Friday, December 30, 2011

A look back

It's so hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day of 2011. Where did the time go?!?!

I went back through my old posts and found this where I said what I was going to do this year. HA!! Sometimes I wonder why I even bother with a resolution. However, in my defense, there were two that I accomplished...well, one and a half.

Apparently I like to start at the end and work backwards, because that's the one that I did accomplish: #5 - Blog more. And my #4 is my half - read more. I did the 100+ book challenge (here and blogged my list here) and I'm not quite done with book number 50. But I gave it a good shot. And if she does the challenge again, I'll join again.

As fore #3, #2 and #1...well, looks like those will be on the list again. I did do a couple classes towards my BS, but not enough to really put a dent in my required balance. My first class of 2010, Theories of Personality, starts on Wednesday! #3 got put on hold due to the paying for our nuptials, and all that entailed. But I'm already back on track with that one and I even have a head start - I paid off two store cards last week!! And my lovely Mr S has paid off two of his cards as well (unfortunately, we brought some debt into this union). See...we're well on the way!!

And then there was #1. That is still my #1 priority this year! I joined Weight Watchers about four months before the wedding. I lost 10, gained 5, then have maintained since then. Which was great at the time - no alterations needed on the wedding dress is ok by me!! But this is not ok any more. I am over weight. Those that know me or have seen me in person may not think so, but I'm a tall chica and can hid those pounds very well!! According to what all the nutritional stuff says (based on height, age, bone structure, etc) I'm 75 pounds over weight. However, based on me and what I know about myself, I would look anorexic if I lost that much weight! So I'm shooting for a loss of 50. That will put me down two sizes, too, which will be nice! My biggest hurdle is exercise. I hate it!! Eating right, I can do that all day long...but exercise and I are not friends.

This is how I feel about running:

I'm not sure where I'll start on the exercise regime...but I know I'll start somewhere. To be honest, the Wii Fit was nice...when I was doing it. There's also the Wii Dance Party we currently have through GameFly...but that has to go back soon. (the game may turn into an investment...that or the Zumba one) I've thought of C25K...but if you would look to the above picture, you'll see how I really feel about that!! I've got a ton of ideas on Pinterest for different exercises and plans and such. I guess it's just picking one and going for it.

Anyway, enough about all that. Back to goals and looking forward. I really don't think my goals have changed and I'm not sure about adding anything. But I'll give you more about that in my next post.

For now...I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year's weekend!

Hugs...
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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Thursday's Thru The Lense

In the spirit of "Christmas has come and gone", I thought I'd spare the details of Christmas pictures, for now, and give you some "wedding" pictures.

I got a little artsy with our rings and some Disney pins. And since I don't have the professional pictures yet, and the Christmas pictures still need sorting and editing, this is what you get.





The last one is a little dark, and it doesn't help that the ring Mr S chose has a black strip through the middle. But you get the idea.

Enjoy...
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

So What! Wednesday

Starting something new here. On Wednesday's I'll now be linking up with Shannon over at Life After I "Dew" for a little mid-work week fun.



This week I'm saying So What if...

*I have not done/mailed a single "Thank you" card!! It's been a month and a half since the nuptials...and I HATE (loathe, despise, etc) writing these things! In my defense, we did go straight to Christmas mode after the wedding and money that would have bought the pictures I want to put in them went to presents. They'll get done...hopefully. :)

*I have no motivation to work this week! I'm off 3 days this week and that really kills any desire to work the remaining 2!

*In my time off since the 23rd I've not lifted a single finger to do any type of cleaning. I really should...the dust bunnies and laundry hills are taunting me. But I'm on vacation...and my husband told me not to (yeah, he's a keeper!)!

And that's all I've got for this week! Stay tuned for future posts. :)

Hugs...
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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Thursday's Through The Lense

I have SO MANY pictures on my camera to unload still, it really is ridiculous how lazy I'm being about this! And there are more to be taken this weekend with CHRISTMAS (my fav holiday!)!!!

But, since I've not downloaded them to my computer and edited, I'll leave you with a couple from our October trip to Disneyland.

My new camera has some pretty cool built in editing features that I discovered. Here is the original picture:

This is the "Fish Eye" effect:

And this is my favorite, the "miniature" effect:

I love my new toy!! :)

Hugs...

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Thursday, December 8, 2011

Thursday's Through The Lense

The day before Thanksgiving, the hubs & I & his brother headed to:


Can you say drool central?!?! So many lovely 4-wheel dreams to choose from...if only the wallets were deep enough. I thought I'd share some of the favorites from the day with my readers (this is the most photo's I've ever uploaded here!). Enjoy...and remember to wipe your chin!! :)

Let's start with my personal favorite: The Bentley


Followed by Mr.'s favorite: Aston Martin


Everyone's favorite "Bumblebee" was in the Chevrolet section. Here are the highlights (somehow I neglected a full pic):



(The language of the Primes on his spoiler)

Now, here is a car that I recently fell in love with. I have actually seen two of these on the SoCal highways in the last few weeks. I give you the Porsche Panamera GTS:



And now for a few random cars.
The Scion Concept for this year:

The Hot Wheels Camero, complete with ramp:



And there you have it. We had such a great time. We even tried on a few vehicles: the Toyota Prius (Mr has an hour drive to and from work 5 days a week and this might be a good way to save some $$ on fuel); a Chevrolet Silverado; a Chevrolet Traverse; and a Nissan Titan. Ok, ok...I confess...I tried on the last three. What can I say, I'm a truck girl at heart!!

Hugs...

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Thursday, December 1, 2011

Thursday's Through The Lense

I'm still working on getting the wedding pictures (non-professional ones) organized and uploaded and collected from different sources. So today's picture will be from Disneyland during the honeymoon (yup...it's clean!).




I really should be a photographer for this place!! The Mr & I were crossing one of the side paths around Sleeping Beauty's Castle to venture into Fantasyland when we encountered Snow White at her wishing well greeting guests, taking pictures, and signing autograph books for the little ones. So we hung around a few minutes so I could snap some pictures. As she was finishing up, she walked up to this little boy and asked he wanted to walk back with her. His mom was there and she gave the "ok." Snow White took his hand and began walking with him and talking to him while the mom followed. And I snapped this picture as they walked off. It's in the top 3 of the the 300+ pictures I took the two days we were there!!

Enjoy....

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Monday, November 21, 2011

Post wedding week

I can't believe it's all over...the stress, the headaches, the freak outs (ok, there really weren't that many to be honest). But all the wedding hassle is over!!! And the only reason I don't miss any of it is because I can now focus on my favorite holiday...CHRISTMAS!!! I realize it's totally "band-wagon" of me to have Christmas as my favorite, but it really is. I mean, there's the obvious reason: Christ's birth. But, to me, it's one of the prettier holidays to decorate for and there are so many ways to do it: red, green, gold; blue, white, silver; black, white, silver; all white; all green; all red; red, green, white...and the list could go on. You just can't go wrong with color or style: country, fun, Suessical (yes, I've seen a Dr Suess tree and it was UH-MA-ZING), classical, Disney, Victorian Mickey (which is what will deck our "halls" this year thanks to a lovely gift from my in-laws before they were in-laws), and the list could go on (again).

Anyway...Christmas isn't the reason I'm posting this lovely Monday evening. I was going to update on all the fun from the last two weeks.

My parents came in a week early (which we have all agreed was about 3 days too early, even if was nice to have them). Unfortunately, I had to work Mon-Wed week of. Thursday we went shopping for last minute stuff: final flowers (just in case), favor stuff, ribbon, stuff for the kiddos in attendance. Friday was some cleaning and organizing - making sure I had all I needed. The that night was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. It was surprisingly painless (really...I thought it'd be worse than it was). Dinner was fun as all the "kids" (bride, groom, bridal party, etc) sat at one table and the adults at the other. Some things never change...we were, as usual, the rowdy table! I love that I can pick up where I left off with my P'cola gang...and Mr. S fit right in!! Saturday I went with my MOH & BM to the mall for nails, toes, eyebrows, and shopping (ok, I was the only one to get all of the first three done, but we still had a good time). Then we did some lunch. I took them back to the hotel as they were coming over with a hubs and friend from out of town for the fight. Once home, more final details (I still had not done the seating chart!). Then the MOH and hubs, BM (who's hubs couldn't make the event), and the Sailor (another P'cola gang member) came over for food and fight night...and MOH, BM, and I quickly left for less violent endeavors: Barnes & Nobles!
*Before we left and before the fight got started, my aunt and her husband and my two cousins also joined us for a bit...then ventured out with M&D for an evening of catching up. It was so nice to see them, though, even if for a little bit. And I was told I was the calmest bride they'd ever seen!!

After the fight was over and the gang left and M&D were back, I started stressing over the seating chart. I had this amazing idea...and it worked about 90%. Close but no cigar...that last 10% would have made it perfect, but without it I couldn't use it. But...my amazing fiance' (now husband!!) came to the rescue and created this:



Yup...he's pretty amazing!! That is my original project backing (a regular old canvas painted black) and he used the paper I'd used for the wishing tree (the branch surrounded by flowers in the center of the table) for the list of who's at what table and then used double sided tape to stick engagement photos around the edges. My husband is AMAZING!!! And he did it while I was in bed, passed out!

Morning of I head off with mom and all our decor loaded in the van...and our dresses...to get my girls and their dresses so we can go get beautified. We met up with step-mom-in-law and little SIL (Jr BM) at the salon and had a great time getting our hair did! :) Then we headed for a QUICK bite to eat then off to Hearts Home Farm to quickly set up and then finish the beautification process in time for photos and 2:30 pm wedding start time. It got a little chaotic...especially after the groom showed up a half hour early and confined me to the dressing room...which actually turned out to be a good thing otherwise we would have started late!!

But the show went on as directed and without any issues (that I'm aware of). The music went perfectly as it should for the moms, the maids, and then me...there were no slip ups with the ceremony...the recessional music blew everyone away (Star Wars Episode IV from the awards scene at the end)...the receiving line was great...pictures were a breeze and fun...re-entry to reception music was awesome (Monday Night Football theme: da, da, da, daaaa)...food was fantastic...no one got the mic for toasts that wasn't supposed to and those that did get it did awesome...cake cutting was perfect (nope, no icing everywhere)...dancing was great...and the exit was perfect!!

Honeymoon was a couple days in Anaheim and two days at Disneyland and California Adventure. Perfect - not crowded, rode a lot of rides, stayed for the fireworks the last night, watched the Christmas parade, TONS of pictures that I still need to upload!!

Then back home on Wednesday via Fry's in Anaheim, where we splurged a little. We used our money on Thursday to supplement the registry items we needed/wanted but didn't get. Then we splurged at Best Buy some more. Friday I went back to work. The hubs went back Saturday while I took the weekend to find places to put all our new dishes and appliances and the wedding decor (there's been two FULL trips to the dumpster as Mr. S left for work on Sun & today and still more to go...plus stuff for donation). And we're almost back to the regular routine except I'm off Wednesday - Friday for Thanksgiving.

And there you have it...not in a nut shell! I'll get some pictures up as I can this week. Wedding pics won't be back till after Christmas sometime, but a lot of people took pictures and have posted some of FB. So that will have to tide you over for a bit...till I can really work at getting some of them uploaded that have been sent to me.

Hope you enjoyed reading.

Hugs...

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Sunday, November 13, 2011

Today

Today is the day I marry my best friend and the love of my life!!!

WOOHOO!!!!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Monday, November 7, 2011

Wedding week!!!

I can't believe that in less than 6 days I will be Mrs Ring!!! So freakin EXCITED!!!!

Mom and Dad came in yesterday. It's nice having them here...especially since mom likes to cook and has already planned meals for today and the next few days. Mr. S knows he is NOT marrying a Betty Crocker when he gets hitched to this chic! I think the redeeming factor here, besides the whole love thing, is that I do like to try new stuff from time to time and I can handle the basics.

I, unfortunately, worked today and will work tomorrow and Wednesday. I'm off after that until Thursday next week! Mr. S is off Friday through Friday (and tomorrow and Wednesday as his normal off days).

My Matron of Honor, B, comes in Thursday with her hubby. My bridesmaid, E, (sister of B) comes in Friday sans hubby (crummy work schedules!!). Friday night is rehearsal and dinner. Saturday B, E, and Me (yes, it's supposed "rhyme") will hang in the morning doing girly such stuff: nails, eyebrows, toes, etc. Saturday evening, once all the extended family arrives, will be some time with them since I only see them a few times every few years.

Sunday is the big day!!! Starts early with Mom, B, E, Me, and R (little SIL) heading to the salon for hair beautification. Venue by noon-thirty for some set up then dressing and painting of the faces (in reverse order, of course). CEREMONY AT 2:30!!! HOORAY!!

I was out of town last week in Minneapolis. The colors of the trees were amazing!! Probably one of the few things we don't get here in lovely SoCal...so here's one I can share with you:




Taken with the new iPhone 4s (thank you Mr. S) and edited with Instagram (LOVE this app).


I'll keep you posted, hopefully, with more updates this week as we get closer!!

Hugs...
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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Thursday's Through The Lense

...back on it's regularly scheduled day!!

This week's installment comes from....wait for it...DISNEYLAND!! I know, you guessed. I mean really, anyone who reads this blog knows I've a bit of an obsession for all things Disney.

Well, since it's October and Halloween is coming up, it's this time of year that Disney really showcases it's Villains. Don't get me wrong...I'm a firm supporter of all things "Happy Ever After" and that means those nasty Villains getting what they deserve.

But if I had to choose, this guy right here...
...would be my favorite. Yup, that is none other than (insert southern/country accent) the Honorable Sheriff of Nottingham. I don't know what it is about him, but he's my favorite. And while you rarely see most Villains out and about at Disneyland (every now and then you see Cruella throughout the year), it's even more rare to see this guy. So I snapped a quick pic as he was leaving the autograph area (where Jafar, the Queen of Hearts, and Cruella were still signing).

And I LOVE that he has his bag of coins!!

Hugs...
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Friday, October 21, 2011

Thursday's Through The Lense...on Friday

I had a picture all picked out yesterday and ready to go...and I still didn't post last night like I'd planned to. So with out further adieu...


The Disneyland Park Map Puzzle


Sorting all the "edge" pieces (which is a relatively loose term as
there are no straight edges...they're curved)


See!! Look at those curves...and the blank spaces!!


But it's done!! It took longer than it should have due to
my easily distracted nature. But this is the finished product!


Framed and hanging above the couch!!


I love to do puzzles...when I have the time. The only problem is I'll work like crazy at it for a couple days in a row...then leave it for a week or so. Then I'll come back one day, work on it some more, then leave again. That's what happened here until I finally sat down one day (two days before my parents came for a weekend visit) and finished it. And I think the only reason I did it then is because it was taking up all the table space! Had it not been for that, it probably still wouldn't be done. Yeah...that's how I roll!!

Hugs...
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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Thursday's Through The Lense

Let's see if I can get back on track with this one! Here's a couple pictures taken with the new camera!! :)


This is the view from our patio. It just happened to be a really nice night for picture taking; usually it's not nearly so pretty!



A field in Hanford, CA - there was storm coming in and I LOVE the contrast of the dark clouds with the greens and yellows of the corn field. And yes, I did pull off the side of a back country road to take this picture!




Another sunset off the balcony here at the apartment. I love that the dark cloud in the front kind of looks like a dragon swooping down!



Enjoy!
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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Life update :)

I can't believe it's been over a month since the last post...and that I only have 32 days until I marry the love of my life!! Where has all the time gone?!?!

Well, let's see if I can fill you all in on all that's happened.

As of Sept 1 I'm officially back with CSU. It started in motion when I was in Atlanta in August and everything was finalized by Sept 1 and the process of re-adjusting started. I'm not in the Learning Partner department, which is great. And while I'll still be doing a lot of traveling (every other week) I'll get to do a lot of that in my local area and be back in my own bed at the end of the day...which will be great as a newlywed. :) Since the switch I've made two trips already: Bakersfield area and Fresno area.

I got an early wedding present from Mr S: a Canon EOS Rebel T3i (Digital SLR Camera)!!! I'm so in love...with the man, of course...but the camera is pretty FANTABULOUS too!!

We bought/ordered our wedding bands. Mine is just a simple band that wraps around my ring. Kind of hard to do anything fancy with mine since it's the design it is. His is a Tungsten Carbide and very nice looking as well.

My parents were here two weekends ago. They came in on the 28th of Sept and left Oct 2. It was so nice having them here, even if I couldn't take time off to spend the day with them on Thursday and Friday. But I take off early on Friday so I could have some more time with them. They went with me for my dress fitting so they could see the whole get up (they'd seen it in May when I took with me, but it looked much better having it on properly and such at the bridal store). And mom helped me pick out a different veil. We also went shopping for mom to get her dress for the wedding, which we found at Macy's! She looks fantastic in it!!

And, while they were here, I had my wedding shower at my future step-mom-in-law's place!! So much fun!! Distant family-in-laws were there as were friends. My Mom was there, which was the best part! I loved that she got to be a part of some of the wedding stuff while she was here. It's been a little hard having her 7 hours away while I plan the wedding. But I'm glad she got to be here for the fitting and the shower. And they'll be back the week before the wedding to help as well.

Last week I was in Fresno, so nothing exciting. Mr. S pre-ordered my new phone on Friday. Yup...I'm finally jumping on the band wagon and getting an iPhone...and I couldn't be more excited!!! It should arrive this Friday and I can get it all set up before the weekend.

Oh, and Mr S is AMAZING!!! Not only did he pre-order my phone. He also bought me roses, that were waiting for me when I got home on Friday. And he bought me "The Lion King" on blue-ray last week and "Dumbo" on blue-ray this week!! He is slowly helping me with my Disney movie collection! I love him!! :)

I think that's it...you are now up to date with my life. :)

Hugs...

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Thursday, September 8, 2011

Thursday's Thru the Lense

Back on track...for now!! :)

Here is a something I found HILARIOUS while in Atlanta a few weeks ago:


Yes...that is a Smart Car. And, yes...it's on a trailer being pulled behind an SUV. Here's proof:


And there really isn't much more to say on the matter.

Hugs...
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Sunday, September 4, 2011

It's been a while...

What, like two weeks now. Sorry to those of you that are faithful readers! Here's my updates:

Foodie Fridays: I flew home from Atlanta on the 26th. From the time my plane landed in San Diego to the time I walked through my front door it was just about 2 - 2 1/2 hours (thank you California Friday traffic). Dear Mr S was so kind to have cooked and left me a plate to heat up since had left for work. Therefore there wasn't one on the 26th. And on the 2nd I was cooking for 1 as Mr S was going to be later than usual on the arrival home...so I didn't cook anything spectacular. I am, however, very sorry to say that I managed to eat a whole box of Mac & Cheese by myself (I'm not really proud of that).

Thursday's Through The Lense: *surprise!!* I've not taken any good pictures lately so I've not had anything to share. But I'm hoping to get some up over the next few weeks...probably some oldie but goodies.

Work: changes coming/finalizing. I'm back with CSU as of Thursday. I'll still be doing some travel, but it sounds like I'll be keeping to the West Coast - which is FINE by me after jaunting all over the Central-East US the past 8 months. I'm not kidding when I say all over the Central & Eastern US: San Antonio, Atlanta (twice), Minneapolis/St. Paul (twice), Iowa (Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, & Des Moines all in one week), Orange Beach (Alabama), Tampa, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and DC. Plus two work trips to Arizona and one Conference in San Diego that I actually got to stay IN San Diego for (instead of driving in every day). But the majority of my travel this year has been out of my time zone. Even if I'm gone for a week at a time with the new position, it'll still be nice to be on the same zone has home. There will be more details to come with this as things unfold and finalize.

Wedding (what everyone really cares about): coming right along. Invites went out on the 22nd of August and are slowly coming back in. I know, I sent them early. But after looking over the guest list I think we might be going over our original number and getting them early allows us to make the necessary financial arrangements in time to compensate. I really didn't think there would be as many people on the invite list as there were. I had my appointment with the florist last week: went $160 over budget!! The good news on that, though, is it may come down. I'd really love to do something fun and unique for the boutineers, like this:

but I just don't know what yet. So I went ahead and ordered them for the guys just in case the plan never comes to be. I've just about got the centerpieces figured out...I just need to find out if three of them are going to be too tall and what to do if they are (I don't have the receipts for the pillars...and I bought them late last year?) If they're too tall I might put them on a food table or at the guest book area. Speaking of, I've decided there will be no guest book. I'm going to do up little cards for the guests to write words of wisdom or such on them and either have them hang them on some manzanite (or similar) branches or put in a jar. Still undecided on that part of the detail. But I really like the idea of the guest book being more personalized than just putting your name and address in a book.

Weight Loss: ugh! I've lost about 10 pounds. Yup...that's it since May. How depressing?! But it's really all my fault. I fluctuate on keeping track of my points like I'm supposed to. And I've not been working out. I mean, I can only go so far with just watching what I eat. I was actually doing really good...lost the 10 pounds and then I screwed up a week (a week I was out of town) and that sent me back to fluctuating between gaining and losing. With all the back and forth, the scale says I've lost a total of 10 pounds. This week I'm really getting on the ball though. I've worked out twice this week already and I'm keeping in my points each day. I've got to keep going and lose SOME weight before Nov 13. It's not that my dress doesn't fit...it's actually perfect. But I'd rather lose than gain and it not fit at all (that would be a nightmare!!).

I think that's all I've got, for now. Look for more posts later this week!

Hugs...
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Friday, August 19, 2011

Foodie Fridays

I've decided to start a new weekly post, for those weeks I'm in town. I'm not sure how long it will last as I do tend to be sporadic and things are heating up in the crazy wedding planning stage. But Friday is usually a "light" day in the evenings of this abode and I'm going to start trying out some new recipes (in anticipation of becoming a Mrs).

For my first trick - Won-ton Pizza Rolls
(head on over to Peas & Crayons for the original recipe, and other amazing goodies)

Now, Ms P&C does a pretty fantabulous job of detailing out all you need to do. But I'm nowhere near the kitchen expert she is, so for those that are "beginners" out here in blog-land I'll show you how mine turned out.
My first step was to figure out if I could create the faux-fryer...and I totally happened to have the necessary equipment:

You are looking at a cooling rack on top of a aluminum foiled cookie sheet. I must admit, I was skeptical as to how this would work...but it did amazing!

Next up - ingredients:
Won-ton wrappers (that I had to search on their website to find where they were sold here in SoCal - Albertson's), pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, pasta sauce, Parmesan cheese.

Preheat oven:

Put your won-ton wrapper on the "creating" surface of choice:

Toppings: there is no particular order for this (I played around with the different ways to do this). I'm not big on pasta sauce, so I even made a couple without (last pic in this group). Ms P&C created hers with sauteed mushrooms in garlic too, so there's room for creating your own innards.

Put a thin layer of water on two edges:


Fold (the water acts a bit like a glue keeping the sides together), press, put on Faux-Frying rack:

Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese (actually do this before putting on faux-frying rack otherwise you get a mess below...like you see in mine)

Bake for 8-11 minutes (took about 9 for me...could have gone a or two minute longer for maximum crunch)

And...

Voila':


Won-ton Pizza Rolls!!!

My opinion: these were fantastic. While assembly seems a little time consuming, I'm new to this so I will probably speed up as I get to know what I'm doing. I could have baked a little longer as the edges were crispy/crunchy, but the centers were still soft (but done). The hard part is finding the balance of innards so they don't spill out but I still get the "pizza" taste I'm looking for. That and I LOVE cheese and I want a lot of it...but it's a little hard to keep it closed if it's stuffed too much.

Again, don't forget to check out Peas & Crayons for other great recipes and fun stuff!

Enjoy...
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