I really do feel like it helped us during the wedding planning process. They days may have been hectic and crazy, but the nights were always a time for us to reflect and remind each other how much the other person meant to them. You’ve heard the advice, “never go to bed angry”. With this journal date every night, it made it easy to go to bed happy. I would recommend this daily couple’s journey to anyone that is planning their wedding, going through a rough season, working on communication, honestly every couple could benefit from this.

Here are some ideas on what to write about:

  -  Thank your partner for something kind they did for you:

      “Thank you for planning date night and surprising me with tickets to Beauty & the Beast.”

  -  One thing you want to work on to make them happier:

      “I will learn how to cook a new meal for you, so you aren’t eating the same 4 meals every night.”

  -  One thing you appreciate about your partner:

       “I appreciate how you always carry my laundry up and down the stairs when it’s laundry day.”

  -  One thing you love about your partner:

       “I love how you hug me from behind when I’m doing my nightly face routine.”

Here are some daily planners to look at:

  -  The Happy Planner (horizontal format with lines)

  -  The Happy Planner – Faith (can be used the same way but focuses on faith)

  -  Erin Condren

  -  The Happiness Planner
  -  Passion Planner

  -  Any notebook/notepad (Marshalls/TJ Maxx/Ross sells some great ones)

Let me know if you try this with your significant other and how it's going. Please comment other ideas on things to write about!

Lunar New Year starts on Saturday 25^th this year and we are welcoming the year of the Rat! Lunar New Year is also called Spring Festival and begins with the first new moon and ends on the first full moon of the Lunar calendar. Every Lunar New Year’s Eve for as long as I can remember, I would accompany my family to our home temple to celebrate the new year. We’d watch the dragon dance, the fireworks and a blessed orange and red envelope (li xi) from the Buddhist monks which have fortunes rather than money. It was always such a fun time around the house (minus all the cleaning prior). The house was decorated with red and gold and we always had delicious food on the table. It was a time to spend with family and learn about tradition and I hope to share it with my own children one day.

Origin of the Lunar New Year Festival

The origins of the Lunar New Year festival are thousands of years old and are steeped in legends. One legend is that of Nian, a hideous beast believed to feast on human flesh on New Year’s day. Because Nian feared the color red, loud noises, and fire, red paper decorations were pasted to doors, lanterns were burned all night, and firecrackers were lit to frighten the beast away. (Britannica)

Celebrate Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year is a big deal and it's a time to gather family and create new memories together. It's also a time to make offerings and sacrifices to your ancestors as well as the Gods of Heaven and Earth. The offers and sacrifices often come in the form of fruits, pastries and an assortment of food. Lunar New Year is one of the biggest holidays all year and each year, an animal from the zodiac is celebrated. Since 2020, is the year of the rat, you will notice a lot of decor for Lunar New Year to have the rat symbol on it. People bring out their nicest outfits, clean their house from top to bottom and are on their best possible behaviors.

Counties that Generally Celebrate Lunar New Year:

  -  China (Chun Jie)

  -  Vietnam (Tet)

  -  Korean (Seollal)
  -  Japan (Ryukyu)
  -  Mongolia (Tsagaan Sar)
  -  Tibet (Losar)

Why is Red So Important During Lunar New Year?

The color red symbolizes so many things but mainly, it represents good fortune. That’s why during Lunar New Year, you’ll see decorations, and everything else decked out in red and gold. Red also represents joy and happiness.

How is Lunar New Year Celebrated?

  -  Lai see (Chinese) or li xi (Vietnamese): are red envelopes filled with money and are usually gifted from the elders to younger children

  -  Dragon dances: symbolizes power, dignity, authority, strength, good luck

  -  Lion dance: symbolizes power, wisdom and superiority, bring good fortune and chase away evil spirits

  -  Fireworks/firecrackers: good luck through the year (families will not sweep the leftover paper as it resembles good lucky and you do not want to sweet away your good lucky

  -  Lanterns: symbolizes the wish for a bright future, letting go of the past and getting a new one

  -  Food: each food represents a specific thing you wish for in the new year such as yuanxiao (sticky rice balls) that symbolizes family unity or fagao (steamed cake) which represents fortune or prosperity

The Lunar New Year Superstitions

  -  No working: this was to give women and people a break during this time

  -  No using scissors or knives: it cuts wealth

  -  No sweeping or taking out trash: sweeps away wealth

  -  No fighting or crying: problems should be resolved peacefully, creates a smooth path for the new year

  -  Do not visit the wife’s family: the superstition is that there are martial problems, so if you want to visit, do not go until the 2^nd day of the Lunar New Year

  -  No hair washing: washes away good luck

  -  No black or white clothing: unlucky colors

  -  No medicine or hospital visits: it brings illness

  -  No lending/borrowing money: leads to debt

  - Keep your rice jar full: empty rice jar can bring anxiety

What are you doing to celebrate New Year? If you're not celebrating, which superstition have you heard about? Comment to let me know.

Resources

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lunar-New-Year

https://chinesenewyear.net/taboos

https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/chinese-new-year-taboos.htm
https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/special-report/chinese-new-year/

QUALITY. That was my word for 2019. The previous year had completely drained me, and I knew I needed something to push me in creating a better 2019 for myself and those around me. I wanted to focus on the quality of my relationships with loved ones. I wanted to focus on the quality of my crafts and my business. I wanted to focus on the quality of my life as a whole. I wanted to be a better daughter, sister, lover, friend, employee and entrepreneur. I spent 2018 pouring myself into people and things without getting a drop of water back. Not to say that things have to be 50/50 all the time or at all but I was wearing myself thin. The only way to survive 2019 was to pull back and only feed energy into things that made me happy. 2019 was definitely my year to be selfish in the things that I wanted. Here's my year in review.

Things I’m Proud of from 2019:

 -  Saying goodbye to toxic friendships

 -  Mending a relationship I thought had no hope in being fixed

 -  Growing my craft business (adding balloon garlands to the service list)

 -  Saying no to projects that don’t feed my soul

 -  Starting this blog (hi, thanks again for being here, I love you, k, bye)

 -  Planning my own wedding

 -  Getting married (yes, those are two different things lol)

 -  Staying within the budget!!

 -  Making new friends

 -  Taking my walk with God more seriously

 -  Attended church (only twice, but we’re taking baby steps)

 -  Hosting a successful Christmas party

 -  Listening to my mind and body, resting when I need to

 -  Teaching Naia how to sit, lay down and stay (we still have a long way to go)

 -  Working my first wedding (thanks to my dear friend @laneydarling)

 -  Surviving the loss of my father (still a work in progress)

So, what’s my word for 2020? FOCUS. 2019 was such a year of growth for me in life, love and business. For 2020, I want to hone in and really focus on all the things that I put time and effort into last year to ensure that they continue to grow. Earlier this year, I told myself that I wanted to set up some type of fund to give back to children in need. I had this idea of saving a portion of all sales and using it to buy materials for arts and crafts for sick children in the hospital (specifically the cancer wing). Coming from a family who has dealt with it, I would never wish it upon anyone. The toll it takes emotionally, mentally and physically is difficult for everyone involved. A lot of children don’t have someone to be by their side all the time. Parents have to work, cousins and siblings have school and doctors and nurses can only do so much. I guess, I need to work on my crying too because I literally cry at everything. I know I have to be strong for these warriors. More than anything, I would just love to get their mind off of things for an hour or two. I’m still working out the logistics, but this is one of my biggest focuses for 2020.

Things to Focus On in 2020:

 -  Letting go (mostly of things, I have yet to meet a crafter who isn’t a hoarder... anybody? lol)

 -  Giving back: setting up a % per project fund to donate back to kids in need (please share any advice)

 -  Dealing with my anxiety

 -  Continuing my walk with God and attending church more frequently

 -  Strengthening my marriage and making new memories together

 -  Spending more QT with loved ones

 -  Cooking: learn 1 new recipe a month

 -  Organize the office / craft room closets

 -  Teaching Ares & Naia more tricks

 -  Health: get back into yoga and working out

 -  The positive things in life

Whether you have a resolution’s list or word of the year, I’d love to see it. Share with me in the comments below!

With love,

Linh