rita buettner commentary BlogCommentaryOpen Window Saying Goodbye to Summer Rita BuettnerSeptember 5, 20223 min read As I sat there watching them play in the water, I could almost feel the last bit of that sweet summer freedom slipping away. This was likely our last pool day of the season. The busyness of autumn is looming large. BlogCommentaryOpen Window The shape of macaroni and cheese and other back-to-school ponderings (7 Quick Takes) Rita BuettnerSeptember 4, 20224 min read Does macaroni and cheese taste different based on the shape of the noodles? My son pointed out that I hardly ever make macaroni-shaped macaroni and cheese—and right away everyone else at the dinner table chimed in. BlogCommentaryOpen Window The call of the state fair, back-to-school excitement, and our bathroom renovation (7 Quick Takes) Rita BuettnerAugust 28, 20224 min read The Maryland State Fair calls to me like a siren song. I know that it will be crowded and expensive and hot. But I can’t help myself. It’s almost as if I have to go. BlogCommentaryOpen Window Enjoying zucchini, a mediocre birthday gift, summer goals, and a special anniversary (7 Quick Takes) Rita BuettnerAugust 21, 20224 min read One of my son’s friends gave me three enormous zucchinis from his garden, and I was so excited. We don’t have a vegetable garden, mostly due to time and partly due to the enthusiastic wildlife in our yard. These were the largest zucchini I had ever seen. BlogCommentaryOpen Window Sorry, Mariah, but there’s already a Queen of Christmas Rita BuettnerAugust 21, 20222 min read There’s already a Queen of Christmas. She’s your mother and mine—and Jesus’. She’s the queen of heaven and earth. BlogCommentaryOpen Window On This Back to School Eve Rita BuettnerAugust 18, 20223 min read Some days as it’s all spinning around me, I pause and realize that the worries have nothing to do with finding a navy blazer or getting someone to orientation on time. It has everything to do with hoping your children have the knowledge and tools they need to navigate a new school year. BlogCommentaryOpen Window Trying to emerge from my beach daze…er…days (7 Quick Takes) Rita BuettnerAugust 14, 20226 min read We spent last week at Rehoboth Beach, enjoying a beautiful week of cousin craziness BlogCommentaryOpen Window Beating the claw machine Rita BuettnerAugust 11, 20222 min read My son spotted the claw machine from a distance away, and I had a feeling he would want to give it a try. It was a hot summer afternoon, and we were hanging out with some of my nieces and nephews. The cousins have been playing “Among Us,” a video game you play in groups. […] BlogCommentaryOpen Window A personal flyswatter and other gifts, hummus, and a new room (7 Quick Takes) Rita BuettnerAugust 8, 20224 min read ~1~ My neighbor Kathy invited me to take a birthday walk through the neighborhood the other day, and she greeted me with a sangria popsicle. She had filled a bag of gifts and cards for me to open as we walked. We stopped every few minutes for me to open either a card or a […] BlogCommentaryOpen Window A Faith Lesson After a Power Outage Rita BuettnerAugust 5, 20222 min read Still, your hand reaches for that light switch—again and again—trying to restore light to the darkness, Previous 1 … 26 27 28 … 101 Next