Tag: lifestyle

Small Things That Make Me Smile

On 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.

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!

Father’s Day Gift Ideas!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn holiday gift guide5 Comments

When I put this together, I tried to keep in mind all of the different fathers that I know. Billy, my own dad, my brother, my friends, my cousin. This was a fun little post to plan!

Note: I am an Etsy affiliate, and if you purchase something from a link I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

I sort of divided it into different personas.

For the Adventure Dad, the one who likes long drives, points out different landmarks, and stops for weird roadside attractions and ice cream.

Cryptid Passport Book || Vintage Style National Parks T-Shirt || Kuksa Cup

That Cryptid National Park Passport book is in my wish list. I might just buy it for a certain dad. I also love that tee shirt and can see so many of the guys I know wearing it! And the kuksa… I added that because I bought one for Billy years ago and he uses it all the time. He told me the other day that it is one of the best things I ever gave him. I figured that was quite the endorsement!

The Gamer and Movie Dad, who can be heard late at night shouting intermittently at the screen, is quick to pick up the controller, and teaches your kids the ins and outs of gaming.

Gamer Hoodie || Gamer Mug || Controller and Headphone Stand

A subtle nod with this gamer sweatshirt, making them noticeable to the other gamers around but confusing those who may not have ever picked up a controller. And speaking of not picking up controllers, this organization stand will keep everything together and neat and tidy. Like a little gaming butler.

And of course, a mug. Because mugs and Father’s Day go together.

For the Dad who is a Fan, who knows all the movie trivia, loves the little small details of their favorite shows, who is tuned in every game day. Show him you are his fan with these gifts!

Football Dad Tee || Severance Mug || Star Wars Whiskey Glass || LOTR Tankard

This Football dad tee, makes a statement without overstating it. Then a series of beverage containers – a Severance mug of Petey’s secret map, a Darth Vader whiskey glass, and my favorite, this wooden Prancing Pony tankard.

For the Quirky Dad:

Fancy Candle || Vintage School Poster – Atomic || Vintage School Poster- Carpenter || Woodworking Brand || Old Sport Sweatshirt

I love all of these. I guess I would be a quirky dad, if I were a dad. Does that make me a quirky mom? I will answer that – yes.

I love the Beside a Dying Fire candle, perfect for any dad, but especially that one who likes to sit in his chair and read or write long letters to his farflung friends, via chat. Two vintage posters; one my friend Kelly sent me when I asked her what she would buy her husband from Etsy, and one that I picked out for Billy’s woodworking area. And speaking of woodworking, this personal woodworking brand is actually perfect for your woodworker husband, whether he is a hobbyist or not. Finally, this awesome sweatshirt that says Old Sport. I seriously love it and have included it in my gift guides before. Who doesn’t want a shirt that reminds them of Gatsby?

And if none of these are quite right, Etsy has so much more to choose from. Check out their ideas list here!

My Sunday-Monday Post

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized29 Comments

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

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

Hello everyone! Our week was full of school last week, and catching up on some things. It was a good busy. I loved getting caught up around home honestly. Getting things reorganized, moving stuff around. However, I went to bed at night exhausted and zonked out before I could even fathom reading.

I did finish one book though!

I had been very curious about Arden’s writing for kids, as I loved The Bear and the Nightingale. I have to say, I was just as much caught up in her middle grade as I was her adult fiction. I am looking forward to reading the next in this series, although that probably won’t be until January.

Reading This Week:

I just love this cover. And the sound of the book as well! I am reading in between stitching right now, when I get time. I am working on a few embroidered gifts, so I need to make sure I spend time on that as well. I just need two of me I think! Or, to be ok with never sleeping. Lol.

Posted Last Week:

Top Ten Tuesday – Books with Rabbits on the Cover

Comfy Cozy Cinema – Bringing Up Baby

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up – Halloween and Anniversary Chatter

Holiday Gift Guide – Cozy Fantasy Edition

Watching:

We are still watching the same old things here. The Great Pottery Throw Down and What We Do in the Shadows. We love them both!

We also only have two weeks left in our Comfy Cozy Cinema movie watching with Lisa at Boondock Ramblings! This week we are watching and talking about The Grand Budapest Hotel, and next week is our watch party for Chocolat! If you are interested the watch party and chat (all text on discord) in on November 17th at 7 pm EST. I plan on surrounding myself with some good chocolate candy to nibble on, some red wine, a comfy blanket, and my cozy bed for the watch.

And that is it from my corner of Michigan today! How are you all doing?

My Weekend Post

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized46 Comments

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

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

Hello everyone! We had a pretty good week last week – we love Halloween over here, especially Wyatt. I loved seeing him so happy and enjoying himself with his cousins! He wanted to be a snail this year, so Billy and I put on our thinking caps and made this kid a snail costume.

As for reading, it was dismal around here. I don’t think I read at all, all week, until yesterday when I got a chance to read for about fifteen minutes. This week, I am going with some easier reads, two middle grades from my November TBR. One is for my patreon book club that I am in and the other because it is written by the author of The Bear and the Nightingale and I am so curious about how she writes for kids.

Small Spaces || The Whisperwicks

Posted Last Week:

Top Ten Tuesday: Spooky Middle Grade

Comfy Cozy Cinema: Practical Magic

Hello November

Watching:

Billy and I are deep in the world of pottery right now, watching The Great Pottery Throw Down. We are also watching What We Do in the Shadows as well. (Team Nandor!) We usually fall into bed wiped out at the end of the night, and I do embroidery while we are watching tv, so we have been sort of watching things that are easy to watch.

We are also watching our Comfy Cozy Cinema movies! We only have a few weeks left (then we start Comfy Cozy Christmas) and we watched a few Hitchcock films in October, then leveled off with Practical Magic. Now we are heading back into definite comfy cozy watches, with tonight’s movie Skylark. Then we just have the Grand Budapest Hotel, and our final watch Chocolat. We are actually having a watch party for Chocolat, where we all press Play together on November 17th and then chat over on our discord, The Dames. (no video chat so don’t worry about being in your pajamas!) Edit: Skylark wasn’t available streaming so we watched Bringing Up Baby!

And that is about it for today! I hope you are all doing well!!

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Coffee Catch UP27 Comments

Hello everyone! My coffee today is darn good, I am going to be honest.

First off, I hope everyone in the path of this hurricane is safe. Helene is looking pretty wicked. My brother and family head to Disney tomorrow, and I am also worried about that! I am keeping all involved in my prayers this weekend.

Update: I wanted to add that I am so shocked and sad over the passing of Dame Maggie Smith. We watch so many of her movies in this house, both as part of Comfy Cozy Cinema, and just in our regular watching. Maggie Smith could say volumes in a glance, and cut to the bone with her dry wit. Her performances always had me giggling, but she also could tug the heartstrings and convey compassion as well. Her performances were always masterful and I am grateful that she left behind such a large and plentiful portfolio of movies for us to watch and enjoy. May she rest in peace.

Maggie Smith photographed in 1960 Credit: Photo: FremantleMedia Ltd/REX

Looking back at our past week or so, it was pretty..sedate. Wyatt and I were either sick or recovering from our cold, and while they were mild (just congestion) we didn’t feel like doing much. We pretty much just read and did some schoolwork and Wyatt played. I think our bodies needed a little break.

During the week though Billy and I noticed that our female Betta has shredded fins. It made us super nervous that maybe she had fin rot and we couldn’t figure out why. So we scooped out some of her water and took it up to the fish store for a test and to talk to the owner. Our water tested perfectly, and she doesn’t live with any other fish that would chew on her, so it was a bit of a mystery. The woman who works there finally determined that since she was in a community tank of other female bettas when we bought her, that she came to us a little chewed up and then developed an infection from her wounds. We bought some blue stuff to treat her – we drop a little in the water every night before bed and that should clear up her infection within seven days, hopefully. For a fish she has a pretty cute personality. I can even get her to jump up for food. It is super cute. She is loved so we hope she recovers. The guy said since she is eating and still zooming around her tank that she should be ok.

However, Sunny the snail lives with her normally, and the fish store told us we might want to take him out during the treatment. So we set up a small bowl for him to live in temporarily, and the first night in, he showed us how much he didn’t care for it. I woke up the next morning, and he was missing! I looked around and around near the bowl, and found him halfway across the room, laying there like a man in a desert! Billy hurriedly scooped him up and put him back in the water. Sunny is an aquatic snail so he shouldn’t be out of water. We are mystified as to how he got that far – and where was he going? And how long could that have taken? My friend suggested that he saw the other aquarium across the room and was trying to make it there, which made me giggle to think about – but, maybe? It’s a mystery!

We also decorated for fall and Halloween, to boost our spirits. I am loving all of our decorations, it makes it feel so warm and cozy in here, all the fall leaves and burnt orange, the pumpkins and ghosts. It made us happy! We also stopped in at Trader Joes after Wyatt’s epilepsy appointment the other day, and bought up most of their seasonal line. We may have gone a little crazy! It is easy to do there though! I also bought two items to include in the comfy cozy care package that Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I will be hosting a giveaway for very soon.

Billy is adding some flourishes to Wyatt’s ramp, to make things more comfortable for him to play out there. He just has the railings and then it will be completely finished!

And here are just a few random photos from the roll!

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

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Coffee Catch UP24 Comments

Hello everyone!! I am so grateful for coffee this week. I am running on coffee and peanut butter toast this week – I have just been so busy! I am trying to prep for school and for Cub Scouts while also making sure Wyatt enjoys the last few weeks of summer.

One thing that happened – Wyatt got a hair cut!!

Our neighbor works at a barber shop and she did such a great job! I absolutely love it, and Wyatt does too. The barbershop is very swanky and Wyatt felt like a big shot in there among the adults.

He got it just in time for his cousin Mermaid Girl’s birthday party too. She had a cosmic bowling party and it was a blast. I had to laugh – it’s like no matter what, you can count on bowling shoes to always look exactly the same as they did decades ago.

I also got to bowl – and it was pretty sad. Lol. I came in last, tying with Chrissy’s mom. (Chrissy is my SIL) We were both not wonderful at bowling. I even took bowling in college as one of one PE credits! I remember Billy and I would have to practice bowling every week so that I could show improvement in class. We didn’t have to be good, just show that we got better. It was a stretch but I did it. Our practice sessions became just an excuse to get together with all of our friends every week, who also joined us at the bowling alley.

We also had our second Cub Scout committee meeting. The committee is made up of family and friends but it is still nerve wracking to me because I am the person who needs to run it and do like 90% of the talking. Right now we are still getting everything made all official, collecting applications and dues and signatures and learning the ropes of the big fundraiser that is starting, the popcorn sale, as well as planning the first meeting which is at the beginning of September, and the first outing, which is a few days after. It will be so fun once we get through all of this red tape, and can really get started.

We have our council meetings at the rowing club in our town, and it is such a great spot, right on the river and bonus, adult beverages that are very inexpensive.

I’m really cramming because of course all of this starts at the same time – school, Scouts, and then to throw a big wrench in there, Wyatt has a three day EEG at the hospital right in that same week. At least I guess we will get it all out of the way at once!

Of course we went to the library and got ice cream this week! Our favorite ice cream place closed for the season on Thursday so we had to make sure to get in before they shut down. So one day we went to the library, checked out a mass of books, and hung out on the giant porch reading for a bit before going to get ice cream. Then we went the very next day and got ice cream with my dad as well!

Wyatt and I both loved sitting on the big porch. It is so high up and set so far back from the road that it felt like we were just in our own bubble or our own little world. Wyatt really enjoyed people watching and wheeling around out there too. Can I just move into the library? Wyatt and I decided that would be a super cool place to live.

Looking forward to fall, which is right around the corner, I am busy making plans for field trips and little mini-vacations, for Halloween and scouts. I am also planning out my fall TBR (we will see how I do – I am not great at sticking to the plan), and all the comfy cozy bloggy stuff that Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I do together. This year we are even having a little giveaway in October and I am really excited about it!! And speaking of comfy cozy fall things, this is our fall movie line up and dates, if you want to watch or post along with us! The dates listed are the dates that our posts will go up! I think we have a fantastic list and I am really looking forward to just slowing down this fall.

And now just some randoms from the camera roll!

Have a great weekend everyone, and I hope you do something that makes you smile!

Wednesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Coffee Catch UP16 Comments

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is doing well! I was in a bit of a mood yesterday, and looking back it seems really common for me to be in a bit of a funk in August. In my blog last year I even quoted Sylvia Plath, and her reference to August as the “odd uneven time”. And who am I to argue with that, it feels so true. Today though, the sun is shining and I am feeling a bit more me, and less like the algae at the bottom of a pool during a long humid summer. (last night I was texting my friend Lisa and I was being super emo on purpose and referred to myself as the algae and she told me to write a poem, and I added on some worn out and dirty flip flop imagery. Just being silly. Lol)

We have been having a lot of fun though lately. We went to a Parisian-inspired brasserie for Billy’s birthday, and then the next day, which was way too hot and humid to actually be outside, we went for a drive to see what we could see.

Everyone was enjoying the lily pads, including that adorable young buck there. We hung out riverside for a bit, the breeze just idling past us as we sat in the back of the Subaru until we just could not do it any longer. Look at my poor little guy! He shows heat immediately!

Afterwards we were feeling peckish so we pulled in to an A&W. Are these just a Michigan thing, or are they all over? It’s just a drive up restaurant, like you see in all those 1950s movies, where you eat in your car. Billy ordered a root beer float for us all to share which was the perfect idea on such a hot day.

We also had a sad moment Saturday morning. Our beautiful Betta, Moon, had passed away in the night. Wyatt was upset over this, as was I. I could not figure out why either, which was more troubling. We took a sample of our water in to the aquarium store we go to, which only deals with fish and they are very knowledgeable, and the nice lady who always helps us, Sam, checked our water parameters and said our water was perfect. I showed her a picture of our set up to make sure I didn’t have to many plants, and nope that wasn’t it either. So we talked about some different things, trying to brainstorm what happened to our poor Moon – is the filter too fast, creating a current? No. Anything obviously wrong, like discoloration of the fins, etc? Nope. Then we got to feeding. I only fed him 3-4 pellets once a day, with a fasting day, which is what you are supposed to do. However, I do feed the snail in there as well, and we came to the conclusion that he was snacking on Sunny’s food too, and Betta’s will eat themselves to death. We decided as well that since I do have so many plants that I don’t need to give Sunny a wafer to supplement his food. We did end up getting another fish for Wyatt, which he has named New Moon. This one is a female Betta, and has the shorter fins. She is very pretty, petite, and very zippy. As a mother I am obsessed with keeping this fish alive for my kid; I told my Dad, of all the pets we have Wyatt decides he most loves the two fish, who are the most fragile. I am happy he loves them though.

We also went to a good old-fashioned block party on Saturday! The next block down was having a block party, with the street closed off and everything, and one of the families who we talk to here and there invited us down. We didn’t stay super long since it was so humid and hot, but we did go and hang out for a bit. It was nice to chat with them more than just the hi here and there small talk. And Wyatt had a blast!!! They had a ramp for bikes and of course, Billy took Wyatt up and down it. And his face! He also tried to go up it by himself when were chatting which gave me a heart attack. That kid, I swear. Lol.

Overall, it has been a fun few days!

And here are just some random photos..

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