The Birthday Project

This year, for Mike's birthday, the kids really wanted to give him something special. We put our heads together. What Dad really wanted, what he needed most, was just a quiet space for his studies. So we came up with a plan.

We zoned in on an old storage room that was in the back corner of the basement--that back corner we never went in. A 6x8 closet with one small window. Oh, and it was really, really dirty. But we saw potential, so everyone pitched in, and with some serious scrubbing and generous amounts of paint, it started to look pretty fresh--not fancy, mind you, but functional.

Grampsie came one day and added some outlets and extra lighting. Daddy's white board, bookshelf, and desk were placed inside.

Then, today (it was a PD day--everyone home from school!), for Dad's birthday, we added some finishing touches. The door label, of course...

And some decorations! A neighborhood friend had taken a bunch of pictures of the kids and me one afternoon. She provided a CD full of excellent photos. Today, we printed some favorites, cut out some inspirational phrases, and wrote some encouraging notes of our own. Then we made three "clotheslines" (with pushpins and string) across the beams of the ceiling. With mini binder clips, we hung our words and images for lifting Mike's heart and eyes.

The other thing we needed to make was a cake! This year we tried a raspberry-filled lemon layer cake with lemon icing and fresh raspberries. YUM!

It was a fun day of projects (plus the traditional Friday family supper at Tim Hortons and an excursion to the Gatineau Sports Center for a recreational swim) and a special birthday celebration!

(I love the expressions on the kids' faces in this picture! Can't you just see how much they love interacting with Dad??)