KittenBiscuits

I'm so frustrated with myself. No clue when was the last time I've seen this thing (wallet of crochet hooks). Yesterday I searched every project bag, every bag of my yarn stash, every drawer, nook and cranny where I might have put it absent-mindedly. I just went through them all again today. I have memories of seeing it on the breakfast table, on my desk (where the cat tried to annihilate the decorative tassle on its zipper), and in a project bag. I've moved it somewhere. I want to start a new project but need a hook of unusual size that is in the wallet. I haven't been motivated to crochet in a while, and I caught a spark over the weekend by finishing up another project. Blegh. Fuck.

Thank you for reading my rant while I wallow in self-loathing.

P.S. This thing is neon fucking pink and bigger than a paperback book. I must have a forgotten project bag smushed into a closet or left out in the camper. I thought I accounted for all my half-started projects though.

On Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (aka JBER aka "J-Bear"), a literal bear broke into a storage room and ransacked the MREs inside.

While not unusual to have bears encroaching onto base, it is unusual to have them breaking into buildings.

Another bear was discovered in the motor pool building... sitting in the front seat of a Humvee!

(...when you're a bear and you can't do drugs but you wanna go whee!)

I feel giddy. I had an idea and it worked beautifully.

Are you a fan of canned cinnamon rolls? Even as a half decent baker, I frequently don't want to spend the time making rolls from scratch and I just want one ▪︎right now▪︎. It never mattered if I made the 8 pack from Pillsbury with soft little delicious puffs of dough or the 5 pack of actual rolls holding generous shmears of cinnamon filling. Neither of those varieties ever comes with enough damn icing!

I scrape and I scrape the little plastic container but it empties too fast. I tried warming it a bit, liquifying the icing just barely and drizzling it over the buns to make sure I got every last molecule of sugar out. Too soon and the hot buns finish melting the icing and it all pools down on the plate. Not enough. It's never enough!

Then about a week ago, I had an epiphany during an all-nighter sugar craving. I recalled the tubs of cream cheese icing I hoarded from Lidl for when I want to make a quick batch of cupcakes.

I know. I know it's stupid easy to make. I have developed a recipe that is pretty damn good IMHO. But the tedious clean up from making icing, powdered sugar coating everything, even my lungs, sometimes I opt for convenience.

Anyways, tub of icing in pantry. Check.

Then I recalled in my college years when an early internet forum suggested slightly microwaving a tub of icing and drizzling it over bundt cakes. My cake game got an immediate boost in approval from friends and family. I eventually moved away from store bought icing for most cake applications and this technique got shoved to the bottom of my brain stack.

So now... what if I microwaved that cream cheese icing tub and drowned some cinnamon buns with it? Holy Jesus on a cinnamon stick!

Yes, precious. That did it. THAT made the dopamine flow just as the sticky sweet slightly tangy cream cheese icing gently enveloped my buns cooling down from the oven. And now I share my little franken-roll hack with you.

In memory of an amazing mother in law. Love her to pieces.

Chef's notes: grease a dish with butter before pouring the fudge. And !!DO NOT!! put it in the refrigerator to cool. Leave it on the counter to cool. Fridge = brick of sad chocolate. Also also, MIL's preferred brand of peanut butter is JIF. I couldn't care less what brand I use, but this mattered to her. ❤️

Edit: Canned milk = evaporated milk.

"Mars" creme = marshmallow creme aka Fluff.

DETAILS:

• Friday, October 25, 2024, 6:00-10:00pm
• Colley Avenue between Shirley Avenue and Brandon Avenue (essentially in front of the Naro)

Masquerade in Ghent is free and open to the public. Ample parking can be found along the streets and parking lots.

• Pre-Judging for Costume Contest: 6:00pm
• Parade: 6:30pm

After the parade, get ready for a monster mash with live music. Plus, there will be activities for kids, refreshments and adult beverages.

DETAILS

• October 25 @ 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm EDT
• Virginia Zoo
• 3500 Granby St, Norfolk, VA 23504

Note: "For the wellbeing of our animals, all trails and the Goat Yard will be closed during the event."

OP's thoughts: so what the hell is the point of going to the zoo when you can't walk around and see the animals? Well it looks like they will have other activities available to enjoy {laser tag, escape room, tarot readings, etc}, and TBF it will be close to dark when the event starts, so the animals really do need to come in to bed down for the night. The World of Reptiles will be open, and the train will be running. If you are a fan of the zoo grounds, then you'll enjoy this event. If not, then see my other post for Oct 25 events.

ZooBoo Kid-Friendly dates are Oct 19 and Oct 20