Each year the AARP compiles a fantastic list of movies that appeal to adults!  Thank goodness!!  I’ve spent hours at the movies and in front of the television with my children just desperate to see a truly great movie.  Here are the solutions to my problem!

Best Movies that Appeal to Adults

• Capote
• About Schmidt
• Mystic River
• Ray (biopic of Ray Charles)
• The Last King of Scotland

Best Movie Runner Ups

• Aurora Borealis
• Cinderella Man
• Flags of our Fathers
• Good Night and Good Luck
• Letters from Iwo Jima
• Walk the Line
• The Illusionist ( I LOVED this movie!)
• The Queen
• The Aviator
• In Good Company
• The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• I “heart” Huckabees
• House of Sand and Fog
• Lost in Translation
• Seabiscuit
• A Mighty Wind
• Far from Heaven
• The Quiet American
• The Hours
• Kinsey
• The Notebook
• Sideways

Movies that are Love Stories

• The Clearing
• Shall We Dance?
• The Family Stone
• The Gathering Storm
• Love Actually
• The Painted Veil
• The Upside of Anger
• Two for the Money
• The Thing About My Folks
• Somethings Gotta Give
• The Last Kiss
• Keeping Mum
  

Great Movie Directors (over 50)

• Mike Nichols:  The Closer
• Joel Schumacher:  Phone Booth
• Roman Polanski: The Pianist
• Steven Spielberg:  Munich

Comedy Movies for Adults

• The Producers
• Failure to Launch
• Rumor Has It
• For Your Consideration
• Little Miss Sunshine
• Thank You for Smoking

Do you have a favorite movie?  I’d love to hear!

You may also enjoy:

• Start a Movie Group with Your Women Friends!
• Fostering Friendships with Your Women Friends
• How to Start a Book Group
• My 24 Top Favorite Songs of All Time

This is definitely not my favorite type of occasion – when a good friend or family is moving away!  In my close knit small town, a transfer or move is felt by all!  If you find yourself in this predicament, I hope that these unique gifts will soften the departure!

For Anyone

Plyboo State Cutting Boards

This Brooklyn based Etsy shop offers custom crafted cutting boards in the shape of any state!  Attractive and practical, this gift will be a great reminder of a former hometown! (aheirloom, Plyboo State Cutting Boards, $40)

Personalized Hometown Jigsaw Puzzle

Terrific for families, this retailer will make a jigsaw puzzle centered on any home. Using a United States Geological Survey map, the 400-piece puzzle will show main roads, contour lines and much more.  The center puzzle piece is house-shaped representing the family’s former address.  (Signals, Personalized Hometown Jigsaw Puzzle, $39.95 to $139)

Personalized Topographic Coasters

When you provide any U.S. address, National Geographic will forward a topographic map to artisans in New England who will create a set of four coasters depicting that map.  The marble coasters are felt backed and look terrific!  (National Geographic Store, “My Town” TOPO! Map Coasters, Set of 4, $49)

For Women

Sterling Silver State Charm

For a friend with a charm bracelet, this is a perfect gift!  Classic Charms offers a sterling silver charm for every state and the price is great, too!  (Classic Charms, Sterling Silver State Charm, $35)

Forget Me Knot Ring

Tying a knot around a finger is a classic way to remember something important.   In a twist on this tradition, these gold or silver rings serve as permanent reflections and a celebration of memories! (Uncommon Goods, Forget Me Not Ring*, Silver, $48; gold, $240)

Hometown Necklaces

There are two fun versions of this gift! -

1. Personalized State and International Charm Necklaces

Crafted from sterling silver, the charm on this necklace is in the shape of your selected state, with a laser-cut star in the approximate location of  the recipients hometown!  All 50 states are available! (Signals,  Personalized State and International Charm Necklace, $24.99 to $29.99)

2. Your Town Necklace

This necklace is made from a tiny piece of a map set in a frame of sterling silver and covered with a protective coating.  And of course, the map will depict the special town that is being left behind! (Acorn, Your Town Necklace, $49.95)

Any recipient will appreciate these sentimental gifts and your thoughtfulness will be long remembered!

*It’s serendipity when the products we love are from the sponsors we love!

You may also enjoy:

• Never Forget a Birthday Again
• How to Help a Friend in Need
• Fabulously Useful Websites for Women and Families
• Cook for the Cure
• Give a Child a Gift That Keeps Coming

A fun way to see friends on a regular basis is to start a movie group.  This idea is a great alternative to a book group, especially if you and your friends can’t seem to find time for reading!  To organize your group, you’ll need to recruit members, set a meeting time and seek out movies that you’ll enjoy. This is your chance to skip the Disney and Nickelodeon movies and to not worry about your male counterpart’s preferences!

Members

Try to recruit 5 to 8 members for your group.  Since movies have such a universal appeal, this task should be much easier than recruiting members for a book group.

Where to Meet

There are a few ways to set up a movie group. You can meet once a month at your local movie theatre or once a month at members’ homes where you can watch a DVD together.  If you choose to go to the theatre for your movie, be aware that there may be months when there isn’t a worthwhile choice.  Perhaps the best bet is to alternate between movies in the theatre and movies at home!

Assigning a Secretary

Assign a secretary to gather e-mail addresses and communicate movie titles, dates, show times and locations to the group.  For meetings at home, have the host choose the movie and have the secretary keep track of what you’ve seen.

Hosting the Meeting

As a host:

• Arrange comfortable seating
• Make plans to occupy your kids and husband during the show
• If possible, theme your refreshments around the movie!  For example, if you’re watching “Under the Tuscan Sun,” serve an antipasto tray and Chianti!

Tips for Choosing a Great Movie

• In the theatres, go for Academy Award winners or nominees
• At home, look to prior Oscar or Golden Globe winners
• From an unlikely source, the AARP has done a fantastic job of compiling lists of movies that are JUST FOR GROWN-UPS! How fabulous is that!
• Check out Movies for Grown Ups for some of their ideas!

Pop some popcorn and settle down for fun with friends for movie madness!

You may also enjoy:

• How to Start a Wine Tasting Club
• Guidelines to a Great Women’s Book Club
• Start a Cooking Club with Your Women Friends
• Have Fun with a Sip and Sew Club

Host a Terrific Girl Friends’ Get Together and Get a Job Done!

Spending quality time with your girl friends may seem like impossibility during the crazy holiday season, but I have some fun ideas for combining work and play!

• Card Writing Party – Invite friends over to tackle the task of writing and addressing holiday cards.  You’ll supply the wine and cheese, a bunch of pens and the guests will bring the rest!  Imagine how quickly those cards will get written as you chat and eat!

• It ‘s a Wrap – This gathering is intended to get those presents wrapped and ribboned!  You may not be able to invite as many ladies as at the Card Writing Party, but it’s still fun and effective!  Have guests arrive with unwrapped gifts, as well as their own ribbon, boxes and wrap.  Have extra scissors and rolls of tape on hand.   Terrific snacks are essential!

• Shopping Send Off - Host an early morning Open House, offering hard working shoppers some gourmet fortitude!  A simple buffet of bagels, donuts, fresh fruit and coffee (with “to go” cups) will have your friends energized for a hard day at the mall.  Encourage guests to bring unneeded coupons for a coupon exchange.  A reusable shopping bag would be a terrific party favor!

It’s nice to know that you aren’t the only one struggling to accomplish the holiday to do list and your friends will welcome the chance to work, chat, share and complain with you!

You may also enjoy:

• New Christmas Traditions
• Host a Retro Holiday Cocktail Party
• Host a Chocolate Tasting Party
• Personalized Holiday Cards with Style

Tip of the Week

I just love the new fundraiser for Breast Cancer Research initiated by Kitchen Aid!  Kitchen Aid has enlisted Villeroy and Boch to design a beautiful party platter inscribed with the words, “Cook for Your Family, Cook for Your Friends, Cook for the Cure.”

After purchasing the platter, you’ll need to prepare a favorite culinary dish for a friend or family member and serve it on the signature plate.  When it’s received, a number on the bottom of the platter will allow the recipient to register it online and for each time that the dish is passed, Kitchen Aid will donate $5 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.

This idea combines the best of everything:  good food shared among friends or family and an investment in a cause that is dear to every woman’s heart!  With Breast Cancer Awareness Month just around the corner, Cooking for the Cure is a memorable way to acknowledge and address the concerns that we all share.

I can’t wait to get my own “pass the plate” dish! (shopkitchenaid.com, $24.99)

You may also enjoy:

• Think Pink – Support the Cure
• How to Help A Friend in Need
• Providing Meals for A Friend in Need
• Fostering Your Women Friendships

Tags: cook for the cure, fun fundraising idea for the cure, the cure, fundraising, ways to raise money for breast cancer research, breast cancer fundraising, cooking to raise money for breast cancer, breast cancer research