Marathon!

Hi Everyone,
My lovely brother Erik broke his personal best in the marathon this morning in Tampa, Florida and finished 6th in 2:39.20. Way to go, big brother!

P.S. This is in Boston, but imagine palm trees and sunny skies...

We don't live here anymore...sigh.

This was our lovely old Puffer's Pond

And this was our waterfall

Twiss, the trouble maker...

This is how I imagine Twiss (of the Bird Sisters), who still visits me in my dreams, which is better than not visiting me at all (I guess). It's tough to be working on a new novel, actually. I miss my sisters.

These are the girls together, Milly and Twiss.

My husband's First Loaf of Bread from Scratch!

A rosemary/thyme rustic boule! 

Indeed, it was fabulous.

I am so proud!

My mother and me..

I haven't taken the time to honor my mother lately, so I thought I would stop thinking about myself for a few minutes and think about her. A few years ago, my mother came to live in Massachusetts to help me take care of my daughter and to help me take care of me. My husband didn't mind a little care-taking either. We lived in a beautiful house between a pond and the woods, with a majestic waterfall just steps outside our door. My mother would come over for coffee, play time, movies, great food (which she usually brought), and a lot of laughter. She is a wonderful woman, my mother. And she's stuck in Massachusetts for the time being because jobs in St. Louis--or anywhere--aren't that easy to come by for a sixty-plus woman with a beautiful, talented heart. I know...why not? We ask ourselves this question a lot these days, even though we all know it could be a lot worse. But here's the thing: when we were in Massachusetts together, my mom and I became friends. Real friends. And now I miss her two ways instead of just the one.

I love that photograph of us because we look so happy. We were so happy.

I feel like making a bumper sticker that says, "I love my mom!"

That's it --- I'm going to.

Cry, Baby

Check out a friend's nonfiction piece about mothering a child who won't, who can't, it turns out, stop crying. It's smart, brave, informative, heartbreaking. Every parent should read this.

http://www.literarymama.com/creativenonfiction/archives/2010/02/cry-baby.html

Vintage Bird Wallpaper

I absolutely love these birds -- they are made out of vintage wallpaper and I want them on my wall now! They're a bit pricey, though, so I am thinking about trying to make a few of my own. Any ideas? I have crafty ambitions, but less than crafty hands.

Update: My husband and I rent our apartment. I wonder if our landlord likes birds as much as I do. Or if I want my security deposit back as much as I think I do.

My first blurb!

"The Bird Sisters is that immensely satisfying combination of indelible characters and a suspenseful and cunningly revealed plot. In lovely, evocative prose Rebecca Rasmussen conjures up her two sisters, Milly and Twiss, and their rural Wisconsin community during the summer that changed their lives. Full of wonderful surprises, The Bird Sisters is a splendid debut that will stay with the reader long after the last page."


Margot Livesey, author of The House on Fortune Street, winner of the Pen New England award.

The Bird Sisters Meet iMovie...

Check out The Bird Sisters teaser trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOu_t_2PHJ4

The Marvels of Wonder...

From the book Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder:

“Two years ago my then five-year old daughter Sara believed fervently in Santa Claus. Last year she knew he was make-believe. But this year her belief in him was more passionate, and more ornately buttressed, than ever before.”

Explain this.

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Or at least that's what I asked my literature class to do. We're talking about the phenomenon of wonder and why it's so hard to remember the last time we felt the sheer pleasure of it: wonder.

Now you: explain (why) this (is).

xox Rebecca

p.s. Seriously.