It'd be nice to have a clever title ... But, well, yeah ...

This is going to be a kind of random-type post.
Since I haven't blogged for a week, and I keep meaning to blog, I feel obligated to do it.
BUT, what with Bubbles being a PUNKBUTT last night, I don't have a lot of sleep (She went to sleep BEAUTIFULLY around 8. Then woke up SCREAMING about midnight. And whenever we'd put her back down -- after a diaper change and feedings, cuddles, more feedings -- she'd scream again. So, she spent the rest of the night in our bed, where she FINALLY conked out after a HALF-HOUR nursing session).

So, I'm sure that Michael is dead tired. I'm not feeling much better (even though I get, like, a couple hours more sleep). Bubbles has a well-baby check-up this afternoon ... let's just hope that I'm coherent enough to drive safely and conscientiously.

This weekend, as we were at Mom and Dad C's (the kids stayed overnight, so that we didn't have to scramble so much in the morning before Saturday's dress rehearsal ... more on that later), Bruise said to Michael (in reference to these little, bitsy mugs that Mom C has on display. Each of them has the name of one of her children) ...

Bruise: Dad, when you die, can I have your cup? So I can remember you. Because you're not around much. But Mom is.

Yeah ... Michael works hard (and long hours) for the money. And there's always a sacrifice to be made.
At least, with both of us in Savior of the World, I get to see him. But, yeah, the kids have been getting a glimpse before we leave ... and they're often asleep when we get back home.
This coming week is going to be worse ... since Michael'll be headed directly to church (where we perform) after work. But it's the last week ... and it'll be better after that.
And, in about five weeks, we'll have a family vacation ... and we'll get TONS of time together. Which will be REALLY nice. No stage make-up involved!

Let's see ... what else is going on?
In rehearsals, unless we're saying an aside to another character, we HAVE to FACE THE AUDIENCE. I'm remembering more and more to do it. I did flub up once onstage during rehearsal on Saturday ... however, I was also called out for doing it right (and being one of the people that the sound guy LOVES for doing it right), "One gal is picking fruit ... AND SHE TURNS and delivers her lines."
I'll try not to let it go to my head. ^_^

My costume kept changing, too. At first, I had my dress and two headwraps. Then there was a belt and an outer robe added. Then a scarf added. Then they changed the robe and outer headwrap. And then they changed headwraps on me ... And the belt isn't the same as I started with. But I think we've got it now. I have the original (jade-colored) dress with a striped robe and matching sash. There's a peach headwrap and a grey wrap that I mostly wear as a cowl-type collar. And I keep my original head covering (which, due to it's softness and texture, I refer to as "my dishrag") as a "pocket," hanging off my sash.

I do have to laugh, though. The grey cowl was part of Trish's costume in Act One (which we performed together in back in December 2011). And SHE is wearing my overskirt from that act. We snicker about that when we're not referring to each other with our Ancient Israelite gangster names (ModgePodge, since I'm MOJ [Mary, Mother of James] in the script, and MagDog [for Mary Magdalene]). Good times.

Also, I tripped going up the stage steps before rehearsal started on Saturday morning. I almost didn't catch myself, so I was THISCLOSE to falling backwards down the stage, which would have hurt a megaton.

SO, getting back to talking about dress rehearsal, Michael and I were there at 8, to get our makeup started (and completed) with time to spare, since we both have character makeup -- He ends up looking like a mountain man, what with his beard and mustache and the CRAZY DARK eyebrows they draw on him.
I am aged to look at least ten years older ... Our makeup takes time to get done. And we're not the only ones getting this treatment.
Oh, and I'm in the first scene, so I HAVE to have mine done and get dressed in time ...

We had two makeup gals who didn't come -- well, one did, to tell the others that she won't be able to do it. She needs to take it easy on her knee ... and it wasn't working. The other couldn't get childcare ... So, we were down two makeup gals who help get everyone through the line. And we only had one gal (the main one) who is practiced at character makeup. So she's totally swamped ... and stressing about getting everyone else through and done.

She did confide in me later that she really would have been glad if the other two gals had called earlier so that she'd have a chance to find replacements ... And, I can't blame her. It would have been more responsible. I also know how it feels to be on the end of scrambling to get childcare at the last moment. It wasn't a good situation from any angle.

BUT! We were dressed and made up and ready for our cues. And, really, I think that it went pretty well.

In other happenings that went on last week, the kids (Bruise and Bucket) had their school music program. I went to the rehearsal for it and recorded it. Bruise was doing okay. Bucket, though, was hiding behind the girl next to her and not singing and ... well, she, my mom, and I had a talk about it. My mom (who, yes, spoils her grandkids a bit), promised them that if they did good things at the concert (e.g., sing well, do the hand motions, DON'T HIDE, etc.), she'd give them a nickel each time she caught them being good. BUT, if they were not doing what's right, they'd have to pay HER a penny for each time.

In short, they both got $5. So did Bubbles. AND, to top it off, they both were remarking on how it was really fun and NOT AT ALL SCARY.
SHOCKER!

I mean, it's not like I told them EXACTLY THAT OR ANYTHING.
(That sound you just heard? That was my eyes rolling so much that they FELL. OUT. OF. MY. HEAD. I think they're in the kitchen now. Hard to tell.)

But, thankfully, a family friend recorded that performance for us. And, Michael and I made it to rehearsal ... and Bruise and bucket had a lot of family show up to watch them -- Mutti, Bubbles, Mom and Dad C, Grandma C, and (Great-)Uncle D. So, it went really well. ... And, by that point, I was a bit less crazy-with-hormones-and-angry-bees-in-my-head. So between having the performance recorded, having a lot of family there to support them, and having gone to the rehearsal, I was feeling MUCH better. Phew!

Backstage, on the first dress rehearsal night (Tuesday), I became QUITE popular.
I'd like to say it's all due to my quick wit and myriad charms ... but that'd be a lie.
It's really due to the fact that I had make-up wipes and fashion tape (strong double-sided tape).
Yes, I do come prepared! And I am willing to share ... since that's part of being a theater-type person. Your costars are family. (I mean, heck, in high school, most of us were used to getting dressed all together in the costume room ... You saw EVERYONE in their skivvies. And it wasn't any kind of a big deal. ... Though, if you wore a thong, you'd get dressed with your back to a wall. Or, in my case, you'd wear boxers over.)

But the nice thing about this performance, since I now have a turban-type headwrap?
I don't really have to do my hair at all. WINNER!
(Though, I do pull it back into a low-key updo, so it's out of the way when someone helps to do my wrap.)

.....

I can't believe that March is already more than half-way over! With how busy we've been, the days are flying by.

There's a musical production that'll be done in July to celebrate 50 years of the Church in the Willamette Valley. Yeah ... no. We're not going to audition. We'll go see it, of course. But we NEED some time to decompress.

Five more days and I can make out with Michael again. And I can paint my fingernails and toenails any way I want. I can color my hair however I want.

I will say that, from watching so many make-up videos and reading so much online, I am pretty awesome at helping the guys to know how to take care of their skin. Most guys never think to moisturize. (Now I can only think "Moisturize me! Moisturize me!" 50 gold stars if you get the reference.) I've shared moisturizer and I do tell them that olive oil is thebombdotcom in a pinch.
Before Michael and I went to this last dress rehearsal, I had us both slap on some coconut oil before jumping into the shower ... and rubbing in some jojoba oil on top of that. With tea tree oil on any trouble spots. And that's when I'm not making us do an oil cleanse for the face (currently, I have grapeseed oil mixed with castor oil. Rub it in, steam your face [I use a hot, damp washcloth] and then scrub it off with the washcloth). Good times.
He's lucky I don't break out the mud masks ... which I might after all the performances are over. Theater makeup is THICK and rough on your complexion.

Oh, so last night, we were making some geeky jokes. It culminated with me coming into the bathroom and announcing that I was turning on the light in there (since it's dark, I give a warning ... and no, it was NOT "Brace yourself, the light switch is coming." ... Though I'll have to remember that one....)

Me: Okay ... LUMOS!!
Michael: You know that the mark of a great wizard is being able to do spells without speaking.
Me: Jealous, Muggle?
Michael: You are such a nerd.
Me: *laughs* Yes. You know it. ... We are so, so special. It's at times like this that I wish they did a show about us. ... Though I'd have to put on clothes more often. I couldn't just hang out in my underoos all the time.
Michael: I don't mind.

Like I said, we are special, special people.
Especially when we use geeky references with each other (Even though I haven't seen all that much Doctor Who, I can make a lot of references and recognize a lot of references. Same with Game of Thrones [Still need to read the books]. And a lot of movies that I haven't watched, but are referenced often in memes). Or when we give each other the Shawn/Gus fist-bump ... which is pretty dang often.

Yeah ... we're special people. Who just seem to be rather perfectly-matched.

(The other night, Michael came home ... after I was being all cranky and b-word-y ... and thanked me for being a good wife. And I was all, "Um, thanks ... I've been kind of a  jerk today. But I'm glad that you're happy." Yeah, our goal is to always be friends. And I think that we do a good job on that.  Even though, as I told him, I am not all that romantical or horny-as-crap ... but I'm glad that he puts up with me regardless. ^_^)

Oh ... I tried going shopping for jeans, since two of my favorite pairs ended up with holes in the inner thigh section. Ugh. ... Apparently a lot of stores don't cater to my size ... and, even when they do? Well, my shape is all wrong (thanks Bruise and Bucket! You stretched out my stomach enough that it's WEIRD!. Good thing I still love you!).

I tried on a pair of pants that promised "slimming and shaping."
Yeah, if the shape you're going for is camel toe.
Niiiiice.
NOT.

But, yeah. After three attempts where I ended up crying each time (I'm NOT going to cry right now. it's just that the inside of my nose went all prickly. Not going to cry), I ended up buying three t-shirts. At least they fit and look nice and are soft.

Ugh. Stupid body and stupid designers and stupid culture where it makes me feel like a giant land whale because I'm not a size 2 or 0 ... Ugh. Stupidstupidstupid.
And stupid hormones that make it HAAAAAARD for me to deal with the fact that maybe I should just go get a tummy tuck and lipo and staple my stomach closed since I like food a HELL of a lot more than I like exercise.

Oh!! Speaking of food!!!
(Yeah, nice segue there, right?)
BUT!!!! At Denny's they are having Baconalia ... Michael and I totally went.
He had the burger with bacon and pepperjack cheese and jalepenos. I had the caramel French Toast stuffed with white chocolate and bacon spread. I wasn't wild about the white chocolate. It was a little more like shortening than chocolate-y. But the bacon was EXCELLENT in cutting how DANG SWEET the French Toast was. It was really tasty.
AND!!
I also had the Maple Bacon Milkshake ... that was really, really good.
The first taste is all sweet, creamy maple ... then  you have the smoky, savory bacon taste.
And there are bits of bacon in there!
The bits are usually too big to pass through the straw, so at the end, I was spooning the remains of the shake into my mouth.

Michael: Is it good?
Me" *giddily* Ah haa a maafuu uh BAACAAA! ("I have a mouthful of BACON!")

And THIS is another reason why I'll never be a size 0 (or 2 or 4 or 6 ...)
Because how can I manage THAT when there is BACON in the world?

And cheesecake. Gotta remember cheesecake. And Cherry Coke. And Doritos. And pizza with spinach and mushrooms ... Oh, wondrous mushrooms!

I mean, look at Paula Deen ... She's not a stick figure. And she's HAPPY.
I'll just keep my blood sugar up. It's all good.
And I'll wear sweatpants or something, instead.
Yeah.
Maybe yoga pants ... if they have a pocket for my phone.
Yoga pants are a little classier, right? >.<