A favorite of ours when in Squamish, is Alice & Brohm Ice Cream Co. with two Squamish locations, you have to taste this delicious New Zealand style ice cream! Made with real fruit, and some of BC’s best dairy, we dream about our favorite flavours! 

This month we are running a contest over on our Connecting the Sea to Sky Facebook page, to win an Alice & Brohm gift card – head over there to enter!

We have another local hidden gem for you this month, inspiring young entrepreneurs Lydia and Stella Schwartz created The Peanut Butter Queens in Whistler. They are a small Peanut Butter business that believes food should be organic, fresh, whole, and made with love and care. They have a large variety of Peanut Butters including: Honey Peanut Butter, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Maple and many more! They sell their jars at Farmer’s Markets throughout the Summer. These make amazing holiday or hostess gifts and you can order year round at: www.ThePeanutButterQueens.ca

We want to remind our clients about the Land Owner Transparency Act deadline of November 30th so you can be prepared to make any necessary arrangements. LOTA requires the disclosure of individuals who hold, directly or indirectly, beneficial interests in land in B.C. including through corporate and partnership structures.  LOTA will create a publicly searchable registry. Since November 2020 all new transfers of land of this nature have been registered but now existing ownerships must be declared by the deadline. You can file online or through legal representation. For More Information  https://landtransparency.ca/

As you know, we are massive supporters of local businesses and want to share with our valued clients and friends some hidden gems in the Sea To Sky that you should check out! The first comes to you from just off the Whistler Village stroll between Fat Tony’s Pizza and Stonesedge Kitchen, this hidden gem includes a nail salon and footwear store with the latest and greatest styles for all seasons.  Team members Meg & Liz took their business meeting for an outing to Soles Nail Lounge for pedicure magic and were welcomed by the lovely owner Lizzy.  Stop by Soles or book your nail appointment online  HERE     

The lazy, unstructured days of summer are wrapping up, the time to start getting ready for a new school year can be exciting – a fresh start.  Switching from summer-mode to having a full-on schedule, with even more stuff can be easier with some tools and techniques.
That’s why we’ve partnered with Whitney Reynolds, owner of Hook & Basket to bring you some simple organization tips that can be put into action right now, so when school begins, you’ll be ready – whatever the situation.

4 Back to School Organizational Ideas For Your Home

1-CLEAN OUT CLOSETS

Before you go out and buy a whole new back-to-school wardrobe, go through your child’s closet with them, and have them try on their clothes.Donate any outgrown clothes, or previously loved items.  This will make room for needed clothes and keep their closets organized.
*Hook&Basket tip: Any new article of clothing, means one article has to go.  One in, one out.  

2-CREATE A FUNCTIONAL ENTRY SPACE

School comes with lots of clutter – backpacks, papers, coats, shoes, hats/gloves – so make sure you have a functional entry space for containing the chaos.  Keeping things simple and organized when you enter the home prioritizes a feeling of calm.Having a designated “home” for each child’s backpack and belongings will make it easier to find items quickly, and to maintain the space throughout the year.  Create the habit even before school starts.  :)If extra-curricular activities are in the schedule, organize their equipment and make sure you you have anything you need to order in the next size up. 
*Hook&Basket tip:Limited with space- a few hooks on the wall for backpacks and coats with a simple basket or two underneath for shoes can have a huge impact!

3-SET UP A PARENT INBOX FOR PAPERS

One of my favorite back to school organization ideas is setting up a “parent inbox”.   A place for  kids to put any permission slips, notes from their teacher or homework to check over.  And we all know there is an abundance of all this stuff!
*Hook&Basket tip: Label one side “in box” – for the arriving papers.  Review the inbox in the evening.  Label the other side “outbox” – for any papers that need to be returned to school.  
4-CREATE A BIN OF AFTER SCHOOL SNACKS

Almost as soon as kids get through the door after school you will be hearing “can I have a snack?” If you are like me and prefer your kids to eat healthy rather than searching through cupboards or eating too much junk food, create a bin of pre-planned snacks.This can be a drawer in the refrigerator with  pre-cut fruits and veggies. Or a bin in your cupboard with pretzels or dried fruit.
*Hook&Basket tip:Set it up with healthy snacks.  Friendly reminder -it is ok for your kids to eat the same snacks everyday.  Keep it simple :).
Enjoy the remainder of your summer, time sure does fly!  If you need assistance with organizing your life and home feel free to email Whitney – info@hookandbasket.com

As we enjoy getting out and about again it is so important to us all that we support those local businesses who have worked tirelessly to continue growing, creating, serving and giving back to those in need.  A fantastic way to shop local and meet the wonderful and inspiring people of our Sea To Sky Communities is to hit the Farmer’s Markets this Summer.  You can grab everything from arts, crafts to veggies and clothing, even some local bottles of deliciousness for those summer umbrella drinks! 

We chatted with a few of our favourite vendors:

Teri at Re:Creation designs is a Farmers Market fan favourite.  All of our team have one-of-a-kind pieces from her collection. All designs at Re:creation are made from start to finish in beautiful Whistler, BC. In efforts to help promote sustainability, all of the creations are handmade in small batches using materials and methods that are environmentally conscious. From timeless designs to more sustainable fibres like Linen, Wool & Organic Cotton. Teri loves to help promote and be a part of the change we wish to see in the world!

Solome Natural Beauty has the cutest stall in all the land!  Check out her hand-made natural beauty products.

Our friend and client Helen of Lazy Maisie Creates has beautiful hand-crafted jewellery, personalization is available on some pieces and she really has something special for anyone in your life who deserves a piece as unique as they are!  Helen is also one of the friendliest people you can meet at the market, if you catch up with her, let her know we say “hello”!

Vicki Watson of Watson Leather Goods who is at the Squamish Farmer’s Market is another team favorite, here’s what she has to say about her brand!

“Watson Leather Goods was borne one pandemic Thursday, sitting in my driveway with a girlfriend and pondering the new world.I have worked in food and beverage forever so finding myself with spare time to indulge my hobby of leather working gave me the nudge I needed to turn it into something more…Small wallets and bags are my niche but I do take requests so my repertoire is growing all the time.”

Stop by this weekend and see what is on offer, it’s a great atmosphere for the whole family and there are gems to be found at every corner!

Father’s Day is on Sunday, we hope you make time to celebrate the Fathers in your lives, remember to laugh at their Dad Jokes – at least for one day 🙂

We share some stories about our Dads

Lucy tells us this great local story “My Dad used to visit Whistler for the Summer from England and at 84 years young would ride his mobility scooter to the Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub in Whistler Village for lunch and a Guiness most days.  He was always a source of wisdom and advised one of the lovely servers to consider washing her clothes on the cool cycle because every time he visited the skirts seemed to have gotten shorter! There is a reason his nickname was Dennis the Menace!”

We hope Kiki’s Mum isn’t reading this one “In my early teens I can remember my dad being on a lacrosse trip in the States one year, when he  called home to Australia to say he’s landed in hospital with a stomach bug.  Several days and millions of tests later, he is released and returns to the tour.   Much discussion is had about concern for my Dad’s health, the cost of a 4 day stay in an American hospital (thankfully covered by the team’s medical) and our whole family is just anxious to have him home. Several years later, I am training for the state team and my coach and I are having a laugh at the pub after training. He’s regaling me with stories of my Dad and his amazing history in the sport, when he launches into this great tale about my Dad on a trip in the states and how he ended up in hospital.  Turns out, drinking an entire bottle of tequila, including the worm, after a long day of consuming beers at a golf course without drinking any water on a 30 degree day doesn’t settle so well…Happy Fathers Day Dad, I will never tell mum, this one is between us xxx”

Kristi writes “When I think of my Dad, I smile. I don’t get to see him very often, however he sure holds a special place in my heart. Memories. I’ve got travel on my mind! Family trips to Florida, party time with Dad in Dominican Republic, and then  we spent 2 1/2 weeks together at the end of 2007 touring around the Greek Islands, followed by a couple nights in London with some friends. It was his longest vacation he’s ever had. We enjoyed amazing food and had many adventures. Sunset in Santorini was pretty spectacular! I hope we can do another trip together one of these days! I love you so much Dad. Happy Father’s Day!”