Chit Chat Coffee Time Post

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized13 Comments

Image by 이정임 lee from Pixabay

Happy first day of Spring! I can feel the sunshine in my soul today everyone! It is freezing out, only 25 degrees or so, but the sun is shining and happy and the light is returning. Birds are singing earlier, flowers are peeping, and it is that time of rebirth and growth and hope. I am making plans and lists for the garden, and today I am going to finally start some of my cold weather seeds. The radishes, the beets, the carrots, some of these more cold hardy crops are getting started today. I have been binging homesteading and gardening YouTube videos all week, and grabbed a new stack of springlike books from the library at curbside too. I’m ready to let this daylight in, after these dark winter months. I love those quiet, cozy months, but spring has a way of sneaking in and releasing such joy.

I have another reason for feeling so happy today – Billy gets his first vaccine today! I get mine on Monday. This is such an important step for us due to Wyatt’s health, and while we will still be in the group of people who need to be more cautious, it is also a huge feeling of relief. Although I am super nervous about this! Change and new things and the unknown can really create some anxiety for me and this is a trigger. I am focusing on the positives, about expanding our bubble to my brother and his family and my mom because they are going to stay locked down with us, about seeing my friends again, even if we are masked in places, it will be fantastic just to be with them. We already have a morning out planned, to go to a few local nurseries and pick up veggies and flowers for our gardens.

Wyatt is ready for spring too, with his new haircut! Billy gave Wyatt a home haircut the other day and I have to admit, tears welled up in my eyes over how grown-up he looks here! Where is my baby??

We also picked up some local honey yesterday! We are using most of it to make mead – it will be our first attempt. We were hoping to make it and be able to drink it at summer solstice, but this won’t be ready to drink until at the earliest in August. It will be fun to do though, although I did think about people making moonshine and going blind, but Billy assured me that wouldn’t happen.

I have so many spring things planned – trips to vernal pools, creating a wormery, looking for tadpoles, and then I am going to start raising monarchs this year as well. I did not hear good things about their numbers last year and I feel like it is one small way I can help our natural world. I am planting a milkweed patch in the yard, with a little observation area for Wyatt to help spot eggs and caterpillars. It’s going to be fun!

We also had one of our friends wake up after his long winter’s nap this week – Samson!

In case you don’t know his story, this guy rolled up three years ago-ish, right to our front door, the day before a freak blizzard in October. So we brought him in and then I felt like it would irresponsible to put him back out. So we gave him his own little house and plants and he seems pretty happy. We get a kick out of watching him slide all over the place in his slow little way.

How are you all this morning?

Homeschool : Leprechauns, Clover, and Snakes, Oh My!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn homeschooling9 Comments

This week and next we are focusing on elements of Ireland – from farm animals to legends and folktales to clover, lucky or not. And some rainbows just for fun. This week we focused on a more St. Patrick’s Day theme for the week, learning about clover and leprechauns and of course, the kid version tale of St. Patrick’s Day.

We learned about the life cycle of a clover, planted a few seeds (ours have done nothing but the ones my mom and niece planted have sprouted already!), talked about the parts of a clover, and read and assembled a mini book about Ireland. We talked about vocabulary words relating to symbols of St. Patrick’s Day and Ireland, and played matching games for letters, these symbols, and also about the clover. Wyatt loves a good matching game so it was fun to be able to fit three in this week. I find it really increases his vocabulary to play these games, and I make him say the words too, so it is great for speech therapy as well.

We read books and made a few crafts as well! I kind of love the snake he made – and the leprechaun turned out pretty cute too! He did want me to draw the face, I guess he didn’t want to do that part. But it was good practice for his cutting skills, something that is really hard for Wyatt with his cerebral palsy. And actually really hard for me to show him too, since he is a lefty and I am not. I end up sitting behind him and helping guide his hand that way, with my left hand. It is a wonder anything gets actually cut! It’s definitely a group effort. We also had quite a few fun worksheets this week, that included graphing, sorting, sequencing, and then a few lacing cards too.

Resource Round-Up!

The Life Cycle of a Clover Unit Study – The Masterpiece Studio

St. Patrick’s Day Early Years Set – Of Bee and Bear Shop

Books We Read:

(this section contains Amazon Affiliate Links)

Pete the Cat : The Great Leprechaun Chase || How to Catch a Leprechaun || There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover || How to Trap a Leprechaun

Art and Videos:

Snake pictured above

Paper Tube Leprechaun

Fiona’s Luck Read Aloud

St. Patrick’s Day

The Secret of the Kells

Next week we we are going to talk about rainbows, the color wheel, and sheep! I thought the sheep would be fun to end the month with, since March is supposed to come in like a lion, and out like a lamb!

Book Review: Mission in Paris 1990

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn book review8 Comments

Publisher Summary:

The year is 1990. Vietnam and America have not yet made peace. Vietnam is freshly wounded from fighting border wars with China and on the eve of becoming a market economy. The first bombing of the World Trade Center is three years away, so America is not yet awake to the dangers of terrorism. Vietnam and America begin to recognize the importance of ending their differences. Mission in Paris 1990 is the story of how an American media tycoon, Robert Samberg, whose youth in 1968 tied him to Vietnam’s future, is recruited to serve his country, never expecting that a mission to explore political reconciliation would lead him to a path of personal reconciliation. On the eve of his greatest business triumph, he rediscovers My Hanh, a long-lost love from Vietnam, and learns they have a son. Robert’s life is upended in this tale about the enduring strength of love and the power of forgiveness. This novel, set during the normalization of relations between the U.S. and Vietnam, explores reconciliation among people and nations. It also tells a powerful love story – between a man and a woman as well as between a father and a son.

My Thoughts:

When I was approached about reviewing this book, the premise intrigued me. I love all things French, I was young in the 90s. I was unsure about the Vietnam War aspects as I don’t usually read too many books that are political or military at all, but it is good to step outside your reading zones sometimes and I thought this book looked like a great opportunity to read outside my own lines.

Mission in Paris is a sequel to Hearts on Fire, Paris 1968, which I haven’t read. It wasn’t difficult to tie the threads together though while reading Mission in Paris, so that did not impact my reading of this book at all.

One thing that stood out to me was how much pain these characters were in. Robert carries a world of hurt and anger around inside of him, and it is easy to see how he became jaded, and built a wall around himself that he seemed to only let Macallan whiskey through (and his horse of the same name). The book begins with a hardened Robert celebrating a business triumph, one that is far more personal to him than just business. At this same time, he learns that he is being tapped to travel to Vietnam, on a mission to gain some sort of peace between the countries. Upon landing, he is swept up into the world of his youth, speaking at the funeral of his mentor, who is also the father of his one true love, My Hanh, and begins another journey towards a peace of a different kind.

From here the book takes the reader on many twists and turns, personal, and political. Robert’s life is tailspin, caught between the past and the present, and the emotions that lie between the two. I never knew where this book was going to take me next, and I loved being swept along with Robert and My Hanh.

This short book packs a punch, and is full of political intrigue, action, history, patriotism, lies, secrets, struggle, redemption, and love. I enjoyed it so much that I need to read the first in the series, even with already knowing what happens between Robert and My Hanh – I want the whole story!

Thank you to Red Clover Digital for the opportunity to read and review this book!

WIP: Office Redo

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized25 Comments

I am sure you are all maybe sick of hearing me talk about this darn office. It’s been such a process and our month long project, and it has taken up almost all of our free time. Well, Billy’s at least. He’s a good guy, the best really.

When Billy and I met, we were in high school. Once we were graduated, Billy started as an apprentice carpenter, following in the footsteps of his older brother. Billy is seriously the most talented person I have ever met. Sometimes I feel like he can do or make anything. He can sew and cook and bake and draw and paint and build things and fix computers and that is just a starting point. He’s pretty amazing really and all this is in addition to being an awesome dad to Wyatt.

Anyway, after a month of Saturdays, Billy finished with the main construction points – painting, hanging trim, caulking, and wallpapering. He worked hard and listened to a lot of audiobooks.

I think he did an amazing job. I actually just asked him to paint and picked the paint color (Valspar, Swiss Coffee). It was all his idea to add the wallpaper, which is perfect, and upgrade the trim. I am in love with his choices and I am so glad he made me slow down enough to let him follow his vision.

I was chomping at the bit to get in there as it slowly came together. My stuff was strewn all about the house, plus, it was looking so pretty! I wanted to put in my new things, my plants, my carpet, and mainly Dash to get him away from Maggie. Although, she is still obsessed.

This room has become a room everyone, including the cats, gravitates to. There is something so comfortable about it, even minus any furniture to sit on except for my desk chair. Wyatt loves to be in there, which I love. I have been slowly decorating and adding in my own things.

The only thing I am not super happy with is the cat litter cabinet. So that was not a great buy. I am going to move it into the basement eventually but for now it can sit there and hold some books. Billy is going to build some shelves to hang on the wall near the desk, and then on the wall where the cabinet is, he is going to build a floating bookcase for all my treasures and books and plants. Above that will be a gallery wall of all the art that I have collected over the years. Right now I have the wall hanging about the wild heart, which I picked up on my trip to Texas two years ago. Dash is against the wallpapered wall, on my mom’s old sewing table, and he is happy there. And, Billy is going to build a new desk as well! This one is just temporary and it does the job well. I am going to keep the design simple, sort of similar to the table honestly. I think the design works with the room very well. We still need to hang the curtains, so maybe this week sometime.

And that is where we are for now! I feel so blessed to have Billy in my life – and not just for all the things he can do, but because he is a good man, a caring one, and my best friend, co-conspirator, and fellow adventurer in this world, especially as we navigate life with this little guy.

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

Happy Pi Day everyone! I have an apple pie baking in the oven this morning, to celebrate with pie for breakfast. I had planned to get up early and get it started earlier, but daylight savings did me in. I always have a rough time adjusting (so does Wyatt) and I am thankful that we are homeschooling – that will make “springing forward” a little easier, I am guessing. At least for us! We had a pretty slow week, just kicked it around the house all week, homeschooling and working on projects, and getting in some sunshine as well. I did spend some time researching my ancestry this week as well, and finally found the names of my great-grandparent’s parents! I have been looking for a long time and was super excited about finding them. Duncan Bell and Mary Ann Galloway – and I always loved the name Duncan!

Read Last Week:

I checked out the folk tales book from the digital library and I think I may need to buy it; I am reading this slowly and I am going to start reading a tale or two out loud at night to Wyatt and Billy. I also finished Mission in Paris 1990. It was pretty interesting – I don’t read many books that are sort of political thrillers and it was a nice change. I will be posting my review later this week.

Reading This Week:

Spring always makes me want to read about farmers and farms and pastoral life. (and rabbits but I won’t reread Watership Down until April, like I do every year.) For the next week or two I will be reading The Farmer’s Daughter by Lisa R. Howeler, and Sheepish by Catherine Friend. Lisa also blogs over at Boondock Ramblings, and she posts excerpts from her books every week if you wanted to check her out!

Posted Last Week:

Chit Chat Coffee Time Post

The PrettyLitter Review No One Asked For

A Few Quick Book Revews

Wyatt’s Birthday

Watched Last Week:

We have been all over the place with our television watching this week. Billy worked long hours, and by the time we got around to tv we were exhausted and wanted to sort of zone out. We watched the rest of Tudor Farm (a BBC show on Amazon) for most of the week, and Criminal Minds reruns on Netflix. Then we started Ginny and Georgia on Friday and it is so hard for me not to just binge it! It is so good! Then last night for movie night we watched the 2021 version of Blithe Spirits. It was ok, didn’t wow us too much, but I love all the actors in it, especially Dan Stevens and Leslie Mann, and the set and costumes were gorgeous. You can sell me on a movie by how pretty it is, and this was a pretty movie. We have never seen the original so I can’t compare it but I might need to check it out.

And that is about it from around these parts! What is going on in your neighborhood? I hope you all are dong well. Stay safe and have a good week!

Chit Chat Coffee Time Post

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized12 Comments
Photo by fotografierende on Pexels.com

I’m really enjoying these quick little snippet posts! I was inspired by Bella from Over the Teacups who writes these little conversational posts, like she is having tea with you, and I feel kind of like that is what these posts have become, a little catch up of our week over coffee. So grab a cup and feel free to share with me in the comments about your own week!

I had a pretty emotional week actually. I spent so much time on the phone, which I hate. And I think I had finally had my COVID meltdown; our Governor announced that starting on the 8th caregivers of children who have special needs were eligible for the vaccine. After a year of near isolation (the disabled community and those with special needs are very high risk for severe illness) I felt like we were getting closer to having our lives back, and was buzzing with excitement. Then, I actually tried to find a vaccine. Most places I called acted like they had never heard of this mandate, even when I was reading it off the Michigan Dept. of Health and Human Services website. I finally was able to find somewhere to make two appointments, one for me and one for Billy – but it fell through due to some issues at the vaccine site. This happened on the same day that I found there were complications with scheduling Wyatt’s 48 hour EEG, combine with Billy having to work overtime all week long on top of things, and it was just a lot all at once. That day in particular was a rough day. But, we are moving on and still looking and not giving up. That was definitely my low point this week.

It wasn’t all like that though, thank goodness

The weather was gorgeous this week, and Wyatt and I were able to get outside in the afternoons. I was excited to see signs of spring, with my strawberries starting to grow, little shoots emerging from the earth from the bulbs I planted in the fall, birds making nests in trees. I had to go get blood drawn this week and I had to wait in my car for twenty minutes as they stagger the number of people who can go in the office at one time. The morning was bright and blue and sunny and I could hear the chirps and tweets all around me. I happened to glance up at the tree next to my car to see it was full of Cedar Waxwings! That was the most I have ever seen at one time and it made me smile. Actually, I got really geeked and texted my husband and sent him a terrible photo from my phone , I was so excited to see them.

Today we are going for a hike and to check out the trees being tapped for maple syrup at a nearby metropark; Wyatt has been learning all about the process this week, so it will be neat to check it out in person. After Billy is going to do a little finishing work on the office, then we are hanging the curtains. I have some art to hang as well, some original framed art that my friend gave me that had been her grandmother’s (she wasn’t the artist, she just had it hanging in her house). So slowly the office is getting filled with personal touches, books and more plants and art. The next room we are going to do is the room we call the family room; it is really a large play area and also where our dining table is. It is also the room Harry lives in. Billy just needs to paint that room, and it is basically done. I am going to paint the china cabinet too, just to change the look of the room a little.

And…I am just about out of coffee so I will end here! Last week I shared a picture of Harry, this week I will share one of Dash. He is quite nimble and I catch him doing all sorts of cute little things.

Have a good one everyone!

The PrettyLitter Review No One Asked For

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized16 Comments

I mentioned I have become like a lunatic telling everyone I know about this litter. I have senior cats and I have to have at least one litter box on our main level – and we only have one level, then a basement in our 900 square foot house. So the litter box ends up in someone’s space. There is just no way around it. But since I was redoing the office and wanted Wyatt to be able to play in there I knew I had to do something about the litter situation.

I had been using a clay based litter for my cats’ boxes, which was ok. However, they are slobs and track it all over, plus the dust was insane. I was forever cleaning up and scooping and it was tolerable but not a room where I wanted Wyatt to hang out. Or me either really, for long periods of time. So I thought I would experiment with PrettyLitter. I ordered one bag to start and used one box dedicated to it. I have three cats, and they recommend at least three boxes and three bags but since I was just trying it, I didn’t want to go all in, since it is more expensive then our normal stuff. My friends all have multiple cats, and issues as well – one friend has a box in her husband’s home office, where he spends a lot of time and another has a problem kitty who likes to avoid the box in general. (More on that kitty later) They were interested in my experiences and wanted updates because we are nerds like that. So this is my report to them basically, but I thought other people might be interested as well.

The first week it was like magic. No tracking, no smell except for when they do some real business, then it dissipates quickly. I also noticed my cats were preferring it to the other box of their normal litter. So, I ordered another bag and set up another box, and very quickly just switched over to all PrettyLitter. After two weeks, still no tracking, no smell, but I did notice the litter itself was discoloring a bit, but PrettyLitter said that would happen, so no worries there. The third week I did notice there was a little more mess outside the box, from them scratching in it but still everything was going really well! Finally, this is the fourth week and I am noticing a small faint odor when I am in the room near the box, but nothing overwhelming. I have noticed a bit more tracking as well, but still not anything outside of the room. I am due for more any day and while the situation is not grim it is ready to be renewed, if you will.

My routine is pretty simple: I vacuum everyday and scoop twice a day, which has become something that takes just a few minutes, as you only scoop “solids” with this new litter, as liquids evaporate and don’t form hard bits in there. (trying to be delicate here lol) I am using less than the recommended amount still, two boxes, two bags for three cats, instead of the recommended three bags, three boxes for three cats,so there could be oversaturation issues which is why I am noticing a little odor – I am going to three boxes next so I will see.

My friends each set up one box as well – so far, so good. My one friend has noticed a difference in her husband’s office, while the other – well, we all had a chat to discuss her kitty. We decided that perhaps her cat had sensitive feet, so she bought a few bags of sensitive feet litter from a different manufacturer, Dr. Elsey’s, and also set up a box of PrettyLitter, since that same cat also has asthma and she wanted to reduce dust. Since she has switched, she has noticed less box avoidance, but we can’t say for sure if it is because of the PrettyLitter as she also has multiple boxes with different litter. She did comment on the no dust though, which she felt was a bonus from the PrettyLitter.

Overall, my experience with my cats using it has been pretty positive. The only drawback I see is that I do have to spend twenty more dollars a month on it over what I used to spend. Right now we have extra in our budget due to our stay at home, eat at home lifestyle, so once things hopefully change in the coming months, I will have to make sure to allot for that difference. The only other negative for me is the anxiety it gave me at first, running to check constantly to see if there was any indication that my cats had any health issues, as it does analyze and report health monitoring by turning different colors for different issues. However there is the added bonus that the bags themselves are very light! I carried in the box with three bags inside with no problem at. So far I am pretty darn pleased with everything!

Edit 1/11/24: I did end up canceling because with three cats the cost became too much for our budget. Sadly however, two of my three cats have passed on since this post (my Mags and my Marlow and I miss them every day) and I have reupped my subscription again. The price with just one cat is pretty competitive to what I have been paying and I no longer I have to go get it. So bonus.

Note: This is not a sponsored or paid ad from Pretty Litter. However, I do have a link if you are interested. This is a weird post for me, but honestly I was already running around telling everyone in the world about it so I figured why not? I promise not to do too many of these type of posts though, and if I do, it is because I honestly love what I am talking about. If you were to click the link and buy a bag, I would get a free bag. If I ever (long stretch here) started to compile a huge backstock of litter from referrals I would donate some to the PAWS Clinic in Michigan or a food bank.

A Few Quick Book Reviews

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn book review9 Comments

A Solitude of Wolverines by Alice Henderson: Wow, I loved this book! It was so exciting and full of tense moments right from the get-go and I was completely pulled in. Alex Carter is a wildlife biologist who jumps on the opportunity to study the elusive wolverine- even though it means being isolated in the wilderness in a ramshackle building for the winter. Carter is more at home in the wilderness than the city though, and is excited about the prospect, especially after surviving a narrow escape from a gunman. She was ready for a change of scenery and change of pace. She arrives to find that not everyone is as excited about her being there as she is though, and a slew of mysterious and dangerous events unfold, with a twist thrown in for fun. This book kept me guessing and after I finished it I pulled up Google and immediately searched to see if there were any more in this series. Unfortunately, not yet, but I am keeping my fingers crossed!

The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler: So, another one that I loved! I was thoroughly entertained by this book, 100%! Graham and Zoe are nerdy adorable goofballs, who have great chemistry, and interesting characters. I loved that they were not always predictable, that this book was not totally formulaic and that it too, could surprise me. Graham and Zoe as well as most of the other characters, were endearing, although I did have a few raise the eyebrow moments over some of Graham’s behaviors. Mostly though, I liked him. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series, although I will wait until winter comes back around again. Overall, super cute.

Wintering: A Season with Geese by Stephen Rutt: This book was a quiet, cozy kind of read. A celebration of winter and of well, geese. Stephen explores his homeland and these birds, in a book that makes you love geese, if you didn’t before. I enjoyed this book, but I am a total bird nerd, and I love being on a hike in the winter, the quiet whisper of snow around me, crunching slightly under my boots, being in the moment.. and then the raucous call of a flock of geese soars overhead, breaking the stillness and silence, reminding me that I am still in this world. It was a good read, but I think you might have to be interested in birds to enjoy it.

Wyatt’s Birthday

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized16 Comments

So if you read here regularly then you probably knew this post was coming… how could I not blog about my baby’s birthday? For us, this birthday brought us full circle for a pandemic year. His birthday party last year was a blessing, as it was the last time we saw our family because a week later, we were all locked down. And here we are a year later – a trying year to be sure, with some tough events and the loss of my uncle, but we are back where we started and dare I say, things are starting to look a little better!

This year, we celebrated with just the three of us, with a day full of driveway visits and video chats. All day people who love Wyatt were stopping by or calling to watching him open their gifts, and Wyatt was not feeling neglected, that is for sure.

But before we got to this fun stuff, the morning started with a little excitement.

Not dandruff, not lice, but fluffy kinetic snow. Which completely bonded to his hair. He thought he was just playing in the snow I guess, and rolled around in it. When I tried to brush it out with my hand, it didn’t budge. So I tried a comb. Then a brush. And none of them worked. I started to panic, thinking I was going to have to shave his head, but first I called my hairstylist sister-in-law who like a genius suggested Dawn dish soap, which WORKED! So if this happens to a kid in your life, now you know. Dawn dish soap to the rescue.

Anyway, after a day of presents and family visits from afar, and chicken strips and fries and rainbow cake, kiddo was tired, and so was I. But we had decided to keep the party rolling all week, a sort of slow moving celebration.

We spent a day playing with his gifts, including a trip down memory lane with this Easy Bake Oven he got.

Then Friday Billy took the day off and we headed to the zoo, the choice of our birthday boy. We saw a few different animals this time – the wolves still eluded us but we had fun with all the peacocks strolling about! We love having a membership, since we can spend as much time or as little time there as we want.

I think despite having a different sort of birthday this year, my little guy still had quite the week! And I can’t believe he is 6! Time sure flies.

My Sunday-Monday Post!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized29 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! It’s a bright and sunny Sunday, although still very cold here. I am just trying to enjoy the light! Last week was a huge catch up week – trying to restore order to our house that had been uprooted for a month due to different projects. We did our basic curriculum without a special added theme and had a few fun days in there too, with a trip to the zoo and a day where Wyatt and I just played with his new stuff.

Read Last Week:

Oo I loved this book! I always love the Rockton books though, honestly. I think this is such a unique series and I love reading about this fictional community hidden away in the far north of Canada.

Reading This Week:

I will be finishing up Mission In Paris 1990 this week – so far it is very interesting! And I will also be starting Animal Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland. I will probably read this one a little every week, not straight through, but I am looking forward to reading it. Plus that cover is beautiful!

Posted Last Week:

Chit Chat Coffee Time Post – this has become my Saturday post, just a fun way to wind up our week.

Currently… March

Watching:

We started Tudor Monastic Farm, because we are such addicts of these BBC historical farm shows. We also watched Discovery of Witches, Criminal Minds reruns, and we also watched The Cecil Hotel on Netflix. That Elisa Lam story is so sad and confusing. That hotel really has quite a history though! Crazy.

My friend sent me this SNL skit the other day with a message that this was us and I had to laugh – it really is! Not cannibals, although this makes it look like I am saying that, but women who watch murder shows. And listen to the podcasts. Lol.

And that is about it from around these parts. Stay safe and have a good week everyone!