My Urban Suburban

Bub and I recently discovered Eagle Tree Lodge B&B while hunting for a wedding venue, and I’ve been dying to tell you about it ever since!  It’s absolutely spectacular.  The stunning private, waterfront post & beam B&B / Lodge is located on a secluded tributary of the Fraser River in Agassiz, BC, approx 10 mins from Harrison Hot Springs.

The minute you arrive at Eagle Tree, you feel relaxed.  The lodge is beautifully decorated, with oversized comfy couches, cozy beds, a wood-burning fireplace and a fabulous massage chair.  The kitchen is incredible and they have a stunning solid log table where I picture having the most delicious meal with family and friends.  The lodge is located a little off the beaten track, but it’s well worth the few extra minute’s drive!   They have breathtaking river and mountain views and a large deck upon which to relax and enjoy the unobstructed scenery.

The lodge offers 3 room options – The Cheam View Suite, The Bella Suite and the Bamboo Room – each of which is charming and well-appointed.  They also have a smaller children’s bedroom – The Lavender Room –  as well as a spare cot and a few additional beds for extra family members or friends.  And they’re pet friendly, so bring along your furry friends!

I could  go on, and on….BUT, I have a better idea!  Rather than listen to me tell you all about this gorgeous place, I suggest you head up for a visit!  And how convenient that they’re hosting a Christmas Open House on December 10th and 11th!  Here’s the info:

Eagle Tree Lodge Christmas Open House
Friday December 10th from 4pm – 9pm and Saturday December 11th from 9am – 5pm.
Come enjoy the local artisans latest wares for Christmas gifts ideas.
Ask about our Bed and Breakfast Specials and take a tour though this truly breathtaking Post and Beam Lodge with a view to match.
Remember to enter to WIN a fabulous gift basket!

EagleTree Lodge
5908 Cutler Road
Agassiz BC
Canada V0M 1A4

Phone: (604) 796-2586
Toll Free: (888) 732-4538 or (888) 7EAGLE8
www.eagletreelodge.com

I’m a big fan of Nature’s Fare Market!  If you haven’t checked them out yet, here’s a good opportunity to learn more about them!

Just in time for the holidays, Well Seasoned is bringing back its popular Meet the Producerssampling events every weekend until Christmas.  What is “Meet the Producers”, you ask?

These FREE sampling and shopping events allow shoppers to meet the people behind some of Well Seasoned’s favourite local suppliers, while getting a chance to sample their gourmet foods and take advantage of in store promotions before Christmas.

The events will be held every Saturday and Sunday from November 27th to December 19th, from 1pm-3pm. Each day will feature a select number of suppliers ranging from those who sell gourmet coffee and chocolate to olive oils, crackers and spices for dips, curries and more.

I absolutely recommend checking this out!  We have an incredible array of awesome suppliers out here in the Valley and this is an excellent opportunity to meet them, see what they’re doing, and support their work!

Well Seasoned – a gourmet food store

302C-20771 Langley Bypass

Langley, BC

Tel: (604) 530-1518

www.wellseasoned.ca

I haven’t always been a big chocolate lover, but since having a baby, I can’t seem to get enough of it.  I don’t like average chocolate bars though, I have an affinity towards quality chocolate.  So, a few weeks ago, a friend told me to check out Mink A Chocolate Cafe, which recently opened at Morgan Crossing.  I nearly died in chocolate Heaven!  I’m not even embarrassed to admit I bought several of their chocolate bars and ate all of them by the time I returned home a few hours later (don’t judge until you try them, you might catch yourself doing the same thing.)  The combo of their velvety, smooth chocolate with their hot, FRESH coffee was more than I could handle!!  Oh so good!  And while I’m admitting my sweet-tooth sins, I may as well tell you I also indulged in one of their Belgian Waffles (just the plain one, not the other one covered in whipped cream or chocolate.)  It too was fantastic!

Mink A Chocolate Cafe first opened its doors at its Vancouver location in 2007 and quickly earned itself a stellar reputation for quality and standards. “Using the finest Belgian chocolate, the Mink line of supremely decadent, ultra luxurious high percentage cocoa chocolate bars and bonbons are made in small batches, by hand, with nothing added to extend shelf life.”  And you can taste the difference!  Owner, Marc Leiberman (a self-confessed chocaholic) started the business after his wife challenged him to get his hand out of the baking drawer, and find a better alternative to the no-name brand of chocolate chips he was consuming at a rate of about 4 1/2lbs a week. Marc says “any time I have such obvious passion for something, and I’m challenged, I’ll find the opportunity to turn it into a new business venture.”  And thus, Mink was born!

Mink is best known for their chocolate bars, of which they boast 33 varieties, with sassy names like The Girls Favourite (French Hazelnut & Praline), Of Course Siam (Passion Fruit Puree & Thai Coconut Milk in Chocolate Ganache), Open in Case of Emergency (Fresh Mint & Kentucky Bourbon in Chocolate Ganache), and Certifiably Nutty (Roasted Almond).  The iPod-sized bars of decadence sell for $6.25 each (a little more than your standard chocolate bar, I know…but well worth the investment!)  They also have a small selection of Bonbons, Specialty & Seasonal products.

I really could go on and on about Mink.  It was love at first bite for me, which is probably obvious to you by now.  So, check them out.  I hope you enjoy and indulge!!!

Mink A Chocolate Cafe
Unit F-110 Morgan Crossing
15775 Croydon Drive
Surrey, B C
V3S 2L6

Was very happy to see signs up and things moving along for the new Bed Bath & Beyond opening in Abbotsford’s West Oaks mall.  I’m a big fan of BB&B.  They have such a great selection of everything you need for your home!

Other locations in the lower mainland include their stores at Central City in Surrey, one in Coquitlam and another in North Vancouver.

No info yet on when exactly they plan to open, but by the looks of things, it should be soon!

Oooooh, I love this!!  I haven’t tried it yet, as the press release just arrived in my Inbox.  BUT, I DID just buy it and download it to my iPod (I don’t have an iPhone), so am really looking forward to checking it out.  Because while Bub and I still have fun on dates, we’re often challenged to come up with new, creative date ideas.  So this is awesome!  And how cool is it that local Langley residents are the bright minds behind this innovative idea??  LOVE it.

Jason Ballard and Josiah Peters just want to add a little love to the world—and Langley Township Councillor Jordan Bateman is helping them!

The three Langley residents have teamed up to create and release an iPhone and iPad app, called DateBank, which features a year’s worth of great, creative date ideas, descriptions, and tips.

Ballard and Peters have been friends for 10 years, and came up with the idea of helping young men find the perfect girl through creative, fun date ideas—in handy app form.

“Dating should be more than just an endless parade of dinners and movies. I love Colossus, but you can only go there so many times,” said Ballard. “We love hearing about great dates, and we wanted to share what we’ve learned with others. If you’re stuck for a creative date idea, DateBank has everything you need—ideas, tips, detailed descriptions, and ‘super-size’ options.”

Ballard, 22, has been married for just over a year. A Simon Fraser grad, he is a Christian speaker and youth worker in the Lower Mainland. Peters, 24, is single, and a local designer.

“The perfect date is one where you are creative, have fun, and laugh,” said Peters. “DateBank will help any couple, whether you are going out for the first time, or you’ve been married for years. Dating can get formulaic after a while, but there are ways to inject creativity into your relationship.”

Ballard and Peters convened more than a dozen date brainstormers, and then brought in Jordan Bateman, a writer, wedding chaplain and elected Langley Township Councillor, to write the dates.

Bateman, 34, celebrated his tenth wedding anniversary earlier this year, and dug into his bag of relationship tricks to both add several date ideas of his own and write more than 20,000 words of great date suggestions, strategies, tips, and plans.

“A great date is one where you discover something about one another,” said Bateman, who has officiated the wedding ceremonies of more than 100 couples. “Being in love is the greatest thing in the world, and if DateBank can help, we’ll be very happy.”

After a year of work, and rave reviews from almost 100 beta testers, the DateBank app for iPhones, iPad, and iTouch launched in October, 2010, and is available for download now in the Apple App Store. Regular updates are planned, including seasonal and holiday date packs.

Check them out on Facebook, or visit their website!

Oh boy, it’s that time of year…..Holiday sales.  Thought I’d start the season with a fabulous store in White Rock.  If you haven’t been to Stella Bleu, now’s a great time to check them out, during their holiday sale!  And take the kids, cause Santa Claus is making an appearance on Friday night!

Read more about Stella Bleu and all they offer in my previous post HERE.  Happy Shopping!!!

Have I ever mentioned my obsession with mascara?  Or my eyelashes?  If I have, feel free to skip this part…

But I’ve always had a weird “thing” with my eyelashes.  They’re kinda short and stubby, not thick, not thin, just kinda straight and boring.  Very nondescript.  Nobody is ever going to be jealous of my eyelashes. Consequently, at about the age of 15, I developed a love (some might say an obsession) with mascara.  I rarely leave the house without it on.  Going to the gym, walking in the park, taking out the garbage…you name it, I wear mascara.  Call me vain if you want, but it’s really not about vanity.  It’s an insecurity….I just feel naked without it!  And not only that, I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect mascara for about 10 years.  I’m quite sure I’ve tried every brand available.  I’m constantly testing new ones, thinking “this will be the one that gives me mile-long, luscious, thick, sexy lashes.”  I totally fall for the ads where the model flutters her giant lashes, and stares seductively into the camera telling me I’ll look just like her when I buy their product.  And while the little voice in the back of my head screams “her lashes are FAKE!!”, I still go out and buy it…it’s a vicious cycle of frustration and disappointment.

So what’s my point?  My point is that due to this sick mascara obsession of mine, I was totally stoked to find out that Vancouver’s popular Noir Lash Lounge will soon be opening its doors in South Surrey’s Morgan Crossing!!!

Noir Lash Lounge specializes in semi-permanent eyelash extensions.  Carrying over 100 different lash varieties, they are sure to satisfy any girl’s lash envy (even mine!) Individual lashes are applied with a special adhesive right on top of your natural lash, creating longer, thicker, more beautiful lashes. The adhesive is non-irritating and bonds for 4 to 8 weeks.  Seeya later mascara!!

So here’s what I’m thinking………now you can head over to Morgan Crossing and hit up Noir for some glamorous lashes, then make your way over to Pure Nail Bar for a fabulous mani/pedi, then stop by Blo Blow Dry Bar for a sexy blowout before hitting the town for dinner and drinks with your friends!

Noir Lash Lounge is slated to open their doors at the end of October…so any day now!!  And I definitely plan on trying them out…I’ll post my “before” and “after” pics for all of you to see.

Noir Lash Lounge
106-15745 Croydon Drive
Surrey BC
604-531-7787
www.noirlashlounge.com

Photo by Bullfrogs ad Butterflies Photography

Now that I’m home with little Miss A, I have alot of time on my hands…alot of time, but not alot of money.  With only one household income this year, I have to be careful how much I spend on clothes for our little lady.  I could go crazy buying stuff for her!  Soooooo many cute things!!  And one thing I’ve learned about kids clothes is that they don’t wear them for  very long.  Which is why I was so excited a few weeks ago when I stumbled upon a fabulous children’s consignment shop in White Rock filled with lovely little clothes with lovely little price tags!

Not for Long Children’s and Maternity Boutique is White Rock’s newest consignment boutique offering unique items for moms-to-be and little ones.  The shop opened its doors in September 2009 by local moms Laura and Sholome.  In just over a year, the ladies have managed to make quite a name for their little boutique, earning themselves a reputation for carrying a solid selection of new and nearly-new quality, stylish clothes for kids from NB-size 8.  They also have a small maternity section, which I hear is quite good (too bad I didn’t know about them them I was preggers!)  They accept only items that are current and fashionable, with priority given to name brand clothing.  Their prices are incredibly reasonable and they frequently put items on sale!  I was able to pick up 7 items ( Mexx, Baby Gap and Carters brands) for Miss A for only $40!!

The shop itself is cozy, warm and pretty.  Laura and Sholome have done a great job of creating a beautiful space and I definitely recommend checking them out!

Get updates from Not for Long Consignment Boutique on Facebook

Not For Long Consignment Boutique
1567 George St
White Rock, BC
778-294-0401
notforlong@shaw.ca
Open Tues-Sat 10am-5pm
www.notforlong.ca

A very cool new shop will be opening its doors Abbotsford this weekend!!  I’m like shaking with excitement for this shop…I can’t tell you how much I love stationary!  I’m hopeless at crafts, but I have a weird obsession with paper, pretty pens, cards, stickers and all other crafty things.  I sort of feel like if I buy the stuff, maybe (just maybe), the spirit will strike and I’ll suddenly turn into Martha.  Chances are slim.

Anyway, sadly I won’t be able to visit this weekend, because I’m heading to Victoria to visit my parents and my sister and her baby, little miss B!  But when I get back, I’ll be there!  Perhaps a place for me to buy fun stuff for mine and Bub’s wedding??  (have I mentioned we got engaged this summer?…..that’s another post…)

Word on the street is that owner, Bryan Heidinger is an absolutely fabulous guy.  And we love to support good people here, don’t we?  So hit them up this weekend and let me know what you think!  To find out more, check them out on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter!