Focusing on Life - 51 and 52

Of course, I'm behind again on Sally's Focus on Life series.  Rather than do separate posts, this time, I thought I would just combine the last two.

For week 51, Sally asked us to photograph "togetherness."  I had the perfect idea.

A few years ago, I mentioned that my aunt hosted a cookie party every year.  It's usually the Saturday before Christmas and several aunts and cousins converge upon a single house to bake about more dozens and dozens of cookies.  (Seriously, about 9 or 10 batches of cookies.)

I the post above, I showed you the cookies.  In this post, I wanted to show you the people.

I think there may be a few of my aunts not in the picture and the kids were off playing, but you get the idea.  It's one of the best examples of "togetherness" I'll ever find.

For week 52, Sally asked us to capture "goodbye."

This was a bit hard for me.  Luckily, as in past weeks, the kiddo was ready to help.

If you were wondering, she drew her hand waving below the words.

Sally, thank you for this wonderful experience.

If any of you are interested, Sally has renewed her "focus on life" series for 2014.  You can find the details here.

Since I was frequently behind in 2013, I opted not to take part in 2014.  That won't stop me from following along, however.  You can also find the first week's photos here.

Focusing on Life - 50 of 52

Wow .. I can't believe there are only 3 weeks left.

This week, Sally asked us to look for a pop of red.

I thought these earrings were perfect for the prompt.

These holly leaf earrings were designed by Gwen Fisher.  You can find a link to the free tutorial here.

Thanks, Gwen!

To see what pops of red the other participants found, please visit Sally's blog or check below

Focusing on Life - 49 of 52

For my Challenge of Color entry, click here.

And here I am, caught up. (mini cheer)

For week 49, Sally asked us to find sparkle.

This was an easy prompt.  When I saw the email, I knew exactly what to choose.

While we were in Home Depot, the kiddo asked if we could get just one Christmas decoration.  We wandered over and she saw this.

How can you say "no" to Darth Vader in a Christmas hat?

Please visit Sally's blog to see more sparkle.

Or, you can check out the links below.

Focusing on Life - 48 of 52

For my Challenge of Color entry, click here.

Again, I fell behind on Sally's focus on life challenge.

This week, I will be playing catch up.

For week 48, Sally asked us to give thanks.

There are many things for which I am thankful.  I guess the one person I am most thankful for, and I probably tell him all too rarely, is my husband.

Honestly, I don't know another person who would put up with me.  :)

Please check Sally's blog to see what the other participants are thankful for.

Or, check below:

Focusing on Life - 47 of 52

For my Challenge of Color entry, click here.

Again, I fell behind on Sally's focus on life challenge.

This week, I will be playing catch up.

For week 47, Sally asked us think about what is central in our lives.

With the kiddo in school full time, I've lost what was a central part of my life for six years.

To be honest, I have been meandering.  I know, with time, I'll find a routine, but for now, I've come to terms with   I know, with time, I will find a routine, but for now, I'm content to drift a bit.

Please check out Sally's blog to see what the other participants centered on.

Focusing on Life - 46 of 52

For my Challenge of Color entry, click here.

Again, I fell behind on Sally's focus on life challenge.

This week, I will be playing catch up.

For week 46, Sally asked us to reflect.

The end of the year, arbitrary as it is, seems to be a time for us to reflect on ourselves, our direction in life, our goals and our successes or failures.

The holidays, of course, play a role in that reflection.  We give thanks for what we have and stop to remember what is important and what is not.

I chose to take this week's prompt literally.  Thankfully, the kiddo is always willing to help.

Our children are a reflection of us, both in looks and in action.

My husband tells me constantly that the kiddo is a smaller version of me.  If she is, then I hope she can improve on the original.  :)

Please visit Sally's blog to see what the other participants reflected on.

Focusing on Life - 45 of 52

For my Challenge of Color entry, click here.

Again, I fell behind on Sally's focus on life challenge.

This week, I will be playing catch up.

For week 45, Sally asked us to try our hand at industrial photography.

I snapped this picture of one of my husband's grilling tools.

If you would like to see more industrial photos, check out Sally's blog.

Focus on Life - 44 of 52

My post for the Rolling Blog hop is here.

My post for the Halloween Blog hop is here.

This week, Sally asked us to capture something seasonal -- something spooky or scary.

This, though not terribly spooky, was the first thing that came to mind.

Happy Halloween.  Please check Sally's blog to see what spookiness awaits.

Focus on Life - 43 of 52

My post for the Rolling Blog hop is here.

My post for the Halloween Blog hop is here.

This week, Sally asked us to focus on shadows.

I liked this photo of leaves, both on the ground and clinging to the trees.

I also liked the shadows in the background of this one.

Please check out Sally's blog to see more shadows.

Focus on Life - 42 of 52

This week, Sally asked us to take a closer look at one day.

My days usually start like this:

Then, I might get in a little of this:

I usually try to visit this at least once during the day:

My husband is generous enough to allow me a bit of time for this in the evening:

Please visit Sally's blog to see what everyone else accomplishes in a day.

Focus on Life - 41 of 52

This week, Sally asked us to find connections.

I spent most of the week connecting with and catching up on prompts for the last month.  If you are curious, you can find them here, here, here, and here.

When I was able to sit down and think about connections, this is the only thing than came to mind.

Luckily, the kiddo and her cousin were more than happy to pose for me.

Please visit Sally's blog to see more connections, or take a look below.

Focusing on Life - 40 of 52

I am about a month behind on Sally's focus on life challenge.

This week, I will be playing catch up.

For week 40, Sally asked us to show a smile.

With the kiddo around, there is no shortage of smiles.  In fact, she surprised me a few days ago with these -- balloon portraits of the two of us.

Can you tell which is me and which is the kiddo?

Please visit Sally's blog to see other awesome smiles.

Focusing on Life - 39 of 52

I am about a month behind on Sally's focus on life challenge.

This week, I will be playing catch up.

For week 39, Sally asked us to find our best shot.

I took a several photos of the kiddo in an attempt to capture a smile for the week 40 prompt.  When the kiddo presented me with an alternative smile (you'll see it tomorrow), I thought I would use this as my "best shot."

It's hard to go wrong with the kiddo's beautiful face.  :)

Please visit Sally's blog to see other best shots.

Focusing on Life - 38 of 52

I am about a month behind on Sally's focus on life challenge.

This week, I will be playing catch up.

For week 37, Sally asked us to find a quiet moment.

With the kiddo starting first grade, quiet moments seem to be much easier to come by.  I generally find myself giving the puppies a bit more attention.

With these quiet moments, however, come the contemplative ones.  I wonder how the kiddo grew up so quickly.

Please visit Sally's blog to see other best shots.

Focusing on Life - 37 of 52

I am about a month behind on Sally's focus on life challenge.

This week, I will be playing catch up.

For week 37, Sally asked us to capture motion.  I found this easier said than done.  Photographing something moving usually results in a blurry photo, though it can generate a cool effect.

I took several pictures in an attempt to capture motion and this one was the best.

A friend and I have been practicing for our upcoming weapons test and this is her twirling a nunchaku.  I love how you can see the movement of both her hand and the nunchaku.

Please visit Sally's blog to see how the other participants captured motion.

Focusing on Life - 36 of 52

This week, Sally asked us to look for pairs.

I thought of a pair of tennis shoes, but thought that photo worked better for last week's challenge.

Instead, I thought I would dig out an older picture.

My favorite pair!

Please take a look at Sally's blog to see other wonderful pairs.

Focusing on Life - 35 of 52

For week 35, Sally asked us to focus on growth and change.

This was another hard one for me.

The kiddo started first grade this year -- and is now at school for a full day.  This is a big change for her.  She is tired in the afternoon and doesn't have as much "play" time as she did.

It's also a change for me.  I now have almost seven hours to myself every day.  What to do with all that time?

My mother said she would clean the house.  I seriously thought she was kidding.  Clean the house?  Maybe for an hour, but not all day.

I tried sitting around all day and beading or watching tv, but that gets boring in a hurry.

Finally, I decided to try something new -- running.

So, I always said that "I don't run."  What I really meant was, "I don't like to run because I can't run for more than a few seconds."  I have allergies and asthma, neither of which is conducive to running long distances.

I started reading about Zombies, Run! and thought, "this might be fun."  I downloaded the 5k  training app and went for a run walk with some jogging sprinkled in.

I was a bit discouraged that first day, but I am getting better and can run for almost 3 minutes without stopping!

More than that, though, I am looking forward to getting outside and running a bit.  This might have more to do with me wanting to play more missions on the app, but, hey, anything that works, right?

Please check out Sally's blog to see how the other participants interpreted their growth this week.

Focusing on Life - 34 of 52

This week, Sally asked us to "add something" to our photos.  She wanted us to use editing programs to add filters or effects to our photos.

It took a while for me to find a picture to play with, but when I came across this sunflower, I knew it would be perfect.

It is a little over exposed, so I decided  to add a bit of vibrance.

Then I decided to subtract some saturation.

Finally, I decided to add a bit of the yellow back in.

Please take a look at Sally's blog to see what the other participants added to their photos.

Focusing on Life - 33 of 52

This week, Sally asked us to find something in season.

Luckily, I had the perfect subjects --

this purple pepper

and this gorgeous plum.

Sally is still having technical difficulty with her blog.  You can check what the other participants found below.

Focusing on Life - 32 of 52

This week, Sally asked us to look where we stand.

This was a hard one for me.  Then, today, I took the kiddo for her second "real" pedicure and she insisted that I take a picture of her cute little toes.

Where I stand?

It's a great place to be.  :)

Sally is having a bit of technical difficulty this week, but she sent all of us the linkz code.  Please visit the other participants, below, to see where they stood this week.