Manitoban famous athletes

I just received 2 entries for famous Manitobans... Jonathan Toews and John Montgomery. Excellent choices!

I checked out Jonathan Toews on wikipedia and his hockey career is most impressive. I'd love to see what bit of advice he has for an 8 year old.

Jon Montgomery is of course the Manitoban skeleton racer winning gold at the 2010 Olympics. A hard-core Canadian for sure.

Send me more....

Famous Manitobans!

Well, I have sent out my first 2 queries to the top 2 mayoral candidates. I am very hopeful that they will consider this a positive, lighthearted challenge to come up with a great quote. I have received a "we got your message" reply from the Wasylycia-Leis team saying they have sent the message to her, so that sounds positive.

I have also received a few suggestions of famous Manitobans to try. Among them are Lynn Johnston the cartoonist (For Better or Worse) but it turns out she is from BC and then Ontario, so not a Manitoban. I've also decided to contact Theresa Oswald the Minister of Health because she is brilliant and wonderful, and Heather Bishop, the singer/songwriter and fabulous Manitoba artist.

I can't wait to hear all of your suggestions. Don't be shy! I want your vote for a famous Manitoban. It doesn't have to be all dignified and wonderful. I'm talking famous, not favourite. Perhaps someone who is infamous would contribute a very compelling quote.

Inspiration

I've been thinking again about that fun idea of accumulating advice for an 8 year old kid. I truly believe people should follow their dreams and live the life they've imagined and I think it would be fun to gather ideas and share them with my son. I gathered quotes from neighbors on my street and got a few good ones. And then I put it out to my friends and family and got a few more. But I'm just not satisfied. Maybe it's too personal for everyone. Maybe these people are feeling too known to me. I've surprised them into silence with my unusual request. Now is the time to go out on a limb and hit the people who have a voice in the community. So, here it is folks...I am now collecting quotes from famous Manitobans on "Advice For an 8 Year Old Kid."

So drop me a comment! I would love to know who is your favorite Manitoban. I have friends in the arts, in music, in education, in politics and more. So please let me know who you'd love to hear a quote from and I'll do my best to track them down and see what they have to say.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Stuff my son says!

I always think I'm so young until my son reminds me otherwise. Today Gavin called his friend but had to leave a message. He told us his friend said he would be home. My husband said, "maybe he's playing outside and they can't hear the phone." Gavin said, "why don't they have the phone with them?" My husband said, "maybe they don't have a portable phone." My son said, "you mean they have the phone with the numbers and the circles that you spin around?" We laughed and explained that it probably wasn't a rotary phone, but that phones used to be attached to the walls and you couldn't walk around with them. He said, "you mean you just stood there?" He thought that was so funny.

Whoa, its been a while!

Once in a while you come across a person who just does what they love and does it well. Today I saw a hip young singer and pianist perform. Her name is Amber Epp. I only caught a few songs, but she was fabulous. Her voice was sweet and smoky and she really had a fresh new sound swinging from jazz to latin with ease. She has the attitude, the talent and and the happy demeanor that audiences love. If you love jazz, or even if you don't, you should check her out at the Park Theatre in Winnipeg on Oct. 24th. To find out more about Amber Epp check her out online.

'Tis the season for Quilting!

Acck! Summer is over and its back to school time, but as the leaves fly and winter slowly settles in, there is a warm feeling in a quilter's heart. Quilting season is upon us. Although I've really branched out into the world of fibre art, I still consider myself a quilter at heart. Here's one of my latest creations.
This Damsel Fly is machine quilted over paint and foil. I loved the idea of the detailed wings and body against the out of focus background. It took me months to find the right background fabric, but it worked out perfectly. It is inspired by a beautiful photograph that I found online titled: Male Northern damselfly Coenagrion hastulatum © D.Goddard

Back in action

I finally have a chance to start blogging again. Summer can get so crazy. Lately, if I've had some extra time, I've been cleaning or organizing for a quiet weekend away with the family. I've been stuck at home (a bit under the weather) so I have done a bit of writing and, of course, played with some fibre arts techniques. I made this floral piece for a good friend's birthday. I tried to follow a store bought pattern, but the leaves and stems were so awkward and contrived looking that I did my own thing. She's just one of those really good people, so she deserved it. She always tells me that if someone dishes you out some SH*%! you just pretend its fluff on the end of your fingers and blow it right back in their face. Ha ha ha! Gotta love her because she is right.