J Cooper Photography

I made the promise so I figure I better keep it.   During the SEPTEMBER GIVEAWAY I said to “ask anything”.  And now I plan to bore you to death with the answers

1. How is your niece doing? I pray she is doing much better!

Miss A has made a great recovery!  She is in classes now at Wichita State…is back to playing her violin…and bantering with her siblings. She gave us quite the fright and we are so thankful to everyone who prayed for her recovery!

2. what moved you and your husband to adopt? Why did you choose Africa?

See THIS post for some insight into the reasons behind our adoption of Daniel.  But in a nutshell…we made an offer on our dream home…lost the home… and then decided to put an addition (studio space) on our current home.  Before we signed with the contractor my heart became ambushed by THIS BLOG.  I knew we HAD to do something.  Anything.  We started researching countries right away and we immediately fell in love with Ethiopia.  I watched 6000 You Tube videos for about 3 days straight!

3.  My question – when are you adopting again!

We’d love to go back to Africa and bring home another Cooper.  Right now isn’t the best of times for that though.  Heck..we don’t even know where we are going to live!  But once we get settled we would love to start thinking about our “next steps”.  We aren’t sure what God has in store for us.  But I certainly don’t feel done.  Maybe I never will?

4. Ummm seriously how do you come up w/ your never ending cuteness and time management skills???

Ummm…I have a secret love called Pinterest.  I am a good copier.  I have horrible time management skills.  I show you my cute craft projects on the blog to impress you and then I feed my family turkey sandwiches for dinner.  It is all smoke and mirrors people!

5.  what do you do to keep in shape?

I run 5 miles every morning and then do 30 minutes of cardio.  OH, WAIT…that’s someons else.  I lay in bed until the last possible moment and then I scurry around the rest of the day never sitting down.   I lift large babies.  I developed a hernia carrying around an oversized baby who can’t walk.  It is also probably only fair to mention that I have a stomach condition that prohibits me from eating anything that tastes better than cardboard.  I pretend that Diet Coke and M&Ms qualify as a nutritious lunch as long as my kids don’t see me eat it.

6. Do you use an external flash and if so…which one?

I have the Nikon SB900.  I always use it indoors unless I am in crazy good light.  Inside my house I bounce it straight up off of my white ceilings.  I NEVER use it forward (or even at that 45* angle they recommend).  For me it is straight up or go home.  I never use my on board flash unless I am just taking snapshots at night.  All the pictures you see here on the blog inside my house were taken with my speed light.

7.  How has God been revealing Himself to you, lately?  {Oh Jill, you are killing me with this one}

To be perfectly honest.  God has shown me that I am a undeserving, unrepentant, unappreciative brat.  I want and want and want.  And then I wonder why I don’t find contentment.  This process of moving is teaching me some valuable lessons in patience and control.  I am not in control.  I am not in control.  I am not in control.  {Have I convinced myself yet?}  God has a perfect plan for our lives if we are willing to give Him the reigns.  I am learning that by not allowing him to lead my life….I am missing some of life’s biggest blessings.

8.  Do you have a secret cleaning lady or little elf who comes in and keeps everything so neat and tidy at your house?

HA!  If you know one send him/her my way!  I have used a cleaning service ONCE in my life.  Mr. P was out of the country and I was home alone with all of my kids.  I had 13 high school friends coming to stay in our house and I was desperate.  Keisha came and cleaned my house and it was so beautiful I didn’t even want to breathe in it!  What you can’t see in pictures here on the blog is the smeared peanut butter and jelly on my table or the toothpaste on the kid’s bathroom mirror.  I am fairly tidy though.  Unfortunately, my kids are not!

9.  What is your favorite thing to eat?

I would LOVE a couple of giant pieces of pizza, a crisp garden salad, and a giant bowl of ice cream.  But then I would die a thousand deaths and have to check myself into the nearest hospital for a week of detox.  So I’m gonna have to stick with my hummus and crackers this time.

10.  I would love to know your best photography tips and your favorite camera “extras” –props, lenses, etc.

Look for the light.  Turn your subject around in a circle until you see the light (catch lights) hitting their eyes.  Then shoot like mad.  I always favor sentiment over technical perfection.  If a picture makes you smile…it is a keeper.  Even if you cut off the feet.  I use my 24-70mm andn 50mm lenses the most…and sometimes my 85mm lens as well.  I love my speedlight for indoor use.  For props…anything I can find around my house:  suitcases, buckets, chairs, blankets, crates, etc.  I like to have things for people to sit on.  A chair is also GREAT for fast toddlers because they can’t get down!  A beanbag is essential for shooting newborns.  Don’t worry yourself by constantly comparing your work with other photographers.  I gave up on reading other photography blogs and forums.  The more I read the less I trusted myself.  Just be yourself and have fun.  If my clients are happy, I am happy!

11.  How many hours oo you put into your photography business per week?

Right now I am too busy cleaning my toilets so that would be a bit fat ZERO!  But in the height of shooting season I probably work around 15-20+ hours per week.  That includes shooting time, editing, blogging sessions, email correspondence, packaging, and delivering.  I try hard to make this a part time job and only “work” while the kids are napping or in bed.

12. Do you still play the violin?

That’s a complex question  Some of you may not know that I actually have a Master’s degree in violin performance.  I taught high school orchestra for several years before becoming a full time mom.  That seems like a lifetime ago.  Must be my brain cells deteriorating.  I still play daily with our girls during their practice time but rarely play for myself.  It is something I miss a lot.  But Mr. P and I gave up playing in symphonies and our string quartets as our family grew and we both needed to be home to hold down the fort.  I’d like to play more.

13.  When do you find time to craft?

I craft all the time.  It sometimes involves my kids and sometimes involves me ignoring my kids (just being honest here).  I craft during nap time (I get a solid 2 hours of quiet in the afternoon each day).  I craft at night.  Sometimes I craft with friend on the weekend.  Crafting is like breathing for me…if it has been to long my hands start to twitch and my car automatically drives to Michaels.  Crafting calms me and helps me focus on things (like more crafts).

14. How on earth do you DO it all?

This makes me laugh.  The internet is a funny and dangerous place.  As moms we read the blogs of other moms and think they have it “all together”.  You see the things here on the blog that I want you to see.  I rarely show myself rolling my eyes at my kids or feeding them the cookie that just fell on the floor.  I certainly don’t brag about the fact that I haven’t changed the sheets in 3 weeks or that we forgot to take out the trash before vacation and our trash can filled with maggots.  I don’t even do HALF of the things I want to let alone all the things I should do!  I’m a busy body by nature and crave activity so I am a fairly productive person.  But I hope I never give the impression that I can do it all!

15.  Where did you get your “crafty-ness”–have you always been crafty? When/how did you learn to sew?

My Mom is the Queen of Crafty.  She used to browse the children’s boutiques and then come home and make us dresses from her notes.  She made dough art Christmas ornaments and shellacked loafs of bread that had been hollowed out and turned into tiny houses for mice at local craft fairs.  My book reports were always accompanied by an elaborate projects.  My Dad was an art teacher.  He taught me to water color and sketch.  I was in 4H for years and sewed for the State Fair.  Once I even modeled the shortie pajamas I had made for myself and my teddy bear on stage (so glad there are no pictures around of that).  I don’t ever remember not crafting.  My sister re-kindled my love affair with sewing and helped me learn how to read a pattern.  I made a pair of pants with one fat leg and one skinny leg the first time I tried to make a pair of boutique ruffle pants.  We laughed and laughed and speculated whether there was a market for that kind of thing

To be continued….

I’m trying to keep up here on the blog…really I am.  It seems everything and nothing are happening all at the same time.  We scurried about with moving bids, realtor meetings, painting and staging.  Now I’m sitting around waiting for the phone to ring.  Scrubbing the toilets after each use (just in case) and giving my children the evil eye each time they haul out one more toy.

There are plenty of things to distract myself though.

For instance…we have a CRAWLER in the house.  Praise God and HALLELUJAH.  You may have heard me squealing in your own home.  ”Rigamortis Baby” has been rocking on his hands and knees since the beginning of July.  He’s been looking longingly at toys scattered on the other side of the room for months.  He’s busied himself with the shag carpet as a distraction from what he really wants.  But that has all changed.  This little guy is FINALLY on the move.  Oh…it’s slow and painful to watch.  More of a creeping, drudging, scraping across the floor.  But there is legitimate forward motion so I’m counting it people.

Nothing is safe now.  He’s already found and eaten a puzzle piece.  He has figured out the cupboard doors and the alphabetized once orderly books on his bookshelf.  He’s a man on a mission.  {so proud}

I know that generally moms somewhat dread the onslaught of baby movement.  Everything changes once they’re mobile.  But our “little” guy has been a baby much longer than most.  And he’s worked harder than most too.  Physical therapy every week for 6 months to get to this point.  And although he’s still the same baby he was a week ago….the crawling is a relief for me.  HE CAN DO IT!  I’ve been asking myself lots of questions lately about his development.  I’m still asking.  But seeing his face light up as he grunts and shuffles towards a toy is such a JOY!

In other news.  Mr. SuperSam has been engrossed in the “auto junkyard” I brought home from Junk Bonanza a few weeks ago.  An old jar full of die cast (probably full of lead paint) cars.  The jar lasted 2 days.  On the third day our little super hero stood on top of the coffee table and chucked the jar across the room as we sat with our new realtor.  My kids are always on their best behavior for house guests.  It’s a general rule here.

He likes to line them up by size and color.

Today at breakfast he told me his napkin was NOT a square.   After turning it sideways he said “it’s a RHOMBUS!”  Um…hello.  I want my two year old back?!

He’s getting big.  But he’s clueless about the move.  And with all the drama from the ladies of the house…that’s a good thing.

There’s lots of talk around our house about what’s next.  No offers on the house yet.  We’ve found a couple of contenders in Nebraska.  One is old and adorable and perfectly quaint…but it is SMALL.  The other is BIG…but needs a complete overhaul as it is stuck in the land of 90s oak.  And it’s pricey which is code for “I shouldn’t even be looking at it anyways”.

The girls are talking about NOTHING but a puppy.

Did I forget to mention that?  We promised a puppy {suckers}.  I actually was more inclined towards a shelter dog.  One that was 13 years old and near death, please.  But a recent trip to visit a friend and her 9 week old Cocker Spaniel had me  blubbering like a school girl.

So a puppy it is.

And now my toilets are calling again.  Time to gear up for another day of keeping my house like a museum.  Fun times here in the Cooper house!

Things have been a complete BLUR here lately.  I have seriously neglected my blog and I sincerely apologize!  My parents came to town this week for reinforcement and my Mom lovingly reminded me that it is now October and I still haven’t drawn for the SEPTEMBER GIVEAWAY (do you think she is secretly wanting that cute bag or what?)  So what is up with you people?  Were you really going to let me off the hook that easy?  No one emailed to harass me?  Come now…you aren’t all really that nice are you???

SO.  Without further adieu (I love that word)…..

THE WINNER OF THE SEPTEMBER GIVEAWAY IS….JESSICA Y

who said “I love all of Fall. Does your family have any fun fall traditions? Thanks for the giveaway!”

Why YES Jessica we do!  Every year we go to the pumpkin patch with “Mimi and Baboo” in Roca, NE.  The Brainiac spends 2 hours obsessing over which gourds to bring home and Sam fills his entire pants with hay.  It is by far the best day of the fall season!

And while I’m on a roll.  The winner of the AUGUST GIVEAWAY never claimed their prize.  Please remember that I will not chase you down, knock on your door (unless you happen to be my neighbor), or call information to get your 411.  So if you want to claim your prize you must contact me!!

So let’s just draw again shall we?  (yeah for two prizes in one night!!)

THE WINNER OF THE AUGUST GIVEAWAY IS…..LAUREN

who said “Love it all!! Definitely I would put the “you are my sunshine” print in the frame! Adorable!!”

If you are a WINNER (you are ALL winners in my book!) please contact me ASAP so I can get your goodies in the mail!

And because I’m feeling uber guilty for not sharing any pictures or life moments here on the blog the past few weeks…here’s a few camera shots from our weekend.  Mr. P and I stole away one evening to take the big girls to Great Wolf Lodge to celebrate their birthdays.  We had a BLAST.  The Brainiac is still teasing me for screaming all the way down one of the larger water slides.  (She thought I was doing it to be funny but I was pretty much seeing my life flash before my eyes).  We swam, and swam, and swam, and ate ice cream, and watched Rio cuddled under blankets with wet hair.  Then we woke up and ate the breakfast buffet and swam, and swam, and swam some more.  Fun times!

I pinky promise to be much better this week about sharing!  I have LOTS of questions to answer….be back soon!