Love Is In The Air!

The next two weeks are full of love, chocolate and good friends! I'm preparing an order of truffles for Renee Skow, who is getting married this weekend to her soul mate Darin. This order is particularly special to me because she is one of my best friends from high school and they are getting married in my hometown of Algona, IA. A big ol' order of 350 truffles, this surely will be a labor of love!

The next week my best friend from college, Amanda Davidson, is getting married in her hometown of Red Oak. I'm not preparing truffles, but as matron of honor, I certainly have my hands full! Planning the bachleorette party next Thursday and getting decorations ready for the reception have kept me pretty busy!

I'll post Renee's truffles later this week or early next week, but maybe I'll pop on here and give you another picture...not of friends...or chocolate...but of our puppy Leia. She's receiving her first official hair cut this Thursday...we'll see if she turns out to be a blonde or not!

Stay tuned for pictures the next time around and hope you have an enjoyable week!

Better Bark

Well, here it is! The first product picture of our new Specialty Barks. Curious about flavors? You can find descriptions of each bark on our web site, http://www.thechocolateseason.com/products/specialty_barks.htm

Each bark has its own unique flavor profile, so believe me when I say you will never view bark as boring again!

Other happenings around here...I am in need of bachelorette party ideas! My friend Julie and I are planning Amanda's party, and if you have any good game or food ideas, drop me a line!

Have a great week and let me know what you think of the newest product at The Chocolate Season!

Look Foward to Something New!

This week held some fun in the kitchen! Not only did I get to prepare desserts and truffles for a bachelor and bachelorette party (thanks Ben and Ashley!) but I also finally got to try out my newest idea for The Chocolate Season!

I experimented with different flavors and textures to make three new varieties of Specialty Chocolate Bark. Made with over a whole pound of coveture chocolate, this bark is like nothing you've tasted before. Only the finest ingridents go into our products and these new barks include roasted and caramelized nuts, crystalized ginger, dried berries and one even has everybody's favorite add-in...peanut butter!

Look for some pictures tomorrow on the dessert page as well as in the journal, with descriptions of each! Have a wonderful week and look forward to tomorrow!

Something Special

Oops! I guess it's been a couple weeks since I last wrote...but my life has been constantly busy with things and the time just slipped by! One of the most memorable happenings this week was when my friend Amanda Davidson came home for a little bit. Now living in Georgia, she and I, as well as our friend Cassandra, were college roomies and are still great friends. I'm her matron of honor, and she came home to do some wedding planning...which the big day is creeping up on us in 3 weeks! The gals and I, as well as maid of honor Julie, all went out and caught up, and it just made me realize how much I miss her, and how best friends will always be best friends, no matter the distance between them!

This Sunday was Mother's Day, and sadly, due to some photography appointments and truffle orders, I could not make it home, but I just wanted to again wish my mom a wonderful (belated) Mother's Day, and tell her how much I love and appreciate everything she has sacrificed for me in the past as well as all the support I receive from her now and in the future! (love ya!)

Happenings at The Chocolate Season...well I had the awesome opportunity to cater a dessert bar for Marriott, here in Omaha. I met some really fun people, Pam, Barb, Steven and Harry, who all were very helpful putting this event together.

We made several kinds of fudge, two-faced oreos, double-dipped pretzels, PB sandwiches, Belgian chocolates, chocolate covered strawberries and marble cheesecake brownies...enough to feed over 100 people! I wanted to give a special thank you to my uncle Frank, at Mulhalls, who did a gorgeous floral arrangement for me as well as my friend Lizzie, who was instrumental in helping me set up as well as being there for moral support! (thanks you guys!!!)

Well, this is a long post...but there was a lot to catch up on! Be sure to stop by the site to read up on the new Summer Shipping Policy, and see the precautions we take to make sure your product arrives in tip-top condition!

http://www.thechocolateseason.com/shipping.htm

Have an awesome week and take some time to thank those who are special in your life!

The Newest Family Member

Today was a long day of driving. I woke up at 6 a.m. to drive to Spencer, IA to pick up the newest member of the family at a non-profit shelter, People For Pets (http://www.peopleforpets.org) They are a wonderful organization that takes in homeless animals and could also use any monetary donation possible, as well as blankets or toys for the pets, or if you need a pet, this a great place to look!

After arriving in Spencer, I picked up an 8-week female Pekingese/Shih Tzu mix, whom they called Cocoa. She was an absolute doll and it was love at first sight! She and I drove to Algona to hang out with my mom, Becky and eat lunch with Dad (Ed). We looked at my parents' new house (which looks amazing!) and she got to take a stroll through Algona's two-story pet store called Pet Kingdom. Mom and I picked up some fabulous ceramic pet dishes, a couple treats and looked into pet carriers, which I ended up ordering on-line later that night. With a new stylish bag, she'll be able to go everywhere with me!

After much consideration, and Brad and I studying her...we finally came up with a name. She is now Leia Jensen! Leia is named because when I first saw her, she looked like an Ewok, from Star Wars. (she even sounds like one!) We wanted to pay the movie a tribute, and even though she's a little spit fire, she is still a beautiful lady! :)

Barry wasn't quite sure of what to make of this little ball of fur, but after about 20 minutes of sniffing...I think they became friends! They were actually playing together, so now we just need to make sure Barry doesn't eat all her toys.

Hope you like the newest member, and if you have any fun pet stories or training tips, let me know!