The Favorite Coffee Mug

 

 

This might be a weird personal thing, but I really must have a very large mug from which to drink my my morning cup of java. I've taken pictures with my little blue coffee cups that are part of my fiesta ware dishes, but rarely do they really get used by me personally. If used, it is after dinner when I've actually set the table like I heard regular grown ups do, and even then, just when we have guests. My first go to mug is the clear mug that fits my hand well.  It was a gift from a coworker several years ago, and came with, of course sachet's of coffee.

In the winter months, I like to use this one, another gift, this one form my sister.  She gave it to me along with some soft cushy slippers and a box of hot chocolate mix.  It too is deep and big handled, and the cute picture warms my soul along with my stomach when I'm sipping from it. As all things though, it has a time, and once the snow starts to melt, I do not want to toast to the merits of more snow-particularly after the May 1 snowstorm we had two years ago.


When the dishwasher is full, I resort to using soup bowls like this one. These were from an after Christmas 75% off gift pack that had four soup bowls and two cans of Campbell's tomato soup.

 I have a whole shelf of assorted coffee mugs.  Mugs form my kids from Mother's Day and other Christmas themed mugs from coworkers or Sunday school kids over the years.  I don't think I have any more left from my preschool teaching days, and I sadly miss the one I received from my 4 year olds as a wedding present. I used it for nearly two decades in the work place, and then one day it vanished and never showed up again. I probably left it in the kitchen and it was used by someone else, and either made it's way into their stash of mugs or was broken. It was just a tan ceramic mug with flowers that no one would suspect was anything of meaning.

Yesterday I did some browsing after an eye appointment in Home Goods.  If you don't know about Home Goods, to me it is like the best jumble or garage sale ever, but with new merchandise,laid out and displayed in colorful style. They do have some static departments, but generally the selection changes frequently, and they also clearance out things quickly.  As I am trying to both declutter and save money for upcoming trips and now the added expenses of violin lessons, I talked myself into bypassing all the sweet deals, and just getting inspiration. It took all  my resolve to not nab two white over sized coffee mugs. They were just the same style and size used at Costa, a coffee shop I grew very fond of on our UK trip. The mugs were just $3.00 each, and would have been a low cost gift to myself for being such a good patient at the eye doctor. Alas, I exited the store without mugs in hand. I figured if I still wanted them tomorrow, I could swing over on my lunch break.  I'm actually not working in the office, so now that will need to wait until Monday if I do change my mind, and then, more than likely they will have found their way into someone else's kitchen, holding their delicious java.

Would you have bought them?  Am I going to be regretting the two mugs for a decade to come? What quirky items bust your resolve?

 

If I could find Stevie's cup from Miranda, I would be a happy person.

 

We love baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet

There is an old car commercial with a catchy tune.  "We love baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and Chevrolet" so it goes. It is a summer kind of tune, but I think about it in the fall as well.  Baseball season has moved into playoff mode, and sadly, our Twins are once again done.  I'm not a huge baseball fan, games get a little long, but I am a die hard Twins fan.  Next year boys.  I have a sister who is a fanatic.  No doubt she'll have the season analyzed and know just what the General Manager needs to do in the off season and if he would just listen, 2015 could be the year. 

As for the hot dogs and apple pie part, fall in the north is a great time for fire pits and roasting a hot dog on a stick, and following it up with a great big  slice of pie, made from apples picked earlier in the day. You can buy little pie tin roasters and make apple pies over the fire using bread and pie filling and do both fire side.  As the playoffs get started, an interesting thing you can see as night gets earlier and earlier is folks pulling out their TV's, loading a portable fire pit with wood, and combing the three together.  I got a great smell last night on my walk, lit up from the glow from the fires going in drive ways and off patios in my little neighborhood.  

I have a friend from high school that manages a farm household, with all the extra hands needed for harvesting.  She has her own supply of apples from trees on her farm.  Here is just a glimpse of her hard work keeping the boys (and girls) nourished and happy. The picture on the heading is also hers-talented in the kitchen and with a camera I'd say.

Deliciousness from the kitchen of Chris "Chicky" Ries Otte

I'm not sure if I'll be able to fit picking apples into the weekend, but we have a little store of them in the refrigerator, so will come up with something, and I know there are hotdogs ready to be thawed from the freezer.  Tonight is supposed to be dry and cool-perfect.  I don't think we'll be pulling the TV outside, but supper will be done and done.  The thing about the commercial jingle and its staying power in our heads after all these years, is that it emotes a feeling of hominess and belonging.  These simple things can bind us as a country, a community, a neighborhood, and a family.  I'll take that, in my Chevy Malibu, wearing a Twins cap,  to the bank.