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Rita Buettner

Rita Buettner is a wife, working mother and author of the Catholic Review's Open Window blog. She and her husband adopted their two sons from China, and Rita often writes about topics concerning adoption, family and faith.

Rita also writes The Domestic Church, a featured column in the Catholic Review. Her writing has been honored by the Catholic Press Association, the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association and the Associated Church Press.

A taste of summer: Strawberry muffins

August 19, 2020
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window, Recipes

I want to hold onto summer for as long as I can, but I can feel it slipping through my fingers. So, I’ve been making strawberry muffins.

A peachy season, a coffee crisis, a reorganized pantry, and other summer fun (7 Quick Takes)

August 15, 2020
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window, Recipes

It’s peach season, and the peaches that made their way to my kitchen counter seemed not quite ripe enough for a peach cake. But sometimes you just really want peach cake—and you realize you have time to make one.

A tiny sign of hope

August 14, 2020
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

There in the nest was a tiny, perfect egg.

A saint for TV, a saint for today

August 11, 2020
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

It was Christmas Eve and she was too sick to go to Mass. So, Mass came to her, broadcast live on a wall of her room.

Do the impossible today

August 9, 2020
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

Every morning I wake up and wonder whether I will be able to do the impossible.

Nutella and finches and other summer experiences (7 Quick Takes)

August 8, 2020
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

Some weeks I wonder whether I have the energy and creativity to share 7 quick thoughts from our week.

The new nothing-but-normal

August 3, 2020
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

“This is the new normal,” people say about this pandemic time. But we do not have to accept the current situation as the new normal.

Birthday reflections, schooling prep, and St. Ignatius (7 Quick Takes)

August 1, 2020
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

I’ve been hoping to get a handheld mirror for the days when our deck becomes a barber shop for our family.

A review: Catholic homeschooling resources

July 29, 2020
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

Kelly, a Catholic homeschooling mom of five, she has created some resources for homeschooling families.

Birthday kisses

July 27, 2020
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

When my birthday comes around, I don’t need lots of presents or cards or fanfare. I don’t have to have a party. I am happy just knowing it’s my birthday.

Summer: Hot, humid and hopeful

July 27, 2020
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Commentary, The Domestic Church

Maybe if we approached summer more like children – slowing down, soaking in a little extra time with nature, and letting ourselves dive a little deeper into something that helps us feel more alive – we might encounter God in a new way.

Talking toast, nests, ice cream sandwiches, and peach season (7 Quick Takes)

July 24, 2020
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

How do you like your toast? I like mine to be just barely toasted as if hardly touched by the heat.

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