We’d hoped for a tea party with all our friends this year, but today was all about making do. Since we’re co-quarantining with the Romines, we decided on a picnic tea party, allowing us the tea party theme but within the only-playing-outside policy that we’d agreed on. Fortunately, it was a perfect day for a picnic! Elizabeth made orange tea cakes with her brand new Raddish kids recipe and cake molds, and everyone feasted.
Then everyone got manicures and pedicures with Elizabeth’s new nail care kit. And I let them give birthday hugs. If we catch covid-19 because the family who has only seen us for the past two months somehow caught it in the ether and gave it to us, then we’re all doomed, anyway, and we might as well enjoy the hugs.
My birthday cake was another potential disaster–I tried a new recipe that called for the random ingredients we had on hand, but it overflowed all over the cookie sheet I had (fortunately!) put below the pan and the crumbled terribly coming out. So (fortunately!) I had bought ice cream at my last grocery run, and I mixed up the cake crumbs and vanilla ice cream for an ice cream cake that everyone said was delicious! Good thing, too–we are out of baker’s chocolate and butter and are low on all the other ingredients, so we had no plan B…
I’m so grateful for Elizabeth’s joyful spirit. As she was making the tea cakes this morning, she exclaimed, “This is going to be the best birthday ever!” I confess that I’m not that chipper at this point in the pandemic. God knew exactly what our family would need when He gave us this sunny, responsible, affectionate girl!