Living

Last month's Sun Peaks Okanagan Winter Wine Festival yielded a wealth of tastings that included everything from ice wine and Bordeaux style blending sessions to cheese and chocolate. With Canadian wine goes Canadian cheese, for sure.

Heather Huntingford, owner of Kiss and Makeup, welcomes Vincent Longo Cosmetics makeup artist Phillip Baquero to her Central Lonsdale boutique. Baquero provided complimentary makeup applications to customers during his visit on Jan. 22.

Beads carved from South American palm tree nuts

Affirmation tools to help cope with chemotherapy and other medical treatments will be presented by Anne Marie Evers the last Friday of every month from 11 a.m. to noon at Evergreen House, 231 East 15th St., North Vancouver. Free. 604-988-9907.

Spending time together as a family is important. It increases attachment and bonding, which lead to increased happiness, better communication skills, better school performance, less behavioral problems and better overall health.

One way to brighten up the interior of your home during the often dreary month of February is to bring flowers inside and create an easy and dramatic arrangement.

Summer is the traditional season of pest control but winter is one of the best seasons to control certain pests in the garden.

Every place setting in the izakaya (a Japanese establishment where small plates of food are served to accompany drinks) featured a small bottle of schichimi togarashi, a chili-based seasoning comprised of precisely seven ingredients.

Amy Amantea and Rosamund Van Leeuwen, with guide dog Rory, invite the public to a Canadian Council of the Blind White Cane Week Open House Wednesday, Feb. 4, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Park Royal North, centre court.

With three of the best vintages in recent memory (2012, 2013, 2014), most agree: it's a pretty good time to be making red wines in the Okanagan Valley.