Skippy Says: Travel Uniform (OOTD)

Internet, meet my comfy traveling outfit. Comfy traveling outfit, internet. Since we're making the four hour drive up to Tahoe tonight, I chose big used to be big but now fit just right thanks to the holidays jeans and a cozy sweater. Hey, I work with what I got. And I don't got any more jeans that are big on me. Hopefully we'll do some hiking in Tahoe to help out with that little problem. Though I'll be sure to compensate with extra mugs of hot cocoa to balance it all out.

Shop:
- Banana Republic Factory store petite jeans (Bought on sale circa 2008, no longer available. Buy similar here)
- Banana Republic chambray top (Bought on sale. No longer available online, may still be in some stores. Buy similar here, here, or here)
- Mango sweater (Bought on sale summer of 2010, no longer available. Buy kind of similar here)
- SF ThreadShow vintage shoes
- Earrings birthday gift from Ryan

Skippy Says: Birthday Girl (OOTD)

In many aspects, I am my father's daughter: I really enjoy having my back and head scratched, I yell at people I love when I'm angry and then kiss up to them five minutes later, and I love my birthday. Well, I used to. The older I've gotten, the more I've turned into my mother's daughter in this respect. For some reason, birthdays just haven't been as fun the last few years, and I find myself wishing the day will pass by quickly and quietly. Last year was especially trying-- my dog managed to get into the chocolate pecan caramel bars I made to share with my family, so I spent my birthday day frantically calling vets and calculating his weight/amount of chocolate consumed ratio to see if he needed to get his stomach pumped. See? Good times.

My birthday is tomorrow and I'm hoping for a slightly less eventful day. The plan is to have a quiet dinner at my parent's house with close family and friends, and then head to a little bar that specializes in fancy cocktails and desserts. Plus, it has board games, so we're sure to be in for a fun night. Well, I am. I love board games. But people don't necessarily love playing them with me, because I tend to get just a teeny tiny bit competitive sometimes. But it's not as if I've angrily stormed out of the room just because I lost. Fine. Maybe once a few times. I'm not afraid to pull the birthday card to make my friends play with me if I need to though.

Shop:
- American Eagle jeans (Bought on sale during Black Friday. Buy here)
- Anthropologie top (Bought on sale, no longer available)
- Anthropologie jacket (Bought on sale, no longer available online but still available in some stores)
- Banana Republic Factory store scarf (Bought on sale circa 2010, no longer available. Buy similar here)
- Zara headband (bought on sale- available in stores)
- SF ThreadShow vintage shoes
- SF ThreadShow earrings
- Necklace gift from my aunt

Skippy Says: Give Up Already (OOTD)

Am I a bad person for wanting people to start breaking their New year's resolutions already? That's a rhetorical question. It's just that the gym has been so crowded this week, and the girl in front of me in class almost punched me in the face with her dumbbell as we were doing shoulder raises. Plus, the line for the shower after class was so long that I seriously considered skipping it all together. What? You can't smell photos. And other than that, I have no shame.

 Shop:
- Kisha Studio top (SF boutique- See here- 15 rows from the bottom on the very right)
- Banana Republic Factory store petite jeans (Bought on sale circa 2009, no longer available. Buy similar here)
- Gap belt (No longer available, buy similar here)
- Scarf gift from my mama from India
- SF ThreadShow vintage shoes
- SF sidewalk sale vintage purse ($5! Buy similar here)

Skippy Says: You're Grounded (OOTD)

This dress reminds me of one I had as a little girl. Some people move forward in their fashion sense, but apparently I revert back. I'm telling you, when I was wearing those striped shirts with floral skirts back in the day it's because I knew pattern mixing would be all the rage this season.

I remember loving the dress because it felt very American to me. And lord knows that as a little immigrant kid, I wanted nothing more than to be perceived as American. So much so that I really wanted my parents to ground me because in all the books I read and TV shoes I watched kids were getting grounded left and right. But my Russian parents had no idea what this word meant. So, naturally, I took matters into my own hands. I did something really naughty, came up to show my mom, and asked "so what, are you going to ground me now?" After I explained to her what that meant she said yes, indeed, I was grounded. The teenage me wanted to kick the little girl me for teaching her that.

Shop:
- Mango dress (Bought on sale circa 2010, no longer available)
- Hue polka dot knee high socks (Not available online, buy in store at Macy's)
- Hue tights (Buy here)
- Anthropologie boots (Bought on sale, no longer available online. Still available in some stores)
- SF ThreadShow earrings

Skippy Says: At The Risk Of Sounding Annoying (OOTD)

Is it obnoxious to gush about how amazing my hubby is? It is? I'm sorry, I'm going to go ahead and do it anyway. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Yesterday was a particularly gray and rainy day. I woke up with the usual planned: some blogging, some gym time, and some work. But just as I was about to get up, Ryan came in suggesting that I stay home in bed and spend the day relaxing and watching crappy TV. And when I started protesting, he shushed me and assured me we could pretend it was my idea, because he knows that by nature I have to fight any idea that is his and not mine. Thata boy.

I took his my suggestion and had a pretty perfect pajama filled day. I ventured out only briefly to go to the grocery store to buy ingredients to make him his favorite lasagna. Because, you know, I figured he deserved it.

- Banana Republic Factory store dress (Bought on sale circa 2010, no longer available)
- Banana Republic gold skinny belt (Bought on sale, buy here)
- Madewell sweater (Bought on sale for an extra 50% off sale price at DailyBuzz style SF Madewell blogger event. Buy here)
- Hue tights (Buy here)
- Fergie booties via DSW (Bought on sale, not available online. Buy similar here or here)
- SF ThreadShow earrings ($5!)

Skippy Says: Hairy Matters (OOTD)

You guys, I finally did it. I got a haircut. I know I said I was wearing it up a bunch because it was so long, but now I feel like wearing it up because it's so short. Plus, if my papa saw how short it was he might have a heart attack. I'm the only girl on his side of the family, remember? And to my papa, long hair is the epitome of having a little girl. Oh yes, my hair was down to my butt my whole life until freshman year of high school. And when i finally got it cut, my papa was so upset we didn't speak for a few days. So, being the chicken that I am, I've only worn my hair up around him thus far. Anyone want to help me break the news? Oh wait, he reads this blog, so I think I just did. Love you papa!

p.s.- I finally caved and got on twitter. Follow me here! And here on facebook!

Shop:
- Anthropologie pants (Black Friday find for $30. No longer available online, may still be in stores. Buy similar here, here, or here)
- Anthropologie top (Black Friday find for $25. Buy here)
- Anthropologie blazer (Bought on sale, no longer available)
- Anthropologie tote (Black Friday find for $50. No longer available online, may still be in stores)
-Anthropologie shoes (Bought on sale circa 2008)
- San Francisco ThreadShow necklace
- Earrings gift from my mother-in-law circa 2006)

Skippy Says: That's What Friends Are For (OOTD)

So you remember my BFF Alisa I told you about? Well, one thing I didn't tell you was that Alisa and I like to eat together. A lot. Oh wait, I did. But not the extent of it. You see, in high school, Alisa and I were hungry little monsters. We would regularly eat the packed lunches our parents made for us, and then head down to the cafeteria to wash them down with a piece of pizza or bag of chips. What? We were growing girls. Maybe not vertically growing, but growing nonetheless. One particularly hungry afternoon, we got home from school and ordered a large pizza. And then we ate it all while watching MTV's Dismissed. Can I get a yeah yeah from someone else who watched that deliciously trashy show? Please? Anywho, knowing Alisa's mom was going to be home to feed us dinner in about an hour, and knowing she'd be livid that we already ate, we quickly got rid of the pizza box in a neighbor's trash and then returned home only to eat a second dinner about an hour later. It was an impressive feat. Alisa, I hope you mama doesn't read this blog or we'll have some splainin' to do.

You shouldn't be surprised, then, to hear that our date a few weekends ago started out with some brunch. After our bellies were nice and full, we headed over the the San Francisco ThreadShow, which is a showcase of emerging local designers and artists. It was the funnest, girliest day we've had in a while. And productive too-- I managed to add a few pieces to my pathetically small jewelry collection.

Shop:

- Banana Republic Factory store top )Bought on sale, no longer available. Buy similar here or here)

- BCBG outlet cardigan (Bought on sale, no longer available. Buy kind of similar on sale here or here)

- BCBG blazer (Brand new via Ebay for $9! Buy similar here)

- Therapy jeans (No online store. Buy similar here or here)

- H&M scarf (Bought circa 2008, no longer available)

- Fergie booties via DSW (Bought on sale, not available online. Buy similar here, here, or here)

- San Francisco ThreadShow earrings ($5!)

Skippy Says: Room To Grow (OOTD)

Did anyone else struggle with what to wear on Thanksgiving? It's such a delicate balance. On the one hand, I want to look put together and cute. On the other, I want to wear big, comfortable clothes that have room for my belly to expand as I load myself full of mashed potatoes. And this year, I had to have two meals full of mashed potato (and stuffing, and pie) goodness-- an afternoon one with Ryan's family, and an evening one with mine, so the clothes had to be extra roomy. I know, I know, it's amazing I can keep on smiling when I have such tough problems in my life. Good thing this skirt is at least a size too big, even it was feeling tight by the end of the festivities. And the shirt inadvertently ended up being a great choice too-- not only was it loose, but the pattern was interesting enough to distract people so I could snatch up the last piece of pie. Oh yes I did. "Hey, Aunt Lorraine, look at the pretty birdies." Yoink. Skippy: 1; Aunt Lorraine and Pie: 0.

p.s.- Black Friday update coming tomorrow. Spolier alert: It rocked.

Shop:
- San Francisco ThreadShow blouse (not available online)
- Anthropologie skirt (bought on sale circa 2008, no longer available. Buy similar here)
- Hue tights (buy here)
- Fergie booties via DSW (bought on sale, not available online. Buy similar here, here, or here)
- Necklace borrowed from the mom of the little girl I nanny for