The World Through My Lens 02.2026

Sweet friends, thank you for popping by today.  So happy to be back behind my camera participating in photo challenges again this year. Doing so encourages me to look at the world with more intention and purpose.  They prompt me to look for the beauty in every day and everyday things. 

The 2 photo challenges I am joining are The Everyday Images challenge hosted by my friend Kym at A Fresh Cup of Coffee and Sunday Stills, hosted by my friend Terri at Second Wind Leisure Perspectives.  These gals share their photos several times a month but I can't seem to get my photo challenge posts together more often than once a month.  So here we are for February's edition of The World Through My Lens.

Everyday Images

pink:  everything about Camila Jean is pink.  Her complexion, her clothes, her personality.  She is all girl and loves all girly things.  Like makeup, and clothes, purses, jewelry and heels.  On Saturday, we went to Uptown Cheapskate so Cami and Lucia could spend the gift cards we gave them at Christmas.  Cami fell in love with these pink, sparkly booties.  And we made them hers.

middle:  a saguaro cactus in the middle of other saguaro cactuses

at work:  a few days ago, I had an opportunity to sub for a second grade class at Lucia and Cami's school.  My class had P.E. first thing after morning announcements so I took them outside to the coaches on the playground.  As soon as I returned to the classroom, the principal came on the PA system announcing that the campus was going on a 'hold'. Which meant no one was to leave the classrooms but teaching was to continue.  I worried about my class and my granddaughters and wondered what was going on to cause the hold.  I peeked out the classroom window and saw my little second graders lining up with the coaches to come back into the building.  And some of babies were crying. I snapped this photo of them from between the window blinds.  It is heartbreaking that our world is so crazy these days that schools are regularly put on hold or lockdown.  Our hold was lifted about an hour later.

shadow:  we are just home from a weekend in Phoenix to attend 3 Cincinnati Reds' spring training games.  This year, we sat on the berm or grassy knoll - if you will - rather than in stadium seats.  Snapped this photo at the end of the first day's game at Goodyear Ballpark.

weathered:  the scenery at the Texas Canyon rest area outside of Benson, Arizona is breathtaking with its precariously balanced granite boulders.  The rocks have been weathered until they are smooth and rounded. We have traveled between El Paso and Phoenix many times but never stopped at this rest area until last Sunday on our way home from spring training.  

current project (quarterly):  as per my winter 2026 bucket list and goals, I am still working on the scrapbook pages of our cruise.  This is the most recent page I have been working on.  Just snapped a picture so I could remember how I wanted to lay things out.  My kitties tend to climb about on my table and rearrange my layouts.  

The second photo is a painting PC and I did for our Valentine's Day date at Margin Notes Bookbar with our writing group friends Dick and Denise.

sweet:  whenever we go on a hike, PC and I look for 🩷-shaped rocks.  In Arizona, we found a bounty of them.  Washed them all off and put them in my heart garden in the backyard.

pages:  have you been to Bath and Body recently?  They have a new launch for last year's fairy tale fragrances.  The displays are so cute that I had to take pictures of them.  You know how I love fairy tales, right?  

numbers:  kept hoping something really creative would cross my path for this prompt then I was scrolling through my photos of our spring training weekend and this popped up!!  Numbers - numbers on the uniforms of the Reds and the Brewers baseball players.

at home (monthly):  snapped this photo of the dining table set for the Easter holiday.  Have started spring cleaning this week and while doing that, I sprinkled my seasonal decorations all about the house.

red:  wearing red while watching the Cincinnati Reds.  How 'bout that?

window view:  the sheer curtains over our frosted bathroom window were blowing gently this morning and looked so pretty that I had to snap a picture.  It's hard to see the backyard through the window but you can see the balcony railing and the rock wall.

selfie (quarterly):  wore this chicken tee shirt and red cardi to sub during Valentine's week.  Loved the 'kindness tree' the teacher and paraprofessional had created in this classroom.

architecture:  on our second (how 'bout that??), yup SECOND Valentine's date, we had dinner at Great American Steakhouse and attended an Eagles tribute band concert at the Plaza theater.  Really enjoyed walking around downtown before the show.  I was focused on the alligator art at San Jacinto Plaza when I took this photo but the architecture behind it looks pretty impressive, too.  El Paso is growing up.

Sunday Stills

02.01.2026 feed the birds:  at the beginning of a new month, I visit Terri's blog to check out the Sunday Stills prompts.  Then I begin thinking about the prompts and looking around in my world for ways to capture them with my camera.  We were walking at the lake when I noticed this woman feeding the birds.  Couldn't get my phone out fast enough!!

02.08.2026 monthly color challenge: amethyst:  Lowe's has rolled out spring flowers galore in the last week.  Goodness, so many beautiful colors, shapes and varieties.  Just wish they didn't all turn BROWN and die when I bring them home!!  These lilies were some of the prettiest blooms.

02.15.2026 sweet:  my El Paso grands are so sweet.  Sissies.  Lucia is 4 years older but only 10 pounds heavier (if that) than little sister Cami.  Not sure how Cia is able to piggyback Camila.  

02.22.2026 love your pet:  my life has been so enriched through the love and lives of so many pets.  Lots of kitties and quite a number of pups.  Assorted rabbits, fish, turtles and a random hamster.  Oh, and 2 birds.  In the last 12 years, our house has been home to a total of 3 kitties, Purrsimmony came first, then Purrsnickitty and finally, Purrcival.  The first photo below illustrates just how tiny Sim and Snick were when they joined our family.  Purrcy was just a little bit bigger.

I miss having a pup around the house but sometimes get to snuggle and even walk my granddogs, Pumpkin and Gummies.  Someday, I hope to have another puppy of my own.  My granddaughter Lucia did some kind of hocus pocus to a couple of photos of Pumpkin and Gummies and here's how those pictures turned out.  We've had a good laugh over these plump pups.

Your Turn

Has spring sprung at your house?  Or maybe you are moving from summer into fall.  Are you jumping or easing into the coming season?  We have gone from winter to a very early summer with highs near 90* already!!  I am looking forward to having lots of spring-themed photos for next month's edition of The World Through My Lens.

I've jumped into spring cleaning with these warmer temperatures.  And getting my Easter decorations sprinkled about as I go.  Love having a nice clean house!!

Thank you for the visit today.  Hope the world looks lovely through the lens of your own camera these days.  

Hugs and kisses,