My Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn books and reading11 Comments

So, the clouds outside are gathering and dark, the wind is picking up, and storms are on the way. Chores are done for the night, I have some Ginger Turmeric Tea next to me on the table (although tonight I wish it was wine!) and I thought this would be the perfect time to write this post!

I’ve seen this around on BookTube and by other book content creators and thought it sounded fun!

Is it just me or does it sort of remind you of those senior superlatives in high school?

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2024

Hands down, the best book that I have read so far this year.

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2024

This book was such a fantastic follow up to the first in the series, Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing by Lisa Howeler. I love Gladwynn and her vintage style, as well as the homeschooling mom who is also the barista. Such a fun series!

3. New release you haven’t read yet but want to.

I love this series set in Northern Michigan in one of my favorite places in my home state, the Traverse City area. I need to pick it up – it looks like the perfect summer read!

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.

I absolutely loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and I can’t wait for this new book to come out! And I have to wait all the way until December!!

5. Biggest disappointment.

The Darling Buds of May. Loved the show, did not like the book. At all. That has never happened to me before! I do love this cover though.

6. Biggest surprise.

I received The Magic All Around from the publisher and I didn’t know much about it prior to reading it. However, once I picked it up I could barely put it down. It was so good, I could not stop reading it.

7. Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you)

I am late to the party on Sager, and I wish I had picked up his books sooner! I just finished The Last Time I Lied today and again, it was another book I could not stop reading. It was crazy good, and had so many twists and turns! I can’t wait to read another of his books!

8. Newest fictional crush.

I wouldn’t say crush but I would definitely like to hang out with Tress and talk about her adventures and see her cups.

9. Newest favorite character.

See above.

10. Book that made you cry.

Of course it is a middle grade. I loved this book! I had never heard of it honestly when I picked it up at a used book sale, I just thought it looked neat, with that cute little house and the tree. And it was a cute little book…with the exception of the part that made me cry!! It was the loss of an animal friend that did it, of course.

11. Book that made you happy.

Another middle grade! I one hundred percent adored this book, and while it gave me some anxiety, it ended up all working out and just left me with the warm fuzzies.

12. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)

It’s a tie for me on this one. I just love love love that cover of Watership Down and I was so happy that Billy and Wyatt got it for me, but then that cover of Tress is fire.

And there you have it! My Mid-Year Book Freakout. How would you answer some of these questions?

Wednesday Morning/Afternoon Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Coffee Catch UP9 Comments

Hello everyone!! Wyatt and I are living lazy these days, enjoying our summer break. We are taking June off and I have been just allowing us to slide slowly into our days – at least on days we don’t have therapy. It works since although he has not been getting sick from his meds, he is still very tired after taking them, and wants to take a big nap at 9 am. But I will take it over the other any day! It does have me concerned over music camp next week, which starts at 9:30 am. I guess though you never know what will change as time passes, so by next Monday he might be done with this phase too.

Relaxing for me is actually difficult. I am one of those people who feels a constant need to get things done, you know? If I have the time I think that I should be using it to check things off the five mile long to-do list that I have (as probably everyone does!) So forcing myself to not do that is…hard. Once I settle in I am ok. It is just getting there. And it has been fun. I know that Wyatt has enjoyed not having to rush about all the time, and he does deserve some lazy time where he actually feels well enough to enjoy it. For him it is all books and painting things and drawing and watching cartoons. Pretty soon the ramp will be done (well, maybe by the end of July and he will be able to go out to the backyard more easily – right now we need Billy to carry him back there, since it is too far for me to do by myself.) I’ve been reading, now that I have found the right book, and also doing a little hand stitching while I listen to an audiobook. I bought a punch needle kit of a corgi that instead of using the actual punch needle, I am hand stitching. I am loving it, although I am super slow and not that good. But it is not about that. It’s about feeling the rhythm of the slowness, the tautness of the thread, the pop sound that happens occasionally when pushing through the fabric, seeing the outline become filled with color. It is an experience to become immersed in something, isn’t it?

I have also mastered making omelettes this week, and have been making myself a feta cheese one egg omelette for lunch everyday. I just use an egg, butter, and the feta and it is perfection. There is something about that too. A simple, delicious meal.

We have been leaving the house and interacting with others, however. Last Friday our local library kicked off their summer reading program with a Family Fun Night, filled with games and crafts. Our library is two buildings – one, an old historical Victorian house, attached to a “modern” building built in maybe the 1960s? They used both buildings and three floors for family night and the staff put so much thought, love, and energy into this program. We had such a good time! We ran into my friend Kelly and her family there as well, which made it even more fun. Her daughter E. is Wyatt’s age so it was cool there was another kid there with him.

The theme for the summer reading program this summer is National Parks and Cryptids, which I thought was pretty neat! Wyatt and E. got matching glittery wolf tattoos, painted cryptid cutouts and flower pots, made buttons, met a viking and saw a dragon, pinned the hat on Smokey the Bear, and finally made it to the top floor where they got their box to collect the cards they will earn this summer. Afterwards we all went out for pizza, which was a nice way to end the evening.

The next day we woke up and decided it was an Ikea day. Ikea is about 30 minutes from our house and we typically go a few times a year, just out of the blue, need an Ikea day. It is one of those places where you wander around and think to yourself, do I really need that bright green corduroy office chair that swivels? (the answer was, I didn’t, although I wanted it…) We always buy the most random things, and Saturday was no exception. We each picked out a throw blanket – Billy and Wyatt picked out the same one, a yellow one that was super soft, while I picked out a gray-green throw. We bought a few little pink dessert plates, a bright light for Billy to use when he is doing leatherwork (wait until you see what he is making me!), a few organizing bins and boxes for our craft and homeschool supplies, and of course, chocolate. We also treated ourselves to lunch in the Ikea Cafe. I particularly enjoyed the cake.

Sunday was a big day for Billy. It was go day on the ramp! With the help of wonderful family members and lifelong friends, he started on drilling the holes for the cement, and placing the tubes. It sounds like I know what is happening, but I don’t. That is the extent of my knowledge, other than that they were working extremely hard in the heat. This weekend, the cement happens!

And with that, I should probably end here. This feels immensely long. Maybe because I stopped in the middle to take Wyatt to therapy and get ice cream?

And of course, some randoms from the camera roll!

Top Ten Tuesday – Bookish Wishes

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized39 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This week’s prompt is: Bookish Wishes

Probably 99% of the books I read are from the library, but sometimes, I just want to have my own copy. Usually this is because it looks like a book that will really resonate with me, one that I will reread, and one that I will just be enchanted by for a long time. These are the books that have made that list of books that are currently on my wish list!

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa || Jane of Lantern Hill by L. M. Montgomery || The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields

The Travelling Cat Chronicles – I have been super into Japanese fiction this year and this one just sounds wonderful.

Jane of Lantern Hill – I have been wanting to branch out into other Montgomery characters and books, besides the beloved Anne. Jane seems like a great place to start!

The Honey Witch – This one is just so pretty. Lol.

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters || The Pink Motel by Carol Ryrie Brink || English Pastoral by James Rebanks

The Berry Pickers – I am very intrigued by this book! I feel like it could be a slow read for me, one to really take my time with and digest. Same with English Pastoral, which reminds me of John Lewis-Stempel, who is one of my favorite authors.

The Pink Hotel – I collect Carol Ryrie Brink books and this one just really appeals to me! I love books set in motels and I love the kitschy look of this cover!

The Mermaid in the Millpond by Lucy Strange || A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal || Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

The Mermaid in the Millpond – The books by Lucy Strange are all beautiful looking and sound fantastic.

A Tempest of Tea – Ok, this is another one like The Honey Witch.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop – Same as the Travelling Cat Chronicles. I am very interested in Japanese fiction right now.

The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson

Finally this Sanderson. I really loved Tress and want to read all of Sanderson’s Secret Projects/Cosmere books.

These are my top ten! Are any of these on your list?

My Sunday-Monday Post

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized26 Comments

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

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

Hello everyone! We had a pretty quiet week around here – which I greatly appreciated honestly. We need these quiet weeks from time to time!

Despite having a fairly slow week, I didn’t read that much! I have too many books that I want to read and now I am bouncing all over because I can’t choose which one to start with!

I did read one book though. Dandelion Cottage.

I am really into reading these old-fashioned vintage books right now, and this one was a great find. It is set in the upper peninsula of Michigan, and is based on the real life hometown of the author Carroll Watson Rankin. Dandelion Cottage is a real place that tourists can visit too! I was in Marquette a few years ago and I would have visited had I known about this cottage then.

I also started a slow read, inspired by Katherine of I Wish I Lived in a Library. She has a book she is reading from just twenty minutes a day, and I started doing that with this next book.

At the Pond is a collection of essays about the Hampstead Ladies’ Pond, and is divided into sections by season. I have to be honest, to me these women are so brave to wild swim like this in a pond. I am so afraid to swim in anything that is not a pool and swimming in a pond like this in the winter is so courageous! The essays I have read talk about how they feel invincible after a lap or two in the freezing wild water and if I were to ever get the gumption to do that, I would probably feel the same way.

This week I have a few books I am considering (that whole can’t choose and settle down thing).

I just want to read them all simultaneously.

Posted Last Week:

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I Had Very Strong Emotions About

Coffee Catch Up

Watching:

Billy and I are also hopping all over with our tv watching. We are usually binge watchers but we have been skipping around lately. We have been watching The Brokenwood Mysteries (0ne of my faves!), When Calls the Heart, The Great British Sewing Bee, and Palm Royale. I absolutely loved the first season of the Great British Sewing Bee, it was just so wholesome and cozy.

And that is it from my little corner of the internet this morning! I hope you are all doing great!

Thursday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Coffee Catch UP13 Comments

Hello everyone! I hope you are doing well this morning! I am feeling relief this week, and could start singing the Hallelujah chorus; Wyatt has not been sick from his meds in the morning for six whole days, and I am hoping and praying that we turned the corner!

We actually had a visit with his epileptologist on Tuesday morning, which went pretty well. Wyatt has medication resistant epilepsy, which means that despite trying multiple medications, they are not able to get them under control. Wyatt’s seizures are focal/myoclonic so right now he is not having those full body, clonic seizures like everyone immediately thinks of when they think of seizures, and hopefully he never does. We learned that he is not a candidate for resection surgery, due to where his seizures originate, but there are still options out there for us to try. There are still medications to try (after giving this poor kid a break for a bit! After a month of vomiting he deserves some time off), and something called a vagus nerve stimulator. This is sort of like a pacemaker that zaps his vagus nerve which dispels the electricity that is gathering to create a seizure. It is something we are very seriously considering in the future. Overall, I left the appointment feeling pretty hopeful.

He was so funny at the appointment too, despite it being super early. He rolled up to sit right next to the doctor like he was conducting the appointment too, and was just chilling with her. Sometimes he takes to people right away, others he needs to warm up too. He absolutely adores Dr. Reed though, which gives me a very good feeling about her.

Last week Devin (my brother) and his fam met us for pizza and then we all headed back to our house for games with the kids. It was hysterical. We played a game called Castle Feud, where two teams each set up their castle and the other team shoots a tiny catapult to knock the other team’s castle down. We spread out between our den and family room and tried to take each other’s castles down. The adults might have made it a bit too exciting, with the Game of Thrones music playing, hyping up the rivalry, because both big kids – Wyatt and Mermaid girl – got a little too excited and ended up getting in a wee bit of trouble. Lol. Nothing too much, they are good kids and just needed a reminder but I think they were a bit overstimulated. The wee one was funny, wandering between rooms like an attacking giant. We of course made sure she was seated and protected before firing the catapult each time! She enjoyed looking at our fish tank too. She would point to Moon swimming around and then turn around and look at me in wonder. It was really neat to experience it with her.

Speaking of Moon, he and his tankmate Sunny the snail are doing well. We took our water to be tested at the aquarium store and the woman working said we were doing awesome. We had A+ water, phew. Sunny is doing so well that she even left us a gift of a clutch of eggs… I don’t know what to do with them honestly because I can’t raise 200 baby Mystery snails! We had fun looking around at the crazy fish types they have there, like this Lionfish. They also have the cutest little cherry shrimp! I didn’t know what those were until we visited that store and they are adorable. I won’t get them as I have nowhere to put them but they are pretty cute.

Other than that, we have been living pretty quietly over here. With our easier mornings (Wyatt is now just super tired after his meds, which is an improvement) I have had time to catch up on some of the things I had to let slide for a month due to his being sick most of the morning. I caught up on Cub Scout stuff I needed to get done, bills.. you know all those fun things….

And that is it for this week! I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile!

Just some random photos…

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I Had Very Strong Emotions About

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized34 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This week’s prompt is books that you had very strong emotions about. (Any emotion! Did a book make you super happy or sad? Angry? Terrified? Surprised?)

I am starting out strong on this one with Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner. I did not read this as a kid but I did pick it up and read it one day while working. I used to work in an elementary school library so I would read here and there, obviously. This book though. This book. I will NEVER read it again! It was emotionally devastating. I got to the end and just was sobbing sitting there at my desk in the quiet library, all by myself. I hate this book, and I will never read it again. If you have read it you know.

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating hit me in the feels in a much different way. I was in a deep state of grief over the loss of my aunt, whom was like a second mother to me in many ways. We were very close and I was struggling. This book did not erase that sadness, but it did lift me up and give me hope. It is beautifully written and is still one of my favorite books.

The Call of the Wild and Free is a book the deeply resonated within me, and spoke to my heart. Homeschool is not the perfect choice for every family, but it is the perfect choice for mine. This book put into words all I had been feeling.

I had to take the wayback machine for this one. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. I read this in high school and afterwards, I gave up meat and became a vegetarian for about 30 years. I still struggle with my decision to eat meat now, but it became a convenience thing during the pandemic. My son is a total carnivore, and for a long time was failure to thrive no matter what we fed him (for five years) and my husband can’t eat carbs for medical reasons. It is just not financially easy for me to eat a different meal.

I could not make this list without including All Creatures Great and Small. My mom gave me the series when I was just a young girl, probably around ten years of age, and I devoured them. They did make me feel so many emotions – joy, but yes, also sadness. Confusion, because I didn’t understand what some of the book was talking about, because well, I was ten. However, this is another book that affected me profoundly in my life, encouraging my love of animals and all life. I even named our little homeschool after James Herriot.

Meadowland by John Lewis-Stempel is one of the first nonfiction nature books that I ever read as an adult and it started me down a rabbit hole that has lasted for years. It affected me very much, it was so calming and full of hope like The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, but in a different way. It’s like that quote from Jurassic Park, “Nature finds a way” – such a powerful quote from an unexpected source. I feel like this book inspired a whole new direction in my life.

Wow when I started this post I didn’t realize how much nonfiction would be on it! Another nature nonfiction book, The Nature Fix opened my eyes to how nature heals, and I used what I learned from it to open Wyatt’s world and my own. I was always a nature-lover, a hiker, sort of outdoorsy sort (except in humidity and heat) but this showed me just how important that time outside really is for our brains.

I know that this series is considered problematic now, but I still love Little House. I read the books every year, since I was kid. I have read them even more than I have read Watership Down, which is a LOT. When I was little the idea of living so wild and free was fascinating, and it taught me a bit about a different way of life. I loved that Laura was not a perfectly behaved little girl, because I wasn’t a perfectly behaved little girl either. I tended towards heroines like Ramona, like Emily from Emily’s Runaway Imagination, and Anne from Anne of Green Gables, who tended to find themselves in predicaments, much like I did. Today, I think these old stories can still be useful as teachable moments, and can be read alongside books like Children of the Longhouse, The Birchbark House series, and Prairie Lotus which have a different perspective.

I loved this book so much! I read my copy until it fell apart and I actually just replaced it with a new copy a few months ago. I read these in high school and it sparked a love for New Orleans that has never abated. I have visited many times, the last time a week and a half before Katrina, which was a weird time to be there! I of course had my picture taken in front of Rice’s home while I was there. It also inspired me to look into my one family history and genealogy, which wasn’t as supernatural as those of the Mayfairs (or at all lol) but I did love talking to my grandparents about their lives, memories, parents and grandparents. My grandfather was born in England, and my grandma was the first of her siblings to be born in America, the rest of her family was born in Scotland, her older sisters and brothers.

And finally, of course, Watership Down.

I really can’t put into words why I love this book quite so much. I just do. There is just something about this book that is comforting and hopeful despite that hardships. Maybe that is it. Maybe it is that they endure and are resilient and rely on each other to get through their lives, as a community. They go through these hard things and keep a levity to their lives as well, a hope for a better life, which they ultimately do get. They are clever and brave and strong, and have moments of fear, even Bigwig, but get through it and live their dream.

And there you have it. I wasn’t planning on getting so serious with this, but it happened. There are so many other books that I could list but if we are talking which books made me feel the strongest emotions, they would be the books that shaped me or affected my life in some way. So that is where I went!

My Sunday-Monday Post

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized26 Comments

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

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

Hello everyone!! I feel like I am draggin’ wagon today. I blame this weather, all overcast this morning. I have to get ready for church soon but I am procrastinating big time. I’ll have another cup of coffee and finish this post then I will get ready.

We had a pretty good week last week. Not anything exciting or noteworthy, just everyday life things. We did set up a fish tank for my kiddo who has wanted a fish, so that was our big event of the week. Wyatt is loving his fish Moon and his snail Sunny.

Read Last Week:

I had started listening to Tress last summer but then stopped because after listening I realized it was a book that I wanted to read, not listen to. And I am glad that I made that choice, because I loved Tress! Brandon Sanderson was inspired to write it after he and his family watched The Princess Bride (one of my all time favorite movies) during lockdown. His wife brought up a question about Buttercup and he started thinking about what it would be like if Buttercup went in search of Wesley rather than accepting that he was dead. And Tress was born. I absolutely loved it although I did find some parts a bit slow moving.

I started reading You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight as part of the Camp Spooky Readathon hosted by the Midnight Book Club on Instagram, and it was such a fast read that I finished it the same day I started. And it was a very busy day too! It was just one of those books that you could not put down and also was a quick read too. It was so good! Kaylnn Bayron said that she was a fan of those 80s slasher movies as a kid (just like me) and wanted to write her own homage to them. So she did! Very good read, not super gory.

Both of my books were inspired by movies! I just realized that.

Reading This Week:

Version 1.0.0

In keeping with my trend of reading vintage or older middle age books, I picked up Dandelion Cottage from the library the other day. I am excited to read it! The author grew up in Michigan on the shores of Lake Superior, and the Dandelion Cottage is apparently a real cottage that is still there. I think I am also going to start At the Pond this week as well.

Posted Last Week:

My Summer TBR

Coffee Catch Up: Our Life Aquatic

Hello June!

Watching:

Billy and I have been watching a few different things. My favorite that we have been watching is the newest season of The Brokenwood Mysteries. I just love that series so much. We are also watching When Calls the Heart and Palm Royale. I love the way Palm Royale looks and the cast is fire, but ooh it is hard for me to watch sometimes because of secondhand embarrassment and cringe. But the set and the costumes and the colors are just beautiful so that makes it worth it so far. This article is about the costumes if you want to read more.

We also watched The Fall Guy! I had been waiting for this movie to go to streaming and I was so excited. Now, I know this movie was panned but I loved it, and so did Billy. We both loved the tv show with Lee Majors as kids, and there were so many references and throwbacks to the 80s. We were so excited every time we caught one. We also think that the character Tom Ryder based his characters mannerisms and speech pattern after Matthew McConaughey, who I love. We both thought it was a lot of fun. I think people wanted nonstop action and this movie had a bit of a plot and a love story to boot.

And that is it from me today! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Hello June!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Hello10 Comments

Ah summer. I talked in my summer TBR post about how summer is my least favorite season of them all. I am just not a big fan of being hot, and Michigan is so humid and swampy.

That doesn’t mean that there aren’t things about summer that I love. I love the slower mornings, and the evenings that stretch on forever. I have always loved sitting outside at twilight, watching the birds all head home to bed, singing their day’s final song, with the fireflies winking in and out of sight. The crickets and katydids chirp, frogs start their evening calls, rabbits and baby bunnies hop about, and the day sinks into night. Those are nights for dreaming on, and on those magical type evenings I drag myself back into the house from the porch where I am half-hidden from sight by the green leaves of the apple tree, bringing my empty mug of tea or wine glass in with me, and feel so content with the world as I climb into bed.

I also love the easy days, although Wyatt and I spend the heat of them inside. There is a quote from Watership Down that says, “Many human beings say that they enjoy the winter, but what they really enjoy is feeling proof against it.” I agree with that, isn’t that the perfect definition of cozy, but I think I also like feeling safe inside from the heat of summer. The two of us just aren’t made for the hot weather- Wyatt especially has trouble regulating his own temperature in the heat. So on the hottest days we seek the coolness of buildings filled with air-conditioning, our little house that overflows with life in all of our pets and terrariums and house plants, museums and stores, the library for books, car rides for ice cream. We play games and read books, paint and draw and watch movies.

I think those were my own favorite days of summer growing up. Reading all the books, the summer reading program at the library, playing with my cousins and my friend Dawn who lived across the street, swimming and biking and playing outside in the evenings right before the sun went down. Cheese sandwiches, popsicles, the ice cream man, lemonade. Peaches picked from my uncle’s tree and eating it all damp from the sprinkler, trying to get a peek at the toad that lived under his grill. All these memories!

We do venture outside of course, to gardens and pools, for picnics at the park, to the zoo, on walks or bike rides. But evening is our favorite time. Many weekend nights are spent at my brother Devin’s house, sitting around a fire, while Wyatt plays with his cousins and the four adults sit and chat over cool drinks. Sometimes we set up a tent in the yard for the kids to play in and around, which I remember my parents doing for me when I was little. This year Devin wants to show movies on his garage, which will be fun for the kids.

I think this year I am going to finally try to get Wyatt to the farm to pick strawberries. I say it every year but June always is so busy and goes so fast. This month we do have a lot scheduled. Music camp in Lansing and a 48 hour EEG are the big ones, but we have the school bus races to go see (hopefully), the strawberry moon party which will be a more subdued affair this month as it is sandwiched between camp and the EEG, and then Billy is off to Manitou Island for a few days as well. Wyatt and I will be on our own for a few days and I need to come up with some fun activities because kiddo is going to miss his dad.

This morning I am waiting for my squirrel friend to show up for her breakfast. She is a tired mama squirrel, and by the way she looks I am sure she has a nest of kittens somewhere. She comes and scratches at the window where I sit, and I feed her peanuts. Yesterday afternoon I caught her napping, spread out flat on the wooden railing, and I understood where she was coming from. It is tiring being a mom! I hope she enjoyed her little break before she headed off home. I will finish this second cup of coffee and by the time I am done, she will show up more than likely, so I should probably get her peanuts ready. I hope you all have a wonderful first day of June!

Wednesday Morning Coffee Catch Up: Our Life Aquatic

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized12 Comments

Hello everybody! I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend!

We were worker bees and homebodies all weekend, which was nice. Billy worked more on the door/inside part of the ramp project while I did some work on our new fish tank. Wyatt has wanted one and with his mornings being so not fun these days, I decided to get one when we got a little surprise bonus check.

I had no idea that setting up a fish tank was so involved, but now I know. On Friday after dinner at our local pizza place, we decided to see if the aquarium store was still open. It was about 7 so we thought there was a chance it would be closed but we were happily surprised to find it open – and busy! The woman working was extremely helpful and kind, and is exactly the type of person you want working in your store. I can’t say enough good things. The store itself was really neat too – there were so many cool fish and little shrimp and snails and axolotls, and all sorts of things to look at inside – even bullfrog tadpoles! We saw the tadpoles inside and then the actual bullfrogs outside. It was neat.

We also got a little Mystery Snail that Wyatt named Sunny, who spent the night in a glass jar with a strainer lid on my nightstand. I heard him clinking around in there all night. We all are fascinated by him to be honest. He only had to stay one night in there because we set up the tank Saturday morning, one step closer to getting Wyatt’s fish.

Then it was time to add the beneficial bacteria! I had no idea this was a thing, but my friend Kelly did, and she also gave me some. I guess this is good for your aquarium to help break down bad stuff like waste, dead plants, etc and you can buy it but Kelly gave me some from her axolotl tank instead. Which meant a trip to Kelly’s – who has more animals than I do! Two axolotls, 6 toads, 2 tree frogs, and some baby toads that she raised from tadpoles last year. She also has a bunch of cats, but we only saw one, Pal. I didn’t get to see my favorite Buddy, but maybe next time.

We added the beneficial bacteria and then it was a waiting game. We let it cycle a few days then on Tuesday I took a water sample to the aquarium store and had them test it. I figured the woman could let us know if we were good to go, and if not, what we needed to do to get there. Wyatt was very happy when she told him things were good to go! He looked at all the betta that they had, so many colors and varieties, and finally made his choice.

Meet Moonlight, or Moon, for short. (and Sunny the snail again)

Moon is so pretty! He did a great job! He was thinking that he wanted a yellow one but when the lady told him that this was a Halloween betta ( I am pretty sure she was just calling it that and that it is not an actual type?), that was it for Wyatt. That was the one he wanted, my little Halloween loving boy. He named it Moon although I was petitioning for the names Spooky or Stormy. Moon is a great name though, and it is his fish so he wins!

The art exhibit that Billy had his work entered in opened on Thursday, and we went to that too. It was pretty neat seeing all of the small works of art, but Billy’s was the smallest. I am quite proud of him! He was interviewed by the Downriver Council for the Arts while we were there, which was neat to watch. We had a good time exploring all of the pieces on display, and it was hard to pinpoint our favorites. We all loved the lizard/dinosaur/dragon eye, which is amazing. I also could not get over the detail on that portrait! Look at Billy’s little terrariums down there! So exciting!

Oh, and I got a boba tea for the first time. Except I got boba lemonade, and it was delicious.

And now, some random photos!

And that is it from me this very early morning! I hope that whatever you do today, that you do something that makes you smile.

My Summer TBR

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized8 Comments

Ok guys so here it is. I am not a big fan of summer. Oh there are things I enjoy about the season, like the longer days and more sunlight, the easy days, the lushness of the outdoors, sunsets, fireflies, summer foods (wow there is more than I thought!), but I am not a fan of heat and humidity. I loathe being hot and sweaty, so so much. I am also one of those people who looks just awful in heat. My face gets red, always has (and so does Wyatt’s and Mermaid Girl’s too..), my hair gets frizzy. I just don’t like it. I don’t like beaches or swimming in lakes or oceans. I am a reallllll bummer about summer.

I do have so many good memories of summer from when I was kid. One of them is the summer that my cousin Brian and I spent riding bikes to the library and checking out Stephen King books. We would check them out, then go back to his house and read them. My mom, a single mom, worked everyday and my brother and I would go to my aunt’s house during the summer while my mom worked. My brother is six years younger than me so he didn’t get to go to the library with Brian and I. Sorry Devin. He was back having fun with our aunt anyway. Brian and I would ride back to his house after, then hole up in the cool darkness of the den, eat snacks, and read Stephen King together. It was a great summer, if a little spooky. Since then, I have always equate summer reading with spooky books. No beach reads for me, I guess. I do mix it up here and there, because I can no longer just binge scary like I used to, but I will forever think of summer reading and scary books together.

That being said… here is my tentative summer reading list, which I think is a nice eclectic mix of genres.

So many scary/thriller books! I can’t wait to read What Lives in the Woods, since it is set in Michigan in a town I have been to many times. I love Saugatuck, it is such a neat little artistic community. That one will be fun.

I also have quite a few that are summer camp themed – one of my favorite settings. I realize I am a bit of a sucker for a setting, and I think I am going to do a post on that in the future. There are just places and cities that make me immediately pick a book up, and summer camp is one of them. (I also love summer camp themed movies, just saying) You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight, When She Was Me, and The Last Time I Lied all involve summer camp and I am super excited about it.

I have been on a mission to find “own voices” books by authors with disabilities about characters who disabilities, especially when the representation is “casual” and You Never Know by Connie Briscoe came across my radar. The main character in You Never Know has an hearing impairment, as does Connie Briscoe. I have been compiling a list for Wyatt as well, to have in our own home library, starting with middle grade and working my way up to YA. It is important that books are mirrors as well as windows.

The Berry Pickers has been on my TBR for a little while, and I am looking forward to finally getting to it. I actually think I am going to listen to this one on audio. At the Pond is another that has been on my list; it was hard to find here so I caved and bought it for myself so that I could read it. I think it will be perfect summer reading!

I will be honest, the cover is what drew me to The Twilight Garden, as well as the word twilight. I can be so weird. But that cover is beautiful! I keep seeing Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies all over the place, and Italy is another setting that I love. Plus, it’s a cozy! Wolfsong by TJ Klune is another I have been eyeballing far too long, and I just feel like this summer is the perfect time to pick it up. And finally – The Easy Life in Kamusari. I started reading a bit of Japanese Literature this year and this one was one of those suggested reads, like if you liked this then you will like this – and after reading the blurb, I decided I probably would like it indeed!

So many! And I am sure that I will add in some older middle grade books, from decades ago because I love them. Looking at this list, I really don’t think I will get to all of these. When did my list get so long for the summer?? I will give it the old college try though!

I probably won’t start these for another week or two still, as I have to finish my spring TBR still!

When do start thinking summer? In June, after Memorial Day? Or on the first day of summer, June 20?