J Cooper Photography

don’t you think??

Don’t I have the cutest little man in the whole wide world?  {you don’t have to answer that}.

Working on a little Valentine’s project at our house this morning.   See those pink, sticky cheeks?  Yep.  He liked the lollipop   He is getting impossible to photograph…he is SO fast.  But the lolli did the trick (as long as you don’t mind those sticky pink cheeks!)

So I have been getting a lot of questions lately.   “Why adoption?”  That’s the big one that seems to come up the most.

And while I have many different answers to that question…there is really only one that counts right now.   I would love to share a billion statistics about the orphan crisis {147 million globally}, the AIDS epidemic, poverty, disease, governmental corruption, and abortion.  We’ve all seen the images.  Belly swollen children with forlorn eyes.  They are etched in our minds forever.

But I am NOT my child’s savior.

This child is saving ME.

Saving me from myself.  From this life of privilege that I take for granted and cling to so strongly.  From my tiny box.  From my selfish thoughts. This child is asking me to live radically…to live with abandon.  To love freely. And to cling to my Savior for the strength to change and become who He wants me to be.

To my little Ethiopian babe.  Thank you for choosing me.

Remember how we were trying to carve out some space in our finished basement?  I think we did it!

left to right (top to bottom):

1. my new pinboard.  been recovered a thousand times (make that 1001).  lime green frame + burlap + sheer ribbon + antique nailhead trim = yum.

2. looking into my new “office” (that makes me sound almost grown up).

3. the {almost} finished project…still waiting a few coats of polyurethane on the top before I can set down my Diet Coke

4. groovy chair still awaiting make over inspiration.

5. a new place to relax.

6. a closer look.

7. the other side.  found a place for both of my coveted aqua chairs.

8. a new take on an old favorite.  an aqua chest that got a bit more distressing.  plus some cute little vinyl wall decals that say “spread your wings and learn to soar”.

9. a headshot of my cute little dresser.

10. bookcases aren’t just for books you know.

11. our sofuteeper.  part futon. part sleeper.  all yummy nubby brown tweed.

12. peeking around the corner at the far end of our basement.

13. presentation boxes. proofing books. photos. cds. other what not.

14. won’t look like this ever again. definitely photo worthy.

15. the toy keeping beast.

16. success (after 27 calls to my Dad).

I had the priviledge of capturing this little one’s BIG CHOO CHOO Birthday bash…even more meaningful because I had the honor of photographing him as a newborn too!

Remember this sweet little man?

Now he’s sporting lighter hair, a mouthful of teeth, and a whole bunch of brand new tricks!  I arrived to the party a bit early to capture some smiles before the guests arrived…and he was happy to deliver!

It was a special treat to be able to provide this service to the birthday boy’s parents…they really were able to sit back and enjoy the evening without worrying about capturing every little detail!  If you are interested in having your party documented send me an email…I’d love to join in on the festivities!

Now…who’s coming to our next party???

If you’ve stopped by my blog before, then you know I am a huge sucker for a deal.  I have an eclectic style…it’s hard to put a finger on.  But one thing it definitely is…CHEAP.

So when the Spring Mini Boden catalog graced my mailbox early this week I did a little swoon.  I most definitely love their clothes.  Who wouldn’t love a catalog full of preppy colors, girlish shapes, and long-wearing knits?  But come on…REALLY BODEN….10% just isn’t going to cut it for me.  At least not right now with the adoption savings in full swing.

Would you buy this?  {skirt $24}

Or this?  {hoodie $38}

When this costs NINE DOLLARS for the SET!

And it comes in a myriad of colors (and stripes and dots…and even a hoodie set with pants)

No it may not last through 200 washes.  But I don’t think the seat of her swing out back is going to notice the difference.  And at that price I can get it in a rainbow of colors   I am NOT brand loyal…just CUTE LOYAL.  It has to be cute….bottom line.  But if Walmart can do cute…than I can do Walmart.   {these came in at least 5 different colors and included sets with skirts and pants…the skirts have built in bike shorts which makes me nearly giddy…sizes up to 5T}

And while we are talking about cheap.  We love a good slogan tee here at the Cooper house.  And I am a big fan of the junk food tees carried regularly at Gap and Old Navy…come on…who doesn’t love a trip down memory lane?  All those vintage graphics speak to me   How about a cute vintage candy theme?  {$5 each at Walmart…sizes 4-10)  And just as a side note…that Jolly Ranchers tee looks mighty cute under the green hoodie above!

OK…I am NOT typically a Walmart advocate.  But I had to share a few good finds.  A few nights ago we were all watching TV in the family room when an ad came on for Walmart…”Save money. Live better.”  As soon as the slogan appeared on the TV, A shouted out “That’t a lie!  Walmart won’t make your life better!”  I was so proud.  My seven year old had navigated the complex world of propaganda and had come out unscathed.  Then she followed her outrage with, “Everyone knows Costo is the best place in the world!”  HA!  I guess we’ve still got some work to do

Here’s my other thrifty find for today.

This hideously ugly $27.20 coffee table I rescued from Revival.   We have been working hard on reclaiming a family room space in our finished basement and it was lacking a landing spot for my Diet Coke.  But a coffee table really wasn’t in the budget.  Or so I thought.  I’m not really sure what I liked about this table.  Except maybe the price

It’s getting a clean coat of aqua paint (from a leftover project) and some distressing on the legs.  I had planned to paint the entire piece aqua but then decided I kind of liked the top stained.  WHAT DO YOU THINK?  I planned to glaze it with a darker stain on top to contrast the aqua and coordinate better with our tv armoire (I love that word…armoire…I feel so French).

So those are my thrifty finds.  Pretty nifty huh?  Now you can all rush out to Walmart to outfit your little girls (they ARE open 24 hours a day you know!)  And because I can’t post without an image of one of my own sweet people.  Here is J from this afternoon.  I think this is one of my new favorite images of her.  I was trying to practice something on her and she was being a squirrly five year old…rolling all over the floor like a little tornado..when I shouted something like “stop thrashing around and be cute for second”…and she gave me this.  LOVE HER!

The nitty gritty:  {for those who have asked}

Nikon D90,  Speedlight SB-900 bounced off ceiling, 24-70mm lens, Shutter 1/160, Aperture f/3.2, ISO 800, my own black and white conversion and a touch of vignette

Have a Thrifty kind of night!

1.  We have immigration APPROVAL folks!  I can’t believe I forgot to mention it over the past few weeks.  But the letter came right after Christmas.  It was ridiculously fast.  We were fingerprinted for our I-600  on December 22nd and our approval letter was postmarked the 28th.  It was waiting for us in our mailbox when we came home from our Christmas travels!  Apparently this is a BIG DEAL as the USCIS office is notoriously slow and our agency will no longer give families a referral without immigration approval.  Everything is COMPLETE.  And now the waiting game is really on.  There isn’t a single.tiny.itsy.bitsy.thing we can do to speed things up.  I’m guessing on another 5-6 months of waiting for our referral.

2.  I didn’t believe the doctor who told me it would take AT LEAST 6 weeks for my toe/foot to heal.  I planned to give it a few weeks and then slip my little foot right back into my shoes and carry on.  Yeah…not gonna happen.

3.  Does anyone have suggestions for how to deal with your SUPER SENSITIVE SEVEN YEAR OLD while your husband is out of the country?  I need to figure this out before he leaves again.  Because it is all crying and hysterics here at our house when he is gone.  Other than a bottle of wine and ear plugs…I’m a bit lost.

4.  I’m working up my energy to really dive into the sewing.  Any special requests?  If you took a quick visit to my Etsy shop what would you want to see?

5.  The Librarian answered my plea last weekend and came for a visit!  We shopped, ate pizza, shopped, ate chocolate, chatted late into the night, shopped, brainstormed fund raising ideas late into the night, and shopped. I needed that.  My wallet?  Not so much.  But in my defense I really didn’t spend that much money.  The 50% off of clearance sale at Old Navy was a gold mine.  Yeah for my closet.

6.  Unfortunately the winter blues have set right back in now that The Librarian is gone so I am calling all family members…wouldn’t you love to come sleep on my couch too?

7.  Green and Aqua I love you so.  But if I attempt to paint one more stationary object in my house one of these colors my husband might disown me.  But…OH!  That cute little $27.98 coffee table at the consignment store today…what’s a girl to do??

8.  If you are as broken about the devastation in Haiti as many Americans are…find a way to help!  You might consider giving to The Global Orphan Project.   It is certainly something close to my heart!

9.  I’m getting to the bottom of this list and really fighting the inevitable (early bedtime for me) so please excuse the fact that I have completely run out of coherent things to say.

10.  Happy Tuesday.

I’ve been at the computer all evening burning client CDs for my ARCHIVE SALE!

Would you consider purchasing your session CD to help us bring our child home?  Each cd I sell before February 1st will help cover our travel expenses to Ethiopia to bring back the next Cooper!

Wouldn’t you LOVE to OWN YOUR IMAGES FOREVER?  I’d love to help you make that possible!

{there is still a chance to sneak in for the $200 early bird price if you hurry!}

I wish I didn’t struggle to find contentment in the day to day.  But I do.  I wish I just grabbed hold of the things God has provided and accepted them as the gifts they are.  But I don’t.

Somewhere during the sandwich slicing, bottom wiping, toilet scrubbing, carpooling my mind has turned to mush.  And the once poignant thoughts I used to have feel forever tucked into a locker in the back of mind.  And I’ve lost the keys (or maybe someone hid them).  And so my mind tends to wander.  Towards what I *could* have.  What I would like.  What I haven’t been given.

And then I lose my contentment.  And I miss out on living today.  Because my mushy mind won’t focus on what I’ve been given right now.  I don’t want to miss that.  I don’t want to miss TODAY.  Even if today isn’t where I want it to be.  It is the only today I get.  And it IS a gift.

Everyday I have a choice.  And I’m tired of losing so many todays to the vicious cycle of looking towards tomorrow.

I’m ready to allow the beauty of today to keep me focused.  To center my heart.  To corral my mind.

I’m ready to look around THIS house at the beauty God has provided.  And say “It’s enough”.  I’m ready to push myself to shout “It’s MORE than enough”.  Because we are living abundantly and our days ARE beautiful.

Today is the day, friends, to find the beauty that’s been placed right in front of your eyes.  Tomorrow will come.