Read Online Bubble Troubles by Colleen Madden - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Colleen Madden
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he’d threatened to go in her room to see what she was making for him. Of course, he was curious to know, but he could wait until Christmas. Besides, he didn’t want to spoil the surprise. In the meantime, he had some gifts he needed to finish for family members, too—including one for Mattie. He hoped she would like the surprise gift he was making, because he’d tried hard to come up with something different to give her.
Mark stepped into his room, shut the door, and walked over to the window. He saw his two cats below in the yard, jumping at a flower stem gently blowing in the late autumn breeze. Mark was glad Lucky and Boots had returned after being chased into the field by that red fox. Grandpa Miller had been right about Boots and Lucky being able to take care of themselves. Mark wished he could have known what had actually happened, but later that evening, watching from the porch, he couldn’t help giggling when he saw his cats prancing around the yard, swishing their tails while holding their heads up high.
Going over to his desk, Mark looked at the gifts he’d already completed. He was happy with the way the wind chimes had turned out that he planned to give Mom and both of his grandmas for Christmas. He’d thought about giving them each a box of chocolates but had decided on the chimes instead. It was a good thing he liked to collect small and unusual rocks, because for the top of the wind chimes, he’d stained a small, round-shaped piece of wood he’d gotten from Dad’s shop and then glued a few rocks to the top. After that, he’d attached to the wood some fishing line Grandpa Miller had given him. Mark had finished it off by hooking some of Mom’s old spoons to the line. Those would cause the chimes to jingle whenever there was a breeze.
For Dad and both of his grandpas, Mark had thought about using some strips of craft foam to make soda pop can coolers. But since neither Dad nor his grandpas drank much soda pop, he’d changed his mind and painted some of the bigger stones in his collection to use as paperweights instead. He was glad most of the gifts were pretty much done, and now he was going to begin work on a pair of hand warmers for Calvin and Russell. They would be made from thick fabric sewed together in squares and filled with rice. To warm them, the boys would need to put them in the oven on low for a while, and if they stuck the hand warmers inside their jacket pockets when they went outside, their hands would be toasty warm.
Mark felt pretty good about the gifts he’d made so far, and he was just getting ready to fill Russell’s hand warmer with rice when someone knocked on his door.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
“Who is it?” Mark called.
“It’s me—Calvin.”
“What do ya want?”
“I want to ask you something.”
Mark groaned. He figured Calvin would keep knocking if he didn’t open the door.
“What do you want?” Mark asked when he stepped out of his room and closed the door behind him.
“I was wondering if you’d like to go for a bike ride with me and Russell,” Calvin said.
Mark shook his head. “No thanks. I’m busy working on some Christmas presents, and so is Mattie. Anyways, it’s too cold to go bike riding today.”
“It’s not that cold.” Calvin peered around Mark toward the closed door. “What kind of gifts are you makin’ in there?”
“I’m not tellin’,” Mark said. “You’ll have to wait till Christmas to find out.”
C HAPTER 8
Snow
On Christmas Eve day it started to snow, and Mattie began to worry all over again.
“What if the roads get bad and Grandpa and Grandma Troyer can’t make it for Christmas?” Mattie asked Mom as she stared out the living room window, watching the snowflakes increase by the minute.
“Now don’t start fretting, because it won’t change a thing,” Mom said with a click of her tongue. “Why don’t you go find somethin’ to do? If you keep busy, it’ll take your mind off the weather.”
“That’s
Mark stepped into his room, shut the door, and walked over to the window. He saw his two cats below in the yard, jumping at a flower stem gently blowing in the late autumn breeze. Mark was glad Lucky and Boots had returned after being chased into the field by that red fox. Grandpa Miller had been right about Boots and Lucky being able to take care of themselves. Mark wished he could have known what had actually happened, but later that evening, watching from the porch, he couldn’t help giggling when he saw his cats prancing around the yard, swishing their tails while holding their heads up high.
Going over to his desk, Mark looked at the gifts he’d already completed. He was happy with the way the wind chimes had turned out that he planned to give Mom and both of his grandmas for Christmas. He’d thought about giving them each a box of chocolates but had decided on the chimes instead. It was a good thing he liked to collect small and unusual rocks, because for the top of the wind chimes, he’d stained a small, round-shaped piece of wood he’d gotten from Dad’s shop and then glued a few rocks to the top. After that, he’d attached to the wood some fishing line Grandpa Miller had given him. Mark had finished it off by hooking some of Mom’s old spoons to the line. Those would cause the chimes to jingle whenever there was a breeze.
For Dad and both of his grandpas, Mark had thought about using some strips of craft foam to make soda pop can coolers. But since neither Dad nor his grandpas drank much soda pop, he’d changed his mind and painted some of the bigger stones in his collection to use as paperweights instead. He was glad most of the gifts were pretty much done, and now he was going to begin work on a pair of hand warmers for Calvin and Russell. They would be made from thick fabric sewed together in squares and filled with rice. To warm them, the boys would need to put them in the oven on low for a while, and if they stuck the hand warmers inside their jacket pockets when they went outside, their hands would be toasty warm.
Mark felt pretty good about the gifts he’d made so far, and he was just getting ready to fill Russell’s hand warmer with rice when someone knocked on his door.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
“Who is it?” Mark called.
“It’s me—Calvin.”
“What do ya want?”
“I want to ask you something.”
Mark groaned. He figured Calvin would keep knocking if he didn’t open the door.
“What do you want?” Mark asked when he stepped out of his room and closed the door behind him.
“I was wondering if you’d like to go for a bike ride with me and Russell,” Calvin said.
Mark shook his head. “No thanks. I’m busy working on some Christmas presents, and so is Mattie. Anyways, it’s too cold to go bike riding today.”
“It’s not that cold.” Calvin peered around Mark toward the closed door. “What kind of gifts are you makin’ in there?”
“I’m not tellin’,” Mark said. “You’ll have to wait till Christmas to find out.”
C HAPTER 8
Snow
On Christmas Eve day it started to snow, and Mattie began to worry all over again.
“What if the roads get bad and Grandpa and Grandma Troyer can’t make it for Christmas?” Mattie asked Mom as she stared out the living room window, watching the snowflakes increase by the minute.
“Now don’t start fretting, because it won’t change a thing,” Mom said with a click of her tongue. “Why don’t you go find somethin’ to do? If you keep busy, it’ll take your mind off the weather.”
“That’s
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