Chinese New Year's Eve

Count down to midnight & Chinese New Year!

My daughter & son want Valentine's weekend Dates, so we're juggling kids throughout the weekend - two stayed overnight with me last night - this morning the youngest just came from next door to see if her cousins are up yet!! YEP!! Now time for breakfast (millet,buckwheat, amaranth, teff & hazelnuts - cook in ~ 20 minutes, so a great quick grain combo)

& Oranges! I have a bowl of oranges & a bouquet of flowers on the dining room table, so KaKay peeled SEVERAL to share! I've been getting fresh flowers for my office the last couple of weeks, so brought my flowers home last night & added them to a few others.

My girlfriend Gwynne has lovely tips on her blog for celebrating Chinese New Year on Sun the 14th, inc: 'Roll 88 cases, or 88, or 8 single oranges one by one through your front door (& every exterior door that enters your home) and across your threshold, as well as real coins, ingots, gold chocolate coins into your home & business to symbolize filling them with abundance of good luck & prosperity. Then share with friends & neighbors.

Here's my 'money tree, (there's an old Chinese legend of a tree with branches of coins & gold, 7 when you shake it, the gold falls like rain from heaven) - I need to add some coins in red envelopes :)

I'm still working on the preparations (which 'should be in place by the afternoon of the 13th . . . #1 - Give your home & business a fabulous spring clean! Clear away dirt, clutter, & old stagnant chi to welcome new energy for the New Year. Everything should be sparkling!!

Pay off debts, & "Treat yourself to a brand new purse & wallet, & fill it with lots of cash!"
I've been paying bills, got a new red wallet, (guatamalan - I got a new purse a month or so ago.)
When I was making my deposit Fri (inc an IRA contribution :) I asked for 27 uncirculated $ bills, & 33 new 1 $ coins! The teller was intrigued, & quite helpful - I got some extra $ coins for giving in red envelopes . . .

I didn't have any of the lovely 'official' ones, so yesterday I stopped at the Dollar tree, & found a set of invitations that came with Red Envelopes! They have a white box for address, so I pulled out the gluestick & red & gold napkins left from last year's beeswax collage Valentine project to give these a more traditional look, & some of that sparkly gold (which doesn't show as much in the photo) - what do you think?

Other suggestions inc. getting a new haircut & red jewels - (I got one a few weeks ago, & two of my grand daughters got their hair cut Friday!!). I found earrings & a red necklace this last week at two local shops (one locally made!), &

My son's kids caught fish at the sportsman show, so that's part of dinner (the word for fish, 'yu' sounds like the words for both wish & abundance, serving fish at the end of the New Year's eve meal symbolizes a wish for abundance)

The kids have danced (ballet) & are fed & tucked in watching a movie at Mary's - back to that 'shining' & clearing!