More Jelly Beans Please

It's been about two months since the Easter season, and I have found myself suffering from severe SweeTart jelly bean withdrawal symptoms. I miss my sugar fix, and to be honest, nothing else is satisfying it. Not Skittles, Smarties, or Starburst.

Why would you do this to me, SweeTart people? Why would you lure me in with your tarty, dissolvable candy coating, get me hooked, and then leave me hangin' high and dry in the candy aisle, like a junkie looking for his drug dealer on the street corner? I'm not the only one that has found them hard to resist. I introduced these little treats to several friends and family members and they, too, instantly fell in love with them. Everyone who tried them immediately said "what are these?"

I first discovered these little "crack" jelly beans last year leading up to the Easter season. Upon first glance, they are not the most vibrant jelly bean, compared to your Starburst or Jolly Rancher jelly bean. Their colors consist of muted pastels. After Easter passed last year, I could not find one bag of these things to save my life. Then, they came out again at Halloween and they were a dull purple and orange. Not the most appetizing or attractive color scheme, but who cares.  When I happened upon them at Halloween, you can imagine what people around me thought as I screamed out with glee. My mind was racing--"Okay, okay....good, this is good. They must be making these on a regular basis now, or at least for certain holidays." So, when Halloween came and went and, once again, I was left standing at the "candy altar" I was crushed. I thought to myself "Well, Christmas is only a few weeks away, and we all know how early they start marketing that stuff, so surely there will be some Christmas jelly beans on store shelves very soon." I decided that I could tough it out (not that I had any choice).

So when Christmas merchandise started rolling out (which was literally the day after Halloween), I went on the prowl. "Okay, no Christmas SweeTart jelly beans the first week, hmmm....maybe I should try a different store. Kroger, Target, CVS, Walmart...no jelly beans!  What the hell! Who has Halloween jelly beans, but not Christmas jelly beans?!"

So, once again, my cravings would have to wait. And wait they did--November, December, January, February (because there were no Valentine's Day jelly beans, if you can believe that), and then it happened one day in Kroger in March.  SweeTart jelly beans right there in front of my face! It was such a monumental moment, it required a text to Alex, since the rest of my family had also been anticipating their return. Yes, I admit it, it's a sad day when the product of a catholic upbringing and education is more excited about the resurrection of SweeTart jellybeans than the resurrection of Jesus Christ during the Easter season. What can I say except "Bless me Father, I have sinned."

I bought so many bags of jelly beans that day, I think it ranks right up there with my "butter on sale" purchases that I wrote about a few weeks back.  I brought them home, and we devoured them and then we looked at each other in shame (but we had big smiles on our faces).

My family loves candy. I love candy. Who the heck does not love candy? I remember my mom taking us to the grocery store every Friday (because that was pay day) to do the grocery shopping and she would each let us each pick out a bag of candy. At home, we kept it in the "candy cupboard" and I can still picture it clearly to this day. We have a candy jar in our pantry and a candy basket for excess bags of candy. Because I live in a house full of boys, sometimes I have to hide some of the candy so that I might be able to enjoy some in case I don't want to consume it all in the first 39 minutes it's in the house, like they do. I like to savor my candy. They do not. I have been reduced to hiding candy in little trinket boxes around the house, decorative bird houses, pockets, and drawers. Ed and I like to call it "secret candy." As I type this, I'm starting to think I need candy rehab.

Once again, I was led on and then dumped by the SweeTart people. When will I ever learn? I was so astounded that I could not find any of these jelly beans after the Easter season in this age of 2009, that I even went on the internet and did a search for any information leading to the purchase of post-Easter SweeTart jelly beans. I was astounded to find that I was not alone. Many people had blogs devoted entirely to candy! Many described their own addictions to these tarty little beans and and their desire to purchase more. Ultimately, the only way I found I could purchase these treats was in bulk from a candy warehouse that sold 10 lbs. of the beans for $39.99. I haven't been able to stoop that low yet. I'm holding out for 4th of July jelly beans.