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 

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

For every text message sent, long distance call made, tweet and Instagram post using the #BellLetsTalk orFacebook video view and use of Snapchat geofilter 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.

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, post on snapchat and instagram 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 

I almost forgot to blog about Dine Out Vancouver this year. There may still be a chance to reserve one of your favourite restaurants or try one of the ones I recommend below. You have 1 week left, be sure to check out some of my favourites. Here is last years blog with a few new ones and a couple restaurants that aren't participating this year. Francesco's Ristorante Italia , Lombardo's Restaurant and Mangia e Scappa don't seem to be participating, but I kept my reviews in for you to read. 

Dine Out Vancouver 2018 started January 19th and runs until February 4th. 

Dine Out Vancouver 2018 boasts 17 days of culinary excitement with delicious meals at fabulous restaurants for great prices!!!
The catch is that you must make your reservations sooner rather than later. 

My husband and I are really big foodies, over the years we have made it out to quite a few of the restaurants that take part in Dine Out Vancouver 2018. Some of the restaurants we have been to, but not always during Dine Out Vancouver 2018. As you can see we obviously love Italian food...in fact that is probably our go to, especially when we don't know what or where we want to go. In such cases, we will often opt to head to one of our favourites. There are a few more restaurants that we love that do not participate in Dine Out Vancouver 2018 but we will leave those for another blog. 

In all honesty not everyone in the list is a favourite or even one we would frequent again or at least not often. I will give them all a mini reivew for your reference and then let you decide. If you click on any of the restaurants, you will be taken to their website to decide for yourselves. Even if you don't like the Dine Out Vancouver 2018 menu options, most restaurants will still offer their regular menu. We have often went in during Dine Out Vancouver but decided we preferred something else on the restaurant's main menu. Either way you can't go wrong. 

Italian
-CinCin Ristorante & Bar - one of our favourite Italian restaurants, the service, the food, the ambiance...all Top Notch!
-Cafe Il Nido - quaint little place tucked away with a nice courtyard patio in the summer, delicious food and great service
-Poor Italian Restaurant  - excellent place to take the family, our girls love this restaurant
Francesco's Ristorante Italia - one of our go to places over the years, food is always delicious
-Federico's Supper Club - usually a stop during the Italian Cultural festival in the summer on Commercial Drive
-Frankie's Italian Kitchen & Bar - not really one of our favourites, food was ok...more of a chain style restaurant, lacks the ambiance of a finer Italian restaurant
-La Terrazza - visited them for the 1st time during Dine out last year and very nice restaurant, not our favourite but still good food
Lombardo's Restaurant - delicious pizza and another great stop during the Italian Cultural Festival 
Mangia e Scappa - Fort Langley - they don't have a website, only real italian restaurant that we have in Langley, pizza is pretty good done in a stone oven

Steak and Seafood
-Black + Blue - we have been for dinner and then my husband has been for functions. Wasn't the best experience in a large group, but we did enjoy our dinner the few times we had been before. Wagyu steaks and macaroni sticks are delicious!
-The Boathouse Restaurant - been to a few locations, excellent place to take the family for a seafood dinner...we have been a few times...which is funny because my husband does not eat seafood...he usually finds something else on the menu. 
-Chop Steakhouse & Bar - Richmond restaurant near the airport right off the highway, been there a couple times and a decent restaurant. Nothing exceptional to boast about, but good nonetheless
-The Keg Steakhouse & Bar - we have been to a few, usually because there was either nowhere else to go or because friends suggested it....always found Keg restaurants to be a little over-rated (again my opinion, would rather spend that kind of money in a fine Italian restaurant or non-chain style restaurant)
-Joe Fortes Seafood and Steakhouse - great ambience and delicious food..although not a big fan of theri lobster infused oil for dipping bread

Casual Fine Dining 
-Dockside Restaurant - great place to grab a bite to eat before a show or after a stroll through Granville Island...if you book ahead or go early try to get a seat near the window...the views are stunning. 

Asian cuisine
-Hapa Izakaya any of their locations are good and it is one of my husband's go to places with his colleagues for lunch downtown. They offer great tapas style Japanese dishes as well as delicious entrees. Never had a bad meal there. Their "Kalbi" beef short ribs are delicious and usually one of our favourites and my husband loves their Ishi-Yaki stone bowl dishes.

Casual
-Dunn's Famous Restaurant's known for their Montreal Smoked Meat sandwiches...although the best outside of Montreal we have found is "Estrella's" in Langley
-Cactus Club Coal Harbour has some great views of the North Shore Mountains and Stanley Park, when we want something we know we head to Cactus Club..in Langley that is usually our go to place for a chain restaurant.
-Moxie's Grill & Bar - they are part of Dine Out...but in all honesty we have not been to a Moxie's in years...Food is ok, usually a place we go for a quick bite before dropping our daughter off at the airport when she's heading back to school...but  haven't even done that in a while. 
-The Old Spaghetti Factory - ok, so they are part of Dine Out Vancouver....used to be a favourite when we were kids...(kids do not have any taste...) it's a family style restaurant so maybe great if you don't want to take your kids to a nice restaurant. Every few years we give them a try...but only to be disappointed each time. They are supposed to be Italian...but I couldn't bring myself to include them in that category...just seemed wrong. Sorry Old Spaghetti Factory...but its true.
-Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. - Delicious flat bread and they even offer pizza making parties. How fun is that! Love too that they support local by keeping their ingredients local and organic. 
-Romer's - My husband has been to a few of their locations (hazzard of working downtown Vancouver, he gets to visit a lot of amazing restaurants and I insist he take me every once in a while to some place new) Their burgers are delicious! I believe I had the Magic Mushroom burger...I mean how can you go wrong when you put Boursin cheese on it...yum!
-Tap & Barrel any location...I have been to the North Shore and Olympic village locations. Lots of fun, vibrant atmosphere, great place to grab a bite wih friends. The pretzel with cheese sauce is a great starter to share with friends and family.
-The Flying Pig - We have been to the Olympic Village and Yaletown locations and enjoyed happy hour and dinner there a few times. 

Mexican
-Las Margaritas Restaurante y Cantina - Unfortunately, the last couple times the food was just ok. But whenever we are in Kits, I always insist on stopping by and picking up a tub of their delicious Salsa and large bag of tortilla chips to go! 

Not only are there great deals at many of your favourite restaurants but many hotels are offering special pricing during this time too. I never realized they also have some great events during Dine Out Vancouver 2018 and wish I had time to check them out. Events like Brunch crawls, Craft beer and Taco Tours (not for us because we don't drink beer...but what a great idea with Craft beer being such a craze right now), Secret Soiree sounds like fun and so many more....definitely going to plan to check the events out for next year.

For more details on the participating restaurants, events and hotels visit the following link:

Dine Out Vancouver 2018

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!

We wnat to wish all the Moms in our lives...clients, friends and family as well as all the other Moms out there a very Happy Mothers Day. Hopefuly you have a wonderful day with your family making memories to cherish for years to come.