Travel Mugs - $19.99/pair

Admittedly, i don't do nearly enough traveling to justify owning anything like this. But i do like to keep my coffee hot despite hours-long distractions from the mug. And i do consider it some sort of sin to drink hot beverages from plastic. *Shudder*

So here it is - the Longaberger Woven Traditions Travel Mug - the answer to all of my thermal and moral woes. A pair of them are making their debut in my home this week, thanks to my generous mama who recently hosted a Longaberger party at her house. I clean her house, she buys the mugs. Sweet deal.

Why are they so great? Because they're made of non-porous vitrified china, which means they're NOT PLASTIC, beautiful, heavy, durable, hand-crafted, dishwasher safe, have lids that are custom made to fit your mug (no leakies!), are extra tall like most travel mugs, and are... did i say beautiful? Everything i've ever looked for in a vessel of delicious sanity.

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Super Fan

...even though they lose time and again.

The perfect morning, the perfect cider

It seems kind of fall-ish this morning at Providence Cottage.

The air is cool, and the sun has snuck behind a blanket of thin clouds.

Joe is up on a ladder, picking apples off of an aged tree.

Thomas and Rosemarie are in the sandbox, barely un-pajamaed.

I'm in the kitchen, watching from my window as i preserve tomatoes and herbs, and i observe my babes' hair dancing in the autumn breeze.

And now, with the smell of sausages and saurkraut cooking away in the crockpot and pretzels baking in the oven, my husband and son are working hard to make some of the most delicious apple cider that has ever touched my tongue. Outdoors, of course, to keep the stickies out of the house. ;)

*

Of the birds and the.... flies?

Overheard at lunch this afternoon:

Thomas: (With stunned amazement)
"Hey! Look! That fly is using the other fly as his rocking horse!"

Joseph Mousebane

He's done it again, folks!
From racoons to muskrats, spiders to mice, no despised pest will ever survive once he's in the sights of my husband. How i love documenting these events on my blog!!

The latest trespasser - a grey field mouse.
The location - our basement living area.
The weapon - a plastic peanut jar.

One giant leap across the room. One heavy and unflinching smash motion with the jar. One napkin to pick up the carcass. One very pouty pet cat. (If only she had better reflexes than my husband.)

Adventures in potty training

'Tis the season to harvest tomatoes (and all those other sorts of veg that are going to rot faster than i can can them - but dont tell my husband). Lucky for me (and my marriage), i have a baby girl who will dig her rodent teeth into just about anything that grows in the garden - which saves me from having to blanch it, chop it, dry it, or stick it in a mason jar. Ain't she cute?

Speaking of cute, check out those stylish underpants!! That's right - underpants!!! I was a skeptic, myself, but am highyly motivated by the imminent birth of #3 in less than 11 weeks.

I know you'd all love to hear about the "potty cow," the adorable line of underpants she now owns, her version of the ASL hand signal for "I need to use the potty now," or about the time she secretly used the bathroom on her own and presented the soiled bowl to Joe and me in the living room, but i find it in better taste to spare the cyber-world the underappreciated-by-anybody-but-women details of how we got to where we are. Suffice it to say that this 17 month old currently has a very high rate of success, and it's only taken 3 days.

Way to go, Rosemarie!

Minus the garlic...

...can you name the 6 herbs in this picture?

C'mon - i know we have lots of skilled herb gardeners out there!

Exercising his right to bear arms

No license required to brandish a wooden sword?
We start 'em young around these parts.