Not to get too off-topic, but I think it’s imperative that at some point, you & I discuss one of my favorite things in life.

Candy.

I belong to a certain class of candy-lovers that could be described as slightly strange, because in reality, I am pretty sure that I enjoy the act of shopping for candy & buying candy more than I like actually eating the candy. Weird, I know, but I’m really ok with this.

More than a handful of years ago, my friend Leigh from Vermont came to my house for a visit. At that time, I didn’t have my kitchen at the airport, and was still baking out of my house. She is a systems & organizational guru, and within half a day of her arrival, we began the arduous task of excavating through my piles of ingredients, supplies & equipment. What she discovered deep in my pantry and pretty much every cabinet she dared to open turned into a running joke between us…I was a candy hoarder. That day, she un-earthed bags of Hershey Kisses in multiple flavors, Dove chocolate squares, caramels, twizzlers, jelly beans, etc. I had enough candy in my house to cover my entire town for a hearty Halloween party.

You would think this experience would have embarrassed me. Not even close.

It showed me what was missing from my stash.

Leigh left the next day, and while I wish I could say that my shopping habits changed after she left, they didn’t. While I tried to control my shopping, I couldn’t. Nothing gives me more joy than filling up my candy bowl & knowing that I have back-up, should the need arise.

In the past couple of years, my candy issues have progressed, and what has happened is slightly worse. One of the benefits of owning a bakery is that I can order everything in bulk. Yes…in bulk. So, instead of buying a bag of kisses here, a package of twizzlers there, I realized one day while flipping through a catalog from one of my vendors that they sold candy, and lots of it. Jelly Belly jelly beans in any imaginable flavor. Gummy bears, neon sour night crawlers, dark chocolate malted milk balls, english toffee caramels, Swedish fish, hot tamales… I had found my nirvana.

I try to keep my purchases to a minimum, but this week, I couldn’t help myself. I bought a case of 12 flavor mini gummy bears, aptly named gummy cubs. They were waiting for me when I came into work today, and they are honestly the cutest little cubs I’ve ever seen.

So…candy shopping complete for me for the week, I now am the proud owner of 20# of gummy cubs, and I am now asking you to do a favor for me. If you love me at all, you will show up at the bakery to pick up your very own stash of cubs. They’re looking for homes.