crafts

Quarantine Honeymoon - At Home "Drive In" Theater

10:00 AM

My husband Jonathan and I would have been on a plane heading to our honeymoon a few days ago but plans changed. Instead of being sad about it, I decided to surprise him with a super special a homeymoon (see what I did there). We absolutely love the drive in theater so I thought we'd bring the drive in indoors! Jonathan drives a truck so we usually just watch the movie from the truck bed. We bought a inflatable mattress for the sole purpose of using them at drive ins. So, for sentimental value, I did the same for our movie night.

Snacks galore! Put out some of our favorite treats to munch on during the movie.  My husband LOVES cotton candy so much (I even surprised him with a cotton candy cart at our wedding).


Had to take advantage of the fact that we were at home and S'mores was an option! Look at the ooey gooey goodness!

The Food
I would first suggest findings things in your pantry, no need to buy anything. Another option is to do a "picnic in the park" meal, like sandwiches or even fruits. If you're due for a grocery run, here's a Target shopping list for similar snack items.




The Movie
We watched Onward off of Disney+. I knew the backstory coming into it but did not expect to cry as much as I did! It was such a great movie and I absolutely recommend it. If there aren't any new movies that interest you and your loved one, why not watch one of your favorites?


In true drive in movie theatre fashion, you know I had to make a marquee sign using a letter board. Plus, it's always makes for a great photo.


Paper Lanterns
I got these beautiful paper lanterns from Dollar Tree. The solid colors come 2 in a pack are different sizes. I used battery operated twinkle lights I got from Amazon. The floral lantern is battery operated (requires 2 AA batteries, not included) and only comes in 1 size. They come with hooks on the top but I opted to bundling them at the end of the bed.


A little overview of how everything turned out. With being on quarantine, I just looked around the house for small things that could transform our the space. 

Quarantine Romance
It's so important to keep the romance alive during quarantine. We have been really good about giving each other personal space while still having quality time together. Being on quarantine together doesn't meant you have to spend every second together. It helps when you're both doing your own thing so you can treasure the time when are you together.

Let me know what you've been doing to keep the romance alive during quarantine. Happy homeymooning.


With love,
Linh

guide

Self Love Day (Valentine's Day on Your Own)

6:00 PM

You don’t need a significant other to celebrate Valentine’s Day. This day can be all about you. I’m an avid believer in celebrating all of life’s little victories and why not let this holiday be about that? How many of us have gone through traumas that we’ve never talked about. How many of us go through daily struggles that no one knows about?


Life can be challenging but beautiful. I think we take back the narrative and use this holiday to celebrate ourselves. Celebrate your self-worth with some self-love. Here are some ideas on how to enjoy solo Valentine’s Day. That or you can bring some friends along to join in on the fun with you.

 Get Active - it feels good to get your body moving
Sometimes a walk or hike is enough to change your mood. Put your phone on do not disturb so that you don’t get text messages but you can still use it to take photos of nature. Or you can take a group class such as yoga, hot yoga, barre, Pilates or spin. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can even try a pole or aerial silks class. You might just surprise yourself.

Relax - it feels good to chill
Plan a self spa day for yourself. Schedule a full body massage, a facial or book a mani/pedi appointment. Draw up a bubble bath, light the candles and put on some relaxing music right in your own home. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of show yourself some love.


Give Back - it feels good to give back
Volunteer at an animal shelter, take the dogs for a walk, feed them, spend some time with them. It always cheers me up when I hang out with my fur babies and I know it could do the same for you. Spend time at a women’s shelter, learn their stories and learn how you can help.

Family Time - it feels good to share the love
Why not spend time with those who raised you on this love day? You can make dinner (or dinner reservations) for your parents, siblings or even your friends (hello Galentine’s!).

Make Something Sweet - it feels good to spend time in the kitchen
You don't have to a baking champion to be successful in the kitchen. Buy a box of cookie, cupcake or cake mix and just follow the instructions. Pinterest also has a lot of ideas for "easy Valentine's Day treats".

DIY Something - it feels good to make something beautiful
It always ales me happy to be able to create something with my hands. It pushes my mind to be creative and I just love being able to make something new. Use Pinterest and search “easy DIY” and add whatever topic you like, such as home decor, bathroom decor, etc. You can keep the DIY and a reminder to yourself or share it and gift it to someone else.


You can absolutely take these ideas and do it with those you love but these are some options if you don’t have a significant other. You don’t need a partner to enjoy life and if you haven’t heard it before, I’m saying it now!
Let me know how you’re spending Valentine’s Day in the comments! If you end up going with any of these ideas, I’d love to hear about it.

With love,
Linh

love

Keeping a Daily Couple’s Journal

12:00 PM


Relationships require work. It’s a choice we make every single day to love someone. Some days require little to no work while other days requires more work than our mind can handle. For all of 2019, my husband Jonathan and I planned our wedding, we kept a daily couple’s journal. We wrote in the journal every single day and read it aloud to each other before we slept every single night. Regardless of the day we were having, it gave us a chance to slow down and reconnect as a couple. It was my favorite part of each day. We text each other about 3,467 times a day about everything. But, due to his work/gym schedule it’s hard for us to have dinner together most weekdays. So, before bedtime is the best time for us to talk about things.

 

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!

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