The Mrs. with an M.S.: Collage of Good Times, Food, and Projects!

Hello, all!

I haven't disappeared...I am always snapping photos for this blog and time seems to get away from me because I haven't posted in a couple of weeks!

Here's a quick collage of the good times that have been happening, in-between all of my homework, studying, and Teacher Performance Assessments:

Now that the sun is out and spring is fading ever-so-slightly into summer, all SoCal residents know it's time for THE BEACH.

I enjoyed a couple of hours out with a few of my blockmates from my grad program. We attended class at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point in lieu of actual class on campus, but no one complained...at least, I didn't. I had a lovely time and as you can see from the collage above, saw a LOT.

"Schoolhouse Rock, Junior" just ended and my vases were full of flowers from parents and student actors. I am so very blessed by the families and staff at this school; it is a genuine pleasure to spend time working with these very excellent kids. They are already asking, "What's the play for next year gonna be?"

The beautiful bouquets didn't last long, but I took some of the hardier flowers out and combined them with a few blooms from my own garden and voila! Simple accents to freshen up the house. I also added a few drops of lemon-eucalyptus essential oil to the water to keep the scent in the air as well.

I've taken so many pictures of the delightful dishes Kevin has made for me, and here are a few more!

(I am steadily gaining weight, it feels like. Yum and ugh all at once.)

As you may remember, I was made wax specialist at Anthro over the holidays. I love wax and I have attempted to memorize the burn times, as well as fun facts about the candles we carry.

I also like to check out the competition. I've noticed Target is trying to get Anthro-ized (here I am in their wax section) with their new Threshold collection, but that's fine. A little more beauty in the world, even if it's just homegoods, is all right with me.

As mentioned in a previous post, I like to recycle and repurpose when I can. On the right, I took my old Capri Blue Volcano candles from Anthro, boiled them in a pot of water to melt the wax, made new wicks, and poured the melted wax in to reuse that expensive wax. Every last drop!

A little spray bleach and hot water and soap turn the silver-sprayed candle holder on the left into a lovely clear jar (on the right). I use my empty jars--really quite lovely--as holders for buttons, elastic headbands, and rollerball perfumes. They make for classy storage and look great on my dresser.

As usual, Dodger is ridiculously funny and cute, sleeping on my homework, projects and...well, just about anywhere!

My hair's grown out quite a bit since my September haircut--just long enough to go back to braid crowns! This is my absolute favorite hairstyle; I wore a variation of it to my wedding and have been trying out different variations: the braid crown, the French-braided crown, a braid crown that ends in a bun. I get so many compliments on it that I thought I'd include a pic. Guests at Anthro always express amazement when I tell them it's nothing more than two elastic hair ties, bobby pins, and hair spray. That's it, people. Braid into two braids and pin in place. Hair spray. Done.

The trick is to tuck in--and immediately pin--the bushy ends of your braids to the underside of the opposite side of the braid. Once you've got that, you're just pinning into place.

And in addition to my granny squares project (now up to 40 squares):

I've been making baby gifts for my girlfriends' bebes...

Sleeve detail

Collar detail

This took two attempts (the first was a hot mess), but here it is! I am so proud of this one! In-between summarizing articles for a literature review, I stopped to put stitches into this 3-6 month old baby cap.

I had a cranky moment amidst all of this fun, so my husband took a picture and filtered it to make it more "artistically brooding" rather than just crankypants.

Hanging out at work. Pretty comfy.

All three of us Sales Associates are
wearing Pilcro and the Letterpress pants.

On April 8, it was actually my birthday! What!

I can't believe I'm 29 this year. Wild. I remember my parents in their twenties...and I don't have kids yet.

I'd pulled an all-nighter (haven't done that since undergrad) to finish a project that I found out today was only worth 21 points. Oh well. I stayed up all night, I finished it, and I had a small birthday celebration with my blockmates and my husband.

The sleepiness did make me look like I had bruises under my eyes, but I think it was awesome. Low-key and easy.

I love these guys.

Somewhere in there, I tried to make time to walk the Dodge and take in nature.

I love spring. Everything is blooming, and there is new life in the air. It's an exhilarating thing.

One of my acting classes at the film academy wrapped up, giving my Saturdays back to me. I'm turning around and giving them to "Seussical" rehearsals and will still teach at the film academy, just not on Saturdays until after the show closes.

Balancing the film academy, the show, and the five workshops I'm teaching this summer, Anthropologie, and school is going to be no mean feat. I am humbly grateful for all of the work; it's always nice and pleasant to be working in my field. I'm not overly enthused about attending school in the summer, but when I count down the months to December graduation, I find a measure of peace. It's hard to imagine, in the moment, how time flies...and then six months have passed and you're wondering when the season changed.

I'm on the far left end, in the blue dress.

I was asked to attend a "sneak peek" director's panel two weeks ago. Kevin is seated next to me, and all of the people we are sitting with are local and regional directors. A town hall-esque discussion was facilitated by a theatre staff member and we answered questions and addressed issues, mainly having to do with audition technique and etiquette. I was so honored to have been asked to participate--I was the youngest director on the panel by nearly ten years. I couldn't sleep the night before because I was so excited.

That doesn't sound terribly professional, does it? That's all right; I've long said that I advocate a human aspect of the theatre process. As I've been in talks all week with my designers and different production team members, the question I've been asked the most is, "What is your rehearsal process like, as a director?"

I answered, I like to keep rehearsal fun, safe, and respectful. I go for lighthearted and I respect that we are all human, with lives. Of course there is a level of appropriate professionalism that must be adhered to, but I love a lot of positive energy in the room and I don't mind laughter. I don't believe that we should take ourselves too seriously; we are at play, after all. When we think too much, we stop ourselves from sharing as much joy and playfulness as we could if we just stepped out of our own way.

There's a spirit of youth to that approach, to be sure, but why not? I'll laugh and stay as light as I can. I know I probably won't sleep before auditions this weekend, and that's OK. I take it as a sign that I care deeply and passionately about what I do, and if that translates to nerves, that's OK. The nervousness reminds me that I am alive and that I care--and while I may not be as seasoned as the directors I share the stage with in the photo, I am no neophyte either. Perhaps they still get nervous before auditions, before the first rehearsal. I wouldn't be surprised, either way.

No matter how many shows I direct, or workshops I teach, the nerves are there...they may change in intensity, but they are there like a current of electricity, waiting to be re-directed in a useful way.

And now...to segue to OOTD!