View from the Prairie Box

Today’s picture made my heart melt into a puddle. It’s not technically something I love, but the subject matter trumps all technicalities. This before-school bottle brought to you by Livia and her giant heart. Though I thrive within a planned out day-to-day schedule, sometimes the baby wakes up and is hungry before the clock says it’s time. And when such a thing happens it’s incredibly helpful to have a sweet-hearted fourth grader around. Not only did the Babe get fed, he enjoyed lovies in the process. We believe in lovies around here. In fact, I have a Babe and a Pooch that beg at my knees for lovies on a regular basis. Oh Livia, you who made me a mother and showed me how big my heart really was—you’re the best.

I’ve started and deleted several sentences so far. Just goes to show I should write up my DPP posts before 8:00pm as I’m entirely certain that my brain goes into rapid shutdown mode by the time my children go to bed.

Tonight the lovely Claire knelt down and received the sacrament of baptism on her head. It was a profound moment and utterly moving. At least two women in front of me were also wiping away tears. We’re knit together in this body of believers and witnessing Claire (and Tess) become members of Redeemer made me more grateful than ever for these brothers and sisters in Christ. Christ is the head and we line up in the Body underneath his authority. Perhaps that’s why the humility we saw up front carried even more weight. The humble posture of submission to God’s authority was a perfect visual for the way we want to live our lives.

There. I’m not going to delete those sentences. December 7, you’ve been beautiful.

Today is my birthday. And I hardly picked up my camera because I was way too busy relaxing and being spoiled.

Here’s to 37. May it be a good year indeed.

Inevitably I’ll spend some December day driving around Lincoln and searching mightily for inspiration. I refer to the landscape around here as “desaturated” until spring arrives once more. So when I woke up and spied fog outdoors I was a little excited. Fog lends an air (literally!) of mystery to the most suburban of neighborhoods. So off to school Livia and I walked, each with a camera in hand to capture the heavy air. It was lovely.

Having Clara eat a Happy Meal at my table makes me feel like there’s a hidden camera from McDonald’s marketing department somewhere in my kitchen. She is ridiculously cute in that totally-not-trying kind of way. I have one shot where you can see the chocolate milk dripping from her straw onto the table. She’s a real kid, but also a real cute one. And TOUGH AS NAILS. She is not one to mess with. If you’re in a street fight make sure Clara’s on your side. Just sayin’.

During the December Photo Project, the camera goes everywhere with me. Here the camera accompanied me and The Babe to the grocery store. It’s a glamorous life we lead.

Ten steps back? Who said that? Surely I didn’t!

I might have a December Photo Project: Part Two project that will actually take place in January because I honestly have an alternate image for each day that fits the “10 steps back” profile. But those shots were edged out ever so slightly by the ones you see here. Oh well. Moving on.

The fabulous, talented and servant-hearted Jen Hinrichs drove into my driveway today and I instantly knew why she was here. Earlier in the day I suggested that she stop by people’s houses and make them sit for her own DPP desires. Well, guess what happens when two photographers hang out? They sit for each other. And then they might edge out all earlier shots for the day and become that day’s featured photo. Because really, I couldn’t pass up this shot. I heart Jen!

Renae and I were discussing the idea of a challenge-within-a-challenge for the 2014 December Photo Project. Some years we like to add a personal touch to the DPP by shooting only people, or by working on street photography, etc. I jokingly told Renae I should probably try to always shoot “10 steps back.” I love to fill up my frame, so maybe I should go for the bigger picture this year and capture more landscapes. Hah! Clearly that didn’t happen. Though to be fair, taking and posting pictures daily will be challenging enough to me this year as I will have an 8 month old sidekick at my ankles throughout the day. What challenge will Renae accept? She has five hours, 10 minutes left to show us. No pressure, Nae. ;)

Happy December 1st, everyone! Me, the Artist, the Web Developer and the Baby are feeling the good cheer tonight and we hope you all are well, too.

The half-eaten apple pie rests next to the containers full of sweet potatoes and green bean casserole on the top shelf in my fridge. I’ve eaten pie for breakfast and turkey sandwiches for dinner. We’ve taken to watching all the Pixar films in order for family entertainment, and the dusty totes marked “Christmas decor” are stacked in my living room, awaiting a moment of good cheer in which they’ll be opened and used.

Today is the last day of November.

Tomorrow the December Photo Project begins.

I began the DPP nine years ago as a challenge to myself: take one photo daily for the first 25 days of December and post it to my blog. I invited friends to join me if they wanted to do it, and voila, the DPP began. It’s simple. It’s fun. It’s challenging. More challenging than you’d think actually. Inevitably one gets excited at the outset of the month, but interest wanes as the days go by. I’m a girl who welcomes a challenge though, and so you’ll always see me pressing hard to get through the 25 days of the project.

A lot has changed in nine years. Now there are 365 day challenges and I’ve witnessed a few friends take and post a photo every day of the year. My hat is off to them! Nine years ago blogging got pretty popular and now it’s not the big thing any longer (though a few of us are too stubborn to give up, right?). We’ve got Instagram and Facebook and, for some, that’s more than enough presence online. And then we have cameras. Let’s talk cameras! The smart phone has changed so much regarding the friendliness and accessibility of photography. Most everyone has a camera on their phone (what is this, the FUTURE?!!) and can easily preserve an image to enjoy later. There are, of course, pluses and minuses to all this technology, but in terms of the DPP, let’s just say that anyone can play along. And I’m a fan of that. The December Photo Project has always been about people capturing the month of December in a way that appeals to them.

So whether you’re shooting with an iPhone or a Nikon, join us.
Whether you’re posting on Instagram or your own blog, join us.
Commit to 25 days of memory-making this December, and remember to have fun.

Let the games begin!

**Final note: My husband Jeremy first made our DPP badges and then I began asking friends qualified in design to create something for us. This year the fantastic and creative team at Eleanor Creative made our badges and banners and they knocked it out of the park, didn’t they? Thanks so much, Eleanor Creative! You did an amazing job.

Any night feels somewhat sacred and holy when you welcome a little one into the world. Last night we got to cuddle a beautiful addition to the Wittmann family—Betty Jane Wittmann—after she arrived in the early hours that same day. She is a little beauty. Congratulations, Mike and Amanda. You done good.