Before and after

This is Tim's desk. Grandma's neighbours were throwing it out years ago, and she picked it up for Tim. It has done him well for a number of years, but it's getting a bit small for high school homework!
Deanna has a larger desk in her room, that is really too big for the space. I finally convinced her that they should switch desks by promising to refinish Tim's desk for her...

After 3 hours of sanding, one coat of primer and 2 coats of Benjamin Moore Aura Satin Impervo paint and some new hardware, this is Deanna's "new" desk:

It turned out so well, very pretty and feminine. She wanted me to paint it purple. I refused. We compromised by letting her pick the hardware, and I have promised to look for some purple vinyl decals to dress it up

She loved the crystal knobs. Of course, they were rather pricey! So, she got two for the top drawers, and picked some more economical, but still pretty floral ceramic knobs for the other four drawers.

Now that her current desk is emptied and de-stickered (is that a word?) we will switch desks around tonight.

But first we'll have to wake up Sleeping Beauty:

There was an overnight retreat for school last night. They tried to pull an all-nighter, and made it til 3 a.m. before being threatened by the principal with a phone call to their parents to come pick them up. Tim came home this afternoon, showered, and went for a nap....

**EDIT***

So to give you an idea, here are before and after shots of her room:

BEFORE: That green desk was nice and big, but really took up a lot of space in there

AFTER: Lots more space, and still enough room to do homework

She wants a bulletin board/whiteboard yet, but for now, she has a Redwall poster to look at

And a bud vase of flowers from her own garden!

Gerber daisy, roses and some lavendar for colour. Smells good too!

Doors Open Weekend

Last week, Art flew out to Calgary for some customer events and sales meetings. He flies home again today, (Monday).
I was looking for something different to do with the kids on Saturday, and found that Doors Open London was this weekend!
This event means that various (50!) sites around London open their doors to the public, and it's all free. Some places you don't usually get to see the inside of otherwise.
We picked a few favorites, and a few new places to go..
First stop, the Royal Canadian Regiment Museum. This one is usually free (or by donation) but the kids love it...

Whoops! Tim got caught..

Lots of cool stuff to see.

Next up, One London Place.

This is the tallest building downtown, an office building. We went up the high speed elevator to the 23rd floor, where we could visit an empty suite to enjoy the view.

We could even see our church! I've marked it on the photo.

Then, up to the 25th floor to tour the mechanical room.. The entire building is cooled using ice!

That was pretty cool...

Since we were downtown, we toured a couple of churches briefly. They were beautiful, but the kids were quickly bored.

No boredom at this stop: The Model Railroad Club! A football sized model train setup...

Natalie was thrilled to see Thomas there!

Lots of buildings and bridges... I think all of the buildings are replicas of sites that were/are in London.

We could have spent hours here.

Next... the Childrens Museum! Of course, we have been here before, but we couldn't pass up an opportunity to visit for free!

It was Polish Day, so we could watch some traditional dances, and sample some Polish pastry and perogies!

Sliding down from the big tree

Doing some (magnetic) fishing

Riding a snowmobile in the Arctic

..and playing in the sand at the bottom of the ocean!


It was a fun day. We'll have to remember to go again next year!

For the birds...

..or the bird lovers anyway. Today was a very special day around here :). Deanna has been collecting mail for our retired across-the-street neighbours, as they take off for the trailer up north every summer. For this task, she gets paid the princely sum of $3/week. She's been saving her money all summer hoping to buy a bird with it. The neighbours come home periodically for doctor appointments, and come over to pick up their mail. Each time, Mr. Short would ask Deanna if she wanted to be paid up to date. She always refused, fearing she'd spend the money instead of saving. Last week, she decided she'd like her money. So, with $43 burning a hole in her wallet, she started pet bird research.
With a little help from Mom and Dad, she is now the proud owner of this beautiful blue budgie:

She wanted a male, as they are easiest to train, and tend to talk more. The cage we found on Kijiji, complete with food dishes/toys. The bird came from Petsmart. That way it has a warranty.

He's a gorgeous deep blue, almost purple (her fav color!)

He has not yet been named. She's waiting to see what his personality is like first.

We found him a nice home in the living room, as they are social birds and like to be where the action is. I've heard birds can be messy, but Deanna promises she will clean up after it without fail. We shall see... he is cute though.