one of the best decisions I recently made was hiring a photographer for my daughter sadie's third birthday. a bit much?  well, after thinking about not having to run around taking photos while juggling being the party host, babysitter, caterer, referree and mom on the big day, the decision came easy.

the last thing i wanted to worry about at sadie's party was missing those special moments captured on the digital so I could send it to her grandparents or get that perfect shot for the thank you cards.  there's also nothing worse than seeing the "battery low" flashing halfway through the party and missing her blowing out her candles for the first time on her own.  or maybe, just maybe could i actually be in some of the photos without my head half cut off because i didn't hold up the camera just right at arms length?  so when erin, owner of collage collage (the party spot) offered up vancouver local, lauren joan of lauren joan photography, i thought "what the heck" - one less thing (aka stress) on my plate.   

i have to say, she was awesome. it was so nice to just enjoy the party, spend quality time with sadie and evan (my husband) and actually catch up with our friends during the party. lauren was really great with the kids.  she was patient, friendly, engaging and creative. 

lauren's got a great eye, she's easy-going and she's a talent well worth the money for the full 2.5 hour party - doesn't break the bank. she gave me peace of mind, which I consider priceless and sent us a CD of the photos in the mail shortly after. You can get a peek at sadie's party pics on her blogspot laurenjoanphotography.blogspot.com.

visit www.ljphoto.ca for more info and to book her for your next party or even for a special family photo shoot.

if you're looking for a new spot for a great bite to eat come to the north burnaby hood on hastings between macdonald and gilmore.  there is a new kid on the block - chez meme baguette bistro with a sweet french flair and great hosts in owners and operators, isabelle and husband ross spence (chef at large).

the minute you walk in you're greeted with a sweet "bonjour" from isabelle and an air of ambient french music in the background. if you're early enough you'll get to indulge in their delicious pain du chocolate, but their menu has more to offer than just that.

for breakfast, it boasts of traditional eggs any style, bacon served with fresh baguettes and sauteed potatoes, but you can also treat your palettes to the sweet taste of their french toast brioche topped with strawberries or warm banana maple syrup.  if omelettes are your preference you can try a new one every day for a week from duck confit to fresh tomatoes, feta and pistou (crushed garlic, fresh basil and olive oil - a typical condiment from provence region in france).

for lunch as an unabashed carnivore, my favorite is the bourguignon (boneless beef short ribs, carmelized onions and horseradish) baguette with their soup of the day (it never disappoints).  my mom and girlfriends have fallen head over heels for chez meme's from'ton baguette filled with brie, warmed pears and toasted walnuts - hard to resist.

if you're mouth isn't watering yet - it will be. for something fresh, delightful and easy on the wallet come out to north burnaby and have a bite at chez meme. it won't be your last.

located at: 4016 east hastings st, burnaby
hours: 8am-3pm; monday to friday
telephone for reservations or for delivery: 604-299-1141
owners: ross and isabelle spence

ps  they just got their liquor license so even more reason to come by and enjoy a glass of vin.

sadie and i ventured off to a great little art shop and studio catering to the budding wee artist - collage collage.  it was such a great experience that it inspired me to start my blogspot.  

you can find collage collage at 621 kingsway (near 15th and fraser).   i heard about it from an e-zine and couldn't wait to visit it with sadie now that i was officially on a month's vacation.  she's got a creative side that is beginning to blossom and this was the perfect place to explore it.  i found a 10 am class on tuesday's for 2-3 year olds so that was our main goal of the day. we found the shop easily and landed a great parking spot for free which is always a bonus. as we entered the doors (and we were the first to arrive - such keeners) we were invited by the owner and emily carr graduate, erin to warm up by taking a seat at the long family style table lined with paper and complete with chunky and colourful crayons to start drawing or scribbling - whatever we fancied. once the other kids arrived erin started off the class with a reading from the classic Grimm brother's tale the musicians of bremen this one retold by Katrin Stangl who also illustrated the book. typically the stories tie into the art projects and today was all about colour - the only three colours used in the book were red, green and brown and these were the same colours used for the art project. a wreath using a paper plate with a hole pre-cut out of the centre, some green construction paper, green paint, brown paper leaves and fun red pom poms to mimic berries were some of the main supplies for the day.  

this was sadie's first hand with all things artsy outside of her crayola washable markers.   i haven't been brave enough to give her anything else.  it was really cool to see her get into it and my hair and her sleeves are evidence of it all. quite into the whole thing she was one of the last to finish.  erin and her co-op student liz, also from emily carr were both patient, supportive and very encouraging of all the children's work, which is awesome considering they don't have kids of their own. each child finished their project at their own pace and once finished their creations were put on a drying rack (to keep overnight or to take home that day).  after washing up the kids could explore more drawing or reading or even playing with the felt board - brought me back to my kinder-days.  there was never a feeling of being rushed at any point while we were there and it was nice to also check off my christmas shopping list with a few prezzies.

this place is a real treasure and a wonderful place to introduce my daugther to more art - and without having to clean up the mess (thanks erin)!  there is so much to say about collage collage but it's a must see in person! come out and  "shop, look + learn". classes available for kids and adults. drop in $10 or buy by the pack. they also do parties. like i said too much to say. more info at www.collagecollage.ca