Drooling on the Keyboard

*Fellow Chocoholics! - I've had a lot of people finding my blog while searching for these truffles. Read this update, it might help you find some!*

I've got this empty box sitting in front of me, and I just spent about 10 minutes digging for info on where I can find more to fill it. The name on the box is "Petit Tresors Belgian Truffles - Cocoa Dusted Truffles, Imported from Belgium." The epitome of divine. 2.2 lbs of heaven in a box. I am not the only one who feels this way. While looking I found this from someone else: "Obscene, melt in your mouth, unparalleled for the price decadence. Get some, eat them, want for nothing again as long as you live...or until they run out."

How they came to live at our home for a time is interesting. About 9 months ago a scouter friend of ours talked Jamie and I into filling out an application for the District Award of Merit for the other. I thought it was pretty inconvenient at the time, since when he first asked me I had a baby less than a week old, but I recalled as many of Jamie's scouting accomplishments as I could and turned it in. And unknown to me, Jamie did as well for me. A few days after turning them in we each heard the other had been chosen to receive the award, and we each set about sneakily getting the other to attend the district awards dinner where they would be presented. We were each even sly enough to come up with ways to get both of our parents there. Amazingly enough, it remained a secret that we were BOTH getting the award (to us at least), and we were both equally surprised. They read my information first and I quickly realized what had been plotted. We went through a line of hand shaking, were seated on the stage, and after a few lines of the next application Jamie realized he had been had as well.

It was a real honor to receive the award, and cool that we both received it the same night, but here's what I don't get. The wives of the recipients received a lovely bouquet of flowers, the husbands of the recipients received nothing other than this HUGE box of Belgian truffles. WHAT?!? Seeing as how I benefitted on both sides I guess I can't complain too much, but any woman I know would have been far happier with the chocolate than the flowers. Not that flowers aren't nice, but flowers die in days. Eight months later, and we still have some of the truffles around. Hello, women NEED chocolate. Don't people know that by now??? And of course he looooves to hold it over my head that they are his, and especially right after getting them he thought it was hilarious to tell me to "go smell your flowers" while he enjoyed his chocolate. My pitiful attempts to let him smell them if he shared was the weakest trade I've ever heard. Thank goodness he loves me.

It actually contained two separate packages, so we slowly enjoyed the first, and have been hording away the second until a couple of days ago when I talked Jamie in to opening them (after all, they are HIS). Unfortunately, we turned off our air conditioner during a trip away for a week in April, the house got quite warm during that time, and now we pretty much have one giant truffle, no longer really cocoa dusted. Disappointing in that respect, but still luxurious.

And yet I am concerned. Eventually this package too will be gone, and I have no idea where I can get more. There is a web address on the package, but it doesn't work. I hear this past year they were sold at Sam's Club for something like $10, which take my word for it, $10 is a STEAL for these things. I saw some on eBay around Christmas but stupidly kept looking for them locally instead of just buying. Rest assured this search is not over. It may even become my life's quest - to find the ellusive Petit Tresors Cocoa Dusted Belgian Truffles. If I find them I will share it with the world. If you find them, please pass it on and I will be forever in your debt.

A Few Creative Moments Out of the Basement

Jamie (my husband) had me listen to a talk recently on being creative. I'll have to get the source from him, but it was a creative writing instructor at BYU if I remember right. It focused on writing, but the principles applied to probably any creative outlet. It mentioned taking time to be creative in your chosen area every day, and I thought, Gosh, I should be writing in my blog every day. I've wanted to be a writer since elementary school, so I guess I should keep that in practice. This blogging thing is fun, but one of my friends put the pressure on me. After reading my first two posts she called and said, "Those are so funny! You really need to keep writing and keep it funny." There you have it, instant writer's block. Thanks Leslie!

As you can probably tell from the cleaning ideas, I have definite issues with that. Between keeping on top of things, staying halfway organized, and (yikes!) tossing tossing tossing, it's been a big weight on me and something I am always trying to be better at an overcome.

I took 2 hours each of the last 2 nights and watched Masterpiece Theather "Anna Karenina." I've been wanting to read the book, saw the video at the library, and thought, what the heck, at least I can get the storyline before I dive into the HUGE book. Very disturbing story actually, now I'm debating whether to read it or not. There was a great quote in the movie that I assume is also in the book, something to the effect of, "Why do women take on extra duties when they can't handle the ones they've already got?" In the movie Anna's husband was slyly referring to her adulterous relationship, but since I'm the kind of person that loves to take on anything extra to avoid household duties it stabbed me to the core.

Still, I've been making some big leaps and bounds this week. Jamie has been at scout camp all week and I've been attacking the box-filled basement, as it has been threatening to kidnap one of the children. I've been doing some major tossing and lots of organizing, and IT FEELS GREAT! With as well as things are going, I'm expecting the basement to look pretty darn good.

I've spent a lot of thought and prayer on my homemaking issues. Maybe it's one of those things that the time has to be right, because over the past several months I've really felt some attitude changes. I was totally shocked when I realized it was my birthday, I was doing the dishes (one of my least favorite things), and actually didn't mind and was (shhhh!) ALMOST enjoying it. I couldn't really admit it if I was, could I? But it IS nice to walk up to an empty sink rather than an overflowing one.

Off to make dinner so I can dive back into the basement.