Longing for boredom....

I have to make this another quickish post, as I will not be bored for a while!!  Oy.

FIRST of all I will do the best recap of the livingroom and hopefully the Wizard of Oz in the next day or so.  The play went really well, and I loved the way the scenery looked. The living room also looks FABULOUS, and after one misstep, the paint color is just wonderful and I adore it.

SO, the electrician actually does come today, and will put my electric things back in order, including LIGHT- which is so awesome, I can't even tell you.  And I have an appt. which involves reclining for an hour (dentist) which suits me fine, because me in a reclining position for an hour somehow seems desirable, even if someone is keeping me from talking for so long.  THEN, I have to go finish elementary school children grades and after lunch- HIT THE GYM BABY!!!  FINALLY!!!!!!  I may weep.  I will become loud and obnoxious.  It will be expected.

But before that all comes, I have to stain the wood trim that is laying all bare on the floor in the livingroom right now- because I do not get to have any time to sit around and think and clean things up or make food of any sort (not that I can hardly tolerate too much food yet- ugh). I am very grateful that I do not have to climb up on my step stool for this task, as I have some very sore calves and ankles of all things.  Very strange- probably from balancing on a step whilst taping and painting and such.

May I also say that FROG TAPE is the best thing EVER!!!!  Go with the green painters tape people, it ROCKS!!!

Ok, I have to be done here, I have to get myself staining in the next 15 minutes to sort of stay on schedule.  AND I am not sure what time the Builder and Electrician come, so I want to stay ahead of the game and not still be in my robe at that time.  And yes, I do realize they won't be here at 6:30.....  shhhhh.  I have to keep myself from becoming a goof off-

Until next time be a JOY GIVER!!!!!  SPRING BREAK BABY!!!!!!

ON TO PLAY WEEK! (is it done yet?) and weekend wrap up

Play week is not for the faint of heart.  It is a tremendous amount of work and I will be standing a lot this week.  A LOT!!  I hope I can find my black crocs, because I am going to need them.  Which reminds me, I have to find a black t-shirt sometime this week, or go buy one or something, because the ones I had are just too unimaginably big and I think I thrift shopped them.  I am so impetuously compulsive sometimes about that sort of thing.  I am sure those big t-shirts would have been fine.....  ugh.

So tonight, it is full dress and makeup dress rehearsal, and I am going to be putting makeup on the main cast members.  I am excited about this, being able to do the lions and scarecrow's makeup, PLUS the witches and the tin man!!  And Dorothy, but I just need to glam her up a bit, she can do fine on her own mostly.  I adore this part of makeup, including sliding eyeliner on the nervous and blinking furiously boys that are in the cast.  Some of my favorite moments of hilarity and bonding have taken place while staring at the anxious eyelids of the play cast members.  It is an intimate moment in time, so to speak, lots of fears have been revealed over eyeliner.

I am making sure to pack healthy food, including some of the copious amount of hummus I made last night and probably will have some almond milk along to make a protein shake.  I will need the energy to teach all day, then go directly to makeup and then to staging and marking for dress rehearsal tonight. The first dress rehearsal generally finishes after 8:30 pm.  With 49 munchkins involved......  oy.  They will soon find out that the witch really resides behind the stage, as I do not take any fooling around when we are in character..... something that the big kids understand, but the little kids don't quite get.  Sorry kiddos, Mrs. Oswald has been taken over by one of her other personalities.

So weekend update- I did end up getting the card table- even though we went and had Chinese last night to avoid the whole cooking thing.  Which is cool as I have lunch now for today, since I did not get all the cooking done I had planned yesterday.... but that is fine.  I had NO IDEA that the Chinese place had a tofu dish.  YAY!

I got a 5.5 mile walk in also, even though I swear people were conspiring to goof up my afternoon to myself.  I didn't exactly get what I planned for, but oh well.  It was good enough.

One week from today people- one week from today begins my spring break, and I begin it with............drum roll.............. a dentist appt!!!  WTF?????  WHAT WAS I THINKING??????? I can't even.

But then I can go to the gym all day if I want!

Can't think about that now, too much to do before that.

So a few weekend photos, I have a couple including a stone house one or two and a few other little things.  Because it reminds me that life will be back to "normal" soon

peek!

Stone house

Little Cabin in the snow

Winter shadows

Until next time, be a joy giver and avoid those joy stealers!!  HEY, and if you find yourself to be stealing someone's joy, give it back. You both will feel better!  :)

Just Wednesday....

I don't have any outstanding things to report- nothing earthshaking, inspiring, sad, thrilling or any other extended emotional diatribe.

Fairyland!

It is WEDNSDAY, and as usual I am happy to have made it through Tuesday intact.  Tuesday is a hard day for me.  So, being only somewhat exhausted today is a win.  I have been working with the High School kids getting the scenery painting started, it has been an interesting beginning........

But regardless, I have been to the gym, and I am physically tired thanks to the usual workouts plus the addition of pushups and burpees and kettle bell swings.  oy.

In school we are almost to the end of our clay unit, though I suspect that the kids would enjoy continuing on with it for a few more weeks.  I have enthusiastic clay artists this year, which is so much fun.

I have gotten some pictures lately, but not nearly as many as I would like.

I am starting to get my maintenance issues figured out, and am doing a pretty good job of fueling my workouts.  We shall see what today brings with good old leg day- #givemestrength

This may be a sort of non event of a post, but we can't have thrills and chills everytime, right?

Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day- we are having a day of working with technology all day long.  In a more creative and intuitive way.  There are people, both STUDENTS and maybe an adult or two, who are all negative about this.  I think they should maybe give it a chance and see what happens. I swear sometimes the kids are more close-minded than older people.  Maybe it is their young brains rebelling at the thought of stepping outside of their semi-comatose school day norm....  Lol, who knows.  But it is true! Snap OUT of it people!!  Enjoy the change!

Oh hey and rumor has it that it is Valentine's Day tomorrow, not that I will do anything but gather and give away some less than healthful candy items and some very cute Valentines cards (I won't give away the cards- no worries) .....  Tax season and Valentines Day do not add up to anything special for the Mad-Art Teacher.......  Hmph.

So, anyway, that's all for today, I hope to do a photo post soon, when I have a little more time.  I have to gather my stuff and get ready for work.

Have a lovely day and be a JOY GIVER today!  and everyday!!

Potter's wheel and play......

Certainly a double meaning!  HAHA. There is playing on the potter's wheel, which I indulge in occasionally

Playing with clay

 and there is the PLAY which I am beginning work on.  Which means also, kids, that I have been blogging for almost a year!  Hard to believe, it seems like so long in some ways and in some ways like I have just begun.  But my first posts were for the makings of the play "Honk" (Against my better judgement)   (<-that is a hot link- click it!!) last year, and this year it is..............

We have purchased the rights to this particular design for advertising!

Feed me!!

FEED ME!!!

FEED ME!!!

 Who... I mean... what did that plant eat last night? 
 Uh... about a million Japanese beetles. 




You have perhaps an explanation for this?
 No, but if you give me a minute I'll think of one. 

Baby Audrey

I love parodies and this play is so much fun.  We are going to be doing some way cool things this year. AND I have a mostly new crop of awesome stage hands and scenery painters.

I have sort of  "before" pictures here.  We are just beginning, we have stripped flats and stretched muslin.  Painted broad swaths of color and are just beginning to work on the outside scenes.  Some construction needs to be completed yet (not my job!) so interior design will begin next week.  Fortunately we have rented puppets, so that is an enormous job we didn't have to do!

Painting day 1!

Busting through!

Good bye, striped wall paper!! Bon voyage!

And she handles those giant flats with no problem at all!

Did you stretch that canvas from center to edges??? NO?? Do it again!!!  lol

Try not to even think about this!

Props in waiting....

This is what the stage looks like every night when I close up shop.... quiet, dark..... waiting for the voices of awesome singers and the activity of students who love what they are doing. Whether through singing, acting, painting or working behind the scenes.  This is the ultimate collaboration, the culmination of many people's skills, strengths and dedication.  The adults not only teach the kids; we become their friends- people they can trust. People who can pull the best out of them, even when they are tired, hungry, crabby, sad or just 17 years old.

 Here is the Mad Art teacher doing one of her favorite things ever.  I have noticed that I do occasionally refer to myself in third person these days, must be because of this blog!

I try to find a few moments every couple of weeks to throw a little on the wheel- I love it so much and the kids like to see me do it.  It kind of makes them get excited and want to try more.  I spend a lot of time centering clay- I have triceps of steel!

JOY!!!  I think I'm going to sneak in another session next week!  I do have to introduce it to my beginning art students!  :)

And on a completely different note- we had an impromptu accordion concert the other day-- long long story, doesn't matter why.  One of the boys owned the instrument and let the other one goof around a little bit with it.  So funny!

sorry for the blur!

I just never know what my day will bring!

Until next time, find your joy!