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)......

   

When I was contacted by the folks at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center about doing a shoot for them, I was flattered, yet honestly a bit nervous. They had found me through the work I have done for The New Children's Museum and loved the shots I did for them. So what was the problem? Light. Lots and lots of light ;) I'm a natural light photographer by choice....and RHFSC is a science center....so it's pretty dark inside so that you can see all of the awesome exhibits light up and work. I love to use natural light because I love the look of it (ok...plus that extra pound on top of an already heavy camera and lens is pretty rough - haha), but yes, I can shoot with flash as well. RHFSC met with a few photographers and test shoots were done. As luck would have it, they chose me (the "natural light photographer" hehe) to do the shoot. It was a fun shoot and there were many times where I couldn't help myself and had to test out a few of the exhibits while I was shooting. Here are some of the shots for the shoot (all SOOC - UNedited) - some were with flash, but majority were without.......