Good Afternoon Lovely friends! I just wanted to post the painting that I'll be giving away tomorrow on Miss Indie. It is acrylic on fabric (there is excess fabric, so you don't have to keep it in the hoop). It is an 8" hoop.
oh, sigh*, this is a refreshing post for me. Not that I don't love talking/writing/hearing about breastfeeding and motherhood, sometimes you just need to not think about it and look at something nice, you know?
These are a few little paintings I've started working on for the etsy shop I hope to someday (soon?) open. anyways, more to come about that later. BUT, hey! check out miss indie tomorrow, because there will be a give away with one of these! woot!
I don't know about you, but I am so glad it's friday! (John, hurry up and come home!) :)
and the rest of you friends, have a Fabulous weekend <3
andrea
Well, today is a bizarre day, my post from a few weeks ago titled 'We Can Do it' has gone slightly viral (ok, not viral like millions, but you know ... viral, for me). I have no point in mentioning this other then it's on my mind. BUT, what was on my mind before that, which I intended to write about was identity & motherhood.
I'd like to think my postpartum stage has pretty much ended ...not just because I've resumed my womanly cycle (yay?), but also because I stopped crying everyday (yay!). However, when I do cry, I'll let john hold me as I sigh 'I just don't know (*hiccup) who I (sob) am annnnnymore'! I think this puzzles him, because he just seemed to fall into his role as a father so gracefully, well, or that's the way it looks to me.
But, seriously y'all! I know to you older moms out there, this is just old news. BUT, to those of y'all who haven't had your first child yet, it's like this ... jr. high. Really, though. Remember, that feeling? Not being comfortable in your own skin? Not sure of what kind of girl you were going to be (a punk? a geek? a prep?) Not even sure how to talk. or walk. or what to wear. or how to dance. And constantly wondering if everyone is judging your every move.
Then your twenties roll around and it takes almost the full decade to become not only comfortable with your flat chest and round hips, but to actually love them. You realize it's ok to listen to The Ramones in the morning and Celine Dion at night (eeek!) You become comfortable with the life choices you've made. You are comfortable with how you dress, your blue hair and your choices in body mutilations.
And then you have a baby.
It's not that you even dislike your post-pregnant body... its just that every time you look in the mirror and your boobs are hanging 3 inches lower then they previously did, you don't recognize it as your own.
And, as much as I love my blue hair, sometimes i wonder... shouldn't i have a mom-do?
How does andrea dress as a mom?
How does andrea talk as a mom?
How does andrea dance as a mom?
and maybe (probably) none of these things have to be different than they were, but that doesn't change the fact that you contemplate them, feel insecure about them, wonder if others are judging you over them. (Were those women in the baby store this morning thinking redding had an accident because i have tattoos? WERE THEY?!????? ... no, probably not. But the thought still pops up).
I'm hoping this stage won't be quite as long and awkward as my teenage years.
You know what though? maybe there is a catch. Remember how exciting it was to be a 16? you had the possibility of being whoever you wanted. Maybe this can just be another excuse to reinvent yourself and get to know yourself even better... not for anyone else, but for you.
and now I feel good... peaceful and calm, but talk to me again in an hour when I try to put on a swimsuit. :)
happppppppy wednesday darlings!
and happy reinventing yourself!
<3
andrea
p.s. here, listen to one of my favorite songs... guaranteed to brighten your day or your money back :)
Today was one of those sundays that make you understand the saying 'easy like sunday morning.' Oh how I enjoy lazy sundays with my boys.
I hope your day was just as pleasurably lazy.
<3
andrea
a note to mother's curious about breast feeding and adding in solids: I follow La Leche League guides in 'The womanly Art of Breastfeeding'. This book is by far one of the best purchases you can make while breastfeeding (or even while you're still pregnant).
Ladies, if you're pregnant or planning on getting pregnant, let me tell you: get a wrap around skirt. This seems so incredibly obvious, yet I didn't think about it once until now. It will grow with you then (slowly) shrink with you. And, I think that the thicker the waistband the more flattering.
Well darlings, I hope you all are enjoying your weekend! (and thank you again for listening to the difficulties of dressing this post-pregnant bod).
Redding has officially become the happiest person I've ever met. I wake up every morning to him gurgling and squealing until I open my eyes and look at him, then he breaks into laughter... not a very shabby way to start the day, now is it?
He had his first tooth break through last week (which, honestly I started crying when I felt it... my baby's growing so fast!)
He's showing a lot of interest in food and chewing on his tongue, so solids might be in order sooner rather than later. It blows my mind to think that every calorie, all 20 pounds, he's ever gotten has come from me. miraculous.
And redding, we are still waiting for you to roll over... anytime now big guy ... no biggie though, we'll wait.
<3
andrea
I mentioned a couple weeks ago that my brother recently proposed to his love. Well, what I didn't say is that they were/are planing a two month engagement (eeeek! those crazy love-birds!)
The past few days my mother and I went to visit them in the dfw area to try and help with wedding planning. And you know what I've decided? Being newly engaged is the worst time ever to plan a wedding! All you want to do is sit around and gaze into each other's eyes! (awww) <3 It is the time you probably care least about the color of ribbons and table cloths. Which is (TOTALLY) fine. Anyways, they have decided on a intimate, house wedding with minimal flowers and frills, just the people they love, vows and cake. (go them, huh?)
While thinking of weddings though, I started to remember some other beautiful weddings. First, I will share with you my darling sister's special day. Take note, because I will share with you some creative tips to help decorate your own wedding (all credited to my amazing mother).
Guest book table: why have a picture of just the bride & groom? The parents wedding photos add history and love!
Vintage suitcases (thrift!) for the programs adds character to your sign in table as well, and if it's too large, just add a flower arrangement.
Bring props for your photographs, these are some very reasonable priced letters you can find at Hobby Lobby. You could also bring tennis racquets, the game of monopoly... you know, whatever y'all are into!
Because both of their names begin with the letter 'M', there were jars/cups of m&ms placed on every table :)
Also on tables: old photographs of happy couples within the family (but heck, you can find cool old photographs in many vintage stores, you don't have to keep the photos in the family. Any happy couple would add spark to your tables.
reoccurring colors help stress your 'theme'
Because scrabble is this couple's favorite game, we placed game pieces all over the dining room spelling out 'sweet-little-nothings'. My favorite was 'the ol' ball and chain' :)
Another suitcase for guests to place cards and letters (also filled with old family photos).
Having a cool old jar (or in this case a gravy boat) to place pens in at the sign-in table can help reiterate your colors/theme... and just looks cute!
bubbles!
I just love the black and white patterns with all the green and purple, it definitely made for an elegant wedding. Of course, it helped that the couple was absolutely adorable :)
Time slipped out from under me this week and I never made any crafts for father's day. Besides the fact that I couldn't think of any crafts for the 'cool' or 'this-generation' dad. Only things having to do with Neck Ties and golf ... and my baby-daddy isn't into either. (*so if you found any cooler-dad craft ideas, I'd love it if you shared them!)
I did do another photo shoot of this sweet baby for daddy. (hilarious, huh?)
And here is a little playlist for father's day, there is some country, Motown and rock ... so, enjoy!
1. Daddy Could Swear, I Declare - Gladys Knight & The Pips
2. Love Without End, Amen - George Strait
3. Daddy What If - Bobby Bare
4. Papa Was a Rolling Stone (Single Version) - The Temptations
5. Daddy's Little Baby - Ja Rule & Ronald Isley
6. My Dad - Paul Petersen
7. Daddy's Song - Harry Nilsson
8. Time In a Bottle - Jim Croce
9. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) - John Lennon
10. Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, Pt. 1 - James Brown
11. Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
12. A Boy Named Sue (Live) - Johnny Cash
13. Drive (For Daddy Gene) - Alan Jackson
14. Daughter - Loudon Wainwright III
You know, I thought I would be a lucky one. I've been incredibly blessed my whole life with a fast metabolism, a fit figure and a drive to exercise. I once gained 7 lbs when I quit smoking in 2006 that I couldn't lose for a year (pathetic, I know).
I even took a little bit of sick pleasure in the fact that I wasn't hungry during my pregnancy having to make myself eat. Towards the end we even had to calorie/protein count to make sure I was getting enough of each. I gained exactly 30 pounds and had a healthy 8 pound baby... and then breast feeding happened. A hunger I can never seem to satisfy. And breasts. I'm sorry, but can I take a minute here to ask, WHO's Breasts are on my Body!!!???? where did they come from? (the fact that I love the ability to feed my child aside) I DON'T want 'em!
I really don't feel like there is that much extra fat on my body, it's more like my rib cage and hips have just expanded and won't go back. (Did this actually happen? Will they go back?)
You know, it wouldn't be so hard if there wasn't a closet FULL of adorable vintage dresses. I've been collecting them for the past 15 years and now they are just taunting me to lose weight. But how do you lose weight while breastfeeding? (if you've never done it, then let me explain. You. Are. Hungry. All. The. Time).
So, after trying on every pair of jeans I own this morning (yes, I even tried that size 0 extralong pair that I've had since I first moved to austin 10 years ago ... and no, they didn't even fit past my knees) ... THIS is what I found to wear:
leggings: target
boots: vintage
dress: american apparel
shirt: thrifted
Ok, so the trained eye might see: an elastic waist band, a dress that covers your big 'ol butt and a shirt that will no longer button up over these darn boobs.
BUT, to the amateur: The boots, which balance out those big hips. The button down shirt which covers the tummy pooch AND enhances those breasts. Layers and Jewelry for a distraction.
AND voilllllla, mommy feels hot again!
(after trying, and successfully not getting spit up on me, I spilled coffee down the white dress. damn, sometimes you just have to laugh)
I had this great father's day gift idea today (so, john, you better not be reading my blog this week!)
I dressed redding up in john's tie and glasses with his cameras (if you didn't know, john is a photographer specializing in vintage cameras). I think you could do this with your kiddos no matter what their dad is into. You could just throw his favorite baseball cap on them and it could turn out darling.
I'm planning on having some DIY/craftsy father's day stuff this week ... sooo, stay tuned! ;)
This weekend we were able to go visit john's family up in bustling metropolis of Mountain Springs Texas. Ok, or maybe the opposite of bustling ... and metropolis ... in every way. However opposite, they are definitely not lacking in culture and flare! It was his grandmothers 50th anniversary of the hootenanny their family puts on! (yeeehaw!)
It was so special for my little redding to see (even if he won't remember) his great grandmother and his great great aunts and uncles playing their geeetars! (and violins ...)
My little brother and his special lady got engaged a couple days ago! YAY for love!
I made them a little mix-tape to celebrate!
This is more of an Indie-love-mix ... I suppose. I was just trying to stay away from the classic love songs and find stuff that perhaps they hadn't heard before. Although a couple of them aren't love songs ... just lovely songs. Whatever, just listen to them and enjoy!
1. Rogue WaveEyes
2. Elliott Smith Say Yes
3. Fang Island Treeton
4. She & Him I Was Made for You
5. Avalanche City Love Love Love
6. Bright Eyes First Day of My Life
7. Iron & Wine Such Great Heights
8. Barry Louis Polisar All I Want Is You
9. LissieLittle Lovin'
10. Good Old War Loud Love (Demo) [Bonus Track]
11. Bon Iver Skinny Love
12. Old Crow Medicine show Wagon wheel
13. LizHome
14. The Decemberists Red Right Ankle
15. Florence + The Machine You've Got the Love
16. The White Stripes Hotel Yorba
17. Cat Power Sea of Love
18. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Home
Oh and for song #13. this is liz ... I love this girl, she is so crazy talented. She actually doesn't have 'home' up on the myspace, but check out the other songs anyways.
Don't you miss field days? I don't think I even realized how much I did. A (brilliant) girlfriend of mine decided to put together a field day this past weekend full of three legged races, a water balloon toss and all the other fun games you remember from elementary school. It was a huge success. I, actually found it incredibly refreshing, instead of just another party-get-together.
So, next time you want to hang with your friends, do it at a park!
Of course, team orange was my favorite! Just look at my darling boys.
I would like to take a minute to blog about something that is a little out of the norm for strawberry mohawk. My posts are normally filled with the pretty things in my life, the crafts, artwork, fashion and my baby. But i'd like to write a little today about something that's very close to my heart. Woman's rights. Specifically, how we as women, are viewed by others.
This is something that is always on the forefront of my mind, but a specific (and one could even say 'minor') incident is what triggered me to write about it today.
I've mentioned before that I'm a part of a social cycling group here in Austin. Well, last night while on one of our huge bike rides, an older man rode by me and jokingly (or so I thought) said "I just want to grab your suspenders every time I ride by you," I replied with a laugh, but very clearly said "no, don't do that" and smiled. Not more than five minutes later we were next to each other again and he grabbed my suspenders (on my backside, not front), slapped me with them and rode off. I let out a sarcastic sounding "ha. ha." and was going to drop it. But, then my girlfriend katie reminded me "Andrea, you said 'no', that was inappropriate, remember your boundaries" (wooo! go katie, huh?). I thanked her and sped off to confront the man. Which I did. Which I came off as a bitch for.
A minor incident, huh? But this is what is caused me to think: In our society, as women, we are either viewed as a frigid bitch or ditzy slut (excuse my language if you find it offensive). Those were the two options I had last night and I chose the former.
I believe we have these two options because these are the options the media gives us. Not to get into politics, but remember the '08 election? Palin was the ditzy slut and Clinton was the frigid bitch. And these were two women who were running for two of the highest offices our country has to offer. If the media couldn't take them seriously, what chance do the rest of us have?
I'm writing this without a real solution to offer. Other than let's take each other seriously. Let's respect each other. Let's vote for women. Let's go see movies directed by &/or written by women. When we see young girls, let's not tell them how cute they, but rather ask them what they want to be when they grow up.
On a positive note, this is why I love the blogging community. I really feel like we are taking our image into our own hands. I have women I look up to in the blogging world. Women who own their own businesses. Women who make art. Fashionistas who are not 5"11 and 100 lbs.
Let's show the world that we are powerful women not to be messed with ... and this does not make us frigid bitches. ;)
so much love and appreciation,
andrea
<3
oh.. and here's a little rosie the riveter photo shoot for you! Including a rosie-nursing-mama for all my fellow breastfeeding moms out there struggling with our nursing rights and image!
