Summer!

Okay, so technically, we are six weeks into summer.  But we aren't counting these first five weeks as summer because the first three were spent preparing for the Cincy Fringe and the following two were spent performing at the Cincy Fringe (although, to be fair, we did get a good deal of vacationing done in those two weeks in Cincy).  Now we're back and rearing to go!

Some exciting things to start with:
- We got bikes!  This will help keep us healthy and our costs down!
- We'll be house-sitting a beautiful house that is basically out in the woods, so it'll be like we're camping with amenities!
- I've taken over cooking.  My favorite so far: Watermelon & Feta salad, a recipe from a book Ive been reading, Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist - a book I highly recommend.
- Our mint has somehow miraculously started regrowing from nothing and it has inspired me to start an herb garden.
As far as what we'll specifically be doing...


Ben is acting in the Indiana Festival Theatre's (IFT) productions of Much Ado About Nothing and The Matchmaker.  He has some pretty big roles, too!  For those of you who are familiar, he's playing Don Pedro and Cornelius respectively.  He's also chugging along at Performing Arts Abroad (PAA).  He's taking this time to take his mind off of Questions of the Heart for a bit, but once the shows open he'll be jumping right back in and workshopping it in preparation of the Indianapolis Fringe Festival in August.

I'm also working with IFT and currently building an awesome regency dress for Beatrice!  I will most definitely post pictures as that project develops.  I'm also working as an intern with a local textiles artist, Susie Seligman, and her company, Fiber Art Furnititure.  She has this amazing home that is sometimes open to the public during studio tours because it, in itself is a work of art and it features the work of several local artists. One of her many pursuits is painting custom fabric and then taking it, along with other pre-made specialty and high quality fabrics, and sells them at quilt and fabric shows around the country.  I've been making sewing samples for her to display at the shows to help people see what they can make.  We have some fun projects planned that I'm excited about.

Susie also teaches fabric painting and dying classes and I was able to help her last week, with the added benefit of getting to learn along the way and play during time when my help wasn't needed.

Finally, our dear friends, the Lyons, came over and taught us how to play croquet! Enjoy!