New House Pictures!

I've been thinking about buying a house for a while now, and since I moved to Arizona, I can actually afford one! I started looking online back in January and got more serious in the last month. I've gone out looking the last 3 weekends, and last Sunday I found one I really liked.

It's a brand new, quick move-in home. The development is already built and just a few homes aren't sold, so there are some great bargains! And even better, I could literally walk to work if I wanted to (though with the heat here, I probably won't want to most days!)

After showing my parents (who were here visiting) the house and making sure they didn't think I was insane for choosing that one, I signed the paperwork yesterday!

Today we went by to take some pictures, and I thought I would share here at my blog!

It was a little bright when we went by, so the pictures aren't the best. Also, they may be a little distorted because I used my wide angle lens to get as much of the rooms in the pictures as possible.

I hope things go smoothly with the closing and escrow process and that I'll be moving in soon!

Front of the House

Back of the House

Backyard from 2 Angles

Entry way and front of Living Room/Dining Room area

The rest of the living room/dining room

The kitchen from the family room (no appliances yet)

The family room

The master bedroom (it has a bay window)

Master bathroom

Laundry room

Giveaway Winner!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog this week and left comments. I appreciate you taking the time to stop by!

Courtesy of the "random" number generator at random.org, the winner is.....

Erin (comment #4)

Congratulations, Erin and thanks again everyone for your interest:-)

As I have more time and take more photos, I will add to my Cafe Press Shop (http://www.cafepress.com/michellebphotos), so feel free to take a look around!

I'm Giving Away More Free Stuff!

Comments are now closed! I will draw a winner and post the results tomorrow!

I heard about the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival just as the last one ended. I've been pretty lucky with winning things these last few months, so I really wanted to participate in the next one. I'm so glad I didn't miss this one!

For those of you who know me, you know that photography is a passion of mine. I recently opened a Cafe Press Shop (http://www.cafepress.com/michellebphotos) with some photo products using photos I've taken. I'm offering some photo note cards and a keepsake box (shown below) to the lucky winner of this giveaway!

Here are the details:

What You Can Win
Since I couldn't decide on just one thing to give away, I'm going to give away 3 things! One lucky winner will get the 3 items noted below:

A set of 10 Stormy Winter Sunset note cards (blank inside)

A set of 10 Windmill note cards (blank inside)

A Floral/Garden in Bloom Keepsake Box (front pictured below)

Updated to Add: The keepsake box is in fact a box, but isn't necessarily meant to hold the note cards (it's not quite shaped right).

How to Enter
You must leave a comment (including your name) on this specific post to be entered. Please make sure that I have a way to contact you or that you check back on Sunday, April 27 and email me if you win!

It's easiest if you leave your email address in your comment (if it's not on a blog or profile). That way I can contact you directly if you win!

Who Can Enter
This contest is open to anyone, anywhere on planet Earth. I'll pay for shipping nationally or internationally, but sorry, shipping to the moon, the international space station or beyond just isn't practical :-P

This contest ends at 11:59pm on Saturday, April 26. I'll draw the winner and post the result on Sunday, April 27.

Monday Music Mania: Mix It Up!

I decided to do something a little different this week! Sometimes I fall in love with 1 song by an artist long before I get a chance to listen to their complete album. And sometimes I like 1 or 2 songs a lot more than the others on the album.

So here is a mix playlist of some of my favorite songs at the moment. There aren't many repeat artists, mostly because many of these artists are new-ish to me, so I haven't had a chance to really listen to their whole albums. Enjoy!

Thursday Thirteen #24: Math Awareness Month Themes

As a math teacher, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do a TT to let everyone know that April is Math Awareness Month! Every year, we celebrate with a new theme of how math relates to life. Here are 13 Math Awareness Themes that have been used so far!

Oh and the photo before the list is from the poster for one of the Math Awareness Month themes below. Can you figure out which one (without clicking on the links for each year)?

Thirteen Math Awareness Month Themes 1. Mathematics & Voting (2008) A great topic in an election year! Visit http://mathaware.org for more information! 2. Mathematics & the Brain (2007) 3. Mathematics & the Cosmos(2005) 4. Mathematics & Internet Security (2006) 5. Mathematics & the Genome (2002) 6. Mathematics & Art (2003) 7. Mathematics & the Ocean (2001) 8. Mathematics & the Environment (1992) 9. Mathematics & Medicine (1994) 10. Mathematics & Decision Making (1996) 11. Mathematics & Imaging (1998) 12. Mathematics & Symmetry (1995) 13. Mathematics & Biology (1999)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Monday Music Mania: Eric Benet

Eric Benet is another artist that I've blogged about off and on for the existence of this blog. And chances are, if you've known me for any length of time, you've heard me rave about Eric Benet's music.

I discovered his music thanks to my sister, who played a tape of his album True To Myself on a road trip from San Diego to Phoenix in December of 1997. I've loved his music ever since; even in the long gaps between albums (and through all the mess with Halle Berry).

I can't wait for his next CD! It should be out soon (crossing fingers). For now, here are just a few of my favorites.



I made this music player at MyFlashFetish.com.