People have been asking me for more pics of PJ's room makeover, so I finally snapped some pics this weekend. When PJ picked out the colors for her "new" room a few months ago, I was beyond thrilled. I guess that's the good part about waiting until they are 5+ to ask them how they want their room. Had I asked when she was 3 or 4, I can guarantee I would be living my nightmare of a pink/purple Disney Princess extravaganza. So yeah, if you have kiddos that aren't 5 yet...maybe wait until they are at least 5 or older before you ask them how they want their room ;) PJ's taste has changed SO much within the past year......and luckily for the better! So yeah, when I asked her about paint, I was just trying to figure out what color she wanted. Well little miss interior decorator threw me for a loop and said "I like this color and this color" (pointing to 2 shades of blue/teal). I said "Huh?? Two?".....and her reply was "I was thinking maybe this color for the top of my room, and this color for the bottom". Damn...she had a great idea. Why didn't *I* think of that?? haha. So anyway, while I was gone to Colorado, PJ and daddy (with the help of my sister) surprised the heck out of me by painting her room (which was awesome...because truth be told....I SO was not looking forward to helping move stuff, paint, etc - hehe).  Since then, i've been adding a few things here and there (and still have a little more to do), but it's pretty much done. Now, before I post, I DO need to say thank you to SO many of our friends and family who have (without knowing) helped us "decorate" her room. There are lots of little things around the room that PJ has received as gifts. I don't have a chance to name every single one, but for instance:

All of the Ugly Dolls and cool plush toys (handmade, etc) are from her amazing godfather, Alyasha. The adorable custom plush dolly (that looks just like PJ when she was younger) was made by my friend, Shannon, a few years ago. The hand painted book holder (with her name on it) and the little bear backpack hanging from the yellow "key" rack are from my sister, Katie. The adorable Anthropologie apron (hanging) and painted canvas (on the shelf above) are from our friend, Laurie. A bunch of the awesome Julius/PF items are from the wonderful folks at Paul Frank. The 2 rad stools by the window are from our friends at The New Children's Museum. The little wooden hand painted toy (behind the wooden bunny on the shelf - with chickens that eat on it) is from grandma and grandpa when they went on a cruise and one of the ports was Russia. Her room is filled with SO much love from SO many of the wonderful people in her life :) 

I wanted PJ's room to be a little mix of everything....old and new (basically if an antique store, Urban Outfitters, Anthrolpologie, Etsy, a swap meet, etc got married and had a baby ;) haha). The Fisher Price Little People, record player, pull along Snoopy/dog, etc were all mine when I was little! :)  Oh and again, my bargain shopping helped out with most of the new touches. All of the vintage records displayed on the walls were found at the swap meet (by Mark, Aly and I) for $1 each! I found that cute yellow key hanger from an antique shop for $3! The little birdie hooks and album frames (both from Urban Outfitters) were thanks to the help of my awesome sister in law, Kristine (who works for Anthropologie/Urban Outfitters in Philly - thanks again for the awesome discount, Kris!). So yeah, besides paint, a new shelf/TV stand and few other little things (which were paid with from money made from PJ deciding to sell some of her "old" stuff (like her kitchen set, dollhouse, etc)....everything was bargain shopped, kept from her previous room, etc and worked out perfectly. I love the fact that I can add things here and there, and they won't stick out like a sore thumb....because there is ALL kinds of stuff in her room ;) 

 

Here is a *BEFORE* shot of her room (Mark took this right before they painted).......

*AFTER*...................

*Disclaimer* - PJ wasn't supposed to be in these pics (hence the terrible white short/leggings (whatever the hell they are) she's wearing (LOL) and the top (which is actually a size 2T dress from when she was little))....but in true PJ fashion, once she realized I DIDN'T want to take HER pics....she was all about getting in the shots (like sitting at the window, watching our neighbor wash his car, jumping on the bed, etc) ;)

Oh and for those wondering why I haven't had a shoot for about 2 weeks, it's because I purposely took a week off for my birthday and PJ's first days of school (which actually ended up as an extra week since PJ got sick) ...and also because I thought for sure that one of my clients (who was due with a little one) was due on 9/4....and I thought for sure that since he was her second kiddo (and she is tiny!), he would be a week early or so....so I kept this past weekend open for that (and also Labor Day) because I totally thought he would be early. Turns out that little stinker decided to show up a day late instead ;) haha....so I most likely won't be seeing him until this weekend or early next week :)  Don't worry though. I have a shoot on Friday, then that newborn shoot, another mama due on the 12th and more shoots this month....so all will be back to normal crazy soon ;)  

Well the first week of school for PJ didn't quite turn out the way I thought it would. Her first 2 days were great......until I picked her up after school on Tuesday and she wasn't herself. She was whiney, clingy, tired, had rosy cheeks,  etc. She fell asleep in the car, took a long nap.....and woke up with a fever :( Long story short, i've been home with her all week and she's had fevers on and off the whole time...and trust me...she thinks it's REALLY funny to yell "NUUUUUUUUURRSE!!" when she needs me. We took a trip to the doctor (after hours pediatrics) on Wednesday (which was the worse day) night....and it seems to just be a virus of some sort.....so besides keeping her hydrated, giving her Tylenol/Motrin to lower the fevers, etc....we just have to let it run it's course. Luckily she's been acting close to normal, still eating, drinking, etc...so the fevers and the teeny bit of less of an appetite are the only signs that she's not feeling well. A few snaps from her first day of school.....

 

So yeah.....while I continue to play "nuuuuuurrrse!!".......

 

Where you can find me..........

*LOT116 Facebook page* - Since I haven't enabled comments on my blog, Facebook is the best way for me to see your comments and feedback (and I love and appreciate every single one!). I'm also blown away  that I have over 1,400 "likes/fans/etc"! :) Thank you all SO much for the love and support!! Each time I post a new blog entry, I immediately post the link on Facebook.....so the very best way to keep up with Lot116 is to join the *Lot116 Facebook page* :) 

 

*ClickinMoms* - A wonderful site with awesome people, tons of knowledge, lots of tips, etc. Whether you are just starting out, want to learn more, are already a pro, etc....you will love CM. Click on the banner below and join! Hope to see you over there!....

 

*Where you can ask me a question (or read questions that others have already asked me* - My Formspring page! :) 

 

......and since a blog post is always better with a few pics.....here are a few random iPhone pics from my week......

 

 

 

  

In a few hours, i'll be dropping PJ off for her first day of Kindergarten. How did this happen? What happened to my chubby little baby? Now I have a tall and lanky almost 5 1/2 year old who is starting school! This summer has been pretty eventful for miss PJ. Losing her first two (bottom) teeth, donating more than 8" of her hair (again), not needing a nightlight anymore, starting to learn to read, writing sentences, etc, etc. Our little girl is growing up way too fast. She can be bossy and demanding at times (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, eh? hehe), but she can also be the sweetest thing in the world. As I went to write her name in her lunchbox with a permanent marker this morning, she said "You can write "PJ loves mommy" if you want". Yes, she managed to melt my heart, yet again. I'll of course take a few photos of her when I drop her off for her first day today, but here are a few "school-ish" pics from a few weeks ago. These were just some some random shots I snapped after we had made a trip to the Children's Museum....where some kid accidentally dripped pink paint all in PJ's hair (hence the bad hair that was washed in the sink at the museum and pinned to the side LOL)......

   

Another year has passed, and my nephew Mason is 6 now! His party theme this year? Indiana Jones! My sister (with a little help from some of our family and friends) did an amazing job as usual. I knew as soon as I saw the custom handmade invitations that she made, that the party was going to be another awesome one......and when I walked in and saw the decorations and stuff up on the day of the party, my jaw dropped. It looked SO cool! Anyway, my sister (www.eitak.com) is going to do a blog post (in detail) about it soon, so i'll just post some pics. Sorry, these are all SOOC - UNedited. I'll start with the unbelievable invites she made (each one was perfectly packaged up in that brown paper and string, but obviously I didn't want the address out there for the world to see). It was a whole booklet, but i'll just post a few of the pages (again, personal info on some pages).....

Since I know people will be asking........

*INVITATIONS and paper goods* - www.Eitak.com

*CUPCAKES/CAKE tower* - rhinocakeco@hotmail.com

*PINATA* - Custom made by my awesome husband and my sister! 

*SCORPION in frame* - Found by my brother in law during  a run! Acck!

August 30th is a big day for us. PJ starts Kindergarten! August is always a busy month for me....so I knew that if I didn't take these photos now.....they might not ever get taken (ok, plus I actually had my husband along to help carry the desk hehe) ;) Plus, many kiddos have already started school again.....so I wanted to get this up somewhere in between those who have already gone back...and those who are going back in a few weeks. Just like last years "Back To School" pics, we literally threw the desk down, snapped away for 5-10 minutes and we drove off (although this was a different location from last year). So here is my little soon to be Kindergarten kiddo....with her bangs....and her 1st day of school outfit that she picked out.....along with the lunchbox she picked out. The funny part is that neither of us even noticed that they completely matched until we got home and laid them out.....

 

You can see "Ruthless Toothless" here....missing her 2 bottom teeth ;) hehe....