J Cooper Photography

HAPPY EASTER from the Coopers!

We celebrated the RISEN KING today with an early start.   A quickie photo shoot in the back yard before 8am and mini muffins in the car.  We piled in and headed straight for the Big Pink Party Houses (which consequently has been painted a much more subdue hue…although it will never lose its claim to fame even with a new paint job).   Mimi and Baboo met us there for an amazing Easter Day hosted by The Pastor and The Writer.

They fed us well.  We got to listen to my brother in law preach a heartfelt Easter sermon.  And Super Sam ate nothing the entire day other than a chocolate bunny and some jelly beans (unless you count the mini muffins in the car that is).  All in all…one of the nicest Easter Sundays I can remember!

Of course, we did the annual Easter egg hunt followed by the “Hippity Hop Bunny Shop” run by Mimi.  Danny had a bit of help snagging a few eggs…but the other kids were just a whirlwind of running in the back yard and nearly impossible to get any shots of!

After hunting down a bucket full of eggs the kids exchanged their coupons for loot in the Bunny Shop.  Of course, we had to pause for the Annual Bucket Head photo too before heading back indoors!

We missed The Librarian and her clan.  But they joined us in spirit!

Each year I am more and more aware of the sacrifice Jesus made to atone my sins on that rugged cross.  Friday night we attended a Tenebrae service for Good Friday and I was blown away (over and over again) by the magnitude of His grace.  There is NOTHING I have done to deserve this blessed life.  And I am beyond grateful for His redeeming work in my life!

And the verdict is definitely out…this little guy likes the plastic eggs!

I hope you had an Easter celebration full of God’s redeeming LOVE…surrounded by those here who mean the most to you!

He is Risen!

HAPPY EASTER!!

Wow.  That’s a mouthful, huh?

Mr. P has been out of town for the past five days and came home late last night…just in time for our appointment with the neurologist at Children’s this morning.  It has been kind of a long, stressful week.  And today just may have put me over the top.  Here’s two of my men at the appointment this morning (playing the iphone, of course!)

I have A LOT of information to sift through.  My thoughts are all over the place right now.  Mostly due to fatigue and also because I am still having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that our little man really does have a disability.

The neurologist confirmed the diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy.  He did that within the first 5 minutes of the exam by simply watching how his limbs reacting to a series of tapping on the knees and ankles.  Then he showed us the MRI that was done in March.  The radiologist at the hospital read that MRI and told us that it was “normal”.  But it only took the neurologist a few minutes to show us that it was definitely NOT a normal MRI.   Danny has “Periventricular leukomalacia” which is a type of brain injury that occurs in infants.  The condition involves the death of small areas of brain tissue around fluid filled areas called ventricles.  The damage is typically from lack of oxygen in utero, at birth, or shortly after and is most common in premature infants.   This brain injury does not necessarily always present as Cerebral Palsy….but in Danny’s case…it has.  We don’t have much information about Danny’s history.  But the information we DO have…is very consistent with this diagnosis.  I finally feel like all the pieces of the puzzle have fit together and I can see how his symptoms now are a direct result of his precarious start in life.

The neurologist has also ordered a battery of tests to look for other metabolic or genetic disorders that could be contributing to his lack of motion.  There is a slim chance that one or more of these tests may come back positive, but it is unlikely.

Our poor little guy got stuck SO many times today.  The lab technician at the neurologist had NO success drawing blood and had to send us to the local hospital.  By the time we left 4 hours later…we were all ready to call it a day!

I have been reminding myself of one simple truth all.day.long.

God is in control.

Tonight I’m going to rest in that (because, boy do we need rest) and be ready for another day with my sweet boy!

{word.}

I know these word art pieces are all the rage right now and you can find them everywhere.   But I’ve been looking for a couple of months for a pair of matching/coordinating prints for our living room.  Not actively looking…don’t worry…I have a real life.  But when I am out and about, I check in on the art section at Target and other economical places.  But here’s the thing.  Even “economical” art isn’t really all that cheap.  And we all know how I feel about a good price

So I hit up Michaels with my 40% off coupon and got a 16×20 canvas 2 pack for $4.00.   I collected some sheet music scrap booking paper, Mod Podge (had it on hand already), some paints (again…already in the craft room), and some vinyl letters from Hobby Lobby.  And I set to work making something for our living room/music room that had a nod towards two of my favorite things: music and birds.

So before I spoil the end results….let’s do a little tutorial.   Can you do a tutorial off of bad iphone pictures?  Please say YES!

Step 1:  Gather your canvas – never purchase without your trusty 40% off coupon in hand!

Step 2:  Mod Podge your sheet music to the canvas.  I used matte Mod Podge and just slapped it on, trimming the paper as needed.  You can use real sheet music too.  Or even print your own on your home printer!

Here you can see the “seams”.  I didn’t worry about getting everything perfect as I expected this to look “handmade”.  And it really doesn’t matter if your musical staff lines up unless you are OCD…and then you better get out your ruler.

Step 3:  Apply your vinyl letters.  I placed the stencil I wanted to use on the canvas for reference so I remembered to leave room for my bird graphic.   On the second canvas…I worked from the bottom up to make sure I kept everything more centered.   Just stick down the letters and burnish them a bit with your finger tips.

Just for reference:  here is the list I took to the store.  I wrote down my text at the top so I wouldn’t have a brain freeze in the middle of Hobby Lobby.  Then I counted up how many of each letter I would need.  The little tally marks next to some of the letters show how many of those letters need to be the larger size.  I used 1″ and 2″ letters just to mix it up a bit.  My system worked like a charm and I only had to make ONE trip to the Hobster Lobster which made me VERY happy!

Step 4:   Paint over your entire canvas.  At this point you might become a wee bit nervous and want to chuck the whole project in the trash.  Push forward!  I used left over wall paint as my base coat to ensure the canvases would coordinate with the room.  My picture looks really awful…but they were just drying!

Step 5:  Add some texture.  I chose to use several other shades of paint (grey, darker brown, and a copper color).  I had originally planned to do an all over stenciled pattern but changed my mind in progress.  Go with your gut.  I had absolutely no technique.  Just squirted the paint on a paper plate and then used a paper towel to blot it around and rub it in.   After that dried…I applied my stencils!

Step 6:  The BEST part!  Gently peel off the vinyl letters to reveal your sheet music!  If you were a kid that sat in math class secretly peeling a palmful of Elmer’s glue off your hand…you are gonna love this step

Once everything is dry…just hang them up!  Or set them on a dresser.  Or give them as a gift!

Here are my finished products:

Canvas #1

and Canvas #2

I set them up in the living room on the two dressers.  And they make a happy little pair.

And while I was at it…I spruced up my mantel for spring/summer.  I pulled in some aqua and lime-ish decor that had a “natural” feel.  I think it is a happy little spot!

Be sure to share if you try this little project!  There are a thousand fun inspiration pieces on Pinterest.  Or just copy mine…either way…give it a try!  It was a fun afternoon project!

There are just a few details left in the family room!!  We’ve painted the trim, built-ins, fireplace, and walls.  We laid a new floor and re-arranged the furniture (we had it against the walls originally).   Everything is feeling much brighter and more FRESH!  We still have a bit of trim to lay on the floors.   And I need to figure out window treatments once the windows are painted later this spring (probably some sort of woven roman shade).  But we are close enough to go ahead and call it “DONE”!

We used the same “Outerbanks” color on the bead board in this room since it is open to the kitchen.  And the walls are that same shade as well (just a couple shades darker than the kitchen walls).

I didn’t edit these pictures at all…so you can see that we still have some unfinished business to attend to (and sweeping might not be a bad idea either!)

A couple of weeks ago I whipped up a couple of pillows from some upholstery fabric I had on hand.  I’ve had this nubby striped linen for over a year (I purchased it at a fabric warehouse for a song).  The pillows on our chairs were getting really faded and worn so I slipped out the down cushions and recovered them!  Such quick gratification

The people who built this house were window seat crazed.  There is a window seat in pretty much EVERY room.  In theory…window seats are so charming and wonderful.  In real life…they are kind of a lot of wasted space.  But I still love them…they just make furniture placement a bit more of a challenge!  I’d like to see this one filled with fun pillows!

Behind the couch there is a nice open area.  On one side is my aqua bookcase (still on a drop cloth and ready to be put back in place!) and on the other side is my desk area that I showed earlier.  The kitchen is to the right of this picture and there is quite a bit of open play space.  It is usually filled with Thomas the Train puzzles or race tracks

This was our only purchase for the room.  I started out looking for a farm table that I could cut down into a coffee table.  But this ottoman fits the bill perfectly.  It rounds out the furniture placement well (sorry for the pun!) and it is comfy for the kids.  Since it is lower than a coffee table…it has been a great spot to practice pulling up (and getting down) with Danny too.  Love the crackled, distressed leather because it means my kids can’t hurt it!

Our old pillows and new pillows seem to be getting along nicely together too.

The room has come  a long, LONG way since we moved in!  Here is the living room shot from the flyer when we bought the house:  lots of oak, olive green carpet, wood blinds, and dated brick.  They must have seriously doctored up this photo too…because it still looks light and bright…and in real life it was a complete CAVE!  NO natural light coming in at all.  It is a much happier place now!

I’ll be sure to share a few more pictures once everything is back in place and really finished up!

You know I am big fan of cheap junk.  I just cannot seem to dive into the world of “real” furniture…as in…furniture that does not come from TJ MAXX, Super Discount Warehouses, Flea Markets, Craigslist, garage sales or the trash   I  get the Pottery Barn catalog EVERY month and pour over it.  And I’m not knocking anyone for ordering their amazing stuff.  But I think I actually prefer the chipped up, painted, spackled together furniture I have (or maybe I just tell myself that because I’m too cheap to lay down the big cash for something nice?!?)

Our master bedroom is low on the priority right now.  We plunked down our bed on moving day and I haven’t thought much about the room since.  We stole our bedroom dressers for the living room and just stuffed all of our unmentionables in plastic tubs in the closet.  A few months ago I started scouring the cornfields for a “nice” dresser.  Let me rephrase that.  I started looking for a dresser that I could get for under $50.00.  Have you browsed a furniture store lately for bedroom dressers?  SHOCKING.  I had no idea.  Really, I didn’t.  Thanks very much…but I think I’ll hang on to my life savings a bit longer!

I gave up scouring the Lincoln Craigslist listings because no one would answer my emails (I am NOT having good luck in this crazy town!)  Then I turned my attention to Omaha and found this beauty.  I forgot to take a “before” picture but here it is all laid out and ready for some help.

It met most of my criteria.  I wanted a  LONG double wide dresser.  And I wanted it cheap

I didn’t really care about the finish as I knew I would end up painting it.  I took a different approach on this piece than I have used before and I liked the results…so here you go!

1.  Wiped/cleaned the pieces with a rag and denatured alcohol

2.  Filled surface scratches and knicks with spackle

3.  Primed with Sherwin Williams Adhesion Primer

4.  Painted 2 coats of satin latex acrylic paint (on the larger areas I used a small foam roller and then laid it off with a brush for consistency)

5.  Sanded the edges using 150 grit sand paper

6.  Stained with walnut stain…wiped on and then wiped off immediately leaving a light coat behind in the grooves

7.  Seal with polyurethane.  I didn’t do this because I was lazy…but I would recommend it!

She’s purty, huh?

Now maybe I will tackle our bedroom sometime in the next year.  It’s really not that bad…but I’d like to change the wall color and paint the trim and fireplace a nice crisp white

So that little project sat in my garage for a few months….and it felt really good to get it wrapped up!  I debated the hardware…but in the end…just kept the drawer pulls and coordinated some other knobs for the center drawers (there were a few missing).   I may update it again down the road with something really great.  But for now…I went the cheap (free) route.  And I’m just thrilled to have a new home for my undies!

Have you been painting anything lately??

1.  This is proving to be a handy little way to dump the pictures each week off my phone!

2.  I must confess that I actually took very few pictures this week.  Most of these came from Mr. P and were texted to me while I was at C4C in Atlanta.

3.  When the plane landed Sunday afternoon in Omaha, the pilot came over the intercom and said “Welcome to reality!”  I can’t even begin to tell you what a treat the weekend at Created for Care was for me.  I’ll share some thoughts as soon as I can collect them.

4.  My first afternoon in Atlanta…Mr. P texted me this pretty sweet picture of Super Sam after a 5 hour nap.  Wow.  Glad I was gone for that waking of the dead!

5.  One of the highlights of my weekend was spending time with a couple of very special AGCI adoption mamas.  These gals walked the journey right beside me and I value their friendship more than I can express in words.  Unfortunately, all I have as a momento of our time together is this frightening blurry picture with weird lighting that makes us all look like we have scarecrow noses?!?

6.  A few weeks ago I dressed up my kitchen chalkboard with a little Easter inspired banner.   I used only supplies I had on hand so it was a FREEBIE project…love those!  I had picked up the glitter letters at TJ Maxx and tucked them away for a fun project.  That is a great place to search for random crafting supplies on the cheap!   I had the paper already (although I did end up switching out the background paper after I took the supply photo).  And the jute string is always a handy thing to keep around the house.  I am generally not good at tutorials….but surely you can figure this one out on your own.   I just used a glue stick to layer the paper…I went with rectangular banners as I think the triangles are SO yesterday (or maybe I was just too lazy to measure out triangles).  Then I used my glue gun to attach the sparkly letters.   I hole punched the corners and slipped through the rope (I did tie knots behind each hole to prevent my letters from getting jumbled up).  Hey…that was almost a tutorial!

7.  I’m looking for a good Easter-ish scripture for my chalkboard if you have a favorite?!?!

8.  The Beast has grown!  She is getting fluffier (and better behaved) by the day.  We might actually survive this thing.  The kids are smitten with her about 1o% of the day.  And then I spend the rest of the time dealing with her myself and trying to talk the kids into playing with her

9.  If you check out the background of the above picture…you’ll see that we are SO close to finishing up the family room!  Can I get a “woot woot??”

10.  I’ve got a fun little project to share soon with these bad boys.  Any guesses?

That’s all for tonight!  I am paying for my Weekend ‘O Fun with a ridiculous head cold thanks to the elderly woman who sat next to me on the plane and coughed up her lungs!

HAPPY TUESDAY!!

Well if all went well, I am at the Created 4 Care retreat!  But I had to schedule a quick post to document a bit of SPRING popping up all over the Cooper abode.  When you purchase a house in November (especially a vacant house that hasn’t been recently maintained) you never know WHAT will pop up from the ground come spring.  It was obvious the previous owners were avid gardeners.  Now we’ll have to try to keep all of their gardens alive…not an easy task!!

It has been fun to watch all sort of plants bud and spring up from the ground.  Our crocus were out for THREE days before they decided it was already too hot and shriveled up and died – HA!

Did I mention we have a waterfall?  We have a waterfall (Lord, help me).  It is currently filled with all the squirty bath toys and sticks from a couple of toddler boys.  Wow…this year’s yard work could be interesting!

Now I’m just praying a April Nebraska snow storm won’t kill all our GREEN!!!

My 3 year old loves all things electronic.  We are not a hugely electronic family.  We have ONE tv that lives in the basement and it doesn’t have cable.  The boys watch a movie on the ipad from time to time (when Daddy doesn’t have it at work) and the kids play the Wii.   But I think they are largely…unplugged.  Over Spring Break the electronic usage was unfiltered and my kiddos had free reign on a plethora of electronic devices.

I think it is safe to say someone is in withdrawal.

I guess when the going gets rough…a blank wall and a remote built from waffle blocks is better than nothing.

He even invited me to play a riveting game of  “Knock ‘em Down Robots” with him.  Fun times!

On a side note:  I’m packing it up and heading to Atlanta for the March Created 4 Care retreat!  PLEASE stop me and say “HI” if you will be there!  And say a prayer for Mr. P who will be hunkered down with all the kiddos this weekend while he tries to install our base boards!

1.  Wow.  Two weeks in a row.  I think I deserve some sort of blogging award for that.  I’m not known to have a whole lot of “stick-to-it-ness”  so the fact that I’ve remembered to post two Tuesdays in a row is somewhat monumentary!

2.  I don’t think monumentary is really a word (as evidenced by that annoying squiggly red line that appears under half of my text).  But it should be, shouldn’t it?

3.  From this point forward I think all 10 on Tuesday posts should be “phone style”.  Mostly because my editing software is downstairs and I am too lazy to move to another computer.  And my phone is right here next to me.

4.  Sometimes there is a little nameless person among us who likes to steal my phone.  He likes Angry Birds and he is also apparently an aspiring photographer.  Hours later I find hundreds of random photos on my phone like the following.  Quite artistic

{I call this “Spilled Milk”}

and this one {My Life as a Dog}

and this one {Stinker Pants}….oh, shoot…..I gave away the culprit

4.   Sometimes when your brother has the stomach flu…you MUST get out of the house.  What better way to do it than to have a date night with Daddy while Mommy cleans up the mess?  Fun for them (not so fun for me).  Then to really rub it in…they send their lactose intolerant mom pictures of themselves inhaling the Molten Lava Chocolate Bliss Sundae.  Thanks girls.

5.  There was one moment during Spring Break while our guests were here that all of the bigger kids ran outside to play.  It got strangely quiet for a moment.  Then I realized I had NO idea where Danny had gone.  I began calling frantically for him and running through each room.  No worries.  He had found a quiet spot and was quite content  A borrowed ipad and his binky.  Heaven.

6.  That’s a great idea Daddy!  Spin the girls until they vomit.  Even better yet…stick the BABY in the middle!

7.  Before I forget….I HAVE ENOUGH TEA TOWELS!!  {Sorry to yell!}  You all just knocked that one right outta the park.  I threw that out there without thinking I’d have much success…but locate the towels you did!  And plenty of them!  THANKS for the personal shopping at its finest!!  But no more please

8.  The family room is coming along nicely.  Mr. P is finishing up the last row of flooring as we speak.  Not much left in that room to do other than paint the baseboards and nail them back in place.  Oh. Happy. Day.

9.  Little shoppers either make my grocery run REALLY fun or REALLY awful.  Yesterday was a fun day.  Yesterday we had donuts for lunch and cookies for dessert.  Hey.  Sometimes you have to break the rules.  Anyways….Sam is on the Miracle Goldfish Diet…so donuts can’t be much worse, right?

10.  I need to chose pendant light for over our island pronto.  I’m leaning towards these schoolhouse lights from Home Depot.  But I’ve also seen some cool oil rubbed bronze pendants that could fit the bill.  Any suggestions?  Do you have a reasonable light fixture you are crushing right now?  It needs to give off substantial light.  In other words…it can’t be all mascara and lip gloss.  I need some real beauty (and brains) in there too.  Send me some links.  Our main floor is getting dangerously close to being “mostly done”.  If you could see our bathroom right now you would laugh at that statement!

HAPPY TUESDAY FRIENDS!

What was the best part of your day??