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When Rick McKinney took his wife to see the site he had chosen to build their new home, he hadn't counted on her reaction. "I sat down and started to cry," Jill McKinney said. "It had been the town dump, and there wasn't one tree. It was covered in thistles and Morning Glory vines."

Apryl Brainard can point to any one of the hundreds of animal photographs tacked onto the walls of her pet grooming business and tell you the dog's or cat's name, personality and favorite place to get scratched. Her stepmother and business partner, Anne Comstock-Brainard, is the same way – she knows which dogs were ill, which ones have medical problems, and where they like to sit when they come in for a shampoo and cut.

It can be a patio, a walkway, a porch, a retaining wall or even a set of steps. Regardless of the project, when it comes to pouring concrete, there are some simple and basic rules that apply to every pour. And if you keep them in mind, the finished product will usually look better and last longer. By the way, you don't have a cement patio – you have a concrete patio. Cement does not contain concrete. However, concrete does contain, among other things, cement, sand and gravel or rock.

We're looking for your photographs from your home, recent projects or remodels. Each week, we'll publish photos

I just dropped off my son for his last day of seventh grade. Giddy with summer expectations, holding on to his yearbook, he couldn't wait to get the last half-day of school over and done with. Before him is a summer of soccer and camps, family visits and lazy mornings. Too young to get a summer job (except for mowing my lawn) and too old to do most of the day camps, all he has is a loosely structured plan for the next couple of months. As I headed back downtown it hit me: What I really need is more last days of school.

After a devastating fire in 2003, the big American foursquare house on Spokane's South Hill was a wreck. What hadn't been completely destroyed in the fire was heavily damaged by smoke and water. The owner, an 86-year-old woman who had owned the house for more than 50 years, didn't want to abandon her home, so Capstone Construction was called in to restore it.

Editor Pia Hansen

For Cathi Lamoreux, gardening is the oil that keeps her hectic life moving. In the garden she can recharge her batteries, be creative and connect with the outdoor world. That describes the connection between her hectic life as a speech pathologist and the time she spends with her hands in the dirt. Her South Hill garden is a riot of color and texture from early spring and well into the fall every year. It literally stops traffic, walkers and cars alike.

Hermit crabs take up very little space, don't chew or scratch furniture, seem to have unique personalities, and never need to be taken for walks. No wonder they are gaining fans and places in our homes, including film stars Kim Basinger and Scott Bakula, among the growing ranks of proud hermit crab owners. "We've seen a big increase in the demand for hermit crabs and related supplies," says Joe Fucini, a spokesman for the Pet Supplies "Plus" chain of stores. "Kids like them because they're cute and interesting to watch; parents like them because they're inexpensive, easy to look after and clean."

Every month, Real Simple scours the market for problem-solving products. This month's top picks are: Towel holder, $35 to $40

During the spring and summer, windows frame a picture-perfect world filled with brilliantly blooming flowers and trees, children riding bikes and dogs running in the yard. Unfortunately, windows can also increase utility bills. However, taking a few steps to improve the efficiency of your homes windows can make all the difference between spending money on high utility bills or taking a well-deserved family vacation.