Shutterbugs and photo-lovin’ friends glad to have you join me for The World Through My Lens 11.2024: Everyday Images and Sunday Stills. Again today, I am joining Kym at A Fresh Cup of Coffee for her Every Day Images photo challenge. Kym describes the challenge as a way to be more intentional about watching for interesting things in life that she can capture with her camera.
Every two weeks she publishes a few words or phrases to focus on, and looks for opportunities to take pictures of these things. As I have done in the past with other challenges I have participated in, I will just be sharing my photos once a month. Here are the photos for September and October.
Also
Glad to be joining my friend Terri at Second Wind Leisure Perspectives for her Sunday Stills series. Terri provides the prompts for her series 1 photo a week for a month at a time. She shares her pictures once a week while I share a month’s worth of images at a time. She is one outstanding photographer and you should follow her on Facebook. Terri’s photos will take your breath away.
Everyday Images #49
- at home (monthly): I was feeling very sentimental the morning that we put up our Christmas tree. I think it was the day of my parents’ anniversary. Putting up the tree, seeing ornaments my parents had bought me, little reminders of the girls when they were small, baby Andrew. We got the tree all finished and then I started crying. We took this selfie right afterward. I look pretty watery and pale. Love the sunlight streaming in behind us – my sister calls those streamers of light “Andrew’s eyelashes.” Love the cross at the top.
- cozy: this season inspires coziness. Our fall has been very, very mild, though. We haven’t had our first official freeze but the weatherman reports that it is coming next week. But the kitties and I have been cold at night for weeks. Purrsnickitty and Purrcival fight to lay on top of me, as if I were any warmer!! We should all be curling up against PC who is the warmest of us all.
- numbers: every time I sub, I get a little nervous about teaching the math. This school district has adopted some crazy math curriculum called Eureka Math. It is a very long, drawn out way to do 2+2!! Anyway, I was thankful when I subbed for second grade, the babies were just doing simple addition. That much I can do.
- prepare: one of my spring, then summer and now fall goals was to figure out a walkway for our side yard where it is impossible to grow grass. We have gone back and forth about having someone do it for us and trying to do it ourselves (mostly PC doing it ourselves). Finally, he decided he wanted to do it and has begun buying the materials needed to get underway.
- heat and/or cold: for months we had been holding onto this tattered flag waiting until it was cool enough outside to have a fire in our little fire pit in order to properly dispose of our flag. So this photo represents both heat and cold. Cool outside, warm by the fire. Do you see a couple of the 50 stars about to catch fire?
- everyday: the sunsets in El Paso are spectacular everyday.
Everyday Images #50
- doorway (quarterly): front doorway decorated for Christmas and beyond. You know how I love *snow*, right? We have snowmen and Christmas trees galore.
- selfie (quarterly): second grade subbing selfie.
- red: whenever Cami comes for a visit, she wants to do 2 things. First, she asks to go upstairs to put on her makeup or to touch up the makeup she already has on. Then she wants to get a half-dozen pairs of my heels to play shoe store. Her favorites are these reds one and a pair of nude, pointed-toe sling backs she calls my ‘pink’ shoes.
- traditional: we enjoyed the Nutcracker today with Lauren, Francisco, his mom Jenny, Lucia and her BFF Maddie, and Cami. This was our third year in a row to see the ballet so it is becoming a holiday traidition. Afterward, the girls and I always practice our curtsies and PC always takes our picture.

- lights: was so relieved to find a new box of fairy lights packed away among my Christmas decorations. Wrapped my nativity in twinkles.
- on top: we had wonderful seats at the ballet (thank you, Francisco) so I was able to capture lots of good photos. I think I could decorate an entire room on a ballet theme with photographs on every wall. In this shot, the prima ballerina is clearly on top of the world.
Sunday Stills
11.03.2024 bucket list images: you can check out my autumn bucket list update, right here. Need to write a final update in the next week or so. Hope to have earned green checkmarks on every activity. Some of the activities pictured below are fall decor, our getaway to New Mexico, coffee and writing in a new to us coffee shop, a new replacement prayer bracelet, trying a new pumpkin recipe (delish).
11.10.2024 cozy: our kitties really don’t get along well. I have been using 2 different kinds of pheromone plug-in diffusers in hopes of keeping them calmer. Not sure if they are working but the fact that these 2 are on the same bed together is pretty amazing. Have you ever tried calming diffusers before?
11.17.2024 monthly color challenge: shades of auburn and (or) brown: with a little blue, gray and red thrown in…my Thanksgiving table.
11.24.2924 monthly color challenge: shades of auburn and (or) brown: this beautiful tree was ablaze in the parking lot where I do physical therapy.
Your Turn
What have you captured lately in your lens? I think this time of year many of us are busy capturing memories through our lens. Hope over this holiday season, you make and capture wonderful memories with those you love most.
Thank you for spending some of your busy day here with me. Hope you will join me in visiting Kym at A Fresh Up of Coffee and Terri at Second Wind Leisure Perspectives to check the images they’ve captured for these photo challenges.
Hugs and kisses,

Your photos are great! I really need to get back to taking real, thoughtful photos. I miss taking them with intent..
Thank you!! I would say the same of yours. Always enjoy your hiking photos and the photos of the lake in all seasons.
Oh I love all the pictures. My favorite it the one of you and the girls all in red running.
Hi Leslie, I imagine completing these photo challenges keeps you busy with your lens daily! I appreciate you taking the time to share! You had quite the bucket list completion!
I really like the photo of your hubby(?) in the coffee shop! Nicely done on the photography! Of course, seeing your two cats together on the bed looking cozy is adorable! Your Thanksgiving table is so beautiful! I’m glad there are a few colorful deciduous trees sporting fall color there, too! Wishing you a peaceful holiday season and a fantastic start to your 2025!
Thank you, Terri, my photography muse, for coming by. You inspire me with the way you enhance the natural beauty in the world with your keen eye. That is my hubby in the coffee shop. The coffee shops in Silver City were rustic and had lots of character (and characters) in them. We are going back to Silver City this week and I hope to visit them again. Thank you for your visit and your kind words. Keep inspiring all of us with your captures. Happy new year.
The holidays are hard, aren’t they? I mean, I love Christmas (and celebrating my daughter’s wedding anniversary…exactly one week before Christmas), but you start to think of everyone you’re missing, and it gets to be quite sad. But, on to happier things. I love the Nutcracker and just didn’t get around to buying tickets. The last time I went with my son. I was hoping to go again, but he’s not one to repeat things. I love the photo of all of you curtsying. Brava on doing that after breaking your foot!
Have you done something different to your hair? It looks straighter, or maybe it’s just me! Hugs and kisses, my friend!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
I know you are somewhat limited in what you can get out to do with Mike. Hoping that by the first of the year, he will be much more mobile and in less pain.
You asked about my hair. It was very long in the Nutcracker pictures. I cut it shortly afterward. The length pulls out the curl. And it was terribly flat. Always is flat to some degree. In looking over the pictures from the last year, I realize how much grayer I have gone. It’s been a hard year at our house and yours.
Hope you kids had a pleasant Christmas. Wishing that 2025 is kinder and gentler for both of our families. XO
Oh Leslie, I love all your photos and can’t even pick a favorite! The ballerina and your curtsies are wonderful, and Cami is adorable in those red shoes. Thanks for sharing your photos with me!