Christmas in Colleyville

On the first day of Christmas... left Austin late after I got off work and arrived at 3am.
On the second day of Christmas... attended church with Josh and Laura and ate lunch at Bread Winner's Cafe. Went home and played lots of cards and ate a lot throughout the entire week...too much, in fact.
On the third day of Christmas... we saw two movies in the theater; National Treasure Book of Secrets and Charlie Wilson's War. Neither struck my fancy.
On the fourth day of Christmas... Chris and I celebrated our annual Christmas Eve Morning Date with coffee and donuts, then went to the mall for some last minute shopping.
On the fifth day of Christmas... Marlow got lots of love and attention, lots of walks and trips to the park, and lots of toys. He turned 1 year old on the 26th!
On the sixth day of Christmas... we helped Josh and Laura move from one apartment to another.
On the seventh day of Christmas... I spent a day with my mother in law and sister in law. We got manicures, ate lunch, and went shopping. I found a few bargains at some after-Christmas sales.
On the eighth day of Christmas... we slept in a lot and took naps. I made sure not to cook too much and enjoyed several glasses of wine.
On the ninth day of Christmas... we sat down and made plans to get more serious with my business.
On the tenth day of Christmas... we went to a party and hung out with our great Strange friends.
On the eleventh day of Christmas... I realized that the 3 books I brought to read never got opened.
On the twelfth day of Christmas... we are glad to be home.

Christmas morning mimosas!

Sister Laura

our annual donut date

the clan after xmas eve service

my sweet boys

wilkerson duo

What We've Been Up To

Taste and See Fine Dining has been getting more business during the holiday season, so with cooking for my job and for my own business, I've been quite busy. Chris and I both work from home on Tuesdays. I think he started staying home because he liked the benefits of my leftovers from the day.

We hosted our first Christmas Party and 40-50 people came. I cooked to impress and hopefully it inspired some potential clients for 2008.

We attended a wedding last Saturday and we considered it a milestone since it was the first one we've been invited to from friends here in Austin. We still really love living here. After the reception, we party hopped the rest of the night, hitting up others' Christmas get-togethers.

I hosted a Cookie Exchange on Monday at my house. It was fun to just talk with friends and swap yummy recipes.

Last night we had dinner with the Hekmans for the last time until next year. We won't see them until we get back from Singapore at the end of January. We had pizza at their place, then walked around Zilker Park for the Trail of Lights.

This week I'm cooking a lot for 3 more parties, then off to Colleyville we go! Chris and I both are really looking forward to vacation where we'll hopefully do a lot of sleeping and just relaxing with his family.He's all ready for Christmas!

Christmas Letter 2007

• Our Top 3 Events of 2007 •

Marlow

In February we drove to China Spring, Texas and picked out a tiny puppy to be part of our family. He’s an English Springer Spaniel and will turn one year old the day after Christmas. He’s now our 50 pound lap dog. Marlow has brought the both of us so much joy and lots of laughter, and I proudly admit that I am smitten with the little guy. He’s got the perfect energy level for us since we’re outdoorsy folks, but he’s also quite the cuddler and loves any attention he can get. I have especially appreciated his company when Chris has had to travel for work. It doesn’t get much better than a little, wiggly body happy to see you every day. We prayed for the personality of our future pet and God gave us our dream puppy.

Chef Carey

I (finally) graduated in July after a year and a half of culinary, enological, and nutritional studies. Upon graduating, I received a promotion to the position of Sous Chef at my job. It has been good to work under someone else’s management and to learn on someone else’s dime; however it has motivated me more so to get out on my own. Together, Chris and I have started our own personal cheffing business, Taste and See Fine Dining. I get to cook for weekly clients, dinner parties, showers, small catering events, and do nutritional consulting. Chris is my business manager, technical support, web advisor, and business accountant. J It has been very rewarding to work in an industry full of creative challenges, but also one in which I am able to use my gifts to bless others.

2606 Gets a Facelift

We have become good friends with the employees at the nearby hardware stores. We see them quite frequently and visit nearly every weekend. Since we became homeowners almost a year and a half ago, we’ve been going non-stop with remodeling. Both bathrooms received a complete makeover, we created a laundry room, and will soon be entering the demolition phase for our kitchen. I am constantly impressed with Chris’s abilities in the remodeling of our house. He has done an amazing job on everything. His dad has made numerous trips to Austin to help with nearly every step of the process. (THANK YOU!) It has been fun making our house into our home.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a year full of God’s blessings.

Chris and Carey Bonser

Happy Birthday, Lydia

Sunday night was my friend's birthday dinner. I cooked a Kosher meal since we are right around Hanukkah time, even though none of us are Jewish. Scott & Lydia enjoy good food just like us, so it's always fun to eat together. The menu was:

Watercress, Avocado, Smoked Salmon, Pomegranate Seeds with Sherry Vinaigrette
Potato Latkes
Sparkling Rosé

Golden Beet Soup

Roasted Rack of Lamb with Lamb Sausage Crust with Grape Port Sauce
Minted Pea Spaetzle
Tempranillo

White Chocolate Trifle with Spiced Pear & Mascarpone
Coffee