What I'm reading: November

I really love watching old movies from the '40s and '50s, so this month I picked up 3 books about 3 interesting Hollywood ladies. 

First was Edith Head: The Life and Times of Hollywood's Celebrated Costume Designer. Edith Head designed for dozens of movies, including Sunset Boulevard, Rear Window and Vertigo. It was fun to learn more about behind-the-scenes events of some classic movies. However, Head's legacy is not pristine. She won 8 Oscars, but never shared any of the credit with her costume assistants. Still, she remains one of the most famous and talented costumers in history. 

Next was The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe. This lengthy book dives into the history of arguably the most famous actress of the past century. Marilyn had a difficult childhood - bouncing back and forth between foster care and the home of her mentally ill mother. Monroe begins acting and rockets to fame. The book covers her struggles with her own demons, while trying to maintain her public persona. In the end, she dies a tragically young death. This book was really interesting, providing an in-depth look at every aspect of this well-known figure's life. 

Now I'm just finishing up High Society, The Life of Grace Kelly. This book introduces you to one of the most elegant actresses in recent memory. I was surprised by the fact that Kelly was so famous, when she only actually starred in 11 movies. Of course, the jump from actress to princess solidified her rise to fame. While this book was intriguing, it wasn't quite as "can't put it down" as the Marilyn Monroe book was for me. 

25 by 25

Oh man, I can't believe I'm going to be 25 next year. Ok, that's giving me a little bit of a headache, so let's just move on to the list, shall we? 

First, I put anything I didn't do on my 24x24 list on this list. 

1. Move out. 

2. Hike Half Dome.
3. Go kayaking
4. See a movie at our local theater that serves dinner and drinks.
5. Go on a fabulous vacation. (I have decided this should be on my list every year!)
6. Add more color to my wardrobe. I own a lot of gray - it's time to spice things up.
7. Go on the Santa Monica Ferris Wheel.
8. Make a scrapbook of my college years.
9. Go to Diddy Riese.
10. Try paddle boarding.
11. Stretch and improve my posture.
12. Wear bright lipstick with confidence.
13. Expand my musical horizons. (I'm a little embarrassed to tell you how much music on my ipod is from my high school years.)
14. Go beer and/or whiskey tasting.
15. Go to Chocolatine.
16. Go to the Natural History Museum and see their new dinosaur exhibit.
17. Revisit some of the classics I read in high school.
18. Read Johnathan Strange and Paris: A Secret History. These have both been on my bookshelf for a while, but their length has stopped me from picking them up, so I'd like to finally read them.
19. Watch the first seasons of 30 Rock, Community and Friday Night Lights.
20. Participate in Operation Beautiful.
21. Make this hot chocolate.
22. Start writing again. I was really into writing poetry in high school, but haven't written anything for the past few years.
23. Get crafty. Maybe try my hand at painting.
24. Visit San Francisco - one of my absolute favorite cities.
25. Have an amazing 25th birthday party. Since my birthday always falls so close to Thanksgiving, it's hard to party it up, but I'm determined to make my 25th a big celebration.

Birthday wish list

Since my birthday is next week, I thought I'd put together a little birthday wish list. You know, just in case you're reading this, mom. 

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To get in touch with my inner French girl.

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I love the zipper detail on the back of this sweater.

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Sparkly flats would put a spring in my step.

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Well, it is a dream list, right?

Holiday craft

This weekend, mama and I were out trying to holiday shop (we came home with more for ourselves than anyone else - doesn't that always happen?!) At Anthro, we saw these cute mason jar snow globes. But $30?? Really? I decided these looked like a good DIY project. 

These were fun to make, and better yet, super easy. All you need is a mason jar, hot glue gun, Christmas tree (or anything else you can think of!) and some glittery snow. It only took me about 5 minutes (and $6) to make two of these. They would be perfect holiday gifts, or great decorations done in a variety of jar sizes. 

Life

So....life. 

There hasn't been much of note lately, except it is now dark all the time and it's throwing me off. But that darkness signals cold weather and that means I get to wear these: 

And these:

And drink this everyday:

That's about it. Also, birthday is in a few weeks, so that means a 25 x 25 list. (Wow!)

Sweet November

Life as of late:

The weather has finally cooled off a bit, so I've been baking more. Last weekend, mom and I made some carrot cake from scratch for dad's birthday (yeah, we kinda like him). Carrot cake is not normally my fav, but it was good! 

I also made these for my Halloween work party. They were really good, but I didn't really taste any pumpkin, which was a bummer. 

Speaking of Halloween, I decided on Sunday that I wanted to be Buzz Lightyear. Luckily I already had a pre-printed Buzz shirt, so with the quick addition of white pants and green duct tape, I was set! 

Also - my cousin and I went hiking in Runyon Canyon this past weekend. Note to self: don't trust your iphone map to get you there, it will only take you on weird side trips up in the hills. Once we finally got there, it was a really good hike (with great views!) And we even brought a picnic lunch to finish the day with.