Late-summer crabs, a bathroom renovation, and Back to School Night (7 Quick Takes) September 10, 2022By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window When I was growing up, my family had steamed crabs very rarely—usually when out-of-town relatives were visiting. My husband spent more time near the water, so he had them more often.
Saying Goodbye to Summer September 5, 2022By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window As I sat there watching them play in the water, I could almost feel the last bit of that sweet summer freedom slipping away. This was likely our last pool day of the season. The busyness of autumn is looming large.
The shape of macaroni and cheese and other back-to-school ponderings (7 Quick Takes) September 4, 2022By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window Does macaroni and cheese taste different based on the shape of the noodles? My son pointed out that I hardly ever make macaroni-shaped macaroni and cheese—and right away everyone else at the dinner table chimed in.
The call of the state fair, back-to-school excitement, and our bathroom renovation (7 Quick Takes) August 28, 2022By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window The Maryland State Fair calls to me like a siren song. I know that it will be crowded and expensive and hot. But I can’t help myself. It’s almost as if I have to go.
Enjoying zucchini, a mediocre birthday gift, summer goals, and a special anniversary (7 Quick Takes) August 21, 2022By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window One of my son’s friends gave me three enormous zucchinis from his garden, and I was so excited. We don’t have a vegetable garden, mostly due to time and partly due to the enthusiastic wildlife in our yard. These were the largest zucchini I had ever seen.
Sorry, Mariah, but there’s already a Queen of Christmas August 21, 2022By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window There’s already a Queen of Christmas. She’s your mother and mine—and Jesus’. She’s the queen of heaven and earth.
On This Back to School Eve August 18, 2022By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window Some days as it’s all spinning around me, I pause and realize that the worries have nothing to do with finding a navy blazer or getting someone to orientation on time. It has everything to do with hoping your children have the knowledge and tools they need to navigate a new school year.
Trying to emerge from my beach daze…er…days (7 Quick Takes) August 14, 2022By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window We spent last week at Rehoboth Beach, enjoying a beautiful week of cousin craziness
Beating the claw machine August 11, 2022By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window My son spotted the claw machine from a distance away, and I had a feeling he would want to give it a try. It was a hot summer afternoon, and we were hanging out with some of my nieces and nephews. The cousins have been playing “Among Us,” a video game you play in groups. […]
A personal flyswatter and other gifts, hummus, and a new room (7 Quick Takes) August 8, 2022By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window ~1~ My neighbor Kathy invited me to take a birthday walk through the neighborhood the other day, and she greeted me with a sangria popsicle. She had filled a bag of gifts and cards for me to open as we walked. We stopped every few minutes for me to open either a card or a […]
A Faith Lesson After a Power Outage August 5, 2022By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window Still, your hand reaches for that light switch—again and again—trying to restore light to the darkness,
My birthday festivities, a painting project, and spaghetti pizza for lunch (7 Quick Takes) July 30, 2022By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window My mother made me a hot milk sponge cake with Aunt Alice’s chocolate frosting, and she put two pie birds on the top in honor of our pet finches.
