draping across the pine needles. It breathes sophistication.

I’m so depressed.

If I had been a flying pig, I might have had a chance with my angelic wings and gorgeous white gown.

And if I was a mermaid, I would have a seahorse for a friend. I could spend my days floating in an ocean and playing with dolphins while conversing with seals.

The only one I have to talk to is a skinny flamingo next door who thinks he’s Santa. You can imagine the conversations we have. I’m not talking to the silver bird.

Maybe I could have been a mallard. After hunting season.

Or a unicorn. I look noble, don’t I?

Heck, I’d even be the confused pink Easter Bunny who thinks he’s an elf and lives with the other Christmas ornaments. And that’s saying a lot.

On second thought, I’ve decided I enjoy being the Pond’s fuzziest duck.

Because after all you have to admit….

The world is full of silver shimmery birds that glimmer in the light, but there’s no one with as much fuzz as me!

Merry Christmas from the Fuzzy Duck!

And Merry SITSmas! Go to Secret in the Sauce to see all the Christmas fun with my other SITS-Invisible Friends!

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! Tomorrow we have a brand new Twirl and Beef Burgundy Thursday. Much more whimsical fun is coming your way!

Woes of a Christmas ornament