Quick Pics

Compared to October, November has been a very chill month. It's also literally been chilly, with the temperatures dropping from the 50s/60s to the 30s. Oh winter. You just can't wait, can you? I started reading a little more this month. I finished Carrie, which was really really good. I have started The Haunting of Hill House, but haven't gotten too far into it yet. I go through reading phases where I get into a book and then want to read more, but then end up not having the time to do it. Sometimes I wish I could take a vacation from life and just stay in bed under the warm blankets with a bunch of good books to read for a week.

I got a couple of fun new things this month, such as my Harry Potter ring. It was getting this ring and styling it with Gryffindor colors that led me to do the Inspired by Hogwarts outfit series this month. I had a lot of fun creating outfits based on the colors of each Hogwarts house. I also recently got two new dresses from ModCloth. One is the space-print dress that was featured in my last post. The other is the dress that I wore for Thanksgiving that you will see sometime soon! It's really comfy, and was perfect for a day of feasting.

Speaking of Harry Potter... I started trying some new drinks at Starbucks. You may already know, but Starbucks has a "secret menu". This menu contains recipes for drinks that aren't on the traditional Starbucks menu. One of the recent additions that I learned of was Butterbeer! They had a hot version and a cold version. I've tried both and both are absolutely amazing, but I think I like the hot one more. It tastes like some sort of Christmasy treat to me, and I love it. I can't get enough. Neither have coffee in them, but I'm sure you could get it in there. I hate coffee, so it was perfect for me. I also tried the gingerbread latte (sans coffee) and that was tasty too! This month I also attended another Reel Big Fish concert and watched The Emperor's New Groove for the first time. I know. The first time? For shame.

Of course, the month ended with the gloriousness that is Thanksgiving. I was really looking forward to this year's Thanksgiving, since I was sick on Easter morning and couldn't eat any of my family's wonderful food. Thanksgiving was my next chance to. Of course I had one of the legs, tons of mashed potatoes, stuffing, and bread. For dessert, I made a cinnamon streusel topped pumpkin pie. I'll be posting the recipe soon! Oh, and since it's almost December, I broke out the Christmas music already. I couldn't help myself. I also went on a present buying spree last night. Hooray!

My pie came out great, and in addition to that the pumpkin pie, I also had apple pie, pumpkin cheesecake, and pumpkin chiffon pie. I definitely pied it up. It was amazing. And now tomorrow my friends and I are having Second Thanksgiving, which will be a sort of Friendsgiving. It will be the first time that I will cook a turkey. Sarah and I are doing most of the cooking, so it shall definitely be an experience... hahaha. I hope you all had a great holiday!

Outer Space

You guys. This dress. I have been lusting after this dress for months, now. I got a ModCloth gift certificate for my birthday, so naturally I started narrowing down my wishlist to the items that I wanted the most. This dress ended up making the cut! I was a little apprehensive after reading the reviews. It was getting a lot of mixed reviews, especially from bustier women. I couldn't decide if I should size up or not. I was afraid that if I did, the waist would be too big, so I ended up getting my regular size (small), and it fits fine! It is a little tight in the bust, but it's not bad at all. I am pleased with it! The colors and print are fantastic. I love space, so I'm really happy that this dress worked out.

My cousin Ashley called me on Saturday, which was very unexpected. She usually works Saturdays, but she switched with someone last minute and called me to go on an adventure! We ended up checking out this abandoned village, and then got kicked out after about 10-15 minutes. Luckily, there was a cute cafe nearby where this nice guy was playing an acoustic set. We were the only ones there, so he just pretty much played whatever we asked him to. I noticed that Britney Spears was on his list of songs, so I asked him to play that since I find acoustic covers of pop songs to be awesome.

There was also a state park nearby. I wish I went in the fall when all the leaves were colorful, but it was still nice and pretty. It'll have to be on my list for next year! There's picnic areas and a waterfall, too! When we drove by the waterfall, I could see people at the bottom of it, and one person was a sailor. He was dressed in the full-on sailor uniform with hat and all, which I thought was neat.

There's a part of the forest that must've caught fire somehow because all of the trees that were left behind are charred and burned. It's kinda eery and spooky, but it's also pretty cool. There is an overlook that has a fantastic view, and the trail to it goes right through this burned area.

[This reminded me of Sauron]

Dress: Fervour via ModCloth//Sweater: H&M//Tights: George//Boots: Xhilaration//Belt: Forever 21

I liked that these outfit pictures were taken with this vast sky behind me. I thought that it fit well with the outer space theme of my dress. It was pretty cold, and has been freezing lately in general. I'm hoping it's just a cold spell and that it'll warm up a little once it passes. It's like we went from 50/60 degree weather straight to 35 degree weather. It's crazy! And the wind has been making everything feel worse. I broke out my down coat early this year, but it's worth it because it keeps me so much warmer than my peacoats.

Here's a gem from when I took pictures of Ashley...

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and I'm excited! I will be making a cinnamon-streusel-topped pumpkin pie. I've never made pumpkin pie before, and this year I was designated to be the pumpkin pie maker at my aunt's. I haven't tried pumpkin pie in a very long time because when I had tried it, I didn't like it. I know, I know...how could I? I think it had to do with the texture. I'm hoping that I'll try it again and like it now that I'm older. Plus this pie has a streusel top, which is always a bonus. We shall see tomorrow! Have a great Thanksgiving, everybody! :)

Guest Blogging at Almost Stylish

I'm guest blogging over at Almost Stylish today! I'm really excited that Kati asked me to write a guest post for her while she's on vacation. She is so sweet and always features great outfits and recipes! Head on over and check out my post about one of my favorite dresses. :)

Milkshake Print

Lately, the last thing I want is a milkshake because it's gotten pretty cold around here. I've been craving a lot of nice and warm teas and chai lattes. I feel like every year I become less tolerable of the cold, which makes me feel old. Anyway, it's always a good time to wear a fun milkshake print dress! :)

Can you believe I've only worn this dress once? It's mostly to do with the fact that it's mint and for me, mint is a hard color to style for some reason. I love mixing red with it, which is what I did the first time I wore it and now again. I'm trying to figure out what other colors I could wear it with, especially now that winter is approaching and layering will be mandatory.

Dress: Sugarhill Boutique via Modcloth//Sweater: New York & Company//Tights: Simply Vera by Vera Wang//Shoes: Dana Buchman via Kohl's

I often find that no matter how much I layer and how many warm pieces I buy, the cold still manages to make its way in and down to the core of my bones. This is especially true in January, February when the temperatures can get to be in the single digits or below 0. I have sweater tights, tights lined with fleece, a ton of big cozy sweaters, a down winter coat, tall waterproof boots, and still I end up freezing in the end. And because of this, you tend to just not want to go out as much, and you especially find it hard to want to go out in the cold and take off my coat while taking outfit pictures. I'm sure a lot of my fellow bloggers can relate to this. Winter can be a blogging burden. I'm never looking forward to it, with the exception of Christmas. After Christmas, I'm done with winter. Be gone!

This month flew by! It seems like November just started and now it's a little over a week from being over. I think I've finally figured out ideas for what I'm getting most of the people on my list for Christmas. I usually do most of my shopping online. I find that's where the best deals are, and I get to avoid all the crowds and lines. Win-win! Sometimes I like to venture out to shop during the holiday season, though. It can be fun to be a part of the hustle and bustle.