Tag: lisa howeler

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized16 Comments

Hello everyone!! It has been a very very long week. I am so glad that today is Friday. Wyatt and I have no real plans except a little school. I try to keep Fridays open for field trips, library trips, reading, and art. Fridays are the best. Plus we have pizza every Friday as well so I don’t need to plan and make dinner!

So, this week was a bit crazy. Some of it fun, some of it was not as fun. Let’s start with a fun day, Tuesday.

Tuesday I woke up and the sun was shining and I wanted Wyatt and I to get outside somehow. My friend Sarah has the most magical yard, and I had the idea a few weeks ago of Wyatt using it as a small ecosystem study for the spring and fall. We will miss summer in person due to his surgery, but Sarah is going to send videos for him. Anyway, we had been trying to get the day together but it kept raining on us! Tuesday morning I texted and was like, it is sunny, are you busy? And she texted me back to come on over! (and also that us winter people are crazy because it was pretty darn cold!) So big thanks to her for having us cuckoo winter folk over on a chilly sunny morning when she is a high summer type person.

Can I just say, she was so accommodating to my boy. So concerned and thoughtful about his wheelchair and maneuvering her yard, and wanting to show him things. She even had a fire lit for us to sit around. It was a very lovely start to our day.

The fish were awake and swimming, and very greedy to be fed. She told us to come back and feed them some worms so we are looking forward to that. (well, not really me. Wyatt) We had coffee and we caught up with each other and we talked with Wyatt about all the signs of early spring. About the life we could see emerging, and about what was coming. There were signs of life everywhere. Flowers pushing through the cold ground, birds feeding at her numerous bird feeders, seeds germinating in the earth in her greenhouse, the fish in the pond, and knowing that soon there will frogs and toads lining the rocks that ring the pond. She told us stories of raccoons on roofs, swimming in the pond, the possums that come and hang out in her garage. It was a great time and I am so thankful she is sharing some of that magic with Wyatt.

Later that night, I met up with my friend’s at Kelly’s house. It was the first time the four of us had all been together at once since the holidays and it was so nice to hang out!! I also took Lisa’s book with me and we all fun trying to find different spots to take its picture around the house for my Instagram post.

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that I went with the last photo for my post. Which one would you have chosen? I am curious!

Then we started our gauntlet of appointments. Wyatt had three appointments this week in two days. It was rough, especially on him. The first appointment was at 7:30 am on Wednesday, where we learned that Wyatt is not having just one hip done in July, but both. To say that I have been struggling with this since getting the news has been an understatement. I am terrified everyone. This is my baby. But his PMR doctor, who we have known since he was a baby, told us that if he is going to end up having the other one done eventually, it is better to do it at the same time rather than separately for a few different reasons. It doesn’t necessarily make it easier emotionally or physically for Wyatt though while he is going through it. We sat there listening while wind and rain were whipping against the windows, wishing she was telling us different news. It was like the weather was reacting to it as well. Angry and upset and full of grief that it has to happen.

We headed home where we had more coffee (me) and toast (Wyatt) then waited for his therapy appointment a few hours later. The weather was a bit nicer when we went there, and he had a good visit.

Our last appointment was yesterday morning, when Wyatt had to go to the orthotist to get fitted for his braces. His regular orthotist is semi-retired and is training a new person. However, this appointment was going to be tricky with Wyatt’s hip pain. George, his regular orthotist, and the trainee were concerned because Wyatt’s muscles were pretty tight and they had to maniuplate him into leg positions that were painful. George told me that if they couldn’t get a good cast in the office yesterday, they would have to do it as a home visit with sedatives. It was pretty tense, and I even had a job, to hold Wyatt’s thigh in a straight position up off the wheelchair, while pushing down on his knee at the same time with my other hand. I could tell he was uncomfortable and in some pain, but I distracted him with stories and trying to make him laugh, and he toughed it out. (If you have read Watership Down, I felt a little like Bluebell to Wyatt’s Capt. Holly) But my kid was a trooper. He got the job done and even was giggling at times. George came in after and told Wyatt how proud he was of him, that he couldn’t believe he had even heard Wyatt laughing when he had been afraid he was going to hear crying. I hate that Wyatt has to be tough, but he really is. When he was in the NICU, we had a sign made that said Team Tough Cookie and that is really Wyatt.

After that appointment, I could literally feel my whole body relax and I was exhausted from the crazy week of emotions and running. Wyatt was tired too, and after a quick stop at Barnes and Noble, where he got a book about otters and I got a set of two new blank books, we headed home where it looked like Wyatt was about to just pass out in the car. When we got home I popped him into my bed, where he conked out hard and I vegged out.

Then we had to get ready for Mermaid Girl! She came over last night for Mexican food and crafts, and we had such a good time with her. She is so full of energy and light, and bounces all over house, telling us story after story. We love having her here. I had also made chocolate chip cookies for dessert and they were delicious! My brother, SIL, and little Hurricane came over to pick her up and hung out for a while which was nice too. And they ate a bunch of cookies which is awesome because that recipe made like 500.

And that leads us to this morning. I am going to have another cup of coffee, hopefully have a pretty easy day.

Just me hanging in there!

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

New Book Release: Gladwynn Grant Shakes the Family Tree by Lisa R. Howeler

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn book review, books and reading5 Comments

Today is launch day for Lisa’s newest book in the Gladwynn Grant series, Gladwynn Grant Shakes the Family Tree!

I will be honest – Lisa is my good friend. However, I would not promote her books the way I do if I did not honestly enjoy them and think they were good. But they are. They really are. (and she had better listen to my not so subtle comments about who Gladwynn should be romantically involved with…not really, but yeah)

Description:

Working as a small-town newspaper reporter and trying to keep up with her grandmother, Lucinda, has kept Gladwynn Grant busy, but, otherwise, life has been quiet.

Everything changes, though, when her older, aloof sister, Sheena, shows up unannounced at the front door.

As if that isn’t enough to deal with, she finds one of her interview subjects dead.

Once again, she’ll have to deal with State Police Detective Tanner Kinney and his stiff-upper-lip-attitude while doing her best to avoid Pastor Luke Callahan who she accused of murder the year before.

When it looks like Sheena is somehow mixed up with a suspect in the murder, Gladwynn’s stress levels rise to an all time high.

Will Gladwynn be able to help solve the murder and find out why her sister has shown up after not visiting for the last six years? And who wrote a stack of love letters stashed in a storage area under her grandmother’s stairs?

Join Gladwynn, Lucinda, Tanner, and Luke Callahan for another modern mystery with a vintage feel.

I absolutely can’t wait to read this one! I think that it is really cool that Lisa is involving a bit of family history in this one, because I think we are all a little curious about what is hidden in the branches of our family trees. I know that my family has little quirks and secrets. I have my family bible, and in it, my great-grandfather wrote, “No more drink for me. June 8 1937” I never met him, but I have heard stories about him, a tiny little Scotsman from Galway, who did have a bit of a penchant for drink. I bet there is a big story behind this, but everyone who could fill in those blanks is gone. And now, I also want to know who wrote that stack of love letters that were stashed under Gladwynn’s grandma’s stairs, gosh darn it!

I have been a faithful reader of this series since it first came out. I love Gladwynn and I love her vintage style. If I had the courage, I would totally dress 1940s all the time. But like, 1940s English land girl. Or like Helen Alderson from All Creatures Great and Small. And sometimes, I do my best honestly, to recreate that. So I love that Gladwynn has so much fun with her fashion, in addition to being a good granddaughter, a curious journalist who needs to get to the bottom of every mystery and every story, and is just the tiniest little pain in the butt to law enforcement. I also really like Gladwynn’s coffee barista homeschool mom friend, and her eccentric grandmother!

This is a fun series, and is a perfect read to cozy up with.

And if you don’t want to believe me, then check out this early reader review from Bettie G.

Captivating cozy mystery!

I thoroughly enjoyed this third book in Lisa’s cozy mystery series about Gladwynn Grant. This time around Gladwynn is up to her usual shenanigans even tho she expressed midway through the story that she wondered “When was she going to learn to be a little less Nancy Drew and a little more Elizabeth Bennet?”

Personally, I preferred this insight into her character offered by one of Gladynnn’s friends: “maybe it is because God knows how deeply you care for people. By you being there when their bodies are found, God knows you will seek out the justice they deserve.”

Even in the midst of a fun cozy mystery series, I appreciate the way that Lisa drops nuggets of wisdom that make us pause and examine ourselves. Her stories keep our attention, and her characters touch our hearts. I highly recommend this new book in the Gladwynn Grant series. -Bettie G

You can find this book on Amazon in ebook and paperback!

Links:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DW1VCWDD

You can find Lisa and the first in the series, Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing here: https://lisahoweler.com/gladwynn-grant-mysteries/

Book Review: Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing by Lisa Howeler

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn book review8 Comments

Summary:

A little bit of mystery, a dash of romance, and a whole lot of heart

After being laid off from her job as a librarian at a small college, Gladwynn Grant isn’t sure what her next step in life is. When a job as a small-town newspaper reporter opens up in the town her grandmother Lucinda Grant lives in, she decides to take it to get away from a lot of things – Bennett Steele for one.

Lucinda has been living alone since Gladwynn’s grandfather passed away six years ago and she isn’t a take-it-easy, rock-on-your-front-porch kind of grandma. She’s always on the go and lately, she’s been on the go with a man who Gladwynn doesn’t know.

Gladwynn thought Brookstone was a small, quiet town, but within a few days of being there, she has to rethink that notion. Someone has cut the bank loan officer’s brakes, threatening letters are being sent, and memories of a jewelry theft from the 1990s have everyone looking at the cold case again.

What, if anything, will Gladwynn uncover about her new hometown and her grandmother’s new male friend? And what will she do about her grandmother’s attempt to set her up with the handsome Pastor Luke Callahan?

Find out in this modern mystery with a vintage feel.

My Thoughts:

I was looking forward to this one, as I am on a cozy mystery binge right now – I love a small town setting, cats, quirky characters, and an independent main character, and this book had all of those things! The actual mystery for me is sometimes secondary to setting and characters, does that make me weird? Anyway, with just those things we were already off to a good start.

Howeler, however, ties all these elements into one whopper of a mystery! There is just so much going on in little Brookstone – a not-so-sleepy small town. Gladwynn is nervous about her new job, as it has been a while since she worked on her college newspaper, but it turns out she has a nose for news as she uncovers secret after secret. She is a digger and not a quitter, and can’t stop won’t stop once she gets an idea. Nothing stands in her way – not a field of mud while wearing red high heels, or local law enforcement telling her to leave it to the professionals.

Her grandma has a bit of a romance going on, and Gladwynn is not so sure how she feels about it – just who is this man her grandmother is hanging around with? As for Gladwynn, is there romance on the horizon? “You will have to keep reading to find out”, is what I was told by Howeler when I asked her about a potential hopeful. And keep reading I will, as I loved this book.

I enjoyed the book, meeting the characters and the town, the crazy mystery that had so many components , but I liked the ending most of all. Gladwynn grabs hold of her life in the end, and while I felt like Gladwynn was a bit unsure and unsteady during the course of the book, I felt in the end, she put her foot down and declared what she wants. It was such a powerful way to end the book, and I loved it. I can’t wait to read more about Gladwynn, Lucinda, and their cats Scout and Pixel!

You can find a copy of the book here, and Howeler’s website here.

Book Review: Beauty From Ashes by Lisa R. Howeler

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized10 Comments

Summary:

After becoming pregnant by her abusive ex-boyfriend, 27-year-old Liz Cranmer feels trapped in a prison of shame. Now a single mother she feels like the whole town, especially her church-going parents, view her as a trashy woman with no morals. That’s not how she used to think of herself but — could they all be right? And if they think that, then what does God think of her?

Ginny Jefferies, 53, has hit a few snags of her own in life. Her husband, Stan, barely acknowledges her, her job as the town’s library director has become mundane and stagnant, and her youngest daughter is having some kind of identity crisis. Pile on the return of a former boyfriend and you have the makings of a near-midlife crisis.

Can two women figure out their chaotic, confusing lives together? And how will the men in their lives fit in their journey?

Shorter description: Two women from two different generations form an unlikely friendship to work through their life challenges together.

My Thoughts:

Beauty From Ashes is the third book in the Spencer Valley Chronicles, and I was very much anticipating it as I loved The Farmer’s Daughter and Harvesting Hope, the first two. And I loved it!

First, let me say I completely loved the relationship between Liz and Ginny. I have friends of all different generations, some older, some a decade younger than me (ugh that hurts to say though lol) and I don’t think friendship needs to be defined by whether someone is of your generation or not. I loved that they so easily became friends, helped each other through some tough moments, and had a genuine, real relationship.

That is one of my favorite things about Lisa’s writing – she has a talent for writing stories that just feel so real, conversations that could be a conversation you have with a friend or neighbor. These relationships, characters, situations, conversations don’t sound fake or weird, like they do in some books I have read. These are people who could be your neighbors, in your community, the policeman that is always friendly, the librarian who doesn’t skip a beat when asked by a child for a book about boogers, and having worked in an elementary school library, I can attest that these sort of questions do come up! And while these characters and situations are very real feeling, there is humor and levity (like the booger scene) as well.

Liz and Ginny are at two very different points in their lives – Liz is just starting her parenting journey, while Ginny’s children are all grown. But both are unsettled, at odds with where they are. Liz feels like she is no good, not a good daughter, mom, or even person. Ginny is wondering what is going on with her marriage, is lonely, and sort of in a rut. The two know each other, as they have relatives married to each other (Liz’s sister and Ginny’s son) so they were not complete strangers but they had never really hung out or talked much beyond that. Their friendship begins one afternoon in the library, when Liz as an exhausted new mother, nods off while reading. Ginny offers to help watch Liz’s new baby, Bella, and from there the two just are off and running. Helping each other, but also having fun as well – like taking an art class together.

Now, the men in their lives…

Matt McGee is the town Golden Boy, the helpful policeman, the considerate gentleman, the good neighbor and friend. Someone who always makes the right choices and does the right thing, who can be counted on in any emergency – like delivering babies on the side of the road type of emergencies. And on top of all that, charming and well..hot. Like maybe you wouldn’t mind being pulled over by him for speeding hot. But Liz is feeling like the town screw-up, and less than, and certainly not feeling good enough for the likes of Matt McGee.

Ginny’s husband Stan is the love of her life, but lately he has been wrapped up in anything but their marriage. She feels lonely and ignored, and there was one particular scene that broke my heart for poor Ginny. Things get a bit more complicated when her old boyfriend arrives back in town, looking quite fit and attractive and most of all, attentive.

Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. There is so much more than I have mentioned, bad guys and bad situations, impulsive decisions, and of course, romance. I loved this trip back to Spencer Valley and I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

The Spencer Valley Chronicles are all available on Kindle until June 30th, and I highly recommend them all!

Morning Coffee Catch Up!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn books and reading, day in the life, Uncategorized9 Comments

I hope that all of you had a wonderful weekend, and if you celebrate Mother’s Day, I hope it was a good one.

We’ve just been caught up in the everyday over here – work, school, family, etc. My mom hasn’t been well, she was laid low by a UTI, and then her antibiotics really took the wind out of her sails, so it has been a few days of balancing letting her rest but making sure she is eating and drinking water. And in case you didn’t know it, for our ladies 65 and older, confusion is a big symptom even before anything else of an issue. (Also, ten days of antibiotics are a must! We learned that the hard way as well)

I did manage to join my friends at our favorite nursery on Saturday morning! I didn’t buy too much for outside, but I did buy a cool bonsai for my mother in law for Mother’s Day, and lots of terrarium plants to jeuje up Freddy, Harry, and Luna’s tanks. I did get a laugh out of the names of those flowers – and I have to say the Wee Bit Grumpy side seems to be flourishing.

When I got home I learned my guys had enjoyed their time together as well, stumbling on an old-timey baseball game at the park.

Billy and I putzed about with the tanks while Wyatt played outside (we were outdoors as well) and I am pleased with how they are turning out!

Sunday I wanted a slow day, after so many days of being busy. We visited our moms briefly – my mom wasn’t feeling well and Billy’s dad just had surgery – and went to the park for ice cream. I loved just laying on the blanket in the warm sun, listening to the birds, surrounded by the little spring flowers that made it seem like fairyland. Billy and Wyatt bought me an Elephant Ear plant “Mojito”, and I apparently have two more gifts coming in the mail, although I am perfectly happy with my new plant. Then Billy made dinner, salmon and brussel sprouts, rice pilaf, and brown bread. It was fantastic!

It was a lovely weekend and then we hit the ground running Monday, back to the daily again.

Today is also book launch day for my friend Lisa at Boondock Ramblings! Beauty from Ashes is her third book in the Spencer Valley Chronicles and I can’t wait to read it, as I loved the first two! It is downloaded and waiting for quiet time this afternoon.

After becoming pregnant by her abusive ex-boyfriend, 27-year-old Liz Cranmer feels trapped in a prison of shame. Now a single mother she feels like the whole town, especially her church-going parents, view her as a trashy woman with no morals. That’s not how she used to think of herself but — could they all be right? And if they think that, then what does God think of her?
 
Ginny Jefferies, 53, has hit a few snags of her own in life. Her husband, Stan, barely acknowledges her, her job as the town’s library director has become mundane and stagnant, and her youngest daughter is having some kind of identity crisis. Pile on the return of a former boyfriend and you have the makings of a near-midlife crisis.

You can find it here for just .99 cents!

Or, you can read the whole series for under $5 right now!

What have you all been up to lately?

Book Review: The Farmer’s Daughter by Lisa Howeler

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized6 Comments

Goodreads Summary:

Facedown in manure.
The metaphor of where Molly Tanner was laying in relation to the path her life had taken in the last six years was not lost on her.
She had been sure that by now, eight years after graduating high school, she’d be out on her own. Instead, she was still living on her parents’ farm in rural Pennsylvania, still sleeping in her old room, her mother still cooking her meals and washing her clothes, and still, obviously, slogging through manure.
There is a lot about Molly’s life that is out of balance to her these days. While she’d always imagined herself involved with her family’s farm and country store, she now wonders what else life might have to offer. Maybe it’s time to leave the farm and see what else is out there. But can she leave her family’s four-generation farm when hard times threaten to shut it down?
And what about farmhand Alex Stone, her brother’s best friend. The tone of their banter in the barn during the morning and afternoon milk sessions was changing; exactly how Molly couldn’t explain, other than to say it was less juvenile and more — dare she say it? Flirtatious.

My Thoughts:

I was thoroughly captivated by this story. The main character Molly is so sweet and endearing and funny and tough all at the same time, and I really enjoyed reading her journey!

Howeler has a definite gift for writing, particularly dialogue and humor, but her imagery is also not to be overlooked. She self-describes herself as a writer of fluff on Instagram, and while this book did have it’s fluffy fun flirty moments, it dealt with some serious, real life moments as well, without taking things too far to the dark side. Farming is hard work, and in today’s world, even harder as farmers have to compete with factory farms and changing ideas on food and health. Dairy farmers in particular have been hit hard, and the suicide rate is alarmingly high for this demographic. How can small family farms compete or make money when the chips are stacked against them? It take a real love of the land and for what you do to keep at it, day after day, laboring intensely in longer than 8 hour days, that is for sure. Howeler touches on this struggle in a way that has you fired up to get out there and patronize all those small farmers to help them! (and in fact I did – I placed a meat order with a small farmer and also with our local dairy farm too)

That aside, the love story between Molly and Alex – phew! I may have needed to fan myself a few times while reading their interactions. As Christian fiction, this is a “clean” romance, but that doesn’t make the heat any less intense. I loved their moments together, their ease and familiarity, their friendship, their mutual respect for one another – all such important building blocks in a relationship. The fact that they liked the way each other looked was just icing on the cake.

The other characters in this book were just as compelling. I found myself wrapped up in Molly’s parent’s story, the story of Robert and Annie, wanting to know more! Am I hoping there is a book called The Farmer’s Wife in the works? Uh, yeah you bet I am! And Molly’s brother and his girl Ellie, they deserve a book – good thing there is one being written as I type this. I am willing to bet as well, that maybe just maybe, we will get a book about Molly’s bestie Liz too.

This book made me laugh out loud, worry, cheer – I ran through all the emotions while reading it. I fell in love with this little corner of the world and family and can’t wait to read more!

You can find Lisa Howeler’s blog here: https://lisahoweler.com/

Her instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/lisarhowelerwriter/