Books, Screens, and In-Betweens

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized

I am linking up with Deb at Readerbuzz,  Kathryn at Book Date, and  Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

Hello everyone!! We have had the most chill week ever, and it has been so nice! We are deeply wintering over here, I guess. It has just been so cold, and Michigan is one big virus out there, and we are content and happy and aren’t feeling the need to go anywhere, so… we didn’t. Billy has been off work for almost two weeks and it has been so good to just be together, having all of this family time.

Books:

I have been working on three different reads over break! I am slow reading Stillmeadow and Sugarbridge, which is a book from 1953, and is a collection of letters between the two authors about their rural lives. I love it and pretty soon it will be my main read.

I am also halfway through Moon of the Crusted Snow, a book I have wanted to read forever, and that I received from Dini from Dinipandareads. It was so sweet of her to send it to me, and I am finding it a fast, compelling, scary read! I am enjoying it very much.

I also listened to Dinner for Vampires, which ended up being my first book finished in the new year, and since it is a memoir, I get to check that off my challenge list. Lenz, known for her One Tree Hill fame, lived for almost a decade under the control of a cult called the Big House Family. The audiobook is read by Lenz, and it made the book feel so much more real, to hear her story in her own voice. I am glad that she has since been able to find happiness and independence.

Screens:

I told you we have been watching a lot of movies! The Paddington series of movies was adorable; I am pretty sure they are a family favorite for all three of us. I think we might actually make orange marmalade today even.

Wonka was the perfect Christmas break movie! Over the top, beautiful, musical, heartwarming – I absolutely adored it.

Hot Fuzz and The Big Year are old favorites. The Big Year is a movie that we watch every year, since maybe 2012? It just kicks off our year. And Hot Fuzz is our favorite of the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost movies.

We couldn’t believe how many actors we kept seeing pop up in the different movies. It became a game, like let’s see, is Olivia Colman in this one too? Hugh Grant? Just so many. We were definitely in a groove.

In-Betweens:

In between all of this, we have been organizing and cleaning, and working on our own little projects. I have been fun creating embroidery pieces that are personalized to my friends and myself. I have only made 2.5 so far, I am still working on mine, but I love this new phase of my embroidery.

The first two have very long stories behind them. Also, rest assured that none of us think ferals are trashy. I can’t do them freehand yet, and I am still working on my lettering skills, but I am really enjoying this. The rabbit with the Watership Down quote is for me. And ignore the shoddy print job, my printer doesn’t like the transfer paper.

Posted Last Week:

Comfy Cozy Christmas: Our Christmas Celebrations

Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite Reads of 2025

Hello January and 2026!

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

16 thoughts on “Books, Screens, and In-Betweens”

  5. I’ve always wanted to watch The Big Year, and now is a perfect time, I think. I will look for it.

    I remember Stillmeadow from long ago. I wonder where you found a copy. It doesn’t seem to be available from the library anywhere around me.

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  7. Yay on making a start on your Nonfic reads!

    Other than watching Die Hard 1 & 2 at Christmas, we’ve only watched the live version of How To Train Your Dragon which we all enjoyed.

    No cleaning for me though 😉

    Wishing you a wonderful reading week

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  8. I love your embroidery projects — they’re really lovely. I love Paddington movies. They’re so charming. Like you, I was surprised to see Olivia Colman and Hugh Grant (along with some others in tiny bit parts from some of my favorite mystery series) pop up! Here’s hoping you have a wonderful Sunday and new week!

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  9. Joanne's avatar Joanne

    I don’t know Hot Fuzz but I definitely enjoyed Paddington and vaguely remember watching The Big Year before. We’ve been hanging out at home a lot too though today my family is dragging me out in the cold to go see Avatar (but I warned them with all the germs out there I better have an aisle seat so I can be as far from “others” as possible! LOL).

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  10. Love your embroidery projects. I haven’t seen the third Paddington yet, but I loved the first two. I thought the second one was even better than the first. And Wonka is one of my absolute favorites. So glad you enjoyed it too. Have a great week! 🙂

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  11. The embroidery is great, and I love the idea of that first book. I hadn’t heard of The Big Year – is it literally about birdwatching? We have Actual Snow here, can you believe?? Only a little bit though and mainly ice. Because as a nation we are rubbish at dealing with weather extremes, it’s just scary going up my road now. But I have plenty of books in the house and the gym to run in just up the (one bit scary, the rest OK) road.

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  16. marsha57's avatar marsha57

    I loved Wonka and need to rewatch it. I think it’s such a vision for the eyes. I also liked Charlie and the Chocolate Factory because it was so much closer to the book than Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. But, that will always be my favorite because I love Gene Wilder! He set the bar for the other two actors. Your embroideries are so good. I just about finished crocheting a shawl. Maybe, I need to do some embroidery because it’s much easier and more calming. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead, Erin!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

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