Unbirthday girl....

So do you have a summer birthday? Well, my Sydney and Kate, both celebrate the days of their birth in July. This leads to a grade school problem. No "party" with the class. Hence the celebration of her Unbirthday. I am not organized enough to do a half birthday or anything that requires pinning me down to a specific day sooooo... I let her pick her unbirthday. Sydney wanted to celebrate the day after Spring started. Much to her dismay Monday and Tuesday were already full of birthday happiness. Hence today was her unbirthday. She also wanted to make cup cakes so her friend Beth could eat one. Beth who is allergic to peanuts doesn't get to have a lot of the treats at school. I was amazed that Syd thought the entire process through and cared.
This mom, after Tuesday night Soil Science discovered that I was tired. That meant no to homemade cupcakes with a rainbow of frosting choices. Yes, to store bought happiness. Sydney had a melt down, quite common around here. After I calmed her down and promised future cup cake baking. I realized she was more worried about Beth not getting a cup cake than making them herself. This is the peanut free solution....
How fun!!! Rainbow colored, same price as a sheet cake, cup cakes and NO peanuts. We took it. Plus a few more with rings to share with her garden friends, her dad and sisters. Diplomatically Sydney let Paige choose. Really, who is this girl in my six year old's body?
Finally, I got to play in the AAS gardens today. This is one of two places I worked on the most last summer. The tin man is a kid pleasing favorite. He now has a beautiful carpet of pansies to stand in and a new face under construction for spring. Thanks to Elder Page and Wozniak for helping, Miss Mary for being the cart organizing/cleaning and heading the planting crew. I came back after dropping Syd off for school to finish up after them. Paige and I picked up a lot of sticks... apple trees being pruned tend to create a lot of debris. Then took them to the compost pile.
After arriving home, I became side tracked by my garden outside the back door. I know that I want my lettuces and other early plants up by the house this year. This avoids the whole flood plain situation I have going on in the way back yard. I sketched a couple of things and then went out and created this. No, it's not done. My roses are all moved into place and the chives/onion border is underway. The girls thought this was a fun pattern. My goal is to keep the small fluffy tailed wild life out of the center squares. A small hedge of onions/chives might help. Kind of like surrounding dessert with sardines. I'm excited to give each girl a square to plant their own four choices in. This is a square foot gardeningish idea although true square foot gardens are in raised beds. I'll document progress, but thought I'd share the sketch for future comparisons. This was a good day.