Thoughts as Lent begins, our final-final Chinese New Year celebration, Pancake Tuesday, and ballroom dancing (7 Quick Takes) March 7, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Lent, Open Window We really love Ash Wednesday, don’t we? I love how it’s not even a holy day of obligation, and yet churches fill with people who want to receive ashes. There’s something about that mark of humility and repentance that feels so right.
What Jesus hopes for you this Lent March 3, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Lent, Open Window Lent isn’t a test we will pass or fail. It’s an opportunity. It’s an invitation.
A basket of intentions for Lent, spelling words, jumbo playing cards, a Cinderella story, and more (7 Quick Takes) March 1, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Lent, Open Window Every Lent we fill a basket with slips of paper with the names of people we know—living and deceased. We pull one out every morning and pray for that person that day. It’s a simple concept, but it works well for our family.
Cookies for dinner February 24, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window Often what I’m asking for isn’t what I need, but the equivalent of a chocolate chip cookie for dinner.
The dog who could read (but didn’t know how to find her way home) February 23, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window Once upon a time there was a dog. She broke free from her yard and went exploring.
Snow days, packing lunches, veggie tray creations, and possible summer destinations (7 Quick Takes) February 22, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window You have to love a snow day that falls on a Wednesday. I mean, you don’t have to, but I enjoyed having a day off in the middle of the week.
You know you’re lucky when… February 19, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window There are so many things that people say are lucky. There are horseshoes, four-leaf clovers, and rabbit’s feet, of course. Then there’s walking through a spiderweb, getting hit with bird excrement, and rain on your wedding day.
Ice and snow, last-minute Valentine’s Day cards, pickle opinions, and a poem for you (7 Quick Takes) February 15, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window One morning I went out to start the car and realized it was encased in ice. I tried to open the door to turn on the engine and start defrosting the windows, but I couldn’t get it open.
When you throw a pig party for Chinese New Year February 11, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window When we first started celebrating the Chinese New Year, we put a plastic toy tiger on a cake, sliced the cake with a few cousins, and called it a party.
Father Pedro Arrupe, Chinese New Year celebrations, a fiery feta dip, and a lesson in humility (7 Quick Takes) February 7, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window Do you know Pedro Arrupe? He was a Spanish Jesuit, and he served as the 28th Superior General of the Society of Jesus.
Happy Chinese New Year! Happy Year of the Pig! February 4, 2019By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Open Window The Year of the Pig, which begins today, comes every 12 years, so I’ve lived through a couple of them. But this is the first one I’ve celebrated.
Snow day art projects, spaghetti for dinner, pigs for Chinese New Year, prayer cards, and dip (7 Quick Takes) February 1, 2019By 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.
