Art Fair on the Square

Madison’s MMoCA | Art Fair on the Square is not to be missed. The show is huge, so if you like looking at art and not people watching, go early. Mr. Brown and I plan on dropping the girls off at Grandma’s house and catching up with the work of Amy Arnold and Nick Wroblewski, two of my favorite, and somewhat affordable Midwest artists. I hope to find a beautiful woodcut from Nick for our living room above the fireplace. I had hoped to collage or paint something myself, but that just isn’t going to happen. Plus, I think I would critique my own work every time I looked at it. That’s no fun.

Many thanks to Kara at Mama Sweat for the cards and fun comments. Next week I have my postpartum doctors appointment where I expect to get the green light to start working out again. And I just entered The North Face® Endurance Challenge for October.  I was hovering between entering the 10k or half marathon, but then I remembered that finding time to workout is proving much harder than the actual workout, so I chose the 10k. I have started some easy core/base training, mostly because I don’t want to cram my big-ol’ breastfeeding boobs into a sports bra quite yet.

Today I took the rebels to the quilt store. They picked out fabric for their bubble dress . Being 2 1/2, they picked out a very bright cupcake print. One in yellow, one in pink.They are very excited to have a dress made out of cupcakes. Who wouldn’t be?

Yours Truly,

Brownbuilt

Repeat after me: give love to get love

Things have been rough going at Brownhouse. Mr. Brown returned to work on Monday and thanks to the safety net of my mother-in-law, I still have a portion of the day with just Manly and myself. He is currently resting up before the next breastfeed bonanza. I know I should rest while he rests, but I feel too brain-dead to rest….If that is possible.

I will not sugar coat it, life is tough right now. I vacillate between anger,joy,and self-loathing. The undercurrent of fatigue is omnipresent, but that is to be expected in a newborn’s house. Sprinkle in “How am I going to manage twin toddlers and a newborn?” and “Will I ever accomplish anything for myself again?” on  mental auto-repeat and I have made myself quite a gloomy cocktail. I cry, but still have enough humor to carry on the running joke with Mr. Brown; “I am..sniff.sniff..feeling a bit..hormonal….weep, sob, giggle, snort.” Please spare me the pep talk, I know this is temporary. But this is my whine-fest.

Sorry this entry is all over the place. Coherence is not really in my universe at this time. I do hope to make a bubble dress for the girls this week month season . As well as a chore chart for getting us out the door in the morning. Speaking of doors, we had a beautiful front door installed a couple of weeks ago. When I paint the hall, I will post pictures… Let me rephrase that. When someone else is able to paint the front hall, I will post pictures….Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, new front door… So we got a fancy new front door with a fancy new lock and handle. Both of which the Rebels can unlock and walk outside. Coco was tired of playing inside, so at 7 am, decides to take a walk. Click, clack, and out she goes. See yah later suckers… I have since installed a door lock that I am sure she will bust off, but it will at least slow her down enough for me to intercept her. Willful child.

Anyway. Manly needs food and I have a hot date with my butt on the sofa watching Emergency! Oh, how I do love you, Randolph Mantooth.

See yah later Suckers…….

Brownbuilt.

“For those about to rock, we solute you.” -AC/DC

2009 Resolution; Less  Soccer [Mom], more Rocker [Mom].

1. Get rid of this God-awful-helmet-hair and get something with some style. I currently look like a news anchor cum Republican Senator’s Wife. Time to bust out some layers and add highlights and low-lights. I need to find a hairstylist who is worth his or her weight in overpriced hair product.
2. Early to bed, early to rise. The resolution to wake up, and actually get up, dovetails into Chris’ desire to start attending morning yoga classes. I will be expanding my Mothering Hours from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.  I will get to bed by 9 p.m. to make up the lost morning hour.
3. Learn to play guitar. This resolution came to me in a dream.  I woke up at 2 a.m. thinking “I should really learn to play guitar.” Go with it.
4. Figure out my fancy new camera and this darn WordPress. I love and fear my new camera. Repeat after me, “Knowledge is power. Knowledge is power…..”
5. Make a felted camera case for fancy new camera. And a camera strap. I will post instructions on Brownbuilt, or better yet, make them and sell them on Etsy. Maybe this will offset the cost of the fancy new camera. Yeah, right.
6. Birth Brown #3 sometime in late May, early June. Have a “Welcome Baby Summer Solstice” party instead of a baby shower where everyone brings a  frozen dish instead of  baby gifts.
7. Burn old journals and datebooks that just sit in my studio and bum me out. Do this after Baby is born so I can toast, and drink, to my mistakes and remember that mistakes brought me to the beautiful place that is my life.
8. Prenatal yoga once a week. And then postnatal once a week until I can start running. How do I stack a running jogger for 3 kids? I must look into this.
9. Continue to go the the gym 3 times a week to  workout and visit with Laura. I resolve to be supportive, not envious, of her half Ironman training.
10. E-bay and/or Craigslist all the fancy, useless stuff that is packed away in my basement and cluttering up my drawers. Put the money towards a new sewing machine and  baby hammock.
11. Paint the kitchen lavender. For about a year everything I do, sew, paint, and knit is a shade of purple. Again, go with it.
12. Knit myself a pretty nursing shawl. It will probably be purple. Maybe navy with light lavender edging for contrast. First I must finish eggplant colored shawl-neck sweater I started in 2008.
13. Redesign and make another Mei Tai sling for Baby. This will be prototype #3 for baby #3. I will post the design on Brownbuilt.
14. Graft dying apple tree to new dwarf trees. Cut down  mammoth dying apple tree and use the trunk + 12′ to make an awesome fairy-fort for the girls. Determine what constitutes a “Fairy-fort”.
15. Make chicken tractor and acquire 4 chickens.

Upon reviewing my list, it doesn’t look very “rocker” at all. Except for #3. The point is to not let my artistic spirit get lost in the undertow of raising children, working out, making dinner and keeping this tiny house from exploding at the seams.

I still need to wash the dishes, but I can throw on an i-pod and listen to the Yeah,Yeah,Yeah’s while I scrub.