**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. ​  But, all opinions expressed are my own.

     It is one thing to just sit as a family and randomly watch a movie together with some people interested and others not so much.  But, planning a special family movie night makes it a special time when memories are created. 
      It can be easy and inexpensive to plan a movie night. A lot of stuff can be found at DollarTree!  If you get everyone involved it is even more fun. When we go to the movie theater, we all have our favorite treats that we like to get. Personally,  I love a box of Junior Mints.  Some people love Milk Duds or Mike and Ike's.  Popcorn is a must! You can pop it in advance and bag it in some cute bags or get reusable plastic popcorn containers like these that you can use for every Family Movie Night. If you don't want to go with sodas, you can always whip up some smoothies or other juices as a special treat. 

      Make sure everyone is comfortable by breaking out the cushions, pillows and blankets. Be extra sure everyone goes to the bathroom and has all of the treats that they need before you dim the lights just like in a real movie theater!  Turn off your phones and electronics and really get into the show!  Remember if you have younger children, start the event early enough so that they are able to enjoy the whole movie.      

       Everyone has different ages to appeal to when it comes to a movie night.  If it becomes a weekly or monthly event at your house, and you have younger children, let them take turns choosing the movie and make sure everyone knows that there is no complaining because their turn will come and it puts a real damper on the party if people complain. (This reminds me of when Maddy was in Jr. High and was really into the Twilight Series.  When she got the first movie, she really wanted us all to watch it together.  We did.  After she went to bed that night, my husband confided in me that he thought it was the worst movie he had ever seen!  Ha Ha!  But he never would have told her that. She knows now, but she has moved on so...). 

     On the other hand, if you have teenagers, be sure they know the boundaries of what can be chosen, especially if they have younger siblings.  At our house that would mean no extreme scariness or horror.  Mom and Dad have to approve all choices, ratings, subject matter, etc.  But come on, there are a lot of really good family movies out there that everyone can enjoy! Here are some of our choices: 

• Right now, we are loving all of the ​Marvel movies!  I got a late start on these, so Maddy has been educating me on them. Infinity War was actually the first one I saw, so I have had to go backwards and watch earlier ones to really know what is going are and who the people are.  Today we watched the first Iron Man together!  (I had already seen End Game.)  I have enjoyed every minute of these movies! 
• In the past, we have re-watched series movies, like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Hunger Games over a period of a few weeks.  Everyone has loved them. Doing this gets everyone excited for the next movie night to see the next movie in the series. 
• Old favorites are always great to go back to.  I love to share some of the Disney movies I have loved since my childhood, like In Search of the Castaways and Swiss Family Robinson.  
• Depending on your kid's ages, some quirky comedies can be awesome.  We have always loved The Gods Must Be Crazy and our son introduced us to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  Clue and Murder by Death are timeless.  Maddy adores Austinland. Having a daughter who is a lawyer, I have to mention Legally Blond. 

        Well, I hope we've given you some ideas for movies that you may not have thought of! If you have a movie that is always a hit at your house, let us know.  We're always up for a good movie!  I hope you'll incorporate Family Movie Night into your family's list of fun activities to enjoy together, and have a blast doing it! 
​      Have a great weekend! 
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**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. ​  But, all opinions expressed are my own.

     There are so many things in the summer that get tracked into the house!  Grass, sand, mud, the list goes on.  This month for Handmade Monthly I decided that I would share something that I needed for my backdoor!  I had a doormat out there, but it seemed like everyone barely used it. I was constantly sweeping up dry grass and whatever else got tracked in. So, somewhat tongue in cheek and somewhat seriously, I took my cue from a shampoo bottle and made this mat that says, "Wipe yer feet!  REPEAT."  
     I think these mats would make great gifts as a housewarming gift for people with kids.  Or, change the words and they would be suitable any time of year for the front or the backdoor! Or, how about for an RV , camper or cabin?
     I found the mat I used at Dollar Tree!  That's right!  A doormat for $!.00! They  have them on their website to order in bulk, and they have a bunch in their store.  I decided to use embossing powder with my heat gun to create my design.  It was pretty much a learning experience as I figured out what to do.  I'll show you what I did and tell you what I learned! 
Supplies: 
plain doormat
paint
​paint brush or foam brush
embossing powder
stencil 
​Heat Gun

That was the basic overview.  Here are the things I would do to make it easier. 

• Make sure you have white embossing powder and not clear!  (Um, yes, I did that.) The clear won't show well on glue.  I ended up using the chalkboard marker to fill in the words and then you the clear embossing powder to give it sparkle.
• Apply the embossing powder very carefully just where you want it to be or it will leave sparkles all over your mat and everywhere else.  I like to just take a pinch and put it right where I want it to go.
• Don't hold the heat gun in one place for too long or your  mat will melt. 

In the end, I like the look of this mat by my backdoor.  I think that the embossing will hold up better than just paint, but of course, using just paint is a definite possibility.  I hope you will take some of my tips to heart, to make your mat less labor intensive!  

I had fun trying to come up with good messages for my backdoor mat.  If you have anymore cute sayings or ideas, let me know!
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**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. ​  But, all opinions expressed are my own.

    I have a number of books to read right now, but I never seem to find the time to read, or when I do I fall asleep!  This is unlike me because I love reading!  But, on Mother's Day, Madalynn gave me a book about WWII, which she knows I love, and not only that, it is based on a true story.  As soon as I started reading it, I was sucked in and the desire to sleep was not a problem.  

    The book is The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.  I had never read anything by Heather Morris, but I was impressed with her superb handling of this story of Lale and Gita Sokolov that she was able to hear first hand from this couple who met in Auschwitz.  The story tells of Lale's imprisonment from Slovakia, his level headedness and how his ability to obtain the tattooist position helped him to be of benefit to many others in the camp. We see his instinct for survival, especially after he meets Gita (giving her her tattoo) and determines that she will one day be his wife. Through all of the atrocities that Lale sees, he doesn't lose his humanity and care for his fellowman.  
     There are a few spots in this book with some bad language and of course, dealing with the subject matter of the prison camp, highly adult topics.  But, overall, most of the scenes that could be very graphic and ugly are handled with care and taste.  You feel the angst without having to have it graphically described, which I appreciated.  
     This story of Lale and Gita is one of triumph in the midst of horror.  If you love stories of love and survival from the WWII era, you will enjoy this book! 

WTRW: Don't Push the Button! Plus Keep Kids Reading All Summer!

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. ​  But, all opinions expressed are my own.

   On Memorial Day, I shared with you my recipe for a The Best Ever Chocolate Zucchini Cake and the mistake I made that turned out to be a good thing.  I promised to share with you what I did with the rest of the zucchini that I had left over. 
   This is it!  I had a lot of oranges in the house because Maddy and Lindsey had both gotten some in produce coop boxes and brought them over.  I used a Cara Cara orange in this recipe. I used to think that Cara Cara oranges were just a type of blood orange.  I have discovered that I was incorrect in thinking that.  Blood Oranges and Cara Cara have different "parentage", if you will and the Blood Orange is not as sweet as the Cara Cara.  The Blood Orange has a slight raspberry flavor to it. The Cara Cara oranges are sweet and juicy! I used that reddish juice and the zest in this Zucchini Orange Bundt Cake. Yup! Time to pull out that bundt pan again!  Our weather has stayed so nice this year that I am able to bake longer than usual! 
   The flavor of this Bundt cake was vanilla with the slight orange hint coming through.  The zucchini added moisture and texture to the cake.  The cake was light and soft and the color was quite beautiful, with its golden color and green and orange flecks. 

   I decided a cream cheese soft frosting would set off the tenderness of the cake nicely.  Here is the recipe: 

Zucchini Orange Cake

If you try both the Chocolate Zucchini Cake, and this Zucchini Orange Cake, drop me a line and let me know which you liked the best!  I have my favorite, but I won't tell right now! Check our Instagram in a few days to find out.