News Bits

 A few new things are coming into play this fall.  Let me tell you about them.

• Rodney has taken on a part-time teaching position at Red River College and is enjoying the challenge.  (The studio is now closed on Mondays and Fridays).

• We will no longer be offering 2-for-1 sessions on the last Tuesday of the month.

• The studio will be closed the week of Remembrance Day.

• Rodney is currently working on two art projects to be unveiled this winter.  Watch for times and dates!

What does it mean to be beautiful?

On Facebook today, Kim Malchuk (Manitoba best-selling author of Tasting Rain) asked the question, “What does it mean to be beautiful?”  Here are the thoughts she inspired in me:

I think there are many ways to describe what it means to be beautiful, but here's what I've been thinking about lately...

To be beautiful is to be a woman.
To be a woman is to be beautiful.

Yes, there are things that can mar or cover a woman's beauty: usually through the responses to a wounded heart--hardness instead of strength, weakness instead of tenderness.

I believe every woman has beauty at her very core.  She was designed to bring beauty to the world; to be beauty in her own unique way.

It may sound fluffy or shallow, but beauty is important.  Beauty is not a luxury.

Beauty is something we all hunger for at a very deep level:  to see it and create it.
Without beauty, we live a truly impoverished existence.

God realized as soon as he created Adam, that he would live an impoverished life without Eve.  So woman came to be.  Beauty embodied.

So to be beautiful, does not mean to put on something.  It means to be who we were created to be: beauty.

Beauty inspires us to live better.
Beauty invites us to linger in its presence.
Beauty tells us all is well and all shall be well.
Beauty nourishes us.
Beauty causes us to look to the one who created it...it transcends the everyday and draws our eyes heavenward.

**My thanks to Stasi and John Eldredge for their insights shared in "Captivating" and to Thomas Kinkade in "Lightposts for Living".

Sexy in the City - "Being Sexy" by Carolyne Braid

Sexy is not determined by your hip to waist ratio, length of your hair, or how long your legs are. Rather, just as the saying goes, “sexy is truly an inside job.” As owner of Pole Dancing Winnipeg, I’ve built a business around providing women with the opportunity explore being sexy, and over the past six years I have seen the spectrum from goddess to empty shell. Outward beauty is no indication of where a woman will fall on the “sexy continuum” - rather it is determined by how they perceive and feel about themselves.

Sexy is a combination of confidence and sensuality. It is the belief in one’s self coupled with the acknowledgement of being a woman. When these two forces - strength and beauty - are brought together, it is a powerful force which can inspire, empower, and change lives.

Some women don’t feel they have the right, don’t deserve to be, don’t believe they are, or have forgotten how to be sexy. I feel to be a true authentic woman, all aspects need to be explored and embraced. Living an incongruent life can leave women unfulfilled, unhappy, and quiet inside.

I first became involved with pole dancing after seeing it on Oprah. While working with the pole I found a home, a channel, a way to explore my sexy side. I knew I was a woman, but I was disjointed and unsure. Over time, and being open to what the pole allowed to emerge, I am now all woman – I walk sexy, I talk sexy, I am sexy. It is a feeling from within and needs no external confirmation. 

Sonya's note:  Congratulations to Carolyne on expanding your business to Brandon and being one of four PoleFit Canada certified businesses.

What's your definition of sexy and what makes you feel sexy?  You can read what I said on our facebook page.  But we'd really like to hear from you!  Everyone who comments on facebook, on our blog, or sends me an email (if you want to be more anonymous or have a very long answer) will be entered to win some fabulous prizes, including something from Pole Dancing Winnipeg!

Sexy in the City--coming to Winnipeg!

Just a quick announcement of what's ahead: next month we'll be talking about what "sexy" means to us and what makes us feel sexy. And you'll have the chance to do a very cool session in the heart of our city.  I hope you'll join our discussion on facebook or chime in with a comment here on the blog.  (You can also feel free to email me at sonya at evestudios.ca if you would like to remain anonymous or don't want to comment or facebook).  Everyone who submits something will be entered for a prize draw from some fabulous businesses.  Already have prizes confirmed from Pole Dancing Winnipeg!

We've been focusing on family relationships this summer and now just want to focus in on you as a woman. If you're coming to our blog for the first time and are looking for info on family ideas and portraits, just scroll down and you'll find it. The summer is going by fast, so be sure to book soon if you're thinking of it. Our studio number is 221-8413 and the best time to call is around noon. Or you can email sonya at evestudios.ca.  Please note we will be away for the first part of August.

Winnipeg Family Ideas -- Summer Yum!

With a few simple ingredients, you can enjoy some yummy summer goodness.

OJ frozen concentrate, milk, vanilla ice cream, vanilla, sugar, summer fruits, ice, popsicle molds

Orange Julius

2/3 cup frozen OJ concentrate
1 c. milk
1 1/2 c. water
1/2 c. sugar (can use less)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
10-12 ice cubes

Mix in blender and enjoy

Homemade Popsicles

1 cup OJ concentrate (slightly thawed works best)
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup chopped nectarines or peaches
1/2 cup chopped strawberries

Blend OJ and ice cream until smooth.  Fill popsicle molds half-way.  Drop in one set of fruit chunks.  Jiggle a bit to submerge.  Drop in other set of fruit.  Fill molds rest of the way and add handles.  Freeze.  (Amounts are approximate...adjust as needed).  Experiment with different fruits.

What are your favorite summer treats?

Winnipeg Family Ideas--from Tara Miller

Being professional photographers, we look for ways to spend family time in a way that reflects our passion.

When we are not shooting for a client we love the chance to jump in the car as a family with a few snacks and drinks and drive the Manitoba back roads to look for that special place to spend the time as a family photographing a secret garden or rolling valley.

Our 13 year old is happy when he can use all the modern ipad, ipod, and technical gadgets on the way. But when we arrive we might grab a local lunch or visit the farmers market for a fresh treat! Then all 3 of us with cameras in hand head out together to capture some images of the day. It's really exciting to me as a mom to see what my son finds interesting at this age to shoot.

I always get excited when he has the same interest in his photography. To keep one up on him, we make it as a fun competition to upload and view what adventures we shared in the day.

I keep in mind as a parent that encouragement and positive feedback goes a long way!

Sonya's note:  Tara is currently a finalist for CNIB's Eye Remember photo contest and you can see her photo/vote until June 30th. 

One family idea that I (Sonya) plan to implement this year is sketching excursions with my kids.  It's been a very long time since I've done that and I'd love to see what my kids come up with.  I'm planning to buy my supplies at http://www.cre8ivesupplies.com  It's a great new store in the exchange district here in Winnipeg (Adelaide and William).

Winnipeg Family Ideas--from Laura Finlayson

We met Laura Finlayson during one of our art projects.  She is the mother of two girls: a tween and a toddler.  She has graciously agreed to give us some of her ideas for family time.

I'm Laura Finlayson from Nest Executive Home and Lifestyle Management.  "Work. Life. Balance Both." is the motto for my business.

Great outings  

 We like to go to the St. Norbert Farmer's Market, take hikes at Bird's Hill Park and have a picnic or walk to our local park.  The Mennonite Heritage Village is also a great outing, although not free.  

Activities at home 

• picnics in the back yard
• family movie night
• family games night
• a fire with marshmallows in our back yard
• scrapbooking

Family rituals  

We don't answer the phone during dinnertime, and that's a strict rule in our house.  We also pretty much ALWAYS eat dinner together with no TV on!  We let our 12-year-old choose what's for supper once per week, and we allow her to sit in the living room and have dinner watching TV once per week. 

Best ever vacations   

A trip to Salt Spring Island, B.C. 

Sonya's note:  Laura also had some great conversation starters.  You can find them on our Eve Studios facebook page.

Winnipeg Family Ideas--from Kelly Dvorak

Kelly Dvorak is a marriage and family counselor from Pregnancy and Family Support Services on Spence Street.  This is what she wrote:

We have some good ideas for memory making ... although our kids are presently at a stage where getting them to spend family time is like pulling teeth...we still think family fun is possible with teens!

We like to go on family walks in local parks, especially when getting ice cream is part of the equation. Assiniboine Park + DQ on Portage Ave. is a favorite combination.

Rituals ... well, we have some family things we do together...  We make ribs for supper  whenever we're celebrating something.  We buy A & W Bacon Egger sandwiches for breakfast on the day of everyone's birthday, and on the way out of town for a road trip.  We do hand or foot massages when we're sitting around on the couch.  (that is a great way to get kids into a talking mood, by the way!) We have sitcoms that we buy by the season, then we watch it when it fits our schedule.  (We watched all 6 seasons of Reba last year! This year we're working on Corner Gas.)  On birthdays, we say what we appreciate about each other.  On Mother's Day, we do crazy things like review our family mission statement... I take full advantage of 'my' day to do things that would not happen on any other day!

We've only taken one big family vacation, it was to San Francisco last summer.  We highly, highly recommend that as a destination for a family, especially if the kids are a bit older.  The public transport is terrific, there are good deals for accommodations to be had, and Westjet has frequent seat sales there (although you may have to fly out of another city, we flew from Calgary).  

Thanks for a chance to write about us and remind myself that we are indeed a fun family!"

Sonya's note:  if you'd like to learn more about creating a family mission statement, read "7 Habits of Highly Effective Families" by Stephen Covey.

Winnipeg Family Ideas--from Stephanie Staples

 I asked Stephanie Staples from "Your Life Unlimited" to share a few of her family time ideas.  Her kids are 17, 19, and 21.  Some of her answers are here and some will be popping up on our facebook page  in the next couple of weeks.  One of my favorites is what they do at the dinner table to get conversation going and create positive attitudes.

• great outings   -  anything one on one (sometimes we try so hard to do everything as a family we forget the power of 1:1 interactions/experiences)  
• activities at home  - homemade playdough - never too old for that warm dough! 
• family rituals  - Manitoba Marathon - any length 
• best ever vacations  - camping, camping, camping 

 You can listen to Stephanie's radio show on CJOB from 8-9 on Fridays when there are no sporting events competing for air time.  She will be discussing the topic of family time this Friday and has asked us to be her guests!   Maybe she'll expand on some of her ideas...like her playdough recipe!

Winnipeg Family Ideas - Box of Summer Fun

Thanks to Heidi Reimer-Epp from Botanical Paperworks for giving us some creative ideas for summer fun:

An annual tradition in our family is the Box Of Summer Fun. I have two MacBook laptop boxes (the original packaging for the computers) that are constructed like little briefcases. Every June, I stock the two boxes with supplies for summer fun. The boxes always include a new package of markers, scissors, stickers, pad of paper and glue. I also have included word searches, coloring books, bubble soap or a journal. I mix it up each year and as my girls get older, I customize the items to fit their age and interests.

The girls know that I'm getting it ready but they aren't allowed to open them until July 1! They love the anticipation and surprise, and I love how the Box of Summer Fun gives them something to do over the summer, whether they are traveling in the car, at home or at the cottage. If they come to me saying "I'm bored", I suggest they get out their Box Of Summer Fun and they're able to entertain themselves.

A new thing that we've done this year is to print this graphic of 101 Fun Summer Things for the Kids and frame it in a simple black frame from Michael's. It's sitting on our kitchen counter and we're already choosing which fun things we want to tackle first.

Anyone else have boredom busters to share?  Feel free to comment or send me an email at sonya @ evestudios dot ca.