First snow day of the season, candy cane caprese, paper-towel penguins, school concerts, and more (7 Quick Takes) December 20, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window, Recipes Unexpected snow days are always a hit.
’Tis the season to make a photo calendar December 18, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window Every Christmas our family presents my parents with a beautiful calendar full of grandchildren pictures. Everyone loves the calendar. Everyone except, well, maybe the person who knows the calendar is going to be her responsibility the next year.
A live nativity offers a lesson in joy December 15, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Advent, Blog, Open Window, Uncategorized Our fourth grader may have only had one brief job to do, but he embraced it wholeheartedly. He held the Star proudly and peered through the center of it with an enormous smile. His eyes, his smile, and his whole face were full of joy.
Advent calendars, December excitement, winter concerts, and more (7 Quick Takes) December 13, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window Christmas comes at the same speed no matter how quickly or slowly you open those Advent calendar doors.
The gift of a ‘banana tree’ December 9, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Advent, Commentary, The Domestic Church During this season of giving, as we thoughtfully select gifts for people we know and love – and maybe even for strangers – how wonderful to consider that a gift may bring joy not just in the moment of opening, but also for years to come.
Advent: Finding purpose in expectant waiting December 7, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Advent, Blog, Open Window When my husband and I were matched with our son, we thought we might travel to China to adopt him in just a few short months. But it turned out to be a much longer process.As the months dragged on and the wheels of bureaucracy moved slowly on both sides of the world, I grew […]
Celebrating St. Nicholas Day, accepting Advent as it comes, name tags, skating, and more (7 Quick Takes) December 5, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Advent, Blog, Open Window Happy St. Nicholas Day! Every year we leave our shoes by the door the night before his feast day, and we wake up the next morning to treats in our shoes.
Approach Advent with a sense of wonder November 30, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Advent, Blog, Open Window It’s almost impossible not to get caught up in the busyness of the season. So, maybe instead of resisting, we should lean into all of it. Maybe we can embrace the fullness of Advent and soak it all in.
Thanksgiving leftovers and highlights, oyster shucking, a ride in a vintage car, and more (7 Quick Takes) November 29, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window Thanksgiving is about spending time with people we love, but it’s also about the food. And you can’t have Thanksgiving dinner without pie.
It’s not Thanksgiving dinner without sauerkraut November 24, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window Sauerkraut at Thanksgiving adds that extra something you didn’t even know you were missing.
When the Holy Spirit shows up for Sunday School and more (7 Quick Takes) November 22, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window, Uncategorized There are Sunday school teachers who prepare days ahead of time. Then you have me, who often spends Sunday morning flipping through the curriculum for the day while feeding people breakfast.
Choosing gratitude even when it’s not easy November 20, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window It’s easy to be grateful when the sun is shining and everything is humming along beautifully, but it may be more important to be grateful when we hit a bump in the road.
