J Cooper Photography

Here we go.  {Disclaimer: I am sick this week so I wasn’t overly creative.  But I DID get dressed everyday so I am counting that as bonus points.} Also, the shots I took with the timer are still blurry so I clearly (pardon the pun!) don’t have it figured out yet.  There are a couple of clear shots that Mr. P took for me…and holy cow…I think I prefer the ones that are blurry   And I have got to figure out how to look happier in some of these pictures.  It is hard to smile normally for a camera perched on my couch…but in a few of these I look downright mad!

Day 1

peasant top – Jones

jeans – thrifted

flats – Old Navy

bracelet – Banana Republic

verdict:  points for color and comfort but not overly original.

Day 2

embellished tee – Target

boyfriend crops – New York

flip flops – New York

verdict:  kind of blah but it was comfy.

{on Sam – tee from GAP and shorts from Gymboree…random sticker from who knows where!}

Day 3

dress- Target

cardi – Old Navy

belt – Target

shoes – Marshalls

Verdict: I felt sassy and cute but the belt was ridiculously uncomfortable and my shoe strap broke mid morning

{on the kids:  A: Matilda Jane and Stride Rite sandals, J: Matilda Jane and Stride Rite sandals, S: Target shirt, GAP shorts, Osh Kosh shoes, D:  Old Navy romper}

Day 4

pinstriped blouse – Old Navy {this was an awesome find because I can never wear blouses.  I am a size XS with the shoulders of a Husker linebacker!}

shorts – GAP

necklace – thrifted

flats {not sure of brand and too lazy to go upstairs to check}

verdict:  A told me my pink shoes were weird.

I must interrupt this little program to show you what is usually happening while I am trying to get a picture of myself.  It seems fairly benign I realize…me standing in front of the fireplace and all.  I try to snap a quick pic before we leave for school drop off each morning…because…well…this is as good as it gets and it is all downhill the rest of the day.  By 10am I am usually covered in baby oatmeal and boogers!

I did snap a cute pic of the girls on their way out to school one day though.  I LOVE it when they will let me do the matchy-matchy thing

{outfits from Naartjie}

Day 5

tank – GAP

cardi – GAP

shorts – GAP (promise I’m not getting a kick back!)

flip flops – GAP Outlet

necklace – The Vintage Pearl

verdict:  comfy with color.  sorry about the pasty white legs (ouch!)

Day 6

tank – GAP

boyfriend crops – New York

flip flops – Gap Outlet

earrings – Target

verdict:  comfy and easy without wearing sweats.  I threw on a grey cardi later when it cooled off.

There you have it!  Are you playing along???

I know, I know…kind of lame.  But I get points for including that catchy alliteration right?  I must have a standing date with Mr. Sinus Infection every May.  And Sunday night he came knocking at my door.  And now I would like to decapitate my head.  But instead I will quick do this post and then just go to bed and hope that I can breathe tomorrow.  And I don’t want to miss WIWW tomorrow.  I know you are all just dying to catch my fashion blunders!

1.  A few Saturdays ago I had another date.  Only this time it was with the world’s cutest baby boy.  God holds his mommy in a special place in His heart and has entrusted her with FOUR little boys.  What a huge blessing!  I might nickname this little man “The Baby Who Never Sleeps”.  But he gets serious points for great eye contact.  And he had the BEST new baby smell and soft downy hair.  {sigh}

2.  A few Saturdays before that I met up with one of my special little friends.  Dear Miss E…my little Jules would like to start a club with you called “Middle sisters, the unsung heroes of the World”.  I know being in the middle is hard but your beauty and spunk shine right through.  You were such a good sport and I think we had fun didn’t we?

I’m not technically working right now.  Still soaking up our baby boy   But I did have some sessions on the calendar that I needed to see through.  Normally at this time of the year I would be running around with a crazy busy shooting schedule.  Instead…I’m rocking our little man.  And giving him his bottle.  And soaking up his “babyness”.

Off to bed so that I can avoid that whole messy decapitation thing.  Eww.

Saturday morning I snuck out for awhile to do some thrifting with a good friend. You know the kind, right? Our conversations usually run the gammet from world peace to good mascara and back again. Fortunately we have been friends since kindergarten and I am so thankful to have her in my life. We celebrated some FANTASTIC news and I geared up for the stressful, long week ahead. We both found a few treasures and I’m pretty sure that even thought I spent a bit of money…it was much cheaper than therapy!

A few of my fun finds.

I love spring.  I love aqua.  I love vintage.

I quickly mounted the old grill to my wall, added a paper banner, and clipped up a few happy things.  LOVE the old chippy green paint on this  piece.

It will be the perfect spot to hang up a few special things:  spelling lists, invitations, announcements, and the like.

A fun little bunting makes it a bit more cheerful

Mine is holding a Mother’s Day card and my niece’s graduation announcement.  I can’t wait to see her graduate and perform her senior violin recital in a few weeks (I’m kinda proud).

I wish I could thrift every day.  But then I’d be broke and my house would be crammed full of random treasures.  Hmm….doesn’t sound so bad

It’s been a great day.  I am so fortunate to have a Mom who is also my best friend.  And even though I couldn’t be with her today…I called her three times.  Of course that isn’t that unusual on the weekends.  I tend to go overboard asking her opinion on random decorating questions or calling her from the middle of TJ Maxx asking if I should buy the pink top or the blue one.  Sometimes I call for serious advice too.  Questions on parenting or whether or not we should sell out house…how to deal with my 2 year old who won’t eat dinner…or what to say to my 8 year old who is smarter than me.  But mostly I call just to hear her voice and to tell her I love her.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom!

I think this year more than any other, I realize how blessed we are to have such a full house.  We are so fortunate to have the opportunity to parent these little people.  And I can honestly say that I love being their mom.

On our way out to church this morning…

The four little people that made me a mommy

We had a relaxing weekend just spending time together.  Last night we drove around town looking at house colors (we are finally getting new siding on our house after the big hail storm!) and went for ice cream.  This morning we went to church and grilled out for lunch.  Then the girls did a bit of summer shopping while the little boys napped.  Tonight we grilled again, mowed the yard, and ran around the neighborhood.  The girls gifted me with handmade cards, special school projects, pipe cleaner jewelry, and pom pom aliens.  Mr. P planned ahead and bought this gorgeous gift from The Vintage Pearl (Erin and I were friends from our ebay days!) that was very touching.  He asked if more eggs could be added (now that is serious love people!)

And although my heart (and my hands) was VERY full today…there was just a tinge of sadness for a mother on the other side of the world.  Daniel’s birthday is quickly approaching.  This time last year his birthmother was swollen and uncomfortable in the African heat ready to deliver a baby.  She was likely scared and alone.  A week from today she went through an agonizing, painful delivery to bring into the world a child she knew she couldn’t keep.  She plotted and planned for his safety.  She provided for him in the ONLY way she knew.  She made the ultimate sacrifice of love so that I could be the Mommy to this gorgeous baby boy.  I wish I could thank her.  I wish I knew her name.  I wish she could see this chunky thighed giggle box and kiss his soft cheeks.  I wish I could hug her and cry into her hair and tell her thank you in a whisper.

God in his ultimate plan provided for Daniel to never celebrate a Mother’s Day without a mommy.  Last year he was safe and secure inside his birth mom…and today he is here with us.  What a gift!

We ran out to the park tonight to take a few birthday photos of our little man.  After I was done Mr. P snapped a few of us together.  This was completely unplanned…I was in cut-offs, a tee, and was a sweaty mess.  But I am so thankful for this image.

To all of my Mama friends…I hope this day finds you full to the brim with blessings and JOY!!

May is such a great month…full of new life and rebirth.  I always think of sweet little birds and their nests.  Which makes me frantically want to spruce up my own nest…wipe away the winter dust and dirt and freshen things up for the warmer weather ahead.

Hopefully you will love this little collection I’ve picked out and made just for you!

1.  pair of newsprint paper mache birds

2.  mini hair flower clip for you or your sweetie

3.  pretty little wreath hung by vintage lace

4.  journal, pencil, and “fly” notecards

5.  photo album to document the happenings in your own nest.

I will leave the comments open until Tuesday, May 10th at which point I will draw a random winner!

{please be sure I have a way to contact you in the comments section!}

HAPPY MAY!

First off…I accomplished the picture taking most mornings this week but I have some serious disclaimers.  I evidently do NOT have a clue how to work the timer on my camera.  I started out by having The Brainiac try to take the photos of me but she was scaring the begeebers out of me with my big ‘ol camera so I resorted to propping it up on our couch and “running for it”.  By the second day Sam was totally into the spectacle of it all and was running with me…promptly followed by “wait for it…wait for it…”  HA!  I can NOT for the life of me figure out why most of the shots are so blurry.  Not quite sure how to focus the lens with the whole timer thing so you get blurry shots   I always seemed to have at least one kiddo in the shot with me (mostly a bed-headed Super Sam)…but hey…this is like reality tv…only better cause it’s really real   As a bonus I’ll even tell ya what the kids are wearing!

Day 1

ruffled blouse – Old Navy

corsage cardigan – Old Navy

boyfriend jeans (rolled up) – GAP

sandals – Target

necklace – Sweet Tea Boutique

(On Sam – tee from Target and shorts from Gymboree)

Verdict:  Pretty comfy…I wore this all day without modifications!

Day 2:

tee – Marshalls

cardigan – Loft

grey boyfriend pants – New York

gladiators – DSW

necklace – thrifted at Good JuJu

(On Sam – tee from GAP and short from Gymboree)

Verdict:  This one totally didn’t cut it for me…too much bagginess with the flowing top and baggie pants.  I traded in the tops for a fitted tee by 10am)

The color was cute and bold though…too bad it didn’t make the cut!

Day 3:

navy tank – Old Navy

polkie blouse – Old Navy

cardigan – New York (at least a thousand years old…on the look out for a good replacement!)

skinny jeans – Forever 21

belt – Target

shoes – Marshalls

(On Sam – tee from Target and jeans from GAP).  Nice bed head, huh?

Verdict:  Oh come on…you KNOW I didn’t stay like this.  It was a valiant effort but I ditched the shoes and belt pronto and traded them in for my beat up metallic flats.

Pretty cute shoes though don’t you think?  But definitely more of a wear-to-church shoe!

Day 4:

tunic – Forever 21

jeggings (shut up Kassebaum!!)  – Forever 21

necklace – Forever 21 (noticing a trend here?)

shoes – Target

Verdict: made it the whole day.  The necklace drove me crazy but I just pressed on through I added a grey jacket as the weather was cooler than I originally thought.

Love LOVE these sandals from Target!  Please excuse the nasty toe shots…me thinks I will head out for a pedicure this weekend…in dire need!

Day 5:

peasant top – Matilda Jane

cropped skinny jeans – New York

gladiators – DSW

(On Miss Middle: tank from Matilda Jane, cardi from Old Navy, skinny jeans from GAP, and sandals from Stride Rite)

(On The Brainiac: top from Matilda Jane, jeans from TCP, and sandals from Stride Rite)

I honestly didn’t plan this matchy-matchy look with the MJ tops, jeans, and strappy sandals…wow.  It’s like seeing triple

Verdict:  no changes!

Day 6:

top – Target

jeans – thrifted from the trunk of my friend’s car

sandals – Target (totally don’t go with this outfit but they were the closest pair I could grab on our way out for carpool!)

Verdict: comfy cozy!

And that’s a wrap!  So is ANYONE finding this even remotely entertaining????   Cause that was just a lot of work and seeing myself on my computer screen like that just isn’t really do much for me.  What do you think??  Is this fun or should I scrap it and just get back to taking pictures of my adorable kids??

Check back tomorrow for the MAY GIVEAWAY!!!

1.  The Brainiac was thrilled that she was officially old enough to become an employee of Garmin for the day.  She looked adorable…picked out a special outfit to make her daddy proud   They had an impressive list of tasks for the day.  But I believe they were successful in solving the many problems with global positioning devices across the nation.

2.  This little man has been sick the past week with an upper respiratory infection and an ear infection.  Poor little guy has been overflowing with snot, hacking up a lung, and just fairly miserable (but only when Mommy is around to see it….otherwise he has acted fine!)  He’s been sleeping with us, refusing to eat, and totally not interested in his PT.  I’ve been seeing lots of this!

3.  But today marked 24 hours on an antibiotic and OH, how I LOVE MEDICATION!  He is like a new boy.  Well, mostly.  He still wants his Mama nearby but that’s to be expected   Mealtimes are often a challenge for him but today he was in RARE form so I grabbed my camera quickly from the counter to try to document some of his latest “tricks”.

4.  Patty Cake

5.  “SO BIG”

6.  Peek a Boo

7.  Counting on his fingers (ha!)

8.  “Gag me with a spoon”

9.  All Done!

10.  HAPPY TUESDAY!

P.S.  WIWW will be up tomorrow…and Thursday check back for the MAY GIVEAWAY!!!

I don’t know if I would call it a fun little project or not…but I finally finished my little shelf for our bedroom.   It turned out pretty cute…especially for a freebie.  My parents donated quite a few items to our adoption fundraising garage sale…and this little shelf was one of the things they brought.   I had my eye on it immediately but decided I would leave it in the pile for the sale.  If it was left at the end it would be mine anyways.  And sure enough…no one snagged it.  Could have been that everyone else thought it was tacky..or maybe it was the $200 price tag   It has been sitting in my attic waiting for inspiration.  I don’t know if it feels inspired…or fulfilled…but it got a coat of greyish/blue paint, a bit of stain, and some sand paper….and now it has a new lease on life.  I will never paint this shelf again as LONG.AS.I.LIVE.  Please hold me to that.  Those little twists and turns were just about the undoing of me.  Mr. P came home from work several nights to find this project strewn all across our island…and me feverishly painting, sweating, and mumbling about “filigree” and “woodworking” and “this tiny little paintbrush that is going to kill me”.  Not a pretty sight.

But this is pretty

And it was fun to scrounge through my house looking for litty bitty things to fill it up.  Tiny black books on “the art of writing”, an old trophy silver plate, a few little birdies, my Papa as a young boy, silver tins, and a tiny little tray from a trip to Florence.

I also spent an afternoon digging through our store room of cast-off decorative items and filled up the ‘Ol Bookshelves.  Someday I would really love to line the back of these with painted beadboard.  But that is a project for another day.  I kept it simple with a few of my favorites:  a globe (of course), a few beach pictures of my clan, lots of old books, trunks and baskets, and a couple of antique bird plates (is that weird in a bedroom?)

The room definitely still needs a little somethin’-somethin’ but I haven’t put my finger on just what it needs yet.  I’ve made about 6 more trips to Home Goods (even ran into my long lost college BFF there…HI AMY!) but came home empty handed.

It was also time to spruce up our front door for spring so I ripped apart our OLD WREATH which was getting tired and a bit worn and dolled her up in the latest new spring fashions.  She turned out rather festive I think.  I will have to take some non-midnight (the pop up flash is killing me here!) photos to do her justice…but isn’t she cute?

I started writing a tutorial for this wreath but gave up on the second step because I realized it was just a complete insult to your intelligence.  Plus..I stink at tutorials.  So here you go.

1. buy a foam wreath

2. wrap it in fabric however you see best

3. hot glue a bunch of crap to your specifications

4.  hang it by something on your door

Now we are turning our attention to the OUTSIDE of our house!  We have been dealing with our insurance for WEEKS about our hail damage.  I am happy to report that we are officially getting all new siding…can’t wait to pick out a new color and get rid of the BORING BEIGE!