Recipe for Turning Eleven

6 friends

1 birthday girl

1 birthday cake

a handful of birthday gifts

2 pepperoni pizzas, to be consumed in the living room

3 standard poodles (for pizza crust disposal)

7 boxes of assorted makeup and nail polish

27 cotton balls and 32 Q-Tips, to be applied to perimeter of living room floor

1 poodle chaperone

Mix well. If desired, may add iPods, rolls of duct tape, and hand and foot massages. Sprinkle liberally with laughter. Spread mixture evenly across a floor that has been prepared with blankets, sleeping bags, and pillows. Allow to giggle until 3 a.m. Serve with chocolate chunk muffins and milk before distributing sleepy girls to their parents. Yield: One petite 11-year-old girl.

What the mom does while the girls are giggling. (I did NOT stay up until 3 a.m. I went to bed around 1 and didn't hear them at all.)

I made ten of these cards. :^D In addition to cleaning the kitchen and trying to wash the 398 glasses all these girls used. Okay, it was just 16. But I washed these same 16 glasses at least three times during the less than 24 hours of the party. I bought paper plates and napkins, but neglected to get throw away cups. Silly mom.