Operation Christmas Child Donation!

This month after hearing about Operation Christmas Child for the first time, we decided that each employee was going to fill a box to help support this wonderful cause. On Saturday, November 21, 2009, I took the boxes down to Christ United Methodist Church (our local drop-off location) where they had already collected hundreds of shoe boxes for so many less fortunate children in this world. I believe they collected over 1,000 boxes during the entire week; which is amazing for a small rural community going through difficult times.

Becky Kellum, Christ UMC Missions Committee Chair, handled our donations and is pictured with me.

Do you hear what I hear?

Around Nothing But Chocolate, we are starting to hear the wonderfull sound of wedding bells filling the air. Brides are contacting us via phone and email inquiring about our favor selections. Some brides know exactly what they want and others have a couple things in mind. (We've been blessed with no Bridezillas, so far!)

Today we completed 450 individual buckeyes for a wedding this weekend in West Virigina! Yes, that's right the groom (an Ohioan) requested buckeyes for the reception held in Mountaineer country! Go BUCKS! Each time we get a request for Buckeyes as wedding favors, we know the groom had a say in the favors.

We have two more weddings with different types of favors before the next Buckeye favor wedding. I wonder how many total weddings we will do with Buckeyes.

I'll keep you posted!

And The Winner Is........

Recently on the Facebook fan page, I started a discussion to ask all Nothing But Chocolate fans to help name a new product. The winner would receive 12 bars of the new product with their product name on the label.

Before we get to the winner, I would like to thank all the fans who submitted names and made it hard to make a final decision. Thanks so much!!!

And the winner is.........

Congratulations to Erika Harris who submitted the name "Midnight Espresso Bar"!!!! The bar is already for sale at the BP gas station at the Quaker City exit off of I-70. Rich, manager of the BP, helped get me started working on this product because of his love of chocolate covered coffee beans.

Look for Midnight Espresso Bar to be added to the online store very soon.

Also if anyone has any ideas/suggestions for new chocolate bars, please send them to me and I will pass it onto R&D. (Oh, that's me!)

A possible use for chocolate scraps?

I just came across a very interesting article about scientist in London who created a chocolate-fueled race car!! What will they think of next? This fuel may have a drawback due to the warm chocolate smell in the car which may led to an increase consumption of sweets! That's not bad for us in the chocolate industry but could be bad for the hips!

Scientists unveil chocolate-fueled race car
By
MEERA SELVA –
LONDON (AP) — Scientists unveiled on Tuesday what
they hope will be one of the world's fastest biofuel vehicles, powered by waste
from chocolate factories and made partly from plant fibers. Its makers hope the
racer will go 145 mph and give manufacturers ideas about how to build more
ecologically friendly vehicles.

The car runs on vegetable oils and chocolate
waste that has been turned into biofuel. The steering wheel is made out of
plant-based fibers derived from carrots and other root vegetables, and the seat
is built of flax fibre and soybean oil foam. The body is also made of plant
fibers.

Scientists at the University of Warwick say
their car is the fastest to run on biofuels and also be made from biodegradable
materials. It has been built to Formula 3 specifications about the car's size,
weight, and performance.

Their claims cannot be independently
verified.

They hope it can reach speeds of over 145 mph
when it is tested on a racetrack in a few weeks time. They have driven it at
around 60 mph and are now making final adjustments to the engine before driving
it at top speed.
Warwick's project manager James Meredith said their model
shows that it is possible to build a fast, efficient, environmentally friendly
car.

The car, named the "WorldFirst Formula 3 racing
car," will go on display at several races including the European Grand Prix and
Britain's Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press.
All rights reserved.

Sunday Morning Surprise!

Today started out like the usual Sunday morning with a cup of coffee, breakfast and reading the paper before the Today show comes on! (I love the Today show and have been know to DVR it!!) I was reading the paper in the order it is folded (Main section, Sports, Community and Business) and just finished my toast with peanut butter when I got to the Business section.

Several pages into the section, I glanced at all the headlines and one jump right off the page "Cox in 'Make...A Million' race." Since my last name is Cox, I immediately read it and then realized very quickly this little article was about ME!!! OMG!!! I copied and pasted the online version for everyone to see. (would have linked to the paper but you have to be a subscriber to see it)

Article taken from www.daily-jeff.com Business Section
Sunday, May 3, 2009

Cox in 'Make... A Million' race

Amanda Cox, owner of Nothing But Chocolate (a handmade chocolate manufacturer), is taking part in the "Make Mine a Million $ Business (M3) Race," a year long race designed to grow women-owned businesses, stimulate the economy and create jobs.
The "race" is being conducted by "Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence" and American Express.
Cox is available to speak about her Cambridge-based business, her business growth ambitions and experience.
For more information, go to http://www.makemineamillion.org/.

The funny thing is that as soon as I read it, I immediately jump off the couch and told myself I need to get started making the buckeye filling I was putting off making this morning!! (Just the motivation I needed for the day!)

Sometimes things happen when you least expect it! (Like 7:30am on Sunday morning.)

It's Spring or Is It the 2009 Christmas Season?

Yesterday's mail was definitely an eye-opener! In the stack of catalogs and magazines, there was an 2009 holiday basket supply catalog!! It's hard to think that just a couple of weeks ago I was making peanut butter eggs and next week I will be making Gourmet Chocolate Apples for Mother's Day. And to top it off, I'm suppose to think about the 2009 holiday season before May 1!?!

Yes, I was shocked to see this catalog but couldn't help myself by getting a little excited for the upcoming holiday season. Who wouldn't blame me for getting excited about Nothing But Chocolate's busiest time of the year!!

So, I guess the general public shouldn't complain too much about Christmas decoration going up after Halloween because it could be much worse like April 28!

Hopefully, the next catalog won't come until July when I truely start planning for the season!

Shrinking Peeps!

For months I have been hearing about packaged food shrinking and the price stays the same on the news and from associates in the food industry. I just never saw it until last night when I was dipping marshmallow peeps into milk chocolate. They look the same size as last year in the box but when you cut and pick them up is when you notice the big difference. I was sad for the little peeps who looked so tiny and somewhat ashamed. (Their chests were not puffed out like we saw them for sooooo many years!)

I am hoping this was a rare occurrence and the next box will be "normal" size peeps. And for all Nothing But Chocolate fans, I want to let you know that I am not participating in this so called trend of decreasing the food size/weight and prices stay the same! Everyone gets their moneys worth with Nothing But Chocolate!!!