Author: Erin @ Cracker Crumb Life

I try to create a culture of celebration in our home. For life, for the little things, for wonder and for whimsy. I try to find the beauty around us and teach my son Wyatt to find it, and appreciate it and love it as well. We are a homeschool family, and we love it. We love the freedom it gives us to explore a topic or idea more deeply, and I like that I can adjust our schedule around Wyatt’s other needs. Wyatt has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, and his week often has therapy, doctor’s appointments, naps peppered throughout which would make a traditional school schedule difficult. He is also an asynchronous learner, and I love that I can tailor learning to where Wyatt is at that moment. We have a house full of animals and will probably add more because we like a zoo. We have one cat, Miso, who is a rescue. She is 14 years old and my little floofy girl. We also have one leopard gecko, Luna, a pictus gecko named Harlow, a pacman frog named Freddy, and two crested geckos, Applejack and Oliver. We love all of our little friends! My husband Billy, Wyatt, and I are all curious, creative, stubborn humans which makes for some fun times around here. We love the outdoors, except we are not made for high temps so we retreat inside when the temps start to soar. We are nature lovers through and through. We are trying to downsize our lives too, to live more simply, to buy things that last and eat real food from small local farmers. (and of course Goldfish crackers) We live seasonally and are always up for adventure. We love books and reading, and can be found at the library at least once a week!

My Sunday-Monday Post!

On November 12, 2023 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized13 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

Hi everyone! It’s a beautiful Sunday morning here, I am drinking a good cup of coffee, and my people and my cat are sitting near (and Wyatt is watching Mr. Rogers, so peaceful!). I am content and happy. I have to get up and get ready for church soon but I have time to write.

Read Last Week:

Ok, so I listened to another audiobook. I have been finding it easier to listen to books these days than find time to read. I used to read while Wyatt was in therapy but lately I have been actually going in to his sessions to watch and learn as well. This week though, I have an actual book to read and I am so excited!

Reading This Week:

So, my birthday is this week and yesterday I came home to an early birthday gift! Lisa from Boondock Ramblings sent me this book and I can’t wait to start reading it. It looks so cute and cozy – just my thing these days. Wasn’t that so sweet of her? I would love to run a bookmobile. What a dream job that would be!

Posted Recently:

Our October Artist: Georgia O’Keeffe

Comfy Cozy Cinema: Tea With the Dames

Tuesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

Comfy Cozy Cinema: Little Women (2019)

What Wyatt’s Reading: October

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A post shared by Lisa R. Howeler (@lisarhoweler)

Speaking of Lisa, she made this awesome reel that went viral on Instagram! (You can find the documentary on Amazon Prime too)

Watching and Listening:

When I am not wrapped up in our comfy cozy cinema movies (only one left! Fisherman’s Friends, this week!) we are watching Wartime Farm, part of the BBC Historical Farm series. We actually just finished it up last night, and now have to figure out what show we are watching next! We love this farm series, it is just so fascinating to see how things were done in the past on these farms. Wartime Farm was particularly interesting because it talked about just how vital farmers were to Britain’s survival during WWII. After years of depending on imports for food, Britain found itself having to produce enough food to feed the entire nation to avoid being starved out as food became harder to receive through imports as Europe was torn up by war and boats just couldn’t get through. Farmers needed to feed everyone in the country, if they were to survive. It shows how things began to get tighter and tighter and more rationed and what the people had to do. It was extremely interesting. They delve into how the government had pamphlets for everything, telling them exactly what to prepare to eat, about the land girls who worked the land and later in factories, about the lumber jills who worked cutting down trees, the Bevin Boys conscripted to work in the mines… I could go on and on. We are giant history nerds over here.

One thing I hope to watch this week is the new Mr. Dressup documentary on Amazon! Mr. Dressup was my favorite show when I was little, even more than Mr. Rogers who I also loved. Mr. Dressup though was all about art and dressing up, and I was such a kid who loved that sort of thing – much like my own child is now.

As for listening, no podcasts lately, just audiobooks. I hope to find some uplifting, seasonal podcasts soon!

And that is it from my corner of Michigan! I hope you all stay safe and happy this week!

Our October Artist: Georgia O’Keeffe

On November 10, 2023November 10, 2023 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn artist review, homeschooling7 Comments

Wyatt’s favorite thing we do in our homeschool is art. He loves to create and paint and draw and learn, and I love to encourage that side of him. This year my plan is to focus on one artist a month, with the exception of November and December when we are just going to do seasonal type crafts and projects. We kicked things off in September with Van Gogh, and then October moved on to Georgia O’Keeffe. In all honesty, I was not super familiar with her work or her life, so it was a learning month for me as well. I knew about certain aspects of her work, like what people say about some of her paintings, but nothing about her life or her other work.

When I started to look at her paintings, I found some that were just perfect for fall – autumn leaves, apples, and bones. A ladder to the moon. More than just her beloved flowers. We learned that she loved nature, that she loved to take small things that some people may overlook and recreate them large so that they could not be ignored. Which was what we focused on for our first lesson!

Wyatt’s inspiration piece was O’Keeffe’s Autumn Leaves, Lake George, 1924. According to this website, fall in the Adirondacks was her favorite season, and I can’t say that I blame her. I would love to spend a fall in the Adirondacks!

I thought this was the perfect place to begin with Wyatt. He free painted a background, we let it dry, then added the leaf over the top, emphasizing that we were making something small, bigger for all to see.

Our next project up was two weeks later, after he had gotten over his cold. This time we based his piece on Georgia O’Keeffe’s apple paintings. We used the apples we had gotten at the orchard, and I let Wyatt arrange his own still life, and then we did some hand over hand for the first apple shape. Then Wyatt did the rest on his own!

Finally, the finale piece. This one I wanted to sort of line up with Halloween, so… we did bones. But not real bones! I did buy a replica of a raven skull from Etsy, but it is made of plastic and is not bone. I thought it would be neat to have a model, and I didn’t want like a big cattle skull or something. So, raven it was. The company sent us the one I ordered plus a bonus tiny one that I put on our nature shelf.

This particular painting I did a lot of hand over hand with Wyatt so that he could get the general sense of the shape and what we were doing. He did paint the background by himself first though. I thought this turned out pretty neat!

We read so many books about Georgia! I loved that Wyatt would wander over and pick up a book, and know that he was reading about Georgia O’Keeffe, who he just called O’Keeffe. I had no idea who Georgia O’Keeffe was when I was 8; as I said, I barely knew anything about her at my current age until this study.

This section contains Amazon Affiliate Links.

Georgia Rises || Georgia in Hawaii || Through Georgia’s Eyes || Georgia’s Bones || My Name is Georgia || Georgia O’Keeffe || Little People Big Dreams Georgia O’Keeffe

We love the Little People, Big Dreams biographies and I am always thankful when I can find them on the people we are studying. Wyatt’s favorite book this time was Georgia’s Bones, which I admit was pretty neat. Georgia in Hawaii was fascinating to me, more than it was to him. She was hired by the Pineapple Company in Hawaii to visit the island, and paint for them – specifically, a pineapple. However, no one was going to tell her what to paint, and she painted everything BUT a pineapple! However, when she returned home she reflected on how in love she fell with Hawaii, and how that was due to the Pineapple Company, and she did end up painting them a pineapple.

This was a great month of art and learning, and I am excited to return to our artists in January. I have a really good one all lined up. I wanted Wyatt to have the experience of making seasonal fun stuff as well though, so November and December are all about this type of art, like I made in my youth in school. It will be fun too!

Comfy Cozy Cinema: Tea With the Dames

On November 9, 2023 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized14 Comments

Hello all! Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I love to buddy watch movies together – even though I am in Michigan and she is in Pennsylvania! We don’t literally watch together in a watch party, although that might be fun one time! We wanted our fall list to feel fall cozy, move into some more chilling movies, than turn cozy again for November.

Yesterday was the perfect day for this movie. It was rainy, a little gloomy, and I needed tea and something cozy. It did not disappoint on that level!

This week’s feature: Tea with the Dames

In the UK, the title of Dame is the female equivalent of a Knighthood, and these four women were honored with this title by the Crown for their services to drama. The careers and lives these four women have had! Oh to be a fly on the wall… oh wait, that is sort of what this documentary is like! A conversation between these four amazing women that we get to be a part of in a way.

Tea with the Dames is a documentary, one that gathers these four Dames/friends together for conversation, tea, laughs, some swearing, and some serious moments as well. All four have had illustrious careers in acting, playing roles from Shakespeare to Harry Potter characters to sci-fi movies like the Riddick Chronicles to being in Bond movies. They have run the gamut, and when asked if they wish to continue acting forever, Maggie Smith replied with an honest, “If we are asked.” And then promptly followed that up with saying that Dame Judi Dench is always asked first though, to which Dame Joan Plowright laughed and added that her agent said if she ever wanted a cameo in America, maybe they could find one that Judi hadn’t gotten her paws on yet. It was hilarious, honestly, to hear them laugh and poke fun.

Of the four, I was really only unfamiliar with Joan Plowright. Maggie Smith I always love, and Judi Dench really is everywhere. Eileen Atkins I was a little less familiar with but I definitely recognize her and I found her to be delightful in this film. She made me laugh out loud a few times, once when she said that she and Judi didn’t need the 60s, they acted pretty badly anyways, and once when she was reminiscing about the protests against Vietnam, which doesn’t usually inspire giggles. However, Atkins said that she was there and was suddenly like, I would like to be home. So, she just ghosted and bought herself some crumpets on the way home, and if that is not the most British thing I have ever heard, I don’t know what is.

One thing that did surprise me was when they discussed being offered the honor of becoming a Dame. It didn’t sound like they were instantly like, “Yes! Of course!” Instead, they were unsure about it. I didn’t think it was something you really considered, just something you did, if you were offered that honorific. But apparently not. Maggie Smith and Judi Dench cracked me up when Maggie related a conversation she had with Judi about swearing. She said Judi called her up and said it didn’t matter, she could still swear after becoming a Dame. She could maybe even swear more! Joan Plowright also added that she was already a Lady when she became a Dame, and said “it is difficult to have two titles.” Well, I am sure that is true Dame Joan Plowright. I thought that was just so cute.

This movie really had just so many of these little intimate moments. They of course looked back on their careers, the start of their young lives, acting, marriages and babies, growing old, and it was a beautiful journey to take with them, but it was the little back and forth, the banter, the obvious respect, love and friendship they had for each other, the shared history that made this movie so special.

If you need a pick me up, a boost, or just want to learn more about these amazing women, definitely look this movie up. And don’t forget your tea!

Next week: Fisherman’s Friends. I loved this movie the first time I watched it and I am looking forward to revisiting it!

Please check out Lisa’s post over on her blog! I am sure it is absolutely amazing!

Tuesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On November 7, 2023 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized9 Comments

Hello everyone!!

So. First things first. My brother had his surgery last Wednesday, a spinal fusion in his neck. He came home from the hospital and is recovering, although he is in pain. So any prayers and good vibes for him are welcome! He is happy to be back with his wife and children and getting some rest.

Second, Halloween!

Michigan is so weird all. It SNOWED here. Our area just got snowflakes but other parts got actual snowfall! My dad said in his neighborhood at one point there was so much snow that they couldn’t see the kids outside! I also included Billy’s work costume (they always have costume contests, for departments and individuals). Billy and his department went as the Peanuts Gang, dressed in their costumes. It was creepy having that costume hang around the house! Lol. I also included a picture of someone Billy works who dressed up as Billy! We thought it was hysterical. Also, that guy won! He asked Billy if he minded first of course.

Wyatt and I also chose to paint his pumpkin. He loves it – and it lasts longer!

Before Halloween my brother invited us over so the kids could craft and so Billy could help with a few things around their house before the surgery. I loved that the kit that the kids put together had a little boy in a wheelchair – and Wyatt loved that too!

Other than this, we have been laying pretty low. I haven’t felt like myself for a few weeks and we have just been taking it slow and easy!

Have a great one all!

Comfy Cozy Cinema: Little Women (2019)

On November 2, 2023November 2, 2023 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized9 Comments

I needed cozy this week. It is so cold here all of a sudden! It even snowed on Halloween! So I definitely needed my comfy blanket, my warm mug of tea, and a good heartwarming movie.

This week’s feature: Little Women (2019)

So. Lisa and I actually disagreed on this version, which is quite alright! You may disagree with me as well, that’s ok too. But I 100% love this rendition of Little Women – with the exception of Timothee Chalamet as Laurie. For some reason I couldn’t warm to him in the role.

When I compare this version to the book, it does obviously have some differences, and I am not usually a person who cares for movies to be different than the book. (I mean, A Prayer for Owen Meany vs. Simon Birch was a big big no) However, I feel like the book really champions Jo so much, while the rest of the sisters are just sort of relegated into different slots. The good one, Beth. The artistic greedy one, Amy. And then Meg, ever practical yet wanting badly to fit in. Jo is brave, fierce, strong, ambitious, creative, driven. But we don’t know too much about the others besides their little roles and are one dimensional while Jo is so dynamic.

And they do still stick to this in this film as well. However, I feel like we know them better this time around. I feel like they have more depth, and no scene conveys this more than the Amy and Laurie scene that takes place in France. Amy is about to head out on a date with Fred and Laurie is giving her a hard time about it, because he knows she doesn’t love Fred. Then Amy lays him out with the truth. She tells him:

“Well, I’m not a poet. I’m just a woman. And as a woman, there’s no way for me to make my own money. Not enough to earn a living or to support my family. And if I had my own money, which I don’t, that money would belong to my husband the moment we got married. And if we had children, they would be his, not mine. They would be his property. So don’t sit there and tell me that marriage isn’t an economic proposition because it is. It may not be for you, but it most certainly is for me.”

I know that this scene rubbed people the wrong way, that it was deemed too feminist. I think though that it shows that Amy more than any of them, understands her position in that world. She is not saying anything that isn’t true. That is exactly the world that her character lived in. She was being practical. She had her preferences for sure, and even if she did not love Fred, she would marry him so that she would be secure. However, I think was also a bit of a push from her to Laurie. Like a wise woman once said, “if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it”. And he did.

My whole life I spent angry that Amy and Laurie got married like that, behind Jo’s back. I felt like they belonged together, and it was so wrong that they didn’t end up together. However, after this version, I was like you know, they would have been terrible together!! Amy and Laurie were perfect for each other, and Jo ended up with the right man too.

I also really ended up liking Meg a bit more too. She always bothered me in the book. However, Emma Watson’s portrayal of her just gave her a bit more soul. The fabric scene broke my heart. Plus, James Norton as John…. (swoon)

Of course, I also love this movie because of the brilliant cinematography and luscious costumes. I mean, it can not get any more visually appealing than this, and I love a film that is just gorgeous.

I guess I should talk some about Jo. I think Saoirse Ronan embodied the spirit of Jo completely. I believed every moment that she portrayed, no matter the mood or scene. She was absolutely fantastic. But, I think I am over Jo’s story and was ready to move on to the other sisters by this movie.

And that is it from me today! If you watched the movie and did a write up drop your link below!

Next up: Tea with Dames

Don’t forget to pop over to Lisa’s post, I am sure hers is absolutely amazing!

What Wyatt’s Reading: October

On October 31, 2023October 31, 2023 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn book review7 Comments

Hey all! Can you believe it is the last day of October already? Crazy!

We read quite a few books together this month, and as always, there were favorites in the bunch!

I am going to start with the book we both absolutely loved, Night Owl Night by Susan Edwards Richmond.

There was just something special about this book. We have read the Jane Yolen book, Owl Moon, a million times and this had a similar type feel. In this book, little Sova desperately wants to go with her mom, who is an owl scientist, on her research nights during October. And one night her mom says yes. They wait for the owls to fly in so that her mom can band them and record them, and on the night Sova goes, only one owl flies in. But that is enough for Sova. It was an enchanted evening with her mother, doing field work. One thing I loved is that the author, when she had Sova asking her mom if she could go, her questions followed the hoot pattern of different owls. Like not actually hooting the question, but the rhythm and cadence of those hoots. We read this book in bed before bedtime and after we finished reading, I had our Alexa play the different owl calls that were referenced in the book. It was a small thing, but it turned into a very special moment for Wyatt and I as well, all snuggled up in bed, reading and listening to the hoots before he fell asleep.

The next few are definitely all Wyatt favorites of the month.

Wyatt is a huge Peppa fan, so that was an easy one. He loved this book and looked at it over and over until I had to return it. He also really loves the Fox series by Corey Tabor, which are just cute little simple stories about a fox and his friends. And finally, Biscuit and the Great Fall Day. He absolutely loved this one, way more than I expected. Like we returned it to the library and had to check it out again the next week because he loved it. I was surprised but he likes what he likes and this book was really cute. I mean, you can’t go wrong with a Biscuit book really.

We loved Night Owl Night so much that we read another owl book, The Barn Owls which was also fantastic. It talked about how the barn owls have been there over a hundred years, over and over, living in the barn and it was just a wonderful story.

Vlad the Fabulous Vampire cracked me up. Vlad, unlike his vampire brethren, is not a pale and wan vampire. Instead, he has rosy little cheeks that he feels he has to hide! He learns that he does not need to do this and can instead be the rosy complected vampire that he is. It was cute.

So Stickler. I loved this book, Wyatt was more eh on it. Stickler is that crazy little creature on the cover, and he is full of wonder for all the small things in the world, which he shows to Crow. He opens Crows eyes to these small wonders and Crow is grateful for the reminder. I loved it, Wyatt was more bored.

And Pete. I should have put this in the Wyatt section but oh well. He loved this book, he is still a Pete the Cat fan, and this book was fun because it combined nature with art! Pete and his friends had to go outside and find things in nature, then put them together into an art project. It was really cool and of course Wyatt loved it.

And these were our top favorites! Have you read any?

My Sunday-Monday Post

On October 29, 2023October 29, 2023 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized19 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

Hey all!! I hope you are all doing well. We have had a pretty good weekend, a good blend of lazy and active.

Reading This Week:

It is time for the comfy cozy books. Lisa and I have been watching thriller Hitchcock suspense movies and are heading back into comfy cozy movies, and I decided it is time to do read books that make me feel all snuggly as well. And what better book to start with than At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon?

Even this newer cover gives me snug and cozy vibes!

I also recently listened to Stitches in Time by Barbara Michaels, which is an old favorite I always gravitate back to.

Posted Recently:

Tuesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

Comfy Cozy Cinema: Strangers on a Train

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Showcase

Wednesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

Comfy Cozy Cinema: Rebecca

Lisa and I have really been enjoying our comfy cozy movie series! We have a super fun one planned for January, that we will reveal very soon – and it would be awesome if others wanted to watch along as well!

Watching:

So things have been…complicated…around here lately. Just a lot going on personally with other family members and myself and when that happens, I go a little quiet here in this space. And..our tv becomes full of old favorites. We have been watching a lot of the BBC Farm Shows, Edwardian Farm and Victorian Farm. My favorite is Edwardian; Billy really likes Victorian. If you have seen these, let me know which you like best, I am curious! (There is wartime farm too, we haven’t gotten to that one again though yet)

This week we are also watching the newest incarnation of Little Women for Comfy Cozy Cinema. And with Wyatt we have of course been watching the classic Halloween specials! We watched Disney’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow, It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, and then this afternoon we watched The Garfield Halloween special with my niece Mermaid Girl. What are we missing, for kids movies? Any suggestions?

And that’s it from my currently cold and blustery corner of Michigan! How is it going in your neighborhood?

Comfy Cozy Cinema: Rebecca

On October 26, 2023 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized10 Comments

This week’s feature was none other than the classic film, Rebecca.

Another Hitchcock – and our last one! We should have probably named our movie feature series Comfy Cozy Creepy Cinema, but we just dip into creepy, right? Next week we will be back to comfy cozy!

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”

One of the best first lines ever, in my opinion, but maybe that is because I know this movie so well, that I know exactly what this means. We know the secret of Manderley, and it is not a happy one.

It starts off all romantic. Max de Winter has lost his first wife, and on holiday meets his soon to be second wife, who is nameless until she becomes Mrs. de Winter. After a bit of a whirlwind courtship that is slightly odd (that happens so much in these old movies!) the two get married and then return to Max’s home, Manderley, a cold and imposing looking house – well, mansion. Estate? Whatever, not a house.

If the new Mrs. de Winter wasn’t intimidated yet just by the size of the house, the next person she meets will certainly ensure that she is. Mrs. Danvers. The Nurse Ratchet of Manderley. What a total obsessive creeper! And honestly, everyone is just rude to her throughout the whole movie. Family, friends. She is constantly compared to her predecessor and found lacking again and again and again. And Max is no help at all!

You can’t help but feel sorry for new Mrs. de Winter, and then it gets worse! When Max is away one day, she finds herself in the shrine – I mean, Rebecca’s – old bedroom, which is just as she left it, and just as well tended as when she was alive. And of course creepy old Danvers is there, making it worse. The new Mrs. de Winter finally finds her backbone, and demands that everything be destroyed. Well, you can imagine how that goes over!

Anddddd …. my little synopsis will stop there. If you want to know what happens, watch it, because it is a truly mesmerizing movie, seriously creepy with all the infatuation and obsession, set against this house on the sea. However, if you really want to know what happens, read the book first! And that is all I will say on that.

All of the magic that Hitchcock is known for, with lighting, scenes, the interplay of characters and set, are all present in this movie. This is particularly evident in the scene between Mrs. Danvers and Mrs. de Winter, the living one. And of course, bravo to the cinematographer. I am such a sucker for beautiful cinematography, and I feel like sometimes the cinematographers are just forgotten about with all deference and accolades paid to the director instead. The cinematographer in this case is George Barnes, by the way. I mean seriously. Stunning. Terrifying.

And that is where I will stop for today!!

Join us next week for our back to comfy cozy movie choice, Little Women! (the new one)

Please be sure to check out Lisa’s super amazing post!

Wednesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On October 25, 2023October 25, 2023 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Coffee Catch UP19 Comments

Hello everyone! It’s Wednesday already, can you believe it? We are flying towards November at this point!

We had a pretty busy weekend!

Friday night we took Wyatt to the trunk or treat at our library, which he loved. We go to the library so much and he thought it was neat to see it totally different! Although he did think we should pick out books while we were there. Lol. Cutest wolfboy ever! We asked Mermaid Girl to go with us but it was the trunk or treat at her school so we went our separate ways. It moved so fast inside the library as well that I didn’t get any pictures inside, but I did get that cool one of the dragon! Since we were downtown we went and had pizza afterwards and it was a really fun night out.

Saturday was my annual girls trip out! This year we went to Frankenmuth, a place I haven’t been to in forever!

We started out at Starbucks, of course, and then hit the road north. Our first stop was lunch at this really neat little diner called The Comet. It was super retro and had a fantastic french fries.

Next stop was the antique store down the street. We wandered around in there a bit and I picked up a mug, stoneware, probably circa 1970s/80s ish, with rabbits on it! I love it. After the antique store we headed into Frankenmuth proper and of course, had to go to Bronner’s. Bronner’s is iconic in Michigan. It is this enormous Christmas store filled with over 6,000 different ornaments. There is literally an ornament for everything you can think of! It also has Christmas trees, decorations, stockings, and really just anything you can think of pertaining to Christmas. You wander around sort of like a deer in headlights (if you are me) while Christmas music plays, and it is sort of surreal, but fun! I bought my little Bob Ross fan a Bob Ross ornament – told you they had something for everyone!

We wandered around Frankenmuth the rest of the afternoon, waiting for the grand finale, dinner at the Bavarian Inn. By the time we got in the car to go home, we were all exhausted but had had a very good time together.

It was absolutely beautiful there too, with all the fall trees and the day itself was gorgeous, even though it had started out cold.

Sunday I was on the road again! This time Billy, Wyatt, and I were off to the orchard to get Wyatt his pumpkin and doughnut (a doughnut for me too!) We love Bennett’s Orchard in Michigan, it is just perfect. It is simple and doesn’t have all the extra gimmicks. It is pumpkins and apples and donuts and although they have introduced different food trucks, it doesn’t take away from the simplicity of it. And I have to say, Wyatt and I enjoyed the macaroni that we split, while Billy enjoyed a pulled pork sandwich.

It was a very busy, very full of fall weekend, and we had such a good time. Wyatt is so excited about Halloween every year and this morning was even hugging his pumpkin, first thing. It’s even still dirty!! He is such a nut but a happy cute one.

Enjoy your day all!

A Sleepy Hollow Showcase!

On October 20, 2023October 20, 2023 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized5 Comments

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a Halloween favorite in this house. I can’t say that we have watched all of the versions, but we have seen a few, including the television show, which I still miss. The Disney version will still always be my favorite, I can’t help it. I grew up on it, I know the songs by heart, my brother and I and now Billy quote from it to each other all year ’round… we are total Disney Sleepy Hollow fans. We were going to watch it last weekend, but we postponed and now it is on schedule for tonight! Wyatt is also working on a Legend of Sleepy Hollow unit study for school that is part history, part nature study, part language arts and while parts of it are too advanced or old for him, I am having fun picking and choosing different things. It’s a fun October unit! (I will make sure to link it here at the end!)

Anyway, in one of my deep dives on Etsy I started favoriting a bunch of Sleepy Hollow items that I thought were super cool, and wanted to share, just in case anyone else shares the love that I have!

Please note – these links are Etsy affiliate links.

I am in love with this scarf from Storiarts! I know readers always say they like to be wrapped up in a story, and with this scarf you “literally” could be. Oh my gosh. I am so sorry for all that but I couldn’t help it. Lol.

And this bourbon/whiskey glass is too perfect too! It is 100% going to be the Christmas present for my cousin this year! I get him a literary glass every year for his collection and he is a big fan of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow as well!

I adore this cross stitch pattern from the Witchy Stitcher! It is way over my talent level, but wow, what a stunning piece this is. Definitely something to aim for in my own attempts!

And every spooky season needs a candle! This one is gorgeous, and with scent profiles that include autumn leaves, apple, and cedarwood I don’t see how you can go wrong. It feels so very Tarrytown too, with it’s apple orchards and autumn leaves littering the ground reflected in that scent profile. This one is from Get Fictional (awesome name!)

And for smaller touches, this bookmark or magnet are perfect! When you want to add a little Sleepy Hollow to your life, but want to keep it minimal – I totally need these.

And finally – of course a coffee mug and the unit study we are doing!

I really like this mug as opposed to some of the others online, it is less creepy, and I would rather to have less creepy in the morning.

And the study unit we are using is awesome. It was a fun way to include some spooky type literature combined with history and nature and recipes as a supplement to our regular studies for October. This weekend we are having pancakes (instead of buckwheat cakes) and making a corn husk doll as part of the study! It is from the shop of Little World Wanderers and I will definitely be buying from them again in the future!

I hope you all enjoyed this foray into the world of Sleepy Hollow!

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