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!

‘Tis the Season Cinema: Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas and Charlie Brown’s Christmas

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn tis the season cinema5 Comments

Wow, here we are. The last week of ‘Tis the Season Cinema! Lisa and I started this all the way back in November, Katja joined us, and we have watched some really good movies the past two months. When we started Christmas felt so far away – and now we are mere days from Christmas Eve.

We watched my all time favorite holiday movie this week – Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas. This movie came out in 1977 and I was just 2. (Please don’t do the math. Lol.) Anyway, I remember, very vaguely, that my cousin Melissa and I were so excited to watch it. I remember sitting on the living room floor, next to her, just watching quietly.

Watching now is pure nostalgia. I love the story, the songs, the memories it invokes, both from my childhood, from my marriage and watching over the years with just Billy, and now with Wyatt, who sometimes watches and sometimes sleeps. There are lines that have made their way into our everyday, like when the character Chuck is hungry, and roars “No, I’m not hungry, I’m Huuunnnnggrrryy” so his little group of friends (the River Bottom Gang) get the point, that he is not just hungry, he is super duper times ten hungry. And so now of course, when we are having a hungry moment, one of us will quote Chuck.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you about this movie, which is a muppety puppety version of The Gift of the Magi in case you have never seen it.

Emmet and his mom Alice live a simple little life, filled with love and music and memories, but not much money. The two do odd jobs to try to make ends meet but they still don’t have much. But they have each other and their stories of Pa and they seem happy. As long as there “ain’t no hole in the washtub” which Ma uses to make money by taking in laundry.

Like I said though, this is a twist on the Magi story, so this very important item becomes a central player in the story – especially after a guitar with mother-of-pearl inlay catches Emmet’s eye in a store window and he tells his Ma that that is what she can get him for Christmas. This guitar is $40 though. How can Ma make Emmet’s Christmas wish come true?

When word reaches them, independently of course, of a talent contest with a prize of $50 they both secretly decide to enter to try to win that prize money to buy a special gift for the other. Emmet and his little group of woodland friends form a jug-band, while Ma plans on singing. However, in order to perform to win the prize, each needs to make a sacrifice.

And of course in the background of this movie is the villainous group of hooligans, the River Bottom Gang. They are bullies, race around the town in their fancy car, trash stores, mock Emmet and his friends.. they are just a nightmare. They also want to win the money, so they enter the contest as the River Bottom Nightmare Band. Who will win?

The music, the story, the love and the hope in this movie always fill me with happiness and make my heart warm. This is how life should be, caring about others, helping each other, enjoying what we have and the people in our lives. It may be a children’s movie, but it is one we can all learn from and enjoy (and sing along to while drinking hot chocolate with our families).

This movie can be found on Amazon for those wanting to watch, and is also based on the children’s book of the same name if you want to read it as well.

The next movie we watched is just as heart-warming and nostalgic – A Charlie Brown’s Christmas.

I love this movie too. How can you not love it, really?

This movie was on television every year while I was growing up, and we watched it as a family every single year. Do you all remember that, getting excited because it was going to be on television, on a certain day and time, so you would get all excited in anticipation? That is what we did with this one. I would be snuggled up with my parents or brother and dancing along to the music. Incidentally, this is still Billy and I’s favorite Christmas music album. There is just something about it – we play it during drives through the snow, decorating the tree, opening gifts. It has become the soundtrack of all of our Christmases. Vince Guaraldi Trio, you did good.

I love this movie and it’s theme of fighting the commercialization and materialism of Christmas, the idea of making a perfect holiday, where you have to do all the things, have all the things. Charlie Brown is his usual melancholy self, but he also has the right idea while everyone around him competes and is focused on the things that are just not as important. Charlie gets elected director of the Christmas play, and he become increasingly frustrated with his peers and their attitudes. Things reach a head when Charlie and Linus bring back a little sad, forlorn tree. Charlie is mocked relentlessly for his choice, and he wonders out loud if anyone knows what Christmas is really about. Linus in all his sweet seriousness, says that he does, and everything is still and quiet as he strolls to center stage and recites the annunciation to the shepherds, and says to Charlie, that THAT is what Christmas is about. Charlie Brown leaves feeling full of hope and purpose, that he won’t let these attitudes change his Christmas, and he hangs a little bulb on the tree which pulls it over. Charlie, ever hard on himself, believes he has killed it.

In the meantime his friends realize they were really mean to Charlie and follow him to make it up to him. They find his little tree, steal the decorations off of Snoopy’s award winning decorated doghouse, and elevate the tree to a shining glorious tree. Charlie rejoins them all and they all sing together. And by then I am probably teary.

This movie is also available on Amazon.

I am so glad that we ended our little movie series with these two movies. Both make me feel so full of the Christmas spirit, and remind me of the wonder and magic of the season, that spark that was there when I was a child, reminding me not to get to get caught up in the madness but to just enjoy. They just give me the warm and fuzzies.

Thanks for reading and watching along with us!! I have enjoyed reading everyone’s comments and thoughts on the movies, and learning your favorites as well. It was also nice to meet a new to me blogger, Katja!

For Lisa’s thoughts click here. For Katja’s click over here.

Tuesday Morning Coffee Catch Up and Holiday Nights

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized5 Comments

There is a snowstorm on the way! It looks like we will have a very snowy Christmas – and also a very very cold one.

Today the coffee is a special brew! My brother gifted us this bag of beans from Leelanau Coffee, in Home for the Holidays blend, and I have been holding onto it since Thanksgiving for us to drink this week. And…I am enjoying a Christmas sugar cookie with it. My bestie’s husband spent the weekend baking 200 cookies with his daughters for the holidays and we were lucky enough to get a drop off. They are delicious, and so is the coffee!

Where to start today!

Let’s start with what we did Saturday – Holiday Nights at Greenfield Village, one of my very favorite events of the season. The village is decorated for the holidays, there are caroling groups, sleigh rides, roasted chestnuts and toasted almonds and hot cocoa, ice skating, Santa, and so much more!

It was a cold one, bitter cold, Saturday night, in the low 20s with a bitterly cold wind. We were all bundled up as well as we could get, and felt cheery despite the chill. We joined the mass of people funneling through the gates into the bustle of the yuletide wonder that is Holiday Nights. And it was a beautiful night. Lightly snowing, glowing lights, it was simply magical.

We wandered around drinking hot chocolate, munching on snacks, taking in the sights, warming ourselves by the fires as needed. We were having a blast. Until..we weren’t. Or rather, Wyatt wasn’t. My normally cheerful child had a major meltdown. At first, I couldn’t decide if something was actually wrong, like pain of some sort. After a few minutes though, I made the decision that he and I were going back to the car to wait for the rest of the night while my mom, Billy, my brother’s family and my SIL’s mom continued with their evening. Billy wound up taking him but I of course couldn’t stop wondering if he was ok. So after 20 minutes I headed out as well, taking my mom, who was freezing and a little tired, with me. Later that night we decided it was just a combo of things that caused his meltdown. The bitter cold, the fact that he wanted to be on the move and we were instead eating doughnuts by the fire, he was getting tired.. all contributed. The wheelchair has been a huge blessing and given Wyatt a sense of freedom and independence in mobility he hasn’t previously really had at something like that. In previous years he would have been either carried or trapped in a wagon. Now he can go where he wants (or at least he thinks) and he can move a lot faster than with his walker. So this will be an adjustment for us all as we learn how to navigate this new way of life.

Today Wyatt and I are going for a ride, to my favorite boutique plant shop about an hour away. My mom is coming with us as well, so it will be a nice family road trip. My goal is to pick out two plants, one for my mother in law, one for my stepmom. for Christmas.

Tomorrow we will have a special meal for Winter Solstice, which makes me sound very pagan, but in acutality we started doing something on solstice when Wyatt was born, as a response to the chaos of the holiday season. I love all the craziness of getting together with our families and running this way and that, but I wanted to find a quiet space for just Billy, Wyatt, and I as well. A special night for the three of us as a respite from the madness, and the longest night of the year seemed like the perfect fit. We usually have a simple but good meal – this year we are having a hearty beef stew followed by a minty chocolate cake roll for Wyatt. We will also probably enjoy the gingerbread cookies that I am planning to make tomorrow morning. We will play music, turn the lights down, maybe put some extra nuts and fruit out for the neighborhood squirrels and our backyard possum. If it’s not too cold then we will take a little walk around the neighborhood, this time with blankets for Wyatt. I am looking forward to it.

And that is all the time I have this morning! I hope you are all having a great week!

The Nutcracker Immersive

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Detroit, family friendly, holiday13 Comments

We have been on the go these past few days!

I declared last Wednesday Wyatt’s last day of school until the first week of January, and since then we have been just doing all the Christmas.

Thursday afternoon my dad, Wyatt, and I went to the Nutcracker Immersive Experience in Detroit. My dad and I are “get there early” people so we left at like 11:50 for a show that started at 1 and was an easy 20 minute drive. I was all parked in the parking garage at 12:10 and we both looked at each other and were like, “Well, we have some time before it starts”. I wandered to the street to see how far we were from the venue – which ended up being 250 feet so good on me for choosing a close parking garage. (The Detroit Opera House garage was a good choice but pricey at $20. There is also a lot on the other side of the venue that is gated and $10) So we listened to some Christmas music for a bit then decided to walk down and see if we could get in early. I was guessing we could because it was a Thursday afternoon before school was out for the day or for the holidays. And we could! It was in an old Detroit building with stairs up to the door, but they had a clearly visible sign pointing to where we could access ADA entry. It was a little old elevator that my dad told Wyatt had been around since the time of Lincoln but it did the job.

The doors opened, and we were the first people there! Or only people? We could hear the music all around us as soon as the doors opened and Wyatt was getting pretty excited! We got all checked in – Wyatt had a premium ticket where he received an ornament and my dad and I had basic tickets, because we wanted Wyatt to get the special treatment. There were four ornaments to choose from, and Wyatt picked the Mouse King. This was not surprising to me – Wyatt always picks the animal choice if there is one.

It looks pretty cute hanging on our tree!

Once checked in we were scooted across the hall, the source of the music. There were drapes across the doorway and the staff held them open for us as we entered the room (which was completely empty!). We were all awestruck. Seriously. We walked in at the perfect time – the projections and VR and the music were at a crescendo, a blizzard was swirling all around us, and we were absolutely immersed in the scene. It was pretty amazing honestly. Wyatt kept exclaiming “Whoa! Whoa!!” and laughing. Exactly what I wanted!


This reel is a composite of different moments – I didn’t want to add too many videos and drive you all crazy!

We spent about 20 minutes alone in that first room which was awesome. Then we decided to check out the ballroom upstairs.

This room was huge! And still very empty as you can see. It was actually so big that Wyatt wanted to wheel around everywhere and explore the space more than watch the show, but that is exactly why I chose this immersive version. He loves the music of the Nutcracker but there is no way he would ever sit through a full production of it. A 30 minute immersive was perfect.

We were in the ballroom for the end of the show, and we weren’t quite ready to leave. As there were not tons of people and no one waiting, we chose to go back down to the first room to see the snowstorm again before leaving. It was still just as magical!

Best photo of the three of us of the bunch that were taken. Lol. Oh well. We had a fantastic time, and would for sure do it again. It was a a great day of music and magical memory making, a very special day spent with my dad and my child.

The Details:

The Immersive Nutcracker in Detroit is at the Lighthouse ArtSpace on Grand River, right by the Opera House. They have a few different ticket packages to choose from, with the most basic ticket starting at $29.99. Parking was easy during the day, but it did look like there were multiple lots scattered all around. This area services Comerica Park, The Opera House, and Ford Field so it is a pretty main area of Detroit.

There are a few benches scattered around the rooms for seating, but I think if you go during a busy time, it might be difficult to grab one. I am not sure how close they pack people in, so if you have the ability to go during a less busy time like we did I would suggest it. Also, this could be very overstimulating and cause sensory overload for those who are sensitive to it. It is immersive, and they don’t kid around with that claim. There are even sensory warning signs on display. Wyatt and my dad are both sensory seeker type people, where I am..not. I was find with it but afterwards I definitely felt the need to decompress in a quiet space. So keep that in mind.

ADA Thoughts:

I was happy with the accommodations made for wheelchairs and those with mobility issues. The clearly visible sign directing us to the elevator entrance, the staff was also very friendly and made a point to tell us that the ballroom had tons of space to move about. I don’t know how it would be if it were crowded but with a light attendance it was perfect. I also would ask about epilepsy warnings if photosensitive epilepsy is an issue, at least for the Nutcracker Experience, as the scenes moved quick and there was some flashing. And of course the sensory warnings as well. Overall though, this was a very easy and fun trip out for us all! I would 100% go again!

‘Tis the Season Cinema: It’s A Wonderful Life

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn tis the season cinema12 Comments

“Look Daddy, teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.”

Wow, I can’t believe we are one week from Christmas! Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I started this in early November and it still feels like time just flew by. And I am late posting today but better late than never!

Let’s just dive in shall we?

It’s a Wonderful Life is another Christmas classic. Yet instead of showy musical numbers and lighthearted moments, this movie has its share of sadness and despair, which seems odd when paired with a Christmas classic. But it is the light that shines from the darkness in this movie that make it the classic that it is today. (Let me say classic one more time – classic)

Young George Bailey (James Stewart) has dreams. Dreams of a world tour, not running his family’s business, the Bailey Brother’s Building and Loan. Yet when his father dies, it is George who bends his knee to family duty, keeping the place running so that it doesn’t get dissolved by the mean Scrooge-like Mr. Potter. He gives his money to his brother Harry, with the understanding that when his brother comes back home from school, Harry will run the business, freeing George to pursue his put-aside plans.

However, that doesn’t happen. George’s life ends up going down roads he had never planned for himself, a life given over to doing what is expected rather than what he wants. He marries Mary, has a family, and keeps on going, being that trustworthy fellow that he has always been. Then, one Christmas Eve, all the sacrifices George has made over the years are at risk, and he feels helpless to stop the downward spiral that spells criminal charges and scandal and ruination.

These feelings of helplessness, despair, worthlessness, lead George down a very dark road, one where he feels he would be better off dead than alive. Or, that he had never been born. The prayers of the whole town reach heaven’s gates, and an angel name Clarence is dispatched to Earth to help poor George – and earn his wings. When George is about to throw himself off a bridge, Clarence instead falls in and George ends up rescuing him instead. Clarence shows George what life would have been like had he not been born, and this is when things get wild.

George learns that he has touched and changed the lives of so many people in his life – his brother would have died had George not saved him from drowning, Mr. Gower the pharmacist would have poisoned the prescription, and maybe worst of all, Mary would be a spinster LIBRARIAN!! Ok, sorry, I shouldn’t make light but that always cracks me up. Anyway, George is shown that he did so much good in his life, and that things would be terrible had he not been there to do them. That he is loved. That he has friends, and that people care, and that he is in fact, “the richest man in town”. And Clarence gets his wings!

The ending gets me every single time.

That hasn’t always been the case though. I didn’t appreciate this movie as much as I should have when I was younger. I couldn’t understand some of the feelings George had. I was young, I still had my big dreams ahead of me. And while I didn’t accomplish a lot of these dreams (looking at you, skipping college to move out west and write a book of poetry), I made new dreams. George doesn’t realize that dreams can change, you can wind up living the life you were meant. And that is ok, he had Clarence to show him, that he indeed had a wonderful life.

I think this movie hits hard this time of year. December is a tough month for some people. The holidays can make people feel more alone, stressed out. Desperate. And they may not have a community like Bedford Falls to help them through. I didn’t intend to really talk about this but, it is important. Especially in light of the news of tWitch‘s death yesterday. Seemingly happy to the world, but struggling with his own inner demons. This sounds so trite and cliche, but, let’s be nice to each other. Reach out in friendship. If you are struggling and need help, please call 988. Everyone’s life is important, everyone matters.

Ok, let’s bring the mood back up.

One of my favorite scenes:

It is so ridiculously romantic to me.

And then this, where I am 100% sobbing every time.

Next week is our last week, and we are watching Emmet Otter and Charlie Brown. I mean, I already watched them because I had the wrong movies written down mistakenly, but maybe I will watch them again!

For Lisa’s post, click on over here! To read Katja’s post, click here!

Homeschool Journey: Alaska, Mistletoe and Holly

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn homeschooling12 Comments

I usually do a homeschool post every week, but since we are learning a little differently this month it made more sense to combine last week and this week. We are still doing his basics, reading and math which I usually don’t share about because it is basically what you think and not really anything to share about. I do love to share what we are doing for literary arts, social studies, and science which is where learning is more hands on as well as instructional.

One thing I wanted to do with Wyatt is introduce him to different cultures in school this year. We spent a lot of time learning about Dias de los Muertos already this year, and this week we read a little bit about Hanukkah. Then we made latkes! I have never ever made them and felt like food is such a great bridge without being appropriational. I mean, I want him to learn but I don’t want to be disrespectful either. Latkes played an important part in both books that we read, Hanukkah in Alaksa and Little Red Ruthie, so it seemed like a natural fit.

I have never fried anything in my life, or cooked like that. THAT was my learning experience for the week. However, I think they did turn out pretty ok? Wyatt seemed to like them at least. They were not pretty though. We had them with pierogi and crepes – that we did not make ourselves.

It’s also been a week of tiny books. Two projects I had for him he had to make tiny accordion style books and they are so cute! One was a booklet about Alaska, the other the life cycle of holly. We have actually been learning a lot about holly! The life cycle, parts of the plant, uses, how it looks in different seasons, and its adaptive qualities, such as the prickles and spiky leaves being a response to herbivores like deer!

This week we read Mim’s Christmas Jam, which is a great Christmas book. The father in this book is away for the holidays, working in NYC digging the tunnels for the subway system, and naturally the family all miss each other. The mom and kids make him a jar of their belly-hum jam, and send it off to him. He shares it with his mean foreman (nicknamed Mean and Evil) and they become filled with the spirit of Christmas and give the men time off for Christmas. Dad gets to go home and surprise his family by being there for the holiday. It also includes a recipe for belly-hum jam that we are going to attempt this weekend. Attempt being the key word.

Today is actually our last full day of instruction! Tomorrow Wyatt has therapy, and then I am taking him to the Immersive Nutcracker experience with my dad in the afternoon. Friday we will work in the morning, then we will be off for break! Next week is all about making cookies and ornaments, reading books, celebrating winter solstice, a little bit about Balto to wrap up Alaska, and then Christmas. We both need the break!

What We Used:

This section contains Amazon Affiliate links. In addition to the curriculum I am creating for him, we also use curriculum from The Good and the Beautiful, The Waldock Way, and Blossom and Root for phonics, reading, science, and social studies.

Mistletoe || Mim’s Christmas Jam || Alaska || Molly’s Awesome Alaska Guide || Midnight Dance of the Snowshoe Hare || Little Red Ruthie || Hanukkah in Alaska

Printables:

Holly Looking Glass Unit Study – Books and Willows

Mistletoe Investigation Set – Honeycomb Cabin

Tuesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized8 Comments

We are still waiting for snow around here! The mornings are chilly, the skies are gray, but… still no snow. However, our Christmas still marches on, despite the lack of white stuff on the ground.

This past week Wyatt and I talked a bit about Hanukkah. I always want to make sure I introduce him to different cultures without being appropriational, and one of the ways I feel we can achieve that is through books, discussion, and food. Latkes featured prominently in the books we read (Hanukkah in Alaska and Little Red Ruthie) so, Saturday night I attempted making latkes. I didn’t do too terribly, I don’t think? They were not super attractive, but they tasted ok. I wasn’t sure what to have them with (other than sour cream) so we ordered pierogi from the Little Pierogi and Crepe Cafe downtown. Billy and I had pierogi, Wyatt had a cheese crepe, and everything was delicious. I had a bacon blue cheese pierogi, loaded potato, and a jalapeno popper one which was so good but also my mouth was on fire.

In fact, it was so good and we were so full, we needed a walk after we ate. We bundled up, tucked Wyatt into the wagon with three blankets, and headed off into the night and cold. We looked at Christmas lights and I played Christmas music on my phone as we walked – we had a ton of fun!

Sunday was round two of Christmas cheer and food.

In the morning Billy and I barely had time to drink a cup of coffee before it was time to leave for Wyatt’s appointment with Santa. Our favorite nature center hosts a a few different Santa events, with a small sing-a-long, a story, snacks, crafts, and a visit with the big man himself. Santa sits in his own little room, and families get called in one by one. It is really neat, and Wyatt had a blast. He was really into singing Jingle Bells and shaking the bells they gave us all.

I try to keep Wyatt’s childhood as innocent and magical as I can, knowing he will grow up way too soon. Childhood and it’s magic is just not long enough, so I try with all my might to make his as wonderful as possible. As I watched him with Santa, and saw the joy on his face, I knew for now he was living what I wanted for him. I also knew in my momma’s heart that this might be the last year we experience this particular moment, as he gets older and maybe loses the belief in Santa. So for now, I enjoy it while I can.

We continued on with our cozy little happy day all day. My mom came over for dinner, and I made a chicken pot pie for the first time. The recipe was for a “French inspired” version, and was sort of a semi-homemade variety. I felt like it was a good place for me to start, and it was freaking delicious. My tiny mom even ate two pieces! It was easy and the hardest part was waiting for it to rest ten minutes. Mine was not as artfully arranged or pretty, but dang it tasted good. I’ll nail the presentation next time maybe.

And after dinner – more lights! This time we drove though, my mom would have been an icicle if we had walked again. We saw some pretty cool displays – one was even in multiple yards and had music!

It was a really nice weekend, full of good food and holiday cheer.

My Sunday-Monday Post

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized28 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! Today I am writing this up as fast as I can – I have little boy here who has an appointment with Santa this morning! And trust me, he is very excited. So I have to move quickly this morning!

Read Last Week/This Week:

I am still working on the same books I was last week. All Creation Waits is a book you read everyday, a few pages, and I am loving it. Midwinter Murder is a collection of Agatha Christie short stories, which frankly is all I have the attention span for these days! My December reading is always so slowpokey! And then when I need a break from murder, I have this one!

My mom gave me a bunch of these back in the 90s. Every Christmas I had a new Regency Christmas romance in my stocking and I still have most of them, although they are tattered from being so well read. They are such delightful little stories – and what is happier than Christmas and romance together?

Posted Last Week:

Homeschool Journey: Alaska, Cranberries, and Evergreens

Hello December!

Wednesday Morning Coffee Catch Up: Embracing the Imperfect

‘Tis the Season Cinema: Holiday Inn

10 on the 10th!

Watching/Listening:

I’ve fallen into Grantchester and seem to be stuck there! It is so good! So much drama mixed in with crime in this one – and Sidney Chambers is a bit different as a vicar, eh? Sidney Chambers is also pretty nice to look at as well. I did see that he eventually leaves the show, but I will deal with that as it happens.

We are also watching Rings of Power, when I can separate myself from the angsty drama of Grantchester, and Three Pines.

In movies, it is Emmet Otter night everyone! I absolutely can’t wait! I am having my mom over tonight for homemade chicken pot pie (cross your fingers for me everyone, it is my first attempt). Then we will take a drive to look at lights before dropping her back off at home, and we will come home to watch Emmet. It is my favorite holiday movie so I am super excited.

And that is it from my corner of the mitten state! How are you all?

10 on the 10th! – December

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized13 Comments

It’s time for 10 on the 10th again! 10 on the 10th is hosted by Marsha at Marsha in the Middle.

  1. How many gifts do you usually purchase in the holiday season? Gosh, I am not sure! I always start with the kids in the family – so that is … 7 kids. Then I move on to Billy and parents. After that I finish everyone else up, from friends other family members, and therapists, etc.

2. Who is the hardest person for whom you buy presents? Ugh my dad! My dad loves to shop so he is always buying stuff he wants already. Plus he is picky. Not that he would ever say he didn’t like his gift, but I just want to make him happy with what I do pick out. He is always grateful, it’s more on my end, wanting to please him.

3. How do you respond to a gift you really don’t like? The same way I do to a gift I do like.

4. What gifts do you consider to be the best to give or receive? Books!!! I love getting books, I love giving books! Every kid I buy for gets things I know they want/like, but they all always get a book too. I also love to give handmade, unique gifts as well, or gifts that really hone in on a person’s interests.

5. What kind of gifts do you consider the worst to give or receive? I am not a fan of “joke” gifts. I feel it is sort of a waste of resources.

6. What gift would you never give ever? Hmm. A giant wall sized portrait of myself.

7. What is your process for selecting a gift? I am a list maker. I make a list of all the people I buy for, then think about who they are, what they like. Then I brainstorm different ideas and browse the internet, especially Etsy. Which is how I always end up with themed Etsy lists. LOL.

8. What is the best gift you have ever gotten? I have always loved my gifts, but a very special and memorable one was the dollhouse my grandpa made me. I loved that so much. I remember my cousin got the Barbie Dream House that year but I loved my dollhouse more.

9. What is the best gift you’ve ever given? I am not sure! Wyatt really loves his Henry (photo above). He also really loved his little toy kitchen. The day we got rid of that almost made me cry, that he had outgrown it.

10. Would you ever or have you ever re-gifted something? I have not. I might if I had a gift card that I had gotten and then realized I needed a last minute gift, then I might grab that to give.

‘Tis the Season Cinema: Holiday Inn

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized11 Comments

This month Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I, along with newcomer Katja from Breath of Hallelujah who is joining in, are having fun watching the same Christmas movies and then posting our thoughts. This week’s movie, Holiday Inn, ended up being not quite what we expected or remembered!

Before I begin let’s just address the elephant in the room. Some of you may have known this already, but I wasn’t aware and Lisa had totally forgotten about it, but this movie has a very problematic scene. It has a scene in blackface. I do not condone racism; in fact I am vehemently opposed to it. We are all aware now just how inappropriate and wrong this scene is, and there are versions now available to watch without this scene. However, this scene needs to be acknowledged. To not address it is to smooth over the fact that this and other scenes/acts in show business history had acts like this, and we can’t move on without talking about these things.

So, with that out of the way let’s talk about the rest of the movie a little.

It is very similar to White Christmas in some ways, especially considering the movie is filmed on the same set that White Christmas was. Bing also croons away on that old favorite Christmas song in Holiday Inn, which was filmed before White Christmas. Bing has a partner in entertainment, Fred Astaire this time, and Bing decides to retire away to the country and work his farm. That sounds good to me. However, he also chooses to do this after his fiance tells him she would rather be with Fred Astaire! Um, that sucks. So off he goes to his farm in the country, brokenhearted. He learns though that he can’t just leave show business behind, and turns his place into an inn that is only open for the holidays, complete with musical numbers. Fred Astaire does kind of steal the show in my opinion in this one. Sorry Bing.

Two examples of how?

First off, the famous firecracker scene. Super dramatic honestly. I loved it. I sort of wish I could just throw down a firecracker before I left a place or something for extra emphasis. Tap dancing is so cool too. I have always wanted to do it!

Then, the famous drunk dancing scene! In this one Fred Astaire is actually drunk – in order to pull it off, he took drinks between takes. I’ll tell you, if you look back on my wild youth, my dancing under the influence was not this graceful…

It was just cute and rather funny.

The movie itself is a more of a vehicle to show off the talents of Crosby and Astaire, which are considerable, and while it does have Christmas scenes, it is more of a musical that celebrates many different holidays.

This was an unusual one, that is for sure! But, it did have some good scenes and Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby are like a power couple. Did it have situations that were jarring and uncomfortable for someone of our time? Absolutely. But it does give us the opportunity to talk about them and talk about how it is wrong.

Moving on!

Yes! Next week we are talking about my very favorite holiday movie – Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas!! We are also going to be talking about A Charlie Brown Christmas, which is another holiday favorite. Both are so wonderful and I am so excited to watch them both!!

You can find Lisa’s thoughts here.

You can find Katja’s thoughts here.

Wednesday Morning Coffee Catch Up: Embracing the Imperfect

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized13 Comments

Good morning! Or afternoon or evening or whenever you are reading this! I am embracing my inner goblin this morning, drinking my coffee in bed while writing this. I just read this morning that the Oxford word for the year is “goblin mode” (although isn’t this two words?) and it is the anti-becoming a better person movement. Like instead of waking at 5 am and drinking a green smoothie, you would sleep in and have heaps of black coffee. I never get to sleep in, which should be a perk of homeschooling, but no matter how many times I explain that to Wyatt, he is an early bird. So heaps of coffee for me please, and goblin mode I guess.

Anyway, today I am drinking the Aldi Fair Trade Columbian because it has cute little turtles on the packaging. I am a sucker for packaging darn it. It’s not bad though so my impulsivity worked out.

Looking back over my weekend, it was apparently all about trees. I had no idea. I guess our conifers unit study seeped into my subconscious!

I made a little tree pillow! I think it turned out super cute. And jeesh, why is one pillowcase so wrinkly? Lol. Don’t look over there. That must be the goblin side of the bed. I like my little tree pillow though! I also attempted to make shower steamers. You are supposed to be able to throw them in the shower where they melt, releasing a scent like mint or evergreen, which will help if you are congested. They did turn out, just a bit roughly. I put them in a jar in my bathroom, where we can access them as needed. Tomorrow I plan on making tree soap, to continue my tree related projects.

And the most important tree of all! The Christmas tree is up! I love sitting in the den in the evening by the light of the tree. This year no matter how hard we tried we could not get Faye (the tree’s name) to stand up straight! So we have a bit of a tipsy tree this year. I think the Faye that we named the tree after would approve. She was a fun loving woman with a big quick laugh and an even bigger smile. She would definitely have had a good laugh watching us try to straighten it. Despite its lean though, it is covered in ornaments that are special to us. You know those ornaments. The ones you exclaim over as you take them out. “Oh look, the ornament we got in New Orleans on our honeymoon!” and “Aww, this is from when I was a little girl”. Or, “Wyatt, we got this ornament the year you were born, our little blue jay!” Ornaments we bought on a family excursion to Bronner’s in Frankenmuth. Ornaments that Wyatt has made. The ornaments that are really just memories of moments and Christmases past.

We put the tree up Sunday, listening to the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, and afterwards made homemade pizza. Or rather, Billy did. It was so good y’all. So good. We followed that up by bundling up in heavy clothes and trundling out to the porch, where we covered up with blankets and drank cocoa enjoying the cold evening. We didn’t stay out too long, before heading in and changing into pajamas and tried movie night with Wyatt take two. This time we watched Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas and he LOVED it. So success! It is so far safe to say that it is his favorite Christmas movie of the season. We will see if Mickey gets dethroned – my bet is no though.

It was a pretty low key weekend, but a very very good one.