• About
  • Available on Amazon
BEGUILING HOLLYWOOD

BEGUILING HOLLYWOOD

If you want a little historical perspective you're home.

Main menu

Skip to content
  • About
  • Available on Amazon

Category Archives: Thanksgiving

Show Grid Show List

Post navigation

← Older posts

“Life’s what’s important. Walking, houses, family. Birth and pain and joy…” Katharine Hepburn

November 23, 2017 by Vickie Lester

I think, as it did for a big portion of Americans, this year raised my blood pressure. In my case the doctor scared me into doing something reasonable and healthy, so every morning I walk as soon as the sun rises and I keep going until I’ve shed a few layers and found four miles have passed as I watch… The kids being chivvied along with, “We’re going to be late for school,” the joggers, the long-legged striders, the grandparents, […]

Categories: Architecture, Blogging, Culture, Design, Entertainment, Film, Friendship, History, Hollywood, Life, Los Angeles, Marriage, Memoir, Movies, Photography, Story, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized • Tags: anniversary, autumn, Happy Thanksgiving, Holidays, I have plenty to be thankful for, Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn quote, neighborhood, thankful, Thanksgiving

6

Over the L.A. river and through the wood to Grandmother’s house we go…

November 18, 2017 by Vickie Lester

I look at images like this and I remember my grandmother’s house. The teenagers in my life get the same glazed look they exhibit whenever I turn the channel to TCM. “It’s old-timey!” Which, of course, is why we (the Royal We) love it. And then they wander off to do homework (I have my suspicions). Now, as to the title of this post, I must remind you the L.A. river is paved concrete so old that islands have formed […]

Categories: Architecture, Cooking, Culture, Design, Entertainment, Film, Gastronomy, History, Hollywood, Life, Los Angeles, Memoir, Movies, Photography, Story, Thanksgiving, Travel, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized • Tags: Apple Strudel recipe, grandmother, how to roll a strudel, Melanie Griffith, Michael Douglas, Shining Through (1992), Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving in Los Angeles, The Beekman Boys

5

Vickie Lester makes a silent star’s fruitcake in November so it can get tipsy by Christmas

November 15, 2017 by Vickie Lester

Hello, poppets! This weekend I will be stirring up a fragrant, delicious, decidedly old school recipe that evokes the spirit of a spicy warm holiday, and that means fruitcake. Never fear, there will be no disgusting green cherries, or sickly sweet lumps of candied pineapple. My recipe will make two loaves of cake. The longer you age it the more mellow and scrumptious it becomes. Some people place the cakes in a tin, in a cool place, for up to […]

Categories: Christmas, Cooking, Culture, Design, Entertainment, fashion, Film, Friendship, Gastronomy, History, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Marriage, Memoir, Movies, Photography, Recipes, Story, Thanksgiving, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized • Tags: baking, Christmas, comedienne, cooking, Favorite Recipes of the Movie Stars, fragrant, fruitcake, fruitcake recipe, good cook, Grandmother's fruitcake, Hal B. Wallis, heirloom fruitcake recipe, Hollywood, Louis Fazenda, no disgusting green cherries, Old Hollywood, philanthropist, producer, recipe, silent movies, Vickie Lester makes fruitcake

3

I admire anyone, even if they’re 5, if they can break into song before 8 in the morning…

November 29, 2015 by Vickie Lester

I’ve started taking walks in the morning, spurred on by my doctor’s advice. I asked during my last checkup if I should start training with weights to prevent osteoporosis, and my esteemed physician of 25 years replied, “No, you’ll probably just hurt yourself.” So in the mornings I grab the only Boston garb that’s suitable for our weather in Southern California and step outside. Around the corner there’s a park, and as I rambled I spied someone of very small […]

Categories: Architecture, Art, Books, Christmas, Culture, Design, Entertainment, fashion, History, Hollywood, Life, Los Angeles, Memoir, Movies, Photography, Thanksgiving, Travel, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized, Weather, Writing • Tags: Boston, California Spanish, happy holidays, menopause, perimenopause, Spanish Colonial, thankful, what passes for winter in Los Angeles

5

I am thankful for you…

November 26, 2015 by Vickie Lester

For editors, for digital savants, for connoisseurs of scent, for kind hearts around the world,  for book clubs, and for this thing we call the Internet. The places we go, the people we meet, the perfectly wonderful communities we build…online. My editor sent me this: An excerpt from: Faulks on Fiction: Great British Characters and the Secret Life of the Novel The paragraph made me laugh aloud, because there is an expectation from readers of a kind of personal knowledge […]

Categories: Advertising, Blogging, Books, Culture, Design, Entertainment, fashion, Fiction, Film, Friendship, History, Hollywood, Life, Literature, Los Angeles, Memoir, Movies, Photography, Publishing, Story, Thanksgiving, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized, Writing • Tags: #itsinhiskissbyvickielester, Edith Head and Gloria Swanson had great respect for each other, I am thankful for book clubs, I am thankful for editors, It's in His Kiss by Vickie Lester, Sebastian Faulks quote, Thanksgiving

4

Bogey and Bacall married at Malabar Farms in Ohio – Happy Thanksgiving

November 26, 2015 by Vickie Lester

Categories: Architecture, Blogging, Choreography, Culture, Design, Entertainment, fashion, Film, Friendship, History, Hollywood, Humor, Life, Marriage, Memoir, Movies, Photography, Relationships, Story, Thanksgiving, Travel, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized, Wedding • Tags: Bacall, Bogart, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Thanksgiving, turkey, wedding Malabar Farms

13

Reprise: Thanksgiving at our house…

November 25, 2015 by Vickie Lester

  Hello dear readers, This in no way resembles what the house looks like in real time. By this point I have become the person who the child refers to as “Boss” and who the sainted man that married me is kind enough to endure. They are probably setting the table, laying the fire, or trying to ignore the string of invective coming from the kitchen. I am cooking. I am cooking pretty much what my mother cooked and her […]

Categories: Architecture, Art, Cooking, Culture, Design, Film, Hollywood, Humor, Los Angeles, Marriage, Photography, Relationships, Thanksgiving, Writing • Tags: cooking, family, family traditions, feast, grandmother, Happy Thanksgiving, humor, husband, kitchen, Mother, Thanksgiving

32

It’s time for Vickie Lester’s “how to” Hollywood Thanksgiving Dinner

November 24, 2015 by Vickie Lester

Face it, if you’re serving the feast this year there’s a lot of work to be done. Walk in my door, and you will be directed to the living room with a crackling fire in the hearth. Most likely, The Mister will pour you a beverage and there will be what I call vestigial nibbles on the coffee table (spiced nuts and marinated olives) because really, you should fast for a day before what’s to come — belly distention and […]

Categories: Blogging, Cooking, Culture, Design, Entertaining, Entertainment, fashion, Film, Friendship, Gastronomy, History, Hollywood, Life, Los Angeles, Memoir, Movies, Photography, Story, Thanksgiving, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized • Tags: a Martha Stewart moment, a novel by Vickie Lester, a traditional Hollywood Thanksgiving menu, holiday dessert, how to make Thanksgiving dinner, Marilyn Monroe and Cole Porter at the Cocoanut Grove, Thanksgiving menu, Thanksgiving recipes

7

The calm before Thanksgiving is about to break…standby for complete recipes and “how to”

November 23, 2015 by Vickie Lester

When I was a little girl sometimes I would wake and pad down the stairs to the kitchen early on Thanksgiving morning and my mom would already have a 22 pound bird trussed up, stuffed, and ready for roasting. Her face would be rosy, her coffee cup empty, and now that I’m older I recognize the expression she wore. Something like appreciation for the quiet I had just shattered, anticipation for the gathering of family friends to come, and gratitude. […]

Categories: Advertising, Architecture, Blogging, Books, Cooking, Culture, Design, Entertainment, fashion, Fiction, Film, Friendship, Gastronomy, History, Hollywood, Life, Los Angeles, Memoir, Movies, Parenting, Relationships, Story, Thanksgiving, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized • Tags: a traditional Hollywood Thanksgiving menu, gratitude, Happy Thanksgiving, holiday dessert, how to make Thanksgiving dinner, I have plenty to be thankful for, Vickie Lester

17

Post navigation

← Older posts

BUY ON AMAZON

search

instagram: toobeguiling, behind the scenes

Solar sneezing — when you walk just before dawn, and as soon as the sun beams down and hits your nose — kerchoo! I’ve learned to bring tissues. Sleeves will only get you so far. . . . . . Time for a #sunnyday cup of #coffee. . #livethelittlethings #beautyofstillmoments #goodmorning #decor #door #heart #outforawalk #pursuepretty #postitfortheaesthetic #thatsdarling #architecture #thehappynow #gooutside #Conquer_LA #LAStory #LostInLA #MyDayInLA #elegance #writersofinstagram #bookstagram #author #literature #lovebooks #goodreads #socal #story.
He said, “Look at the sunset,” and I glanced up to see the light had turned luminous coral in the sky, so I ran up the stairs and climbed out on the roof for an unfiltered #LA #sunset. . . . . . #goodnight #love #gooutside #pursuepretty #exploretocreate #artofvisuals #palms #MyDayInLA #clouds #bluesky #naturephotography #citylife #LAStory #silhouette #glowing #hollywood #light #thehappynow #discoverearth #writersofinstagram
There are some #words that just set me off, like effulgent. Which is what this image is, #radiant with #light. And the feeling it captures, which is joyful because shortly after I snapped it I saw a very little boy, maybe 18 months old, dressed in a onesie and tennis shoes out waddling along with his father, when he heard a dog bark across the street. The pre-verbal little one broke into a beaming smile then wagged his head and lolled his tongue out and Papa said, “That’s right! It’s a puppy.” Such a moment makes a day worthwhile. And now I’ll get back to my griping — effulgent — a grating word for something glorious. Don’t even get me started on copious. . . . . . #sweet #friday #california #bungalow #architecture #livethelittlethings #thehappynow #amwriting #outforawalk #hollywood #postitfortheaesthetic #thatsdarling #lastory #writersofinstagram #author #literature #lovebooks #socal #story #beautyofstillmoments #home #pursuepretty #agameoftones #artofvisuals #gooutside
How my morning got a #French twist — stopped by my favorite @cafemontrose and found Mme. Pam herself putting a new #sparkle on the #design, and the food? Merveilleux, as alway! It’s #wine #wednesday at the #cafe. Drop in and raise a #glass in #congratulations. Or, if you’re like me, bite into a #strawberry #pastry and revel in #spring. . . . . . #mirror #friends #reflection #portrait #restauranteur #cafe #neighborhood #Paris in #socal #delicious #coffee #bakery #breakfast #lunch #local #bijoux #bistro
Once upon a time I had an astronomy professor who would explain the quality of light and celestial motion in a rrrrolling Germanic accent. He would tell us all about Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), an astronomer — except he said Tycho Brrrrhhh-hay — who besides being a brilliant and precise observer of the heavens before the invention of the telescope, had a few quirks. At university he fought in a duel and thereafter wore a brass nose. He was considered superstitious and in his native country, Denmark, they refer to “Tycho Brahe days,” meaning a whole slew of inauspicious days scattered throughout the calendar. In April there are seven such days. And, not one of them is the 13th. Wishing you a floral Friday, with ❤️. . . . . . #rose #love #petals #blossom #flowers #history #stars #livethelittlethings #lightandshadow #color #story #friday #fridaymood #superb_flowers #bouquet #exploretocreate #art #nature_perfection #chiascuro #jardin #garden #garten #flores #fingerscrossed #goodluck #visualsoflife #MyDayInLA #amwriting
Our heroine’s romantic fantasy of living in a turret fizzled as soon as she lugged her groceries up the stairs... . Life in #Hollywood, as seen from a babysitter turned movie mogul’s eyes. Just a taste on the blog today. Link in the profile. . #goodmorning #sunday #livethelittlethings #beautyofstillmoments #artofvisuals #design #garden #homedecor #outforawalk #pursuepretty #postitfortheaesthetic #thatsdarling #agameoftones #thehappynow #gooutside #wasthatacastle #LAStory #LostInLA #MyDayInLA #elegance #writersofinstagram #bookstagram #author #literature #lovebooks #goodreads #socal #story.
When you’re writing, and the words come to you in wonderful waves, and you feel like you’re floating just inches above the floor... . #imagine that — . #amwriting another #hollywood #novel.. . And now it’s time for #tea. . #LAStory #LostInLA #MyDayInLA #elegance #style #color #agameoftones #spring #flashesofdelight #flightsoffancy #home #losangeles #artofvisuals #book #writersofinstagram #bookstagram #filmindustry #author #love #literature #lovebooks #goodreads #socal #story
A shout-out to the saintly ladies of Hill Street, who guide us through jury selection with patience, kindness, a bit of wit, and the resolve of the upright. I reported for jury duty the other day and walked into the assembly room as a judge was invoking the words of Martin Luther King, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” I like to remember that, especially now. This is the view from Grand Park, past the superior courts, with City Hall smack-dab in the center. . . . . . #gooutside #cityscape #exploretocreate #think #urban #palms #perspective #architecture #postitfortheaesthetic #dtla #beautyofstillmoments #artofvisuals #agameoftones #thehappynow #Conquer_LA #LAStory #LostInLA #MyDayInLA #elegance #writersofinstagram #bookstagram #author #literature #lovebooks #goodreads #socal #story #itsinhiskissbyvickielester

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • How I shake-off the headlines…
  • Easter chick? Only in Hollywood…
  • This is a purely fanciful tale, a little nightmare produced by the unaccustomed high living of a brief visit to Hollywood.
  • Where a lack of punctuation can lead…
  • “It was my Uncle George who discovered that alcohol was a food well in advance of modern medical thought.” P.G. Wodehouse

Archives

  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • December 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012

Categories

  • 4th of July
  • Advertising
  • Animation
  • Architecture
  • Art
  • Audio
  • Baseball
  • Blogging
  • Books
  • Chicago
  • Children
  • Choreography
  • Christmas
  • Cooking
  • Cosmetic Surgery
  • Crime
  • Culture
  • Design
  • DIY
  • Dogs
  • Early Television
  • Easter
  • Education
  • Election
  • Entertaining
  • Entertainment
  • fashion
  • Fiction
  • Film
  • Friendship
  • Gardening
  • Gastronomy
  • Halloween
  • History
  • Hollywood
  • Humor
  • journalism
  • law
  • Life
  • Literature
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Marriage
  • Memoir
  • Mother's Day
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Mystery
  • New Year's Day
  • New York
  • News
  • Olympics
  • Palm Springs
  • Parenting
  • Paris
  • Perfume
  • Pets
  • Photography
  • Poetry
  • Politics
  • Presidents Day
  • Publishing
  • Recipes
  • Relationships
  • Romance
  • Science
  • Short Stories
  • Sports
  • Story
  • Sundance Film Festival
  • Thanksgiving
  • Theater
  • Travel
  • Truth & Rumors
  • Uncategorized
  • Valentine's Day
  • Vegas
  • Weather
  • Wedding
  • Writing

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.com
Blog at WordPress.com.
BEGUILING HOLLYWOOD
Blog at WordPress.com.
Cancel