It was still dark when Kirsten opened her eyes, but some streaks of dawn lightened the horizon. She was enjoying being snuggled into her cozy bed underneath the blankets and quilts, but she knew it was time to get up. There were chores to do and then school to go to. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and slipped her feet into the leather slippers waiting there for her.
Kirsten wriggled out of her nightgown. She was already wearing a shift and two quilted petticoats, but she slipped a third petticoat and an extra pair of woolen stockings on before reaching for her green woolen dress. Once all the buttons on her dress were done up, she stood on her tip-toes to reach for the hairbrush on the shelf above her little bed.
Kirsten wasn't one to worry about her appearance much, but she loved the soothing feeling of the brush running through her long hair. She let out the braids she had slept in, finger-combing them loose, and then began to brush out her long blond hair. Without use of a looking glass (Mama had the only one the family owned safely stored in her trunk), Kirsten plaited her hair into two long braids and then twisted them up over the top of her head. Some of the girls in Minnesota didn't wear styles like this one, but Kirsten loved the traditional styles. The wrapped braid crown reminded her of how all the girls back in Sweden had worn their hair.
Finally, Kirsten stepped out of her slippers and pushed her feet into the warm boots that Lisbeth had recently outgrown and passed on to her. She carefully laced and tied the boots before heading down to begin her morning chores on the farm. She could already hear Lars outside calling in the cows to be milked. With a smile, she headed out to collect her bucket and milking stool and get started.