Monday, December 26, 2011
Sweet Lil' Glidin' Thang
So, I'm in the check-out line at Wal-Mart, and it's two days before Christmas. People are actually being pretty cool, considering the fact that there are four registers in the Flagstaff WalMart's Garden Center, and all four lines are jam packed. A teenaged girl I know appears looking overwhelmed and with just a few items, so I tell her to get in line in front of me. We start chit-chatting about how school's going for her and about what we each have planned for Christmas, and then finally it's her turn to check out. As she sets her purse down on the plastic bag merry-go-round thing and opens it to get her checkbook out, I see the checker dude lean over, peer into her back and say in an awed voice, "Where did you get it?"
I stand there holding my tongue while she says something unintelligible to him and he says things like, "Cool" and "Awesome." Finally, I can't take it anymore.
"Whatcha got in the bag?" I demand, feeling a little bit like a nosy neighbor but also just really needing to know what it is. When she holds the purse open and invites me to look inside, it takes a few moments for me to figure out what I'm looking for. But then I see it. The cutest, most otherworldly creature I have maybe ever seen (and I've seen a lot of cute in my day, let me tell you). It's on its back with its little paws curled in toward it's FUZZYLITTLETUMMY (sorry, can't write that in anything but all caps. Computer won't allow it), and it's about the size of a baby squirrel. But the eyes are what get me. The creature's head is maybe the size of a big marshmallow, but it's eyes take up most of that head.
What is it? I asked, my voice a little choked up from the sheer adorableness overload.
"It's a sugar glider," the girl tells me, "and she's guarding my wallet." Instantly I recall the Craigslist ads I've seen for these creatures over the years. I sort of assumed they were a type of snake or other amphibian. Truly, I had no idea.
And, honestly, I'm really not sure which is cuter - this or the sloth rehab video my dad sent last week. I mean, come on. Baby sloths in onesies? That's just playing dirty.Follow @nicole_mcinnes
I stand there holding my tongue while she says something unintelligible to him and he says things like, "Cool" and "Awesome." Finally, I can't take it anymore.
"Whatcha got in the bag?" I demand, feeling a little bit like a nosy neighbor but also just really needing to know what it is. When she holds the purse open and invites me to look inside, it takes a few moments for me to figure out what I'm looking for. But then I see it. The cutest, most otherworldly creature I have maybe ever seen (and I've seen a lot of cute in my day, let me tell you). It's on its back with its little paws curled in toward it's FUZZYLITTLETUMMY (sorry, can't write that in anything but all caps. Computer won't allow it), and it's about the size of a baby squirrel. But the eyes are what get me. The creature's head is maybe the size of a big marshmallow, but it's eyes take up most of that head.
What is it? I asked, my voice a little choked up from the sheer adorableness overload.
"It's a sugar glider," the girl tells me, "and she's guarding my wallet." Instantly I recall the Craigslist ads I've seen for these creatures over the years. I sort of assumed they were a type of snake or other amphibian. Truly, I had no idea.
And, honestly, I'm really not sure which is cuter - this or the sloth rehab video my dad sent last week. I mean, come on. Baby sloths in onesies? That's just playing dirty.Follow @nicole_mcinnes
Saturday, December 24, 2011
A Very Single Parent Christmas
So, my kids will be spending Christmas with their dad - and, by definition, not with me - this year. For the past few weeks I've gotten used to people asking me (usually in hushed, careful tones), "How are you doing?"
Usually, it is a sincere and well-meaning question from people who care. And maybe they're curious, too, about what it's like to be a single parent without one's kids on Christmas - that Familiest of Family days, that day when everyone who's anyone is gathered before the yule log, cups of hot cocoa in hand, regaling each other with family stories from all the years gone by together. As Family. Who have stuck together. (And the kids all have rosy cheeks and eyes as sparkly as Christmas lights to boot.)
The holidays present a dilemma for single parents/co-parents that is perhaps unequaled at any other time of year. Not only are we facing the usual scheduling challenges, but there's the added (if unspoken) demand to Stay Cheerful ( <:-D !!!!!) - if not for the sake of tradition then for the sake of the kids who, if we stop and think about it, are the ones who are potentially having the hardest time dealing with the whole two-household situation. By the way, I realize not every single parent situation involves two households, but it's the scenario closest to mine, so I'll just go with it. Bottom line: Divorce it tough. The holidays can be tough (divorced or not). Divorce + Holidays = Potential difficulty for parents, kids, extended family and friends alike.
Two years ago, when it was my ex-husband's "turn" to have the kids for Christmas, the divorce was still a fresh wound (for me and definitely for the kids). If someone had asked me then (they probably did and I've just blocked it out) how I was doing, I no doubt would have gritted my teeth, told them I was fine and then waited until I was alone in my house to burst into bitter tears and pound the mattress with my fists. It was really, really awful. Also, I had a hard time not making it all about me, which was compounded by the fact that my ex and I both had a hard time extending even a little bit of grace and kindness to each other at that point. When he came to pick up the kids for their week-long stay that year, I held it together and forced that smile until they were out the door. Then I promptly collapsed on the couch and dissolved into a puddle of weepy slobber - not my best look. Fortunately, a couple of the people who love me most in the world were right there, sitting on either side of me, rubbing my back, holding me up and generally dealing with my meltdown.
Because it was CHRIStmas, you know? I mean, how can a mother not have her babies with her on CHRIStmas?? How can she live through not seeing their eyes sparkle like Christmas lights when they wake up and see the presents under the tree? How can she not be there to hover and coo and adore them as everyone is standing before the yule log, cups of cocoa in hand?
I'll tell you how. Because it's just a day.
I repeat: It's just a day.
Now, before you accuse me of being a Grinch or a Scrooge or, at the very least, a Very Negative Person Indeed, let me firmly state for the record that I love Christmas.
I repeat: I love Christmas.
Did my family of origin look like we had just walked out of a Norman Rockwell painting on Christmas Days when I was growing up? Hardly. We had our own set of issues and tensions like any family, and the holidays often served as a thrift store pressure cooker to really heat up all the dysfunction until the lid was blown off and all the goo ended up spattered all over the kitchen ceiling (metaphorically speaking). Did the kids' dad and I do a little better during Christmases with our kids when we were together? Maybe, but we're human beings, too, not robots. And we definitely had our issues.
Still, I love Christmas. I love the decorations. I love the get-togethers and school plays, both small and grand. I even love the tinny Christmas songs eking out from every big box store speaker starting the day after Halloween. I love looking outside on snowy evenings and seeing the neighbors' Christmas lights. I love logging onto Facebook and seeing what my family and friends are doing and baking, and how they are celebrating Christmas and Hannukah. And I love how, this year, I bought our live, re-plantable tree on sale at an awesome price (also in October) - because I get to kill two birds with one stone that way (which gets me Scottish Lassie blood a boilin'): We get to have a Christmas tree AND an addition to the landscaping out front! I love how the kids helped decorate the house at the beginning of December, mugs of Starbucks Salted Caramel hot chocolate in their hands. I love how we took turns reading Dickens' A Christmas Carol on the Nook (Mom's early Christmas gift to herself, thankyouverymuch). And I love how we've tried to keep the cat from eating the greenery so she wouldn't turn around and yark it up in one of our shoes. I love the new set of songs I've downloaded from iTunes to add to my Holiday library (it's Buble' all the way this year, because he has a voice just made for the holidays).
Truly, there is a lot to love. And I am richly blessed. Have I missed my kids this past week, and will I miss them tomorrow on Christmas morning? You bet. But unlike two years ago, this year I am not filled with fear and grief at the prospect of Christmas morning. Instead, I am filled with an overwhelming sense of love, gratitude and peace. I've been carrying those three gifts around throughout the holiday season despite the imperfections I can so easily find in myself and others. I've been carrying them despite the inconveniences and tragedies of life. And that, my friends, is what the holidays are really about. Not the yule log. Not some idea of familial perfection. Not even the salted caramel cocoa (though I admit it's a real contender).
For those single parents spending your first Christmas or Hannukah or (Insert important holiday here) away from your babies (I don't care how old they are - they're your babies) and wondering how you will get through it, I am here to tell you that you will get through it. And from here it can get better, so much better than you can maybe imagine right now. And regardless of where your kids are spending their holiday or how much distance separates you, my wish is that you will find the gifts of love, gratitude and peace wrapped and waiting for you in the morning.Follow @nicole_mcinnes
Usually, it is a sincere and well-meaning question from people who care. And maybe they're curious, too, about what it's like to be a single parent without one's kids on Christmas - that Familiest of Family days, that day when everyone who's anyone is gathered before the yule log, cups of hot cocoa in hand, regaling each other with family stories from all the years gone by together. As Family. Who have stuck together. (And the kids all have rosy cheeks and eyes as sparkly as Christmas lights to boot.)
The holidays present a dilemma for single parents/co-parents that is perhaps unequaled at any other time of year. Not only are we facing the usual scheduling challenges, but there's the added (if unspoken) demand to Stay Cheerful ( <:-D !!!!!) - if not for the sake of tradition then for the sake of the kids who, if we stop and think about it, are the ones who are potentially having the hardest time dealing with the whole two-household situation. By the way, I realize not every single parent situation involves two households, but it's the scenario closest to mine, so I'll just go with it. Bottom line: Divorce it tough. The holidays can be tough (divorced or not). Divorce + Holidays = Potential difficulty for parents, kids, extended family and friends alike.
Two years ago, when it was my ex-husband's "turn" to have the kids for Christmas, the divorce was still a fresh wound (for me and definitely for the kids). If someone had asked me then (they probably did and I've just blocked it out) how I was doing, I no doubt would have gritted my teeth, told them I was fine and then waited until I was alone in my house to burst into bitter tears and pound the mattress with my fists. It was really, really awful. Also, I had a hard time not making it all about me, which was compounded by the fact that my ex and I both had a hard time extending even a little bit of grace and kindness to each other at that point. When he came to pick up the kids for their week-long stay that year, I held it together and forced that smile until they were out the door. Then I promptly collapsed on the couch and dissolved into a puddle of weepy slobber - not my best look. Fortunately, a couple of the people who love me most in the world were right there, sitting on either side of me, rubbing my back, holding me up and generally dealing with my meltdown.
Because it was CHRIStmas, you know? I mean, how can a mother not have her babies with her on CHRIStmas?? How can she live through not seeing their eyes sparkle like Christmas lights when they wake up and see the presents under the tree? How can she not be there to hover and coo and adore them as everyone is standing before the yule log, cups of cocoa in hand?
I'll tell you how. Because it's just a day.
I repeat: It's just a day.
Now, before you accuse me of being a Grinch or a Scrooge or, at the very least, a Very Negative Person Indeed, let me firmly state for the record that I love Christmas.
I repeat: I love Christmas.
Did my family of origin look like we had just walked out of a Norman Rockwell painting on Christmas Days when I was growing up? Hardly. We had our own set of issues and tensions like any family, and the holidays often served as a thrift store pressure cooker to really heat up all the dysfunction until the lid was blown off and all the goo ended up spattered all over the kitchen ceiling (metaphorically speaking). Did the kids' dad and I do a little better during Christmases with our kids when we were together? Maybe, but we're human beings, too, not robots. And we definitely had our issues.
Still, I love Christmas. I love the decorations. I love the get-togethers and school plays, both small and grand. I even love the tinny Christmas songs eking out from every big box store speaker starting the day after Halloween. I love looking outside on snowy evenings and seeing the neighbors' Christmas lights. I love logging onto Facebook and seeing what my family and friends are doing and baking, and how they are celebrating Christmas and Hannukah. And I love how, this year, I bought our live, re-plantable tree on sale at an awesome price (also in October) - because I get to kill two birds with one stone that way (which gets me Scottish Lassie blood a boilin'): We get to have a Christmas tree AND an addition to the landscaping out front! I love how the kids helped decorate the house at the beginning of December, mugs of Starbucks Salted Caramel hot chocolate in their hands. I love how we took turns reading Dickens' A Christmas Carol on the Nook (Mom's early Christmas gift to herself, thankyouverymuch). And I love how we've tried to keep the cat from eating the greenery so she wouldn't turn around and yark it up in one of our shoes. I love the new set of songs I've downloaded from iTunes to add to my Holiday library (it's Buble' all the way this year, because he has a voice just made for the holidays).
Truly, there is a lot to love. And I am richly blessed. Have I missed my kids this past week, and will I miss them tomorrow on Christmas morning? You bet. But unlike two years ago, this year I am not filled with fear and grief at the prospect of Christmas morning. Instead, I am filled with an overwhelming sense of love, gratitude and peace. I've been carrying those three gifts around throughout the holiday season despite the imperfections I can so easily find in myself and others. I've been carrying them despite the inconveniences and tragedies of life. And that, my friends, is what the holidays are really about. Not the yule log. Not some idea of familial perfection. Not even the salted caramel cocoa (though I admit it's a real contender).
For those single parents spending your first Christmas or Hannukah or (Insert important holiday here) away from your babies (I don't care how old they are - they're your babies) and wondering how you will get through it, I am here to tell you that you will get through it. And from here it can get better, so much better than you can maybe imagine right now. And regardless of where your kids are spending their holiday or how much distance separates you, my wish is that you will find the gifts of love, gratitude and peace wrapped and waiting for you in the morning.Follow @nicole_mcinnes
Friday, December 09, 2011
Thursday, December 08, 2011
I. Am. Flamenco.
Just because I'm on a bit of a Spanish guitar kick here (and because I was once considered a member of the headbanger tribe), bear with me. As Dustin Hoffman says in Little Fockers, "I looked in the mirror and I asked myself, 'Who am I?'...And I said, 'That's it! That's me! I am Flamenco.'"
Follow @nicole_mcinnes
Follow @nicole_mcinnes
Thursday, December 01, 2011
Ottmar in a blizzard
Drove out of Flagstaff and toward home today in a near-complete white-out. The storm came on so suddenly that I pretty sure every ambulance, fire truck and tow truck in town was spoken for in the span of two hours. Truly, I've become spoiled rotten by all the mellow sunshine we've enjoyed in November. No more denying winter's arrival with this storm, though. I wonder if it's courtesy of the Santa Anas ripping through SoCal?
Thank goodness my new pretend-it's-still-summer fave Ottmar Liebert was there to get me through the worst of the blizzard - he and the twangy old Christmas songs from KAFF Country AM radio that is.
How are you planning to get through winter?Follow @nicole_mcinnes
Thank goodness my new pretend-it's-still-summer fave Ottmar Liebert was there to get me through the worst of the blizzard - he and the twangy old Christmas songs from KAFF Country AM radio that is.
How are you planning to get through winter?Follow @nicole_mcinnes
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
cracked me up
So, this guy - Steve Riley - came to our local school last week as a visiting author/illustrator. Not only did have have the rapt attention of every child in the room, but the teachers were completely captivated as well. Think Jim Carrey meets Bob Ross (that guy who used to paint in real time on PBS) meets Dr. Suess. The kids at our school got to create a character named Professor Floppyshoes - an overweight mouse sporting a mohawk and - you guessed it - huge shoes who encountered his nemesis the Evil Sandwich. What a hoot!
If your school is looking for a visiting author, I can't think of a better person to get kids fired up with the joy of reading, writing and illustrating. Here's one of Steve's art lesson's on YouTube - it's tame, down-to-earth and not focused on hilarity as his classrooom performance was, but you get the idea.Follow @nicole_mcinnes
If your school is looking for a visiting author, I can't think of a better person to get kids fired up with the joy of reading, writing and illustrating. Here's one of Steve's art lesson's on YouTube - it's tame, down-to-earth and not focused on hilarity as his classrooom performance was, but you get the idea.Follow @nicole_mcinnes
Monday, November 14, 2011
Thursday, November 03, 2011
Goodreads
How has it taken me so long to get on Goodreads?
While I know not the answer, I do know that I'm on there now, so friend me if you'd like. Let's swap favorite book recommendations!
:-)
P.S. My handle is Nicole McInnesFollow @nicole_mcinnes
While I know not the answer, I do know that I'm on there now, so friend me if you'd like. Let's swap favorite book recommendations!
:-)
P.S. My handle is Nicole McInnesFollow @nicole_mcinnes
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
NaNo? or NoNo?
People, NaNoWriMo starts today. Wait. Cancel that. It started today. Which means I'd already be behind if I was going to even DO NaNo this year, which I have wholeheartedly decided not to do for a whole host of reasons.
But, what if....?
Couldn't I just...?
What's the worst that could happen...?
These are the questions I ask myself as I come down from a month (October) of three consecutive birthday weekends, an inSANE teaching schedule plus preparation for my upcoming holiday shows at which I'm going to hawk my little soap company's wares as I've done for the past million years. (For the record, October was actually great, but I was also pretty maxed out on most levels).
Two years ago at just this exact time I was working up to a really awesome case of shingles from the stress of it all. So, since then, I've worked pretty hard to keep the kerfluffle to a minimum as much as possible (mainly by jettisoning those things from my life that aren't necessary and/or don't bring me joy and/or peace).
It's not easy.
And while NaNoWriMo isn't necessary, exactly, writing is. Because writing brings joy AND peace.
Still, I regret to say I'm going to have to resist. Unless I change my mind after publishing this post and decide to throw all caution and mental health to the wind for the next 30 days, in which case please pray for me.Follow @nicole_mcinnes
But, what if....?
Couldn't I just...?
What's the worst that could happen...?
These are the questions I ask myself as I come down from a month (October) of three consecutive birthday weekends, an inSANE teaching schedule plus preparation for my upcoming holiday shows at which I'm going to hawk my little soap company's wares as I've done for the past million years. (For the record, October was actually great, but I was also pretty maxed out on most levels).
Two years ago at just this exact time I was working up to a really awesome case of shingles from the stress of it all. So, since then, I've worked pretty hard to keep the kerfluffle to a minimum as much as possible (mainly by jettisoning those things from my life that aren't necessary and/or don't bring me joy and/or peace).
It's not easy.
And while NaNoWriMo isn't necessary, exactly, writing is. Because writing brings joy AND peace.
Still, I regret to say I'm going to have to resist. Unless I change my mind after publishing this post and decide to throw all caution and mental health to the wind for the next 30 days, in which case please pray for me.Follow @nicole_mcinnes
Monday, October 24, 2011
skyride 2011
This is the view that made me fall in love with Northern Arizona half my life ago:
It's also the view you can see from the Skyride chair up at Arizona Snowbowl in the summer and fall, just as the aspens are turning to gold before your eyes.
So many beautiful sights to behold, so much wonder. And then you look up and see what's keeping the chair attached - ever so precariously - to the cable (yipe!). Kinda like life, in a way (am I right?):
I love this particularly helpful reminder (uh, yeah, I'll keep that in mind, kay?):
And then there are those crazy, off-season snowboarders, always leaving evidence behind in the trees to remind us of the - er, uh - fun we'll all be having come winter:
If it was March and we were getting close to St. Patrick's Day, I'd go ahead and say something witty, like, "Erin go bra!" But it's October, so I'll refrain. Oh, wait.
Follow @nicole_mcinnes
Saturday, October 15, 2011
fun with templates (or, get a life already)
So, you know the opening scene of the movie Jaws? The scene where the teenagers are all partying on the beach, and then two of them - Chrissie and some useless drunk guy trying to keep up with her - go running off toward the water? And the guy goes, "Where are you going?" (pant pant), and Chrissie is all, "Swimming! Come on!" And before you know it, that chirpy little teenager dives into the water, and you're all Uh-Oh. Because you've been hearing the nuh-nuh, nuh-nu, nuh-nuh shark music while the opening credits have been rolling. You know the scene I'm talking about? The one where she gets violently pulled under the water and EATEN while the useless drunk guy naps on the shore? Yeah, that one.
Well, that's pretty much what happened to me recently when I discovered the new Blogger templates. Okay, so there was no drunk guy, no shark, and I was wearing my clothes. But the general tone was the same, because I don't even want to think about how much time I lost trying out first one and then another and then switching up the background colors and font and...
Am I made of free time? Heck no. But it's a stealthy, powerful thing, that Blogger template collection, and it'll pull you right under if you're not careful. Anyway, for now I've chosen the wildly swirling one you're experiencing while reading this post. Too much? Perhaps. But there's nothing that says I won't decide to change it again soon. I think I picked the swirls because they remind me of some soaps I batched recently called "Snowdance." Here they are in "tray" form before I cut them into loaves and then into individual bars to be packaged up for my upcoming holiday shows:
And here are a few of the finished bars, not yet packaged.
Hmmm...dare I say...they look a little...ocean-like.
Nuh-nuh, nuh-nuh, nuh-nuh.....
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Sunday, October 09, 2011
terrible roars
Where the Wild Things Are was never one of my very favorite childrens' books. Oh, I liked it all right. But I suppose I always had a sneaking suspicion it was written for other children, boys especially, whose lives were much harder than mine was in 1970's Marin County where people worried mainly about the temperature of their hot tubs and the scarcity of peacock feathers on their blocks (if social legend is to be believed, anyway).
Don't even get me started on the recent-ish movie version of the WTWTA, though. What a nightmare, and one from which I wasn't totally sure I'd ever wake up. I didn't think it did the book justice. At all.
Anyway, this interview with Maurice Sendak (which I found thanks to the good folks over at DGLM) is something else entirely. He's no doubt a crabby curmudgeon indeed, but I admire his frankness.Follow @nicole_mcinnes
Don't even get me started on the recent-ish movie version of the WTWTA, though. What a nightmare, and one from which I wasn't totally sure I'd ever wake up. I didn't think it did the book justice. At all.
Anyway, this interview with Maurice Sendak (which I found thanks to the good folks over at DGLM) is something else entirely. He's no doubt a crabby curmudgeon indeed, but I admire his frankness.Follow @nicole_mcinnes
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
good times never seemed so good
Someone please tell me why I've felt the need to play this song at volume 11 lately. Is it those irresistable lambchop sideburns Neil used to sport?Follow @nicole_mcinnes
Friday, September 09, 2011
fat n' sassy farm animals, etc.
It's been a good long while...again...since I've updated the blog. And I've decided I need to be okay with that, because I'm rediscovering that doing perfectly all the things I want/need to get done at any given time is just not possible. The good news is that a lot of imperfect, gorgeous things have been going on since I last checked in. Things like the kids starting back to a school year that's going very well. I'm proud of our little rural school for being one of the top performers in the state - and that includes private and charter schools! We have a pretty amazing blend of teachers and administration, and I always feel that my kids' education is right at the top of the priority list where it belongs despite the budget crunches and other woes the American educational system has been facing for way too long now.
The all-school field trip to the County Fair happened last week, and even though Zzari got out of the pasture and decimated a good chunk of my corn crop while we were gone, it was still a great day: The 4-H kids from our school and other districts showed their animals while we were there, which is always fun. I'd had some big fun judging the 4-H County Fair horse show the previous weekend, and it's always neat to see horses and young competitors from all of the county showing off the skills they've been honing all year. So, life has pretty much been all about fat and sassy farm animals more than usual for the past month or so.
The all-school field trip to the County Fair happened last week, and even though Zzari got out of the pasture and decimated a good chunk of my corn crop while we were gone, it was still a great day: The 4-H kids from our school and other districts showed their animals while we were there, which is always fun. I'd had some big fun judging the 4-H County Fair horse show the previous weekend, and it's always neat to see horses and young competitors from all of the county showing off the skills they've been honing all year. So, life has pretty much been all about fat and sassy farm animals more than usual for the past month or so.
What else? Oh! Laurie Halse Anderson had a writing challenge going on her blog for the month of August, but I didn't realize it until it ended! No matter. I'm going back to day one and starting from there, making part of September and October my own personal writing challenge month. This will be fun especially since I'm still undecided about NaNoWriMo this year: it's going to be a super busy soap season for me in November and December, and I've learned the hard way that trying to soap, write and teach at 100% capacity all at once is not conducive to also maintaining my sanity. And I need my sanity, thankyouverymuch.
Follow @nicole_mcinnes
Friday, August 19, 2011
thought for the day
Facebook is the place where you get to see how all those goofballs you knew in college/high school/elementary school are doing the same ridiculous things they did back in the day. It's just that, now, some of them are making millions doing that stuff.
:-)
Follow @nicole_mcinnes
:-)
Follow @nicole_mcinnes
Monday, August 15, 2011
pulling through
Looking for something to do with the kids during these waning dog days of summer? How about an old-fashioned taffy pull!!
I got the recipe from one of my newest and favoritest books - Sugar Baby, by this woman, Gesine Bullock-Prado, who, OMG, it turns out is Sandra Bullock's sister!!!
Anyway, the book is amazing, the recipe is ridiculously simple, and taffy pulling - it turns out - is quite an addictive and meditative pasttime. Apparently, it used to be a fairly common dating/courting activity back in the day (and talk about clean! We were washing our hands non-stop throughout. Plus, that taffy is super hot at first, which was probably a great way to guard against wandering hands, if you know what I mean. Wink wink, nudge nudge).
Basically, you boil a simple sugar mixture, work it over a cool surface a bit, add some color and extracts, and try not to drool on the rapidly hardening puddles of sheer sugar ecstasy. Just ask the three kids who joined me in all the fun.
Finally, after pulling that candy until you just can't pull it anymore, get out your squeaky clean scissors, your waxed paper and your dentist's phone number, and before you know it, you'll have this:
I got the recipe from one of my newest and favoritest books - Sugar Baby, by this woman, Gesine Bullock-Prado, who, OMG, it turns out is Sandra Bullock's sister!!!
Anyway, the book is amazing, the recipe is ridiculously simple, and taffy pulling - it turns out - is quite an addictive and meditative pasttime. Apparently, it used to be a fairly common dating/courting activity back in the day (and talk about clean! We were washing our hands non-stop throughout. Plus, that taffy is super hot at first, which was probably a great way to guard against wandering hands, if you know what I mean. Wink wink, nudge nudge).
Basically, you boil a simple sugar mixture, work it over a cool surface a bit, add some color and extracts, and try not to drool on the rapidly hardening puddles of sheer sugar ecstasy. Just ask the three kids who joined me in all the fun.
Finally, after pulling that candy until you just can't pull it anymore, get out your squeaky clean scissors, your waxed paper and your dentist's phone number, and before you know it, you'll have this:
And then this!!:
And then, sadly, inevitably.....this:
It's a nice (sniff) farewell to these golden summer days, though. This much I know for sure.
Follow @nicole_mcinnes
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