"Hi! My name is Sally and I live in New York City, in The United States of America. It’s a chilly, cloudy fall day, and the rain is turning into an icy snowy mixture. I am bored! Last week the weather was beautiful when I had to go to school, but it gets dark early now so I cannot play outside. Now, when I don’t have to go to school, there is an early winter storm brewing. I am bored!
My big brother, Josh is watching his favorite TV program and, as usual, he won’t let me watch anything I like, or even something we both like. Josh doesn’t like to share.
I am bored! I don’t have any new books to read. I am bored! My Mom is listening to the news on the radio and they are talking about the low temperatures and the surprise winter storm that is moving in.
I can’t even listen to music.
I am bored … bored …… bored! I said aloud. ‘Sally,’ my Mom called out. ‘If you are so bored why don’t you draw a picture or color?’ "I can’t," I said. "I am out of paper."
Sally was obviously bored. She moped around the apartment for a while, tried to find something to do, but there just wasn’t anything that interested her.
She walked slowly to the window, pressed her nose against the cold glass, and watched the big snowflakes fall from the sky. She looked down and saw that they were already starting to cover the street and sidewalk. "Oh what a terrible day. I am so bored," she said with a sigh.
She stayed close to the window and watched some birds land on the telephone wires below her apartment. "They look bored too," she said to herself.
She watched the cars go up and down the street as they left their tire tracks in the pure, white snow. Across the street, a dog slipped on an icy spot as it chased a cat. She thought she saw the cat turn around and smile, or maybe laugh at the dog as it tried to stop spinning in circles.
She giggled as the dog started running but couldn’t go anywhere. Its legs were moving, but on the ice, its feet just kept on sliding over the same spot. "Josh, you have to see this," she called out. But there was no reply. The snow was coming down faster and faster. Soon it was really deep. She saw people with shovels trying to clean the sidewalk or an area next to the street so they could park their car.
Some people were walking with open umbrellas that looked like they were made of thick, white cotton candy. She licked her lips as she imagined how good a cotton candy umbrella would taste. Again, she saw the cat and dog slipping and sliding on the slippery sidewalk. She thought for a second and tried to say "slipping and sliding on the slippery sidewalk" three times very fast without making a mistake. "Wow! That is hard," she thought to herself.
Farther up the street, she saw a man with two little boys starting to roll little balls of snow into big ones. "What are they doing?" she mumbled to herself. She watched them for several more minutes as they stacked the balls of snow on top of one another. She pressed her nose against the window for a closer look. "A snowman," she shrieked with joy. "They are building a snowman."
"Mom, can I go out and play?" Sally yelled out to her mother. "Dress warm," her mother replied. "Be sure to stay close and come in before dark."
In under a minute, Sally was outside playing with her friends and having a lot of fun. Oh! She wasn’t bored anymore either.
The afternoon passed and Sally’s mother knew she would be coming in soon. She also knew that she would probably be chilly and would appreciate a hot cup of cocoa. Her mother thought for a second as she looked out the window to check on Sally.
All of a sudden, Josh heard his mother laughing. "Josh, you have to come and see this," she chuckled. He did and they both laughed at the dog chasing the cat and slipping, and sliding, on the slippery sidewalk.
"Josh, I am going to make some hot cocoa for your sister when she comes in. Would you like a cup?" "You bet," replied Josh. His mother always made the best hot cocoa.
"Hmm, now let me see. Which special recipe should I use from my Pick & Sip Hot Cocoa Recipes?" their mother thought as she looked over their favorites.
Pick & Sip Hot Cocoa Basic Hot Cocoa – Ingredients (Makes about 2 large or 3 medium sized Servings) 1/8 cup cocoa powder 1/4 cup sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons water 2 cups milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Hot Cocoa – Directions In a medium size pot mix together the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Stir in water. Cook over medium heat and stir it constantly until it starts to boil. Continue stirring mixture for another 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Add milk and stir constantly until hot but do not boil. Remove from heat, add the vanilla, and whisk until foamy. Pour into your favorite mugs, serve, and enjoy.
Pick & Sip Variations Add the following ingredients when you mix in the Vanilla Extract. Pirates Pleasure – 1 splash of ground Cinnamon and 1 splash Nutmeg. (What’s a "splash"? About 1/2 of a 1/8 teaspoon). Loco Mocha Cocoa - 1 teaspoon instant coffee. Southern Belle – 1/4 teaspoon Mint Extract. Fruit Frenzy – 1/4 teaspoon of your favorite fruit extract. Like Orange or Cherry. North Woods – 1/4 teaspoon Maple Syrup. Busy Bee – 1/4 teaspoon Honey.
Hot Cocoa – Toppers Whipped Cream Marshmallows Whipped Cream or Marshmallows sprinkled with sugar or candy bits. Softened Ice Cream. Hot Cocoa – Stirrers Cinnamon Stick Candy Cane (Peppermint Stick) Licorice Whip
"I think I’ll make the Southern Belle hot cocoa, topped with vanilla ice cream, and use a candy cane stirrer." She said to herself. Just as she finished cooking, the door opened and a red-cheeked Sally came in and took off her gloves, coat, hat, scarf, and boots. "What’s that wonderful smell?" Sally said with a smile. "I hope it’s what I think it is." All three sat and sipped the hot cocoa while Sally told them about her adventures outside.Sally giggled and said, "And I thought I was bored."
