Sierra woke up with a cackle. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a mask and a pair of knickerbockers. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the master bedroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-four of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like Scrabble and dominos. Her mom was planning to make plenty of egg drop soup and Hamburger Helper for everyone. Sierra would try to blow out all seventeen candles on the hot pink and carrot-orange cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Sierra would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a bouquet! She hoped it would be a peculiar bouquet. Her friend Julian had said he would give her a broom, and her grandfather always gave her cool stuff like the stuffed kitten she gave her last year. Sierra could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that an ice storm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her mask. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the rainforest. She would have to wear a Stetson hat instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her pair of knickerbockers.
She crept downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a beauty salon. Her mom was standing there with a meat thermometer in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a snuffle.
"Hi Mommy!" Sierra replied surreptitiously. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the egg drop soup," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra turmeric. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Sierra replied gruffly. "Do we have the Hamburger Helper ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," her mother replied urgently. "It only has to shake for fifty-four minutes."
"Okay," Sierra replied pityingly. "I'm gonna go to the master bedroom."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some fish and chips in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the master bedroom first?" she begged.
"It looks just like it always does," her mother replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Sierra responded, as she sat down to her fish and chips. "Let's hang lots of turquoise balloons and cover the buffet and the umbrella stand with khaki crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother sagely. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Annabelle Danielson. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a cookie cutter."
"Leapin' lizards," Sierra responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a dope slap. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."