The Calzones

My hubby has mentioned to me that I never used the bread machine any more and then I saw THIS POST on Rhonda's blog. So,I got the bread machine out and made some calzones.

It took me a few minutes to figure out where I had stored the bread machine! But now it sits on the counter.



I wanted to use what I had on hand, so I simply browned some hamburger and bell pepper for the main ingredient. I opened a small can of tomato sauce and added some Italian seasonings to it. Then I put 1/3 cup of the hamburger mixture, a couple spoonfuls of the tomato sauce mixture and some cheese on the dough circles. Some of the calzones got Cheddar cheese and some got mozzarella cheese.

I also had all the ingredients for the dough on hand. You can see the recipe in Rhonda's post.



I agree with Rhonda that the dough was easy to handle. After putting the filling on the dough, I covered them and let them rise for 30 more minutes.

They got big!



Yum! Good. Can't wait to try some other mixtures. Ham and cheese comes to mind. Just might check the "Hot Pockets" at the store to get more ideas for fillers.



Thanks Rhonda for giving me the motivation to use the bread machine again. DH was happy!

The Ultimate Lunch Box

My hubby recently asked me, "How much would you charge me to make a lunch bag that this plastic shoe box will fit in, and can you use watermelon fabric?" Well, of course I could make such a bag, and at no cost too!

I quilted the panels for the bag which gives the lunch box natural insulation.



This plastic shoe box fits in the bottom and there is a pocket the right size to hold a pack of nabs, fork and spoon, or what ever needs to go in there. He can either put cold items in the fridge at work or put one of those frozen thingies in the plastic shoe box to keep the items cold.

The shoebox can be taken out and washed and the quilted tote can be washed and dried too.



There is room for him to carry a notebook or other things he might need to take to work with him. The notebook can slide right in beside the shoebox.



Its always a joy to make items for a loved one!

Another Week Ends..... and looking ahead to a new one

What a couple of stormy days we have had! When I check the radar on line, there is a spinning system that just keeps turning and churning. Hope it soon goes off the coast. At any rate, no yard work got done this weekend!

This picture was taken today with a storm coming up from the East, with the sun shining behind me.



We are proud of our Wolfpack for going to the Sweet Sixteen. Next year is looking very promising!



Looking ahead to this week:

Mama will be 87 on Friday!

I'll be working on my current quilt project.

I'm running out of time for doing taxes.... gotta get to work on that!

Hubby and I want to pick up a truck load of brown mulch so we can get the yard in shape for spring and summer. A load in our small pickup truck costs less than $25.00.

Spring At The Office

I spend a good chunk of my time either at the office or commuting there and back home. Even though I would love to be a stay at home person, I have to admit that I have a good job. The bosses are very nice and my coworkers are sweet. Most of my duties are enjoyable. As for the things I don't like to do.... that's why they call it work, right?!!!

The small yard at my office is maintained by a local yard maintenance company. They do a great job, right down to planting annuals. The building is an old southern home.



The worst job I ever had was "barning tobacco" when I was growing up. My current job is a walk in the park compared to that! I bet some of you North and South Carolina readers who grew up in the South can identify with that!



My first real job was at a Woolco Department Store. I worked at the refund and exchange desk. That was not my favorite job either! I also answered the phone like this: "Thank you for calling Woolco, we want to be your favorite store, How can I help you". I worked there for a year when I was 18.



After that I worked for the North Carolina Department of Revenue, in the office of a sewing factory, and in an accountants office. I learned many things in the accounting office that have helped me in my current job and in my personal life. Being able to prepare your own taxes is a good thing!



My current job, which I have had for 24 years, is a paralegal/bookkeeper at a law firm in a small southern town. It can be quite interesting!



Spring has come to my corner of the world!

Planter Chairs!

Look what I found at the used furniture store today!

I had been wanting some brightly colored chairs to use as planter chairs. The condition of the chairs didn't really matter, because they would be outside in the weather and I would need to cut a hole in the seat for the flower pot to go anyway.

These are perfect.





The seats are already coming apart, so it will be easy to turn them into planters.


This old enamel ware dish pan that I usually fill with Impatiens will fit right down in the chair once the seat is removed.

A picture from last summer.



But it will need some vine like plants too, such as Sweet Potato Vine.



Its only the middle of March and already there are many weeds in the shade garden. I think one of the chair planters will look good here.

Homemaking ... the little things

Do you place your toilet paper on the thing "just so", so that it rolls off from over the roll, or from under the roll? Do you care one way or another, or does your family care?

At my house, no one cares!

I think that the little things in homemaking are important, but the little things shouldn't revolve around things that don't really matter in the long run. Who cares how the toilet paper rolls off the roller?

In a few years, if you look back, what will you remember?

Here are just few small things that do matter. I'm sure you could think of lots more.

1. Everyone needs clean underwear at all times...
2. If you get it out, put it away!
3. Be as polite to your family members as you would to a stranger or your minister.
4. Overlook those things that you yourself have been guilty of...
5. Be ready to forgive
6. Keep a cleaning schedule, but don't obsess over it. Some things really do need to be kept clean but if "it ain't dirty", don't clean it.
7. Every family member deserves their favorite meal occasionally.
8. Figure out what you can do to reduce the stress at your house and then do it. Maybe you should get up earlier so that you get where you are going on time.
9. Make a regular habit of decluttering and bring less clutter into the house to begin with.
10. Its nice to greet family members when they first come home and spend a little time with them, no matter what you are doing.
11. Buy as many healthy foods as you can.
12. Take care of the most important things and then if there's time you can do some of the less important things.

Ok, back to the toilet paper question. If its important to someone in your house that toilet paper roll a certain way, then put it on there that way! That's one small way to show you care.

Have a wonderful day of homemaking!

*****

My Quilting blog: AngelScraps Quilting

My Etsy Shop: Homemaking Dreams Etsy Shop

Life

I recently got a new camera because my old one completely bit the dust. Its not an expensive camera, but its a few steps up from the old one. Here's a shot I tried to get with the zoom. Its not too clear, but I'm still learning.



The last of the Camelia blooms.



A recently purchased yard sale chair. $7.00. I just love it.



On the back window of my son's truck!



Some birthday flowers from my coworkers on my desk.



A Pile of Family.



Mama... She will be 87 in 2 weeks. She was doing much better, but now she has DVT (blood clots in the legs) She will be getting strong blood thinners and injections to help take care of this.



Hubby's truck. Guys love old trucks and mine is no exception. Its very nice to have something to haul things around on.



On front of the truck, bought at a thrift shop.



Happy Wednesday!

Weekend Sewing

Did you have a good weekend? I hope you got a lot accomplished if that's what you wanted, or maybe you just wanted to relax?

Here are some completed projects from my weekend.

Clothespin Bags:





Fabric Grocery Bag:



Purse:



I'm on a roll! I'm trying to make one small project each day. I'm also working on a new quilt which you can read about on my quilting blog ANGELSCRAPS QUILTING HERE and HERE.

Etsy Shop Update

I am planning to start adding new items to my Etsy Shop regularly. New clothespin bags and purses are in my plans. Yesterday I added a new tote bag/reusable fabric grocery bag.

When making the Jacob's Ladder Quilt that I finished recently, this yellow block just stood out like a sore thumb.

Its makes a handy, functional and cute pocket on this tote bag!



From this:



To this:




Thanks!

Debbie J.

In A Little Spring Mood

In an effort to lighten up the dining area I switched the light fixture shades from the dark burgundy colored ones to these light ones.



I love my fall colored runner with its fruit design, but it was time to lighten up that area too. I found some spring fabric in my stash and made a new one. I don't especially like it, but it didn't cost anything and if I round up some fabric that I like better I can just whip up a new one and put this one back into the fabric stash to be used for something else.



Some pretty pink tulips would be nice in this pitcher and would go nicely with the runner.



Yesterday after work I planted a few pansies in a couple of pots just to give the yard a little more color. They will last until hot weather hits which means they should be blooming for about 3 more months.

Maybe this weekend I can replace a few more fall and winter things with more spring touches.

A Little Sewing

My key chain had become a cluttered, clangy, heavy thing! So, I decided to streamline it and make a wristlet key fob. I put the keys that aren't used that often in a pocket of my pocketbook and only have 3 keys that I use daily on the new one. These include the house key, car key and office key.



Its so convenient to slip on my wrist while getting in and out of the car. I've always got an armload of stuff, such as Mama's laundry from the nursing home, my pocketbook, food and drinks, groceries, mail, etc. With it on my wrist I can't drop it and its right there when I get to the door of the car, house or office. The size of it makes it easy to keep up with once I drop it into my purse or on the cabinet at home.



It matches my new pocketbook too. :o)



Can you believe its already March 6th! The year is flying by already. And the time changes this weekend, so can summer be far behind? It will be nice to have extra daylight in the afternoons. Only 3 months ago it was almost dark when I got off work and now there's nearly an hour and a half of daylight after I get off.

Have a great Tuesday!

Small Town America - A Mystery

I stopped by Walmart yesterday to pick up a few sewing supplies. I usually park near one of the shopping cart corrals, because it helps me to remember where my car is and there are less big SUVs parked beside me which make it hard to back out.

It wasn't there when I went in, but when I came out this Army dress uniform, hung neatly on a hanger, was hanging on the shopping cart corral. I don't know where it came from or why it was there.

Some ideas might be:

1. Someone hung it there because they went AWOL
2. Someone hung it there while they were putting something in their car and forgot to put it back.
3. Someone stole it and put it there to get rid of it.
4. They hung it there while they went inside to buy socks.
5. They left it there for someone else to pick up, but couldn't wait.
6. Someone just wanted to get rid of it.
7. It was a rainy day, so maybe they just hung it there to dry!

I just don't know! What do you think?

On My Sewing Table Friday

I was so tired of my "big black pocketbook" that I had been using all Fall and Winter and inspiration hit late one night this week. This is the outcome. I pulled some fabrics from different places to put it together and really like it.

One thing about it, there's no question its a Spring bag!



My daughter gave me this little zipper bag/wristlet for my birthday last month and it, along with my new Spring pocketbook, are making my pocketbook experience so much more enjoyable.



For those of you who don't read my quilting blog, here is a picture of my most recent quilt finish:


"Jacob's Dream"



I am so glad its Friday! I have lots of sewing planned for the weekend.