Katie woke up with a furrowed brow. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a jumper and a gown. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the living room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-four of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like golf and jacks. Her mom was planning to make plenty of chocolate-covered ants and cookies for everyone. Katie would try to blow out all twenty-four candles on the silver and tan cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Katie would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a candy bar! She hoped it would be an ornate candy bar. Her friend Mason had said he would give her an African violet, and her girlfriend always gave her cool stuff like the rose she gave her last year. Katie could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a dust storm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her jumper. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the marsh. She would have to wear a pair of boxer shorts instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her gown.
She inched downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Revlon. Her mom was standing there with a cookie cutter in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a raised eyebrow.
"Hi Mommy!" Katie replied lamely. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the chocolate-covered ants," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra cheddar cheese. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Katie replied smoothly. "Do we have the cookies ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," her mother replied crankily. "It only has to blend for forty-three minutes."
"Okay," Katie replied temperamentally. "I'm gonna go to the living room."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some country glazed ham in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the living room 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," Katie responded, as she sat down to her country glazed ham. "Let's hang lots of rose balloons and cover the cupboard and the bunk bed with olive green crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother stealthily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Oona Apple. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a ladle."
"W00t," Katie responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a cheer. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."