Am I a Nut?

This is our Sixth year being part in a local production of The Nutcracker. The last few weeks have been totally hectic and it all is a blur.

As if I wasn't busy enough with my little doll business, here I am rushing to rehearsal after rehearsal. Next come the performances - 3 in a row. Today is our last show. I am exhausted. And so is my child.

Before Make-up

Why do we do this? Because after it's all done we know that we brought lots of joy to people who may wonder where the snow is and if Christmas is really coming. It's been much too warm for the season. The party scene with Christmas tree, dancing Christmas presents, the make-believe snow on stage get us in the mindset for the Holiday.

After Make-up

My daughter was cast as a clown and mouse. This year was her first year as a mouse. It's hard to change from one full face make-up to another one. Luckily I have been a make-up mom in training for many years. I know how to draw each line by heart. I know the contour of the sweet little faces I work on. I can do it on the fly without panicking. Ah, and even if there is a little smudge. We can fix it right up. No sad clowns around here!

For the love of the Arts we do it each year. We are all nutty about The Nutcracker and our 100+ darling dancers who work so hard to make this show the best in Northern Colorado. Go break a leg - one more time this afternoon!

Last Night at The 2011 Nutcracker

Everybody was so excited for the first performance of this year's Colorado Dance Theatre Nutcracker edition...

Featuring over a hundred local kids. Unfortunatly I didn't get too many good shots of the many different character's. Since I signed up to help with make-up I got only two photos for you.

Junior CandyCane

A very excited Clown

I apologize for abandoning my blog this time of year. When I am not shipping orders you can find me painting clown faces this week. I wish there were more hours in the day. But isn't that how we all feel this time of year. Hope you are having as much fun as I do this season!

Of Unsung Heroes...

Sorry for not being around much lately! It's the time of year when all of us can hardly get a breather. Who has the time to write and read blogs anyways? Between making and shipping last orders for my doll shop, I had to run my daughter to The Nutcracker dress rehearsals and performances.

I am exhausted. The late nights have taken a toll on the whole family. We are all kind of grumpy around here... Well, we did it again: We survived another Nutcracker! By "we" I mean us moms. We are kind of the unsung heroes of that show. I'm not certain how many hours of woman power go into driving the kids around, waiting for them at practice, shopping for beauty supplies and those pesky pink tights that always appear to get holes at the most inconvenient time, braiding hair, doing the job of a professional make-up artists, providing drinks, snacks, and wholesome meals on the run, keeping the little divas entertained and in line while waiting to go on stage...

Each year the questions pertains: How and why do we do this?

Why?

Because it's so amazing when we get to see our kids' happy glowing faces before they go on stage each night. Because we love to soak in the sparkling beauty of the over 100 dancers from our community in their bright colored costumes. Because we feel that maybe part of that applause we can hear, back behind the scenes, is meant for us. Because, despite the unseasonable warm weather and the missing snow, we feel like Christmas is finally here!