World Through My Lens 12.2024

 

Shutterbugs and photo-lovin’ friends glad to have you join me for The World Through My Lens 12.2024.  For this month’s edition I am joining Kym at A Fresh Cup of Coffee for her Every Day Images and Terri at Second Wind Leisure Perspectives for her Sunday Stills series. Also happy to be participating in a year-in-review photo challenge hosted by Lysha at A Camera and a Cookbook.

Before we jump in here, just a reminder:  Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After occasionally uses affiliate links which are usually italicized.  If you click or make a purchase from an italicized link provided I may receive a very small commission at no cost to you.  Thank you for your support.

Please find the places and posts where I link-up on this page.

Memories, Dreams and Reflections Challenge

 

About this challenge, Lysha writes “Back in 2011, one of my favorite blogs (no longer online) shared an end of year post that I just loved, so I decided to do it that year. I started sharing this post again in 2020 and have done it ever since. Last year several people expressed wanting to share their year through this post. With that info, I decided this year that I would share the blank version early in case anyone else wanted to do it. I’ve started gathering photos for my 2024 edition.”  And I decided to join her!!

Here are the ‘rules’ Lysha shared for the Memories, Dreams and Reflections.  She explains that you don’t really have to photograph anything new, but share photos you’ve taken all year long. Want to join along? Here’s how:

• Go through your 2024 archives and select photos that represent each prompt (or take a few new photos).
• Feel free to write as much or as little about each prompt as you’d like.
• Feel free to post more than one picture for each prompt if you think it’s necessary. If you don’t have a picture to represent the prompt, skip it…participate as much or as little as you’d like.
• If you use any photos that are not your own, please provide a source.
• Link up, here, so we can see everyone’s post.
• Have fun!

And here are the prompts:

• Me!:  in the Santa Fe snow we enjoyed in 01.2024

• I love you:  squinting selfie with my firstborn granddaughter, Cadence at MacSantaFe.

• Still laughing… about the birds at Jungle Reef aquarium.  I chaperoned Lucia’s second grade field trip and we have laughed and laughed about how the birds flocked to us.

• Winter wonderland:  snow playground in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Give me all the snow.

• Birthday:  the first birthday of the year in our family is Cami Jean’s.  Girlfriend always dressed for the occasion.

• Friends:  Lucia and her BFF Maddie have been buddies since first grade.  They are 2 peas in a pod.

• I was inspired…  Lucia is an incredibly talented artist.  Her art work inspires me.

• Spring fever:  early bird’s nest

Followed By

 

• Travel or vacation:  Kentucky for my brother’s wedding outside of Lexington.  Horse country.

• Summer days:  Japanese Garden in San Antonio

• A day in my life:  late night trip to the ER in Ohio when I broke my heel at the Dayton Dragons baseball game

• All smiles:  taking the grandbabies to the movies

• Autumn harvest:  Walmart pumpkins

• Family or home:  home, sweet home

• Celebrate!:  decorations at Kevin and Leeann’s wedding

• Let’s do it again… back to the aquarium to feed the birds

• I miss you:  my sweet Cadence Ellie, you are growing up so fast.

• Beautiful:  this beautiful angel at the Travisville Cemetery

• Dress up:  happy anniversary to us, 16 years – a good reason to dress up

• Macro:  a rare frog on a rare rainy day

• Holidays:  Declan was dazzled by everything Christmas this year

• My favorite:  I love you, PC

• Don’t ever change:  you are changing everyday on the outside, Declan, but don’t ever lose that sweet disposition

• Just because…  photogenic baby

• Hopes and dreams:  weddings are full of hopes and dreams.  I loved the tablesetting at Kevin and Leeann’s wedding.

 

• at home (monthly):  I think PC actually clicked the button on this selfie so it isn’t a picture I took.  But I easily could have!!  And I’m in it!!  This was us after putting up the tree.  Looking at the Christmas decorations made me a little sentimental and weepy for a moment.  Paul gave me a hug – he is my home.

• weather (quarterly):  a dauting of snow made everything look pretty

• love:  not a particularly pretty picture but it illustrates well the love PC has for our little foundling kitty, Purrcival, who had to have hip surgery right after Christmas.  Paul has been so attentive to Purrcy.  Diligent about giving him meds, cleaning his little box and feeding sweet kitty during his confinement in the crate.

• paper:  scrapbook paper.  This is a 2-page spread I made for a vineyard road trip we took fall 2023.  We sampled wine at about 5 local vineyards and drove to Elephant Butte manmade reservoir and lake.  It was a delightful day.

• trees:  our outdoor shopping mall, Fountains at Farrah, goes all out for the holidays.  I loved the fairy-light wrapped trees.  Magical.

• favorite:  my favorite good witch, Glinda.

Sunday Stills

 

• 12.01.2024 traditions:  Nutcracker!!  This was our 3rd year going with Lauren, Francisco, Lucia and Camila.  And this year it was Francisco who made all of the arrangements.  I just loved that he enjoys it as much as we do.  We had fabulous seats and I snapped so many photos.  Working on scrapping them for my scrapbooks right now.

• 12.08.2024 traditions continues:  after opening presents at their house, Lauren and her family always come over to our house to open gifts and eat Christmas dinner.  There are usually dolls and make up involved in the gift-giving.

• 12.15.2024 monthly color 2-week challenge: metallic:  our kitty customer, Brooks, was a beautiful cat with a shiny, metallic gray coat.

• 12.22.2024 12.15.2024 monthly color 2-week challenge: metallic:  a rafter (new word for me) of metallic turkeys

• 12.29.2024 & 01.05.2025 your 2024 year-in-review:  please see the pictures above for the Memories, Dreams and Reflections Challenge as they are kind of a collection of year-in-review photos.

Your Turn

 

What have you captured lately in your lens?  We had a dusting of snow this week that had me braving the cold for some frosty photo ops.  Did you have snow where you live?

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  and Lysha at A Camera and a Cookbook.to check the images they’ve captured for these photo challenges.

We’ve been out of whack or off schedule for the last couple of weeks.  You, too?  I guess it is just getting situated and back to normal after the holidays.  Hoping this coming week is allows us to settle into some kind of routine!!

Hugs and kisses,