Tag: travel

Traveling Through Books – Heidi

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized12 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Heidi: Discussion Questions Between Me and My Buddy

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized13 Comments

Lisa at Boondock Ramblings and I read Heidi together this month, and it was the most perfect book to read to usher in spring. I didn’t read it as a child, and I am so very glad that I took the time to read it now. We chatted back and forth to each other about how engrossing it is, what a quick, good read, one that made the book hard to put down, and just about some of the things Heidi had to go through, especially in the beginning.

For those unfamiliar, Heidi is the story of a young girl, 7 years old at the start I believe, who was being raised by her aunt after her family passed. Her aunt however, took a job somewhere that she didn’t feel it was appropriate to take Heidi, so she packed her tiny niece up and dropped her off at Heidi’s grandfather’s hut on the mountain. Heidi had never met the man, and he was not reported to be the nicest person, but he and Heidi hit it off right away and had the most precious relationship. Unfortunately for Heidi though, her aunt decided that Heidi could ripped away from her home, again, and sent this time to the city to be a companion child to a little girl named Clara.

Clara was wealthy, and in a wheelchair. I think she had epilepsy but at the time of course they didn’t have medication to help control seizures, so everyone kept Clara’s life quiet as to not trigger any seizures. Her father was away a lot, and she was lonely in her house with just the staff, and the rotten Mrs. Rottenmeier, her governess. Heidi and Mrs. Rottenmeier did not mesh right from the beginning, and Rottenmeier viewed Heidi as some sort of less than heathen from the country. Heidi enjoyed being friends with Clara but desperately missed her home. After a friend of Clara’s father, a doctor, noticed how pale and thin Heidi had gotten, he told Mr. Sesemann, Clara’s dad, that Heidi needed to return to her simple life on the mountain with her grandfather and the fir trees, the wind, the goats, Grannie, and her friend Peter, the goatherder and Grannie’s grandson.

Heidi returned and was returned to her normal happy, robust self. Heidi and her grandpa also had some visitors from the city! And I am not going to tell you the end. If you haven’t read it, I hope that you do.

Lisa and I did come up with a few questions to ask each other, and I wanted to share the questions and answers with you.

1. Quick, the first five words that pop into your head about Heidi.

Joyful, wholesome, a blessing, thoughtful, and kind.

2. Would you slam two big mugs of goat milk back to back, and why is the answer no? What about one mug? 

I don’t think I could slam two big mugs of anything, but milk? The thought makes me sort of sick. Lol. I know that Heidi and her grandfather set a lot of store by that milk and its healing properties, and maybe there is. I do know it is more caloric and has more fat, so maybe it would be good to make someone a bit sturdier if that was needed. But I could never just drink down two big mugs quickly, or even one. I could probably drink one at a normal pace.

3. Was Uncle Alp making goat cheese, like chevre?

I know this is a dumb question – it is mine. Lol. The book talked about how Uncle Alp, or Heidi’s grandfather, would make cheese and I am sure it was delicious goat cheese but in my head I kept picturing those wheels of cheese or a wedge. And while I couldn’t gulp down goats milk, goat cheese is a whole other story.

4.  Write a beautiful description of a natural place you’ve been to, a sunset, a plant or animal you’ve seen.

This was a suggested activity from the back of the edition of Heidi I bought. Good thing I am going to write something and have it compared to Johanna Spyri and another published author, Lisa.

Ok. Here is the best I can do this morning, with Peppa Pig laughing in the background.

The lake shone like blue glass under the early morning light. All around, birds sang out to each other from evergreens and birch trees, while near the shoreline mysterious underwater creatures created small ripples in the sleeping lake, waking it up gently. A light breeze helped to cool the piping hot cup of coffee that I held between my hands, and I wrapped myself up in the gentle peace of the morning.

5. Heidi, like Anne of Green Gables, loves her home and has favorite aspects, like the fir trees, the wind, the fire sunset on the mountain. Is there anything in nature you cherish about your home, the way that she does? 

I saw this question somewhere as well. I am a Michigander, and while we don’t have mountains here, we have water. Lots of water. I love heading down to the river and having lunch or just sitting and looking out across the water. We have even gone for sunrises and sunsets, to see the huge moon above it; it is just a part of our life here and I can’t imagine living somewhere that I was not surrounded by so many lakes and rivers.

6. In the same vein, what are some small things you are grateful for?

Cups of tea, books, walking barefoot in the grass, fireflies. Definitely fireflies. Rabbits in the dewy grass, or congregating in our yard during the winter.

7. Which character, besides Heidi, is your favorite and why?

Clara’s grandmother, or Grandmamma. She was not snobby as I was afraid she would be. She took special time for Heidi, to encourage her and to try to make her happy. As Heidi said, she came and she made everything good and ok.

8.  What character did you like the least and why?

Mrs. Rottenmeier, of course. She was a mean curmudgeon. How could she be such a jerk to a small girl, who has been stolen away from her home and family? I also didn’t like Heidi’s aunt, she was so careless and thoughtless about Heidi and treated her like a suitcase.

9. There is a part in the book where Heidi longs for home. Has there ever been a time in your life where you have longed for home?

Yes. When I went away to college I was absolutely miserable. I missed my house, my friends, my family, Billy. I moped around even though I made some really good lifelong friends there. I took every ride share to my area that showed up on the ride board. I was a sad sack for a little while. I got over that level of homesickness but I did transfer to a university closer to my home and commuted instead after my freshman year. I honestly do think some of it was that I felt very landlocked! I was attending Central Michigan, in the middle of the state, and I was just nowhere near a river or a lake and it was weird. I know that in Michigan we are never more than 6 miles from a lake or water, but those were small rivers, maybe creeks, instead of the watery shores I was used to.

10.  Do you think you would like to live in a small hut in the Swiss mountains, miles away from a town?

Hm. Like in this day and age, as me now? I probably would not want to live there full time, but would love to visit for a month or so at a time, like Clara and the doctor did. Or if I lived close enough, on weekends or as a getaway whenever I needed one.

Have you read this one? I know a few of you told me that you had beautifully illustrated versions as kids, which must have made it even more special.

For Lisa’s version of this post, pop on over here!

Lisa of Boondock Ramblings and I host a monthly bookish link party called A Good Book and A Cup of Tea.  This link-up is for book and reading posts or anything related to books and reading (even movies based on books!). Each link party will be open for a month. You can find that link up for this month here.

Today it is my goal to visit the posts there and also go blog visiting!

And with that, I am going to say goodbye until later! Whatever you do today, I hope you do something that makes you smile!

And yay, this book is one I can count for the Book in Translation Challenge hosted by Introverted Reader.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books About/Set In Places on My Bucket List

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized44 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Today’s Prompt: Books About/Set In Places on My Bucket List

Oo I love this one! Now, how to narrow this down? *thinkthinkthink*

Iceland (Secret Nights and Northern Lights) has been a bucket list country for me for a long time. Knowing it is just a six hour flight from me, which doesn’t seem to bad, especially with no layovers, makes it seem slightly within reach? I would love to see the Northern Lights there. One reason I liked this book so much is that I feel like I learned along with the main character about places to see within the country.

The Giraffe Manor Hotel in Nairobi (Tea with Elephants): Talk about a dream!!! Ever since I learned this place existed I have wanted to go, but it is very expensive so I will have to just keep dreaming. While this book isn’t quite the same thing, it makes me think of a trip like that. And this series sounds really fun! I have this book on my potential Summer TBR.

Chincoteague: Technically, I have been here, but so briefly and I was so young that I don’t remember. So I want to “go back” and see it, and I want Wyatt to see it too. I have been saying it for years now, we just need to do it!

Peru (Secret of the Andes): I have never read this book, but I think about reading it all the time, especially with Wyatt. Lol. Maybe this summer. I feel like Peru is magical, with deserts, mountains, and a rainforest, and would just be so beautiful and diverse to visit, with so much to see and do.

Italy (Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies): I would love to go to Italy. Anywhere in Italy, just send me there!

Loch Ness (Nessie Quest): I love cryptids, and the Loch Ness Monster is my favorite! I don’t believe in them (or do I?) but I would love to visit Scotland, and while it would be neat to see my family who lives there and see where my grandma and her family came from, I would really like to visit Loch Ness. And Edinburgh, just throwing that in there too.

Cornwall (Rebecca): I have no idea why I want to go to Cornwall so badly. I just do. I think I love the whole seaside of it, the history of the smugglers and the coves, and I find myself drawn to books set there.

California/Sequoia National Park (Kildee House): Ok, this is a place I have been but it is a bucket list for me to take Wyatt there to see the giant redwoods. They are so awe inspiring and amazing to see, I know he would love it too! I loved Kildee House, even though it made me cry a few times!!!

Japan (The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen): I chose this book in particular because while Tokyo seems like it would be neat, I would not want to be there long. I would rather visit quieter, more rural areas.

The Shire (The Hobbit): I would like to visit the Shire. Or live there. I could very easily be a hobbit..

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

Soup and Story Saturday

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized8 Comments

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

The soup for today is broccoli cheese, a favorite of mine during the winter. It is just so creamy and delicious!! Wyatt asked for a painting dinner, where we all do various art projects and eat, which Billy was skeptical about but it worked! I thought we would give it a try and if it didn’t work, we would just pause painting/drawing/coloring until we finished eating. It went fine! When I was kid we used to have reading dinners, where we would allowed to bring our books to dinner and read while we ate. Those were always a treat, so I thought it would be fun to let Wyatt have this easy wish. Especially since he didn’t feel super this week. He was all congested poor kid. He had a great time painting and eating his dinner. We all just scraped together whatever and did our own little pursuit.

Lately, I have been daydreaming about snug cabins in the a snowy woods, thick blankets, warm fires, mornings drinking coffee slowly. A trip away at Christmas. Just a short one. Like a night or two, me and Billy and Wyatt, a quiet in the chaos. A step back for a moment. I wouldn’t miss Christmas with my family and friends for anything, but a little trip to a little cabin might be nice. It is too late for one this year, but maybe next year. I even started looking at different places on Airbnb. Chalets, A-frames, little log houses. Deer and woodpeckers and rabbits – and hopefully not bears. We don’t need to drive all that far to find ourselves in the “wilderness” here in Michigan. I can see those evergreens lining the roads now, all covered in white.

The closest I ever came to this dream, because I have had it before, is a snowboarding trip Billy and I took with my dad, my brother, and one of his friends. My brother and his friend were both in high school, and Billy and I were in our early twenties, recently married. We arrived to my dad’s friend’s A-frame in the woods in the dark of night, and on those country roads it was difficult to find. It had been snowing hard the whole way, and the snow was already piled high. We found it finally, then moved our bags inside, claiming our rooms. Billy and I took the main floor, that had two walls of windows. Which was pretty cool in the morning, but that night was sort of intimidating, all those big trees and who knows what else lurking outside? My dad and the guys were upstairs in the loft and it was late, so after a quick look around we went to bed. We were going to the resort the next morning early so that all the guys could hit the slopes. They were all snowboarding, while Dad and I were hanging out in the lodge. It was not as picturesque as I romanticized though. I had pictured reading in a big chair near a fire, hot chocolate next to me, while they all exhausted themselves in the snow. I still had fun however reading, it just was not the hallmark movie setting I pictured.

Eventually the guys all tired themselves out – or at least Devin and Shaun. They came back, minus Billy. I was of course like where the heck is Billy? And my brother was like, “Oh, we passed him on the way down. He was laying in the snow.” I immediately panicked and ran outside like I was going to run up that mountain and find him, maybe a St. Bernard with a cask of rum or whatever by my side. I stood at the base of the ski lift, contemplating my next move, when I could see my own little Crash coming down the mountain, back on his board. I let out a sigh of relief, both that he was ok, and also that I did not have to go up that mountain. I am terribly afraid of heights and can’t even fathom getting on a ski lift. We thankfully were heading back to the lodge to get cleaned up, and go to the city of Boyne Falls for dinner and for some shopping. I think it was Boyne Falls at least.

The next morning, we piled back into the car, and headed back downstate, stopping at one of my favorite places in Michigan – Hartwick Pines. I love going there, and I love it even more in the winter. We hiked the trails in the snow, surrounded by some ancient trees, stumbling onto the maple sugaring shack they have there, the historical lumberjack camp, the church. I loved every moment of it. We went inside to warm up before heading back to the car, and gazed through the huge windows at the birds feeding outside. Well, I did. The guys were exploring the nature center but I was glued to that vision of snow and trees before me.

Eventually we hit the road again, and in a few hours we were home, all tuckered out by our adventures. But I remember what those days felt like, the glorious majesty of the woods and forests and snow. And I want Wyatt to see that too, and feel that magic of winter.

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

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Our Cozy Little Life

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized15 Comments

Hello everyone! We are getting closer and closer to Wyatt’s next follow up appointment and we can’t wait. We go next Friday and we are hoping they ease up on some of his restrictions a bit. Now that he is feeling better he is restless! He won’t be able to jump right back into things, the healing from this surgery is considered a year, but it would be nice to resume a few more activities.

We got out of the house last weekend thank goodness. It was a beautiful sunny, breezy Sunday and we decided to drive to Belle Isle and take a look around since it has been a while. We stumbled upon a cricket game in progress and we thought since that is not something we see here everyday, we would stop and check it out. Wyatt and I lounged in the back of the Subaru and Billy popped open his camp chair and we just hung out for a bit watching and cheering, although we had no clue what was happening. We had so much fun, just being out and taking a slow Sunday.

Last weekend we also celebrated Mermaid Girl’s birthday in the most casual, relaxed, fun party. They came over to our house to make things easier for Wyatt, and brought the cake and ice cream. The kids played, we chatted, we had delicious vintage cherry cake, which was the name from the bakery, and just had a great night. Mermaid Girl immediately started using her gifts from us; she loves drawing and wants to be an illustrator, so we got her some more “serious” art supplies for that, as well as a set of our favorite alcohol markers and a cute coloring book just to keep it young and fun. She drew and colored most of the night, when she wasn’t hanging out with her sister and Wyatt.

The past few days have felt like fall. I know that it is not here to stay, but I am enjoying it while I can. I even posted a fall books post, the first of a few that I have planned. I want to get them posted kind of early in case people are planning their fall TBRs and are looking for seasonal books. I have somehow amassed a huge list so it made more sense to break it up into a few different lists. I am going to however have the full list of all of the books available for people if they want it, once I figure out how to share it.

Our life has been very simple and slow lately. We are restless, but I am trying to make sure that we also have some fun things “during our confinement”, even if they are small. We check out our Little Free Library, to see if anyone has used it, and get excited whenever we notice books gone or new books left behind. We have been enjoying our animals and our books and our creative projects. I bought a new table that is easier for Wyatt to use with his wheelchair and he really loves that he can just roll up to it and use it without any issues. Our old table had the table legs in the middle, it was a fold up table thing, with leaves, is this a drop leaf table? Anyway, there was only so much room for his chair, the front wheels couldn’t fit between the legs, he had to line himself up exactly, and it was just a pain. Now, it is a bit lower, it is narrower so he can reach most of the way across, and the legs are at the far corners so he can use it very easily. I can’t wait to paint that room now, even more! I am thinking October, when the weather is nicer and the paint will dry better. Then I want Billy and our friend Nathan to tackle storage in that room during mid-winter, and build a whole wall of shelves, with areas for school supplies, art supplies, books, games, and the geckos that live in that room. I might be wishing for a lot there, but you never know! Poor Billy. This is what happens when I have too much time to sit and think. I also have some summer plans for our yard percolating, including a small pond area, and… the thing I am super excited about… a tortoise enclosure! I don’t want a big tortoise, like a sulcata (although, those of you in warm climates could do it, just saying) just a smaller one. I have seen the coolest little outside homesteads for tortoises on Instagram and I just think it would be so cool. We have an old playhouse of Wyatt’s we could probably convert over… see? This is a problem! It might not happen next summer, but I am hoping it will. I am going to spend the winter learning all the different things about tortoises, and their care, especially overwintering them, if they need to brumate/hibernate, etc. It’s a big project. But I mean, just look at this. This woman has the coolest setup for this tortoise, and she also has informational reels as well. Like I said, it is something I am going to research very well and make sure that it is something that we can do and something that is humane for the tortoise as well, and that we can care for one appropriately. I am trying to convince my friend Kelly to get one too, then we can have tortoise playdates. I had happened to see that two tortoises were in rescue together, which gave me that idea. I am such a dork.

And I have probably rambled enough for one day. I will talk to you all soon, and I hope that whatever you do today, you do one thing that makes you smile! Wyatt and I are going to the library and our local fish store for a few new aquarium plants, so we will both be doing happy things today!

And just some random photos!

Books That Feel Like a Heat Wave

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized5 Comments

Ugh! This weather! We are on day 3 of a 4 day heat wave here in Michigan, and I know we are not the only ones experiencing high temps! I am a fall/winter girlie so I am NOT enjoying this to say the least. The weather here is hot, humid, swampy, oppressive, downright disrespectful, if you will.

I pulled together a list of a few books that feel like a heat wave, in case you want to match the weather outside. These temps call for more than a light summer read!

Desperation || Lonesome Dove || Holes

Desperation: Desert heat, scary horrible creatures, and a gang of thrown together heroes battling an ancient evil. This is probably one of my top fave King books.

Lonesome Dove: More desert, minus the … gore? It still has its moments. Just imagine wandering the desert in all that gear. Bleh. One of the best books ever though.

Holes: This book is on my mind a lot right now, as it is a book Wyatt and I are reading next year for school. But dang, is it hot out there. Poor Stanley.

The Ruins || Jaws || The Sunlit Man

The Ruins: Jungle heat, humidity, swampy, bugs and plants and horror. So good!

Jaws: I don’t think this one needs an explanation. However, this book makes you think twice about swimming in the ocean to beat the heat!

The Sunlit Man: My husband suggested this one so I don’t know anything about it! However, Billy understood the assignment, as the description reads “Fleeing the fires of a sunrise that melts the very stones…” Yep, that is pretty hot.

Good Girls Die Last || The Summer that Melted Everything

Good Girls Die Last: This book is all feminist rage during a London heatwave. Em is just going through some shit, pardon my French, and is fed up.

The Summer That Melted Everything: I can’t describe this any better than this blurb.. “Fielding Bliss has never forgotten the summer of 1984: the year a heatwave scorched the small town of Breathed, Ohio. The year he became friends with the devil.”

A Streetcar Named Desire || The Great Gatsby

A Streetcar Named Desire: Literally the first book that popped into my head when I was thinking about this post. New Orleans in the hot summer is something to be experienced y’all!

The Great Gatsby: Another book that was an instant add to my list.

Stay cool and hydrated my friends!

Hello June!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized16 Comments

Hello everyone!!

Today is sunny and bright, and our deck has plenty of shade, and a brand new grill. We have strawberries in the refrigerator, and ice cream in the freezer. It is definitely getting to be summer here, bit by bit.

So the big thing of our summer – Wyatt’s surgery. Wyatt is having double hip surgery July 9, along with tendon lengthening at the same time. I can feel it hovering over us, as I try to make this June as fun as I can for him. The recovery for it is supposed to be very intense, and he will need to be basically in bed for a month, with a wedge between his legs 24/7. I am extremely nervous about next month, but I keep telling myself what the surgeon told me, that this is short term pain for long term gain. I am just going to have to grit my teeth and push through, and help my son get through this time as easily as I can.

We are trying to pack as much as we can into June for him. I had him make a bucket list for the summer, with a few things we can do during recovery, like ice cream for dinner, but most of them are things we need to do either this month or the end of August. He wants to go see the movie How to Train Your Dragon, have a car picnic, where we drive somewhere and then have a picnic in the back of the Subaru, ride the train at Greenfield Village again (hopefully without barfing this time!), and see the dragon exhibit at the zoo. He has a few others on there too, which I am hoping we can accomplish!

We also have his yearly EEG this week. On Wednesday we head up to the hospital for 24-48 hours, where he will be all hooked up with wires. I am packing his tablet and books and drawing supplies, and hoping we get the go ahead to leave on Thursday morning. I am also taking a book and my headphones for myself, for when he goes to bed that night. TV in the hospital is always the worst! Lol.

This month is RicStar Music Camp too! A million thank yous to Jeanie at Marmalade Gypsy who told me to look into this camp for Wyatt, it has been a blessing and we can’t wait to go back this year. We are starting to feel like we are part of the RicStar family now, as this will be our third year in attendance. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again! I am hoping to get to the Children’s Garden this year after camp lets out for the day. I have said that for two years now, so fingers crossed!

And then we have a birthday party for a friend and fellow scout of Wyatt’s, and our beginning of summer Scout party, where the kids will be able to play and enjoy some pizza and ice cream and I will award them their pins that they earned this year. They have all done so well and I am so happy with how Scouts has turned out for all the kids. They are a little community now and that is what I wanted, for the kids and parents to have fun in scouts together, and to form relationships. I have made new friends and so has Wyatt, and the other mothers and kids are hanging out as well, and it just makes my heart so full. It is everything I hoped for when forming this pack. We have a few other things on the calendar as well, like getting together with my brother Devin and Chrissy and Mermaid Girl and Hurricane whenever we can. I am trying to pack it all in guys!

I have also been planning like a maniac. I have the first four months of our history curriculum planned, and one read aloud for history so far. I am in the process of choosing our language arts books, and think I have a rough list to work from. I am thinking: Secret of the Andes, Bud Not Buddy, Because of Winn Dixie and either Call it Courage or Heart of a Samurai. I would love to hear thoughts on these choices! I have a whole other list for history, but I am solid on two right now, By the Great Horn Spoon, and Rascal. I also want one for the Oregon Trail and one about Harriet Tubman or the Underground Railroad, so any suggestion would be welcomed!

I have also planned out the entire next year for scouts, or at least what we are doing each month. It’s going to be a fun year!

This month is going to be a whirlwind, and I hopefully have lots of iced lattes in my future to keep me going!

And that is where I am at today. How are you?

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

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized14 Comments

Hello everyone!! I hope you are having a good week. We have had a mostly relaxing week, which has been refreshing after the two months of crazy we went through. Next week we have a bunch of appointments again, but this week was a nice reprieve.

A week ago Friday we had Wyatt’s preop appointment. This is the first time we have had a planned surgery with Wyatt and it feels so different. All of his previous surgeries have been emergency and I didn’t have time to think about them. They just sort of happened while I was in a state of shock. This one I have months to perseverate on it – however that also gives me time to prepare everything. I had a lot of questions, about bathing and recovery time and the length of the surgery (3 hours) and just all sorts of things. I think the surgeon was slightly amused at my notebook of questions and comments, and at one point I mentioned something about Wyatt, and my dramatic son who likes to troll me, was acting out what I asked about. The doctor had a chuckle and looked at me smiling and said “Your son is messing with you,” and I was like, yeah, I know he does that all the time. Because Wyatt does like to mess me with me, the turkey. When the doctor walked out at the end of the appointment he ruffled Wyatt’s hair and said “Don’t give your mom too much trouble.” It made me feel better in a way – he seems very stoic and quiet, the surgeon, but he picked up on Wyatt’s personality very quickly. It was reassuring, to have Wyatt be seen like that.

Afterwards we treated ourselves to a trip to a French-Asian bakery in Ann Arbor. If you are ever in the area, you must visit. It was the best pick-me-up to follow that appointment. We went to Tous les Jours, which is near Jackson Road, and Schuler’s Books, if you want to combine a visit to a fantastic bakery and a bookstore. Just saying. Anyway, my brother Devin, SIL Chrissy, and the girls (Mermaid and Hurricane) went out there few weeks ago and told us that we needed to go. When I saw that it was a hop skip and a jump from the hospital, I was like perfect.

There was so much to choose from! It is definitely a place where you want one of everything. When you walk in, it is a nice spacious room with tables on one side, and baked goods on the other. Some of it is self-serve, and some of the treats are in bakery cases at the front, things like the macarons and cakes. We started with the self-serve, obviously, and may have gone a little crazy. They just had so many options! Chestnut bread, strawberry croissants, ube cream donuts, taro cream bread, apple caramel pie, different warm croissants like ham and cheese or garlic and cheese – literally too many things to name. We chose to buy a variety and share them among the three of us, each of us picking out things out. Wyatt picked a chocolate cream filled donut, and accidentally touched a shrimp kimchi cake in the process so we got that too, I picked a caramel apple pie pastry, Billy wanted the ham and cheese croissant based on Devin’s recommendation. Then we also added a milk cream red bean bread, cranberry cream cheese bread (these are like little buns), a blueberry bun, and two macarons, a pistachio flavored one for Wyatt and lemon for Billy.

We all had our special pick in the car on the way home since we had gone to the office super early and needed to eat still. Billy and I loved ours; Wyatt did not like his at all. It was very fluffy airy chocolate and it exploded all over him when he bit into it and he hated that. The only thing he actually liked was his macaron. I think he was wary of the other pastries after his chocolate experience. We also tried the cranberry cream cheese bread thinking Wyatt might like that; he didn’t, but I think under different circumstances he would. Billy and I loved that too. Big surprise. Lol. Billy said though that the best thing was the shrimp kimchi cake that we bought because Wyatt accidentally touched it, so that turned out to be a good thing!

Then, on Sunday, we had my mom, Devin, Chrissy, and the girls over to celebrate my mother’s birthday. It was a nice time – my mom just gets such a kick out of the kids. It was good to see her smile and laugh. She has gotten very frail everyone, and I hate it. It’s hard to watch your parents age. Just why did it seem to happen so fast and all of a sudden? It was nice having her here though, and the kids had a lot of fun playing. Hurricane had me running all over the house. She will come up and very seriously take your hand and lead you off somewhere to play. For some reason she was intrigued by my bedroom that night. I guess there is a lot to see in there. It’s sort of messy.

And then, gloriously, Wyatt and I had a slow week. We will be running again next week, but this week was nice and slow, and we needed that.

Here are just some random pics from our week!

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

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized22 Comments

Hello everyone!! The weather here has been absolutely dismal most days! What is happening? Isn’t it spring? Luckily we have had a few sunny days! I’m just really waiting on those spring flowers now!

We have been keeping busy though, and having adventures despite the gray skies.

Last Saturday we went to the Detroit Institute of Arts. They have a special exhibit that I wanted to see, called Painted with Silk, and I also wanted to wander the Dutch Masters area with Wyatt, as we are reading a book set in Holland for Language Arts. (The Wheel on the School)

We set out into the rainy icky day early in the morning, arriving at the museum just after opening. I like to get there early, especially on the weekend, and we got a great parking spot – something of an accomplishment in Detroit on the weekend! We found our way to the exhibit but not before stumbling into a room filled with the most vibrant, story filled modern works. This one is just stunning.

I can’t believe how impossible it has been to find the name of the artist, and of this painting – I should have written it down but I didn’t anticipate it would be difficult. I have found that the name of the artist is Titus Kaphar, and this painting is from his Exhibiting Forgiveness exhibit, but that is all I could find. If anyone knows the name of this particular work, I would love to add it here.

Wyatt was drawn to this one. This is Radical Openness by Stanley Whitney. I can see why he likes it.

After spending some time in this room, we wandered out into the hall to find our way to the Painted in Silk exhibit.

These pieces were exceptionally done, and amazingly, were made by children. 11, 12, 13 years old girls, a lot of them, and were completed between 1600 and 1800. They served as a diploma for the girls from wealthier families who could afford to send their children to school. The piece was a displayable symbol of the girl’s ” mastery of an important practical skill and the diligence and self-discipline that society expected of its more privileged members.”  It was mind blowing and at the same time, incredible. I am sorry, the angle on some of these photos are wonky. This room, despite getting there early, was already full of people. I love that this was a popular room, and also to see so many people at the museum.

I thought these memorial pieces were beautiful. They were done in black and white purposely, and are called print works.

My favorite pieces were modern pieces done to represent an older style. They were all done by the same artist, Elaine Reichek. She uses this form to “question assumptions about gender, class, race, and ethnicity that the older works expressed and reinforced.” It was fascinating to see representations from two very different perspectives. We also learned that it is very rare to see a historical piece that depicts a Black person, or that was done by a Black person , although they did have a wall of a few.

I loved this piece representing Moby Dick. If you want to see much better photos, and more information on these makers and artists, you can view the exhibit online here.

I was in awe of this whole exhibit. My son, however, was a bit bored…

From here we moved on to the Dutch artists, which he enjoyed a bit more. He liked all the boats and windmills, and the hidden meanings in the paintings with what was painted. They also had I Spy games for different rooms which he enjoyed as well, which was like a visual scavenger hunt for objects in paintings.

That last photo was one I had to take because my brother’s youngest is giving her parents the business these days when they go out, with typical two year old trying to run away in places behavior. They were joking that they might need a leash for her. I saw this painting and was like, I guess this a very old issue, as this woman has her child on a leash.

We were starting to get hungry, so we left the museum in search of food. We ended up picking up sushi from The Goblin and chicken nuggets for Wyatt. Billy and I each chose a roll and then swapped half with each other.

Later that night we all sat and painted and colored. It was the perfect end to a rainy day.

The next few days we just went about our normal lives, appointments, work, school, etc. Then last night we had scouts! I wanted the kids to do something Earth Day related that tied into their advancements, so we worked on the Build It loop! The kids worked with Billy making bug houses out of wood, then stuffing them full of materials they brought with them or I collected, and they also decorated bird feeders made out of old jugs. It was really fun, and really busy! It was an all hands on deck meeting, with all the parents and grandparents pitching in to help the kids. Wyatt had such a good time, and I heard from other mothers that their kids absolutely loved it as well!

And that about sums it up for today!! I will leave you with some random photos from the old camera reel!

ETA: I had just published this post when I saw this on Facebook. I wanted to share it here with you all today.

I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile! And pay attention to those glimmers.

Happy New Year! Happy January!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized25 Comments

Happy New Year everyone!

I am not a big New Year’s Eve kind of person. I find it a kind of sad day actually. However, I love New Year’s Day! The first day of a new year, just feels so fresh and full of hope and promise.

This morning, we made a last minute decision to go see the first sunrise of the year. We pulled on warm clothes, filled our travelers with hot coffee and warm cocoa, heated up our hot pretzels, and piled into the car to head to the river. The sky was full of clouds but we were in luck; there was a sliver of sky wide enough to allow us to the see the fiery beauty of the rising sun.

I stepped out for a moment to take this photo, and it was quiet over the river, except for the cries of the circling seagulls above. It was cold though, and my old yoga pants were no match for the wind, so I hurried back to the car and the warmth of my family. Wyatt and I were sharing the front seat for the sunrise show, so it was doubly warm. As the sun fully emerged over the horizon, whole families erupted from their cars around us, celebrating the rising of the sun as well. It was a really cool way to start the year.

Yesterday we spent the day in creativity. It wasn’t planned, it just evolved that way. Wyatt has been busy creating collages and drawings for two days now, just fully immersed in his artwork. Billy did some leatherwork, I worked on my embroidery and a did a bit of writing with the Winter Writing Sanctuary with Beth Kempton. Everyday she has a new invitation (prompt) and I give myself ten or fifteen minutes to scribble out some thoughts. I am not a great writer but I am enjoying the process. In the first video Beth invites us to wake early, light a candle, and write by candlelight. However, Billy has forbidden me from lighting a candle, since I am an enormous calamity in the morning and he feels he would wake to a house on fire. I mean, he is right. I am a super klutz in the morning. It’s like my brain is awake far earlier than my body. We had pizza for dinner, in front of the Christmas tree per Wyatt’s request, watched some videos together, and then had a quiet night and I totally fell asleep way before midnight. Wyatt has never made it past 9 pm. I guess he takes after me, more of an early riser than a night owl.

I’ve been thinking hard about my word for the year, and I don’t quite have one yet. Last year was my year of community. I want to continue that, building more community physically around us, more dinners and outings with our family and friends, but also digitally, here on my blog. Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I are hosting Cozy Crafternoon zoom sessions this January and February to beat the winter blahs, and I hope it is just the beginning of such things. Maybe I will stick with the same word, Community.

Today we will go for a ride to Belle Isle, the way we always do, and then Billy is making us a good luck dinner – pork chops, black eyed peas, and greens. For lunch we are also having a good luck meal, tamales that his mom made for us. Then tonight, we will watch the movie we watch every year on New Years Day and have for years, The Big Year starring Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson. It’s such a tradition at this point and we only ever watch that movie on January 1st. I look forward to it every year.

And now, I am going to get another cup of coffee. I wish you all a wonderful day and a Happy New Year!