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

For every text message sent, long distance call made, tweet using the #BellLetsTalk or Facebook share of the Bell Let's Talk image - Bell Canada will donate 5 cents to help fund mental health initiatives across Canada.

Clara Hughes as the face of Bell Let's Talk gives people a sense that if an Olympic athlete who always seems to have a smile on her face can have mental health issues and be okay...than so can anyone. It also goes to show that 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. Clara and Bell are 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.

A few weeks ago I talked about Blue Monday and 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. Whether you tweet, make a call send a text or share the image on facebook...it's easier than doing just about anything and it's a way to make a difference. So help me 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 

Happy Family Day from all of us at The Bettina Reid Group!!!

What are you doing with your family today? 

Gong Hey Fat Choy 恭禧發財 Happy Chinese New Year from all of us at the Bettina Reid Group!!!

Chinese New Year is the most important festival in Chinese culture, a time devoted to family and wonderful feasts. This year is the year of the Snake.

Looking for some great activities to celebrate the Chinese New Year visit the following link:

Gong Hey Fat Choy 恭禧發財  

Wishing you prosperity throughout the year!!! 

I was so excited, this was the 1st year we had the opportunity to get out to some of the restaurants in Dine Out Vancouver.

This past weekend we took friends of ours out to dinner at La Piazza Dario's Ristorante Italiano in the Italian cultural centre just a few minutes from downtown Vancouver. We had never been but our friends raved about it, so we thought we'd try it out. We were definitely impressed with not only the food but the impeccable service. The decor is a little dated, but as long as you can get past that you will be pleasantly surprised. Their food was just like an Italian Mama's good cooking. Brought me back to when I was a little girl, where I grew up just outside of Toronto where I was surrounded by Italian Mamas that all wanted to fatten me up "Mangia, Mangia". What child wouldn't love being offered delicious food every time they visited. 

My girlfriend and I tried the Dine Out 3 course menu and really enjoyed our Red Snapper...one of my favourite types of fish to eat. Where the men went for meat and pasta. Every last bite from appetizer to dessert was absolutely delicious.

I highly recommend La Piazza Dario's Ristorante Italiano next time you are looking for good Italian food. Now we have 2 great Italian restaurants to choose from La Piazza Dario's Ristorante Italiano and the Poor Italian  . 

Let us know what your favourite Italian restaurant is!

I wrote about Breast Cancer awareness during Breast Cancer awareness month in back in October.

http://www.bettinareidgroup.ca/Blog.php/october-is-breast-cancer-awareness-month

Today I am writing again as a woman, wife, mother of girls, sister, daughter, niece, grandaughter...and friend.

Another one of my close friends was in the hospital today to have a cancerous lump removed from her breast. The day after I wrote my blog back in October another close friend shared with me that her mother-in-law was also diagnosed with breast cancer and going in for a lumpectomy.

Thankfully both women found out they had Breast Cancer after having their regular mammograms. I don't even want to think of what could have happened had they not gone for their mammogram. Now all we can do is hope for the best and be there to support them.

But the real reason for today's blog was just how shocked I was to find out that only 1 out of the 4 friends I asked today goes for their regular scheduled mammograms. When the stats are that 1 out of 3 women will get Breast Cancer....it scared me to think any one of these women without having had their mammogram, they reduce their chances of early detection and take the risk if they have cancer that it spreads and becomes deadly without having a chance to fight it. It's not something any of us wants to think about, but already 2 of my very close friends one at 30 years and the other at 50 years old have had Breast Cancer. Both very healthy women... they are only 2 of the many women that I know or know of that have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Nowadays I cannot imagine anyone not knowing someone affected by this nasty disease.

Here in BC the province will cover Mammograms for women 40+ years, if you haven't gone for yours....put it in your calendars to do. It's not just about you, it's about those that you love. Encourage the women in your life to get theirs done too. Do what I did and ask those women if they have been getting theirs done regularly and I am sure you will be surprised at how many haven't had the screening done.  

All provinces will sceen for breast cancer if you are between 50-69, but each province has different guidelines for screening from age 40-49. For screening locations in BC click on the following link:http://www.smpbc.ca/Program/Locations+and+Mobile+Services.htm

Most people would have heard by now that as of today the Royal Canadian Mint has stopped producing the penny and will no longer distribute them to financial institutions across Canada.

It was interesting to read that there are 35 billion pennies presently in circulation and they figure it will take approximately 4 years before the pennies become obsolete.

Already I noticed signs in the windows of various retailers this past weekend...detailing how they will be dealing with pennies at the time of purchase. It wil be interesting to see how consumers will react as their purchases are rounded up or down.

To read more in the penny's last day read today's article in the National Post:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/02/04/canadian-penny-last-day/ 

Monday I blogged about curb appeal and staging and how important it is to showcase your home in order to sell your home quickly and for top dollar. Then ironically, yesterday at our Office meeting we had a local business owner share what her Terra Verde redesign business can do for our clients...before the sale of their home and even after the purchase of their new home.

I had the pleasure of chatting with her before her presentation. I like what she has to offer and will be seeking her services to help with my own home. Part of her services include freshening up or complete redesign of your outdoor spaces. My backyard is almost completely shaded and nothing grows in it. I look forward to her advice on how to spruce up my yard with plants that will grow despite the lack of sun. On top of that she is a colour specialist and I would like to have her in to help us decide on what colours would look nice in our main living areas. We`ve lived in our home for almost 8 years now and long overdue for a change....

What better way to recommend a company`s services than to have personally used them yourself. I am looking forward to sharing with everyone what Catherine Kennedy at Terra Verde redesign can do. As I mentioned she not only helps people improve their curb appeal and staging to sell their home...she is also a great resource to help homeowners that have moved in and just don`t know what to do with their yard in the front or the back.

For more information on Terra Verde Redesign visit her website at the following link:

Terra Verde Redesign

I finally had the opportunity to try a restaurant that was taking part in the Dine Out Vancouver Festival - Kerkis Greek Taverna on West 4th ave in Kitsilano.

My daughter and I were in Vancouver for a meeting and both had a craving for good Greek food. We've always been told Kitsilano is the place to go for Greek food. I remembered a colleague had suggested a couple places and contacted her to see which ones she recommended. Then realized why the name sounded familiar when I checked the Dine Out Vancouver site as Kerkis Greek Taverna was one of the many participating restaurants. For $18 they offered an appetizer, entree and dessert. An excellent deal since it was the same price as the many of the entrees all by themselves. Not that we were able to eat much more than the entree...if you know Greek you know just how big the portions can be. :)

Our test when it comes to a good Greek restaurant is always the tzaziki...if it's homemade and has the right mix of ingredients the restaurant will always win our vote. The Tzaziki can make or break a Greek restaurant for us....but Kerkis Greek Taverna did not disappoint. :)

If you haven't had a chance to try one of the restaurants participating in Dine Out Vancouver 2013, there's still 5 nights left.
Visit their website at the following link;

Dine Out Vancouver 2013

To see what Kerkis Greek Taverna has to offer visit their website for their menu and location:

Kerkis Greek Taverna