Shirley - #1 Sheri's box -( Sherri sent/ Shirley received). Sheri - #12 Susan's box - (Susan sent/Sheri received) Jayeanne - #10 Shirley's box (Shirley sent/Jayeanne received)) Nikki - #7 Sharon's box (Sharon sent/Nikki received) Erica - #8 Jasmine's box - (Jasmine sent/Erica received) Sharon - #9 Beth's box - (Beth sent/Sharon received)) Jasmine - #5 Jayeanne's box (Jayeanne sent/Jasmine rec) Laura - #11 Suzanne's box (Suzanne sent/Laura received)) Suzanne - #3 Carol's box (Carol sent/Suzanne received) Beth - #4 Erica's box (Erica sent/Beth received)) Susan - #2 Nikki's box (Nikki sent) Carol - #6 Laura's box (Laura sent) Almost finished with this swap..sure hope Carol's box arrives. Sharon thank you, I enjoyed it. Shirley

How is everyone doing tonight? I had the nicest surprise from Becki today! I got to try some of her Mocha Truffles and OH BABY are they good! The inside was this phenomenal creamy chocolate with the perfect hint of coffee, the outside was the white chocolate with the light dusting of coffee. Oh was it awesome! The flavors all complimented each other perfectly! Becki, You amaze me! I remember you saying that you thought the crystals made it a little bitter but I think it was very good! Perfect! I am rationing them! LOL! I will only let myself have one if I am on my very best behaviour and get a lot of work done! I know what you are going through with the whole getting things to look perfect. I went through the same thing when I was baking pastries for a caterer a few years ago. It is going to come together with practice. The more you get the feel for the chocolate the better you will get at it! I promise. You certainly have nothing to fear in the taste department! Your truffles were amazing! When I was making creme brulee for the first time I was terrified of how the caramelized sugar would look after it was flamed! I tried it under the broiler, nope! That sucked! Took too long, reheated the custard, made soup out of it. Blech! Had to start from scratch all over again. Pulled out the blow torch and it worked great, I didn't like some of the scorch marks but since then I have seen some of the cooking shows with the professional chefs and their's looked the same as mine! LOL! Same deal with my cheesecakes. I do mine in the big sheets instead of the round springforms so I can have lots for a crowd with bite size portions. The cream cheese layer on top was always a problem getting it to smooth perfectly, finally I went to a restaurant supply store and bought a large offset spatulala and it was big enough to get that smooth finish all the way across the 15 x 17 pan. The other day I read an interview with the pastry chef on food network that does the cake show (can't remember his name right now) he said that the one hard and fast rule is to not bake when in a bad mood or frustrated because your desserts will show it! I thought truer words were never spoken! That has been so true for me! April, didn't you say that you had trained to be a pastry chef? Any helpful tricks of the trade that you remember for Becki? I have had similar issues with the chocolate coatings in the past and remember trying different things to get it to work better but not always consistent with the same results. I don't have a ton of experience in this area. I would love to make some Hemp lip balm with you! LOL! I am growing my hair out so I can look more like a hippie at the commune! Communal Kitchen and dining room with separate living quarters is perfect for me! Oh, and a giant great room off the dining room and kitchen for lots of comfort, crafts and gabbing! I would love to learn how to make some of those essential oils. Bath and Body Works makes this awesome Vanilla Oil that I would love to be able to make myself. I have the vanilla, just need to know what to do to make the essential oils! LOL!

I had a coworker mention wanting to donate time to me also. It was the sweetest gesture but not sure if she actually asked or if our company told her no. I am finding that cancer has lots of bad good news. Having a tumor is bad but having it not get bigger is bad good news. Hope that makes sense. My prayers and good thoughts are with her. My dh and kids and I all are O+. It is possible that many in my family are same, I will have to ask. It would be good to know in case I ever need a transfusion. It is great to know that even if you cannot help her you can help someone. We have a local african american boy who is desperate for bone marrow and AF donors are hard to come by. I think it was a sherrif in nearby town that decided to get tested and is a perfect match for this little boy. I can only imagine how grateful the family is that the man decided to get tested. And how pleased the man is that his decision could actually give life back to this little boy.

Strong, heart-felt prayers going out for little Bradley, his family, and those who love them. Sandy, the care page link didn't work (it said I had to be a registered member). I can't even imagine the pain the family is going through. Wishing/praying for a full recovery, Hugs, SadieSaide