$30 Gift Card Winner!

Congratulations to Kathy of Nova Scotia, Canada- winner of the $30 Chapters Gift Card!

Big thanks as well to Kristi at Visible Voice for hosting this giveaway!

I want to meet Oprah!! With a Giveaway!!!

Hey hey friends!!!! I have written to the producers for Ms. Oprah to see if she will meet with me. What I have done is I have proposed an interview with Oprah- but that I get to be the interviewer on behalf of viewers. Now it's your turn- WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW? I want your help! I want to know what you want to know!!

CTV has now interviewed me and I'll be featured on the news tonight at 6:00pm EST. So watch for me.



As you all know Kristi at Visible Voice is hosting a giveaway.

A $30.00 gift card for Chapters!!!


So head over to Kristi's blog Visible Voice (click here) for contest rules. (This is a MUST so you know how to enter properly) This giveaway has been extended until midnight so you still have time!

Share! Share! Share! Vote Melissa to meet Oprah!

So here are some starter questions or potential discussion topics:

• what is your best childhood memory?
• what experience in life has served to educate you the most?
• of all the people you've interviewed, who is the first one that comes to mind when I ask t his question?
• do you keep in regular contact with your family?
• do you ever go to visit your hometown?
• what price have you paid for giving up anonymity for a public life?
• reflectively, do you feel it has been worth it?
• do you enjoy your work?
• how many viewer letters do you personally read?
• when you leave this world how do you want your story to be told?
• how do you meet your make-up artist?

Deep and meaningful or shallow and interesting- what would be a good interview question?

{PS-If you've already commented you'll see that I've put your comments into this post so to make it easier to pick a WINNER!}

I Want to Meet Oprah

Okay-so I sent the letter- and I've told my friends- and apparently the "secret" is working- because I have an interview with CTV tomorrow evening.

But before my interview- I'd REALLY like your help. I know you're reading- because you're telling me- but I need your feedback... so I have something to talk about during the interview.

Say the Oprah show calls tomorrow (for fun- lets just say that)- I need some support. Skip the Christmas card and send me a "question for Oprah".

Tamara and the nice firemen who let me take their picture are getting the biggest shout out- for speedy response, but maybe I'll throw in a chocolate bar for the best question asked- come on a little sugary something-something. Maybe I'll make this a "contest" or a giveaway... : )

So here are some starter questions or potential discussion topics:

• what is your best childhood memory?
• what experience in life has served to educate you the most?
• of all the people you've interviewed, who is the first one that comes to mind when I ask t his question?
• do you keep in regular contact with your family?
• do you ever go to visit your hometown?
• what price have you paid for giving up anonymity for a public life?
• reflectively, do you feel it has been worth it?
• do you enjoy your work?
• how many viewer letters do you personally read?
• when you leave this world how do you want your story to be told?
• how do you meet your make-up artist?

Deep and meaningful or shallow and interesting- what would be a good interview question?

* Photo 

Our Life- as a joke

So going along with the theme, "better laugh then cry"... ha ha hardy-har-ha ha! The following:

I found a SMOKIN' deal on a sound system in the Canadian Tire flyer. My husband calls 2 stores and when he locates one he leaves the house immediately to pick it up.

3 HOURS later he returns.

"Where were you?" I say

"LOCKED IN CANADIAN TIRE!" he responds.

Turns out the store that says they have the sound system... doesn't. He travels to two more stores before he finds one. At the last store- a smile comes across his face as he kneels down to pick up THE LAST sound system. His hands hit the box and "whoosh" the lights die and the power goes out for the ENTIRE STORE.

Security shuts down the building and everyone has to stay inside until the power comes back on. As time ticks on- with no end to the power outage insight- the store allows people to leave or make cash purchases using their back-up systems. My husband has no cash- and no reasoning or begging would have a Canadian Tire employee put that thing on hold. So he decides he will run to a nearby ATM and get out cash (leaving the sound system in the trusted hands of our accompanying brother-in-law) and then slip it through the sliding doors to Jake upon his return.

Now armed with a wad of cash my husband returns to the store to "pass the cash" and get the "deal done". My brother-in-law is the last one in the line-up. He goes to ring the thing through... and the back-up power fails.

After 3 hours my husband comes home empty-handed!

Dear OPRAH

Alrighty boys and girls, ladies and tomaties- today I'm going to write Ms. Oprah and see if she will meet with me. Ha ha ha! You never know- my friend told me once that if you "put yourself out there" someone will hear you and things will start happening. It's the "secret".

So I am going to propose an interview with Oprah- but that I get to be the interviewer on behalf of viewers. Now it's your turn- WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?

Share! Share! Share! Vote Melissa to meet Oprah! Letter going in right now!

Fire, fire, fire by the Poet who didn't know it

No I'm not a liar, liar, liar,

nor are my pants on fire,

but as I post on my blog

news comes via doorbell wire

neighbour says, "fire in the chimney"

oh my, my, yes I do see

phone 911

exit children and family

and that is where I'm going to stop the poem- because it starts gettin' a little dorky.

So yeah- I'm finishing up my last blog post. Click publish. Doorbell rings. It's Dave, the neighbour, telling us we have a flu fire. I tell my husband and then go google what to do- from what I read it sounds kind of like I shouldn't be googling, but rather phoning the fire department.

As I'm on the phone with 911 (for the second time in a month- not including the impaired driver call- for which call I didn't place myself)- they ask me if I can see flames. I go outside- expecting to see a glowing orange chimney. At first I can't see anything- and then I see flames and big ashes. Ohh I says to myself: "oh self that's not good"- and to the operator I say- "yes I can see flames". I'm instructed to get everyone out of the house- 2 sleeping children, a baby, a few relatives, my husband and myself. Most of us go to the neighbours while my husband and brother-in-law wait for the fire trucks.

I don't really know the neighbours- but they are nice and they have a 2 year-old grandson and renovations going on in their house- all of which is entertaining for my wee ones. The fire trucks come. I tell the 2 year old - grandson that we ordered them special for him. He doesn't believe me but likes them anyway. I worry that the caramel corn and brownies I was making are going to get smokey- funny worry when your house is in "perril". (Maybe I really didn't think it was in perril).

Anyways it's taking forever so I go over to our house. Turns out it's a pretty bad chimney fire and we're still not allowed back in. They have to take out the wood stove and cut away part of our ceiling. They ask real nice about the ceiling thing. (As if there is any option and that arguing with them in the matter would make any sense). I'm actually kind of happy- the renovations are just starting in that room and we were going to rip it down eventually anyways. Maybe if they could take it with them when they go too... hmm that would be good. (Oh yeah- did I mention we just moved in a couple weeks ago?)

They only take down a chunk. I ask if I can take their picture- I've got a blog and I'm determined to meet Oprah- maybe somehow this will help. Maybe they'll be famous after this. Maybe. My husband reminds me that my time is ticking to get on the Oprah show. I know. I'm a little discouraged- but I'm not suppose to admit that.

Anyways I take their picture... as you can see. Turns out we have a funky chimney- with a weird 45 degree angle in it- where things kept getting trapped- and today decided to ignite. Took them quite awhile to get it out... and long story short we can no longer use our woodstove unless we want frequent, friendly, firefighting faces (and fires in the chimney) visiting. Well we were planning on (someday) replacing that... perhaps sooner then later- since we just finished stacking our order of wood yesterday!

I haven't joined up but I am MADD

Yesterday while driving in my neighbourhood school-zone with my two year old, a mini-van came careening down a hill perpendicular to the street I was driving on. It was too late by the time I saw him coming to do anything but brake and honk. The lady in front of me stepped on the gas. I stepped on the brakes. The impaired driver took the corner unto the street I was driving on (at about 70-100km/hour) veering between the lady in front of me and myself- missing my vehicle by literal inches, hoping the curb, onto the sidewalk and over three lawns, past about half dozen school kids, before momentarily stopping and then fleeing the scene.

The police were called. I don't know if the guy was caught. I hope he was. I kept thinking- wow that was scarey. Wow I'm so lucky. Wow HE is so lucky. HE is so fortunate he didn't hurt or kill anyone- himself aside. HE is so lucky- lucky enough that he should stop before his luck runs out.

Folks don't drink and drive! Don't do drugs and drive! DON'T DO IT! No excuses- zippo! DON'T get behind the wheel impaired!