Category: Uncategorized

Poking my head out

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized13 Comments

Hey all. I am going to be honest, I have been having a very difficult time lately with my anxiety. Like, really bad. I have had to cut myself off from social media and the news, and my husband and brother have been telling me what I need to know. But, last night something happened. I made dinner, then we watched an hour of television, then took Wyatt to our room where he has been sleeping with us (he has been having some episodes lately that could be seizures) and we watched another episode of Doc Martin while Wyatt slept. When the show was over, Billy got up to do some stuff before coming to bed. As I lay there though, I began to think I smelled gas. And sure enough, Billy checked and somehow the burner had been nudged over and had been releasing gas into the house probably since dinner. After an hour of airing out the house, with Wyatt wrapped up in blankets, we finally were rid of it, and Wyatt and I went back to bed, while Billy closed up again. As I lay there in bed this time, I realized that I was so anxious about what was happening in the world that I had failed to notice something very dangerous in my own home. Billy has a cold (no fever) and is congested and couldn’t smell it. Wyatt couldn’t tell me if he did notice. It was all up to me, and with my nerves, I somehow didn’t notice. Thank God that I did notice before we went to sleep. It really put things into a different perspective for me, that I need to slow down. It was a wake up call for sure.

I don’t know what I will be posting here in the coming weeks, or how often. I think I might post inspirational photos or quotes or poems for a while, with some of our life interposed.

I don’t want to talk about the thing that is happening, here though. I need to keep this a safe space for me. 🙂

Know that I am thinking of all of you who I talk to here as well.

Currently..March

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized31 Comments

Today I am linking up with Anne In Residence’s Currently!

Fixing: I am so ready for spring! I am so over all my favorite soups and stews so we are playing with different recipes and meals. Lately we are loving a Mediterranean Tuna Salad I found on Pinterest, and also some nights, we are just enjoying a charcuterie board of sorts, with meats and cheese and fruits and veggies – and of course delicious bread too!

Hearing: The birds singing in the morning!! This has been a wonderful spirit lifter – I love hearing their chatter and calls and chirps. All their lovely conversation telling me that spring is on the way.

Borrowing: This month we are borrowing a lot of books from the library about ponds, birds, snails (my favorite!), and worms for our Exploring Nature with Children curriculum we do for some enrichment, and also as part of the Kid’s Moon Club. This month is the Worm moon, one of my favorites last year! It is named for the worm because this is the month usually that the little worms start wiggling their way to the earth’s surface, digging out of winter- kind of like how I feel this time of year too!

Feeling: All sorts of things! Spring fever for sure. A bit reminiscent as my son turned 5 on the second. A bit of anxiety about some of the news (coronavirus is sort of freaking me out). Excited for all the fun things this month holds. By the time this is posted we will have celebrated Wyatt’s birthday, just our little family, on a small family vacation, and will be getting ready for his big party. Frustration at not having the time to finish some of our home projects. But mostly I am feeling hopeful, content, and happy.

Recommending: British Cozy Mystery television shows. Nature walks. Reading The Hands-On Home: A Seasonal Guide to Cooking, Preserving, and Natural Homekeeping. I am so in love with this book! I am also now a huge fan of ordering from Azure Standard as well. I love that they will deliver for a fraction of a cost to a drop location near you! I have my cart already started for April’s drop. And if you don’t want to wait for the drop, you can always choose to have your order shipped.

What about you all? How are you feeling these days? What is going on in your world?

Hello, March!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Hello, Uncategorized7 Comments

I am so excited for March! We are starting it out right too – this morning is Wyatt’s fifth birthday and we went on a little mini-vacation as a family. It’s been almost a year since we traveled anywhere and this little house we are staying in is so charming! Wyatt loves that there is a piano…

Today we plan on doing some hiking and visiting some new nature centers, then following it up with ice cream and dinner out. A great way to begin the month of the worm moon!

Then next weekend we have Wyatt’s family party, which should also be a blast, fingers crossed. And then of course, St. Patrick’s Day too! Our family is super Irish and St. Patrick’s Day is a good excuse to get together and eat food again.

This month is such a hopeful month for me usually – the beginning of spring, and so called the worm moon because this is the month that the little worms in the ground start wiggling their way up to the surface. We are going to start a worm composting farm this month, something I am not super excited about but Billy is. Lol. But it means spring really is on the way, soon we can be outside gardening, and in the sun, enjoying spring blooms after a winter of cold and gray. The birds will all be back, singing and chattering away in the mornings, and we will see the sunshine more. I am going to start all my seeds pretty soon, hopefully when we get home, and see their happy little faces popping up.

We also have a fun month ahead of us in Exploring Nature with Children – we have birds and their nests, spring ponds, spring equinox, and snails all ahead of us this month, and I love all of these things! Wyatt and I jump started our bird week last week, reading about and even making a few birds nests together! We had a blast. Snails should be particularly fun, at least for us, since we do have our own little snail, Sampson.

We have a pretty simple month ahead, but one full of promise of spring. But for now, I am going to go celebrate with my big time five year old!

February Book Tallies

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized11 Comments

I started this in January and liked it so much I am keeping it going! I’ve got a few ideas cooking about how to do this post, but for this month, I am keeping it simple.

Let’s start with what I read!

Like last month, I read six books. I read Around the World in 80 Trees a few pages a day for the whole month, and it was really cool. I learned so much about different trees! Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts was one of my favorites this year so far, and I enjoyed diving back into this Eva Gates series. The Willow Tree Hall books were happy little reads, and I loved The Hands-On Home so much I bought my own copy, since I had checked it out from the library.

Wyatt and I also read about the same amount of books as last month, 27 books. I posted about our Valentine reading, and I am planning a February post soon hopefully.

Our money saved by using the library was still pretty amazing, ending up at $610.35. Combined with last month’s total of $656.10, I am at $1266.45 for the year so far!! However, I did buy a few books for myself this month, spending $29.88 on a few of the books mentioned above. The library continues to be one of our favorite places, and I love how it is the same library I used to go to. Lisa at Boondock Ramblings also posted this month about visiting her new-old library. I love reading about everyone’s library memories!

I posted two book review posts, and finished two nonfiction books as well, for my nonfiction reading challenge! I am feeling pretty happy about that – although I still need to do those reviews…

And that’s it for this month’s tallies!

Friday Favorites..

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized7 Comments

I am so behind this week. Wyatt didn’t have school Monday or Tuesday, due to his teacher being sick and no sub (if you are a teacher who needs a job, move to Michigan! Huge shortage), then snow days the rest of the week! We are also going on a short trip to the west side of Michigan next week so I am getting ready for our family vacation. It’s been nuts!

I did find some neat stuff during the time I was able to be online though!

I was most excited about this discovery – free Imagination passes to Dollywood for pre-k children born in 2015 and 2016. I signed Wyatt up for one right away! You don’t have to make reservations or commit to a certain time either, it’s good for the year. We have been talking about going (I love Dolly and Wyatt loves country music and Billy loves us so..) and this might be the year! I am thinking maybe fall. If you are interested, you have until March 15 to reserve your free pass! Also if anyone has gone and has trip hints and tricks let me know!

I have begun watching a few YouTube channels lately, mostly on in the background when I am cleaning or folding clothes, and one I am really enjoying is Northern Heart. It’s all about Maria and her life in the Swedish countryside, but also some of her struggles that brought her there to that slower paced life. It is such a cozy, warm vlog with definite hygge goals.

Since Wyatt was off this week, we had a lot of time to work on Exploring Nature with Children! We combined this week’s curriculum with next week’s – birds and a field trip to a new nature center, hiking spot, etc. We will do our field trip while on vacation, so this week we focused on birds and their nests. I hope to do a post next week, but this face can’t wait..

This book review post over at Superfluous Reading about The Year Without Summer by Guinevere Glasfurd. I have always been interested in this period in history, ever since I learned that it influenced so many writers and artists – including Mary Shelley, who wrote Frankenstein that summer..

I am also loving this Instagram account!! Who else loves Wes Anderson, raise their hands? I find his work so visually appealing, and this Instagram is so fun!

View this post on Instagram

_____________________ Herring Era Museum | Siglufjörður, Iceland | c. 1996 • For 50 years, the town of Siglufjörður, was at the center of a herring boom that swept Iceland and transformed its economy. Thousands of workers flocked to this tiny hamlet to find work in what was dubbed the “Atlantic Klondike.” Though the industry collapsed in 1969, the Herring Era Museum remains to tell the tale of the boom years of Iceland’s Herring Adventure • In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fishing technology made great leaps, and Norwegian vessel owners began fishing the open waters with great success. Herring towns soon sprang up, and hundreds of icelanders found employment processing the catch, until domination of the industry eventually changed from Norwegian to Icelandic hands • Salted herring was a staple food of many European countries, particularly vital during the two world wars. The industry was so crucial to Iceland’s economy that it accounted for between 25-45% of the country's export earnings at its height • One of the most important ports in Iceland, Siglufjörður (aka Sigló) was the site of the first processing plant, and had twenty-three salting stations and five reducing factories. Because the fish spoiled quickly, hundreds of “Herring Girls” were employed to process the catch as it came in. They lived in boarding houses and were paid by the barrel. An entire genre of Iclandic pop music is dedicated to them • When the herring failed to appear in 1969, the industry completely collapsed. Sigló and other port towns suffered a severe depression • Twenty years later, a group of local volunteers banded together to renovate the Roaldsbrakki–an old Norwegian salting station from 1907, and turn it into a museum remembering the Herring Era. The government-backed project opened in 1996 and has 5 exhibits, including a boathouse, slipway, boarding house, and even salting demonstrations • Know more? Please comment below! • 📸: @amypresleyart ✍: @elalalaney 📰: @wikipedia + @atlasobscura + sild.is • #AccidentallyWesAnderson #Archigram #AccidentalWesAnderson #WesAnderson #VscoArchitecture #Vscotravel #herring #Pursuewhatislovely #lcelandTravel #VisitIceland #iceland🇮🇸

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And this is my cue to stop….

What about you all? What social media are you imbibing? What are some neat things you have found this week?

My Sunday-Monday Post

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized35 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

I didn’t get much reading done last week, as Wyatt was home sick, poor kiddo. I of course caught his cold, although a more mild version. I have my fingers crossed we are feeling better soon, because our family “UK dinner” is this weekend! I have decided on an Irish Beef Stew, and I am hoping that this is actually a thing in Ireland. If it’s not don’t tell me yet! Lol. It should be a fun night though. My cousin has been hard at work perfecting his Yorshire Pudding, and I have to say, his look like the best efforts our family has made since my grandma used to make it.

Read Last Week/Reading This week:

That being said, I have not been able to really read or focus on anything. I did download and start one book, and I hope to settle down and read it this week. I still also have The Starless Sea sitting here unopened.

By Book or by Crook by Eva Gates: I read Spook in the Stacks back in October, and decided it was time to circle around and start the series from the beginning. I didn’t read much but I did enjoy what I have read so far! (Amazon)

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern: My husband finished this and is singing its praises so hopefully I get it started this week.

Nonfiction I am reading:

The Hands-On Home: I am a very seasonal person, so I am really excited to start this book!

Around the World in 80 Trees: I am continuing to read this every week, here and there.

Posted Last Week:

I am so glad I prepped some book reviews last weekend!

Book Review: Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts

Book Reviews: Willow Tree Hall Series 1-3

Friday Favorites

Watching:

Locke and Key, Grace and Frankie, and Doc Martin. He is still kind of harsh but I feel like I understand his character so much more now, especially after a couple of key episodes.

My Sunday-Monday Post

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized30 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

Last week was all about parties it seemed – planning and preparing for Wyatt’s fifth birthday party, and then all the Valentine’s things! Party with his cousins, party at school, our family Valentine celebration..it was just a week centered around celebrating I guess. Which made it fun! Billy and I event got a date night in there as well! I am super excited about Wyatt’s party, which is going to be lumberjack themed with a cake that looks like a stack of pancakes!

Read Last Week:

A Winter Wedding at Willow Tree Hall by Alison Sherlock: The third in this series, and probably my very favorite. I have really enjoyed them all, such just pleasant happy little reads, but I loved this one. I loved boho shy Skye and her crazy Airstream and fear of the outdoors and countryside! I think that there is another one in this series but I will come back to this series; I loved them but I am ready to move on from their cozy little world.

Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia: OMG I loved this book!!!! I picked it up on a whim and instantly fell in love with it once I started reading. I loved The Westing Game as a kid and this book reminded me of it. I have really kicked off my reading year with books about clever people solving puzzles (The Truly Devious series and now this book) and now I just want more like this. This book was so fantastic – it was funny, quirky, nods to pop culture from my own youth… absolutely awesome book. I’m hoping to get to some book reviews this week, and this will probably be in that roundup!

Reading This Week:

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern: So, I was going to give this book a pass. I was among the minority I think, who did not like The Night Circus, so I was not going to read this one. But then my husband listened to it and loved it, so I have decided to try it out. Plus, it also sounds like it is about solving a puzzle/mystery/game! So perfect timing!

Around the World in 80 Trees: I am fascinated by this book although I probably only read a few trees a week. I feel like my nerd level of telling people facts about trees without them asking is about to go up..

Posted Last Week:

A Valentine’s Day for the Birds

What Wyatt’s Reading – Valentine Edition

Watching:

I am stilling watching Grace and Frankie (which just doesn’t sound as good as Frankie and Grace..) and Billy and I have started watching Doc Martin. He is a bit abrasive but I still like it. Wyatt’s still watching Scout and the Gumboot Kids, Daniel Tiger, and Molly of Denali, so I guess I am watching that as well, at times. Lol.

What about you all? What is going on in your world?