Reflecting on a spontaneous trip to St. Anthony’s Shrine January 4, 2020By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window Maybe 2020 will simply be a year to be open and receptive to how God wants us to experience His love, wherever we are.
Still celebrating Christmas, homemade donuts, and hopes for the New Year (7 Quick Takes) January 3, 2020By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window, Recipes Are you still celebrating Christmas? It’s only the 10th day of Christmas, and the Three Kings haven’t yet arrived. Our tree is still up, and we have been exchanging final gifts with friends and baking cookies.
Discover a beautifully told story with the new ‘Little Women’ film December 30, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window “Little Women” has been performed many times, but my favorite rendition doesn’t feature Elizabeth Taylor or Winona Ryder.
Stories from Christmas, a Star Wars birthday cake, a new flyswatter, and more (7 Quick Takes) December 27, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window Stories from Christmas, including how an Old Bay ornament made its way to our tree
There’s something special about a baby December 26, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window God knows how the Infant Jesus will capture our attention—if we just let Him.
Advent: It’s not over ’til it’s over December 23, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Advent, Blog, Open Window We’ve made it this far. Ready or not, Christmas is coming. But this last little stretch offers a sliver of time.
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.
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.
