Livia's House-Brandied Raspberry Mimosa Box

Livia Sweets is a gorgeous little shop that rolls out delicious pastries, breads and Italian fare. We all know I adore architecture and design, and Livia is one of those shops that I cannot get enough of because they have done a wonderful job of combining sleek new with old vintage pieces. For example, the dividers between tables on their patio are old wooden window panes.  I also appreciate their non-denominational holiday decor of twinkling string lights woven throughout fresh pine, eucalyptus and other fresh green foliage. I am also in love with Livia's green wall installation! 

Now I adore vintage furniture, glassware and jewelry, so when I heard Livia Sweets's was going to be including a pair of vintage glassware in each of their Mimosa Kits, so I just had to order one. Packaged in a wooden crate are a pair of vintage crystal glasses, a bundle of Eucalyptus, Livia's housemade brandied raspberries and a bottle of Bottega Prosecco. Livia recommends using the juice from the raspberry preserve in cocktails too! The rasperries are locally sourced and look plump and juicy, so needless to say, they are going to be delicious. 

Determined to win a Holiday Giveaway

It is the holidays which means there are so many amazing giveaways to enter. In the past I have entered the occasional giveaway, but have never won any of them. This year, I am determined to win at least ONE of the holiday giveaways. I am going to be entering holiday giveaways that are being hosted on Instagram. 

My strategy:

• Enter as many giveaways possible

That basically sums up my plan to win a giveaway. Hahaha Usually the winner is selected at random, so there is not very much I can do to increase my chances of winning. I can enter several times, but I do not know how my friends are going to feel about being tagged in so many posts. By the end of the holidays, my friends may just end up blocking me so we shall see! 

Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Hype is REAL - Now in Richmond BC!

The HYPE is REAL! Popeyes' Spicy Chicken Sandwich is DELICIOUS. 

Popeyes Chicken came to Metro Vancouver a couple of years ago. The Port Coquitlam location was the first to open back in December 2018, but it is far from where I live. Two more locations followed, Langley and Surrey, but again, I was not willing to make the trek that far. Clearly Popeyes' was upset that I had not come to visit them because their newest location opened a minutes drive away from my house. At this point, it would have been cruel not to give Popeyes Louisiana Style Chicken a try.

I went on day number two, December 2, 2020, of the Richmond Popeyes' opening and I have to commend the Popeyes team's efficiency. Despite the line extending far beyond the front door, I made it to the front in no time and within minutes of placing my order, I was heading to my car with bag of Popeyes Chicken in hand. So do not let the long lines deter you because Popeyes' Richmond have picked an amazing team!

Millennial Burnout is Real

Over this past decade, we have made massive strides in normalizing Mental Health, slowly chipping away at the associated stigma; however, millennials continue to be the butt of all jokes. Millennials have been dubbed the burnout generation and it is infuriating because burnout is very much real! Behind the pretty facade of my blog, I am struggling to balance two healthcare positions and university courses.  

In addition to my never-ending work load, I am a millennial living in Vancouver, a city that consistently ranks as one of the most expensive places to live. The cost of living in Vancouver is not only high, but so is the housing market. I have not even gotten to the worst part. Imagine being educated, holding a  university degree from UBC, a highly revered University in the world; yet it is still impossible to get a decent job because the job market is ridiculously competitive. Needless to say, I want to scream because my generation has been up to fail. 

Brunch in Fort Langley at Sabà Cafe

Brunch is a social-phenomenon that that has steadily grown in popularity. What once may have started as a late breakfast or early lunch is now its very own meal category. Now brunch is my favourite meal of the day, so any Sunday adventure of mine has to include brunch. For this brunch, I made a reservation at Sabà Cafe + Bistro. 

Sabà Cafe + Bistro: family-owned, made from scratch, pastries, rustic, terrace, seasonal, local

There are so many aspects of Sabà Cafe that resonated with me so I had to give them a visit. We were seated at a little table in the courtyard which by the way was gorgeous! I can just imagine dining under the stars on a warm summer's evening. If you visit Sabà Cafe you will understand what I am imagining in my head. It reminds me of a special night I had in California in Venice Beach at C&O Trattoria - unfortunately, I did not take any pictures there that night because it was late and I was tired. 

Taves Family Farm | Pumpkin, Corn & Apple Fun

It is fall, it is October which means the countdown to my birthday is on, so let the Halloween fall shenanigans begin! My friend Ruby (@rubygillett ) and I are on a mission to compelete our ultimate fall fun bucket list. This is only the beginning and I cannot wait for everything else we have planned. Taves Family Farm has been on my list of things to do for quite sometime. Taves Family Farm is a third-generation apple orchard in Abbotsford. 

They have a huge selection of apples that you can U-Pick. There are the usual suspects like Gala and Fuji, but personally I am an Ambrosia gal. I find Ambrosia Apples are are crisper and cleaner in taste. There are other varieties too like Honey Crisp and Jona Gold. Basically there is an apple for everyone to u-pick at Taves Farmily Farm. 

Dip & Sip Cocktail Mixers for a night in

 

Craft Cocktails are all the rage and I just cannot seem to get enough. I have found some amazing bars in Vancouver that serve up delicious concoctions with the right amount of buzz at the end, but sometimes I just want to lounge on the couch at home in my sweats and watch Netflix. I have been trying to make cocktails at home, but it is hard and it requires a lot of syrups, ingredients and bitters. I am trying out some cocktail pre-mixes and the first two are from Dip & Sip, a Vancouver-based company run by the cutest French women, Claire! 

Claire focuses on sourcing the best possible ingredients and when possible to use local and organic. I picked up two kits, the Paloma Blast and the Cinnamon Old Fashioned. The Paloma Blast is a combination of organic raspberry balsamic shrub, grapefruit juice and house-made lime cordial. It is best paired with Tequila or Mezcal. This is a very grapefruit forward mix with some added sweetness from the raspberry, but mostly a tart drink. Claire even threw in her Hibiscus Sugar to rim my glasses. This is when I discovered that I absolutely suck at using the sugar and made a massive mess all over my glass.