Oh my gosh my kitchen counters are finally installed!!! I’m so excited and beyond thankful to have this done! Countertop measurements are being taken on Friday and should be installed early July!! I’m so excited!!
I’m also so incredibly thankfully that yesterday Jacob and I went to his social distance kindergarten meet and greet and now he’s excited for school this fall!!!
It’s been a week friends! We’re busy with the renovation but still found time to go to Campbell valley park this week and get out for some walks! I’m not going to lie I haven’t been doing much exercising lately (and it shows) and I feel blah most days I terms of fitness but getting out for walks these week has been helpful. I’m thankful for my lil walking buddies and the beauty of the forests near us! 
Happy Thursday friends! We are in our fourth week of self isolation over here! The new life “normal” is a lot to take in! Definitely a whole host of emotions daily! I’m thankful my little family is holding up well and healthy so far. I’m thankful for all the folks doing their best to follow the rules and care for each other!
Lets remember there is no one size fits all for handling this current pandemic situation! Some people will thrive through this and others will fall, hurt, or even take their own lives. If you want to work out at home, awesome! If you want to sit on the couch and binge watch Netflix, fantastic! Do whatever feels right with your time at home. Don’t worry about what other people are doing! Resist the urge to compare yourself to others! Resist the urge to judge how others are reacting/function/coping or not! We’re all in this together but we are all allowed to work through it how we need to! Stay home and do you ❤️
PS I’m really thankful for iced coffee! ☕️☕️
It’s been a long week for all of us! I don’t have much to say today but I will share one of the things im thankful for today. I’m thankful for all the logistics staff, farmers, truck drivers, grocery store staff etc working through this terrifying time to maintain our food supply. 
Without these integral workers things would be much harder than they already are! So thank you to you and everyone on the front lines. ❤️
Good afternoon friends! Is anyone else riding a wave of emotion? One minute full of hope and driven to get through this and the next minute full on panic?!? No? Just me? I know it’s not just me! We are all in this together and it’s ok to admit it’s hard.
Today I had my spirits lifted by a porch delivery of a huge bucket of citrus coloured flowers from Floral support.
Floral Support is a local wholesale flower company that specializes in all sorts of floral decor for weddings, parties, or just your weekly bouquet! Given the current pandemic situation the world is facing I think it’s fair to say every industry has seen massive slowdowns, shut downs and lay offs. The only silver lining to that is more people are safe at home through this! Or they should be! The flower industry is no different, with a multitude of canceled events and weddings there are greenhouses full of beautiful flowers that no longer have a destination. Even when the world shuts down the flowers keep growing. That’s where Rachel from Floral Support decided to step in and try to find these flowers a home!
Rachel recently started the Floral Aid Project on Instagram to help support local growers & farmers and to bring some color and beauty into our lives while we are all unable to leave our homes. Rachel is offering contact free drop offs and pick ups of these beautiful buckets of flowers for the wholesale price of $50. You get to pick between 3 color schemes, Spring, Citrus, or Jewel. To get your own bucket delivered simply contact Rachel on Instagram, the Floral Support website or email info@floralsupport.ca
If you’re looking for a way to bring some color into your home, wanting to help support our local businesses and farmers or simply need a distraction by way of arranging beautiful flowers definitely look into the Floral aid project!
Protect Campbell Valley Regional Park!!!
I am writing my blog post today out of concern. Concern for our local piece of forested heaven. I grew up in Langley BC Canada and lived there for 24 years until I moved a short distance away into Cloverdale. Over the years I’ve seen Langley change dramatically from a rural farm area with fields of cows to a densely populated bustling city.
My concern is for our local park, Campbell valley park. I’ve posted many pictures of Muffin and I’s walks through this beautiful serene, peaceful park. Yesterday while on one of these walks I learned that the local racing society is lobbying to have stock car racing return to this nature park. Racing came to an end in the park almost 30 years ago and since then the 1/4 mile track has been nothing more the a QUIET,peaceful walking track and a large field in a quiet corner of a 535 hectare (1400 acres) forested nature park.
The racing came to an end almost 30 years ago for a number of reasons. Mainly noise concerns from locals and the fact the racing venue didn’t fit into the future vision of the park as a nature area. The area was set aside in 1979 as a nature park.
Campbell valley park is home to many types of birds, animals, frogs, fish, owls, deer, etc. Not to mention eco sensitive at risk species such as the red-legged frog and western toad! The park itself contains 29 kilometers of walking trails and 14 kilometers of equestrian trails, as well as cycling trails. The park attracts visitors from all aspects of life from picnicking families to marathon runners training for their next big race. Elementary school students frequent the park on field trips to learn about nature, see the turtles, and hand feed the chickadees. I personally visit the park weekly and view it as an escape from the congestion and over population the Lower Mainland of British Columbia is currently experiencing.
The society trying to reinstate stock car racing in the park is claiming it won’t cause any environmental damage to the park. I wholeheartedly disagree with this based on the fact the sheer amount of reconstruction that would need to occur to even bring the track up to racing standard. Not to mention the area currently lacks proper lighting, proper sanitation, proper parking, etc to house such a venue.
This is what the track looked like 30 years ago…
(Note I do not own the above photo…it showed up in various locations online and in newsprint if you have it copyrighted and want it removed please email me)
And this is what it looks like today…
As you can see the track itself is the only portion remaining and has been in fact claimed a heritage site in Langley. It however is nowhere near racing shape ready! The hillside that once housed seating is now nothing more then a hillside of trees and a sole staircase. The hillside seating, start towers, fencing, most guard rails and buildings, etc have long since been removed from the location.
The hillside this spring faced the wrath of Mother Nature and was victim to a slide.
Now I’m not an environmental engineer or anything but I do have a sound knowledge of how erosion works and I know it’s safe to say that removing those trees for seating would render that hillside insanely unstable! Costing a fortune in environmental safety studies and even more to properly secure the hillside. Have I mentioned the society claims there won’t be any environmental consequences?!?
If the environmental conditions are not enough the track is neighbored very closely by Pacific Riding For Developing Abilities, a non profit society that offers therapeutic horseback riding for those with cognitive, developmental, psychical and emotional disabilities. This facility is located on the end of a narrow dead end rural road and lies in very close proximity to the racing track. As common sense may tell you horse back riding and loud car engines do not mix! Having been a volunteer at PRDA in the past I can tell you a calm quiet environment is needed for a safe execution of the amazing work they do at the facility. The last thing anyone wants is a rider being tossed from a spooked horse. Loud car racing noises spook horses. Doesn’t matter how well trained an animal sudden loud/sharp noises are startling, just as they are to humans.
This issue is near and dear to my heart because I have watched so much of Langley’s pristine land be gobbled up by development and I sincerely hope Campbell Valley park doesn’t become the next cemented piece of paradise in this community!
Please make your voice heard no matter where you are from and call the East area office at 6045304983 and express your opposition to The Langley Speedway being reopened to racing regardless of number of yearly race days! Campbell valley park is a nature park and needs to remain this way!
Krause Berry Farms has to be one of my favorite places to visit locally. Every summer we go to pick plump red strawberries fresh from the fields and enjoy the tastes, sounds, and sights of this beautiful family owned farm! Yesterday my husband and I were lucky enough to be invited to the friends and family event they held to show case their brand new Estate winery.
Our visit started out with an amazing helicopter flight over Langley. Sky Helicopters took us on an amazing fight, I’d never been in a helicopter before and I have to admit it was amazing. Our pilot Matt was great, He had a fun sense of humor and made me feel very comfortable. It was a neat way to see the farmlands at Krause, the views of Langley and the Fraser river were spectacular!
Sky Helicopters will apparently be offering flights out of Krause berry farm some weekends this summer for a low cost. I suggest you check it out if you get the chance. It truly is a spectacular experience.
Once we were back on the ground we headed inside to start our sampling! First we were greeted with fresh baked apple pie, homemade donuts with strawberry or blueberry frosting, tea, coffee, and juice!
Krause is a sweet tooth haven. They make and serve an amazing assortment of sweet treats, from fudge, pies and cookies to fresh berry milkshakes. They also sell fresh baked buns and breads as well as an assortment of jams, sauces, cheese, eggs and of course in season berries! They have a huge market on premises with all sorts of amazing offerings and gift items.
If sweets aren’t your thing you can also order many lunch items including, soup and corn pizza on the Porch and enjoy a farm fresh lunch on a real working farm.
After our donuts were down we headed over to the winery for the real reason we were there! Fruit wine!!! I am a huge advocate of eating locally and eating healthy… I guess now is a good time for me to admit my love if local wines as well.
The new winery is amazing. It is absolutely gorgeous. They have gone with a western theme and nothing was over looked in the design. If you visit be sure to look up because the ceiling is very pretty.
The wine we tasted is all made on site from their own or locally sourced fruit. The apple wine was my favorite, but the raspberry, blueberry, and sparkling wines all tasted delicious as well. We came home with a bottle of Raspberry wine and of course a bottle of the Apple. I will be back for the sparkling wine once it’s available for sale.
Once our tasting was completed I chatted with Alf, the owner of the farm briefly and then retreated to the beautiful patio to nibble on some snacks and of course sip another glass of wine.
The farm is absolutely beautiful. The fruit when in season is so much fun to venture into the fields and pick yourself. It is the perfect place to take kids, complete with play area. Lots to see and do for sure. The new winery just offers that much more to an already great place.
Life With The McGavins 