Movie Night: Groundhog Day

Whether or not the groundhog sees his shadow… movie night is always good news!

Groundhog Day is the perfect example of a silly thing that is fun to make a big deal out of for your kids.  So tonight we are going to watch Groundhog Day (obviously) and I'll tell you how we are handling the content in just a moment.

This movie will forever remind me of my "first date" with my dear friend.  She was new to our school in 9th grade and invited me to go see Groundhog Day at the theater.  That was the beginning of a lifelong friendship.  Here we are at age 40 (well, I'm 40, she's almost there) and y'all we talk just about every day!  So this movie, as annoying as it can be, holds a place in my heart.

I made groundhog cupcakes and got the idea here.   

I pretty much followed Bakerella's method, but I used chocolate chips for the noses instead of sunflower seeds.  I think they turning out just darling.

I had this "grass" tablecloth on hand and stuck with black, white and green for everything else.

My kids are stuffed animal hoarders, so I grabbed this little guy and stuck him in a potted plant.  I think he's technically a prairie dog but he today he's playing the role of Punxsutawney Phil.  Personally, I think he's nailing it. 

This plant might look pitiful, but I won it at bunko just days before I had my daughter.  That was many years ago and it's still holding on.

So as you probably know, in the movie Bill Murray is forced to relive the same day over and over.  For dinner I thought it would be fun to have a meal that we just might choose if we had to eat the same thing day after day.  Steaks, baked sweet potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts with pancetta are on the menu. 

We are trying something new tonight and watching the movie on VidAngel.  Some wise and like-minded friends told me about this.  It's a service you use to filter movies to help keep them family friendly.  How great is that???

Here's hoping you have a fun Friday and that we see an early spring!

Movie Night: Queen of Katwe

This post contains affiliate links.

We love a movie with a positive, motivational story that sparks interesting conversations in our family. That’s what we found with Queen of Katwe, a delightful film. This movie tells the story of a young girl living in a slum in Uganda who finds her life rapidly changing after discovering she is a gifted chess player. It’s an inspiring story that opened my kids’ eyes to what poverty can really look like in other parts of the world. Plus, it’s based on a true story… which gets us every time!

This movie is probably best suited for kids who are a little older, as it does have some intense moments. You are the best judge of what is appropriate for your family. See more on the content here.

I found a beautiful African-patterned tablecloth to help set the scene for this movie night. The colors are so beautiful and vibrant that little else was needed.

It’s always fun to move movie night dinners into our formal dining room. It changes things up and always feels like a special occasion.

You might be shocked to know that “chess” isn’t a hot party theme these days. Ha! While I couldn’t find much, I did find this chess piece chocolate mold. I baked a simple yellow cake with chocolate icing and topped it with white chocolate chess pieces to loosely mimic a chess board. My kids went crazy for this and thought it was rather fancy!

We loved this movie and ended the night feeling inspired and educated. If that’s not the sign of a good family movie night, I don’t know what is. Happy Friday, friends!

Movie Night: Royal Wedding

As we gear up for Valentine’s Day and have romance on our minds… I thought I would share this fun movie night again. It’s perfect for families or lovebirds alike!

Do you have royal wedding fever?  Here's a perfect movie night for this most regal of weekends!

In this 1951 film Fred Astaire and Jane Powell play a dancing duo who end up in London at the time of Princess Elizabeth's wedding.  Our whole family was just delighted by this movie.  

It's been years since I had a reason to drag out any of my wedding-themed decor so I was thrilled to see it again!

Did you know you can buy rose petals from your grocer's floral department?  This was an inexpensive, easy way to make a big impact on our table.  You instantly think of a crowd of well wishers showering the bride and groom with petals as they dash off to their honeymoon.

Crown dinner plates paired with wedding dessert plates were the perfect combo for this one.

Drink charms added an extra touch.

This vintage cake topper was a wedding gift of ours.  I loved using it as part of the centerpiece.

I picked up dinner from a local specialty market which made things both simple and elegant.  These little strawberry cakes were a delicious end to our meal.

This movie offers amazing dancing (Fred Astaire dances on the walls and ceiling!) and plenty of comedy as well.  As with many classic movies, the clothes are divine. 

This movie is available on Amazon Prime Video.  Best wishes to you for a royally romantic weekend!