Is this where we introduce ourselves? I'm Shannon. I just joined this site a few minutes ago (I posted a "what the h*ll is my body type, help!" type of question in another thread) and can tell I will be addicted. I am a 26 year-old social worker in Chicago. I am a vegetarian, and I like to dabble in sports, although I'm only mildly athletically-inclined. My friends and I, who all went to grad school together, are still coming out of the "we're in the real world now" shellshock, so we act a bit too ridiculous for our age sometimes. Oops!

I have a cat (Gizmo, a Maine Coon who thinks he's a dog), a decal-covered maroon car, and a coffee dependence. Ha ha! Nice to meet everyone!

Here's a picture of me...it's from before a bachelorette party last week. I don't normally dress this...bachelorette party-ish, but when I have to gussy up, I usually go this route:

http://i41.photobucket.com/alb.....1214460074

Goodnight for now!

I had some catching up to do on this thread.

Big warm welcome to Sihaya, Marlene, Mirah, Judy, Eva and the new Shannon (we have one already, thought she's been MIA for a while).

Mirah, thanks for the invite for high tea! I'll be there with bells on my toes! By the time I got to your bio, you had removed your photo! Maybe you can repost it for me? I love traditional, ethnic clothing.

Judy what part of MA are you originally from? I am in north central MA, not far from the NH border.

Eva, your pups are so adorable. We had a 12 year old coon hound mix that we lost last year. I'm itching for another dog, but I don't feel I can give a dog all the love and attention it would need right now. When we got Flash, there was always someone home and we had plenty of time to walk and play with her. But right now, our lives are too busy, and it would be very selfish of me to have a dog right now. So, I'll just enjoy looking at your dogs for now.

And Shannon--welcome. I think you are the first person to ever post on page 5 of any thread! I'm going to go check out your other thread now.

Wow, 5th page of a thread! Nicole you should get an award for the most successful thread or something along those lines.

Big welcome to all the new posters! Eva I'm in love with your dogs! Wish i was in the right circumstances to have one...

the pic's back up, Nicole

And to all other new gals..welcome !

Welcome Shannon (another Shannon). We look forward to hearing more about you and your style. I adore Chicago. Stay hi for me!

Sorry to hear about Flash, Nicole. Very sad. You’ll get another pooch when the time is right. A swimmer perhaps, to enjoy the new pool. We have a little swimmer ( Jasmine) and she is ADORABLE when she dives into the sea like a bouncing tennis ball.

Hi Nicole, I just noticed your reply to me! I grew up in Sudbury...have a sister still there, and one in Ipswich...my parents left for Peterboro area in the early 80's. I bet I drive right near you when I make the treck from Sudbury up the back roads to NH! It's such a small world, isn't it. So sorry about your dog...I'm not a dog owner, but I really commiserate. I sometimes watch that show, The Dog Whisperer...I love Caesar and how he relates to the dogs.

This is great thread, glad I found it!

I discovered Angie’s blog when I was pregnant more than a year ago and have been a regular reader since then. I actually met Angie (with her husband and dad) when we hosted a going-away party for our (mutual) friends who moved to China. I had a suspicion but wasn’t sure it was the same Angie until I saw her Paris pics on the blog!

I am new on this forum and am amazed at how stylish you all are Also, wanted to thank you all for such a fun and supportive atmosphere. Here’s a little about me:

My name is Nafisa, but I prefer to go by Naf which is a pet name from a good friend. I am 34 years old, originally from India and moved to the USA 16 years ago. I currently live in Seattle and work in the software industry. I’ve been married for almost 4 years now, and we have a 15 month old daughter.

I am 5 feet 8.5 inches tall and weigh about 135 lbs. I think I am an hourglass, but would love to know your opinion. Here are a couple of snaps: http://s327.photobucket.com/al.....deinparis/

I wear medium tops and wear a size 6/8 or 29 bottoms. I have always been busty (32D) and even fuller right now since I am nursing my baby (32F/G!). I am also a little thicker in the waist than I used to be pre-pregnancy. I hope that once I stop nursing I will be able to go back to my original measurements. Also, I think I am short waisted but I don’t know how to confirm this for sure, any ideas? My current measurements are: 38, 29, 39 and I have broad shoulders: 18 inches across.

I try to have a sleek silhouette and like simple, tailored and shaped clothes, but with a funky edge (interesting detail or color). Favorite brands are Theory, JCrew, Benetton, Mexx and Club Monaco. I also like to look at Armani, Prada, Lanvin and DVF clothes. I love the colors in Missoni and Pucci. I try to find tailored and shaped clothes with a nipped waist. I realized early on that if I didn’t wear tops that defined my waist, I looked heavy and shapeless. I don’t wear the current style of voluminous tops, but like it on other people when paired with sleek bottoms. I love color but have somehow ended up with dark jeans, black pants and a range of black, white and red tops in the past year or so. I can be fearless with color (I regularly wear a bright yellow trench) but would love to find a color palette that looks best on me. I’ve seen people mention seasons on the forum, but have no idea what it means. I love necklaces, scarves and handbags. I can’t wear heels anymore so I am in transition with shoes, I have benefitted from Angie’s posts about comfortable shoes.

I just did a major purge of my closet and ended up with almost nothing left to wear. Very liberating but also scary! I need all the help I can get and hope to learn from you all while I build my wardrobe in the next few months. I dream of working with Angie, hopefully won’t have to wait too long to realize it

Welcome Naf. I love your look. How much longer wil you be nursing your daughter? Will you be needing to shop for smaller tops when that happens? As a busty gal who also nursed 2 babies, I know how challenging it can be to find clothes that fit. You look great though!

Judy, I don't live far from Sudbury--maybe 20/25 minutes. We do have back roads that will take you right to NH, so you probably have been in my neck of the woods.

Thanks Nicole. Actually, I am not sure how long I will be nursing. She seems to really need it, more for comfort but she is also not a big eater. I'd love to figure out a plan though... How long did you nurse?

Not nearly as long as you. 3 months with my first, and 4 with my second. I had the opposite problem that many women have. I produced too much milk. My kids NEVER drained me. I was always leaking thru the breast pads (even if I doubled up), and I was so uncomfortable all the time. It was like my breasts were constantly engorged.

I stopped cold turkey with both kids, which I don't recommend anybody ever do. It was quite painful. I had given my kids one bottle of formula every day from 1 week old, so the transition to bottle wouldn't be traumatic for them. They took to the transition with no problems what so ever. But since your daughter is 15 months old, I'm assuming you'll go to a sippy cup. That'll be a more difficult transition for her because she'll be giving up breast milk, the comfort of the breast, and the suckling. Is she nursing for the majority of her meals? Is she eating table/finger food regularly?

My goodness!!! Nafisa! Welcome! I had no idea you were Naf! Ha! Another Seattleite! I remember your lovely party well. I hoarded the nutella dip that was meant for the children. You were so kind to be hospitable to my dear old Dad. I’m a package deal when he visits. Thank you.

You look fabulous! LOVE the short haircut. Are those Swann flats? Most of the Indian ladies I’ve met are fearless with colour. Superb. Would love to grab a cuppa when you feel like a break. We are neigbours.

I see you and Nicole are hitting it off well. The boob thing is an instant connection. And if you ever want advice on bras – Nicole is our YLF expert.

I just caught up on this thread. Welcome to everyone who I haven't "met" before. There is such an amazing and diverse group here. I love it! I wish I could spend more time on here getting to know everyone.

The internet is an amazing thing.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Angie, you have an excellent memory. Btw, I really enjoyed talking to your dad, he has lived all over the world! Thanks for the compliments, and yes those are Swann flats, I bought the first pair when you blogged about them and then promptly bought another pair. Love them!

I would absolutely love to get together, didn't realize we were neighbors. Weekends work great but I can also make weekday evenings, esp Fridays. Sorry about your ankle, are you mobile now?

Nicole, my daughter eats all her meals and snacks and even drinks regular milk. But she nurses to bed and then first thing when she wakes up. So it's not a lot of nursing, but it's at critical times. I'll have to find alternatives...

Splendid naf! I'll email you privately.

Bumpedybumpbumpbump

I'm Brandy, new to the site as of yesterday. I am a 31yr old homeschooling sahm of 3 kids. Boy-7, Girl-5, Girl-3. I married my high school sweetheart (started dating at 15) at 20 and we've been married 11 yrs now. I've been a sahm since the birth of my first child at 23. But before that I was a dance/baton/gymnastics teacher and/or secretary. I have a 2yr degree and dream of going back to finish up one day. But for now, my husband is finishing up his masters degree with Virginia Tech. He works in computers and is the IT Director at our local hospital. My kids keep me very busy and we are outside observing nature a lot. We have 2 jack russell mix mutts, 1 ragdoll breed kitty, 4 guinea pigs and whatever creature my 7yr old has brought me on any given day.

We've moved a total of 12 times in 11 yrs of marriage and, for now, are in NC. All of my friends are in previous towns so this website with it's honest opinions is a godsend for me! I have no clue what my style is. I like sporty/hiking type(my hubby's favorite on me) clothes but I also love girly skirts and details. Overall probably very casual and simple. I am 5'5" and am currently 145lbs (ugh!). I wear somewhere between an 8/10, but man, I would love to be back in my 6's!

I love all things vintage and retro...Anything from the 1940's-1970's. I love color in my home, but have a hard time pulling if off in my clothing. I love to thrift and shop, read, garden, hike and spend time outdoors. I have a tendency to jump head first into pursuits and because of that have taught myself to sew over the years. I have a sewing business that I'm trying to get off the ground, but my homeschooling sahm schedule doesn't leave me a whole of of time.

How convenient, Brandy! You can do your own clothing alterations! Welcome again to the forum!

Hi, just signed up after finding this site. I love it! I've read every single blog post and am working my way through the forum.

A bit about me - I'm a Canadian living in New York. My husband and I moved here four years ago and we love it.

I used to be way more exciting in my style than I am now. A combination of laziness, weight gain (but hey, I quit smoking!) and a crazy desire to be comfortable has infected me.

I have a hard time resisting great deals, and it means that I end up with stuff in my closet with price tags still on it.

I'm hoping this site will inspire me to not buy another skirt without having a top to go with it, to stop wearing flip-flops outside of the house, and buy a great handbag.

I'm feeling quite lovely today because I made some effort, so now I'm off to "what I'm wearing today".

Welcome MVM and Xingette! X--Congrats on quitting smoking, I know it's tough. Looking forward to more posts from both of you.

yay two more bios! Welcome to the group, lasses!

And a warm welcome from me too! Thrilled to have you join the motley crew.

Another welcome here! The more the merrier

Tanya and I started to talk about ballroom dancing shoes in another thread and I took my next question here. I hope this is the right place.

Tanya, I've been meaning to ask you - what was your favorite category for competing: standard/smooth or latin/rhythm?

Catching up on this thread after a while. Welcome Xingette and Brandy. Naf on the boob thing - I stopped nursing at 15 months and 19 months with my two. I had the same excess milk problem as Nicole. In fact with my second one, at one point there was so much milk that he couldn't nurse - it was coming out too fast for him so I had to find ways to *reduce* the flow. My friends hated me for that. We gave them pumped milk in a bottle whenever I was working outside the house. With my first child, he just tapered off nursing and at 15 months I went on a trip (we were down to bedtime nursing only) and he didn't want to nurse once I was back. With the 2nd one, I had to go on 2 trips and after the 2nd one he still wanted to nurse and I said it was all gone. I've heard from several other friends that going on a trip helps cut off the habit. Though don't make the mistake I did of going on my first trip without a pump - that was incredibly painful.

Hey Everyone!
My name's Jenna. I've been reading YLF for a REALLY long time now, but I just recently started reading the forum and I love it! I figured this was the best thread to introduce myself in.

I'm 22 years old, 4'11", and a self-declared racy rectangle...or a "brick" as T&S would say (very flattering)! I live in Northern Massachusetts and go to school at the University of Connecticut. I'm a computer engineering major and I hate this field so I probably won't be doing this for the rest of my life. But I'm almost done with school. I am the student manager of my university's student computer/internet tech support group, which is really fun for me. Outside of class and work I really enjoy running, lifting, and hiking.

I can't really define my style-- it's a bit eclectic. I look best in button-down shirts and jackets that give my waist some definition. I used to be a "winter" with dark brown hair, pale skin, and blue eyes but I recently went blonde so I have no idea what season I am anymore and what colors look best on me.

This website and the forum are so much fun to read everyday!! I can't get enough of it. Everyone seems so nice and welcoming!

Here are some pictures of me just for fun:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2.....726089467/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2.....726067125/

Hi Jenna! Welcome to the forum!

What a cute dog, and I love your new blonde 'do. As someone who went from light brown/dark blonde hair to blonde blonde hair, I think you'll find that you can still wear a lot of the same colors, but before maybe you could "get away with" pastels, and now they just totally wash you out. The blue color you're wearing in the dog photo is really pretty.

Looking forward to your future posts!

Welcome Jenna and cute canine! You are adorable. Love your icy blue eyes. Cheers to future posts about you and your style.

Welcome Brandy, Xingette and Jenna

Thanks Sihaya, helps to know someone else who nursed for a while. One more good reason to take a long trip
Actually, I mostly enjoy nursing my daughter, it's our time together which is very precious to me especially since I went back to work. Its just some weekends are inconvenient, when she decided she wants to nurse during the day when i am around. At this point, I've decided I'll let her decide when she is ready to give up

Hi everyone! I realized I started posting without introducing myself first.

My name is Lena. I don't remember when or how I found YLF, and I'm so very glad I did. It's such a wealth of information, and I learn a great deal from reading everyone's questions.

I'm almost 29, I have a master's degree in economics. I'm mostly vegetarian and I like to cook. I'm also a tea drinker [waving to Angie and other tea addicts on the forum]. As for sports/exercise, I discovered fencing in grad.school and totally fell in love with it, although I'm hardly a competitive person. I stopped several years ago because of injury and instructor availability issues. I stay active with Pilates and cardio. I love to read. In my free time I also volunteer at an animal shelter (not this month, though).

I wasn't born in the US, but I've already spent more than half my life here. I'm from Moscow (Russia) and I came to America because my mother was working here at the time. Style and fashion wise, I was in for a huge surprise. I moved from a big city and a culture where polished dressing is the norm to a small university town that is still known for its hippie culture. Furthermore, I landed in high school during the grunge era. At first I spent most of my time overdressed, until sometime in college when I slowly started to give in to ultra casual student fashion. Eeep! Thankfully it was only a phase. It's hard to define my current style because I'm still very unsure and learning. I'm also building up my wardrobe after an overhaul. I love color, tailored silhouettes (plus I'm beginning to develop a thing for dramatic sleeves), unexpected texture and red accessories (which I discovered not long ago). I do tend to retreat into a conservative shell when I feel frustrated with shopping, but thanks to YLF and this forum it's happening less and less I'm also attracted to funky pieces, which I'm just beginning to explore. And I have a problem with hoarding good clothes and not wearing them (maybe something left over from growing up behind the Iron Curtain?). I realize it's very foolish.

I have a cat who is a former stray, he just showed up one day and "adopted" my house: http://i348.photobucket.com/al.....F0225a.jpg and http://i348.photobucket.com/al.....r/feet.jpg He's such a diva.

(yikes, I hope this is not too long)

Welcome Lena and a special big tea wave back to you! ( I had 4 birthday High Teas last month. Utterly blissful). Your cat is a cherub and you are in good company as a veghead and animal loving lass. We look forward to hearing more about you and your funky style chop chop.