Tag: family

Thursday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized16 Comments

Hello everyone!! Last week when I wrote this post I didn’t have any coffee – only instant packs that Billy had taken camping! Now thankfully we have a full pot brewing in the kitchen, and I have a steaming cup next to me.

It’s been hot and muggy out there this week. Disgustingly humid. Wyatt and I have been hanging out at home most of the time, but we have ventured out a few times.

Saturday we hung out with my brother and his family for a small fire, which was nice. It was before the really gross weather moved in and it was a nice preview of fall and fires. I can’t wait. The kiddos were all just doing their thing, and my littlest niece Wild Child was having fun playing with the portable fan I had bought Wyatt. (Thanks for the suggestion Captain, we take it everywhere!) It was just a nice relaxing evening, hanging out.

Sunday we spent in our shady spot at the park, under the trees. Wyatt absolutely loves this so we try to do it whenever we can. On the way there though we passed a local rotary club having a little to-do at the fire station. They had demonstrations shooting off the fire hose, and also had some free ice cream from the Good Humor woman. We spent a nice time at the park afterwards, full of ice cream, just drawing, enjoying the breeze under the trees, the singing of birds, and reading. (me lol)

Later that evening, we had game night, which is Wyatt’s favorite. This time we played a game we had checked out from the library called What’s Next. It was really fun! It is sort of a choose your own adventure/rpg type game. There are three stories you can choose from, and each card has either an event or a choice you need to make or do. There are little side challenges as well, and a tower of peril! It really was a lot of fun, and we are definitely adding it to the wish list!

The rest of the week we have been home, with one journey to the library to check out more books, and to collect Wyatt’s summer reading National Parks Card and cryptid card that he earned. Next week he gets to shop the library “shop” with the book bucks he earned with all the reading we have been doing.

I have been working on getting our school plans together for next year. I absolutely love doing it honestly, putting together the plans and then finding fun tie-ins. Fall looks like it is going to be a lot of fun, with reading adventures like Alice in Wonderland and The Phantom Tollbooth, Indigenous history of Michigan, dinosaurs, and artists like Charley Harper! I am just starting to construct my Charley Harper art study for Wyatt, and I am having to taper things down because there is just so much we can do – too many ideas and not enough time. I think Harper will be a really fun artist to start off the year!

And just some randoms from the camera roll!

Have a great week everyone, and stay safe!

Wednesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized9 Comments

Hello everyone!! We are out of coffee and I am drinking an instant coffee from a Via pack Billy found that was leftover from his camping trip this morning. This does not bode well…. or I can look it like I am lucky that he had that. I think I will view it that way, Billy pulling some magic out of his bag.

Anyway… we have been super busy it feels like. We are just in the middle of so many house projects and taking care of business around here, and also making sure that we have some fun too. It is summer after all.

I mentioned on my Sunday-Monday post that last week was like the perfect quintessential summer week. We had a bike ride, trips to the library, a softball game, ice cream, dinner out (at Wyatt’s request, he is such a homebody but asked to go out and we were so shocked that we did!), reading, and for me, some embroidery as well. Then over the weekend we had our Saturday night game night, and Sunday a party! Let me tell you about all that.

On weekends we have a bit of a routine – Friday night is pizza night, and Saturday night is game night. Wyatt loves game night, which makes me so happy! Usually I put together our little snack tray and it is half cookies/candy or some sort of junk, and then the other half is healthy. This week I let Wyatt pick everything for our snacks and who would have guessed it, but he picked all cookies and candy. That plate by the way is our plate for us all to share, and we didn’t eat everything thank goodness. It was fun though!

Sunday night we had our Full Moon party! We joined the Kids Moon Club from Wilder Child when Wyatt was like 3 or 4, as something to do and make the long winters more fun. I didn’t take him out too much during the winter due to ~germs~ and he was so tiny at the time, my little tiny preemie boy who remained small for a long time. So we did stuff here to have fun. For a year or two we followed the club, doing all the things, and then as years passed, sometimes we would join in, other times not. (it’s a lifetime membership) This year and last year Mermaid Girl started joining us and it has been super fun. This year she has joined us as well, and we have been mixing it up and taking inspiration from the “official” club activities but have been doing our own things too. This month for sure. This month is the Buck Moon but we decided to make it the Blueberry Moon instead, and had a blueberry party! We also invited Mermaid Girl’s whole family this time around, and it was fun to have Mermaid Girl and Wild Child here together for the fun.

We had blueberry drinks – blueberry lemonade for the older kids, blueberry hard cider for the adults, and I kept the menu simple. Grilled cheese all around, with fancy cheese and bread for the adults and kids grilled cheese, with Kraft singles and white bread. We also had spinach salad with walnuts, goat cheese, and blueberries, and a lemon blueberry trifle that was absolutely devoured.

The craft activity this time was painting tshirts, and it was so neat to see what the kids all chose to do- and for Wild Child to get in on it too. They all really enjoyed it. They also made a blueberry moon collage, which turned out really well! After crafting, we went outside, threw down a blanket, and the kids played with a frisbee and with Wyatt’s metal detector. We all had such a good time!

We also added a new fish to our family last week! His name is Star and he lives in Wyatt’s bedroom, near the end of his bed so Wyatt can watch him swimming around. He is super tiny for a betta and I kind of wonder if he is young. He seems to be happy with his new home, as he made a bubble nest! This really has nothing to do with happiness and is actually a sign that he is ready for a lady friend but all betta owners like to think it is because their fish is happy.

Here is little Star! His tank is sort of a weird eerie yellow because the wood (Manzanita) leaks tannins into the water that is actually good for the fish but it makes the water yellowish. It dissipates after a while though, like a week or two or three. Right now it is funny though because it looks so 70s to me. He put so much work into this bubble nest. I didn’t have the heart to tell him though that he is not getting a lady friend.

I think tomorrow I am going to do a little post on our menagerie. It has been a while!

And now just some randoms for the roll! That goofy one of Wyatt and I… we were waiting at CVS for my tetanus shot that I needed. My arm still hurts!

And that is it for today! Try to do something that makes you smile today!

10 on the 10th – Summer Memories!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized19 Comments

10 on the 10th is hosted by Marsha from Marsha in the Middle!

Summer. I am not a super fan of summer. If you have visited me before, you probably know that since I say it way too much. I just really don’t like being hot and can be a little bit of a grump about it. However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t have lots of special memories of summer because there have been some fun and wonderful moments that have taken place in the summertime. I may not actually get to ten because I am going to clump things all together.

I’m going to be honest, I would still wear this outfit.

Proposal:

Billy proposed to me in the summertime! It was a summer night and we were at the park and there was a band in the park playing (not for us but in general lol) and they were playing Kiss the Girl from Little Mermaid at the time.

Childhood Memories:

All the good nostalgic 1980s summertime things. Swimming in pools, eating soggy sandwiches and chips after, running through sprinklers and playing frozen tag with the neighbor kids. Riding our bikes to the library, reading in cool air-conditioned rooms. Watching The Monkees reruns with my cousin Brian and playing in his clubhouse that now would be considered a tiny house and he could probably rent it out.

The Street Fair:

It is timely that this post takes place during the week of our annual street fair. I have gone almost every single year of my life, with my mom and dad, with friends, with Billy, with Wyatt, and for many years I even worked 12 hour days the week of street fair at the job I had while I was in college. I have always loved it. The music coming at you from all directions and different areas, the smell of the fried food, the streets filled with booths crammed with art. The past few years I have been going twice – once with Wyatt in the morning as everyone is just starting for the day, and once with Billy for a date night. I can’t wait to do that again this year, although it will be a little more tricky as the weather is supposed to be stormy this week due to Beryl!

This is from Wyatt’s first street fair! Look how tiny. We were still at home here, and I was getting him ready to go. It feels like yesterday!

All those summer vacations…

When I was a kid, we used to go away for my grandmother’s birthday every July, my whole family. I have such good memories of playing in the pool with my cousins and hoarding my game room quarters like a baby dragon. And of course, going up north is a huge thing for Michiganders in the summer! I have so many memories of that as well through the years, again as a child with my family, with Billy as I got older, with my family again after Wyatt was born. Our family trip to the tiny house on the farm a few years ago was very special as well.

Look at little Wyatt and little Mermaid Girl. My heart!

Those teenage years:

One summer in particular stands out. I was maybe just 15 or 16, and I was hanging out with two friends I didn’t really hang out with too often. And then all of a sudden were hanging out all the time at night for some reason. Things are weird as a teen. One of them would borrow his dad’s convertible Mustang and we would drive around all over, the top down and listen to music. Once it was so hot we went swimming at night, floating around the pool watching the bats fly overhead. I only hung out with them for a maybe a month but it was memorable just for that. Although maybe I am still confused about it. Lol.

Billy and I also started dating in the summertime. We saw Jurassic Park in the theater when it first came out (yeppp) as our first date!

We also took many trips to Cedar Point. We would all pile into cars, multiple cars, and would make the road trip to the amusement park where we would spend the day, a huge group of us. I remember when The Raptor first opened at the park, and we got on it. Billy literally saved my life. My seat/shoulder doodad did not lock, and I was swinging it up and yelling to the ride worker who either did not see or hear me and we were in motion. Now this ride immediately starts out wild and keeps going, flipping upside down. Billy told me to sit back, and whammed the safety bar down so hard that it finally locked. I couldn’t breathe maybe but I didn’t fall out!

The Zoo:

We love going to the zoo! We would always go to the night out at the zoo events, which were adult only before we had Wyatt, and they were so fun. They were inexpensive too, and they sold adult beverages and food and you could stroll around the zoo during the twilight hours. It was so cool. The animals were all out and we had so much fun. After Wyatt, it was our first date night out after he was born! I remember we left him with my mom, stepdad, and aunt and uncle and I was super nervous the whole night. We also would do their Bike Safari nights, where people could ride their bikes around the zoo. Unfortunately, like everything, the price for this event skyrocketed so we no longer go but it was fun while we did. Then last year we went to Dream Night at the Zoo, which was for special needs children and their families. We had a blast!

As I sit here and think back, there are just so many memories. Time certainly flies doesn’t it? So many summer trips, day trips to Greenfield Village, peach picking, blueberry picking. Camping. The county fair filled with the sounds of the auctioneer, the cows mooing, the pigs, the goats. The smell of barnyard mixed with fried food. Just lazy days and lazy nights around the house or in the yard. My cousin Michael’s Fourth of July parties. For someone who doesn’t really like summer, I certainly have many many wonderful memories from summers past.

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!

Wednesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized14 Comments

Hello everyone! Happy midweek! Why do I feel like I have already lived an entire week already and it is only Wednesday morning? I must be tired this morning!

So if you caught my posts last week about Wyatt, you know we were in the hospital and kiddo had numerous tests due to some unexplained vomiting he was having. For Wyatt the biggest symptom he has when his shunt is malfunctioning is throwing up, so if he vomits more than once, we need to go to the ER. That all happened last week, and then even after being home this past week he has continued to have mornings where he throws up. I realized that there is a pattern, and it is always around the same time. It appears that on mornings Wyatt doesn’t eat enough for breakfast, his morning meds are making him sick. But it is super hard to convince a 9 year old to eat when they don’t want to, and while I explain to him why it is so important, I can only do so much. If anyone has any experience with medication and nausea, and has any other tips besides holding my child down and force feeding him (joke obviously) I would love to hear them! Right now we are having moderate success and it is interfering with school and therapy, not to mention I just hate him being sick.

However, there have been good moments! For one, I got to see the Northern Lights when they came far enough south on a cloudless night last Friday. It has always been one of my top bucket list items and I am so thankful to have seen them. The sky was a gorgeous shade of pink, and while I couldn’t see them perfectly due to light pollution I could see them better with the night mode camera setting on my phone (thanks Michigan Storm Chasers for this tip!) I didn’t get the most dramatic pictures but I could see them, and felt rather blessed to have been able to do so, even just a little.

Mother’s Day was a simple day but a very nice one. I slept in and Billy got up with Wyatt (who gets up with the dawn, I am not kidding lol) I had a tasty blueberry muffin for breakfast, and my guys gave me my gifts – a new copy of Watership Down for my collection and the cutest little custom made Lego, made to look like Wyatt. I love how this Lego Wyatt has a paintbrush in his hand with green paint – my favorite color and Wyatt’s favorite activity! There is a little wheelchair that is still on the way too. It is just the cutest little gift from Wyatt.

We met up with my own mom and my brother and his family, and my SIL’s mother for ice cream later that afternoon. It was a gorgeous day out! My brother and I took our mom for a drive while Billy and Wyatt went to Billy’s mom’s house. I just had Devin drop me off there after we dropped off our mom. The three of us had a nice drive. I had a delicious Cobb Salad for dinner, and we called it a night. Simple day, lovely day.

I have also been rolling along with getting our Cub Scout pack up and running. Billy and I had a meeting last night with the Executive Director and the Special Needs Coordinator over dinner and while I feel absolutely submerged in information, I can see it all coming together and I am very excited. And nervous, to be quite honest! I really want this to work out for Wyatt’s sake and for the other kids, and is a huge project on my heart right now.

We are also getting ready to take a month long break from school. We have already slowed down quite a bit, and then we will be taking all of June off. Wyatt has RicStar Music Camp in June, as well as a 48 hour EEG, and Billy will be working on the wheelchair ramp as well. It is just going to be a very busy month and it seems like a great place to take a break. We will pick up again after the 4th of July, school for about 6 weeks, then have a bit of a break at the end of August until the beginning of September – which is also when I am planning on actually starting our Scouts pack officially.

So that is where we are now in our lives. How are things with you?

(and now just some random photos from the camera roll)

Tuesday/Wednesday Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized18 Comments

Hello everyone! It has been a doozy of a few days.

(written Tuesday evening – posted Wednesday morning)

On Sunday, I wrote my little Sunday-Monday post and then headed off to church like normal. This time however while I was gone, Wyatt started throwing up. Normal kid stuff usually, but for Wyatt it automatically means a trip to the ER to check his VP shunt. I hurried home and jumped from my car to Billy’s, where Wyatt and Billy were waiting for me so we could drive straight to the ER at Mott’s Children’s in Ann Arbor. Wyatt was triaged pretty quickly once there and were shown to a room.

They gave him Zofran, and sent him for his shunt survey – x-rays of his head and torso, then an MRI. Wyatt hates getting an MRI to the point where he fights like his entire life depends on it. Billy actually has to ride into the MRI machine with him, and holds him down. Afterwards, Wyatt settles down pretty quickly but that 5 minutes is so long for us all. We received the results pretty quickly as well! And, it was all good on the shunt side. His shunt was intact, no kinks, and his ventricles in his brain were decompressed and not enlarged. Wyatt also gets enlarged ventricles when his shunt is malfunctioning. So, they moved on to the next phase, the fact that he had a seizure right before throwing up. He was scheduled for an EEG in June (and still is) but they thought we were there so why not get a head start on it. So, in came the EEG team, Wyatt’s hair was twisted into tiny ponytails and the leads were placed in between the short little shoots of hair. Then the final wrap of gauze and tape, and we were ready for his EEG. All this time we were still in the ER, where we stayed until we were discharged 30 hours later.

Through this whole ordeal, Wyatt was a little charmer, making the staff laugh with his jokes and by being a super helper, helping to put the seizure pads in place, putting tape on the gauze wrap on his head, and trying to tape his o2 monitor to his toe. We had a restless night of sleep, with the team popping in all night to fix his EEG leads and all was going well the next morning. Until he threw up again! Up until this point, neurology believed that the emetic episode was a post-seizure episode (after the shunt was ruled out). At this point, we had to just believe it was something else, perhaps a little stomach bug instead. However, we still had to rule all of that out first so that we didn’t miss something important. I would rather them do that then say stomach bug and then have something happen.

The EEG did produce results that said Wyatt was having breakthrough seizures despite his medication increase a few weeks ago. So they further increased his meds, and we go see his doctor in June, and then later that month, have another 24-48 hour EEG. So, lots of good information came from the visit, it was just very long and exhausting for all of us, especially my kiddo.

Those are the happy, tired faces of two people who were just told they could go home. Poor Billy had actually gotten up in the morning after a terrible night’s sleep in one of those hospital room sleeping chairs (if you know you know) and went to work. He was actually on the way back to the hospital after work when Wyatt and I got the good news! So when he got there we only had to wait for all the i’s to be dotted and t’s to be crossed and then we went home, with a very very happy boy. He cheered when we got in the car, and then when we pulled up into the driveway. Billy and I felt the same way, so happy to be home and so relieved, and exhausted as the adrenaline and anxiety of the last 30 hours wore off.

Update – Tuesday we spent just relaxing and trying to recuperate, except for Billy who went to work. Our internet was down though and I didn’t have access to my phone because I turned it into a hotspot so that Wyatt could watch tv as he rested. He was very tired at the beginning of the day but in good spirits, and by evening he seemed much more like his normal little self. Today, I am going to have us take it easy but also add in a little schoolwork and one errand. Slow little baby steps!

And that is it for the moment! I hope you are all doing great!

Northern Michigan Trip – Part One

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Michigan13 Comments

Day one of course, was our journey to the cabin we rented in Indian River. A four hour drive sure feels like forever when you are in a hurry to get somewhere! We opted to stop in Hartwick Pines for a break, which is no hardship for us because it is one of our favorite places. The beauty of the Old Growth Forest is majestic, with trees soaring high above, so high you have to lean your head all the way back to get a glimpse of the tops. And the smell! So fresh and evergreen.

Before we stopped here though, we saw a sign for the CCC Museum, and decided to pull in and see what that was all about. We were glad that we did, it was a neat little quick stop, and we learned quite a bit!

This is a self-guided tour of the grounds and buildings, and it was really neat (and wheelchair accessible). This site depicted the work done by the CCC to regrow the forests that were lost due to forest fires. The interior pictures above are from inside the cone building, referring to pinecone, of course! They would roll the seeds out of the pinecones, overwinter them in mold and damp proof containers that looked like those giant milk canisters you see on dairy farms, and then start the seedlings off and turn them into “Happy Little Trees”. Wyatt was excited about the Bob Ross sign, as you can see.

It was a neat little stop before we got to our next one, Hartwick Pines.

When we got there, we headed straight for the visitor’s center first. We weren’t sure where exactly we were going, but I had found a wheelchair accessible trail on my AllTrails app, so I did know I wanted to do that with Wyatt. First though, we poked around the visitor’s center, and even picked up a few souvenirs. T-shirts for Billy and I, and a book for Wyatt – they didn’t have shirts in his size (or any kids size), which was a bummer. The book we got was really cool though, and since he loves books it was fine that he didn’t get a t-shirt. Then we walked back outside onto the boardwalk to look at the big map, and met the cutest little Llewellin Setter! She was so darn sweet! Some of you may have been around long enough that you remember my Penny, an English Setter and this little girl reminded me so much of my Penny, even though Penny was copper colored.

We opted to start out at the lumberjack camp, which was smart since that is where the trail was that we wanted. We were having a tough time with the map for some reason and were pleased to find the trail right where we ended up. LOL.

There was a little chapel tucked back, high on a hill among the trees, that was so serene and peaceful, and so just beautiful in its simplicity. There is a prayer inside that is so perfect for the surroundings, and for the people that visit, called Nature’s Prayer.

Our Heavenly Father, Creator of all that is nature,
We humbly come to you in the midst of nature’s splendor,
To thank you that as Americans we are free
To worship as we please, work as we please,
And move about as we please to enjoy all that is nature:
Its mountains, its hills, its valleys, its lakes,
Its streams, and the living things that dwell therein;
We pray unto You that someday the world may be at peace
And all men be free to enjoy nature’s abundance.
We ask you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
That we be guided to protect this priceless heritage
Which we, in America, are privileged to enjoy. Amen

It was a wonderful walk through the woods and Wyatt was SO happy to be back outside under a canopy of trees. We have been having a hard time lately finding a place to go with him in his chair! The AllTrails app I used is perfect though, you can use a filter for wheelchair friendly trails which is awesome.

After exploring we knew we had to get back in the car. We were so close to the cabin and had one stop left – a store for food supplies for the cabin. We were all bringing stuff and just sort of sharing food around, as we were sharing the cabin with my dad, my brother Devin, SIL Chrissy, and my nieces Mermaid Girl and Tiny Peanut. My stepmom was supposed to be there too but actually had some medical issues of the non-contagious sort and had to stay home, which was a bummer – and we really missed her!

Anyway, we finally got to the cabin. My brother was already there, and my dad got in just behind us. We spent the rest of the evening figuring out who was sleeping where, unloading the cars, and just settling in. Billy worked as a short order cook in the kitchen making either eggs and toast or grilled cheese for dinner since it was late, and a pizza order was going to take 90 minutes! We all hit the hay pretty early that night.

It was a good day!!

Northern Michigan Memories

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn family, Michigan22 Comments

If you live in Michigan, chances are you have gone “up north” at least once in your life. Some of us travel about, stay in different areas, while others have had permanent homes that have housed decades of memories, or even rentals that their families have stayed at for decades as well. Some people camp, some stay in hotels, but regardless, you are up north.

We went a few times when I was a kid, sometimes all the way up to Traverse City, sometimes a little bit south of the TC for my grandma’s birthday which was in July. I remember swimming in the lake with my cousins at a rental on Houghton, endless video games in the game room at the Holiday Inn in whatever city that was we stayed in, walking up really hot sand dunes with my mom and dad when my legs were only 4 years old long. (Not the big dune!)

Billy and I always used to head toward Mackinaw or the UP on our trips. We camped, we stayed in a hotel that was really little tiny cabins, we stayed in a big hotel. We walked on beaches, hiked through the woods, visited the Sawmill at Mackinaw at least a dozen times.

We’ve eaten fudge like the fudgies we are, visited historic Fishtown, shopped in Glen Arbor. Spent days in Traverse City, sampled the wines at Mission Point, and visited the lighthouse. Just so much. So many memories that I can’t do them all justice in this post. My dad took me and the family all the way up to the Upper Peninsula in high school when I was considering Northern for college. We saw Copper Harbor, mighty storms on Superior, waterfalls, Paradise, the shipwreck museum, and ate in a restaurant that was the living room of a home. Billy and I have ventured to the UP as well, to Germfask renting a tiny cottage and visiting Pictured Rocks. Thomas Dambo just built a troll up there in Germfask, so we will have to go back!

It’s been fun watching these two through the years. They are so big now it seems! And now our pictures will have tiny Bebe too!

We may never get anywhere like Disney together, but to me these days up north are precious and full of fun. Of game nights, crafting, sitting around the fire. Kayaking, swimming, stories, and laughter. Looking for Petoskey stones (and now I want to find a Yooper Stone!), cedar forests, the scent of conifers, one of my favorite things in the whole world. I always know when we have reached “up north” – when the road at the side of the highway is just lined with all the big evergreens, reaching toward the sky, pointing our way ever north.

Look at that little face!

Thanks for looking back with me!

Wednesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Coffee Catch UP15 Comments

Hello my friends! I got a new to me laptop (Billy’s new within the last two years but old to him) and all my stuff looks weird now. Is this font different? Why? I need to do some investigating! (update – it’s not, I am just apparently crazy)

Let’s see, what has been happening since the last time I chatted? Well. We moved my mom to her new place last week and that sort of consumed the entire week, outside of school and appointments. We are still working out details of what she needs, what she wants to replace, etc. All that nesting type thing, decorating, so it is not completely done but this is the fun part at least.

Saturday we had a day without work, and it was awesome. We went to Greenfield Village to celebrate my dad’s birthday and it was hilarious at first, just pure chaos. We had no idea prior to arrival (at 10 am, mind you) that it was Thomas the Thank Engine day, where they make the train look like Thomas, and everyone on earth is there to visit. So there were virtually no parking spaces at all. Then after we all finally found a spot, my brother realized they had forgotten their stroller! So while they were making the long trek to the village from the lot they had to park in, Billy and my dad went into guest services and rented a wagon to put the baby and her car seat in. By this point, it had gotten super cloudy and it was absolutely freezing – and I only had on a thinnish t-shirt. So my stepmom and I went into the gift shop and my stepmom generously treated me to a warm and cozy sweatshirt. Phew. By this point it was now 10:45 and we could finally enter the actual village. The good part- all of the Thomas people were now inside and on the train at least. Lol.

We had a great day, hanging out with my dad and stepmom, and my brother, his wife, Mermaid Girl, and Tiny Bebe. We ate, we walked, we laughed, it was a good time. I have decided I need a version of Camp Mohwak in my yard to retreat to. Although I would like a better view than the house behind me – instead, it should be woods and a river or something, more of a view like the actual cabin pictured has.

Then Sunday I met my friends at the garden center for our annual flower shopping day!

We all had our specific goals, mine being to buy plants to spruce up the toad abode, to make it prettier and to give shade. I ended up buying a few ferns, a hosta, some tomatoes and basil and cucumbers for the garden, and then some petunias and snapdragons for fun. I also picked up a crazy foxtail fern, simply because it is called a foxtail fern. I have no idea where to put it but I love it so much. Lol. Our next garden task is to get more topsoil since we are still working on getting rid of that darn ivy our previous neighbors planted, and sprinkling wildflower seeds down. That will end up being in the area behind the toad abode and it will look so pretty when it is finally all done. But, that is gardening isn’t it? You can’t hurry it, it is something that requires you to slow down and take your time. Or at least, that is the way that I like to do it. My friend Kelly is my total opposite pretty much in all things (I call us Grace and Frankie on here all the time) and she powered through and had everything in place that she bought in like an hour and had her entire yard done in a few days. I am more of a meditative gardener, I guess. I like to think about where something is going, maybe change it, maybe do this… I am just very slow. Neither one of us does it better than the other, it’s just our ways.

Speaking of Kelly…she and her sweet daughter E. supplied the “toads” for our toad abode! Well, sort of. I have to raise them first. E. and Kelly went to a vernal pond near the railroad tracks near their house, and E. collected ten little tadpoles all by hand just for Wyatt!

They brought them over to us and hung out for a bit, and it was so fun. We exclaimed over the cute little tadpoles zooming around, E. enjoyed meeting all of our creatures, from the geckos to the isopods (although I think she liked Applejack the best). I was reminded of those summer nights when I was a kid, where time stood still for a while, the weather was perfect, the kids were laughing and playing, and it was just one of those perfect, everyday moments in time. We gave her an old praying mantis ooth to take home for her own nature collection, and for some reason it just really made me happy, tadpoles for an ooth.

So that is about it for me – I need a refill on this coffee, and I need to get ready for a big day of school with Wyatt. He is also getting a haircut, and hopefully we fit some time in for the library and then later tonight, time in the yard.

How are you all doing?

Tuesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Coffee Catch UP14 Comments

Good morning everyone! (or afternoon or evening or whenever you are reading this) It’s a chilly morning today although it is supposed to warm up – finally! I have my delicious cup of coffee sitting next to me on one side, and Wyatt on the other, and it is a good morning, despite having to get up early and get blood work done.

Hmm where to begin? Let’s start with the best news of all – my new niece is here! She was born Saturday afternoon and is 6 lbs 9 oz, and 19.5 inches long. She was born so fast that the staff was surprised and the doctor never even made it! They thought it would be hours before she arrived – she showed them, and made her arrival after an hour after her parents arrived. I get to meet her today, maybe. I am can’t wait!!! We decorated their house for their welcome home, and delivered flowers to Mermaid Girl, who was excited but also missing her mom and dad. My brother was of course exposed to Covid right before little girl made her arrival so he is being super cautious. Or, as Billy says, covering up photographic evidence that he shaved his beard off after a shaving incident. Lol.

However, before Baby E’s arrival, we had many other adventures! On Thursday morning Wyatt and I went to the Henry Ford Museum to visit the Scooby Doo exhibit!! I was so excited. More than Wyatt, honestly. Scooby was my absolute favorite growing up and I still love it. Ghosts and dogs and mysteries? I guess I have been the same my whole life! Anyway, the exhibit was really fun. It was set up with a mystery to solve but Wyatt was not interested in that part, he just wanted to explore all the fun and interactive displays, which is fine. We saw bookcases and pianos with secret compartments that revealed themselves when you pushed the right book or played the right tune, and Wyatt got to act as a behind the scenes villain! They had an area where one side of the wall was a suit of armor, and the other side had buttons and levers that would activate the armor, rattling it or causing its eyes to glow. You could also make a disembodied laugh happen and flying ghosts. My child absolutely loved this. You could see people on the other side via a camera feed and surprise them! Wyatt had a blast.

There were other interactive displays as well, and then a whole play restaurant which Wyatt also enjoyed. He made pizzas and sandwiches and Scooby Sundaes. And I saw a toy doll house that I would have loved as a kid – how did I miss that when I was growing up? Maybe it is new.

Then of course Friday was St. Patrick’s Day! We spent the day listening to the Irish Rovers, the Pogues, and Van Morrison, read some books, and created some fun nature art. We had “leprechaun” bread (pistachio pudding bread), Lucky Charms treats, and then for dinner Irish beef stew over mashed potatoes. It was all delicious! Wyatt enjoyed the Lucky Charms treats the best – and the leftover marshmallows. Later that evening Billy and I watched Wolfwalkers, which is part of an Irish Folklore trilogy and it was excellent. I am thinking about doing a big review of the trilogy.

So it has been an exciting few days! Lots to do and see, and a new family member even!!

This week Wyatt and I both have lots of appointments which stinks. I hate weeks like that. But at least the weather is supposed to be nicer which will make things easier.

I was going to include our homeschool journey from last week in this post, but I feel like I have blathered on quite enough for this morning, so I will do that later on this week instead. Enjoy your day everyone!