Tag: Michigan

Wednesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Coffee Catch UP15 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How are you all doing?

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Homeschool Journey: New Hampshire and Robert Frost

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized13 Comments

We are slowly making our way through the New England states in our homeschool studies and it has been a fun little “trip”. We vacationed out east one summer when I was a kid and I have never forgotten that trip. I loved it so much and would love to take Wyatt out east as well! However for now we will just learn about the states that make up New England.

Last week we were studying New Hampshire! I have to admit I didn’t know too much about New Hampshire myself. Two of my favorite books are set there (A Prayer for Owen Meany and The Hotel New Hampshire) and that is about the extent of my familiarity. So Wyatt and I both learned some neat facts last week together!

One of Wyatt’s favorite things that we learned was that New Hampshire is home to the oldest floating post office. This kid is obsessed with the postal system and thought this was so cool. This “floating post office” was started in Lake Winnipesaukee in 1892 and the Sophie C. delivers mail to the islands in that area. It also delivers ice cream! How awesome is that! It did look really cool and if we ever get to New Hampshire we will definitely take a ride on it. Wyatt was fascinated!

Interestingly, when I googled oldest floating post office, I found that there is one right near us, in Detroit! They like to call themselves the only floating post office, which is confusing, but this postal boat has its own zip code. The J.W. Wescott delivers mail to passing freighters which is really neat, and also delivers the occasional pizza. These floating post offices seem to be multi-purpose! The J.W. Wescott was founded back in 1874 (so before the post office in New Hampshire). The Sophie C. and the J.W. Wescott deliver to different types of people, to people just living on the islands, and then the crews stationed on freighters so maybe that is why they both hold the title.

We are going to try to amble downtown this weekend to see if we can find this floating post office!

As part of our Poets and Painting theme we are doing this spring, Wyatt listened to a lot of Robert Frost poems, learned a little about the poet, and then painted a poem inspired by one of Frost’s most famous poems, “The Road Not Taken”. I was not surprised Wyatt chose to paint a yellow wood – yellow is one of his favorite colors!

What We Used:

This section contains Amazon Affiliate links. In addition to the curriculum I am creating for him, we also use curriculum from The Good and the Beautiful, The Waldock Way, and Blossom and Root for phonics, reading, science, and social studies.

New Hampshire || A Stone Sat Still || G is for Granite || Papa is a Poet || The Road Not Taken (this book was lovely by the way!)

Stay tuned for what we have been doing this week!

Tuesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Coffee Catch UP11 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day!

This morning I am drinking Green Mountain Coffee, Nantucket Blend, and the sun is shining and it just giving me life these days. The coffee and the sunshine.

I’m a bit off of my game, so we are not doing much to celebrate Valentine’s Day today. Or really, anything. I got wrapped up in Wyatt’s appointments and then getting ready for our upcoming getaway that Valentine’s Day sort of got lost. I did make Wyatt special hot chocolate pancakes with whipped cream for breakfast though, so he had a little something different and happy today.

Last week we had our Full Snow Moon party with Wyatt and my little niece Mermaid Girl. I am enjoying our little monthly celebrations, and the kids are too. This time we were all about snow and ice!

We had homemade winter white cheesebread, sugar full moon cookies, snowflake cupcakes, and they each got a special gnome and rainbow bag to put their small treasures in. We made their hiking journey wands, read the full moon story, and then went outside where the kids broke open frozen iceballs with small toys inside. We had a fantastic time, and it was a nice way to start the week of specialist appointments we just went through.

After a very full week, we wanted a weekend where we just drifted and wandered and had fun. And we did just that. Saturday we ended up at a pet store that was more like a zoo! They had two giant Flemish rabbits that roamed the store, as well as a giant tortoise who was on the prowl as well. There was a parrot named Georgio, a green basilisk, a giant Burmese python, a huge iguana of some sort, as well as all of the smaller animals for sale, like baby rabbits and lizards and all sorts of fun pets. I got to hold a baby bunny and my day was made, y’all. Billy and I have decided we are going to do some research on those giant rabbits, and if we are able to house and take care of one properly, we are going to get one. But I have to do a lot of reading first to make sure it is a good situation for us and the rabbit. If anyone has any experience with Flemish Giants I would love to hear about it!

Sunday was absolutely gorgeous, with sunshine and warm temps, and we had some major spring fever! We went for a small hike, using Wyatt’s new carrier, and didn’t see any signs of spring yet in the natural world which is probably good since it is too early. We did have a really good time, and got to practice using the Freeloader before we hit the bigger trails.

This week is about getting back on track. Everything is topsy turvy and out of sync, but we have had a good start to righting things.

How about you? What is going on in your world?

Tuesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Coffee Catch UP15 Comments

Happy day everybody! I am so grateful for coffee this morning. Yesterday was ROUGH – physically for Wyatt, emotionally for me. I fell into bed and just passed out last night, as did my kiddo.

Wyatt started the morning early, with physical therapy. Then we came home, he ate breakfast, we read a little, then he took a quick disco nap before we moved on to his next appointment – the dentist. My poor boyo had a cavity! The dentist gave us a few options, and we went with pulling the tooth since it is a baby tooth and would be a faster process for Wyatt to go through. Because Wyatt has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, there were a few extra hoops we had to jump through first. We needed medical clearance from one of Wyatt’s doctors and I spent last week nailing that down. Then after we had that we were able to schedule the extraction. The OG date they gave us was all the way in March but they had obviously underestimated my persistence in getting his form finished and the procedure done and over with.The dentist, who we absolutely love, the office staff and dental assistants and dentist, all are amazing, especially with kids with different needs. They had initially proposed strapping him to a board for the procedure which gave me a lot of anxiety. I knew he would hate that more than having his tooth actually pulled. In the end though they just had a bunch of staff members on hand for the shots in case it was needed (it wasn’t) then for the extraction the dentist did his job while the dental assistant and I held Wyatt still. He was excellent, although he did start shrieking and crying for about five minutes. We got to the car and I about collapsed from the emotion of it all. I hate watching him go through things like that. I think all parents do! He was still a bit sniffly, and since he refused to keep the gauze in his mouth, a little oozy too. I let him play with my phone all the way home (a treat he never ever gets to do) and that kept him busy and happier. (Thanks to my friend Kelly for that suggestion!) We had many friends and family sending us prayers and good vibes and I was appreciative of them all!

The staff were all charmed by little charmer. He was so happy and silly before the procedure, because that is Wyatt.

When we came home I discovered the front door to our house wide open. Not cracked, not ajar, wide open. I realized that in my anxiety I probably just never shut it when we left. Yay me. I need to carry Wyatt from the house to the car, and he is an armful these days! I more than likely carried him out, and then we just left, being in hyper-focused mode. But I didn’t want to just take him in after the house was open all that time! I listen to true crime ! So I locked Wyatt in my car, grabbed the gardening scissors off the porch, and entered the house, ready for anything! Miso had been sleeping on the couch and she woke up and stretched, so my first concern was immediately alleviated. Miso was ok. Phew. So then I searched the whole house and closets, including the basement, and when I felt it was all clear, went and got kiddo. Thank goodness for small houses! I didn’t have much to search and there are not many places to hide! We could go in and relax and have ice cream and nap and not worry about Michael Myers surprising us.

So yesterday was an adventure! We had a much better adventure last week. After occupational therapy last Thursday I decided the rainy gray day needed something special. So we went on a surprise, spur of the moment field trip to the Henry Ford Museum. I have a membership and it is so close to where we go for therapy so I was like, why not go for a bit?

I wanted to climb inside that cozy little geodisic dome and read. It was just so comfy looking! I refrained somehow though. We saw the chair Lincoln was in when he was shot, and George Washington’s special camp bed. Then Wyatt always loves the airplanes so we spent most of our time there. We had a really good time and I was glad that we changed up the day.

And we finally got some snow! Charles my squirrel friend was sort of amazed! I think it was his first snow.

I did not have time to do my homeschool recap yesterday so look for it tomorrow. I am excited to show you what we did – especially our artist of the week. Can you guess who it was?

How are you all doing this morning? What is in your cup? Has your week started off well?

Thursday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn holiday10 Comments

Hi all! It’s been a ride the past week. We had to say goodbye suddenly to our sweet Maggie girl, which has broken my heart. She was filled with such personality and her absence is greatly felt by us all.

But as a parent, I had to buck up for my kid, to make his holiday Halloween weekend a good one. Saturday we laid low, nursing our hearts and watching movies, but Sunday I rallied for Wyatt. I woke up Sunday morning to find our house enveloped in a dense fog, and I knew it was the perfect morning to visit Greenfield Village. It is always decked out for Halloween because they do a Halloween Nights event on the weekends (which next year we are going to) but we like to go early in the morning when we have the village to ourselves – it makes the atmosphere a bit more spooky.

It was so ghostly and haunted feeling. Perfect for the day before Halloween! – Side note: It has recently come to my attention that “Devil’s Night” is a Detroit thing! I had no idea. I remember it being such a big horrible thing as a kid, where we all kind of stayed indoors that night because people were pretty criminal. It got reclaimed and relabeled “Angel’s Night’ as volunteers would patrol the streets and keep in contact with law enforcement. Anyway, I still have that residual fear sometimes the night before, Our city only experienced minor vandalism, like egging and pumpkin smashing, not the hundreds of fires that happened in the city but the idea was there. Things are much better now, thank goodness.

The fog stuck around for a bit and when the sun came out, the light was glorious.

This is my favorite house, the Daggett Farmhouse. It’s a New England Saltbox and I love it. The other one is pretty great too.

It was a great way to spend the morning, and we all went home feeling a little happier.

Later that evening we carved pumpkins. (and yes my table is a mess – don’t look lol)

Finally Monday was Halloween and my little pirate was beyond excited! It was the best trick or treating he has had and I think it was due to the wheelchair. He was able to participate on his own and he really got into it. For the houses and walks he couldn’t access he had his wonderful cousin who would get his treats for him. She always has his back.

My brother’s neighborhoods is the best at Halloween! Everyone goes above and beyond with their decorations, they all have fires and tables and music and the atmosphere is just very festive and happy, kids laughing and having a good time, parents smiling over their children’s excitement. The sidewalks are packed, the candy is plentiful, and a few houses even give out adult beverages to the parents. We had such a great time!

My boyo had a blast, and was asleep in minutes. As was I!

Homeschooling Journey: Paul Bunyan, Wisconsin, Photosynthesis, and Grant Wood

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn homeschooling6 Comments

Last week was a crazy week! It was our second week back and we were still working out our rhythm and routine. We also added in the subjects we didn’t do the first week back, so we had a very full second week! Music, art, phonics, reading, math, science, social studies… we did it all.

Let’s start with..music and social studies. Wyatt is absolutely loving The Waldock Way’s Traveling the States curriculum. It is by far his favorite subject that we cover. I have to admit, it is pretty neat! I loved geography and history as a kid, and even in college so it makes sense. I was even in school to become a Social Studies teacher when they got rid of that degree and I had to choose sometime else (I picked History – I should have picked Geography) Anyway, back to Wyatt and our school! I have been starting every school session with a folk song or song that pertains to our lessons and this week we listened to the Wisconsin state song as well as songs from Bunyan and Banjoes, and Voices From Across the Lakes. Wyatt loves this – and was super pumped up by the Roll Loggers, Roll song. It also tied in with our Literary Arts for the week. We have been making our way through legends and tall tales, and last week we read about the mighty Paul Bunyan, and Babe, his blue ox. I asked Wyatt who he liked better, Johnny Appleseed or Paul Bunyan, and Wyatt is sticking by Johnny Appleseed.

Wisconsin facts we learned: toilet paper was invented there, which for some reason was hilarious to Wyatt, and that the first ice cream sundae was made there as well. Those were Wyatt’s two favorite takeaways. My favorite Wisconsin fact though is that Laura Ingalls was born there.

Science this entire year is all about plants, and we started at the beginning, with photosynthesis and how we get oxygen from trees. It’s still such a perfect design, that we need to live hand in hand with trees, as they use our carbon dioxide and we need their oxygen. We also had a very simple observation experiment to complete. We took two freshly cut leaves (I used my pothos) and put them in two jars of water. One was to be put in the sun, and the other in a closet. After an hour we needed to see the difference, were there any bubbles, etc.

Art this week was about Grant Wood, probably best known for his painting American Gothic. We read a few different books about Wood, looked at pictures of his work, and then we were supposed to make a sculpture over the weekend – but it didn’t happen. Note to self: Do not save work for the weekend, at least until the weather changes. Wyatt loved Wood’s sculpture work which were made out of just anything he found. I loved his portraits best, especially the portrait of his mother holding her snake plant, called Woman with Plants.

“Woman & Plant”, 1929 oil painting by Grant Wood, approx. 24″ high, collection of The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 4×5 transparency, Fuji Quattro scan. Painting is behind glass. Note: face and eyes painted “soft”, not out of focus.

The sculpture is named “Lillies of the Alley”, and I found this photo online at Antiques and the Arts, photo credit to Stephen Gassman.

What We Used: (contains Amazon Affiliate links)

Living Sunlight // B is for Badger // American Gothic // Grant Wood: The Artist in the Hayloft // Paul Bunyan

Bunyan and Banjoes // Disney American Legends

I am sure a lot of these resources can be found either available online for free or at the library.

We also use curriculum from The Good and the Beautiful, The Waldock Way, and Blossom and Root.

I am hoping to get my blogging situation with timing of posts, replies to comments, and visiting you all and commenting under control this week!

Homeschool Journey: The First Week Back

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn homeschooling18 Comments

Well, we made it through our first week back! Wyatt had a fantastic week. We had our moments where we struggled, both of us, but overall this was a great first few days back!

The first day I got up way too early and got started. I tried to make a special back to school breakfast of french toast but, I totally screwed it up somehow. Lol. I wasn’t awake enough maybe? So we had just a breakfast of buttered toast and we were happy because Wyatt and I are superfans of toast, which I know sounds funny. I gave him his little bin of supplies, some that he had chosen and some that were surprises, and he ate breakfast while exploring them.

After breakfast, we got ready and took back to school photos. He opted for his new lizard shirt – and told me that he was looking forward to learning about geckos. I guess I need to get a unit study together!

I can’t get over how much he has grown since even last year. Where did my baby go?

Then we headed in and got straight to work. I had a week that was structured to let us ease back in. We only tackled reading and language arts, social studies, music, and art last week. Next week we will add math and science back in. We need to form our new routine, get used to the new schedule, figure out how to work around therapy, all that good stuff.

And in the middle of our first day, I discovered we had a runaway caterpillar! I was crawling around the office looking for it everywhere! I finally found it on the baseboard behind my desk. (This is a giant swallowtail caterpillar)

When we finished up our work for the first day, we went outside for a much needed break. Wyatt played and played while I sat in my new yard chairs by the zinnias, enjoying the cool of the day and listening to Wyatt playing. It was a tiring but wonderful day.

What We Learned:

Our week was all about Johnny Appleseed, the state of Michigan, and the artist Thomas Cole.

Our Language Arts curriculum is one that I designed so I was excited to try it out! I need to fluff it out more with some projects that correlate with the book, etc but the actual work and how it went made me very happy.

We are learning about the states this year using a program from The Waldock Way, and we had a blast with it last week! I added in some Motown music, of course, and I had found the book Voices Across the Lakes on Amazon for $6, when other copies are selling for $40! It is described as “Beautifully told and illustrated stories about the Great Lakes region. Historical content, written around 10 authentic songs.” It is really cool, and we are probably going to use it with music class for a few more weeks.

I was also really excited to start our art program. I am not using anything formal, but I have a list of artists I want us to learn about this year and I am sort of making it up as we go along. This week we learned about Thomas Cole. I found an awesome picture book called Picturing America: Thomas Cole and the Birth of American Art, which we read together. I also visited the Thomas Cole National Historic Site website and they had some wonderful free downloads available to use. It would be an excellent field trip for anyone living in that area too, with free outdoor explore kits for students to use while visiting. Plus that view from the porch!! We are going to complete our art project later this afternoon as a family, by sketching the view from our porch. Not quite as scenic, not by a long shot, but it will be fun to do.

What We Used:

(contains Amazon Affiliate Links)

S is for Sleeping Bear Dunes // M is for Mitten // Voices Across the Lakes // Picturing America // Seed by Seed

For a look at what we are using for our curriculum this year, check out my post here.

We ended the week with a crazy road trip – but that is a story for another day!

Mini-Getaway: Days Two and Three

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized10 Comments

Wyatt is possibly a farmer boy at heart.

Day two, the sun was shining, the rooster was crowing, and we were up too. Early, because Wyatt is a total early bird. But that is ok because we got to see the farm wake up as well. The chickens were clucking and possibly laying eggs, making that Bawkbawkbawk-baBAWK noise. I love a breakfast and coffee in the morning sun so as soon as I could I stepped out onto the deck with my little sidekick while Billy was lounging about in bed still. He rolled out not long after, lured by the coffee, and joined us. We finished up our breakfast and coffee seconds before the dogs raced over to see us, and we gave them lots of pets before exploring the farm.

Usually I “McGill” a vacation – that is my maiden name and we are a people full of action a lot of the time, especially on vacation. We want to see and do it all! However, my intention for this trip was exactly the opposite. I had to turn down the McGill and just be. Wyatt and Billy are masters at relaxing, so I slowed my roll and it was an amazingly restful and slow day. We hung around the farm most of the day, except for three things – getting ice cream, trying mead at a local meadery, and getting pizza (takeout).

It was a lovely lazy day. All the fresh air and exploration zonked a little someone out, so we took him to bed and I read a bit of Charlotte’s Web to him before he officially turned in.

Then Billy and I caught the sunset, and sat and chatted while watching the deer in the meadow for a long while before turning in ourselves.

The next morning the guys stayed in bed, and our little friend was back. I went out to have breakfast with him, and his friend showed up. I felt well attended and guarded with my dog friends.

Before too long, it was time to go home, and we were not ready! We are already talking about a return visit in the fall. We just loved it that much. Before we left we said our goodbyes to the animals and I spotted a teensy chicken! Is this a baby? A young juvenile? A tiny chicken? I wanted to cuddle it!

The details, just in case anyone is ever in Michigan and wants a relaxing respite.

The Details:

We stayed at the Firefly Stargazer tiny house studio, located in Hastings, MI. It is really intended for 1-2 people, but I emailed and they were very accommodating about Wyatt after I explained his different needs and we assured them we don’t mind being snug. It is a perfect mix of modern farmhouse and rustic, with a super comfortable bed and fluffy pillows. I feel like Elena and Victoria really put so much thought and care into the little touches – the ultra soft bed, the cozy blankets, including the teddy bear blankets, the thick and fluffy towels, and books and games. And seriously, whatever laundry detergent they use smells amazing. Like, I might email to ask. The shower was not a super tiny stall where you feel like you are touching the walls or curtain which I hate, it was a nice size for a tiny house.

One thing that might be different. It has a compost toilet. This was new to Billy and I, and frankly, it was honestly not a big deal. It was easy, and despite my skepticism about it, there were no issues. I actually felt virtuous like some sort of eco-warrior when I used it.

Elena and Victoria try to live exclusively from what they grow and raise on the farm, which is also an organic farm as much as possible. Elena is retired military and both women are extremely nice and friendly. And the dogs – I can’t tell you how much I loved them. I had dogs my entire adult life until our dog passed away right at the time Wyatt was born and we just never thought it was a good time to adopt another after Penny. So it was so nice to be with dogs like that again.

The trip was super relaxing and I recommend it to anyone needing a reset!

Mini-Getaway!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Michigan15 Comments

This weekend we took a short little mini-getaway to West Michigan. I wanted a trip where we could really unwind and relax and be absolutely lazy if we wanted. We are not beach people, so a beach trip wouldn’t be that fun for us. So, I looked for something different – and found a farm.

Just a two hour drive from us, this tiny house looked adorable on Airbnb – and was even better in person! However, we did have a few stops before we got there.

Our adventure kicked off with lunch at Virtue Cider in Fennville. I love Virtue Cider, and was so excited to take an adult field trip (plus one child) to their ciderie. It was spendy but I loved it, and I have wanted to go for a long time. I ordered the Briard cider with a turkey and havarti sandwich, Billy enjoyed the ham and gruyere with a glass of Abeille, and Wyatt was happy with a grilled cheese and water. I knew I was going to buy a bottle of one that was difficult to buy at home, so I opted for the Lapinette. (You guys know I love rabbits!)

Afterward we still had some time before we could check in at the tiny house on the farm, so we stopped at a local creamery called Evergreen Lane. They make all the cheeses in their creamery, right there, from their own goats and then locally sourced milk from dairies. We ended buying the Lily Rose, and then a sampler that had Noella, Poet’s Tomme, and a cheddar. After splurging on cheese, we stopped by a field of poppies! A local blueberry farmer planted 4 acres in honor of his son, a soldier who didn’t return home. We were there a bit late in the season to see the full effect but we still were struck by the sentiment and in awe of the flowers that were still in bloom.

It was starting to get dark from an incoming rainstorm, so we hit the road again – next stop the tiny home!

We pulled in and the rain was just coming down like crazy! We raced up the garden path and up the few stairs and burst in to the shelter. And instantly fell in love with our little home for the weekend! I threw open the curtains, including those for the skylight, and we lay on the bed just listening and watching the rain come down. This for some reason had a huge impact on kiddo. He talked about it all weekend, the rain on the skylight. It is always surprising to me what kids hold on to. After an hour, the rain stopped and we had a furry visitor at the door!

What a sweet and handsome ambassador to welcome us!! Three dogs actually live on the property which is a working farm, and they were all so friendly. This dog, Skye, was our little companion much of the weekend.

We just chilled out for the rest of the night, playing games and reading, and when Wyatt fell asleep, Billy and I tiptoed outside to watch the fireflies, drink our cider, and eat our cheese. The cheese was very good, although maybe a bit stronger than we are used to. Very earthy. We both thought the Lily Rose was the best of the bunch.

It was so peaceful and beautiful, looking out at the meadow, listening to most of the world start to settle down around us, while some creatures were just getting started, like the fireflies and the trilling tree frogs.

I could have sat out there all night but eventually we had to turn in. And the bed! Seriously comfortable and it smelled so good! It was the best night of sleep any of us have had for a long time.

And that is it for day one! (Don’t worry there will only be one more, mostly photos!)

Greenfield Village – Late October

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn family friendly14 Comments

Saturday morning we woke up determined to have some family fun time. It’s been all work all the time around here lately, and we all needed a break. We tossed a few ideas around before deciding on Greenfield Village. We got there as the gates were opening, the day was overcast, and we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves which was awesome.

I love visiting this time of year. I love fall and Halloween, as you all know, and the Village is all dressed up in vintage Halloween decorations, as well as some spooky ones too. They do Halloween Nights there, with candy and live performances, but to be honest, we prefer it like this. Empty. Without the fanfare and other people. Plus, we can actually see everything rather than be part of a huge crowd in the dark. We did that once and while it was fun, we like visiting on our own terms more.

We walked around the farm, greeting all the animals who were enjoying their breakfasts al fresco. The horses, John and Wilbur, were on their way to plow up the fields and we gave them a quick wave as they went off to work.

We walked around the “town” area, by the Wright Brothers house, closed up refreshment stands, and creepy decorations.

And made our way across the spooky covered bridge, making ghostly ooos and boos as we walked through…

These scarecrows were terrifying. I stepped in close for a photo, and and had the weirdest feeling they were watching me back. I freaked myself out, imagining one would leap off its post at me, and after snapping the picture, raced back to Billy and Wyatt.

We toured around the homes, and headed back over the bridge, not knowing the scariest monster was still to come…

Such scary!!!

Needless to say, Wyatt had fun! And so did we! (I look like a crazy person…I was helping make scary noises with Wyatt…lol)

I love this time of the year at the village! I am so happy that this year they extended the length of the visiting season for members through November. I see some mornings there in our future for a few more weeks at least!