Living

WHEN you have friends over for dinner the last thing you want to do is spend the whole time in the kitchen banging pots around and sweating over a hot stove.

IT could be a young athlete overcoming adversity to win a kickboxing tournament, or a monkey chasing some kids with a stick of dynamite.

GardenSmart Workshop - Gardening on a Budget: Learn how to grow a great garden without breaking the bank Wednesday, April 25, 78: 30 p.m. at Silver Harbour Centre, 144 East 22nd St., North Vancouver. Admission: $5. Registration: 6049903755.

MOST of us seem to scramble at the last minute to wrap up a present so it's not always easy to wrap it up in a nice way. If you would like to wrap up something in a creative fashion you may want to try this idea.

I am always on the prowl for new apps, websites or tools to make my life easier, better or just more interesting. This week I thought I would share a potpourri of just such resources. Be warned: I am not responsible if you end up wasting time.

One of our most important roles as parents is to protect our children

IT'S that time of year again: when everyone's thoughts turn to charity and good will toward all. Oh right . . . no it isn't.

LANDSCAPERS and gardeners are working hard to beautify the gardens they are charged with designing, building and maintaining. We ask a lot of the green thumbs who work in our gardens and rightfully so for the amount we pay for horticultural services.

Young artist of the week: Pardis Chehrazi, 12 School: Queen Mary elementary Art teachers: Todd Clark and Ieke Giesey Favourite art: drawing Favourite artist: Pablo Picasso Her teacher writes: Pardis is inspired by portraiture.

YOU'VE probably seen one at some point driving around town. They're big, colourful cement mixer trucks, some with giant asparagus painted on them, some with a smiling sun.