Nest

Care for and Comfort

2012-01-30T21:54:00.016-05:00

care for

play with

know them. . .
what they need
when they need it.

bake good food

that feeds
and comforts

sit and just be
cozy
together

care for and comfort.
be there
just be
i need them
and they need me

Total body Failure . . Oatmeal Days. . and Casting your Cares

2012-01-04T20:16:00.007-05:00

this day. . above. . was one when quiet resided predominantly, a "real" dinner was made and actually planned ( that does NOT happen often in our house. ) and knitting. . of all unheard of things. . actually took place in the middle of the day whilst both littles played contentedly on the floor nearby. . like in a Little House on the Prairie book. . Surreal . . but NICE.
This. . was yesterday. .

ToDAY. . on the other hand. . was in every way opposite as you can get
and i would LOVE to know how this happens.
the old saying "when it rains it pours" seems to
SO true and it just puzzles me.
i encourage a fairly quiet existence .. especially at home
and yet some nights are inevitably sleepless, some mornings a
total BLUR... afternoon naps a JOKE . . and dinner. . after NO thought and all of a
sudden realizing .. . wow. . im HUNGRY and so are my kids. .
is Oatmeal.
( not that there's anything wrong with oatmeal for dinner. . we are a big breakfast for dinner
family but it's more in the way we . . arrive. . at the oatmeal. :) )

why?

today everything felt difficult to DO
and it was truly a matter of choosing Joy
over . . anything in the opposing categories.

After the long day came to a quieter close and as i rocked littlest one to sleep
i had these olde familiar words come into my heart
and mind and they proved a great comfort and i was
lead to share them in hopes that others who need these
words. . will happen upon them in a hour of need.

i will Cast all my Cares upon You
i lay all of my burdens
down at Your feet
and any time
i don't know
what to do
i will cast
all my cares
upon You.

a song written from
1 Peter 5 : 7

Who else in the World but Jesus would ask us
to Cast. . Throw. .Lay. . Give away. . our burdens
at HIS feet.

Thank you LORD.

and oatmeal is indeed delish. . no matter what meal of the day. :)

bits and ramblings on

2012-01-03T19:30:00.014-05:00

Toast is. . . cozy

this little pile of treasures left by Little One was especially cute to me the other day. 
 . . included in this pile. . is Hazel.. . who is an olde friend to me of many many years and who was recently found after YEARS of being LOST . . or rather. . safely tucked away in camping stuff we haven't touched in forever.. . apparently we aren't big fans of camping with babies..

Hi Hazel.

 been practicing chopping my own kindling.

it's one of those things that seems like a basic survival skill.. 
. . a tiny bit almostchoppedmythumboff dangerous. . but hey. . you can sew those back on right?
i do have to admit that i could NOT chop a log into smaller pieces.... much lacking in upper body strength and for a person with good spacial awareness have surprisingly bad aim!
. . but Sweet Hubby chops a bunch of flats for me so i can have at it when the mood strikes and i have to say. . . it's incredibly FUN!

this little Gal is getting ready. . we think. . to lay her first egg!
she made a special little nest and methinks we shall see a little gift in it sooner then later.
very exciting.

while my children are little

2011-12-29T21:54:00.010-05:00

i rest while i can . .
but i try not to live for this rest. it is often far off
and if i am wishing for it. . i miss the still wonderful things that can happen despite the tiredness. :)

. . another quote by Rachel Jankovic
who wrote the sweet little book above. . .
" while your children are little, cultivate an attitude of sacrifice. Sacrifice your peace for their fun, sacrifice your clean kitchen floor for their help cracking eggs, your quiet moment for their long retelling of a dream they had . . . Prioritize your children far and away above the other work you need to get done. They are the only part of your work that really matters. "

thankful to be learning to L O V E in all it's fullness the little ones in my life. Daily Lessons from the Good Shepherd .

White. . white. . and a little bit of red

2011-12-23T22:25:00.008-05:00

today was white and grey . . .
and it snowed off and on
sweet charlie brown snow that falls slow and steady on,
but dances a little on it's way down. . as if to music.

sweet little charlie brown snow day.

and snug inside we made marshmallows. . .

or rather finished them up after having set all night long.
i make martha Stewart's recipe because i can't imagine they could come out any better.

they are SOOOOOOO delicious.

the cutting of the mallows is my favorite part.
it's so. .. cool.
it's just one of those recipes that seems more like magic then most. taking hot sugar and whipping it into a fluff that sets beautiful and perfect.

the winter has finally come . . to the winter berries.

and tomorrow. . is Christmas Eve.
. .. Merry Christmas my friends.

today i love , , ,

2011-12-21T20:35:00.011-05:00

the woodbox full of wood. .
and birch bark for starting fires.
happiness when there is a piece that needs peeling.
i think it could turn into a sickness. :)

. . . my little sis. . who is moving home!

my bestie
Joy unconfined.

my little guys. . .
who get this momma up in the morning

you make my life Rich with L o v e

oooooooooooh. . . twiggys

2011-12-20T21:47:00.007-05:00

this morning
i just couldn't stop myself
from popping outside
and snapping a few pictures

of the little things
about the house
that i love so well.
the air was so crisp and cold
and the sun so sweet.

everything looked peaceful and happy.

also . . .
sweater sleeves make very nice leg warmers. . once a giant stain lands on the front of your sweater that you just can't get out. :)

hello little pinecone. how are you today.

Humbled by Cranberry Bread and Other's who've gone before

2011-12-19T21:06:00.016-05:00

i just loved this.. . because. . it's true.

so. . today was one of those days
that when you look back was not
nearly as bad as it was in the many moments
when you thought for sure your hair was not
only going to turn white from the stress . . but just plain
fall OUT.
.. . but. . .
also. .
that looking back revealed
to me how much i am in NEED of
God's continual Help and Salvation
for my poor wretched Soul.

i am a mess when i wake up with
any agenda OTHER than my boys.
i am not a good multitasker. i need
copious amounts of time and rest and SPACE
in order to feel able to complete the things
i need to do to the best i am able. . and as a mom
. . that almost NEVER happens!
. . consequently leaving me to make
daily choices between sitting down on the floor
with my baby or trying to prop him up in the bumbo
. again. . . and bake bread. . always risky.

today i chose the later. . after a dose of the former mind you
but still figured i could fit in at least assembling what i needed
before baby would need NEED momma. .
and for the most part this was true.
i bake often with my little's around me and
am used to the chaos whilst struggling to complete something
we hope to eat.
but today was just soooooo against me!
after nap time sneaking up on baby and then being cut
FAR short by big brother followed by momma
kinda losing it. . followed by somanyotherthingsican'trememberbutmostdefinitelydidhappen
. . . i just felt sooooo defeated.
so. .
so. .
. . . and anyway. . it is of course now a matter of me trying to keep calm and
little getting more googly and littlest still happy as a clam. .
but me still unraveling.

later i read a chapter in a book
about dealing rightly with all the little
things that happen in the course of a normal day
with Children.. . that we have to deal with OUR frustrations
responsibly and with forethought or else we take it out
on our little ones in the moments when they are
annoying us or did actually do something wrong. . but not
something so deserving of the type of berating we
just dished out.

our children are not situations. . they are
individuals.
they don't deserve to be the dumping grounds
for our frustrations.

all this seems more jumbled then i wanted it to be but it's the best i got
at this late hour.

my boys are my love. . and although there are many
things i wish i could accomplish in addition to
having wee little ones. . most often those things
get put back back back on the shelf of dreams
. . and that's where they belong. .
for now.

in the mean time i shall try harder to lean on Christ's strength and
not my own.

in the end it took over three hours to make this cranberry bread

but it DID get made :)

Christmastime is here. . .

2011-12-14T21:17:00.011-05:00

making muffins with my boys

is one of my favorite things .

baking in general i find is something that always makes the house feel happier and
more at ease. the boys both find their little space beside /around me and the flour flies.

i love it. im so thankful for all those little moments with them. i hope they always love to bake with their momma.

l o v e
is
warm
and
cozy

l o v e
is
big
and
round

l o v e
is
in
the little things

l o v e
is
all
a r o u n d

soon the white will come. . and stay

2011-11-22T20:58:00.009-05:00

thankful for warm boots for the little
feet in my life

i love how rustic and wild our little barn is
looking right now as we head into winter.

wood fires are so timeless.
they look and feel and act the same as they have always
been.
i love that.
in this day of much
modernity i cling to
the OLDE things that are
still so wonderfully
needed.. and loved.

crisp afternoons
beautiful and emotionally
healing

found. . by Sam.
who can spot a heart
in a leaf
in a rock
in a chip :)
in a doodle
. . . quicker then i can.

ahhhhh. . . i hope that i can always be
up above
so i can see
all there is around around
up so high
above the ground

new to the family

2011-11-06T21:51:00.003-05:00

Pocket & Pue

pocket because one was
found as an egg in a hiding spot and carried
in a pocket for a bit before the lady
remembered it was in there
. . and then she was hatched under a warming lamp. .

and Sam named the other Pue.. .which
was the cute name of our photographer
from a family shoot we had yesterday.
He just loved it.

Kurt and Sam spent most of the day out in a
quite-cold shed building a sweet little home
for these two.

They are seven weeks and will
get very fluffy indeed as they are
silky bantam babies.

L O V E

Such sweet little chickies.
We're so happy to add them to our
slowly growing critter family.

thankful

2011-11-04T22:28:00.012-04:00

for crisp fall swinging days

for maggs, who makes a fire feel even cozier. . just by lying there.

for resilient slippers. . or not so resilient really.. . but. . for slippers.

for you. . .
you know who you are.
:)

for a creative child
who sees planes in clothes pins
and Popsicle sticks.

for fires. . which bring families and friends together
and which make marshmallows taste ever so much better.

for things that make us look .. . up.

for all the time i spend standing still. . ish.
just swinging my boys.

for home . . . ness

for love. . from above.

love

2011-11-04T21:52:00.003-04:00

darling calendar
by
Jane Heller

this and more of her beautiful photos
here in her shop

Creeping in. . .

2011-10-02T13:21:00.010-04:00

this has been a month of settling back into
our home after a long full fun summer.
a new baby for us.
a wedding for my baby sister.
gardens grown and harvested and
almost done being packed away for winter.
Now is time for the wood to come in
and extra blankets to be unfolded and put onto beds
and on the sofa. . ready for snuggling under
at a moments notice.
now is the time for more piles of books to read to the littles,
more baking do be done so we're sure to put on
a few extra "warmth" pounds for the cold that is
on the move. :)
And time for settling down
and settling in for a long
New England Fall and Winter.
i Love the layers and boots and hats,
wood boxes and bundles of kindling,
extra justtowarmup mugs of tea and coffee.
I love the coziness that just creeps back into the
house this season.
Excited to knit once again, excited to learn
something new, excited to see baby learn to
crawl this winter.
Excited just to BE.

grow baby grow

2011-07-27T21:45:00.003-04:00

i always fall head over heels in LOVE with...
my gardens

each year we get a little better at
knowing what and how much to grow. . .
although this year i planted WAY too many beans
and will be giving them away to anyone who
wants some!

but these little garlics i've been
growing for two summers now

last spring i bought a little brown paper bag
full of garlic baubles and the man who sold
them to me: an olde time farmer, said i
should plant them and leave them to grow for two years
and they would eventually become whole heads of garlic.. .
and indeed they did.

i just couldn't resist seeing how they were doing
and boy are they CUTE!

it's such a lovely thing
to grow something you love to eat
right outside your door.
to wait and wait
and see it grow and change
and eventually be the
thing it's been growing towards for,
in this case. . two whole years.

i love it.

days go by

2011-07-04T19:25:00.011-04:00

Hello little baby clothes

seasons of

2011-06-28T21:03:00.006-04:00

eating mostly breakfast foods

tidying quickly and snuggling in to bed early

having lots of extra cozy things around
to grab at a moments notice

being still and living in the peaceful moments
with a quiet heart

practicing love. . actually PRACTICING
it. . since often we are quite OUT of practice
children helps us with this. . every day :)

letting go
of so much. .
to let in what matters more.

Two boys
One husband
One home
infinite joy

momma me

2011-05-29T11:24:00.009-04:00

momma me
baby you
clouds are grey
sky is blue
rain in may
warmth in june
momma me
baby you

la la love. . .

2011-04-11T20:58:00.006-04:00

poppy seed hearts

breakfasts out

homemade toast that makes beautiful crumbs

bed always there waiting to be slept in

sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

afternoon sun

dish towels used more like napkins

every day has something
special about it. .. no matter how
small.

New Spring prints

2011-04-01T11:53:00.009-04:00

dandelions

i would give anything to see a warm sunny
dandelion day right now

grey

hello hello

song bird

new prints available in my
Etsy shop

also if you browse through my Favorites
on my etsy page you will
find many adorable shops and things.
Support Handmade.
Shop Etsy
:)

Can you keep up with the mud . .

2011-03-19T17:12:00.004-04:00

that enters your house this time of year? :)

sweep, wash
bake, make,
knead, feed
wash, fold
wash, dry
knit, draw
sing, play
watch, laugh
hear, correct
pick up, set down
build, paint
rake, dig
hide, find
choose, lose
throw, save
give up, try again
weep, buck up
rush, slow down
.. . . eatsleepwashbrushplayhardtidyup. . .
. . .. sigh.
:)

a place for everything ;)

2011-03-07T20:45:00.009-05:00

Over the last few months when able to
i've sewn up as many of these
cloth bags as possible since
after three years of having a
little one STUFF has entered our
lives like never before.

i find that our little in particular
has a special place in his heart for
tiny things.. i'm only guessing this is
normal for most children and so
these bags will indeed come in handy for
almost everything.

things that were once semi-homeless now have a sweet
little place that i don't even mind
looking at! :)

JOY

...for cardboard building bricks

for random little sewing projects going on downstairs

puzzles, dominoes, finger puppets,
matching games, nerf bullets, wooden beads,
marbles . . .

knitting needles

to make
size and shape of bag . . doubled

sew folded seam for drawstring
to go through on each piece

sew together inside out or
on outside if you like more
rustic look with seams sides
matched up on top

use safety pin to pull
twine, string, ribbon
of your choice through
folded seams.

yeaeeee!
the perfect sweet little bag

March Momma muffins

2011-03-04T21:28:00.006-05:00

My own concocted recipe
for super packed with goodness muffins
that you can happily eat even
if you have gestational or other. .diabetes.

they are inDEED time consuming and
quite the bit of work. .but
well worth it and if you make a double batch
like i do, they freeze perfectly and warm to perfection
at about 40 seconds in the microwave.

this makes 24 normal sized muffins

in food processor grate

1 large carrot
1 large apple
1 pear ( or another apple )

once grated switch to sharp blade
and grind all up really well
pour into large bowl

grind up 1 large banana and 1 cup of drained
pineapple
add to other fruit mixture

now all these things together need to add up to 3 -3 1/2 cups of goodness
if you need to add more just mash up more banana or add another apple. . etc.

i grind up a handful of pecans or walnuts and throw that in

whisk in med bowl
4 eggs
1/2 cup veg oil
1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
3/4 cup splenda ( sugar if you don't like artificial sweeteners )

mix into the fruit mash

whisk in separate bowl
all the dry

1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c 6 grain flour ( or some other grain of your choice )
1/2 cup white flour
1/4 c flax seed meal ( can also use wheat germ or other )
2 tsp b soda
2 tsp b powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 fresh nutmeg ball grated in ( or approx 1 tbsp nutmeg )
1/4 tsp salt

mix dry gently into wet till all combined

fill 24 cupcake papers about 3/4 full

bake at 350 for about 20 -23 min
or till toothpick comes out clean

cool on rack till room temp and then store / freeze

i grind all up to mash because of my three year old son who likes things more plain. . but i do prefer more chunky
which you can do by not grinding all the fruits up so much if you prefer.
also golden raisins or other similar things are
delish in this recipe.

happy baking :)

little

2011-02-25T20:13:00.006-05:00

little hands
little feet
little boots
little treats

little mice
little trees
little you
little me

If it's not the little things. . .

2011-02-17T19:23:00.004-05:00

then what IS it. . .

stream of conscious LOVES
in this evening moment

Tea bag tags
worn off nail polish
messy bakers
furry everything
uggs in winter
uggs in summer
acorn hats
upside down bats
field mice
tiny thrift shops
timelessness of a wood stove fire
sound of little flopping into bed
with us in the middle of the night
heading out
coming home
diet coke
more ice then water
sheep skin throws
many muffins
jars of buttons
holes in little socks
homemade mittens
making it through a long day. . still smiling. :)

what are some of your little loves? :)

11 years

2011-02-14T10:36:00.002-05:00

l o v e

be my bestie best

2011-02-13T21:56:00.006-05:00

thankful for
people to love
and who love
me.

It can be done

2011-02-07T23:20:00.003-05:00

you can teach
yourself
how to make a mitten
it's not easy at first
it's downright ridiculous
but then. .
after many many
many tries
you start to understand and see
and THEN. . .
a mitten
starts to appear
:)

happiness

link to the pattern i learned from
pattern no. 26

Freshly fallen snow

2011-01-21T23:18:00.003-05:00

in a favorite spot..

is the bestie best.

grab some hot cocoa

and
go
go
go

Snuggly Buggly

2011-01-07T22:12:00.004-05:00

Home is

2011-01-01T20:18:00.008-05:00

Home is wherever you are
home is your beating heart
and my heart next to yours

home is the smell of your clothes
home is your warmth at night
when you hold me close

home is wherever you are
home is the moment you walk in the door
home is your coat next to mine
home is our bed that is messy all time.

home is wherever you are
home is your beating heart
and my heart next to yours
home is wherever you'ed be
home is anywhere you are
when you're with me.

Photographs and Song
by
Rachael Anderson

love is.

2010-12-30T23:29:00.003-05:00

patient
kind
truthful
trusting
humble
selfless

Christmas Day

2010-12-25T22:02:00.007-05:00

i
love
you
Winter

December

2010-12-22T16:25:00.012-05:00

Fires going, bread made,
laundry moving, cookies baked,
cold walks,
building blocks, race tracks,
lots of snacks,
cozy sofa, hot tea,
watch the snow fall,
you and me.

Copyright

Rachael Anderson

Red Bird

2010-11-17T18:31:00.003-05:00

All the little creatures are
getting ready to tuck away for winter.
. . and so am i.

all artwork copyright
Rachael Anderson

New . . .

2010-10-01T19:13:00.003-04:00

Leaf it all behind

2010-09-26T21:29:00.007-04:00

MushroOm Caps
oRange LeaVes
SnaPPing Twigs
ChillY bReeze
Last fRogs
OldE tRees
LoSt iN the Woods
YoU aNd mE

rachael anderson
2010

up up.

2010-08-02T18:31:00.001-04:00

and away.

:)

Oh. . .

2010-07-12T22:16:00.002-04:00

hello little radish.

you

are

cute.

tiny wonders

2010-06-19T22:37:00.006-04:00

some of the tiniest things in the world.
are the most beautiful
my husband found this tiny little acorn baby
on a small rocky beach on a sunny sunday afternoon.
he gave it to me.
it made my day :)

on sunny mornings the light hovers on
this little hutch for only a short while
but it is so sweet for that time.
everything looks perfectly at home.

New

2010-06-04T17:42:00.006-04:00

Good Grief
i've been busy
spinning round and round
gardens here and there
and everywhere
outside
and
in
my
head

still loving antlers
and everything
woodsy

i go for walks
and love all things
tiny and wondrous.

little worlds.

all these and more new
prints available
at my etsy shop.

Love is

2010-04-27T14:35:00.005-04:00

doing the dishes

making dinner

I have recently been thinking often about
my mother and what it must have been
like taking care of 6 children
day in and out.
The very first and most prevalent image is one of
her standing at either the sink or the stove
calmly and quietly washing. . or cooking. for HOURS . every single day.
and these images alone make me
feel so loved. so cared for. and they truly
melt my heart.

because of my mother
i see doing the dishes. . as love. what love LOOKS like.

What does love look like to you? ? :)

Polkadots, Pinecones, and Hedgeyhogs.

2010-03-31T20:24:00.006-04:00

Clogged .

2010-03-29T20:10:00.011-04:00

L O V E

All these beauties can be found
here. . at Free People.

Little Bird

2010-03-16T07:35:00.006-04:00

Been working on some new designs for a line
of onesies and childrens t's . so excited to get
a few made and into the shop!

Today i love

2010-03-09T14:13:00.008-05:00

This poster by
Harmonie Interieure

My Morning cup of coffee

my black boots

and this.

but mostly . .
things i didn't even take pictures of. . like
my little guy holding my hand
as we carefully took the more
dangerous route down our little
mountain after playing in the sandbox
in the freezing cold.
THAT. . i love. :)

Artist Ingrid Jansen

2010-02-26T20:42:00.003-05:00

Dutch designer Ingrid Jansen
from the Netherlands

Visit her beautiful home
and see her gorgeous wood and wool creations
by visiting her flicker pages.

Anthropologie

2010-02-20T20:27:00.010-05:00

Favorites from their new spring line

visit
anthropologie

New Favorite

2010-02-18T21:12:00.002-05:00

My valentines present
which grew antlers
over the night
and so became. . a painting.

This and other originals
for sale in My Shop

Prints available at in my Etsy shop

My new online shop

2010-02-13T22:58:00.003-05:00

Starting out in my
own online shop space

NEST

This shop will be more
devoted to Original
pieces and other handmade
goodies that will be
very singular and special.

Sweater garlands to come soon.

( click on the above word "Nest" to go to my shop page )

L o v e is . . .

2010-02-12T20:12:00.004-05:00

me and little were at it again
all afternoon.. . turning out
many many pink
hearts for valentine gifties.
although somewhat time consuming
these came out extra adorable.
:)
happy L O V E day everyone.

Martha's Marshmallows

2010-02-09T21:31:00.002-05:00

our project for the day. . making
Martha Stewart's homemade
marshmallows. I've made
these many times now and they
always come out AMAZING.
i add an extra teaspoon or so of
vanilla but i do that with pretty much every
recipe that calls for it. :)

So worth the work
after i had already poured them
i thought to make them in
heart shapes for valentines. . so i will
be making them AGAIN. :)

LOVES!

2010-02-09T07:58:00.001-05:00

Four Years
also on Flicker

Charlotte Grows Antlers

2010-01-30T15:34:00.003-05:00

These new prints available in
My Shop

Antler Love

2010-01-27T17:58:00.004-05:00

Antler Alphabet
in the Shop
Here

LOVE

chickens

Toast with Antlers

whoo?

2010-01-24T22:41:00.002-05:00

Kind of a random piece here. . but i really
like it :)
been having all these silly ideas for
drawings and such. .
hopefully i'll get more of them
out of my head and onto paper
soon.
:)

2010-01-23T13:48:00.003-05:00

added two new songs last night
HERE

2010-01-20T16:55:00.003-05:00

it's cold outside.
staying warm by the fire

delicious quick apple syrup

slice any kind of apple
into 1/4 inch slices

saute in skillet with
a tablespoon or so of butter
for about 4 minutes. . till apples
softened a bit

add about 1/3 c maple
syrup and 1/4 tsp
cinnamon

let simmer till thickens to
your liking.

sooooooooooo good.

2010-01-11T21:27:00.005-05:00

visit my myspace page
to listen to my songs.
I finally have a little studio
thanks to my sweet hubby :)
been waiting for years! :)

These are my sisters . . but. . i'm . . um. . borrowing them
till she gets her own place and needs them. .
they are too sweet to be hidden away in a tote! :)
i love you han :)

2009-12-15T20:33:00.007-05:00

been a while i guess.. . . life happens :)

we have a very cute homely tree
this year. . . no ornaments. . . only a few
pine cones and a garland of old
sweater squares. we love it. . . and there was
no getting out box upon box of Christmas
things. . seriously thinking of given
them all away.

the weather's been cold and keeping me
and little guy indoors most of the time. thankfully we
both like being inside over outside when it's bitter cold. .
or raining . . or even just grey . :)
we're bears.
snug by the fire reading and coloring and
baking the hours away.

good times
i wish you all a very merry Christmas.

HERE is a little music video that my
sister and i did recently. we are in
the process of recording many songs
and things and should have a
website up eventually. . till then you can
check in with our "oddbirds" channel on
youtube. :) HERE is my sister's myspace
music page.

first of many. . . cooookies

2009-10-26T21:02:00.005-04:00

already thinking of all the baking to be done
sooner then later for the holidays. the last
few years i've been getting all sorts of things made well ahead of
the twelve days of Christmas and a few things
before Thanksgiving. Everything gets packaged up
into containers and labeled for quick
selection for many a assorted plate of goodies
on cold fall and winter nights.

started out with some gingerbread today. . a household
favorite for snacking on with a spot of tea. :)

a few new.. .

2009-10-22T20:17:00.006-04:00

my new Keep Calm lino cut prints available in
My Etsy Shop
or ask me via e mail
if you are interested in an original in
a personalized color.
livinbygrace@gmail.com

Little sweater garlands.
made to order and
available in my etsy shop.
They are soooooooo cute!

Tiny Egg

Love is

2009-10-03T23:19:00.004-04:00

Fall of a sudden. . .

2009-09-28T15:27:00.003-04:00

I don't know how it happens but at least in Maine
Fall just all of a sudden IS.
One day you're still hot and sweating just standing
still and the next morning you're
shivering in your scantily clad skin
trying to find the box all your sweaters and down
vests are in!

Everything outside also goes from bring bright green and
vibrant to brown and crunchy seemingly over night.
Always torn about this since i love browns and crunchy
but i hate to see the warmth of summer
leaving us for a good 6 plus months.
tears.

not as excited this year about all the kales
and pumpkins and things as i normally am
since our summer this year was .. to put it very nicely
. .depressing.
but things have been extra gorgeous for two months now and so i guess
at some point im just going to have to
get over it.

Ever thankful to God for His many blessings;
from least to greatest.

yelloooooooow!

2009-09-06T21:48:00.001-04:00

i love

. . find them here

i miss you

2009-07-24T15:54:00.007-04:00

. . .
been on a little ( big. . 40 of us ) family vacation
and it's sooo funny. i am such a weirdo. i am no
good when im not home. our home is MY SPACE
. . my little world where i am in control. . or at least try to
maintain it. . and where i know whats going on
and where there is always something to do!!
i don't sit still well and without all
my art supplies and sewing and baking and cooking
and cleaning and laundry and gardening i am LOST!
:)
i basically have to just keep telling myself to chill out
and have yet another cup of tea . . but my
mind always misses all the little everyday
things about being home. . . that i love.

. . . i guess i'll go sweep the cabin floor. . :) again. :)

The Sun has got it's hat on . . hip hip hip hooray!

2009-07-09T13:10:00.005-04:00

My Brood of hens :)

Our favorite crusty bread that i now make
about twice a week so there's always some
in the house for toast.

i don't have the link but it's
called "almost no kneed bread"
from the Cooks Illustrated
website.

Make your own . . .

2009-06-30T20:52:00.004-04:00

Graham Crackers
:)
A dear friend of mine recently passed on this
recipe and it is just FABULOUS.
My almost two year old and i made
a bunch this afternoon and he could not stop
eating them.
They are so rustic and tasty
and make a wonderful giftie food.
Do try it and see!

Rainshine

2009-06-29T08:12:00.002-04:00

So. . there are now no words to express
how much we all miss the sun. Only once in the last
two weeks did it come out to see us . . and for only
one short afternoon.

things i miss the most. .

.taking sam to the park in the evenings
and letting him get his last good play out before bedtime.

.sam and i sitting on the back porch right after naps
in the warm afternoon sun. . with a
flavor ice. . to help us wake up.

.puttering around outside in the gardens with sam ALL DAY. . instead of only
five minutes to get the stink off us.

.the way our home looks inside. . with sun coming in
the windows. . instead of grey.

.sun and shade shadows.

. . everything.

Blue Dog

2009-06-12T20:39:00.010-04:00

Blue dog belongs to Charlotte now. She found
him when she stopped at a farm
that had a sign which said "FREE PUPPIES!"
Blue dog keeps Charlotte company
on many of her daily adventures.. . more pictures soon to follow. :)

Blue Dog belongs
to
Rachael Anderson
and is copyrighted

. . . . . Sigh.

2009-05-29T14:53:00.008-04:00

love this little kids kitchen. how adorable.

Jane Cumberbatch
in one of her gorgeous kitchens.
She was one of the first to really inspire and teach
me about simplicity and enjoying the littlest things in the
everyday .
Her book PURE STYLE LIVING was the first book i
ever remember not caring how much it was. . i was GOING to buy it. :)

l o v e these kitchens. they are all just so . . wonderful.
and simple. and perfect.

This has long been a favorite kitchen of mine ( above ) I have many pictures of
it . in books, and magazines and online. i never get tired of it. there is just
something about it. although i can't say im crazy about all the glass pitchers above the sink.
i don't know what thats all about. :)
i very much love shelves that have no visual support and seem to just come out of the wall.

my dream chickens. . clucking away happily as they look for bugs
and clover.

. . . . someday.

Keeping busy

2009-05-28T22:13:00.010-04:00

Making lots of bread

Adding more rock gardens to the others and planting
veggies.

Taking little and his cousins to one of our favorite
places. . which just happens to be a cemetery. . but it's the most
beautiful place around and has many ponds just
busting with frogs and turtles. :)
hours and hours of fun.

La La La . . new stuff

2009-05-06T19:51:00.006-04:00

"Poppies"

Soooooooo. . this is also poppies. . which my almost two year old
son got a hold of and apparently loved very much.
. . and actually. . i like it better now. :)

Red

2009-04-12T20:11:00.008-04:00

been doing a wee bit of painting
and for whatever reason. . . ive been
using copious amounts of red and orange
and yellow. . but mostly reds. :)
i must really miss spring and summer

Charlotte's Chicken Days

2009-04-03T17:32:00.012-04:00

Charlotte is copyrighted
by
Rachael Anderson
and may not be copied and sold in any way
or ELSE.

Other things on my mind grapes

2009-04-02T20:47:00.005-04:00

Bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerg. . . sorry it's been so long with no
new posts. i do miss it. . but i've just been so preoccupied
and have nothing left at the end of the day for
anything computer related.
Really trying to focus on music and
enjoying my son in the warmer outdoors now
and trying to sort out other aspects of life as i know it.

I do have lots more Charlotte days that i hope to post sooner
then later.

Until then i hope all is well with you all
and see you . . relatively. . soon. :)

Chickens

2009-03-06T19:37:00.009-05:00

Although Charlotte gets to
take home a chicken today. .we have to
wait till my revolutionist husband
gets the law changed about having
farm animals in the big bad city.

.. . but he will. . it's just a matter of time. :)

New Charlotte days

2009-03-02T20:18:00.012-05:00

morning Charlotte. .

picking out pears

feed the birds

date

nite nite Charlotte

Charlotte is copyrighted
to
Rachael Anderson

Orla

2009-02-26T20:55:00.016-05:00

Just had to do this little ode to Orla since
i've recently been drooling over all her
Special things for Target.

This tree postcard is one of my fav's

How about a bus in your design. :)

a few new things. . and a favorite recipe

2009-02-22T20:40:00.013-05:00

haven't decided on a name for this
gal/bunny yet but i just love her
very silly long ears. . which started out as pig tails.

Kiss Cookies
a most favorite recipe of our family

1 c butter room temp
1/2 c sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 c chopped walnuts ( opt )
Hershey kisses

cream butter and sugar till light
add vanilla
add flour
add nuts

flour finger tips a bit and form dough around kisses
chill for an hour or so till firm
bake at 375 till tips are just starting to get golden
12 -15 min approx.

let cool completely then roll in confection sugar.

"Charlotte"

"amoebas"
with my 1 1/2 year old son.
i just love it. :)

"Charlotte's Uggs"

Charlotte is copyrighted
to
Rachael Anderson

Blue with You

2009-02-10T20:12:00.012-05:00

A few new paintings by me , my one and a half year old son. . . and the two of
us together. :)

More Hanna Konola Love

2009-02-05T14:33:00.005-05:00

Just love love loving
this girls work.
Here again is her sweet blog
and her Etsy shop

Favorite for today

2009-02-03T11:28:00.010-05:00

A visual list of my favorites
from
OLIVER FURNITURE

favorites for today

2009-01-24T22:21:00.006-05:00

Pink Milk Pot
from
Labor and Wait

L O V E
pillowcases
at
Cox and Cox
and
Lush Designs

Little Mouse rug
from
Toast by Post

New Artist to Love

2009-01-20T20:38:00.004-05:00

H A N N A K O N O L A

visit
her blog

the "rain" is my favorite!!!!
I LOVE IT.

lettuce . . and other random things.

2009-01-19T18:07:00.012-05:00

oh how i love taco salads.
they are so easy and you end up eating
so many different good things.
my mom always added rice and beans to the
meat too and i am carrying on that tradition. . much
to my hubby's chagrin.

making "cards" with my niece today
which was hilarious due to her new people
that she makes which are. .adorable. . with these
large triangular dresses that almost always
have big hollow dots on them.
this one has a sticker head. . .and is
obviously holding a lovely bouquet of flowers
in one hand. . . obviously.

"deception"
and
"it's the thought that counts "

in this adorable bag with the adorable
red and white string. . are muffins. . for my brother
. . which are fall aparty due to the fact that i
bent the recipe so much that they were
not really even muffins any more but some sort of
strange . . . grits?
.. . .. . . but he got the best ones that were sort of holding
together. .
. . and thankfully you can still have fun putting even the most
horrible failed experiment in a cute bag for someone
you know will appreciate something homemade
even if they can't identify exactly what they're eating.
:)

we had a little snow last night.

White Christmas lights are the bomb. . the bees knees.
and the fo shizzel. . . foshizzel. . where's my little
bro when i need him.
anyway. . . my niece asked me today. . Ra Ra . . why do you
have so many Christmas lights in your
house in the winter?

.. and i told her it was because they made our house feel
like a home. . AND . .that they were not just for winter.

although i do admit our dining room still has
the lingerings of Christmas.

I can't imagine life without them.
:)

This .. is why i loooooooooove anthropologie

2009-01-13T21:45:00.003-05:00

i
love
love
love

this.

anthropologie

One Day . . .Many Many's

2009-01-07T20:25:00.006-05:00

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh. . . .the quiet evening of yet another
day . ..

many crayons
many doodles
many stickers
many snowflakes
many berry kix
many balls of playdough
many nails
many pounds of the hammer
many logs on the fire keeping us warm

many snuggles
many bottles
many maisy mouse moments
many smiles
many funny faces
many silly phrases
many many many . .

much

L O V E

Com'on girl. . shake it off.

2009-01-05T14:17:00.004-05:00

painting by emily martin
aka. . the black apple

. . . having the very hardest of times shaking off this
lonely feeling left over from after the Holidays.
And it's times like these when you think
you will never have the energy or desire
to do anything creative again.
Right now my little one sleeps but any minute
he will wake up and i kind of can't wait
. . when i have too much time to myself the past
few days i start thinking a little too much
about what it's like with my sisters
here and what its like . . without them.

I wish that we didn't have to move so far away from
each other. I wish it was like the "old days"
when families grew up and stayed together. .
of course im talking specifically of when this actually
happened. . and NOT about when families
moved away and never saw each other
AGAIN because there were no
planes or phones or mail or even
pictures!. .
and no facebook.

I want all my brothers and sisters and best
friends to all live together in a quaint
little town and every night we
will have a pig roast or pancakes
and on the weekends we will stay up late at
our little pub laughing with and at each other
whilst the children sleep )

i know. . im so nuts.

Feeling Sad

2009-01-03T11:31:00.003-05:00

Feeling a little lonely and sad about
Christmas coming and going.
All the fam was together at long last
and it was good times.

It's hard to get back to business as usual.. .
which is what . .exactly?. .

annnnnnnnnnd. . go.

2008-12-26T20:33:00.001-05:00

love this

. . . .

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2008-12-18T21:33:00.007-05:00

Cookies baking, presents wrapping,
children playing, snow snowing,
songs singing, praises
ringing
Merry Christmas Everyone

Worlds Apart. . and THEN some. . . from myself

2008-12-15T20:05:00.006-05:00

Living in a little room inside of me is a line of
beautiful shoes all with heels that fit my high arch perfectly . . and skirts all poofy with layers
of chiffon and netting . . and simple little dresses with sweet trimmings and cuffs. And bunches of handbags
and baskets of glovies and hooks with feathery shawls and racks of coats. . all tailored to just my size . And THEN there is a room with all sorts of places to go once i'm all
dressed UP in these things. . to tea at the Savoy
in London. . a whole day trip to the Louvre in Paris.. a
stroll down Newbury Street in Boston . . a perfect little table in a funky
underground jazz club in New York City. . a
dark corner in a ancient pub in Dublin.

. . . and there is also a room. . in my HOUSE. :)
where my baby sleeps . . right now.
and beside that another room. . where
we sleep. . and in that room is a closet
and a small chest that hold a few skirts and
dresses. . and downstairs lives a pair or two of
well worn boots. . given to me with love :)

and those are all the rooms and things
this momma really needs. :)

but for more from this traveling
style guru. . .

Happy Bird Day

2008-12-08T16:55:00.005-05:00

Just a few new paintings that were sitting upstairs waiting to be
scanned and shared. This whole afternoon ( after a much
needed nap for both of us )
. . .was spent puttering
with Sam and taking care of many little things
that were on my mind grapes for ever and ever!
. . doesn't it always feel so good to finally
get things DONE!

Sweetness Abounds

2008-12-07T07:23:00.010-05:00

Yesterday at break of dawn my dear friend and
i left . . to drive and drive . . and drive. .
till we found ourselves in her sweet childhood
home.. surprising her momma with our unannounced
presence. :)

When you've been close to someone for
a long time and you're seeing where they
grew up for the first time
it's like opening a very big present.

We visited some favorite haunts and were part of
a traditional Christmas Coffee . . .where HUNDREDS
and hundreds of women come from miles around
to have tea and many many crumpets. . all made by
the local church ladies.. .
and afterwards enjoy a christmas concert and
gifts gifts gifts handed out to almost everyone.

Sooooooo fun.

What i will treasure the most though are the hours
spent at her childhood home , drinking tea and still stuffing
more goodies into our bellies while it started to
snow outside.. the fat slow snow that looks EXACTLY like
Charlie Brown .

We ended up trimming the tree with her mom
and looking at old albums of when they were little
with timeless christmas music drifting in from
the old kitchen.

I will remember it always.

. . and thank you to the hubbies who stayed home
and watched our boys . . so we could get away for a day.

Favorite artist for the . . .

2008-12-04T21:56:00.007-05:00

Jane Reiseger

Her Website

Woodland Creatures

2008-11-24T20:01:00.003-05:00

Woodland Friends

They All Had Heard Such Good Things About the Clouds

My sweet Hubbs AND baby were sick sick sick
the last few days so it has been GOOD TIMES
around here! :)
Something like three hours of sleep last night.

. . . but i am always so happy when at the end of an especially
long day i still have something new to post
that my mind and hands have created.

My Blue Period. . . apparently

2008-11-22T21:32:00.010-05:00

Well i guess i can't get away from the color bleu. . for now.
I don't mean to keep using it. . .. . . it just happens!
I very much like White Bird . :)
I'm glad i left her unpainted too. . . she's so gentle looking.

White Bird

With My Antlers. . .

Blue Tree

Copyright
Rachael Anderson

Pop round The Shop when you have a chance.
I have marked ever so many more favorite
sellers for many a good Christmas gift
purchase.

New

2008-11-21T21:21:00.009-05:00

Well it was a classic mommy day. . holding tight to my one
year old son who was sick with his first touch of the hurls.
Poor little thing.
On an alter ego note . . here is a small sampling of some of
my newest work.
I am loving the Narwhale ( yes i know it's spelled wrong. . but it looks
wrong spelled like this. . Narwhal. . doesn't it? is it just me?? im ok with that even if
it is. )
Well i Love all of them really.
I hope you all are going to have a fabulously fun weekend.
Do something hilarious and very nonsensical
. . if at all possible.

Narwhale

Plant Things

Sometimes Birds Use Ladders

Staying Warm and . . .

2008-11-20T21:16:00.009-05:00

Our new wood stove which we couldn't love more.. .keeping us
ever warmer then years past both day and night.

Getting started baking baking baking for the holidays season
ahead and these are one of our
favorites . A traditional Maine
Treat . .. properly called Needhams but we
are still trying to come up with
a modern name. . that is perhaps easier to know how to pronounce.
:)
Suggestions are welcome. :)

Here is the recipe should you want to make some of these delicious
goodies yourself. They freeze amazingly well
and are darling for a quick Christmas Giftie.

I will tell you first that i HALF the sugar from the classic recipe
AND add more potato and coconut. This leaves you with
a more flavorful then too sugary treat.

1 c mashed potato
1/2 tsp salt ( added to potato while being mashed )
1 stick of butter totally melted
1 pound powdered sugar
1 pound of grated coconut ( i use unsweetened organic almost granular coconut )
( you might have to look for this in a health food store most likely sold loose in a bin. )
2 tsp vanilla

melt butter, add all the other ingredients and mix well with your hands.
press with a firm spatula into a buttered cookie sheet ( i use about half the sheet because i like them to be
nice squares once cut )

chill for a bit in the freezer till firm
cut into small squares
( press the flaking coconut back into squares with your fingers )

dip into chocolate

For chocolate. . in a metal bowl set into a skillet of hot but not simmering water
( i just read that this is a better way to melt chocolate since in a double
boiler you can't see what the water is doing and it can scorch
the chocolate very quickly. )
melt 12 oz choc chips , 4 oz bittersweet or unsweetened choc, and
half a cake of paraffin wax
keep rewarming as you need to while you dip the coconut squares.

after the squares are set a minute or two on wax paper
i may drizzel a few drops of choc on top and /or
add some more flakes of coconut. .
you can also add roasted nuts on top before the
choc has set.

all good.
. . and i can't tell you how delicious these are so do try to make them yourself.
Everyone you share them with will be very impressed :)

Do stay warm friends.
Warm and Cozy