Tag: life

Soup and Story Saturday

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized15 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! I plan on posting this later in the day like I did today.

Today’s soup was made by my mother-in-law! Homemade wonton soup, and it is delicious and warm and not something I get to eat very often. I love wonton soup though and I needed some soup today! We got up early to go to the Christmas parade and it was very chilly first thing this morning!

It was perfect. I loved that it was not overly salty, and she added water chestnuts which I love. It was very warming and I was thankful to have it.

Last weekend Chrissy, my sister-in-law, and I were standing in the kitchen at my dad’s reminiscing about our grandmothers. It started with spaghetti, and she talked about how when she was little, one of her very favorite things was her grandmother’s house on cold days, because her grandma would always have a pot of bolognese sauce simmering away on the stove. She said it would bubble away for hours, while they played and her mom and grandma visited, and it smelled so good, and she couldn’t wait to eat it. She said it would get a layer of grease on top, and when I asked if she ate that, she emphatically said, yes, that it was part of the experience, and they would dip their bread into it too. Her memory sounded so vivid and I could imagine the feeling that would give, of family and homeliness, and it made me remember my grandmothers’ kitchens.

Neither of them ever really had any money, but you never went hungry when you visited. In fact, quite the opposite. Both would steam the windows of their houses up, cooking and baking. My grandma Marian, whose birthday would have been tomorrow actually, made the best chicken paprikash, the best bean soup (which I don’t have the recipe for and haven’t found anything to replicate it), and the best rice pudding. The chicken paprikash is the one I remember the best. She made it with the dumplings, and they were my favorite part, those little bits of dough were like treasures for some reason, and I would search the bowl for them before moving on to the rest of the bowl. We would all be crammed into her smallish kitchen, seated around her round wooden table, and I would be next to my cousin Melissa in the back, squished along the wall because we were the littlest and youngest.

Now my grandma Keedy, she was also a good cook and baker, and I live in the house that was hers, so I am continuing to make memories here. I remember our crowded Thanksgivings and Christmases, my entire rowdy family spread out wherever we could find a seat until dinner, when we again would cram around a table in the dining room, until the year when my cousin Brian, Meghan, Michael, and my brother Devin and I got our own table in the other room. We had slightly outgrown this tiny house but that didn’t stop us from being together.

The kitchen here, the one that my grandma used, is so tiny. I joke all the time that they built this house and then were like, “Oh no we forgot the kitchen” and managed to squeak one in. Despite its diminutive size, my grandma would turn out a huge feast, complete with turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, corn, salad, cranberry sauce, and Yorkshire pudding, followed by pumpkin pie, cherry pie, coconut tarts and Empire biscuits. We all would fight over the last piece of Yorkshire pudding, and had great debates over which dessert was better, the tarts or the biscuits. I have always been a coconut tarts fan but I am among the minority. The house would be so hot from the stove working hard all day, and after dinner my cousins, brother, and I would go back to the den in the back of the house. We would occupy ourselves with books or and drawing and tv if there was a tv in there, which wasn’t always the case, and my brother and boy cousins would wrestle and Meghan and I would try to stay out of the way because they would get wild and it was not that big of a room.

Inevitably we would get bored and wander back into the dining room and living room, and listen to the stories our parents and grandparents were telling, about dancing at the highland games or the time my uncle scored for the opposite team during a basketball game in middle school or ice skating on the creek, or how my mom was hula-hoop champion in elementary school and got to hula-hoop before a high school football game, where my aunt was a cheerleader.

I feel like I have so many memories wrapped up in these nights, dinners and meals with family, and I hope that I am providing these memories to Wyatt. I want him to remember these holidays with fondness one day, the food that we made, the stories we told.

Marsha from Marsha in the Middle has an awesome soup and story to share as well!! Check out her post here!

And that is it from me today. Thanks for stopping by, and if you have anything you want to share, please leave a link below! InLinkz is still telling me that it is incompatible which is annoying, so if you leave a link in the comments, I will share it in my post!

Christmas Gift Guide: Things Wyatt Has Loved

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized9 Comments

How is Christmas so close now? What is it, 35 days away? I am not even close to being finished with holiday shopping! I did see Amazon started its Black Friday Sale, so I thought I would share a few ideas of things that Wyatt has loved over the years, in case anyone needs a little inspiration. Some of these are Black Friday Deals, others are not.

These links are affiliate links, and I will receive a small commission if you were to purchase anything using a link, at no extra cost to you.

Outfoxed is a game that he got maybe a year or two ago from his aunt and uncle, and he absolutely loves it, as do all of his cousins. It is a mystery game where you eliminate suspects (all foxes) using clues and logic.

Hoot Owl Hoot is a game that we bought Wyatt when he was five. We gave it to some friends with young children a few years ago as he outgrew it, but it is an awesome game. Wyatt played the heck out of it with us. This is a cooperative game, and helps kids learn colors, strategy, and turn taking.

Pop the Pig. I can’t even tell you how many times we had to play Pop the Pig. Every teacher, every therapist I have talked to has said that they have this game in their classroom as well. Kids love it. It is also geared for younger kids. We still have ours and if you could see it – the box is tattered, the poor pig looks like he has been through the wars, but it had a lot of use and love.

This Makedo Discover Set is a current favorite. This is actually really cool, and Wyatt has fun transforming my Amazon boxes into art or tall buildings or whatever he wants to make. And we learned over Halloween that the sawing tool is handy for kids to carve pumpkins with as well! All of it is safe and not actually sharp. Wyatt will sit and create with this for a good while!

Picasso Tiles, all the sets, he loves. He wants a set like this with dragons again this year (and I already ordered it) and it is another thing he will play with for an hour or two. We have taken them with us on vacations, on his trips to the hospital for EEGs, for tests,and they travel well (as long as you don’t bring them ALL lol).

I bought this flower building garden toy for Wyatt when he was in pre-school and we were doing a unit study on plants. It was great to illustrate to him the parts of a plant, but I had no idea that he was going to love it as much as he did, or that his cousins would as well.

Hopper toys were always a winner around here, I mean who doesn’t like to bounce? Plus it is good for core building in little kids, and balance.

I got these little barns and farm animals for my niece’s second birthday this past March, and let’s just say, she didn’t care about any of her other gifts once she opened it. I was told I apparently bought her the winning gift, because she played with it the entire rest of the party. It has colors, animals, and little kids love to put things in things and take them out.

And then a bigger gift, but I would feel remiss if I didn’t share, just in case anyone is on the fence about getting one for their child or grandchild or whoever.

A play kitchen. Wyatt played with his for years and years and when he outgrew it I gave it to a friend for their child to use. This and kitchen toys to go with it – he was occupied for hours. I drank countless “cups of tea” and ate so many pieces of “cake” as did any other family member who came over. It was well worth the money. This is not the same one we had but it is by the same company, KidKraft.

If you search my blog, you might be able to find photos of Wyatt playing with most of these!

I hope that this gift guide gave you some ideas, and I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile!

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized23 Comments

Hello everyone! We have been keeping busy but finding a balance over here, finally. I like when we can have down time but also activities and for awhile there, it was either too much or too little. It is finally just right.

Wyatt and I had our monthly book and cookie outing last Friday! It’s such a small little thing but we have so much fun. This time we went back to Barnes & Noble; the local bookstore in our town turned their store in a Christmas wonderland so I want to save that trip for December. Anyway, Barnes and Noble turned out to be a good time – partially because the Starbucks sugar cookies are freaking delicious. Wyatt has been binging the Frog and Toad cartoon, and now wants to revisit the books, so he chose Frog and Toad All Year as his pick. I lucked out and got the $5 Barnes and Noble Cafe book promo, where if you buy anything from the cafe, you get that one particular book for $5! It is a book called Murder at Holly House and I am really excited to read it this holiday season!

The next day was a get-together with my girls for my birthday party. They arranged a whole night out for us and I had such a fantastic time hanging out with them. I am so thankful for their thoughtfulness and friendship. We have all been friends for 20-30 years and I am hoping to have that many years more with them as well.

Our first stop was the Detroit Dye House, where we made tie dye! Kelly had arranged for us to do the class, and with the class you make three things: socks to be donated, a tote bag, and your choice of a few pieces. We all chose the pashmina scarf. I loved seeing where my friends creativity took them in the making of their pieces, what colorways we all went with.

Chrissy went jewel tones, very royal, and it reminded me a little of a peacock. Kelly was more earthy, Jill went for the colors of the ocean, and then I went for a more monochromatic look of different shades of green.

That place is really fun. I also like that it is fun for all ages; this is actually the place we celebrated Wyatt’s birthday this year for his tenth birthday! I threw in a picture of us at another creative get together, that one more than ten years ago! After getting creative, we went to dinner at Ima, a noodle house which was amazing!!

We woke up Sunday to the first snow of the season, and we had a perfectly cozy day, which I blogged about here! It was also the perfect weather for the eve of the anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald tragedy. It went down 5o years ago, 6 days before I was born, and my great uncles helped build it. One of them, Hugh McIlroy was actually the superintendent of the shipyard where it was built as well. My mom attended the launch as a kid, and remembers the surge of water when it was launched that soaked everyone. Apparently the surge of water was so great that one of the workers there actually had a heart attack, poor man. Another tragic casualty of this ship. My cousin Brian invited my brother and I out for a drink (I had a cider that was described as “cozy”) that night, Monday, in remembrance of the crew, and he also surprised me with a birthday gift. He wrote me a very beautiful letter that made me cry, and then gifted me with a first edition, seventh printing, first book club edition of To Kill a Mockingbird and told me that I always reminded him of Scout. He also again made me cry by gifting me a decorative Hummel plate of my aunt’s, that I remember being displayed in her home. I miss her so much everyday, and I am so happy to have such a memento.

The rest of our week was just routine (the balance I needed for all those outings!) and yesterday we had our Blackbirds meeting. The kids seemed to really enjoy our activity! We started with spending some time in the courtyard at the church, doing some stargazing, then we headed inside for snacks, a little art project designing their own constellations, and then ended with potting paperwhites to take home, which was a gift from my stepmom to the troop. I love being outside at night this time of year, I find it so peaceful and I even enjoy the chill in the air. They also all surprised me at the end of the night with a cake and singing happy birthday, and the smiles on all the kids’ faces warmed my heart.

And that is it from over here this week! I hope that whatever you do this week, you do something that makes you smile!

And now for some random photos.

Hello November!

On 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?

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized10 Comments

Hello everyone!! it is actually cold here this week, and temps next week will be cold as well. I think it is safe to say autumn is here for real.

And it seemed to blow in all at once. We were having a warm sunny day the other day, then all of a sudden it was overcast, gray, and a storm and rain moved in. And that was that. Fall was here in a flash.

We have just been moving along over here. We had a few Halloween events last week, where we gave Wyatt’s costume a trial run, and then a family get together with my brother’s family and my cousin’s family. Billy, Wyatt and I also went to the apple orchard, one of my favorite outings of the season, if not my very favorite.

Let’s start there. It was sort of a neat moment – we went on the same day, October 18th, that we went to the very first time we went to this orchard with baby Wyatt. When Wyatt was a baby, I wanted to find an orchard that we could make our tradition, like I had when I was a kid. The one I grew up going to has turned into a circus, with too many bounce houses and people with tables selling things – it’s just too much. I wanted a more simple experience. Pumpkins and cider and doughnuts and apples – we don’t need anything else. I found one online, Bennett’s Orchard, and off we went with tiny Wyatt. And we have been going there ever since. So this past Oct. 18th was our ten year anniversary of sorts, of going, and it was ten years to the day.

They also have this gentle Lab who will sometimes join you in your wanderings. He has to be getting up there in age now, and is such a sweetie. I love when he joins us.

We had such a good morning at the orchard, although I couldn’t talk Wyatt into wearing a pumpkin hat for old times sake.

The next day was the party at my cousin’s house. He and his partner had it all set up for the kids, and it looked so good! They did a great job making a nice party for our kids of all ages, from 16 years down to 2. There were pumpkins to paint and sticker, doughnuts, pizza, and we brought a jug of hard cider from the orchard to share, while my brother brought different chips and dips. It was such a nice time!

I also picked up my new glasses this week, and just in time, because I broke my only pair! I really like my new pair but I got progressives for the first time and I am finding them confusing. I like them when I am doing stuff around the house, because I only need them for reading and I don’t need to take these on and off all the time, but when I am just sitting and reading and not multitasking I am having a difficult time. So I bought a pair of $7 readers from Amazon that work perfectly for that. It however made for a slower week of reading until I figured out I could do that.

It was a week for reading and hanging out with Brian, my cousin this week, because I hung out with him again on Wednesday! We tried out a place in Detroit called Sip N Read, which is like a bookstore bar. It was cold and rainy and really the perfect night to sit somewhere warm and read. Sip N Read is so pretty inside too! I loved the velvety furniture in shades of green and burnt orange, the space itself was so inviting! There is a small bar when you walk in, and then on the opposite wall are bookshelves. The books are there to be perused and read while you enjoy libations, and they offer wine and mocktails to their patrons. You can either choose to buy the book or not, or just read from different books, or whatever you choose. We had so much fun just reading and hanging out with our drinks. It reminded me of an adult version of when we were kids and would go to the library, check out some Stephen King, and head to his house where we would drink Capri Suns and read together. It was pretty empty but I am chalking that up to the night – it was a Wednesday, and it was so cold and rainy! We had a great time, reading and chatting, and then Brian treated me to the book I was reading as an early birthday gift!

I also did some baking this week – I made cinnamon apple scones, and chocolate chip cookies. I think I am going to be baking more since life is so expensive these days, and the groceries I am buying look different now too. I bought a whole chicken yesterday to turn into a few meals, as it was a better cost value than buying anything else. We are also having meals that turn into leftovers, like chili and stew, and Billy is going to start baking his sourdough again this weekend. Every bit helps!

It’s been fun baking again though. I am not great at it, but I have fun bopping around the kitchen to Oingo Boingo, Taylor Swift, Yaelokre (an Icelandic band my brother introduced me to that has really cool story and lore behind it), and also listening to the In the Meadow Podcast.

All in all, it’s been a pretty darn good week! The leaves are finally turning to fire, the weather is fully fall, and things are getting pretty cozy around here!

I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile!

Sunday/Monday Post!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized7 Comments

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

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

Hello everyone!! We have been very busy socially this month so far! Lol. I think we are making up for our “lost summer” due to Wyatt’s surgery and recovery. We have been having a good time but this mom is getting tired! Lol. This weekend we visited a “haunted bookstore” for some shopping, spent Saturday creating Halloween decorations, then going to an outdoor movie at my brother’s, then yesterday our Blackbirds went on a nature walk and “insect encounter” on Belle Isle, then Wyatt, Billy, and I went to the Detroit Zoo Boo. Phew. I am so ready … for our busy week. Wyatt is having a great time though so it is worth it.

What I Read:

I read Play Nice by Rachel Harrison and Ghost Business by Jen DeLuca. I really loved both of them!! Play Nice was scarier, while Ghost Business was just like a cozy little romance. It is not set in the fall really, but had enough of a vibe that made it fun spooky. Plus it fit this unseasonably hot weather we are having here. One more day, and it seems like we will have better temps.

Reading This Week:

I recently read In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace and I loved it, so I am looking forward to Late Night Witches. And hopefully by the time I get to Falling Like Leaves, we will have some actual Michigan fall weather around here!

Posted Last Week:

The Gilmore Girls Episodes That I Love to Rewatch

Hello October!

Comfy Cozy Cinema: A Knight’s Tale

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up

What We Are Watching:

We are watching along with our Comfy Cozy Cinema, that I am co-hosting with Lisa from Boondock Ramblings. We just watched A Knight’s Tale, and this week we are watching The Five Year Engagement, which I picked for the humorous depiction of Michigan. It is more than just the little jokes about Michigan though, and I hope you all enjoy it if you watch along!

We are also watching the cartoon Haunted Hotel, and we restarted Twin Peaks. I LOVED Twin Peaks as a teen and wanted to be Audrey Horne. I still want to be Audrey Horne, maybe. Billy and I were watching and can’t get over how much we still love it, and we both agreed I have been chasing that aesthetic my whole life. It is so weird and creepy and sad but it is so good. Very Lynch.

And that is it from me this morning! I have an eye appointment soon and I should probably get ready! I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile.

Hello October!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized12 Comments

Hello October!! You had better bring cooler temps because September was confused about what fall means! I am so ready for my hoodies and overalls and sweaters and this weather has not been participating in fall.

October, October. Probably one of my favorite months. I love Halloween! I have always loved Halloween, even the years I got strep throat and had to miss trick or treating. Because for me it wasn’t necessarily about the trick or treating, it was the build up. The fun cartoon movies that we watched. Our family trip to the orchard with all of my cousins, and then following it up with chili at my aunt’s house where we all carved our pumpkins together. Picking my costume and my parents making it. I was a cat once, a Scottish dancer, Scooby Doo (my mom hand sewed the most awesome costume for this), Minnie Mouse. Batgirl, that was another great one. We had so many traditions, and that is something I have tried to form with Wyatt as well. These family traditions. My cousin Brian and Devin (my brother) have this same feeling of nostalgia, and now Brian hosts family get togethers during the school year, and all of our kids play together, or make things together and I love it.

Trick or treating with Devin and Mermaid Girl and now the Hurricane in their neighborhood feels like the 80s. The streets are packed with kids, the homeowners are out in front of their homes passing out candy, and the houses are highly decorated, and the feeling is just so cheerful and full of community. Our own little Stars Hollow moment, I guess! There are fires (contained fires of course, not the Detroit Devil’s Night fires from the 80s and 90s) and the mood is high. I should really change Mermaid Girl’s nickname on here, she is no longer into mermaids and hasn’t been for a long time, she is more KPop girl now and has been for some time, but she is staying Mermaid Girl.

We have so many fun things lined up for the month! We have the Detroit Zoo Boo, an orchard outing (or two), our Blackbirds field trip to Belle Isle, our Blackbirds Spooky Not Spooky party, of course cousin Brian’s get together for the kids, and a Halloween bonfire at the farm with Blackbirds as well.

As for myself, I am looking forward to all the spooky books, apple ciders, bonfires, and doughnuts. Because I do love a doughnut. I am planning a few extra things for the season as well, for our family but I am still in the planning process so hopefully I can get them done! And I am also really looking forward to Lisa at Boondock Rambling and my Comfy Cozy Cinema, and our crafternoons. (I have info linked at the top of my blog if you are interested!) I have picked my embroidery back up and am stitching away now at night while we watch our shows and movies. And my stepmom gave me materials to play with jewelry making, but maybe I am not creative enough or something because I can’t figure it out. However, Cat who attends crafternoons is a jewelry maker so perhaps I will try when we are zooming together and get some tips….

We had a jam packed September. I think we were making up for our lost summer! I feel like October will be the same, and then I can relax into November.

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

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized10 Comments

Hello everyone!! We have been busy around here lately – a weekend full of fun events and then a week of appointments.

Let’s start with the blah. Wyatt had an extra therapy appointment, so we had three trips to his therapy this week. Then I had my regular routine bloodwork appointment that we all have to get, and then I also had my mammogram this morning. I scheduled it super early in the morning so that I could get it done before Billy had to go to work, and it was super eerie out when I left. Pitch black and quiet. I was the only patient in the building. It was a weird feeling but it was a very quick appointment! I even got my results already – I’m good. I had put off all of my regular appointments for Wyatt’s surgery and recovery, so I now have to catch up on them. Yuck. I go to the eye doctor soon, but I am excited about that one. I am ready for some new glasses!

It was nice heading into this super busy week off of a really awesome weekend. On Saturday, Billy and I took Wyatt out on our first big family adventure post-surgery. We drove down to Ohio to visit some of the marshes there, and did a little hiking on the trails. We were only about an hour from home, and it was nice to be in nature again. I really needed that! We heard so many birds, and we saw a mink dart across the trail! The water levels were really low – you could tell that our area has been in a drought.

We went to two different state parks, located literally right next to each other, Magee Marsh and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Both had fantastic visitors centers, nice trails, including a driving tour, and to Wyatt’s delight, a gift shop.

Sunday was another busy day! We had our Blackbirds outing to the Detroit Tigers game, and it was such a blast. We didn’t go for the whole game, but arrived during the fifth inning. I knew Wyatt would not make it through the entire thing, and a few of the other families from our group did the same. The wheelchair area was only about 3 rows up from where our group was sitting so it was nice, we felt like we really were there all together. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, although it did rain briefly! Instead of fighting to get back up to the main concourse with Wyatt we just plopped a poncho over him and waited it out. He loved being in the rain. Everyone else in the lower section where we were had headed up and it was funny to see the rows so empty!

One of the mothers from our group has a niece that works for the Tigers and is in charge of the kids events. On Sundays, kids can run the bases after the game. Well, our group had it one step better. We got to go down before the rest of the kids in the stadium, take the special elevators down that the players’ families use, and we were on the field before basically alone. We were there while the players and their kids ran the bases, and then we got to go! It was so crazy being five feet from the players while we waited our turn. Even the parents were excited. The kids were all pretty pumped, even though they were a little nervous too. They usually only allow the kids to go, but for our group they allowed Billy to go with Wyatt, and then Chrissy to run with the little hurricane girl. Then afterwards, Billy, Wyatt, and I got a security escort back to the elevators with someone clearing the way for us through the crowd. It was such a great experience.

I am so grateful that our kids had this opportunity!!

We also started to decorate for fall and Halloween. Wyatt and I flipped on some fall ambience video on YouTube and found places for our decorations. (well, mostly me) We still have some to put out but we made a good start. I really love my dresser right now. It looks all fall and has a collection of books that I hope to read this autumn. It is up to ten books. Lol.

And that is it for today!!

I will leave you with some random photos from the past week.

And with that, I am out. It was an early morning and I am going to finish this coffee and maybe try to read a bit.

I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile!

Sunday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized15 Comments

Hello everyone! I think we can all agree that last week was a long week, and I hope that you are all taking care of yourselves and guarding your peace.

In the midst of all this upheaval going on around us, I had a mixed bag of a week myself. I will get the yucky over with first here, because I do have lots of good stuff to share as well. So my mom. I had just finally sighed a breath of relief that she was safe and taken care of – but, I guess I exhaled too soon. On Thursday my brother went over to visit our mom and found blood in her apartment and on her pillow. After searching for the source, and asking my mom what the heck, he discovered the source, which was a small cut on the back of her head. It was small but persistent with bleeding, so the two of us whisked her off to the ER for scans and probably a stitch. We were there only about two hours which is record time around here, and her scans came back good and they put two staples in her head. She is doing well but dang, mom! Lol.

Ok now on to the good stuff!!

It’s been a hot minute I think since I updated here like this. Since then, Wyatt has been seriously kicking butt. He has started back to therapy, and this kid is such a hard worker. It blows my mind sometimes how tough he is. At home, he is a little more… wanting me and Billy to do more for him, but now that I have seen what he is capable of, and getting the all clear from the PT, he will not be getting the kid gloves any longer.

We are also all the way back to school and that is going really well too. We were exhausted from a full week of school, two days of PT, a huge list of home therapy activities to do everyday, and then just everyday things (and some emergencies), but we managed. We also had our first Blackbirds meeting on Thursday! We had such a good time, and the kids were all so happy to be back together. We started the meeting explaining the name change from Cub Scouts to Blackbirds, as we decided to just have our own club, and talked about our new mission statement, motto, and learned the sign for Blackbirds from one of our kids. We passed out the new shirts which my MIL and I had made, and had the kids make a banner for us to hang every meeting. It was a great first meeting back. And for me, the icing on the cake was Wyatt saying “Bye Zane!” to his friend. This is huge. Wyatt doesn’t say hi or bye generally, or any names. However, since this one surprise, he has gone on to say the name of one of his cousins, little wild child, and his uncle Devin. It was an amazing moment for Billy and I.

Yesterday we had a great day of time with family. My dad came to visit and we went out for dinner, and after that I had my two little nieces over for a short time while Devin and Chrissy went out for a quick drink to celebrate Chrissy’s birthday. We had a good time with the girls. We painted nails, played with tons of toys, and played a board game all within an hour and some change.

We also did a little shopping at our city wide garage sale yesterday. One of the animal rescues in our city has a mammoth sale and we headed up there to shop their sale. Wyatt got a book, I got a book, and then I also picked up two mugs as well, because they were so cute! They were also apparently made in Spain. I love them but now I really really do need to go through my mug collection and pick some to have in the cupboard and some to put away for a minute.

And that is it from me!!

Let’s move through this week with grace and peace, for ourselves and for others. Be less quick to reply in anger, to be helpers when we can be. And take of your own self as well. As I say, try to do one thing today that makes you smile.

Saturday Afternoon Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized10 Comments

It has been a week! I am sooo ready for a break. It was a week of appointments which always makes for a long week, and coming off of a week where Billy had to work super overtime didn’t make it easier! However, I do feel as if we are finishing up “old business” and moving on in time for autumn.

One thing that finally got accomplished and finished was getting the financials all finished for my mom, and all of the proper care she needs lined up. We had a big meeting on Tuesday that was seriously three and a half hours but at the end I felt such overwhelming relief that my mom was going to be secure and taken care of the way she needs to be. I am not able to be there to do all of the things she needs help with now, and it was very distressing. My brother is not able to either, and both of us had sleepless nights agonizing over her future. I feel like a weight has been lifted and I feel more positive about my mom’s life right now. That was a huge moment.

We also had Wyatt’s follow up appointment with the surgeon this week. It was a mixed bag honestly. He said that Wyatt is doing great, and he is all clear for physical therapy, with no restrictions, which is fantastic news! Onward and upward! However, we do have to keep bracing him and using the wedge pillow until his next appointment, which is in DECEMBER! That was a blow. But, if it needs to be done, it needs to be done and we will get through it. It is certainly not the hardest thing we have done!

We also have an early morning MRI on Tuesday followed by an appointment with his neurosurgeon. He has to have his shunt checked once a year so this is just a regular routine checkup. I hate that he has to have an MRI since he goes feral in them, and it causes him such distress and he just went through a major trauma. But again, we will make it. I feel like at least we are getting everything over and done with. He usually has a freak out for X-rays too, anything he has to lay down for causes him great fear. Children’s Services at Mott has told us that this is because you are so vulnerable when you are laying down, and asked us to think of it like if someone broke into our house: is it scarier when you are awake and on your feet, or laying down in bed? And he has had so many invasive procedures that have caused him pain while laying down already. So it is tough. However, yesterday for his appointment he had no issues at all during his X-ray, and we think it is because he was holding an “emotional support book”. He just held on to that book and was fine. So maybe he can hold a book on Tuesday as well.

Once we finish up at Mott, then we have an evaluation with his physical therapist in the afternoon. It is going to be a long day but at least it will be all out of the way in one day.

There were also some fun moments thrown into the week.

Following Wyatt’s appointment yesterday, instead of heading right home we decided to hang out in Ann Arbor instead for a bit. I had always wanted to go to the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Wyatt wanted to go for a walk somewhere, and Billy had the day off so it seemed like perfect timing. It was such a great time, and there was so much to look at. We only did part of it, but it was just what I needed after the stressful week of appointments. We spent a lot of time in the Bonsai garden, and then wandering around outside in the Children’s Garden. There was also an indoor tropical biome area and a desert biome as well, and it was a lightbulb went off in my head – we could visit these areas this year since we are doing biomes in science! I love when I find things like that to tie into our learning!

We also went school shopping with my Dad, and Wyatt picked out some new stuff, including that sweatshirt he is wearing in the photo above. My dad and I were kind of wishing they had one in our sizes. It is oversized and not too thick and seems really comfortable. I also picked up some fall decorations while I was out from the Target dollar spot, a cute mushroom canister, a squirrel, a fox, and a pumpkin. I am slowly putting out my fall stuff, but since it feels like fall out here, I am going with it. I blame my cousin. He recently took a trip out East and brought me quite a few souvenirs back, including a cute little teapot from Salem that says Witches Brew. I had to set it out immediately! It was good to see him, and hear some of the stories from his trip.

We also had a little guest the other day. I happened to glance out the window at the right time to see my neighbor’s elderly beagle just chilling on our front lawn. I turned to Billy and was like “Billy! Luna is on our lawn!” and sent him out to take her home. But she seemed perfectly content to just lay there instead, so I went out and chilled with her, petting her and enjoying her company, while Billy alerted the neighbors. I was happy that it took a little time – I love dogs and miss having one but our life with Wyatt right now doesn’t suit one. So I have to enjoy other people’s dogs, and Luna is a sweetie. She was so happy, just hanging out. I feel like she had a tiny adventure, escaping but only going as far as our house, right next door.

And that is probably enough from me today! I hope that whatever you do, you do something that makes you smile!