Traveling Through Books – Heidi

On April 21, 2026 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized8 Comments

Hello everyone! I already posted a review of my buddy read of Heidi, that I did with Lisa at Boondock Ramblings, but I wanted to share a bit more about it.

Heidi is one of those books that transport you to another place and time. Spyri’s descriptions of the fir trees, the mountains and their sunsets, the goats, the wind through the firs, the wildflowers, made me feel homesick for a place I have never been. I would love to visit the Alps one day, and maybe I will, maybe I won’t, but I will always have Heidi to fall back on when the urge hits me.

In honor of my newfound love for this beloved classic, my family and I visited a Detroit restaurant named Alpino that specializes in Alpine fare, with dishes representing different areas of the Alps. It was a splurge, as it is a bit pricey, but it was definitely worth it. Plus, it serves fondue which I thought Wyatt would love, and I felt the experience would be a neat one for him.

I always include in the comments box of the online reservations system that we are arriving with a child who uses a wheelchair. I feel like this gives us the best outcome, as they are ready for us and have an appropriate table space reserved. The staff at Alpino were definitely ready, and the hostess even came out to hold the doors open for Wyatt, which never happens. They had a table on the end all saved for us, and were extremely accommodating.

We had three courses, and did a lot of splitting of food. We knew it would be a lot, if we wanted fondue and appetizers (they sounded the best to us), plus dinner, and a dessert. That is quite a bit of food for us, and we are not used to eating out in the first place. We started with of course, the fondue – I ordered the fondue for two for Wyatt and I, and Billy tried the raclette, which also sounded amazing. The fondue came with potatoes, olives, gherkins, apples, and sourdough bread, and the cheese was so creamy and delicious, a mix of emmentaler and gruyere. The raclette was French raclette cheese, speck ham, apricot mostarda on einback brioche. We probably could have left it at that, and just had dessert, but I felt we needed to try an entree. So Billy and I split the arctic char, which was mustard and rye crusted Alpine lake trout. It was good, very light and tasty, and I was glad that Billy and I split it. I would not have been able to eat our huge dessert, and who wants to skip dessert for trout? Not me.

The dessert choices all sounded amazing. I couldn’t decide which to choose! We ended up asking the server which of our two finalists she preferred and she said 100%, hands down, the rosette.

I am so glad we went with her recommendation. It was delicious! The rosette is a vanilla fritter, with caramelized pear butter, vanilla ice cream, pear relish, and toasted wildflower honey. It even sounds decadent doesn’t it?

I am already planning a return trip with my bestie and her daughter, maybe for a lunch, so Wyatt and I can split the fondue again. He liked the bread and cheese combo the best, while I was all about the potatoes and olives. Billy of course ate some as well, and he agreed the potatoes were the best.

We didn’t end our Heidi Experience Weekend here though! On Sunday, we watched the movie Heidi as a family. We tried the 2015 version first, but it was subtitled, which doesn’t bother me, but it did Wyatt and Billy. Billy is dyslexic and he says it pulls him out of the movie too much, and I understand that. So we picked another version, this one from 2005 and starring Max von Sydow, Dame Diana Riggs, and Geraldine Chaplin. Emma Bolger played Heidi and she was so cute. She had the sweetest little Irish accent lol, which was fine, she played the character so well. It took a few liberties from the story but overall it was not a bad version. I think Geraldine Chaplin was amazing as Mrs. Rottenmeier, and of course Riggs and Von Sydow were amazing as well. The setting was beautiful, the color amazing, but not as amazing as the way it all looking in the few minutes of the first we started, from 2015. I am going to end up watching that one by myself sometime soon just for the cinematography alone.

Oh! So there is an English version of the 2015 movie! We must have chosen the wrong one! I don’t know if I can get the guys to watch another version, but I will.

Then Cat from Cat’s Wire Jewelry also recommended a version that is a Japanese animation version, and I am guessing we will watch that as well.

I really tried to make this an immersive type experience! Lol. I think it is something I am going to do more often.

And with that, I will say goodbye for now, and I hope that whatever you do today, that you do something that makes you smile!

Small Things That Make Me Smile

On January 9, 2026 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized29 Comments

So life lately feels heavy, this week in particular. Watching the news breaks my heart and gives me panic attacks and in our world of 24 hour news coverage we can never quite get away from it, unless we make the effort. Put the phone down. Turn off the tv. I find it easy to lose myself in projects, but I don’t always have the time to do those. There are days, like every weekday, when we have homeschool and home therapy and all the other things, and it is so easy to pick up my phone and scroll in those quick in between moments. On those days, I need to rely on small things to lift my spirits. A great cup of coffee or tea. Five minutes with a good book. A long stretch.

There are some small things I am loving lately, that make me smile.

Orange is one thing. Actual oranges to eat – I love peeling one and getting hit with that fresh sharp citrus scent. So much so that I have included orange scents into my shower routine. My body wash is orange scented, and oh my shampoo and conditioner smells so much like driving through an orange grove I just stand in there enveloped in the scent for a few extra minutes. I am using The Earthling Co. shampoo and conditioning bars in Citrus Sun and it does my sun deprived self so much good. I also bought a citrus tinged perfume as well, but it doesn’t quite smack me in the face with an orange scent as much as I want so I am going to keep looking.

Also, waiting on our little orange kitten. Not much longer now!

And while I am waiting for her, I am of course getting all the cuddles from Miso. Billy and my bestie Kelly are trying to talk me into two kittens, but I think that might be hard for Miso. Or easier, if they play with each other and give Miso a break? Ugh. I don’t know. Anyway, Wyatt got a little pop up indoor tent from my dad that turned out to be big enough for Wyatt and I to sort of lay in and read. We like to climb in there and read some of his books for school, and then after that, just hang out for a bit. I love when we are in there and Miso pokes her little head in, like “Hey what are you all doing?” and then saunters in and lays on me, like she does. It is super cozy for all of us, I guess.

Tea is another thing that has been making me smile. Peppermint tea, ginger orange turmeric, lemon ginger, are all flavors that perk me up these days. And if I get a chance to go to Starbucks, I love their Honey Citrus Mint Tea. I feel like I am going to be picking one of those up today, now that I mentioned it. They are just so good!

I am also enjoying winter fruit salad. It has apples, pears, kiwi, clementines or oranges, and pomegrante seeds and I could eat it all day. It just wakes me up!

Finally, one of the books I am reading is a collection of letters between two friends, sent to each other in 1953. It is perfect to just pick up and read a few letters, spend five to ten minutes in their calm little worlds of dogs and rural life.

These are just a few small things that make me smile and pick me up when I need a little pick me up.

I hope that whatever you do today, you find something, no matter how small, to make you smile.

Soup and Story Saturday

On November 29, 2025November 29, 2025 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized6 Comments

Hello everyone!! This is just a little Saturday post, where if you want to chat about soup that you have made or eaten or a recipe you have, and tell a story about your life, a memory, a book you are reading, anything, here is your chance!

We have had wintery weather here this week, with snow flurries and cold temps, and was the perfect week for soup. It was also a good week for soup because Billy and I knew that we had a lot of cooking and baking ahead of us for our two Thanksgiving celebrations and we wanted to keep things easier during the week. So on Sunday we made a whole chicken, ate it with potatoes and corn like a little preview for Thanksgiving, then turned the rest into soup. I haven’t quite landed on the soup recipe I want for chicken yet. This one was good, but was a little too tomato-y.

This is the Chicken Vegetable Soup by Dinner at the Zoo. I actually really liked this one, Billy is the one that stated it was had too much tomato. And I didn’t have green beans and I think that might have been a delicious addition. It reminded me of being a kid eating soup on winter afternoons after playing in the snow for hours.

I’ve been sharing memories the past few weeks, so instead, let’s talk about something else today. Something recent.

Last weekend we took Wyatt to the local Christmas parade – for the first time. I felt so remiss as a parent that I had never taken him to this before, since I used to go every single year with my family. My dad was always about “travel fast and light” back then (although you wouldn’t know now by the amount of luggage he packs to go on vacations) so we just went to the parade, no blanket, chairs, just us. Thank goodness my aunts were not of that belief and brought chairs for the adults and blankets for us kids. So I had that in mind when we packed up to go to the parade with Wyatt. He has his own chair, but I wanted to make sure we took blankets too, in case he wanted to sit on the ground with his buddies.

We met my two friends Nicole and Shawnna and Nicole’s daughter A and Shawnna’s son Z. Nicole’s mom was there as well. We got there first and threw down our big wool blanket, and waited for the others to arrive. Nicole and Shawnna are neighbors so they were driving together and they were on the way. While we waited, Billy walked down to Tim Horton’s and brought back hot chocolate for Wyatt, and coffees for us which I was very grateful for since it was absolutely freezing out. Billy also bought one for the young police officer at the corner directing traffic, who was also very thankful and cold.

I realized I may have bundled Wyatt up a bit too much, much like my mom and aunts did to us when we were kids. We were all like the kid in the Christmas Story, and poor Wyatt was too.

In my defense, Wyatt does get colder in his wheelchair. He isn’t moving around generating body heat, and that metal gets so cold! However, I still sort of overdid it. Which I realized after I saw him with his friends. Whoops.

We didn’t have to wait long before the parade started, and seriously, I was like a kid myself! I love parades and we never go, and I was reminded of how much I do love them! Shawnna joked that I was just like one of the kids, and after I got pelted with candy I thought there was maybe some truth to that.

I’m the kid with the yellow hat. Brian is right next to me, and my cousin Melissa is the cutie on the other end.

We came home with so much candy, it was crazy! A and Z were so mindful of making sure to grab some for Wyatt, it was so sweet of them! They would run out for the candy, and bring a few pieces back for Wyatt’s pile.

I didn’t take many photos, as I was too busy chitchatting and watching the parade, sitting right on the curb like I did when I was a kid, waving to the people in the cars, on the floats, clapping for the bands and dancers, and making sure to point out the tuba players to Wyatt, who is recently obsessed with them. Tubas, not tuba players. There were also so many scout troops walking in the parade! I had no idea there were so many around us! I am going to see if our little Blackbirds troop wants to walk in next year’s parade.

I managed to grab these two photos. I thought the float of our electrical workers was a cute idea – plus they are heroes around here. Wyandotte makes it’s own electricity, and when our power goes out these guys rush to the rescue and we usually have it back on within an hour or so. So I definitely appreciate them, as they are out in the cold and snow in the winter, or in rain in the summer, spring, and fall.

We had such a good time, just being outside in the brisk air, taking in the crowds and the float, feeling the happiness in the air, being surrounded by friends. Our little group left smiling and laughing, and I am so thankful to have these people in our lives!

Have a story? Soup? Feel free to link up!

A Cozy Life: Vintage Cookbooks and Leaning Analog

On November 26, 2025November 26, 2025 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized12 Comments

Hello everyone! I knew it would finally happen! I knew I would finally just slow down, to a crawl instead of a race and here I am.

I have the usual holiday stuff, buying gifts and wrapping and baking and cooking and planning, but when Wyatt was born, we changed how we did the holidays. And every year, things seem to get a little easier.

I’ve been listening a lot to the podcast In the Meadow, and I find Vic and her lifestyle so inspiring. She has been trying to do more things analog, slower, making things more, and thrifting. Now, I won’t switch off the internet entirely – I love the community online, here on my blog, other blogs, Instagram, and the groups I am in. And as a parent of a medically complex child, I learn so much from other parents going through the same things. So I will never diss digital. But there are places where it is kind of nice to step away.

Our family gatherings are already potluck, and I am pretty experienced at the things that I make by now, and I don’t feel as rushed or stressed making them. And our families, by circumstance more than anything else, have their gatherings on different days and dang does that make it easier. And with that in mind, let’s look at cookbooks.

One place that I thought might be fun to step away from the internet sometimes is by using actual cookbooks, rather than online recipes. Right now, I use the internet for cooking and baking, 100% of the time. There are so many recipes right there, at my fingertips, on my phone, so easily reached. My phone is small and I can prop it up right there and it takes up zero room on the counter. However, aren’t old cookbooks a treasure? Billy and I have a collection that I never open, and the other day a friend of mine gave me a few old ones, partially as a joke, but she also knew I would love them. And I did! I mean, some of the recipes I am extremely skeptical about, and probably would never try, but some of them, don’t sound too bad!

I have to share about the Campbells Soup one, only because it was fascinating to read through. There is not a publication year, but I am guessing 50s or 60s? There is a letter at the beginning of the book from Carolyn Campbell, of the Home Economics Department of the Campells Company, and obviously a family member, and I love the idea of a Home Economics Department of a food production company. Is this still a thing? It makes sense to have someone figuring out how to use the products in ways that are economical, helpful, and useful, as well as versatile and also new and innovative ways to use the products. I have to say their marketing (until the news this week!) has stood the test of time, with so many recipes still calling for cream of whatever.

I really enjoyed their suggestions on new ways to use their soups. One way they thought that parents could use soup was as a birthday soup for their children. – instead of a cake. “Gay bowls of cream soup take on a party air when topped with a glowing birthday candle (set on a floating round of toast or a cracker). First top the cracker with a small ball of cream cheese or peanut butter. Poke the end of the candle into it and carefully slip the cracker onto the top of the soup. Then light up the candle.” I asked Wyatt if he would like this instead of a cake at his birthday and he turned it down.

There was also section on how eating soup could help keep your figure trim, with a calorie count for each soup. There were suggestions for including soup with breakfast, teen soups and snacks for such wholesome activities like after-skating warm up, which includes mugs of chickety-chick, cheese and crackers, apples, and oatmeal cookies, and a square dance special that boasts pizza doggies, a raw vegetable tray, doughnuts, and cream soda shake. One of my favorites was the appetizer soups, that it was said were becoming fashionable to serve in a cup in the living room for guests to “sip and savor before the meal.” One suggested appetizer soup dish was the flaming bean soup, that included sherry or bourbon and lemon slices. I asked my mother-in-law the other day if she ever remembered being served soup like this before a party and she did not recall it. I would love to hear if anyone else did!

I literally could go on and on, with the ideas for holidays and seasons and specialty dishes and special menus, like for “when the gals meet” or a “touch of Paris” and while some of it really was unappealing, like the Jellied Soup-Salad, I really admired how very hard they worked to come up with different ways to use their products.

I also really appreciated the dedication:

“To the millions of American Homemakers who work magic with convenience foods.”

So let’s raise our glass of soup, and toast to everyone out there, not just “American homemakers” who are out here, doing our best to feed ourselves, our families, our friends, our neighbors, our communities, today and everyday.

Soup and Story Saturday

On November 15, 2025November 15, 2025 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized14 Comments

Hello everyone! This is my very first Soup and Story Saturday, and if you are not quite sure what it is yet, well, know that I am still working it out too. It is sort of amorphous right now, and that is fine. We can all work with that.

My idea was basically about community. Sharing a meal, sharing a story. You can share a soup you have made, soup you love, soup you have eaten somewhere else, homemade or restaurant made, from a can – it doesn’t matter. As for the story, you can share a story or a memory of your own, you can share the book you are reading, you can share about a book you love, a book you hate – same, it is up to you. Just any sort of story you want to share.

Last Sunday we woke up to the first snow of the season, which is always an exciting day for us. We like to celebrate the first snow and traditionally, we order Chinese for some reason on the first snow. Well, this past Sunday our budget said no to ordering food, so instead we decided to start a few new traditions. We painted and had homemade soup and I baked. However, the soup I made didn’t quite turn out! I used to make it years ago, when I was still a vegetarian, and I must have done something differently in the past because this time there just was not any broth. Lol. It was more like a bowl of beans and dumplings than soup! It was still ok but not quite soup. It was still very hearty and soothing, although a bit stodgy.

The soup I made is called Vegan Chickpea Dumpling. I won’t share the recipe I used since this is not a good representation of it. Lol.

When I conceptualized this idea, I was just about to start reading The Enchanted Greenhouse. By the time I was done reading it, I knew I wanted to do a soup sort of posting linky. That book is full of homemade soup, sitting around a table, protected against the snow outside, and feeling snug. I always got that same feeling reading Little House on the Prairie. Laura would describe the elements outside, how it was always slightly wild and dangerous, but they were safe inside their little house, wherever it was located at that time.

This month is full of milestones for me, my 25th anniversary, my 50th birthday. Billy has been such a safe place for me for so long now- we have been together since we were seventeen, and even then, just starting to date him, he made me feel safe and cared for. There were times in my life that I didn’t necessarily always feel that way, but Billy is one of those people that are just…protective and full of love. He is human and makes mistakes obviously, but that doesn’t take away from how he is. He is an extremely capable person, and so kind to people. I remember one of the moments I really realized I love him, and what a good person he is.

I was working at a retail store, during college, one that sold office supplies, but also had a gifts side, that was sort of Hallmarkish, cards and little figures and ornaments and what have you. I worked on the gifts side of the store, and while the office supply side had more business customers, the gift side had more older people who came in, who would walk down from the senior apartments a block or so away for cards for their grandchildren, little gifts, but some came in just to chat. I would chat with them while I worked, the man named Harold Angel (first and middle name) because he was born on Christmas was one of my favorites, and then there was a little tiny much older woman, who didn’t live in the apartments but in her own home. But she came in one Christmas and wistfully told me that her family lived very far away, and didn’t visit very often, and that she wished that she had someone to visit and to help her set up her Christmas village of houses. Since her husband had died she didn’t have anyone to bring them up from the basement or help her out, and she missed seeing their lights at night. You all know I have a very close family, and it made me sad that she was all alone at the holidays. So you all probably can guess what I did. I volunteered Billy and I to go over and help her out.

Later, I told my nineteen year old boyfriend that we were going to spend the next night at a stranger’s house helping her out. And it was probably the first of Billy’s shrugs and sighs and turning to me saying “What do you want me to do”, acting exasperated but not really being exasperated. So the next night we went over to her home, which turned out to be just around the corner from my home, and she met us at the door, all huge smiles.

She had eggnog for us, which neither of us care for but that we smiled and chugged down, and her house was set a million degrees so we were sweating to death, and I sat and chatted with her on the couch while my very kind boyfriend brought up all the boxes of her decorations and little village houses, set them all up the way she wanted them, made sure they worked, and were safely plugged in. And I watched him, and knew he was a keeper. It wasn’t his ideal night out, probably a far cry, but he did it because he is kind. He has a good heart, a big heart. He is a helper. There he was, in his plaid flannel shirt over a black concert tee of some punk band, wearing his camouflage pants and giant combat boots, doing his best to make this woman happy. No one would have guessed he was that full of kindness if you just looked at him – until he smiled. Then you would know because his eyes are twinkly and his smile welcoming.

And I guess that is my story today. About Billy and his kindness, his spirit, his joy. And I probably wrote this all wrong, because I am no writer and sometimes it is hard to describe a feeling or emotion or a particular event in your life. But I hope you all understand what I am trying to say in this story anyway.

And with that, I hope you all have a great day, and that whatever you do, that you do something that makes you smile.

And, I am having a problem adding the linky today. It just keeps telling me it is incompatible with wordpress. So I apologize! If you want to share a post, add your link in the comments. 🙂 Or if you just want to share a story in the comments, that works as well! I look forward to reading anything anyone wants to share.

Our Cozy Little Life

On November 10, 2025 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized15 Comments

Hello everyone!! We had our first snow of the season yesterday, which made us all feel like hibernating. We had a perfect, cozy day.

We hurkle durkled together for a few hours, just reading, scrolling, making lists, and watching Frog and Toad. Wyatt and I have been watching these episodes like crazy lately. They are just so cute and sweet, full of the best things, like baking cookies, and reading, and sending snail mail and flying kites. I got very excited over the Christmas episode too. It is just a great comfort show when you need something fun and childish and whimsical and cozy. I am an adult who is not ashamed to say that they love cartoons.

After a while I decided I needed to get up and do something. So I attempted my first batch of cinnamon rolls! My goal this winter is to make really good cinnamon rolls, and for my first attempt, these were pretty darn good! The flavors were great, they were just maybe a bit more breadlike than cinnamon roll. I really liked them though. I decided to switch up the icing, and found a maple glaze online that I swapped the regular icing for, and it was a good choice. The cinnamon and the maple together were delicious. Billy and I split one for breakfast this morning and the flavors mingling with the coffee…yum!!

While the cinnamon rolls were proofing, we all painted together. I am not an artist, and the past few days I have been attempting the Andrea Nelson Art tutorials from Instagram. She is a watercolor artist and her reel tutorials are approachable, whimsical, and geared for people who can’t art. Like me. They might even be for children, but whatever. I am learning and having fun and that is what matters. I think too, that doing small things like this might help get rid of that art police in my head.

Afterwards I popped the cinnamon rolls in the oven, and the house filled with the most cinnamony scent. I made Christmas plans with Wyatt, talking about other things we might bake and things we want to buy (or receive lol, as he was making his list), and Billy was working on a project in the basement. I eventually wandered back into the kitchen to start dinner, which was chickpea dumpling soup, something I used to make years ago and haven’t for a while. I remember it being very filling and warm on snowy nights, and it was. I think I used to make it a bit differently though, as this was more like a bowl of beans and dumplings – the broth was non-existent. I must have used more before. It was still very good though.

While I was cleaning up, and Billy was getting Wyatt ready for bed, I listened to one of my favorite podcasters, Vic at In the Meadow. If you want a cozy podcast, full of simple goodness, give her a listen. How this young woman has such a wonderful view on life is amazing to me; you attribute that to aging, but I feel like more and more I am learning from the younger generations.

After Wyatt was all cleaned up, it was my turn to do his bedtime routine, which includes a cozy YouTube and a book. Last night we watched Shelby’s Cottage, one of her older autumn videos since she is new to us, then we followed it up with reading Bunnicula. Then it was time for Billy and I to be lazy and loungy together. We chose to watch an episode of Victorian Farm, and I worked on my embroidery while we watched.

I slept so good last night, after such a relaxing cozy day with my guys. And woke up to more snow this morning!

Introducing Soup and Story Saturdays!

On November 5, 2025 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized12 Comments

Hello everyone!

Winter is coming here in the cold north of the United States and with it long dark nights, and chilly temperatures. For some people this is a nightmare. I however, look sort of forward to it. It is good to slow down, and winter here forces us to do just that.

“Many human beings say that they enjoy the winter, but what they really enjoy is feeling proof against it.” – Richard Adams, Watership Down

I do look for things to make the winter cozier though. I am all about the cozy and comfy over here, and spending time with a book under a blanket on a cold evening is something I love. Especially if my tummy is full of soup.

Weirdly, I had this idea before I started reading my current book, The Enchanted Greenhouse, and if the idea was just turning over in my brain when I started the book, halfway through this book it was a full fledged one. This book takes place in winter and they eat soup, a lot.

So the idea: On Saturdays, we share a soup we made or ate during the week, or maybe just one we really like, and if possible, share the recipe. Then, of course, we share a story. You can tell us about the book you are reading, or if you want, just share a story of something that happened to you over the week. Maybe even a story of a memory, since I feel like winter and fall make us more reflective. Think of it like we are all sharing a table together, feeling proof against the winter, enjoying our warm food and companionship. And now, I feel like this is so hobbity and I am even more excited!

I will have a linky so we can all pop around and visit, and our first soup and story Saturday will be November 15. I am really looking forward to this!

Hello November!

On November 1, 2025November 1, 2025 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized15 Comments

Hello November!!

We had a whirlwind October, and so I am looking forward to a less busy November. I want to fully embrace a slower fall, now that Halloween and October is over. We went all out for October because Wyatt had such a crappy summer, and we definitely had a blast. But, now we are ready for relaxing!

Most of the month should be pretty quiet, although we do have two milestone events this month. First, happening Tuesday, is Billy and my 25th wedding anniversary. It seems unbelievable that we have been married that long, but I guess it is true. I am pretty sure we are still only 17.

Which leads me to the next milestone – guys, I turn the big 5-o this month. What the heck? I really really can’t be that age. It sounds insane to me, but again, here we are. Honestly, I’m not really that hing up on the number. I feel every year is a privilege. I am not sure what sort of celebrations we will be having, but I am sure they will be pretty simple affairs. I do know that my besties here are planning a night out, with a bit of fun at the tie dye place downtown followed by dinner at Ima, a noodle house I have been wanting to go to for awhile now! I am the oldest of our group, by one year. Jill is a year younger than me, Kelly two, and Chrissy – well. Nine. Nine years younger than me. I am very much looking forward to our night out though. I miss my crew and life gets in the way a lot of us hanging out. Kelly has a senior in high school this year, and is busy with all of the events and different things happening in her daughter’s life, Jill works so hard – she is a respiratory therapist at two different places, a full time job during the day and then some night shifts at the hospital. Chrissy works and has two children, one of which is a toddler. So it will be nice for us to have some time together, hanging out and having fun.

Billy has plans for our anniversary, dinner out at an old favorite of ours, and he took the day off to hang out with Wyatt and I. We are hoping for a hike somewhere, full of fall colors and brisk weather.

Outside of these two big events, the rest of our month should be quiet, with the exception of Thanksgiving, of course, but my brother is hosting so I just need to provide a few dishes, including my Nantucket cranberry pie.

I want to try to repair my vintage quilts this winter. I don’t know how though. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know. I plan on making a post about this, with photos of them as they are. I love them so much, they are so soft and warm but they need some help and I don’t want them destroyed. But I do want them to be used.

Wyatt also wants me to make some mini-felt animals. He found a book at the used book store with photos and patterns, don’t ask me how, of little animals and wanted me to sew a few. So I am giving that a whirl to this winter. He wants to sew too, but I can’t figure out how to do accommodate that for him yet. He has full use of his left hand, he is a lefty, a natural one so that is good, but his right hand is more of a helper, and he does not have much in the way of fine motor skills with that hand. More like big movements that are sort of clunky. So I do plan on researching that a bit for him.

I also have some other goals, that are pretty small but I am looking forward to. I want to make really good cinnamon rolls, for one. I am not a great baker but I like to try and focus on something until I can perfect something, and have it be like, my good version. I have the nantucket cranberry pie, chocolate chip cookies, scones, and gingerbread cookies under my belt, and have my sights set on cinnamon rolls next.

I am also thinking of doing a little Soup and Saturday Stories feature on my blog. Doesn’t that sound cozy? Maybe make it a link up, and we can all share the soup we are eating, the recipe, and the book we are reading? I love soup. It is one of my favorite things about fall and winter, that it is soup season! And I have Billy reinvigorating his sourdough mother that has been sleeping all summer, because sourdough pairs perfectly with soup and stews.

I am of course thinking about Christmas. I would like to try my hand at painting some Christmas cards, but if that proves to be too much for my talent, I am going to just purchase some. I have been listening to the podcast In the Meadow, and Vic has been talking about how analog and doing things the way we did just two or three decades ago, can make such a difference in our lives. Screens, quick information, the digital life, has its good points, but it is also good to step away sometimes, do something like send Christmas cards again, or letters. Maybe use an actual clock or watch. A radio. You get the idea. I am going to start small – Christmas cards. What better way to connect?

So that is where I am mentally tonight, on this cold dark night already, the day after Halloween. I am sitting in the den with my husband and son, Billy watching some documentary on tv, Wyatt playing with his magna-tiles on the floor, my cat purring asleep next to me.

How are you doing?

Welcome September!

On September 4, 2025September 4, 2025 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized21 Comments

A few months ago, I was thinking to myself, I just need to get through summer to fall, then we would be on the other side of Wyatt’s surgery. And then, it seemed so far away. And now here we are. The other side. A new season, a new journey.

I have been reading here and there on the internet about people who prefer fall and winter to summer, how we like these months because there isn’t the pressure to feel busy, to feel like we are soaking up every single second in activity and making the most of the sunshine and hot weather. There is probably some truth to that. I do like to embrace fall for the coziness. It does seem more acceptable for some reason to work on my embroidery in the autumn, to spend more time reading, to fiddle around with all of our little creative projects. But I also just love the weather, the cool crisp days, the chill in the morning. I love wearing jeans and sweaters and boots, I love the crunch of the leaves underfoot. I love fall baking and making soup, bopping around my kitchen listening to Stevie Nicks and Van Morrison and Taylor Swift (especially her Folklore album). I love that mosquitoes die and tea can be hot again. I love wearing darker lip colors in the fall, something new for me. I love scary stories, and bonfires, and fall hikes, owl prowls right on the cusp of winter.

I am actually busier in the fall than I am in the summer. We have back to school, and now Scouts-turned-Blackbirds. Our calendar for September and October is filling up, with field trips and get togethers, a special date night at the end of the month, a baseball game, festivals. I would like to take Wyatt to a high school football game this year, to hear the crowds and the band, because I know my kid is not going to care much about the actual game. He is more like me, and gets wrapped up in the atmosphere.

This fall I want to learn how to make cinnamon rolls, really good cinnamon rolls, and apple pie. I also want to make oatmeal cookies, maple cookies, peanut butter cookies. Some sort of baked good every week, like my grandma used to make, every week in the very same kitchen. My grandpa had a sweet tooth and my grandma baked everyday, whether it was a sweet treat or a chicken pot pie or a meat pie. And pancakes on the Blackstone every Saturday morning, while we eat outside on the deck in our pajamas, our coffee steaming, the birds singing.

(I got these images on Pinterest and I am working on finding the artists so I credit. Once I find them all I will update here!)

Fall is afoot in my online life as well! Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I are hosting two opportunities to link up together – one for Comfy Cozy Cinema, and the other is a monthly bookish link party for anything bookish at all! Share your bookstore shopping moments, book reviews, fashion inspired by book covers, whatever bookish posts you post. We also host drop-in crafternoons, which are monthly zooms where we just sit around and chat and work on whatever projects we feel like. I have embroidered and colored and once I painted my son’s little free library. So whatever floats your boat! We always have a good group and a good time! If you are interested send me an email!

Comfy Cozy Cinema posts go up on September 25th. We went for comedic, cozy, and then took some liberties near Halloween with some spookier movies.

And here is the linky for the bookish link party for September!

And with that, I think I am going to get moving. I have a small child here waiting for me to take him on our “book date” at Barnes and Noble. I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile!

Hello August!

On August 2, 2025 By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized14 Comments

Hello August!

July was a rough ride – I am hoping that August will be a better month. Wyatt is doing better everyday now, and is back to his normal self, at least every way but physically. We go for his next recheck at the end of the month. The last recheck went very well so I am hopeful the next one will be even better.

The weather so far this August, that one whole full day that we had, was cool and wonderful. No humidity, lower temps. I could tell that autumn is hiding around the corner waiting its turn, with cool breezes allowing me to open the windows most of the day. This morning it was actually cold when I stepped outside, and I did a little dance in the doorway. I would much rather be cold than hot. I am hoping to get outside and enjoy some cold temps this evening, with a cup of tea outside. I love to sit outside at night alone, just listening to the quiet, with the occasional train whistle or boat horn making themselves known.

We had a girls night at my friend Kelly’s the other night and the weather was the same, reminding me of northern Michigan, and nights near a fire, lakeside. It has been way too long since my family has done that and we need to fix that next year. I may not be a daytime beach person, but I am definitely a nighttime beach person.

I was so relaxed at Kelly’s. I would lean back and stare at the sky, listening to my friends talking, feeling calm and safe, their laughter wrapping itself around me. We also spent time fawning over Kelly’s newest addition, Simon. Simon is a sweet little fellow with the most beautiful green eyes. He just showed up one day two weeks ago, hungry and looking for a safe place to land. A few years ago I named Kelly’s house Belle Refuge, a place of beautiful refuge, for she takes in all strays and nurtures them and loves them. Simon is the newest to the bunch, and he recently was neutered and given all of his shots, courtesy of Kelly. Now he comes and goes, living life on her sofas inside and out, and we got to meet him finally last night. He was unprepared for a gaggle of cat lovers as we all vied for his attention. I felt chosen because I got a little cat chirp out of him as he came towards my outstretched hand. He is sweet and adorable and a polydactyl with big old paws. He was definitely soaking up all of the attention.

I am not planning much for August. I want it to play out as it will for the most part. I do have some things on tap though, like Wyatt’s Grand Opening for his Little Free Library, and Billy’s summer work party, Billy’s 50th birthday on Monday, and Mermaid Girl’s 10th birthday later this month.

Usually August we spend soaking up the last of summer, but this year it feels as if we are just starting summer as we enjoy the last of it. We have some of the best of summer ahead of us – and Rebecca over at The Farm Wife Reads has gotten me me very excited to eat more of summer’s bounty. Tomatoes and zucchini, cucumbers, corn, peaches, blueberries, cantaloupe, and of course watermelon. I could eat all the watermelon and cantaloupe, I just love it. I don’t have a garden this year, so I will have to head out to some local farmer’s markets and farm stands to stock up. Isn’t this the time of year for summer sweet corn?

So we are planning on taking it easy this month. Seeing friends, having some backyard dinners on the deck, getting back to the library, taking walks, going on drives and car picnics. Sunsets, iced matcha lattes, daydreaming, reading. It’ll be a nice way to end this crazy summer.

And that is it from me today. I hope that whatever you do today you do something that makes you smile!