Friday, December 13, 2013

A Little of This & A Little of That

by Deanna


I am still in the midst of my Christmas decorating, these days I am ALWAYS running late for just about anything and everything I do.  How about you, are you done and have all your Christmas shopping complete or are you a little like me....still in the midst of it?  Tonight I am joining some very good girlfriends for dinner and thought, since the hostess insisted that we bring NOTHING (how sweet is that??!!) that she wanted to prepare the entire dinner, including dessert I really should bring some kind of hostess gift.

So...yesterday I was at my local grocery store and while there picked up those miniature poinsettias, right now they are buy one, get one free.  Not even thinking about a hostess gift when I purchased them, but thank goodness I did have the sense to take advantage of the sale, I now have a hostess gift.  To make it kinda special, I added some left-over berries and a bow to the (free) poinsettia.  And speaking of left-over berries.....I buy garlands of berries, or flowers, or ivy, or greens whatever and cut it up.  It is amazing how much product you can get from a garland vs. buying individual stems. And you do know I am talking fake here, not real.


I updated my front door wreath with a garland of berries, the old ones were fading from a bright red to a fuschia pink along with the ribbon.  I just cut off the old berries with a wire cutter (a must have in any craft room) and added a fresh new garland of berries and a new bow....voila a brand new wreath.  And I still have plenty of berries left to add to anything else I might find that needs a lift.  That is exactly what I used in the poinsettia hostess gift.

And speaking of new....I bought a new lens, the new Tamron 70-200 mm 2.8 zoom lens.  I just received it this afternoon and I am amazed, simply amazed by the sharpness.  It is my Christmas present to myself.   I have had several family photo shoots in the past few months and I decided to save the money and buy myself this lens, I figured this was the perfect way to spend the money, upgrading my equipment.  I think I am going to love this lens especially for my daughter's dance recitals...photographing those sweet darlings in their cuter than cute tutu's.  And dress rehearsal is Saturday....perfect timing.

A couple of shots with the new lens.....


I think Cinder needs a trim, you can hardly see her eyes...she is all decked out in her red Christmas sweater.  It has been so frigid cold here that she is happy to have this extra layer.  I bought Toby one too, but he acted like he was gagging when I put it on him.  He wanted no part of a sweater.


So I know this post is a little of this and a little of that...but my life has been like that lately.  Little bits of happiness and little bits of sadness, but you gotta have the sad to recognize the happy.  And in perspective, the happiness bits have far outweighed the sad.  Hope your life is like that too.  This is my last post here on Focusing On Life before Christmas, so I am wishing you a beautiful, merry, bright & holy Christmas.


11 comments:

AFishGirl said...

Nothing like waking up to an FOL post and there's sweet Deanna, talking about the days and her thoughts, beautiful shots and kind words. Merry Christmas to you, Deanna. I'm not done the preparations. Oh, far from it. Worst case scenario, they all get vitamins in their stockings. I am calm this year (relatively) and that feels good. Not as stressed as other years. I am happy it snowed here. It seems more normal to see snow and I do love the snow. Okay, stop rambling, Pam! Okay. Enjoy your day, ladies.
oxoxo

Peggy said...

What a cute little dog. I loved your idea of breaking up a garland. I would have never thought of that. How clever. I'd love to take this opportunity to tell all of you gals how much I enjoy your posts. I have you on the sidebar of my blog so I don't miss one. And even though I don't comment often I read you almost daily and your photos are inspiring. I have so much to learn about photography. I just got a DSLR for Christmas with two lenses and haven't a clue what to do with them. After the holidays I'll have to read the manual and do some online tutorials. But the few pics I have taken so far show a drastic improvement over my point and shoot camera. Can't wait to give it a workout over the holidays. Any suggestions? Peggy form PA

terriporter said...

I love "Deanna Fridays"! They are always a feast for the eyes as well as just plain fun to read. Love your wreath remake and that I can recognize your front door! I saw some of those mini poinsettias the other day and wondered what one would do with them. Now I have a great idea thanks to you! Cinder looks adorable in her Christmas sweater but I agree, she could probably use a trim! The ornament shot should be a Christmas card for sure! Just lovely! Okay, enough exclamation points. Will close by saying I love your "slice of life" writing and your beautiful photos . . . and you!

Cathy H. said...

I love the little bits of your life, and especially love the beautiful front door wreath! So festive! I did finally finish decorating, I simplified this year and didn't put it all out and I'm enjoying that! Merry Christmas to you, too, Deanna!

CarolHart said...

Life is a little of this and a little of that and I thank you for sharing your moments. The "freshened" wreath looks wonderful. You are such a crafty lady! I am in love with your ornament shot with the merry Christmas text repeated over it and agree with Terri, would make a lovely Christmas card. Congratulations on the new lens! You know, I was looking at that exact same one while vacationing in San Diego a couple of monts ago. Had it strapped on my camera body and everything. Wound up being seduced by the Nikkor 70-300 f/5.6 however. What can I say, I'm a Nikon girl! Remember Deanna, you really aren't late for Christmas. It's 12 days away. Now is the perfect time for decorating, listening to Carols, and feeling the joy of the season. Enjoy your 12days. Merry Christmas.

Dotti said...

On the first day of Christmas ... You can plug in your own lyrics as you count down to Christmas Day. Loved this post! I read it early this morning on the treadmill {iPad} but couldn't comment until now. But I will tell you I've been singing Christmas Carols ever since I read it. Yes, I am feeling the Christmas spirit and your post has helped that. Adore all the lovely photos and Cinder ... well, let's just say I can't wait to walk through your always beautiful front door again and meet him!

Nicki said...

The perfect gift - and I love your wreath (I seriously need to update mine, it is looking a little bit worse for wear). Congrats on the new lens - that is one on my list - can't wait to see and hear what you think of it.

Unknown said...

The wreath on your front door looks wonderful. How exciting a new lens. Have fun playing my friend.

Hugs~

Barb said...

Hi Deanna, Glad that lens arrived - just in time! Cinder is styling in her sweater. I went to buy a red one and ended up with two grays - what's up with that? They go great with my hair though... Happy Season, Deanna.

Ida said...

Well I like your post very much. Cinder looks so sweet and congrats on that new lens. I hope eventually to get a new zoom myself but not this year.

Katie said...

i love that little poinsettia. i'm still kinda in the little girl mode when it comes to anything cute and miniature. i've got that 18-270mm tamron lens, and found that it gets a little soft when it's all the way at 270mm---have you found that to be the case with your new lens? anyway, it takes some beautiful shots! merry christmas!

Post a Comment

Thank you for sharing part of your day with us. If for any reason you are unable to leave a comment here on this post, please leave your comment on our Facebook page or in our Flickr discussion group. We love hearing from you!

 
© Focusing On Life