Room With a View

Today I’m sharing another year-end wrap up (yes, I’m milking 2016 for all it’s worth), but this has to be one of my favorites because it’s all about photography (just a little hobby of mine). If you are an Instagram user, you probably have seen several collages running across your feed with the hashtag #2016bestnine. I immediately thought the concept was super cool, but the idea of calculating the number of visits to every Instagram photo sounded completely exhausting (and more than slightly insane). Luckily I discovered a simple website (this may be old news to most of you) that will calculate your top nine Instagram photos of 2016 and instantly create a collage that can be shared across social media. Here is the collage created for Small Talk Mama:

The concept is really fun, and super easy to produce, but there’s only one thing wrong with the product — many of my personal favorites don’t appear in the list and the latest photos posted are still receiving likes well into the new year. So instead of settling for some simple statistically created collage, I’ve decided to take matters into my hands and share my top twelve personal favorite photos from the past year (in no certain order). If you enjoy the show, you should follow Small Talk Mama on Instagram!

#kansascityzoo #lightinspired

A photo posted by Small Talk Mama (@smalltalkmama) on Mar 25, 2016 at 12:49pm PDT

A little fun at #unionstationkc

A photo posted by Small Talk Mama (@smalltalkmama) on May 26, 2016 at 9:09pm PDT

Pure joy! His first time at the beach. #daytonabeach

A photo posted by Small Talk Mama (@smalltalkmama) on Jun 30, 2016 at 7:32pm PDT

Since the boat was hooked up, Rob went fishing again this morning… And he is glad he did! #mdc #missourifishing #iphone6

A photo posted by Small Talk Mama (@smalltalkmama) on Jul 17, 2016 at 6:21am PDT

My Naked Ladies finally bloomed #flowers

A photo posted by Small Talk Mama (@smalltalkmama) on Aug 10, 2016 at 7:38pm PDT

My cardinal pic won a #blueribbon at the #plattecountyfair

A photo posted by Small Talk Mama (@smalltalkmama) on Aug 20, 2016 at 7:18pm PDT

Jellyfish from our recent visit to the #omahazoo

A photo posted by Small Talk Mama (@smalltalkmama) on Sep 22, 2016 at 7:00pm PDT

Puddle Jumping at #westonredbarnfarm

A photo posted by Small Talk Mama (@smalltalkmama) on Oct 11, 2016 at 4:34am PDT

Visited the historic steam train during its stop at #unionstationkansascity #unionpacific844 Very cool!

A photo posted by Small Talk Mama (@smalltalkmama) on Oct 31, 2016 at 2:39pm PDT

Our #jackolantern 2016. Our son designed it and we cut it. Love that big grin.

A photo posted by Small Talk Mama (@smalltalkmama) on Nov 11, 2016 at 8:03pm PST

Our Lego advent snowplow saw some real action today, courtesy of my little man. #legoadvent

A photo posted by Small Talk Mama (@smalltalkmama) on Dec 7, 2016 at 3:58pm PST

On the outside looking in… #christmashome #christmasdecor

A photo posted by Small Talk Mama (@smalltalkmama) on Dec 17, 2016 at 7:13pm PST

Posted at Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop

December Saturday

Our Christmas light looking was cut short last night due to the icy roads and we begged out of our friends annual Christmas party across town tonight due to snow, but all-in-all it was a beautiful day (especially since we hardly left the house). Between reading a new book, picking up the house a bit and snagging a nice long nap, I did manage to point my camera here and there. So as the day is winding down and my son is watching Merry Madagascar, I thought I would show you a few photos from our slow December Saturday (a bonus that rarely happens so close to Christmas).

December Saturday

Thankfully my husband loaded up the bird feeders this week before the snow started blowing. Birds of all types and sizes flocked to our deck throughout the day.

December Saturday

I ventured out into the snow in shorts and a sweatshirt (it was super cold) to capture a couple of shots of our festive Christmas decorations. The snow was really falling, and if you look in the background you will see that Frosty already fell.

Christmas Saturday