Sister Sister!

So for those of you not in the know I have FIVE sisters (and one awesome brother) and this week I am super lucky enough to have my awesome sis Angela visiting. She is normally all the way up by Niagara Falls in Canada but for this week we are living it up ARIZONA style! This has meant many a night talking and crafting, much Mexican food, sonic and sushi, and an overall good time had by all. One thing that I have not been enjoying quite so much is pictured below.














Keep looking.....














Yup....if you look at my neckline....or where my neckline was at the zoo....wathing super fun things like polar bears....and getting super burned. Oh yeah. Any more evidence that I am a seriously WHITE girl who's ancestors hail from the British Isles.....totally not needed.













But, the sushi today was awesome (especially the green dragon) and the company was even better. I have not yet been slapped for being such a whiner about my burn. (It may help that I made yummy chicken Korma for dinner). I'll be a little out of the loop because we are quite determined to show Angela all of our fave places in the great (hot) state of Arizona. Dang this is *such* a tough life! ;)

blog tunes

Hey. So i'm adding music to my blog. If you don't like it i'm leaving it up on the top so you can pause it.
:)

We had some great friends over this past weekend. The awesome Beckers with adorable Lily. They made this sweet video and are all around just great peeps. Make sure you watch to the end....Lily rocks!!


















For desert we had this yummy pie. Super easy to make and delish.

Key Lime Pie

Mix together:
1/2 cup fresh key lime juice (3 to 4 limes)
4 teaspoons grated key lime zest
4 egg yolks
1 - 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Pour into a 9 inch premade graham cracker crust and bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes or until filling is set but still slightly wiggly.
Chill for at least 3 hours. Serve with whipped cream.

Now. If you are feeling slightly indulgent and wishing for some restraint. I have found these other delicious options.
In my quest to live a healthier life and still have some love for my taste buds there are several great options. First up are:

Special K Protein water.
30 calories, 5 grams fiber, 5 grams protein. Yummy! Tastes like pink lemonade.













Second up:
Fiber one granola bars. These little babies taste like a super yummy granola bar, which they are, but they also pack in 9 grams of fiber. You can't go wrong with that!
Tasty. Nuf said.

Scrappy Sunday

Here's a little project that i've been working on this past week. I kind of fell into making baby albums for some friends at work. It's fun sometimes to do things that you enjoy as a little side job. It's kind of fun and quick.
Enjoy!

Beautiful Arizona

It's been rainy and cold here in northern Arizona....kind of out of the norm for May but i'm enjoying it.
The other afternoon after the rain was done the sky was the most beautiful clear blue with fluffy white clouds!

Mama!

So I've been a blog slacker. Not because it has been that long since I blogged but since I did not blog about Mothers Day!














One of the things that I find hardest about living in Arizona is missing my family.
They are just SO far away and we don't have the option of spending casual time getting together with them without spending a LOT of money.

I miss my dad's stews, and my mom's baking.

But one thing I feel blessed by is that I feel like my relationship with my mother is strengthened by a little distance. As a headstrong willful girl it helps me to see past the things that annoy me when we live together and just see all of the good things that I love about her.

And I feel like I'm becoming more like her every day.....sometimes it's just in the way I will stand with my hands on my hips....sometimes it's how I will laugh hysterically at something in a movie or book or on the TV. I think I am slowly becoming more like my mother....and you know what? That makes me happy.
I have a scrapbook page in my head about this very topic. I'll post when complete.

new baby

So I finished a pretty big project lately. Two albums full of memories, writing and pictures from E's mission in South Korea. This was a super long time coming....probably the biggest artistic project I've ever completed and E is thrilled that it is done. So he bought me a present to say thanks.













Is it not adorable!?!?












I mean there it is right next to my very small phone. And it is like, the same size! How can that be? It does video and has over 7 mega pixels?!













My keys are officially bigger than my new camera. This is a HAPPY DAY!!
So the scoop is that I have a very big very expensive very lovely camera that takes wonderful pictures....but it's somewhat less....discrete? Small? Tiny? Fit in my pocketable? So this is my carry around in my purse, fit into my pocket, don't want to drag my big camera around camera. And it's frivolous. Which is why it was the perfect present. I would never have bought it on my own without e's encouragement.

Scrapfest

Just a few layouts I did on Saturday at scrapfest. We had a really great time this weekend with Nicole and Gene and it was really fun to scrap the day away!!