2009... SO FAR...

I don't quite know where January went, but as February begins, I realized I haven't posted a blog yet in 2009. And,...as one of my New Year's resolutions was to get a bit more tech-savvy and participate more in the blogging community. I guess it's about time for me to get started. Here's a quick catch up on the highlights of my year so far....

New Year's Eve with Friends..... I toasted at midnight to being pregnant on New Years (again) and to a happy and health year ahead.

Family trip to Mexico...... My mother-in-law plans a trip for my husband and our kids each year. Usually it is in March, but with the pending arrival of her 3rd grandkid, she planned it earlier this year. What a wonderful getaway (and mother-in-law)!

Returning to sub-zero temps in Chicago was not fun, but our month of snow and frigid temps has provided for some cute shots of my "snow bunny" and some fun indoor projects for Joey....learning to bake cookies at Nana's, and several nights of "pirate ship building" in our living room.

January at LILL is full of planning for the year ahead. My favorite project for the month was our Spring/Summer fabric buy. At times this month Winter has seemed relentless, but with beautiful fabrics arriving daily at our production offices, Spring is definitely in the air at LILL! Look for them to arrive shortly on the web, in our stores and with our reps.

We've also been working on a number of new style introductions and the implementation of new technology systems aimed at enhancing the shopping experience for our customers as well as the management and marketing tools for our internal team. All of the projects have our team excited about the prospects for the year ahead.

Our team at LILL HQ watched the inauguration of President Obama together. No matter your politics, it was a historic moment and you couldn't help but feel proud to be an American. Witnessing such history with our team was something I won't soon forget.

We have a monthly potluck lunch at our LILL HQ offices. It is something everyone looks forward to. At our January potluck, we also announced the winners of our 2008 LILLies Awards for everything from Team Member of the Year to Most likely to end up with 7 kids. Our internal "social committee" makes these potlucks so much fun.

As January ends and February begins, I'm looking forward to being a month closer to better weather, longer hours of daylight, new spring fabrics, new spring styles and a new baby. I can't wait to spend more time outside (seriously suffering from cabin fever) and generally be renewed by a fresh new year and the forthcoming change in seasons. Happy February!

Jen Velarde

Founder / President, 1154 LILL Studio