Return: to College Theatre

I decided it might be fun to share some photos from different shows I've done through the years. This photo is from the first major production I was cast in at Baylor. I played air-headed maid "Peg" in William Congreve's The Way of the World.

It was an itty-bitty part in a great big play, but I had a ball and found a lot of joy in making this small part a larger than life, living, breathing character. The actress in the photo with me who played "Betty" is Allison Lamb. She is a very talented performer who does a lot of acting work in Charlotte, NC.

More acting photos to come!

Simply Breathtaking Talent!

In case you missed the Tony Awards on Sunday, Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison from GLEE performed with such panache and brilliance and apparent ease, it would simply be a crime for me not to share it here on my blog.

Lea Michele (who is very nearly Barbra Streisand II) performs one of my favorite Streisand songs, "Don't Rain on my Parade". Her performance brought me to tears and makes me thank God for allowing so much beauty in the world. Talent like hers is truly inspiring. Enjoy:

Family!

I can hardly believe we've been in our house for about a year now! It's funny--of all the rooms in our house that I've documented on this blog in terms of my progress with nesting, our home office has definitely received the most attention. The rest of our house is more traditional/Pottery Barn-esque, but our study was a blank canvas of all white walls, and I wanted it to be a colorful room, full of life with modern lines. (Click HERE and HERE and HERE to see the various stages of nesting!)

For several months now, I have been wanting to do a wall of black and white family photos in black frames. A couple weeks ago, my friend Jenn visited from Los Angeles, and she encouraged me to go out and buy the frames, so we went to Aaron Brothers and picked out several frames in various sizes, and then I went to town deciding on which photos I wanted to enlarge.

My Mom came over yesterday, she suggested that I buy the "Family" sign, which I love! I ended up enlarging a couple of my favorite wedding photos taken by Jen Disney. She's based in Orange County, CA and does excellent work. I also chose some of my other favorites of our family members...

...like this one of my Mom in her wedding dress!

Family is such a sweet blessing, and having their photos up and about on our walls is a sweet reminder of the precious gift that they are to us!

Glory and Beauty

This morning, I was reading the part of the Book of Exodus in which God is giving Moses instructions on how to make the priestly garments to be worn by Aaron and his sons when they enter the Tent of Meeting and the Holy Place to offer sacrifices before God. It struck me that in two different places, God's instructions are to "Make sacred vestments for your brother Aaron to symbolize glory and beauty", and later, "Make tunics, sashes, and hats for Aaron's sons to express glory and beauty". (Italics added for emphasis.)

God even tells Moses to "Consult with the skilled craftsmen, those whom I have gifted in this work, and arrange for them to make Aaron's vestments...."

In the midst of what feels like rather dry reading, I find it somehow comforting to see that the things that make my heart race a little faster--glory and beauty--are also on the heart of God. In fact, I think they reflect His very character. It's not just that He appreciates glory and beauty, it's that glory and beauty are part of who God is!

I love that God directs Moses to go consult with the skilled craftsmen, and that He even calls those craftsmen "those whom I have gifted in this work". As an artist, it is very affirming to see that God values artists and artistry and that He is explicit in letting Moses know that He has gifted them in this work.

Often in my adult life, I have felt like the very talents with which God has gifted me are the very hardest skills with which to earn a living. I have felt like a dreamer most of the time and like a slacker during a few low points, but during those golden moments when I am working as an actress--when I am doing exactly what God has created me to do--time seems to stand still, because in those precious moments, I am able to reflect the beauty and the glory of God, simply by being who He made me to be and by doing what He made me to do. Those brief moments in the grand scheme of life shine like stars in the night sky of my memories, and I hope they will bring glory to my great God for all eternity!

Pumkin Patch--Autumn at the Dallas Arboretum

I mentioned in Wednesday's post that our friends M&M took us to the Dallas Arboretum, where they were celebrating autumn! Thousands of pumpkins and other squashes were were lining the sidewalks and decorating other corners of the pumpkin patch. It was so beautiful-art with vegetables!

The four of us were all so taken with the beauty of the landscaping. Isn't lining a trail with live pumpkins inspired?! So brilliant to create something beautiful using God's own beautiful creation!

Necktie Valances with a Side of Cowboy Boots

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know that I continue to document my home office in photos, as I continue to add to it. Because the rest of my house is more traditional with neutral colors, I wanted to have one room in the house with bright colors and a more contemporary look to it.

We have bright red cabinetry and a sunflower yellow sofa, so I've been wanting to create a window treatment that would unify the bold colors going on in the room. I had an idea to create two valances out of neckties, and for the past few days, I've been crafting to my heart's content!

First, I had to figure out how in the world I would hang something like this. I decided that a wide frame drapery rod would be best. So I mounted those on the wall first.
Then I had to figure out how I would connect my cornice board to the rod. Since the cornice board/box I created was really light weight I opted for this 2" wide sticky back velcro:
I applied the hard half of the velcro strips to the curtain rod:
This is the cornice board/box my mom and I created out of foam board. One long piece to go across the front and two short pieces to go around the sides. The good people at Office Max cut it for us! The foam board didn't come quite long enough to form the entire length of the long piece, so we had to put two pieces together end to end and wrapped duct tape around it. That worked fine!
To attach the short side pieces, we could only tape on one side to create a hinge effect:

The fuzzy half of the velcro strips are then applied to the board.

Then it was time to start gluing. This project requires lots-o-hot glue...nearly an entire bag of glue sticks!
First I glued the ties to the front of the board. Wide end of the ties on top. Skinny end underneath peeking through. (Caution: the hot glue on the foam board released some kind of chemical that probably wasn't too good to breathe.)

Then I turned the board over and hot glued the top ends to the board.

Then I was ready to hang the valance! All I had to do was line up the velcro on the board with the velcro on the curtain rod and it just stuck right to it! I stuck the long front part on first and then the hinged sides just flapped around and grabbed on!

I actually made this lamp a few years ago with some of my stepdad John's neckties (the skinny ends of the ties). Just a fun way to remember him. Four of his ties are in one of the valances, too. :) That's a picture of John and my mom. Aren't they cute?

Also, just as a fun side note, I wanted to show you what I did with a belt and cowboy boots that my Dad gave me shortly before he died. Yep.... It's a side table! I loved the belt and boots, as my Dad was totally into the cowboy life, and he had the boots custom made for himself years ago. They're too big for me to wear, and it made me sad to see them just sitting in a closet, so I decided to have them made into a piece of furniture! My mom's neighbor is a wood worker, and he created the table to fit into the boots and still be able to have a level table top. Then I cut a piece of denim into a perfect circle, and voila! As you can tell, I'm a bit of a sentimental sap, but I love being able to remember these two special men by using some of the things that they left behind to brighten my today!

Kitchen Bulletin Board

When we moved into our house here in TX, we knew we would need to buy a new fridge. We opted for a stainless steel front because we're trendy like that. Only problem was that once it was in our kitchen, we realized it isn't magnetic! Bummer! We like to put pictures of our friends and family on our fridge.

Hmmm. What to do? We decided to hang a bulletin board in our kitchen, but I thought a plain bulletin board would be a little boring, so my sister came up with the idea of covering it with fabric. We found this really pretty fabric at Hobby Lobby ON SALE (!!!)

Saucy, I totally though of you and your love for Marie Antoinette when I chose the fabric! Here it is from a wider shot.

Only problem is...now I don't want to cover it up with photos! :)

Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh...Hangin' Tough!

Oh, yea, ladies!  Yours truly was there Saturday night for the live New Kids on the Block concert experience...and what an experience it was!

Important things you should know about the NKOTB concert:

Women LOVE the NKOTB...and they will prove it with their homemade t-shirts! This was only one of several groups who expressed their undying love through adorable arts and crafts:

Lest any of you doubt that the NKOTB are still adored by a HUGE following, let the 20,000 women who flooded into Houston's concert Saturday night be the living proof. I was privileged to attend the concert with the two biggest NKOTB fans ever!  

Here's Erin, still showing Jordan the love after all these years:
I still remember her sister Catherine's devotion to Joey in high school when she wore oversized buttons like this one:Catherine's devotion to Joey runs deep.  Exhibit 1:Exhibit 2:

Joey is still HOTT:

Jordan is still HOTTER:

I confess that I never really got into NKOTB back in the day. While they have grown into handsome men, I too have grown up to be a sensible woman.  I may have rocked a side ponytail to support the band, but OH MY STARS, turn the volume down!

Lincee from I Hate Green Beans was sitting right next to me!

My sister was sitting on the other side of me, which came in very hand at a concert where the music was so loud, we couldn't communicate with words. All we have to do is give each other one look and we just get it, ya dig? We have fun together: 

In case you forgot the hand motions to "Hangin' Tough" no worries!  Just wave your hands in the air, and wave 'em like you just don't care:

NKOTB can still rock it old school, but they look good in their grown up suits!

NKOTB + Confetti = Total Estrogen Frenzy

Texas was very serious about thanking the NKOTB:

...Very serious...

no, seriously serious!

Thanks NKOTB!  It was an awesome concert!

These Three Abide

Remember when I was working on an art project prototype?  Well, I finally created the actual pieces, and on Monday my sister helped me hang them over my desk in the office.

Here they are individually. I decided to go for a geometric look of three big squares containing lots of smaller squares.  The medium is watercolor and black pen on white poster board.  After I painted each of the three pieces, I cut them into smaller squares and then mounted them with foam mounting tape on black foam board. My sister gave me the suggestion of just using the foam mounting tape to affix the completed artwork to the wall. She said it wouldn't ruin the walls if I ever decide to take them down, and I just chose to believe her!

Here are some broader shots of the room, to give you an idea of how the office is coming together. As I sit at my desk and work on our adoption paperwork, it is encouraging to look up and remember that faith, hope and love are three major forces that keep us motivated through the process!

There are still a few more things I want to do in here, but I'm really liking how it's pulling together. It is by far the most contemporary and COLORFUL room in the house, which is probably why I enjoy spending so much of my time in it!