I came across an article after Halloween this weekend on a Mommy blogger site that I am a part of the "Yummy Mummy Club". They had some great tips for all of that candy that most kids never end up eating. Or, that we don't want the kids to eat. :)

If your house is anything like my household, if it didn't get eaten by the kids...it was eaten by my husband and myself. After eating way too much, in order to no longer have to worry about temptation I would just throw it all out.

What I have done with the chocolate...because I know how hard it is to throw chocolate away. I would toss it in a ziploc bag and throw it in the freezer. Then either take it out when I remembered it was there for a little treat or the treats like smarties and M&M's were baked into cookies instead of chocolate chips.

For more great ideas on what to do with all those treats visit the following link:

Yummy Mummy Club

It is that time of year again where our days are slowly getting shorter....Make sure to turn your clocks back before you go to bed tonight as Daylight Savings Time Ends.

On the bright side we hope you get to enjoy an extra hour of sleep.

In the Spirit of Halloween I wanted to share a house you have to visit this week before Halloween is over and they start to tear down their decorations. I was out with clients and came across this house that is done up complete with Pirate Ship, skeletons, tavern, even the owner all dressed up as a Pirate and so much more. I was so fascinated I dragged my husband out to see it too. Sounds like they did something similar last year on a much smaller scale, but had so much fun and such a great reponse they decided to do it again. They started work on this back in May and are really happy with the finished product. The couple seem to really enjoy sharing this with everyone.

But even better in sharing their fun with the community they are looking to raise funds for a cause close to our hearts - Canuck Place Children's Hospice. Thus calling this project Pirates for Canuck Place If you are interested in supporting them but not able to make it. To donate you can visit their facebook page in the following link:

Pirates for Canuck Place

But if you can make it out be sure to go and see their display Located at the corner of 84th avenue and 209a Street in Langley.

It's that time of year again and hopefully the weather can hold off so that all the little kids can get out and enjoy Halloween. 

This Saturday October 25th is the annual Cloverdale Halloween Costume Parade and Pumpkin Power. The festivities start at noon and run until 3pm. At 2:00pm they do a big group photo of all the kiddies in front of the Surrey Museum and Plaza. Then they group off and head to various areas of the downtown Cloverdale core lead by volunteers. A large majority of the local Cloverdale vendors participate and hand out treats for the Cloverdale Halloween Costume Parade.

Every year the Bettina Reid Group tries to help out if we can and represent our local HomeLife office. This year you can come out and see us handing out candy in the square next to Malary's Fashions on 176th St. The Cloverdale Halloween Costume Parade is always a lot of fun getting to see the cute costumes the kids dress up in....or that their parents have subjected them to. :)

Check out this quick clip of the cutest costume and its so easy to make: LED stick-man costume

We look forward to seeing you there!

Having grown up in a poor family, there were many times where my family had to lean on our local food bank in order to eat. So, I can appreciate the need to donate to the food banks in your community year round and challenge everyone if they can... to do so.

But I never really thought about donating some of the things that I read about in an article that was originally posted back in December likely for the holiday food drives and then recently reposted on facebook. Whenever I shop for our Office Christmas Families I always think of just about everything one would need...but I realize I have forgotten some of the little things that I read about in this article.

The article mentions that Food Banks rarely request some of these items because items like Peanut butter, baby food, cereal,and canned goods are usually the most needed items...But that doesn't mean they don't need other items.

Some great items in the list were feminine products, toiletries, more importantly baby toiletries, crackers and spices. I don't think I have ever donated spices....but what a great and inexpensive item to donate. Something I will consider when putting together Christmas Hampres this year. 

To read the article click on the following link:

10 Things Food Banks Need But Won't Ask For

Food Banks need our donations year round, not just during the holidays. To donate to your local Food Bank visit the following links:

Surrey  serving Surrey, Cloverdale and North Delta

South Surrey/White Rock

Langley

Greater Vancouver serving many communities

It's that time of year again, summer is over and now that fall is here the weather is starting to change. It won't be long before the days are cool enough to need to start up the furnace for the 1st time in months. Which makes it a perfect time to be sure that it will actually start up by getting it cleaned. While you are getting your furnace cleaned it might be a good idea to have your gutters and roof cleaned too before the rain begins. 

Bob Vila offers some great Fall maintenance tips to ensure your home stays in tip top shape.  Visit the following link to see what great advice he offers:

Home Maintenance Tips

I mentioned before having guest bloggers from a variety of different places. Well this one below is from one of our local favourite family shops - "All of Oils" written by owners Glenn and Kim. I never make it out of their shop without spending at least $50 but more like a $100. Just picked up my eldest daughter's favourite to take back to Med school with her...Butter Olive Oil. If you haven't tried it yet you must visit one of "All of Oils" 2 locations here in South Surrey or their new one in Langley. Be sure to click the link for one of their cooking videos, the quinoa salad looks delicious! For more information visit their website: All of Oils

If you are a Vancity Member then you won't want to miss out on Vancity Member Day at the PNE tomorrow - Wednesday August 27th. But even if you are not a Vancity member, but you want to go with a friend or family member who is...Vancity members and a guest can get in for $5 each on Vancity Member Day.

To get your discounted admission all you need to do is show your Vancity debit or credit card at the gate. Gate opens at 11:00am.

Why not take part in a socially responsible day where Vancity is a part of a Zero Waste event where 75 recycling stations will be added throughout the park. Vancity has been sponsoring the PNE since 2007 and they continue to find ways to help reduce the PNE's carbon footprint. 

Some of the many great reasons to be a Vancity Member... :) We are proud to be!

When we come across a business we are impressed with we want to highly recommend it. 

We have hired a couple different gas fireplace service companies over the years. Just the fact that there have been more than one tells you that we weren't overly impressed with any of them. Earlier this year we were referred to a company that came highly recommended - Bravo Gas Fireplace Service. With the hot weather there was no way we would have even the pilot light on, because it gave off too much heat. But the fall is also not the time to hire them to come in as they tend to get really busy. We originally sought out the referral because our fireplace wouldn't stay on. 

I called this morning looking to see when I could get someone in to clean and fix my fireplace. Bravo Gas Fireplace Service licensed Gas Fitter Fredy Cordova fit us in this afternoon and not only did he fix and clean out our firepalce better than any of the others, he did it quickly, friendly and efficiently. Having been referred to me, I highly recommend and would happily refer Bravo Gas Fireplace Service to anyone looking to get their fireplace serviced and ready for the cooler weather this fall and winter.

Contact: Fredy Cordova 
Bravo Gas Fireplace Service
4825 - 201St, Langley BC V3A 5V6
Tel: 604-533-4149
Cell: 604-721-4141
bravofireplaces@hotmail.com

If you are looking for something fun to do with the kids this weekend, check out Cloverdale's 11th Annual Blueberry Festival on Saturday August 16th, 2014. It is Cloverdale's largest event of the year. We're expecting amazing weather once again for the 11th Annual Cloverdale Blueberry Festival. The event is spread throughout the downtown core of Cloverdale. From blueberry pie eating contests, to amusement rides and of course the 6th annual Surrey Show and Shine and so much more. A little something for everyone in the family.

Don't miss out on a great way to enjoy the sunshine with the family by coming out and experiencing all that the 11th Annual Cloverdale Blueberry Festival has to offer.

To ckeck out the different events locations and times visit the following link:

11th Annual Cloverdale Blueberry Festival 

This year has been by far the best summer we have had since moving here from Ontario. Although its been hot, the nights cool down quite nicely for sleeping so managing the heat during the day without air conditioning like we were used to back East hasn't been too hard.

One of the ways to enjoy this weather is to head down to the beach in White Rock and this weekend if you do you will get a chance to enjoy the White Rock Sea Festival which has been around for 65 years now. The White Rock Sea Festival promises to be fun for the whole family starting on Friday August 1st and running until Sunday August 3rd.

The White Rock Sea Festival has live entertainment, vendors, a torchlight parade as well as the 3rd annual Semiahmoo SUP (Stand up Paddle) Classic, Sand Golf and even a Children's Sand Castle competition, there's plenty to see and do at the Festival so why not make a trip down to White Rock Beach this weekend and enjoy this beautiful weather and all that the Festival has to offer. 

When you make or receive an offer to buy a property, it's important that you read and understand every clause. It is especially important to understand any conditions or any changes that are made to the standard offer.

An offer may contain several types of conditions. The most common are "subject to financing" and "subject to a professional home inspection." However, there may be other conditions as well.

You should be aware of – and fully understand – all of them.

In addition, the wording of an offer may change during the back and forth negotiations that often happen. Aside from changes to the price, other clauses may be added, removed or reworded as well.

A good agent will always ask you to initial changes. This is done primarily to ensure you know and approve of what you're signing.

A recent newspaper article tells the story of a buyer-seller legal dispute that resulted in a six-figure judgement against the seller. This was due, in part, to a lack of understanding of one of the clauses in the agreement.

You don't want that to happen to you. Take the time to carefully review and understand an offer.

Want to make sure everything goes smoothly with your next move? Give The Bettina Reid Group a call today.