J Cooper Photography

I’ve known AP for 20 years. We met and became instant friends…rode our bikes together, cheered and sang in show choir together, terrorized our neighbors lawns with t.p. together, and shared plenty of secrets. We even planned our H.S. reunion together. So when she met KP, and he later proposed to her after they finished the Chicago Marathon, I was getting a bit antsy to meet this fellow (and give my approval). They are getting married in less than 2 weeks and P and I will be playing our violins at their wedding. But I was anxious to add my own artistic touch to the festivities as well. They have booked Versluis Photography for their wedding…a fabulous studio just blocks from my house…but I was fortunate to get them all to myself Saturday morning for their engagement session!

They are so fun together and were complete naturals. No need for prompting of any kind! I just snapped away happily as they flirted and played.


We started in a favorite downtown spot of mine…then took a walk.


We walked the city streets…even stopped a few cars along the way.

Stopped for a quick kiss…

Rested our tired feet for awhile…

Stopped for a cup of joe…


and a bit of dancing…


We found an old abandoned truck just waiting for us.


And a few fire escapes that had potential.

Towards the end of the morning…we happened across a young couple moving old furniture out of a warehouse. I spotted this old cream chair and it was love at first sight. I asked to borrow it…and they GAVE it to me!

AP and KP…your love is contagious. If every couple in the world had the same amount of enthusiasm for life that you have…the world would be a much happier place!

Thanks for a great Saturday morning…Cheers to one of my oldest friends and her new love!

…some things are just hard to swallow!


…been one of those weeks!

The week has ended and I don’t feel I have much to show for it. No new pictures or special projects to share…no funny stories either…just exhaustion!

I’ve been preparing for a killer garage sale. It’s a bi-annual thing here…a group of gals get together for a BLOW OUT designer kids clothes sale. Not exactly a “haul the rubbermaids full of wrinkled clothes to the curb” kind of shindig. So I spent all week ironing, pricing, ironing, hanging, ironing, organizing. Did I mention I hate to iron? Did I mention I had so much to get rid of it was shameful?

The final tally isn’t in yet. The sale continues through tomorrow. But I do think I have made close to $800. Not too shabby. Although I did SHOP the sale too and I made an impressive dent in the size 6 selection. I can’t deduct that from my earnings though or it wouldn’t sound nearly so impressive.

On a side note. I spent the rest of the week trying to figure out why S is REFUSING TO EAT? That’s right…my Chunky Monkey would NOT eat ANYTHING! After several calls and a trip to the Dr. we have determined that he was reacting to a change in formula. I had recently switched him from the UBER expensive Nutramigen to Soy. Yeah…Mr. Picky Pants doesn’t seem to be able to tolerate it. Good thing I did my shopping THIS WEEK! No more fun money for this mom!

Off to find SOMETHING to photograph…I’m feeling blogger guilt….

an update. I guess people feel I have been slacking on posts while my contest was running….so we better get back to the regularly scheduled program huh? I’d hate to land myself on the bad blogger list!

There have been lots of things happening at our house these days. First off…A turned 6. That was big stuff as far as I am concerned. 5 was a big birthday for me…and 6 is…well…just way too old. I tried to convince her to stay 5 but she wouldn’t listen.

The birthday girl with half a pinata on her head

So to celebrate we threw a wild and crazy party, invited WAY TOO MANY children, and just partied ourselves silly. A chose a “cooking” theme…we handed out the cutest aprons, chef hats, brownie mixes, and cookie cutters as favors. We made our own pizzas and decorated cupcakes too! I’d share a multitude of photos…oh wait…I didn’t take them…did I mention we invited WAY TOO MANY CHILDREN?!?

The Writer and The Pastor came to visit for the birthday celebrations. They brought “Baldy”, “Sparkles”, and “Yellow Baby” with them. We couldn’t resist a little family photo shoot!





And I have to introduce you to S’s newest play mate. This little guy made his arrival 2 weeks ago and is so special to our family. Of course I was beating down his mommy’s door as soon as they were home from the hospital with my camera in tow



OK…that sums up the weekend at least! I have a few home improvement projects to share soon too!

And for those who have emailed or left comments regarding the headbands…don’t despair that you didn’t win! I will be stocking my Etsy store with them VERY soon!!

Wow…I had a REALLY FUN time doing this give away!! I will have to do more of these!

Here are the WINNERS!
(insert DRUM ROLL here!)

1st place: Mique

2nd place: Lala

3rd place: Courtney

Email me at jenncooper@fellowship.net with your preference order and addy and I’ll get these fun little goodies out to you!

And YES Mom….I will get right back into my regularly scheduled posting now that the contest is over!

It has been one of those days. You know the kind…where most everything that can go wrong does? Between planning for A’s birthday party (running out of favors at the last minute), a serious IBS flare up that has kept me sick all week, slamming my head in the rear van door in the school parking lot (actually flew a few feet and landed on the ground…quite the spectacle!), S hitting a growth spurt and getting little sleep, and driving 30 minutes one way to A’s violin lesson only to realize her teacher was out of town…I have had it.

And so to cheer myself up (and because I have nothing worthwhile to share today)…it is time to GIVE SOMETHING AWAY!!

I have been toying with the idea of hair accessories for bigger girls. Now that A is in kindergarten she would prefer not to wear bows anymore (GASP!) What’s a boutique mom to do? I dug through my supplies and decided to experiment with some sweet fabric yo-yos and vintage buttons…I think the end result is pretty fun! These funky headbands are just right for your school girl who like to be “just a bit boutique”…pair them with a cute tee and jeans and she will still be the talk of the school (without feeling like a baby!)

SO HOW DO YOU GET YOUR OWN??? Well lucky day…I’m giving them away!! YOU MUST LEAVE A COMMENT HERE to be entered in the drawing! Tell me about a fun little girl in your life and I’ll put your name in the hat! Even better….snag one of my pictures and post it on YOUR blog…and you’ll increase your chance by getting your name in the hat FIVE TIMES (be sure to tell me that you have posted on your blog)!

The first name I draw will get their choice of which headband they prefer. 2nd and 3rd place winners will get the remaining two…but don’t despair…they are all super cute!

tropical island

boo-tiful

trendy tot

Winners will be drawn on Monday, Sept. 22nd!!!

with A four days shy of her sixth birthday. She’s a character this one. Full of life, able to understand the complexities of adult humor, verbose, smart as a whip, and compassionate. Her enthusiasm for life is so endearing…as is her tender heart.

We sat down together last night for a little talk…and this is what she told me:

What do you love most?
cherries, my toys, my family

What’s the best part of school
lunch cause I like to eat

What’s your favorite food?
cherries and corn dogs because they taste good

Are corn dogs good for you?
yep…aren’t they a fruit? anyways they have milk in the bottom of them

What’s your favorite color?
green…it’s bright and pretty

What are you good at?
being silly and eating

What are 3 ways to describe you?
silly, driving mommy crazy, lots of loose teeth

Are you smart? How do I know?
oh yes…girls are smarter than boys…plus I eat lots of bananas

What’s your favorite animal?
horse

If you had a horse, what would you name it?
skinny…cause I’m skinny

What would you like to be when you grown up?
an animal Dr…you know…a veterinarian…I’ll pay for lots of school on my own by being a store person and making lots of money

How did you get so cute?
mommy buys good clothes

How did you get so sweet?
God made me that way!

I see so much beauty in this little one. A sweet sheepish smile, rolly-polly thighs, and chubby little fingers just starting to grab. I see a glimpse of the person he will become…determined, sweet, and a bit mischievous. And I see why I was put on this earth. To nurture these children. To cherish the moments I am given. To hold on loosely and trust. To love.

Happy 3 months Super Sam…you are beautiful to me.





And if you would be so sweet as to leave a comment with your favorite picture. I am hoping to add one to my upcoming website and I’m having a hard time choosing a favorite…thanks!

of my favorite 3 year old (and yes…I know I say this a lot). I snapped this on the way to a birthday party yesterday…she was all dressed up in her princess fairy get-up and just looking so sweet.

Lots of fun goodies today! First…Ivylane is having a FUN launch this week! And just for kicks and giggles I’ve started my latest ebay listing at 99 CENTS! The more you bid the more chances you have to win some fabulous prizes…so stop by here and gets those bids in!


I’ve also been trying to sew for my own girls a bit. I know I mentioned here how I’m having a hard time finding cute (and appropriate) clothes for A for school. I just LOVE Mini Boden but have a hard time swallowing their prices. I’m not usually a big copy cat but couldn’t resist sewing up a couple of fun tees for A in typical Boden style

We found this sweet polka dot skirt on clearance at Target for $4.98. I bought two…one to wear and one to sacrifice to the applique gods. I used a tiny, tight, applique stitch about 1/16 from the edge of the applique…I think it turned out super cute!

And this yummy tee…cost a whopping $2.98! And who doesn’t love ice cream? Perfect to wear year around…we’ll just add a long sleeve tee to layer when the weather cools!
That’s all for now…I’ll share more projects soon!