J Cooper Photography

First off…I have got to take a second to say THANK YOU to so many of you who have left comments, emailed, sent Facebook messages, texted, or called with words of encouragement to us this past week.  Really this blog is my happy place as it provides an immeasurable amount of support.  We are working hard to get Danny over his bout with RSV so that he is healthy enough for anesthesia on Monday.  Please continue to pray that he will handle the anesthesia and MRI well.  It has been a LONG, hard week with him as he has been very uncomfortable and cranky…and we are very tired parents after many sleepless nights!

Another HAPPY PLACE I have is in my new house.  Although it certainly didn’t start out very happy.

I was smitten with the large layout, excessive cabinets, wood floors, and the eat in area.  The rest…wasn’t really diggin’ it.   I was actually a hater of the red plaid wallpaper and brown paint….as well as the oak cabinets.

We wimped out on painting the cabinets ourselves after completing the laundry room.  It took me a FULL week to paint the cabinet doors in there and there were only 6 of them!   Our kitchen has 72 drawers and doors.  Yeah…time to call in the reinforcements!

YEAH for white paint!  We found a great new painter and he knocked these out this week.   I didn’t exactly get to sit around eating bon bons while they worked though as originally planned.   Keeping TWO toddler boys out of their way with no cabinet doors to hide all that sparkly, glass goodness was a serious chore.  I had planned to spend the majority of the week out and about (and away from the fumes) but a flu bug and RSV kept us firmly stationed at home the entire week.

My photos don’t really showcase the color accurately as the sun was a bit schizophrenic today.  But we chose SW “Creamy White” for the cabinets and “Outer Banks” for the island (which is a bit darker and warmer in person).

I’m really excited about this area of the kitchen as it is going to be full of personality once completed!  We opted for the door-free option (although we had the doors painted so that we have the option of using them later).   Next we will say “Hasta LaVista Baby” to the intercom unit (that will be a sad day),  add a bead board back splash (in Outerbanks like the cabinet interiors), and some awesome vintage wooden brackets on the sides to tie the unit together!

It is SO much brighter and more CHEERY in this space now!   The next major project in here will be to rip out the lovely oak light box.  I’m not a fan of florescent lights so it has to go.  We’ll need to remedy the ceiling situation under there and then add pendant lighting over the island.  We would also like to address the tile situation.  We don’t love it…and it was installed incorrectly…so it’s likely a gonner as well.

I’d love to add some personality over the table with a more unique light fixture…maybe something vintage?  We’ve still got strips of painters tape dotting the landscape throughout the house.  I think I’ve become so used to it that I might actually miss it

Next week “My New Best Friend” aka: our painter…will be heading into the cavern attached to the kitchen…the family room!  Goodbye oak trim, oak bookcases, sad taupe masonry, and olive green carpet.   1991 called and wants its decor back.

Just on the other side of the kitchen is a little spot I’ve carved out as an office space.  I’m on the hunt for a little vintage desk for this area.  But it has been so handy to have my laptop nearby but out of the hustle and bustle of the kitchen!

Call me shallow…but it’s nice to come into my kitchen in the morning and not cringe.   This place is starting to feel like our home…and that makes me happy, happy.

I’ll be sure to share more as we spread the white paint around!!

Thanks again for your support and sweet words this week.  We feel very blessed to have such amazing support in our lives!  And just an FYI…my Facebook account has been acting up and would not allow me to view any comments left on my last post.  So feel free to add them here or to my previous post if you want to ensure I can see them!

I’ve sat down to write this post several times…and each time…I’ve come up short being able to put my thoughts into words.

Last week we took our sweet Danny boy to the pediatrician.  We found a new doctor once we moved and had already been to see him a few months ago to discuss Danny’s medical background.   And Danny has  been plugging away at his physical therapy over the last few months as well.  But over the course of the past few months (about 6 months or so)…his particular set of symptoms was beginning to nag my mommy brain on a daily basis.  I googled…and researched…and read…and prayed.  And I knew it was time to finally make the appointment I had been dreading and discuss what I was thinking.  I didn’t expect an immediate diagnosis that day, though.  And although the diagnosis itself didn’t surprise me…it still hurt.

Danny has cerebral palsy.

If I’m honest with myself, I knew something wasn’t quite right the moment I met him.  But due to his circumstance…we were able to categorize most of his symptoms as “developmental delay”.  He didn’t get exercise enough.  He didn’t have optimal nutrition.  He was so sick in Ethiopia…and the list goes on.  When we brought him home last January he had fallen even farther behind the curve.  But we weren’t overly concerned.  We got him working in physical therapy and he started making progress.  His muscles started to relax and he gained coordination.

And although he is still making progress EVERY day…he has fallen a complete year behind on his gross motor development.  That, combined with a pretty extensive list of other issues…led me to follow my gut and pursue a diagnosis.  The issues that we have seen most prevalent in our sweet son are:  high tone (when he came home we couldn’t lift his hands above his shoulders),  fisted hands, uncoordinated eye movements (we will have surgery to correct this eventually), tip toe walking,  choking and gagging, constipation, inward pronation of his feet and hands, difficulty with motor planning, disturbed sleep, and problems swallowing.    With several of these issues he has already made great strides!  And many of them are on a low level as he was diagnosed as “high functioning”.  But the list was just too long for me not to believe that there wasn’t an underlying cause!

Danny will undergo anesthesia for an MRI on March 5th to look at his brain.  And then we will see an neurologist at Children’s in Omaha to discuss what they find.  This is just an initial diagnosis…we won’t know with complete accuracy what we are dealing with until we can meet with the pediatric specialist.

What I do know is this.  God gave us a special gift in this amazing little boy.  He has already overcome SO MUCH in his short 21 months.  He is a gift that we don’t deserve.  God’s plan for Danny has never changed.  He created him to be EXACTLY who he wants him to be…and while it hurts my mommy heart to watch him struggle…God is using even this to shape him into the disciple He wants him to be.  God makes NO mistakes.  God has a plan that is ALWAYS better than my plan…even when it involves pain.  And God has given Danny everything he needs to overcome this obstacle!

We are so thankful for all of your love and support during our journey to Daniel.  We know he has touched many lives already…and we continue to look forward to seeing what God has in store for our son!

As you know…we’ve been chasing the “uglies” through our house for the past few months.  We’ve got several years worth of projects to complete, but for now, we are trying to enjoy every successful completion!

When we purchased the house I wasn’t sure what to do with the living room.  I LOVED having the extra space.  But it was a giant beige box and since it was tucked away from the rest of the living space…seemed somewhat useless.  I almost gave away the fireplace.   And if it weren’t for my mom…I probably would have just turned it into a big, giant play room (probably wasn’t the best plan as this is the first room you see upon entering our house!)

Here is the ONE and only photo we took of the house before we bought it.  There wasn’t much to look at.

We started with the fireplace makeover.   It got several fresh coats of paint, a new raised hearth, and new shiny glass tile.  Then that adorable fireplace sat in the room for awhile while we did Christmas and New Years (and recovered from the holidays for a bit).

Then came the floor.   Mr. P and my Dad painstakingly laid that hand scraped hickory floor that we got for a great deal.

After that came several weekends full of hammering and nailing and painting (and painting, and painting, and painting).   We installed the board and batten and gave it several coats of SW creamy white paint.   Then we painted the “upper” walls with SW Down Home.  It’s a great contrast and a bit softer and more grey than our previous brown living room.

We tried using Charlotte in this room for awhile but I just couldn’t live with her everyday.   So we traded her out for a cute pinstriped love seat on clearance at Pier One.   With thin stripes on the front and bold, fat stripes on the back she is very stylish and flirty.  And she paired nicely with our Target damask chairs from our previous room.   The coffee table was a thrift store re-do from several years ago.  The dressers used to act as night stands in our master bedroom.  But a different room configuration in our new house rendered them “left out” so we are letting them play in the living room.  And they seem to be playing nicely!  I was set on a white shag rug.  Until I saw the prices!  I thought it was serendipitous this weekend when I found TWO 5×7 white shag rugs at Tuesday Morning.  My plans was to use carpet tape to attach them to each other as one big rug.   It was a valiant effort…but I wasn’t able to adequately hide the seam so they have since been returned   I did, however, hit the decorating jackpot when I pulled the brown/avocado silk drapes out of my linen closet and they worked perfectly in here!  They have spent several years hiding in the back of the closet after our guest room became The Brainiac’s new bedroom.  I even tried to sell them in our garage sale!  I was shocked that TWO silk 90″ drapes never sold for $10!   So either God was intricately planning my living room for me…OR…these drapes are actually fairly ugly.   Don’t tell me if it’s the latter!

Some day we’ll tuck a baby grand piano into that back corner!

Here’s a little list of references – cause I know someone is gonna ask!

Loveseat:  Pier One

Damask chairs:  Target online

Coffee table:  thrift store re-purpose (for KC folks – Revival Furniture)

Dressers:  Revival Furniture (thrift store)

Pedestal side table: Furniture Barn (in Lincoln)

Glass bookshelf:  re-purposed from a Craigslist treasure

Mirror:  Gordmans

Rusty lanterns:  Home Goods

Giant birdcage:  Antique store (Sentimental Journey in KC)

Curtains: via my linen closet but originally from Home Goods

Curtain rods:  Bed, Bath & Beyond (they are adjustable but I have them set at 18″ which is the shortest length)

Rugs:  Tuesday Morning

Easter eggs:  TJ Maxx

Mercury glass lamps:  TJ Maxx

Milk glass lamps on piano:  Good JuJu in KC

Green throw:  Home Goods

Just a few things left to do!

1.  Install these door knobs that I purchased in Florida.  (Got pulled aside in security at the airport with those in my bag.  You should have seen the look on the officer’s face when she said “Ma’am…what are these?” while holding up two tissue wrapped chunks of metal….to which I replied, “why doorknobs of course!”  She didn’t even laugh….the nerve.

2.  Find a new, bigger, cheaper rug.

3.  Paint the window (this spring).

4.  Make some art for above the two dressers (stay tuned!)

Hope you enjoyed the little tour!

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{The pictures in this post have absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand.  Just my cuties celebrating their day off school with a donut run}

From time to time I get questions about my health.  And since my health has been less than stellar since our move…I thought I’d do a quick post on my condition and how it affects our lives here in the Cooper house.

I have Idiopathic Gastroparesis.

Gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a medical condition consisting of a partial paralysis of the stomach, resulting in food remaining in the stomach for a longer period of time than normal.

Idiopathic means that I have always had the disease and didn’t get it from some other underlying cause.  My stomach functions at about a 50% pace.  The average stomach empties completely in four hours…mine takes eight.

Today was a GOOD day here at my house.  I ate.  I played with the kids and got our chores done.  But even GOOD days involve nausea, stomach pain, and blotation.  BAD days go downhill FAST from there and include symptoms you’d rather not read about on my blog

Looking back…I have probably always had this disease although it was only diagnosed a few years ago.   I can’t even count the trips to the ER I have made in my lifetime for excessive vomiting and stomach pain.  My family nicknamed me “The Porcelain Queen” early on!! Motility disorders are largely underfunded by the government so until the past year or two, there was little research in this area.  I have been to FOUR gastroengerologists and have heard conflicting information in every office.   It is not a curable disease….leaving patients to try to manage their symptoms through diet and medications.  I have tried EVERY medication available in the US market.  Now I am taking an experimental drug that is not FDA approved as part of current research happening in the US.  So far so good!  I’m still standing…and my heart is still beating!  (I had heart surgery in high school to correct an electrical issue with my heart…and this drug has a slim chance of producing electrical issues in that organ!)   There are A LOT of things I cannot eat.  I try REALLY hard not to think about those foods…and instead…try to focus on what I CAN eat (although the list is pretty small in comparison).

{Dude…where’d you put my donut?}

Eating for Gastroparesis doesn’t exactly line up with what you would think of as “Healthy Eating”.

What can I eat?  Foods that are low in  fat and low in fiber.  Soft foods that are closer to liquid form (pureed or smooth).  ”White foods” like white rice, cream of wheat, and white bread.  Pureed fruits and veggies (some).  Low fat protein like chicken and fish.  Foods that are easily digestible.  Basically anything you would think to eat after having the stomach flu  Sound yummy?  Baby food is surprisingly tasty when you haven’t had a “real meal” in awhile!

And to throw a wrench in the menu debaticle at our house…we also recently confirmed that I am lactose intolerant.  So that rules out ALL DAIRY  Praise the Lord for Trader Joe’s soy yogurt!

Weight is always an issue for me.  I try really hard to eat enough calories to maintain my weight without making myself sick.  Last night I crossed the line with a snack before bed and paid the price.  I get random comments from strangers about my weight.  And although I know most people mean well…I’d really rather weigh 20 lbs. more and just eat a TACO already!

So that’s the scoop on my mystery illness.  It is a pain.  It gets in the way of my social life.  It makes me feel depressed (sometimes) and isolated when I can’t participate when food is involved.  BUT…this is how God made me.  And for some reason….He has a purpose even in this!  I’m learning to live “HEALTHY” for me and what that involves.  I’m learning to cook for my disease (GASP…I said the “C” word!!)  And my kids are learning compassion and empathy…and hopefully a bit of grace as they watch me navigate this bumpy road!

So enjoy that taco tonight!  Go ahead and dip yourself another scoop (or two) of ice cream….eat one for me  If there is one thing I have learned…there is ALWAYS someone who has it worse than you do.  And this really isn’t “that bad”.  And if eating baby food keeps me healthy and able to thoroughly enjoy my family…then I’ll embrace it!

It’s not anything life altering or even deep…but I need your opinion.

The painter (not THE painter…he’s long gone…we have a new one) is coming Monday to start on our kitchen cabinets.  So I’ve got to make some decisions…I’m down to the wire.  The cabinets are going WHITE.  Surprise, surprise.  Creamy white by Sherwin Williams to be exact.  The island is going “tan-ish”.  I contemplated aqua.  My heart said “YES!” but my brain told me I would tire of that sooner than I’d be ready to paint all 16 drawers and doors of our mammoth island.  So I’m leaning towards “Outerbanks” by Sherwin Williams as a nice contrast against all that white…but still keeping with a neutral tone.

I just realized I’ve never really done a panoramic view of our kitchen.  I’ll have to work on that.  It’s just been so much ugly to deal with that it’s better shown in small doses  There’s a spot across from our eating area that has a set of cabinets built-in somewhat hutch-like.  I guess I didn’t take a proper before picture.   But it has base cabinets with doors on the lower half and upper cabinets above.  The two middle cabinets have glass front doors and the outer cabinets have solid wood doors.

I began playing around with the idea of removing the doors on the upper half of those cabinets to give the kitchen some “breathing room” and break up the sea of cabinetry.   Of course this will all be painted out white with bead board installed in the back of the upper cabinets.

As you can tell I tidied up the inside of those cabinets for you  And broke out my phone for some phonography. I’ve never had an issue with TOO MANY cabinets but in all honesty….most of this entire unit isn’t necessary for storage.  I mean…I’m storing random light bulbs and batteries in there, folks.   If I go this route I will continue the bead board down under the upper cabinets in the back splash area.  That will hide the unsightly 1990 INTERCOM.  You KNOW you are jealous.  You can’t find this model anywhere.  And the owners spared no expense.  Not only is it wired to also accomodate our doorbell…but it has extra storage for my CASSETTE TAPES!  Wahooty .

So here’s PLAN A:

Remove the upper doors

Paint all cabinets white

Install bead board backing on interior of upper cabinets (likely the island color)

Install bead board “back splash”

Here are a few images from Pinterest that show the look I am after (although none include the bead board):

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OR………

PLAN B:

Lose the entire upper unit and just go for open shelving.

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Plan B would require a bit more work by us as we would have to remove the existing upper cabinets, repair the wall, patch the intercom, and build the shelving.   But we’d save some money as could deduct the fee of painting that unit on top!  This room is open to our family room which has built-ins next to the fireplace that mimic this unit.  Base cabinets for storage below and bookcase shelving above (they’ll get the same white paint and bead board backing!)

SO WHAT’S YOUR VOTE????

Well I’ve done it again.  Deserted my blog without nary a word as to my whereabouts.  But have no fear (I know no one was actually worried)…Mr. P and I just headed out for a rather extravagant “date night”.

He had a convention to attend in Palm Beach, Florida.  I had an open calendar and parents who were willing to hold down the fort.  After months of hard work and exhaustion…getting away for a few days was heaven sent!

It was “cool” in Florida while we were there.  At least the natives kept apologizing to us about the weather (60s-70s).  But their apologies fell on deaf ears…when we flew out of Lincoln on Saturday morning it was -1* and packed in snow.  The Florida air was nothing short of miraculous.   Mr. P worked hard over the course of the weekend (or maybe he sat through a few boring lectures) but I didn’t strain myself in any way (unless you can count shopping as strenuous activity?)  I slept in and drank my chai.  I sat on the beach (in my hoodie) and still got burned.  I wandered the fabulously amazing resort.  I took a cab for some leisurely shopping.  I got hit on my TWO separate lesbian women inside Panera in downtown Palm Beach.  That was a new experience.

We rolled in late LATE last night (or was it early this morning?)  No sooner had my head hit the pillow than did Danny start his middle of the night escapades.  And since I’m functioning on very little sleep today, I’m gonna wrap this up.   But allow me to bestow just a wee bit of advice.  If your husband willingly takes you on a business trip in a warm climate…HUG that man fiercely.  And also….hug your parents who kept your children alive until you were able to return!

eat your heart out.

Hey…at least he’s moved on from Jingle Bells!

Well you all didn’t exactly have a riveting discussion of paint colors while I was gone.  So if you want to carry on with that convo in this post…that’s fine by me.

Come on people…scrounge around in your basement, crawl space, or garage and share that favorite color!

It feels REALLY good to have one room COMPLETE.  And by complete I mean….mostly done.

Let’s take a little stroll down “abundant oak” lane shall we?

When we moved in the laundry room looked like this.  (Crummy pictures from our walk through). Nothing horrible.  Fresh khaki paint, oak cupboards, a window (yeah), and wood floors (double yeah).

Then In December my father-in-law spent an entire weekend installing a laundry tower and bead board wainscoting for me.

My original plan was to make separate cubbies for each child all the way to the wall.  But you saw first hand how quickly the laundry attacks around here.  So after a few weeks in the house, I opted for the laundry tower and less space for the backpacks.  By the time Danny hits kindergarten, The Brainiac will probably be over using my cute cubby system anyways.

Then the laundry room sat while we installed wood floors, painted the foyer, re-did the dining room, and painted out trim.  And then I just couldn’t wait a day longer and I dove in.  I woke up one morning and said “I’m gonna paint my laundry room today!”  HA!  If only it had been that easy.  It took FOREVER and just about everyone we know has helped brush on at least a few strokes in there!

But, OH HAPPY DAY!  It is {mostly} done!!  The only step remaining is painting out the window when the Great White Tundra finally melts and spring arrives.

I also decided at the last minute that the flourescent light box had to go so we added in painting the ceiling over the weekend.  Mr. P was thrilled about that addition to the game plan.   But it was the right choice.  Cause the old school pendant is killer in there and just makes me happy.  And you’ve got to be happy when the laundry attacks.

The laundry tower idea was stolen from Pinterest:

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I opted for solid shelving instead of having the baskets hang.   My baskets came from World Market online.  Laundry in the tower.  School shoes in the baskets under the bench…girls on the left…boys on the right.

I kept the khaki paint cause I didn’t hate it and it was one less step.  The bead board added a TON of light to the room (it was SO DARK AND GREY today).  Plus with it painted out in semi gloss paint, it will be a breeze to wipe down when the kids come in slinging mud and snow.  Or when someone vomits on the walls.  You have to think of this stuff when you are a mom.

We kept the utility sink (handy) and cheapo faucet but painted the cabinets SW creamy white.  The wooden plaque is from Bed Bath and Beyond.  Love the sentiment.  “What are you waiting for…GO AHEAD!  Be happy!”

The other side of the room is more utilitarian.   I’d love to upgrade to a front loading dryer so I could build a folding shelf around the units.  But that one is still tumbling for now so it will have to stay.  The little step stool helps me reach my crazy high pole.   I thought about lowering it (or growing Go Go Gadget arms) but then decided the height was good for hanging pants so it stayed.

That door leads to the craft room.  It is my own little space…like a little secret hidden in the back of the house.  It is trashed right now (remember this post).  But some day it will be a little hidden jewel.

The little metal grate was a Good JuJu score.   I just clipped up a few meaningful baubles.  Mr. P used to call me turnip in college.  Weird, but oddly sweet?

The light that makes me smile.   Cheapo at Menards.  Do you have a Menards?  Any place you can buy an old school pendant light and tortilla chips in the same aisle is worth a visit.

The plastic storage boxes are from Walmart.  I found them on clearance for $1 last year and tucked them into the girls’ closets.  Now they’ll have a proper home storing hats and mittens off season.

The hooks came with the house.  Didn’t even consider replacing them.

The “curtains” are tea towels from Tuesday Morning.  The yellow pom poms had me at hello.  I bought the little tension rod and tiny rings at Bed Bath and Beyond and just clipped them up!

That was an awful lot of pictures and wordiness for one room.  But it is a HAPPY place!  When the sun is shining it literally just glows.  I wish I had taken pictures yesterday when the sun was out.  You’ll have to drop by in person to get the full effect!

Thanks for letting me share a little slice of my happy place.

Now go find that favorite paint color and talk amongst yourselves.   I’ll be back soon with our living room reveal!