a week in review: stucco, summer and new photo themes

Lots going on ’round here this week. Summer brings with it new balancing challenges, but also some change. And change is good.

• Its hot here.

  

  So we spend most days inside or at the pool. So as to not have brain mush from too much Xbox come July (yes, we start back to school in July…modified year round school), we have instituted daily Summer reading and typing practice. (Am I a mean mom?) Im afraid my children have taken after their mother and not embraced the love of reading so much. They like it…but don’t love it. Here’s to fostering more love.

  

  And the typing thing? More on that later.

• Im excited to be working with Stephanie from Walking Through the Valley on a brand new look for her blog. Stay tuned…she’ll be displaying her new digs soon. Speaking of new digs, I’m still taking reservations for July and August at $50 off. If you want to book a project, don’t wait…when those spots are filled the Summer sale ends!
• Progress is slowly being made on our never-ending landscaping/construction projects. This week we finally had our front yard patio wall stuccoed (after two years…). Next is paint and gates, followed by new trees and ground cover. Oh and then there’s the massive backyard to deal with. See? Never. Ending. If you live in or around Tucson and need some landscaping/construction work done, I have the best person to recommend for the job. Just holler.
  
• Have I ever mentioned how much I completely hate my GE Profile dishwasher? Far be it from me to complain here, but its worthless. I wouldnt mind so much if my cheaper, less “fancy” GE in my old house could handle an entire cake left on a plate and would still produce a sparkly clean load of dishes. I’ve tried everything and even had the repair guy out. Im not a fan of “energy efficient” dishwashers. I’m certain I waste much more water completely scrubbing my dishes clean prior to running them in the dishwasher. Sigh. I think I’m stuck with it until a fatal bullet through the motor mysteriously shows up. Any other suggestions?

  

• Last but not least, I’ve been working on some new themes for a few weeks now, just for ProPhoto 4! I will be uploading two new premade designs in my collectionvery soon. If you are a photographer or just want a really visually based design, stay tuned, but here’s a sneak peek of “Soft” and “Flourish”!