“Eight dollars and fifty-six cents,” Maria
said, counting their last nickel. “Not enough to take Mom out for breakfast.”
“What can we get her for Mother’s Day?” Maya asked.
“Roses?” Maria asked. She dialed the florist. “How much for a dozen red roses?” She gasped and
hung up. “Almost sixty dollars! We couldn’t afford two roses.”
“A ring like mine?” asked Maya, slipping it off of her thumb. It left behind a green line. “Maybe that’s
not a great idea.”
“Mom says we make the best presents,” Maria said, pulling a stack of magazines
from the bookshelf. “Let’s look for ideas.”
“This would be nice,” Maya said, pointing to a make-your-own stained glass vase. “But, it would be a
better birthday present. Then our garden will be blooming, and we can fill it with flowers that don’t cost sixty dollars!”
“Look,” Maria said. “Host a Tea Party! There’s a recipe for Oven Baked French Toast; it serves
six. Let’s invite Grandma Rosa and Grandma Lynn.”
“We’ll use our money to buy ingredients. Mom will be surprised,” said Maya, checking the cupboard. They
had cinnamon, vanilla extract, and tea bags. Maria opened the refrigerator. It held plenty of buttery spread, reduced fat
egg substitute, and milk.
They made a grocery list, and Dad drove them to Wimmer’s Market. He waited in the car while the girls shopped. They
tracked the prices of each item to make sure they had enough money.
“Bread is $1.19,” Maya said. Maria wrote the amount on the list. Next, they found half-and-half cream in the
dairy aisle.
“Mom likes to eat healthy. Get the fat-free kind. It’s $2.89,” said Maria.
“Where’s the corn syrup? Near the vegetables?” asked Maya.
“No,” said Maria, laughing. “Grandma Lynn uses it to make candy. It’s in the baking aisle.”
“Brown sugar costs $1.79. And here’s corn syrup. Oh no!”
said Maya. “The price tag says $2.79. We don’t have enough.”
“Here’s a smaller bottle for $1.49.” Maria totaled the
list. “Everything comes to $7.36. There’s no tax on groceries, so we have $1.20 left.”
“Is that enough to buy a card?” asked Maya.
“Let’s make
a card. Then we can buy fresh strawberries for the
French toast.”
They found strawberries for $.99, paid for the groceries and left.
Some of the recipe could be prepared tonight and the rest could be finished in the morning. When they got home, Dad sliced
the bread. Then he and Mom went for a walk, but Maya and Maria stayed behind to work on their surprise.
Maria washed her hands and followed the recipe’s directions. Maya called Grandma Rosa and Grandma Lynn to invite
them.
Maria wrote a poem and Maya drew a picture in Mom’s homemade card.
“We finished just in time,” said Maya when she heard her parents open the front door.
They set the alarm clock and talked about the surprise until they fell asleep.
BEEP! BEEP! The alarm
clock woke the girls.
“We need Dad’s help,” said Maria.
Sleepy-eyed Dad turned on the oven. Maria mixed the remaining ingredients and Dad heated the mixture. He put the French
toast in the oven.
