BuildMeUpButtercupBlog is the diary of a middle-aged mom in construction school. I’m Carrington Fox. I’m a writer in Nashville, Tenn., where I live with my husband and three young boys. You can read my essays and articles about food, parenting, urban henkeeping, and life in Nashville at carringtonfoxauthor.com.

After a decade as a journalist covering Nashville’s restaurant industry and writing a novel that now lives in a desk drawer, I recently headed back to school at Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Nashville. Last time I was in a classroom,  I got an art history degree, followed by an MBA. This time, I’m studying construction. I’m a full generation older than most of our classmates. Most of them are men. We’re getting used to each other.

Going back to school full-time is a challenge, especially with the logistics of a busy family. But while school is exhausting, it is also thrilling, as I come to realize I can build and fix things with my own hands. I have never felt so powerful.

Thank you for reading my blog. I hope it builds you up too, Buttercup.