Month: September 2025

Gilmore Girls: The Episodes that I Love to Rewatch

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized9 Comments

Sigh. Gilmore Girls. One of my favorite shows back in the day. I loved everything. I loved Lorelai and Rory, I loved that Rory loved to read as much as I did, I loved Stars Hollow and the small town quirkiness, the community involvement, the festivals and events, their love of coffee, and of course, Luke. I like to discuss which of Rory’s boyfriends was the best – and it is Jess obviously. I love Lane and her love of music and it was so awesome when Sebastian Bach was in her band. I love Paris. I love Sookie and Jackson. I could go on and on. And yes, fall is Gilmore Girls season, we can chug coffee and eat Chinese food and watch old movies, and dream that we are just living in the early 2000s again. Was life simpler then, or was it just that I was younger?

I don’t however watch the entire series all over again every year. I have watched it so many times, that I just don’t want to watch it all over again, again. I will however, let it play in the background as I am doing other things, and if I sit down to intentionally imbibe an episode for relaxation, I have some favorite episodes that I choose to watch. And that is the focus of this post. My favorite episodes.

I am not putting these in any particular order, although they may fall into order by season. We will see how this shakes out.

Season 1, Ep. 8: Love and War and Snow: I usually save this one for the cusp of winter for obvious reasons. This is the episode where Lorelai famously says that she smells snow, enthusiastically. And I totally feel her in this episode. I too enjoy walking around rhapsodically in the snow, the more snow the better! (as long as no one has to drive in it) In this episode Rory stays the night at her grandparent’s due to the blizzard, and Lorelai is unexpectedly alone. Until she runs into Max Medina, Rory’s teacher. And we all know where that goes (and not that far, jeez guys). Why I love this episode: The snow and joy of snow

Season 2, Episode 10: The Bracebridge Dinner: This is probably one of my very favorites. I love this whole idea, of this very niche themed dinner, the snow, everyone staying at the Inn, the horse-drawn sleigh rides. Why I love it: Everything!

Season 2, Episode 13: A Tisket, A Tasket: In this episode, the women folks make up picnic baskets and the men bid on them. When they win a basket, they get to eat the food with the woman who made it. (They also did this on Hart of Dixie and I loved that episode too) Pretty sexist but I still loved it. It was just a fun episode and Jackson and Sookie were so cute in it. Of course there are the tv twists, like Jess outbidding Dean for Rory’s basket (lol take that Dean!) and Lorelai and Luke have a picnic together too. Why I Love It: This falls into my small town cute community things love.

Season 3, Episode 7: They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They? The Dance Marathon episode!!! How can anyone not like this episode? The costumes, the idea, the excitement, the nostalgia, and ooo the tension between Rory and Dean and Jess! Why I love it: All of it.

Season 3, Episode 9: A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving: Two words. Dave Rygalski. I was just so happy for Lane in this episode, with her Dave Rygalski pretending to be a Christian guitarist so he could be at their Thanksgiving. It was just so cute and teenagery. I also loved\ Kirk and cat Kirk.

Season 4 Episode 14: Girls in Bikins, Boys Doin the Twist: This episode cracks me up and gives me anxiety. I never went on spring break in college. Not my scene. And that is my favorite part of this episode, when Rory and Paris give up trying to have the “normal” spring break experience and just are like we are nerds, let’s watch The Power of Myth. It’s good to know who you are and if you like to stay home and read and watch movies and eat pizza, then I want to be your friend. What I Love: Rory and Paris becoming better friends, how they nope out of spring break.

Season 5, Episode 7: You Jump, I Jump, Jack: Ok we all knew this iconic episode would be on here. It has the big scene with Rory jumping off of a tower with an umbrella. I love the setup of this party though. I mean obviously this is put on by the richy rich members of the Life and Death Brigade, so it is fancy pantsy. But I want to go to this party, minus Logan. Ugh I hated Logan!! His smugness, his just everything, his attitude just smacked of privilege and he was repulsive. However, he can throw a good party. In Omnia Paratus! : What I loved: the look of this party! All these white tents, candles, tables in the forest. Just so otherworldly and pretty.

Season 7 Episode 9: Knit, People, Knit!: I think we all know by now I love a theme. So of course I love this episode where the town gets together to knit to save the Old Muddy River Bridge. I am going to be honest, the last few seasons of The Gilmore Girls are not my favorites. Rory is insufferable, Lorelai never learns, Logan sucks, Dean sucks, I miss Jess. The only thing I really like about them is the slightest introduction of Sherrilyn Fenn’s character as Luke’s baby mama of the daughter he didn’t know that he had. I love Sherrilyn Fenn, I wanted to be her as Audrey Horne. Anyway, I liked seeing the ol’ Stars Hollows energy in this episode.

And that is it! Are you a fan of Gilmore Girls? Are you Team Dean, Jess, or Logan? Team Luke, Jason, Christopher, Max? Who is your favorite townie? (Kirk)

I hope that whatever you do today you do something that makes you happy – and I hope that you find that perfect cup of coffee, that perfect book, that perfect movie if that is what you need today.

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized10 Comments

Hello everyone!! We have been busy around here lately – a weekend full of fun events and then a week of appointments.

Let’s start with the blah. Wyatt had an extra therapy appointment, so we had three trips to his therapy this week. Then I had my regular routine bloodwork appointment that we all have to get, and then I also had my mammogram this morning. I scheduled it super early in the morning so that I could get it done before Billy had to go to work, and it was super eerie out when I left. Pitch black and quiet. I was the only patient in the building. It was a weird feeling but it was a very quick appointment! I even got my results already – I’m good. I had put off all of my regular appointments for Wyatt’s surgery and recovery, so I now have to catch up on them. Yuck. I go to the eye doctor soon, but I am excited about that one. I am ready for some new glasses!

It was nice heading into this super busy week off of a really awesome weekend. On Saturday, Billy and I took Wyatt out on our first big family adventure post-surgery. We drove down to Ohio to visit some of the marshes there, and did a little hiking on the trails. We were only about an hour from home, and it was nice to be in nature again. I really needed that! We heard so many birds, and we saw a mink dart across the trail! The water levels were really low – you could tell that our area has been in a drought.

We went to two different state parks, located literally right next to each other, Magee Marsh and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Both had fantastic visitors centers, nice trails, including a driving tour, and to Wyatt’s delight, a gift shop.

Sunday was another busy day! We had our Blackbirds outing to the Detroit Tigers game, and it was such a blast. We didn’t go for the whole game, but arrived during the fifth inning. I knew Wyatt would not make it through the entire thing, and a few of the other families from our group did the same. The wheelchair area was only about 3 rows up from where our group was sitting so it was nice, we felt like we really were there all together. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, although it did rain briefly! Instead of fighting to get back up to the main concourse with Wyatt we just plopped a poncho over him and waited it out. He loved being in the rain. Everyone else in the lower section where we were had headed up and it was funny to see the rows so empty!

One of the mothers from our group has a niece that works for the Tigers and is in charge of the kids events. On Sundays, kids can run the bases after the game. Well, our group had it one step better. We got to go down before the rest of the kids in the stadium, take the special elevators down that the players’ families use, and we were on the field before basically alone. We were there while the players and their kids ran the bases, and then we got to go! It was so crazy being five feet from the players while we waited our turn. Even the parents were excited. The kids were all pretty pumped, even though they were a little nervous too. They usually only allow the kids to go, but for our group they allowed Billy to go with Wyatt, and then Chrissy to run with the little hurricane girl. Then afterwards, Billy, Wyatt, and I got a security escort back to the elevators with someone clearing the way for us through the crowd. It was such a great experience.

I am so grateful that our kids had this opportunity!!

We also started to decorate for fall and Halloween. Wyatt and I flipped on some fall ambience video on YouTube and found places for our decorations. (well, mostly me) We still have some to put out but we made a good start. I really love my dresser right now. It looks all fall and has a collection of books that I hope to read this autumn. It is up to ten books. Lol.

And that is it for today!!

I will leave you with some random photos from the past week.

And with that, I am out. It was an early morning and I am going to finish this coffee and maybe try to read a bit.

I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile!

Comfy Cozy Cinema: Benny & Joon

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized11 Comments

 Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I are back to watching and sharing about comfy cozy (and sometimes, chilling) movies for the fall season. Feel free to join in with us!! Our link will be live for a whole week after we post about a movie. 

This week’s feature, and first of the season, is Benny & Joon!

I was a 90s teen/early adult and somehow I never saw this movie. Even though I had a huge thing for Johnny Depp back then. Somehow, I just never watched it. I am so glad that Lisa chose this one so I could rectify that wrong!

The quick synopsis from Netflix: “Benny is the overprotective caretaker of his mentally ill but artistically talented sister, Joon, who falls in love with an eccentric comedian.”

Benny has been the caregiver for Joon for twelve years, not all of them smooth judging by the sound of how quickly they go through housekeepers aka Joon minders, but it is working, at least on the surface. They are surviving, but not necessarily thriving. Benny spends his days at work and coming home and taking care of Joon, which basically means keeping her company and keeping her safe. Joon spends her days painting and reading for the most part, but she does have a tendency to wander unsafely and start fires.

Her mental illness in the movie is undefined, and unlabeled. I read online that that was something that was done on purpose, to represent and appeal to a broader audience, but her symptoms seem to indicate that she is schizophrenic. She has emotional outbursts that can be violent, throwing things, etc, hears voices, can possibly self-harm. After they lose their latest housekeeper, Benny has a conversation with Joon’s psychologist who indicates that Joon might be better off in a group home. Not because she is unmanageable, but because she might learn different ways to deal with some of her challenges that Benny is unaware of. Basically, the gist is that both Benny and Joon could use some changes in order to live their best lives.

When Sam (Johnny Depp) enters their lives in a very non-conventional way, things begin to change. He is also a quirky character, and serves as a bridge between Benny’s world and Joon’s. I actually spent a good deal of the movie trying to decide if he was also diagnosed neurodivergent, although it wasn’t ever said. Regardless, he was talented at slapstick, Buster Keaton style comedy, a great housekeeper, and he “got” Joon.

Of course there is a tension and drama and misunderstandings, but you will have to watch to see.

I really enjoyed this movie. I somehow missed how good looking Aidan Quinn was in the 90s. And Johnny Depp and Julianne Moore look like such babies in this movie! Really they all do, Aidan Quinn and Mary Stuart Masterson, Oliver Platt. Sigh. Weren’t the 90s just like the other day?

Johnny Depp did a great job with the physical comedy in this movie. His acting otherwise was sort of all about with his eyes. Like he was just trying to emote the whole movie with them. Staring and trying to communicate with a look. This was the beginning of his career, and I could see where he was testing out new waters. Lots of this face though. This was probably due to the Buster Keaton mien he was embodying, as Keaton was known for his blank, stoic, deadpan faces. I did like when Joon compared him to Boo Radley though. I think Johnny Depp just didn’t have quite the stone face quality, although he tried. He is just too pretty and he looked like a sad little puppy. (that I just want to hug)

I also really liked the hard working, midwestern feel to this movie. It just felt very familiar and homey. Oh that reminds me -their house! I could not get over that house. It was amazing. I am all about a good setting and it was so full of character and charm, with big windows open to the outside, and rooms full of color and plants and paint and art and odd bits.

Overall, I really enjoyed this whole movie. I think everyone did a wonderful job capturing these characters, breathing life into what could have been a story that was predictable and flat.

Have you seen this movie? Feel free to share your thoughts here or link up! And be sure to stop by Lisa’s post as well!

Our next movie is: A Knight’s Tale. Another Lisa pick and one of my favorite comedies.

Black Cats Gift Guide!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized13 Comments

Hello everyone!! It’s the time of year we are surrounded by images of black cats for Halloween, and I wanted to pay homage to these cuties! I love black cats, and I know I mentioned this in another post, that they are the least likely cats to be adopted. They are overlooked in shelters and rescues, as their more colorful cat companions usually stand out. And there is also the whole black cat superstitious thing too. I know that the whole Halloween association doesn’t help either, which is why I want to celebrate these beautiful cats, for who they are, and that is not as bad luck, but cuddly cats just like all the rest of the cats out there. I have read that in Scotland, a strange black cat arriving at your doorstep is considered lucky, and in Japan, they are seen as good luck and attract wealth.

I am an animal person, and I often buy animal themed things for my house. I am just like that. And it seems like these artists on Etsy feel the same way!

This post contains Etsy Affiliate links. If you were to purchase an item through these links, I would receive a small commission that I use to help purchase items for Wyatt. If you were to purchase anything through this post, I will also donate a percentage to my local animal shelter where I used to volunteer.

Black Cat Energy Tee – This tee is from Ellie Threads Co., located in South Carolina and it 100% made me laugh. It is so cute and honestly I think I need it.

This little peeking black cat mug is adorable, isn’t it! It is from Penarth Ceramics, located in Penarth, UK. I have a huge love of handmade mugs (and just mugs, let’s be honest) and I think this one is just so fun.

Can you imagine any better bookends to hold up your cat themed books? I know I have a bunch of translated fiction books with cats on the cover. These 3D printed black cat bookends are purrfect. They are made by Diggity3D, located in Georgia.

This first print is a linocut, and I love linocut. I actually just purchased a tee that has a linocut rabbit on it, from Etsy actually. The colors in this one, and the expression on that little face is just priceless. Although this is $14.00 and available from ArtLuxBoulevard.

And this little cutie is a mini oil painting, the perfect size to slip onto a bookcase. I always think it would be so hard to paint such small little things, and this is lovely. This little bookish cat is made by OilAura.

I love folk art and pottery, and I am in love with almost everything in this shop, the MagicGardenCeramics shop. This plate is so pretty!!

Ok. So I know I said the black cat Halloween association doesn’t help their image but it is totally iconic. And this mug that is a of a bat black cat has been on my wish list for a long long time. I love BreadandBadger although they are out of my price range. The price is totally warranted, as this is hard work and takes a lot of talent and time, so I am not complaining about the price – just saying that it would definitely be a splurge piece for me!

These tiny little clay cats are called luck cats, and I loved that spin on the whole bad luck myth. They are so wee and sparkly!

And finally, this beautiful linocut piece. I am in love with it. It is from the shop Society of Cranes located in North Carolina. I may need to get this one and hang it…somewhere. I can find a spot!

Now, if you need something more Halloween or fall minded, check out these suggestions from Etsy!

Do you have any cats? I would love to hear about them!

Top Ten Tuesday: Fall TBR

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized61 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Today’s Prompt: Fall TBR!

I have way way too many books I want to read this fall. It’s ridiculous. So, I tried to pick which ones I really want to read the very most. I am putting this list out in the world knowing that it is probably subject to change at any time. I have also been posting a lot of fall reading suggestion posts lately, so you may have seen me mention a few of these before!

And I apologize, I am still trying to catch up on comments and comment on blogs from last week!

This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. I would make a small commission at no extra cost to you if you were to purchase something using a link.

Crazy Spooky Love || Rewitched || Uncharmed

These are all so perfect and fun looking!

Cat Dragon || Ghost Business || Falling Like Leaves

Ghost Business is my number one right now. I think!

The Bewitching || Crafting for Sinners || A Land So Wide

I hope to read these right near Halloween.

Play Nice || || Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop || The Forgotten Witch

I wanted less super scary books this year, and more that are just more cozy creatures, Hallmark-esque falls, and a little romance too.

I am looking forward to reading everyone’s lists!

Book Review: The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized12 Comments

Hello everyone! Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I buddy read The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder last week and while neither of us were over the moon about the book, we really enjoyed being able to chat each other about the book while reading it.

First though, the summary:

In this “irresistible, immersive, and completely unputdownable” (Ellery Lloyd, New York Times bestselling author) debut novel, a former antique hunter investigates a suspicious death at an isolated English manor, embroiling her in the high-stakes world of tracking stolen artifacts.

What antique would you kill for?

Freya Lockwood is shocked when she learns that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and her estranged mentor, has died under mysterious circumstances. She has spent the last twenty years avoiding her quaint English hometown, but when she receives a letter from Arthur asking her to investigate—sent just days before his death—Freya has no choice but to return to a life she had sworn to leave behind.

Now, me:

One of the first things I chatted Lisa while reading was “Lisa! Do you think that antiques hunting is really this dangerous and cloak and dagger?!” because this book made all antique hunting sound like Indiana Jones, with danger around every corner, sneaking into buildings and maybe countries, being all incognito, and having the skills of a criminal. And I think that is one of my biggest issues with this book. It was very over the top dramatic feeling to me.

Freya is a “retired” antiques hunter, having lived the normal life an English mum, married to a not-so-great man, but her past is apparently murky, and they hint a lot about who she “used to be” and how she was starting to become herself again as the story goes on. Like I get it, she was Lara Croft before an incident drove her from the business for twenty years, and now she was free to pursue that career again – and is pushed into it by her former mentor Arthur, with whom she had a huge falling out with and never spoke to again before he .. died mysteriously. He has left a game/hunt/clues behind for her to figure out that will lead her to the answers behind his death and behind the reason she left the field.

I have to admit I kept picturing Geena Davis in The Long Kiss Goodnight, where she plays a teacher who has amnesia who all of a sudden gets her memory back and finds out she was an assassin.

The book was wandering and I think it just suffered from not knowing what it wanted to be. Did it want to be a cozy mystery, or a thriller, or a murder mystery? Or a character driven book filled with drama and revelations, about a woman starting over again after her child is grown? There was a lot of emphasis on the backstory that led up to Freya’s leaving her old job, which was not being an antique picker, but someone who searched for stolen antiques. (I think?) I was slightly confused. I was also confused as to why Arthur had money issues. I would think selling expensive antiques to rich people would provide a good living.

Anyway, this book is about Freya and her coming into her own again and having a life that she picks, and is also about solving Arthur’s murder. She is accompanied by her aunt, Carol, who is a boisterous, outgoing character, and sort of pushes Freya along when she hesitates.

Overall, I felt lukewarm about this book. There was just a lot going on and it was hard to connect to any of the characters. However, I do think that the author had some very good ideas, and might have things all out in the open now, so that a second book will be tighter and more focused.

I also had a great time chatting Lisa while reading. I have to admit, some it was more along the lines of “This book makes me want to buy red shoes” or “I am distracted by looking up all of these antiques they are talking about that I don’t know what they are” but some of it was more about who we thought did it, who was red herring, who was going to be the love interest, if there was one.

Some of the best writing was in the very beginning of the book, with the descriptions of the village and of Freya’s relationship with Carol when growing up. I particularly liked this line.

“..I’ve always loved the hush of dusk as it settles over the village – its orange glow lighting the medieval wooden shop fronts and Victorian or Edwardian brick houses, interspersed with tea shops and hairdressers.” I also love dusk, it is one of my favorite times of day.

And then my favorite line, “It was like some houses stopped breathing the moment their owners died.” Isn’t that so true?

Although Lisa and I weren’t blown away by this book, I had a great time buddy reading with her and I hope to do another buddy read or group read again. And this book wasn’t terrible – I think it just suffered from wanting to do and be too much, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Better too many ideas than too few! It is probably a 3/5 star read for me.

And with that, I hope you check out Lisa’s review as well! You can find it here.

I hope that whatever you do today, that you do something that makes you smile!

My Sunday-Monday Post!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized27 Comments

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

Hello everybody! I hope that you are having a good weekend. We had a pretty focused week, just working away at school and therapy, but our weekend has been full. Yesterday we went to the Magee Marsh and Ottawa National Wildlife Center in Ohio, which was a lot of fun, and today we have a Blackbirds outing at the Tigers game. It will be a good time, and I think Wyatt will enjoy being with all the kids out at the ball game.

Read Last Week:

Last week Lisa at Boondock Ramblings and I buddy read The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder. It was really fun to chit chat back and forth while reading it, and I think we need to do some sort of buddy read/group read again. I will have a review and some of our thoughts up tomorrow, and Lisa will be posting her account as well!

Reading This Week:

I am so excited to finally read this. I have had it on my list for awhile but I am finally getting to it. Lol. You guys know how it is! I started a little of it last night but conked out before I could get very far. I am looking forward to some good reading this morning, fingers crossed.

Posted Last Week:

Sunday Morning Coffee Catch Up

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Candles I Would Make

Book Review: Cat’s People

Fall Reading – Let’s Get Cozy! Paranormal/Fantasy Style

Saturday Morning Coffee Catch Up -Homeschooling and Other Things

Watching:

Billy and I are watching The Marlow Murder Club and old episodes of The Brokenwood Mysteries. We are getting excited to watch a few things though that we have been saving for Spooky Season.

On the Internets:

Right now Lisa and I are hosting Comfy Cozy Cinema for the … third? fourth? year in a row. This week’s movie is Benny & Joon, with our reviews going up on Thursday. Feel free to join in!

We are also hosting a Monthly Bookish Link up called a Good Book and a Cup of Tea, where you can post your bookish things all month long! You can always find the link at the top of my blog!

And finally, I have been compiling list after list of fall reading suggestions! I will have them all together in one list on my Ko-Fi so they can be downloaded if you want them all in one place. I hope to have that up on Friday.

And that is it from me today! I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile!

Saturday Morning Coffee Catch Up – Homeschooling and Other Things

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized7 Comments

** so this was supposed to.post this morning.. it did.not..lol.

Hello everyone!

We have been working hard over here, with school and physical therapy! We have been very productive – and I have been pretty tired by the time I get in bed at night. It’s a good tired though, the kind of tired that you feel when you know that you have worked hard and had a good day. Today though we are going to play, and go to a marsh in Ohio, and hopefully see some pretty leaves and enjoy some time in nature.

Let’s start with school. It is weird how we are running into a theme of people protesting, in so many of areas of Wyatt’s learning. We are reading Hoot for Language Arts, and although we have quite gotten into it yet, the burrowing owls living on a live construction site are going to cause protests although right now, it is just mild tampering on the site with stakes being taken out of there spots. In science, we are talking about swamps and marshes, and Wyatt just learned about Marjorie Stoneman Douglas and all she did to save part of the Everglades – and she continued to do it even into a very advanced age. She died at 108! And finally, in history we are right on the brink of the revolutionary war, and we just covered the Boston tea party and Paul Revere.

Yesterday we had a fun Friday for school – I used to save Fridays for field trips and errands only, but now with physical therapy two days a week, we need to use Friday as an instructional day. I figured we might as well make them fun if we are having school on them now. We did so many cool things yesterday!

First, we started with making a lantern, like the ones of “One if by land, two if by sea” fame. We only made one, so our British came by land unlike the real ones that Revere warned of. And he didn’t ride around yelling “The British are coming!” although that would have been cool. It was more of a quiet version, telling people that the Regulars were coming, and only people who needed to know, knocking on their doors and telling them.

I think this project turned out pretty cute. Wyatt’s Aunt Chrissy came in for the win with the milk carton, finishing up her oat milk so that we could use her container.

After making the lantern and watching a reading of Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride by Longfellow, we moved on to our artist of the month, Salvador Dali. We talked a little about surrealism, and looked at Dali’s most famous painting, The Persistence of Memory. Then we started making clay versions of the watches from the painting, which were inspired by melting cheese, of all things. Since we had to wait for the clay to dry (and we are still waiting) we just cut the circles out and moved on for now. When they are dry, Wyatt will paint them.

Next, we made a wetland! We have been talking about the importance of wetlands, swamps and marshes and mangrove swamps, and how they protect the land from flooding and also filter the water, and I thought it would be neat if we could test it out. So, using the directions from a book that I got from the library, we made a wetland out of a paint tray, sponges, and clay. However, we made the unfortunate decision to use a red soap dye to color the water… it looks a little like a crime scene, sorry.

It didn’t filter everything but it did some which was cool!

We also played a reading game but I didn’t get any pictures of that. It was a fun way to learn on a Friday!

I mentioned that Wyatt is doing awesome in physical therapy last week, and he continued working hard this week as well. His therapist was happy with the range of flexibility he is getting, but we need to keep working on strength, so that is what we focus on both at therapy at the center and at his home therapy. Our list of therapy activities for everyday is very long, and I have to be inventive sometimes to work it all in, and combine it with school when I can.

My mom is also starting physical therapy! She got her staples taken out from her cut, and she is getting a physical therapy eval today so that she can start next week. They are coming right to her apartment so that is awesome. I talked to the therapist on the phone, since I am not able to stay, and I discussed her mobility limitations, and what we are hoping for. I would like for them to focus right now on weight bearing on her right leg, and building strength, same as Wyatt. I would also like them to work on getting up off of the floor, and standing easier. I also found a few items online that I want to purchase for her to make things a little more functional for all of us. She has severe osteoarthritis in her hip, which we learned from scans she got last weekend, and that unfortunately, we can’t do much about. So we need to work with it the best that we can. Any suggestions are welcome!

And with that I am off! I hope you guys all have a great day!

Fall Reading: Let’s Get Cozy – Paranormal/Fantasy Style!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized9 Comments

I have so many fall lists of books! And really, too many books to list here on the blog. I am going to have a full list available next Friday on my Ko-Fi for anyone who will want to see alllll the books I have researched and compiled. Until then, please take this humble offering.

Love’s a Witch || Uncharmed || Rewitched

Love’s a Witch: Witchy cozy romance, set in Scotland. Enemies to lovers.

Uncharmed: Cozy fantasy, and lots of pink vibes.

Rewitched: Cozy fantasy, bookshops, cats.

The Witching Moon Manor || The Late-Night Witches || An Unlikely Coven

The Witching Moon Manor: Sequel to the Crescent Moon Tearoom, following the further exploits of the Quigley Sisters.

The Late-Night Witches: Witches and vampires and cozy fantasy!!

An Unlikely Coven: Cozy urban fantasy with LGBT representation

The (Most Unusual) Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy || Ghost Business || Crazy Spooky Love

The (Most Unusual) Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy: The publisher calls it “A COZY, GHOSTLY LGBTQIA+ ROMANCE” I can’t improve on that.

Ghost Business: I can’t wait to read this one! The second in the Boneyard Key series and the main FMC runs a ghost tour business.

Crazy Spooky Love: Cozy little ghost hunting romance. Also high on my own list to read this fall!

Potions and Prejudice || The Lone Wolf Cafe || Cat Dragon

Potions and Prejudice: Cozy witchy romance, enemies to lovers. And this cover is gorgeous!

Lone Wolf Cafe: Spooky sapphic cozy, with a witch and a werewolf. Also, baked goods!

Cat Dragon: Another that is on my own list. I just don’t have enough time to read all the books that I want to! I have to admit I just want to read this because of the idea of cat dragons. How cute would that be?

I can’t wait to get started with the spooky or spooky adjacent reads!

Book Review: Cat’s People

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized12 Comments

I usually group my book reviews, but today I wanted to add some additional information in with my book review, so Cat’s People gets its very own post.

First, the summary from the publisher.

Núria, a single-by-choice barista with a little resentment for the “crazy cat lady” label, is a member of The Meow-Yorkers, a group in Brooklyn who takes care of the neighborhood’s stray cats. On her volunteering days, she starts finding Post-it notes left by a secret admirer in an area where her feeds her favorite stray—a black cat named Cat. Like most felines, he is both curious and observant, so of course he knows who the notes are from. Núria, however, is clueless.

Are the notes from Collin, a bestselling author and self-professed hermit with a weakness for good coffee? Are they from Lily, a fresh-out-of-high school Georgia native searching for her long-lost half sister? Are they from Omar, the beloved neighborhood mailman going through an early midlife crisis? Or are they from Bong, the grieving widower who owns Núria’s favorite bodega?

When Cat suddenly falls ill, these five strangers find themselves bonding together in their desire to care for him, and discover that chance encounters can lead to the meaningful connections they’ve all been searching for.

My thoughts:

I wanted to hug this book. This book is so heartwarming, wholesome, pure, and I absolutely loved it to pieces. The story is simple, but with so much emotion and complexity hidden within. So much love. So much kindness. Found family, both human and feline. It is definitely a five star read for me.

Every character had their own challenge that they were going through. Social awkwardness, grieving, doubting life choices, just the self-doubts that creep up on us late at night. This book is told from all of their viewpoints, and one additional point of view – Cat’s.

One thing that you may not know about me, unless you read my former blogs Cinnamon Owl and Quixotic Magpie, is that before Wyatt was born I was very active in animal rescue. I helped start an animal rescue organization, I served on the board as an officer, I volunteered at the animal shelter at least twice a week, and spent countless hours doing what I could for the animals. I never fostered because every time I did, I was a foster failure, meaning I adopted every one. All three of my cats and my dog Penny were all fosters that I ended up keeping. So when I say this book touched my heart, it really did. I was not surprised to see that the author, Tanya Guerrero is in animal rescue because every detail, every bit of advice, every aspect pertaining to cats and stray cats was on point, and it reminded me so much of all the animals lives that I have known. The happy stories, and the sad too sometimes.

And spoiler here:

And if you are worried about reading this book, don’t be.

If after reading this book, you find you have a heart for rescue, start with your local animal shelter. They can help you find the right places to volunteer and get your started. Or google local animal rescues and send an email. It can be very rewarding but also very emotional. And you may end up with an extra animal or two or three.

Here are my rescue babies. Maggie, Marlow, and Penny have crossed the rainbow bridge and I am so thankful I had them while I did.

Marlow || Miso || Maggie || Penny

I loved this book so much, and in this world we are in right now, it was so just nice to read a book that was so full of kindness and love. This is definitely one of my favorites reads of the year.