A Video to Share

Hi all! Things are getting very very exciting at my house!

We have our full dress rehearsal tonight, and Opening Night is tomorrow night! By Sunday night The Music Man part of my life will be over. And there will inevitably be tears. :) But for now, excitement. I wanted to share with you this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vpqsmGaSvM&feature=channel_video_title

It is a little video a friend put together of some footage taken in the park of the cast. We were fully costumed (minus hair-do's, makeup and hats, for some...), for our official photo shoot. It's a great little glimpse of everyone, and of the era (1912). :) The music is all from the show.

Hope you enjoy it!

The Final Countdown!

We are in the thick of the final week of rehearsals and I couldn't be happier.

Sets are being finalised....

My counter for the Library Scene

The Footbridge for the romance scene in Act 2 - how clever are our crew?!

And the cast are rehearsing nightly, polishing and working hard and just loving every minute. Here are a few rehearsal shots from last week - one of the production team took them and they're a little blurry - but there will be some professional photos available to us following dress rehearsals. I'll be sure to share them!

Barbershop Quartet

'Mama' and I doing our porch scene

'Harold' and I during one of our many dialogue scenes. Marian is fobbing him off here as she so often does....

The whole cast getting our notes from the director after rehearsal.

Last night we had our Sitz Probe, our first rehearsal with the orchestra. They were sublime. They make us sound so good!! ;) We have a great orchestra, a talented and amazing cast, a phenomenal crew, a wonderful director - what more could we ask for? I couldn't be happier (or more tired) this week. Thanks for your prayers and patience while my blog remains ever so quiet. It will pick up again once The Music Man is over.

Opening Night in 7 more sleeps!!!!

Winter Nightgowns for Saraya

She knows what she likes to wear, my girl. She always has. And it's dresses by day, and nighties by night. She simply doesn't like shorts or jeans or pyjama pants.

And so I gave myself the challenge many months back to find her some cosy warm nightgowns for winter. This was even harder than I thought it would be. Were I a sewer, I would make them myself - but I am not. This is a reality I've had to come to face! So I began to look in big shops, small shops, market stalls..... and eventually, online. After months of searching, success! Thank you Etsy.

They are perfect. Handmade. Soft. Warm. And they both meet their owner's approval nicely.

She prefers the white one with dots, but she wanted to save that one for tonight because Nanna will be here. :) I'm so happy to have found them!

One Short Day in the Emerald City...

We took a mini holiday over the weekend. Between piano teaching and open homes and cleaning and rehearsals, we drove to Brisbane to stay with my parents, and took our older two children to see their much-loved musical Wicked!!!

We dressed up in our theatre finery.

Donned our Emerald City glasses

Left a very content little William in the care of his Nanna and Grandpa....

And drove to the Lyric Theatre!

We have had these tickets booked for nearly a year, so the building of excitement and anticipation has been wonderful. Saraya couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the amazing sets.

I LOVED seeing this musical through the eyes of my children. And since we were able to secure seats in AA (second front) row, we could see every expression, every drop of sweat on the performers foreheads! It was like being part of a musical theatre master class. :)

Praise God for the privilege and opportunity to do this. It meant so much to us in the midst of a very busy, stressful few weeks.

Hello Autumn!

This week we have said goodbye to summer, and hello to autumn. How I love welcoming in this cooler season! There is a crispness in the air in the early mornings and the evenings. The days are still warm, but I know jumpers will be pulled out soon enough.

Yesterday afternoon the children packed up little bags and headed out into the cool garden for some creative play.

The sky over our heads at about 5 o'clock. The seasonal change is something you can literally feel all around you, isn't it?! Amazing.

Molly is always close by the children - she is like a puppy the way she follows them around!

My chatterbox William. He literally never stops talking to me about what's on his mind.

Elijah is back at school now, though still not quite 100%. Soon after I took this photo he came inside and asked me for a warm bath. I put lavender oil in it, and lit a candle for him. I also played one of his favourite sleepy cd's. :) He stayed in the warm water for a long time, and after pyjamas were on and dinner eaten, he was off to bed. He is feeling much better today.

Saraya and William stayed out until dusk. They put on some warmer clothes and told me they were off on "an adventure" - all the way up to the letter box. ;)

These two children are great mates. I was given a much-needed night off rehearsing last night, so things were much slower paced here. It was bliss just to watch the children play and appreciate the simple things.

Today is cleaning day and William and I have just changed all the beds and put on the feather doonas with fresh covers. It is a nice feeling to be cosy-ing up the house. Autumn will bring more soups and stews, lap blankets at night, earlier dinners and (hopefully, God willing) more sleep-ins from the little people in the house.

Hello Autumn!

Garlicky Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin

Garlic

Onions, potatoes, carrots, stock

Warm soup for my patient.

Oh, and the little brother!

Elijah's still not quite himself, but a little better.

And I must say a big WELCOME to my 2 new followers who jumped in today - warm greetings and blessings to you both!

Meal Plan Monday

Linking up with Vicki today for her Meal Plan Monday.

I find I stick to my meal plan better if I don't designate days on which to cook the various meals. Here's my plan for our family, for this week.

* Roast chicken with roast veggies and green beans

* Stew in the Crock Pot

* Pumpkin Soup and rolls

* Sausages, baby potatoes and salad

* Zucchini Slice and salad

* Scrambled eggs, ham, toast and sliced tomato

* Chicken and vegetable stir-fry with rice

The soup I am working on right now. Lunch for good health for my Elijah. :)

Sunday Evening Thoughts

It's sleep time now.

I just wanted to say I was part of a Flood Relief Concert this afternoon at our local theatre, and it went great! It was a huge team - 300 people on stage? - of dancers, singers and musicians from our local district. Ian (my 'Harold') and I sang a song each from The Music Man, and gave the show a good plug. ;) Hoping this attracts more people in the community to come along and see it!

Thank you all for your kind words following my last post. They mean so much to me. The weekend has been sweet time together, despite having an Open Home here, jobs to do in town, music students to teach, rehearsals to attend... and then this concert this afternoon. It's so busy at the moment, but we're making the most of the time we do have together. The children are being so patient, and making the best of things too. They LOVE being at the theatre!! :) They are truly growing up to be theatre kids, just like their Mama and Papa.

Elijah is a little sick today. Throughout the day he developed a fever and has been complaining over the weekend about a sore throat and neck. He's sleeping now and seems to be more comfortable. I may give him a home day tomorrow. Lots of rest and cuddles would do him good I'm sure. Please pray for his quick recovery? Thank you.

Goodnight all.

Weary Bones

Today I am weary. Not just tired, but weary. You know, when you feel it right in your bones?

I feel so joyful being part of this musical, but it is taking it's toll. What I thought was 7 days of straight rehearsing and performing turns out to be 11 days. 11. DAYS. Ouch. Today is Day 6.

Who does this impact, even more than it does me? And Stuart? The children.

My sweet babies who are the loves of my life, and yet right now - I just can't be with them as much as I'd like to be. Everything is a little off balance.

This morning, Elijah disobeyed me one too many times - and he really copped it. Not just a natural consequence; not a firm but gentle talking-to; not a calm smack and move on ........... no, I actually lost it with him. I yelled. I cried. He cried. It wasn't nice.

Today has been hard. I'm thinking a lot about my priorities, and how to keep the balance throughout the next 4 weeks. The children are my first priority (and Stuart of course), and yet I must attend these rehearsals. How to do this?

Today William has been at kindy, and I have had the opportunity to journal and think and rest most of the day. Being kind to myself helps me be a better Mama. It just does.

I love performing and musical theatre is a great love of mine. It is my passion. But then so is my family. I must make this work!

So, starting tomorrow, I pledge to:

* Continue drinking copious quantities of water, and eating a healthy, whole foods diet

* Taking my vitamins

* Gentle-moderate exercise every day

* Take at least a 15 minute nap every day

* Gentle vocal exercises / song practice and script review for a maximum of 20 minutes daily - after all, I'm spending 3-4 hours per day on average at the theatre, so home time needs to be home time!

* Pray without ceasing

* Open my Bible every day with my breakfast. This I MUST do!

* Go immediately to bed upon getting home from rehearsals, even if I do lie there awake for an hour (I have a tendency to stay up talking with Stuart, or spending time on facebook, or reading etc. until I feel tired - this can take hours and get me to be around midnight)

* Breathe deeply through conflict. Stay calm with my children, even when I am cranky and tired. They are too precious to be yelled at. They must know how much they are loved, tiredness or nay.

Hoping and praying I can do all these things. I know they will make a difference in this uncharacteristically busy time in my life. :)

Oh, and a peace offering:

I baked this cake today, and am spreading the table ready for a surprise afternoon tea with the children. I can't wait to spend the afternoon with them.

Thank You

Just wanted to say a big thank you to all of you for your prayers. We have had no news as yet regarding a house offer, but I'm still quietly hopeful. :) If not this lady, then somebody else. SOON!

Please keep us in your prayers as we wait to sell, and continue our very busy schedule of rehearsals for The Music Man (this week alone I have 7 rehearsals, one every day of the week, then a promotional performance in a local Flood Relief Concert on Sunday...), and trying to keep a balance of work / family / rest at the same time.

Hope everyone is having a great week. :)