Open Window

Snow day art projects, spaghetti for dinner, pigs for Chinese New Year, prayer cards, and dip (7 Quick Takes)

February 1, 2019
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

It has been cold this week, though not as cold as it has been in some parts of the country. I couldn’t make outdoor play possible every day, but we did have scissors and colored paper.

Crossing a bridge

January 30, 2019
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

There’s something about the Bay Bridge.

Let the little children come to Mass

January 29, 2019
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

Children at Mass aren’t Catholics in training. They are Catholics. They are already members of our community. As one of our favorite priests once said, “Children aren’t the future of the Church. They are the Church.”

Board game fun, spiritual gifts, four-day weeks, Pokemon, and homemade soup (7 Quick Takes)

January 24, 2019
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

We are at this magical age where we can play family board games with a fair amount of success.

Yummy Imperfection: Trying a Koobideh kabob recipe

January 21, 2019
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window, Recipes

I’m always interested in duplicating a favorite dish at home to save a little money—and also because it’s fun to see what we can create ourselves.

Snow days, snowman building, a reading assignment, preparing for the Year of the Pig, and more (7 Quick Takes)

January 17, 2019
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

With snow last weekend and more expected this weekend, we are all in snow mode.

The year an ice storm canceled my calculus exam

January 15, 2019
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

I was a senior in high school, and I was failing calculus. I had to be. I hadn’t understood a word the teacher had said for months, and I couldn’t recall passing a single quiz.

Excited about reading, a late Christmas gift, taking down the tree, and more (7 Quick Takes)

January 11, 2019
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

Our younger son was afraid he wouldn’t find a book he wanted to buy. Then he spotted a book on a display and made a beeline for it.

Finding Jesus in the hospital

January 9, 2019
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

There’s no sign that says, “Jesus,” with an arrow.

Bidding farewell to Greetings & Readings

January 6, 2019
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

You never want to see a business close, but seeing a local, family-owned business shut its doors after many years in the community is especially sad. So I was really sorry when I saw that Greetings & Readings is set to close later this month.

Cousins for Christmas, a word and saint for the New Year, “Fanta Baby” on the menu, and more (7 Quick Takes)

January 5, 2019
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

We had so many cousins to enjoy over the Christmas break. There were gifts and food and football games.

The year the tree fell

January 2, 2019
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

That single tree—a tree I had barely noticed before—was apparently such an obstruction between our homes that our paths had barely crossed. Once it was gone, we saw each other almost every day.