Calzone!

I got to thinking about a friend I haven't seen for ages. In particular about an evening we spent in her home playing board games and eating her marvelous homemade calzone. Before I knew it Calzone Cravings had taken complete control and I knew what we had to have for dinner that night. I made my calzone using a pizza dough recipe which I roll out into slightly elongated circles. Then I spread on marinara sauce and whatever filling I might have on hand. I usually make my own marinara sauce, but this time I simply opted for Prego. What can I say? I had laundry that needed to be done! Then I top with cheddar or mozzarella cheese and finish them off with a good dousing of Parmesan.

It was marvelous timing because Casey returned from an Airsoft Party with three hungry overnight guests. And what better to feed a mob of growing teenaged boys then Calzone??












Charity

On Being a Woman in a Male-Dominated Household

I am married to a very male man. I have an acquaintance who calls such men "RAMs" (Rugged Alaskan Males). Here is a picture of my RAM.



And if that isn't enough testosterone around here, I managed to bring two more of them into the world. Here is son #1...



And son #2...



I am the only woman in my world. The net result of this is that I am outvoted on all the important decisions. Such as which movie we will see. Or whether we will go canoeing or shopping.

Recently this came to a head when I found myself enduring the latest Die Hard movie, attending an IFL Football Game (kinda like World Wrestling Federation meets Football), and shopping for camo gear and gun clips all in a two day spread. It's enough to make a grown woman cry. To innoculate myself from a complete testosterone takeover, I am heading off to enjoy a bubble bath while reading Romantic Homes and listening to an impressionistic piano CD.

A Doggedly Feminine....

Charity

Forties Tablecloth Quilt

I adore vintage textiles and my very mostest favoritest textiles are the tablecloths from the forties and fifties. I have a few in pristine condition that I use. But the bulk of my collection are tablecloths too badly stained or damaged to use. I have saved them for crafting purposes.

I have been working on using blocks cut from these vintage tablecloths to make a mini-quilt. I used 30s reproduction prints for the sashing and binding because they are my second favorite textile! It's a two-fer of my favorite things! And I loved how the quilt turned out.

While I will be keeping this mini-quilt, I will be putting together kits to make your own and selling them on Ebay starting in August. So bookmark me on Ebay if you're interested. You can follow my auctions by clicking on the link in the sidebar.



Charity

Favorite Seasonal Find

This is one of my favorite summer finds. I found it about mid-May at a Salvation Army store. It was only $3.00 and I grabbed it as soon as I spotted it. I had a handful of compliments and an equal number of coveteous glances before I made it to the register and sealed the deal. Since I'm a terrible gardener I agonized about what to plant in it. After much googling with search terms such as "gardening moron" and "murderproof plants" I decided to plant it with Salvia and whatever those little purple things are. I've already forgotten their name. That's how bad of a gardener I am. But a month later, they're still alive! Must be the utter appeal of this rustic, funky birdhouse planter. Who wouldn't flourish in such a charming home?

Winter Whimsies on Ebay

I just listed these on Ebay. For some reason I was in a holiday crafting mood last night. So I put on Rush Hour and puttered around with my glues and glitter. These winter whimsies were the final result. You can click on the Ebay link in the sidebar if you're interested in purchasing them.

Doughnut Duty

A desire to spend time with my son combined with an urge to bake resulted in a doughnut-making session today. While my recalcitrant teen slept in, I popped the basic ingredients into the bread machine to make up the dough. I was in the mood for applesauce doughnuts, but since it'd been awhile since I'd made any kind of doughnuts, I thought I better stick to the basic recipe. Ninety minutes later, the dough was ready and it was time to drag sleeping beauty out of bed. It was, afterall, 1 p.m. and NO ONE is that tired or that ugly. We rolled out the dough and used our funky little doughnut cutter to make the rings. Thirty agonizing minutes waiting for the dough to rise and then...their final bath in hot oil and some cinnamon/sugar powdering down. Casey decided that they were worth the lost pillow time afterall.

Make-Up Work

I have been neglecting my posting this last month or so. So now I have some "make-up" sharing to do. These are projects I've done recently, but haven't shared with you yet!

A Shabby Primitive Still Life


Blessed Primitive Still Life (this one is currently on auction at Ebay)


Gatsby Hat (recently sold on Ebay)


Charity

An Anniversary

Craig and I celebrated our 27th Anniversary a few days ago. The time has gone by so quickly and so pleasantly as well, I might add. He's such a sweetie and I submit, as evidence, the following pics. Kindly ignore my paint experimentations reflected in the mirror. I'm in the throes of Decorative Decision-Making at the moment.