Expanding the gift closet--or why you should keep pizza dough in the house

I'm sure many of us have read articles about keeping a little box of miscellaneous gifts on hand. As for myself, I have a place in the pantry where I keep fancy notebooks, foreign cookies, a few miniature bottles from Bath and Body Works, and a few other little things. I also keep a few packages of tissue paper on hand, along with matching gift bags. My gift box comes in handy all the time--when we are invited to someones house for dinner, when I pay a visit to the four ladies from church I am responsible for contacting once a month, or whenever I go to meet a new neighbor (which happens all the time on an Air Force base!). My gift box has been indispensable--but only when it comes to houses with ladies! I don't know of any men who would be thrilled to receive a bottle of raspberry hand lotion--even if it was partnered with sincere thanks!

The need to have an appropriate gift for anyone--including men--was brought to the forefront of my mind a few months ago.

My husband left early one morning to the airport on one of his many little trips. Normally he flies very early in the morning, and leaves while I'm still asleep after a kiss goodbye (him) and mumbled, snore-y wishes for a safe flight (me). On one of these mornings, I got a cell phone call from him at around 6 in the morning. He frantically told me that he was about to board the flight, but just realized that in his pocket he had both sets of keys, leaving me with NONE! No car keys, no house keys, no computer desk keys! Luckily, he was able to get a hold of his boss, who told him that if he left the keys with the airport personnel, he would be happy to drive to the airport, pick them up, then deliver them to me. Since his boss was going so far out of his way to help me out (at 6am on a Sunday morning) I knew that I should probably have a little something for him when he arrived. I threw on some clothes, ran downstairs, and pulled out the gift box. Nothing in there would be appropriate for a man. I immediately decided to cook something, and set a record speed for flipping through cookbooks. I needed to work fast, because the Air Force base actually shares runways with the city airport, and despite having to drive all the way around to get there, it still only takes about ten minutes. Not finding anything appropriate, I pulled open the fridge hoping for something...anything...and then I had an idea! In there was a tube of Pillsbury pizza dough. I'm not sure why, since I never use it, but on a whim I decided to throw some in cart at the grocery store. I unrolled the dough, cut it into strips, dipped it in butter then cinnamon and sugar, and baked it. I packaged it up and barely got it out of the oven before hubby's boss delivered the keys. When my husband came back a few days later, he told him how much his family had enjoyed the treat and actually asked for the recipe! It was a strange mixture of pride and embarrassment when I had to admit how incredibly quick and easy they actually were!

It was because of this incident that now I almost always keep some sort of refrigerated dough product on hand. They bake up quickly, and can be re-formed to look almost completely homemade in case you are in need of a "speed treat."

Besides the cinnamon-sugar bread stick idea above, here are two other ideas that come together in a jiffy:

**take crescent roll dough, unroll the triangles, and put in a square of chocolate (or a few chocolate chips if you don't have chocolate bars around), sprinkle the top with sugar for decoration, and bake according to the directions. The chocolate will become delicious and melty, and the crescents will be nice and flaky. A friend's mother taught us how to make these at a slumber party once. She called them "petite pan."

**take the same crescent roll dough, and after unrolling, take a marshmallow, dip in butter and then in cinnamon and sugar and completely seal inside the dough. Upon baking, the marshmallow will melt inside and be nice and tasty. This is a great recipe for kids, and one that won a Pillsbury Bake-Off prize some years ago.

Either of these can be thrown together and completely finished in under 30 minutes, and make fantastic, quick treats for anyone--especially the men!

It's a good thing I like crumpets!

I was at Wal-Mart the other day (buying new socks for everyone, if you must know!) when my cell phone started to ring. I looked at the screen, and recognized the number that shows up when my husband calls from Iraq. I answered and we chatted for a bit. After a minute or two he said "well honey, it's probably time for a new round of de-cluttering."

I asked why, thinking that maybe he had bought the kids a playhouse or something for Christmas, and it would be delivered in a week or two. But I was wrong!

He said "you might want to start de-cluttering, because it will easier for us to move."

"Move where? Where are we going."

"To ENGLAND!"

So yes, it turns out that our little family will be moving to England! Land of tea, crumpets, and Bob's-your-uncle.

At first I was shocked, and tried to hold back the tears. England? That's so far away from everybody--and everything I love. Plus, I just now got my living room the way I want it; finally sprung for curtains, a eucalyptus wreath, and hung all the pictures just how I want them. It seems I forgot the first rule of military transfers; they always occur just a couple of months after you've finished decorating and everything is perfect!

I was a little out of sorts the rest of the day, but in the light of the next morning I could feel my excitement start to brew. I have always wanted to immerse myself in a different culture, and the travel, education, and cultural benefits that all of us will receive are going to be priceless. I have already looked at the website of where we will be living, and it looks so cute! I can hardly wait! It's called Molesworth and it's in the county of Cambridgeshire. Oh, I hope I spelled that right!

There are still a few things over which I am apprehensive--fear of the unknown and all that--so I have decided to use the marvelous tool of the internet to help me out. So now, I am pleading for knowledge!

Do you live in England? Do you know somebody who does? Do you know somebody who knows somebody who does? And does that person have a blog?

It is going to be such a change; and to be honest I'm really not sure what questions I need to ask. I'm basically looking for general information that you think might help me out.

I have heard that most houses over there are much, much older than the ones over here. In fact, I don't think I have ever lived in a house more than about 50 years old. Generally speaking (and I know it's hard to generalize), what are the chances of me having a dishwasher? How about a washing machine and dryer--I heard a rumor that they are quite a luxury? What are the chances of me having more than one bathroom? Are the rumors about having a teeny fridge and only one power outlet in the room true? If you moved over there from here, is there anything unavailable in the UK you wish you had taken with you?

Please understand, even if my lifestyle has to change dramatically, I won't mind at all. I solemnly swear that I will not be one of those Americans who comes over and complains about everything and insists that everything is so much better "back home." I'd just like to be prepared!

Thank you to everyone who can help me out!