Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens

To celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation, the prior afternoon I baked a seed cake, an English tradition. Not knowing what would qualify as a seed cake, I baked a pound cake and added some poppy seeds to the recipe.

A pretty moment

I don't have the natural design talent or the extra time to plan ornate beautiful moments, but I do try to put together such moments quickly! My offering to Our Lady is the result of me sprinkling powdered sugar on the cake, grabbing our Sacred Art rosary flip chart from the mantle, and sending the six-year-old dashing upstairs for her faux flowers.

Seed cake for breakfast!

Then the children and I were off bright and early for the Spring Homeschoolers' Day at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens. The event was attended by hundreds of people, all trusting that the grey clouds wouldn't drop more than a sprinkle of rain.

The children attended well-organized classes in vegetables, pond ecology, and flower anatomy.

Climbing rocks with the big kids

Exploring vegetables and fruits

Catching tadpoles for examination

Acting weird

After the event ended at noon, we enjoyed lunch outdoors and good old-fashioned running in the grass until this pregnant mama was too tired of chasing the two-year-old back to safety: then it was time to go home!

Eating lunch with friends at a picnic table

Back at home in the afternoon, the children and I planted marigold seeds, saved and frozen from my marigolds that grew like gangbusters last year. Marigolds are flowers associated with Our Lady, so planting them is another way to mark the Feast of the Annunciation. I'm a fan of marigolds because they like to get baked in the sun, they grow nearly like weeds, they're pretty and fragrant, they're resistant to pests and deer, and they're tough old gals: last year, I planted some too close to the driveway so we drove over the two-foot plants nearly daily and they never were deterred!