About Me

In another life, I was a mom blogger and wrote for publications like Scary Mommy, Cosmopolitan, and Romper. Now, I work on the digital marketing side of online media, helping brands I believe in develop their voices and expand their reach.

But this is my own little corner of the internet.

Last year, I moved to Portland, Oregon, with my family and finally realized a longstanding dream: buying a very, very old house to restore with my husband. You've probably heard the advice to "buy the ugliest house in the best neighborhood." Well, we took that to heart. Our girl is faded, neglected, and, frankly, a little weird – our realtor dubbed it "a major fixer" – but she's also creaky and mysterious and magical, and we could not love her more.

In our first year here, we had to do major projects like replacing the original terracotta sewer line, fixing a big leak from the second floor (we've still got a hole in our dining room ceiling to prove it), and taking a really gross bathroom down to the studs and rebuilding it just to make it functional.

At the same time, I was figuring out a lot about myself. Prior to our move, we spent a decade in Nebraska for my husband's job. I think of those years as a bit of a personal purgatory. I came to terms with some hard truths about my abusive upbringing and the trauma I carry as a result. I finally went head-to-head with the eating disorder I've had for a lot of my life. I raised small kids and wrestled with self-doubt, learned how to be a partner to someone I really love, confronted demons.

I took myself down to the studs, if I may be so sickeningly metaphorical. And now, as we start this new chapter, restoring this house and making a life in a new city, I'm rebuilding myself as the kind of person I want to be, too.

I have a lot to say about all of it, and so my newsletter was born.

Welcome to Major Fixer, a newsletter about restoring my old house and myself. Here, you'll find stories about the house, personal musings, self-exploration, hot takes, and more.

If you want to support my writing, consider a paid subscription. If you're here for my other work, check out my portfolio.

You can drop me a line at aaustrew@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by.