Today is Pink Shirt Day in support of efforts to Stop Bullying of all kinds. Whether it be in the workplace, schools, home or on the internet. By wearing something pink you are supporting the efforts to STOP bullying of any kind.

As social media continues to expand and become a part of our daily lives, so does bullying...unfortunately. Many of us grew up in a time where it was ignored or brushed off as being no big deal. We were taught - "Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me." I was never a big fan of that saying, names do hurt...no matter how much you try to tell someone not to let them. Today it is so much worse than it ever was back when I was a child. Because there is no safe place for people to get away from the bullying. It enters the privacy of your home, whether you like it or not the minute you open up your computer or phone. You can't get away from it! The only way to try and make it stop is to keep putting emphasis on days like today but to be conscious of it everyday!

In Richmond a few years ago on Feb.26th 2012, 500 students took part in a flash mob at the Aberdeen Centre. It brought tears to my eyes back then and it brought tears to me eyes once again as I watched the video that has now had over 131,000 views. I know I'm sappy but it was great to see kids of all ages taking part to help stomp out bullying. I wonder where those kids are today. Take a peak at their youtube video:

http://youtu.be/oJ1A_IBi01E

For more information here's a website set up for the day to share your pictures and thoughts. We'd love to hear from you too!

http://www.pinkshirtday.ca/

Support anti-bullying by wearing PINK! Let's help those without a voice be heard! Let's show them we care!

Today was a beautiful day in the lower mainland. The sun was shining bright bringing a little warmth to the cold winter air that we have been having. It was the prefect day to take my grandmother out for a walk to grab a bite to eat at her favourite deli around the corner.

Ozzie’s Deli and Meats ….its an unassuming little place. The kind of deli that is quintessential for a small town like Tsawwassen. You wouldn’t think much of it from the outside. But inside, it is the heart of the community and you can feel it beat every time you walk in the door. 

Every time we go for lunch, there are so many regulars like my grandmother, that many people greet each other like old friends. Today my grandmother told me a story about a local woman she knew that now lives in Australia, she ran into her one day where she had literally just returned home for a visit and the first place she wanted to go was to Ozzie’s Deli and Meats.

Ozzie’s has been around for a few decades and the present owner Anya took it over close to 20 years ago. I have no idea what it was like originally, but Anya and her staff have impressed me time and time again with their warmth and compassion. They not only dote on my grandmother but many of their regulars. You can tell each one of their customers holds a special place in their hearts. So much so, my grandmother wasn’t doing well last fall and hadn’t been in for lunch in months. When we finally made it in for lunch they brought tears to my eyes when they shared how concerned they were and so happy to see she had come in. Greeting her with hugs all around.

Ozzie’s serves deli sandwiches, salads, homemade soups, shepherds pie, schnitzel, burgers and so much more, not to mention fresh baked cookies for dessert. 

It is not just a local place to grab a bite to eat. It is a local place to meet and greet.

Next time you are in Tsawwassen stop by for lunch but be sure to bring cash as they are old school restaurant with no debit or credit cards. 

1557 56 Street, Tsawwassen

(604) 943-7511 

Bettina

Relocating to a Different Town or City

Moving around the corner or even across town is relatively simple because you are likely familiar with the various neighbourhoods and you can access them anytime. If there's a listed home you want to view, you can simply go see it.

Relocating to a different town or city, however, is much more challenging. It may not be possible for you to make multiple visits to see homes for sale. You may also be unfamiliar with the various neighbourhoods.

So what do you do if you want to move out-of-town or need to relocate due to work?

Your first step is to get the information you need. You'll want up-to-date data on the neighbourhoods so you can pinpoint the ones that are the best fit for your needs and lifestyle. You'll also want to get a sense of the types of homes for sale in those neighbourhoods — style, size, features, listing price, etc.

Your next step is to schedule a day to view homes. This visit must be carefully planned so you only see those properties that are likely to be of interest. You don’t want to travel all that way only to end up seeing properties you wouldn't likely buy. What a waste of time!

So, if you’re relocating, you’ll need help. Give us a call. We can help make the relocation go smoothly for you.

Today's blog will be short and sweet!

We hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day, give your special someone a Kiss and a Hug and cherish every moment as though it is your last. That's what memories are made of. We hope you find love erveyday not just on Valentine's Day!

As I have mentioned before I do like to promote local businesses in the Fraser Valley. So I want to use today's blog to promote my Aunt and Uncle's hockey program - Pacific Titans Athletic Program. 

They have helped many kids from pre-school to adult by training and helping them to develop not just hockey skills but life skills too. They are very well respected within the community, I am proud to promote their business. 

Craig Sherbaty (proud to call him my Uncle) is the Director of Player Development for the Pacific Titans Athletic Program Program. He has been coaching for 27 years. Some of his many accomplishments and endeavours include: working with BC Hockey and Hockey Canada, to running his own successful hockey player and coach development programs throughout the lower mainland, including international players. Presently he is the lead instructor for Lord Tweedsmuir's High School hockey academy and has been since 2005. The Coach Mentorship Coordinator for BC Hockey, and Director of Hockey for North Delta Minor Hockey.    Sandra Sherbaty is the Administrator, Fitness and Nutrition Coach for the Pacific Titans Athletic Program Program. She has been training the fitness Beginner to Pro athletes for 18 years.   Something that means a lot to them is their community and in 2009 they partnered with Surrey Schools Community Partnership after school programs offering floor hockey skill development, nutrition and cooking skills. Just recently Sandra has partnered with the YMCA Surrey Schools Community Partnership after school programs. 
YMCA Surrey Schools Community Partnership Sticks and Stars
YMCA Surrey Schools Community Partnership Clubhouse 36

As we are a team that loves to give back to our community, I am proud of the work that they do and how they continue to give back to their community.  To see more of their impressive resumes and that of the rest of their staff, as well as learn how your child can have an opportunity to learn from phenomenal coaching visit their Pacific Titans Athletic Program website at the following link:

Pacific Titans Athletic Program

If you or your child has had the opportunity to train with Craig, Sandra and or their staff, we would love for you to share with us and our readers!

Driving home the other day i heard about BC Hydro's study when it comes to heating the home. It looks like "4 out of 10" couples tend to argue over the temperature in the home. But 5% of those 4 describe it as an "all out thermostat war".

Well funny enough this is definitely true in our household. My eldest and I love to sleep in a cooler room...not my husband he likes the house to be an insulated oven 24/7. Not even a month ago we had a very heated argument about how cold he thought the house was...so much so we went out and purchased a thermometer as we have electric heat with no gauge on how hot or cold the house actually is. He insists that room temperature should be 21/22 degrees so when we set up the thermostat and proved that in general our house sits at 21 degrees celsius and when we do laundry or cook it gets even hotter. Guess who was right. :) It isn't cold in our place. 

Living in a condo, we have been pretty lucky and actually don't have to turn the heat on all that often. With the temperatures dipping below zero, we have had to turn the heat on a bit when we first get home at night. But overall, it is usually fairly comfortable in the home. Well according to me that is. :) If you asked my husband he seems to be cold all the time. When we lived in our homes with forced air heating it was definitely a battle between us, one turning the heat up and the other turning it down. I loved when digital thermostats came out, because then I could at least set it so that once he was asleep we could turn the heat down and only have it come back on to heat the house up for when he woke up in the morning.

"BC Hydro found that British Columbian couples will go to great lengths to get their way when it comes to the temperature of their home, and twice as many are motived by comfort than cost savings. More than 60 per cent admitted to adjusting the thermostat when their partner was not looking and 50 per cent say they have waited for their partner to leave the home before adjusting the dial. There are also the 20 per cent that admit to turning the temperature up or down just to annoy their partner." I am pretty sure we both have adjusted the heat up or down the minute one of us leaves the house. I definitely have and usually it is down. 

I have to say I have never adjusted the heat just to annoy my husband but thought it funny to see that 20% did. Although its no coincidence that when my husband read the article that he later read out to me....he left out the part where BC Hydro recommends the temperatures to set your home at for when relaxing as 21 degrees. But to actually lower it to 18 when you are cooking and then even lower to 16 for when you are sleeping or away. 

As I was looking up thermostat wars, it is also funny to see just how big a problem this actually is...its not just in our house. Work place wars seems to be quite common as well. Which when I think about it, makes sense. Many of the staff in our office like the heat turned up as they are always cold....whereas most of my team find it too hot and we look to sneak turning it down all the time. :) 

The article does offer tips on how to reduce your heating costs at this time of year. To read the full article visit the following link:

BC Hydro Thermostat wars: How the battle over household temperature is turning up the heat on relationships

It’s been a year now since we made the change to become Balance Real Estate Group. Overall the feedback has been positive. Although many people ask why Balance? 

We aren’t Balanced Real Estate Group…so we aren’t professing to be a team of realtors that have figured out how to fully gain balance in our lives. More that Balance is something that resonates with everyone….because we are all trying to achieve some sort of Balance in our lives everyday. It doesn’t matter whether you are a man or a woman, a realtor or someone in any other profession, a spouse, parent or even a child. We are all looking for our own sense of balance. Balance means something different for everyone. 

I recently read a blog written by a local Vancouver business woman that resonated with me. “Finding a Balance” Of course the word Balance is what caught my eye and prompted me to read further. But then a lot of what the author Christine Bergeron had to say related to my life and that of our team. As realtors we are always trying to balance not only our lives, but the lives of our clients. That is why we are Balance Real Estate Group. Everyday we are juggling family expectations, personal expectations, expectations of our sellers on where the market is and the value of their homes and the expectations of our buyers on what kind of home they want and can afford. Not to mention a myriad of other things in between. It is how we handle each of these expectations that will gain us some sense of balance. 

Christine was very right everyone’s sense of success is different and it is each of our own perspectives that will help to guide us in having a sense of balance in our lives which is what leads us all to success. She included this quote from Emerson that I thought was also worth including in my post. We could all use this reminder once in a while. 

“To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or redeemed social condition, to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded”. No truer words have been spoken.

I highly recommend reading her post…it is a quick read but worth it. 

Click the following link: 

Finding a Balance

I am back, with our market back to normal I have committed to blogging regularly again. With our website glitches finally fixed, I can feel good about blogging and sharing my experiences as well as tips on just about anything and everything. If you read my blogs in 2012...I wrote one everyday for 365 days of the year or pretty close to it....well I am not sure I can do that but I will average 5 blogs a week for the rest of 2019. I figure put it out there and well I will commit to it. 

So my first real blog back is foodie related. As many of you know my husband and I are self professed foodies. Since we aren't drinkers (well my husband doesn't drink and I only drink once in a while) we tend to enjoy going out to good restaurants and enjoying a meal. We can probably spend what many will spend on food and alcohol on just food alone. To be honest, I do drink once in a while as I mentioned...but I just cannot justify spending money on drinks at a restaurant....the cost alone is ridiculous. (This is where my husband would call me cheap...so be it then I am cheap... :) 

Working downtown Vancouver my husband gets the luxury of frequenting many of the local restaurants with his colleagues and for work functions. Last year he took me to Hawksworth's Nightingale restaurant for the first time and I fell in love with their food and ambiance. So when we were looking for a place to eat last minute we headed downtown for dinner and decided on Nightingale. 

One of the things I like about the restaurant is being able to walk in on a Saturday night and actually get seated...even if we have to wait a bit. It is definitely worth the wait. In order to reserve we would have had to go at 4:30 or 10pm...well neither times we were interested in having dinner. Not many places hold aside a few tables for walk ins....either that or that is all they do which tends to make the wait that much longer.

Nightingale has 2 floors and a ton of staff. We sat downstairs in the main part of the restaurant this time and the service was impeccable. Their food is designed for sharing and would be a much better place to visit with friends so that you can try more of the dishes...as we always order way too much because everything is so delicious and hard to decide. We were attended to by a number of staff, from hostesses to our server and many others throughout the meal. Because of this they give you small plates that are replaced often throughout the meal. Serving utensils are set out on the table for the various dishes that you order and staff are quick to remove the finished dishes to allow room for the next ones to arrive. I was mentioning to my husband the various reasons I enjoy this type of dinner out....the variety of foods to try for one, but it is also a good thing for the restaurant too as they can serve things as they come up instead of having to coordinate dishes. The chance of sitting for long without food is pretty slim. 

A few of the dishes we recommend, we started off with a salad - Apple, walnut, celery, tarragon, avonlea cheddar, lemon vinaigrette...which was delicious...although I was expecting it to have lettuce. I enjoy celery but felt it could have done without the celery. 

Then we enjoyed the fried chicken the last time so had to get it again - Buttermilk fried chicken, spiced maple syrup, sumac, pickles....the chicken was so tender and not greasy at all. You can never go wrong with pickles as an added touch...not sure that I enjoyed the sumac sprinkled over top...I don't believe they served it that way the last time. But still overall we ate every last piece...so it couldn't have been too bad.

Then we had a pasta special - I do like pappardelle pasta....this was done with a pork ragu...delicious...no need to say anything more. This is not a small plate....easily we could have shared with another couple. Needless to say we had some leftover to take home.

Then we had -  Grilled hanger steak, red onion agrodolce, gorgonzola butter, horseradish with Roasted mushrooms, madeira, rosemary butter, pickled red onion...
The steak with so tender we could cut it with our butter knives and even though we aren't fans of gorgonzola we were assured it was a very mild taste and sure enough it was. 

Now I could have done with one or 2 less dishes, my husband's eyes are always bigger than his belly...but one of the main reasons I wanted to have dinner here was the dessert I remembered so fondly. Even though I was full...I couldn't leave without having their -Salted caramel pot de crème, whipped crème fraîche, butterscotch, vanilla breton....I would have been happy with a small bite or 2...but the one thing my husband will not share is his dessert. Ask any of our friends, they think it is hilarious....but dessert is off limits. 

For more details about the restaurant check out the following link: Nightingale

Adding Curb Appeal: How to Boost Your Home's Value

Most homeowners look for ways they can make their homes look more appealing, but for some, it’s not just about aesthetics. Adding certain things to both the exterior and interior of your home can boost its value, meaning that when you’re ready to sell, you’ll get the maximum price without having to pay for costly updates. There are many things you can do to add to the value of your home, from DIY projects to fixing the landscaping, so it’s important to know where to start.

The best way to prepare is by setting a budget. Look at how much you can afford to spend in total and allot a certain amount for each task, keeping in mind that you may have to pay for materials as well as labor if you hire a contractor. Do some research before making any decisions, and keep reading for some great tips on how to get started.

Make the Entrance Enticing

The entrance to your home should be appealing on many levels. It’s the first thing potential buyers see, so it should be inviting, open, and well-lit. Consider painting the front door, changing out the screen or storm door, painting the trim, adding a new light fixture, or planting colorful flowers. If your house is set back away from the road, placing large items -- such as oversized planters or decorative elements -- is a good idea because it sets your home apart from others on the street. Make sure you have the right tools for the job anytime you work outside, including a great pair of garden gloves.

Fix Up the Landscaping

The landscaping around your home will play a large part in adding to its value and ensuring a quick sale once you’ve put it on the market, so look for ways you can improve it. You might make your lawn more eco-friendly to conserve water, prune trees, add paving stones, mulch, or landscaping rocks, or spruce up the grass itself by laying sod. Do some research to find out the cost and figure out whether you can complete these tasks yourself. In some cases, you may need the help of a landscaper. For some great tips on how to get started, click here. 

Have Your Siding Washed

Every time you mow your grass, every time it rains, and every time a muggy day comes along, the exterior of your home takes a bit of a hit. In spring, after the last of the winter snow has melted, consider pressure washing your siding or even the bricks of your home to remove dirt, grass stains, mold, and mildew. Not only will this make your home look like new again, it will add to the curb appeal in a major way. It’s also a good idea to wash your windows, both inside and out, to make them sparkle.

Plant a Tree

If your home is in a fairly new neighborhood, there may not be many trees around just yet. Adding greenery around your home -- as long as it’s not an invasive species -- will definitely boost its appeal and will make buyers sit up and take notice. Not only do they provide much-needed clean oxygen and help in the fight against global warming, trees give us shade on hot days and can help cool your home once they’re big enough to block the sun’s rays.

Adding curb appeal to your home sounds like a big job, and in some cases, it can be, but it doesn’t have to be a stressful undertaking. With a good plan in place, you can bump up your home’s value and give it some appeal at the same time, ensuring an easy sale when you’re ready.

Guest Blogger Seth Murphy 

Help support mental health here in Canada by supporting Bell Let's Talk today!

It doesn't matter what walk of life you come from, mental health issues can affect just about any one of us. The stats are that 1 in 5 of us will suffer some form of mental illness in their lifetime. Bell is not only trying to bring awareness to mental health but help to remove the stigma that always seems to follow. I know from my own family...if there was ever any issues it was better not to talk about it and hope that it will just go away instead of dealing with it. Which likely only makes the problem worse as people ignore that the family member needs help or makes the family member feel ashamed.

At this time of year when it is cold and wet or snowy outside depression seems to hit even the least likely of us. If Bell Let's Talk can help spread the word I am all for it. For every text message*, mobile and long distance call*, Bell Let's Talk Day video view on social media, tweet using #BellLetsTalk, use of the Bell Let’s Talk Facebook frame or Snapchat filter, Bell will donate 5¢ to Canadian mental health initiatives....it's easier than doing just about anything and it's a way to make a difference. So help us support Bell Let's Talk day!

For more information on Bell Let's Talk visit their website at the following link:

Bell Let's Talk 

Thank you to everyone for your amazing pictures. The whole team loved seeing them all come in. Below are our two winners. Please watch for our next colouring contest Easter 2018. Check out our Facebook business page to see mini videos for all of our entries.

Lily was so excited she won and can't wait to go shopping. 

Madison was more excited to show me how yummy her giant suckers were. But Mom and Dad said she will have fun shopping. 

Happy Canada Day from all of us at the Bettina Reid Group. Happy 150th birthday Canada! Proud to be Canadian, there's no greater country in the wrold to live!