Angie Frederickson

Holiday Sweets

December 2011
Family-recipe pumpkin cookies signal the start of the holiday season for Suzanne Shelby. (Photo: ##http://www.hartphoto.com##www.hartphoto.com##)

What would the holidays be without sugary sweets and treats to pad our waistlines and keep us warm through the oh-so-frigid Houston winter?

Last year’s December issue included a story about holiday recipes that was so well-loved we decided to bring back the theme this year. Perhaps this is the start of our own holiday tradition here at The Buzz

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Tracing Your Family Tree

November 2011
Laura Stover makes a gravestone rubbing at her great, great grandfather's gravesite in Salado, Texas.

When my son was in kindergarten he came home from school asking about our heritage. He had been given the task of re-creating the flag from his country of origin. “That’s easy,” I told him. “Your father’s family is Swedish, and mine is Dutch.” We googled “Swedish flag,” and he got out his crayons and completed the assignment. No one …

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Sisters for Life

June 2011
Kim Wells Rexford (fourth from left) enjoyed a picnic at Southern Methodist University in 1987 with Chi Omega Lisa Shaw (far left) and Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters Stacia Phillips, Whitney Pelton, Courtenay Buchan, Jennie Koets and Lauren Doolittle.

Sororities get a bad rap. If you believe the movies, they are full of rich white girls who date only frat guys, party non-stop, and consider themselves socially superior to everyone else on campus. Oh, and they’re all blonde and not very bright.

In reality, you might be surprised to know sororities require that young women keep up their grades, …

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Are You Ready for Camp?

March 2011
Kanakuk camper Gina Grieb can't wait for the summer to get back on her favorite rope swing. (Photo: ##http://www.hartphoto.com##www.hartphoto.com##)

For parents of young children, the thought of sending their babies off to sleep-away camp for the first time can be daunting.  It seems unimaginable that a third grader who can barely remember to bring his homework home can survive two weeks without parental assistance and nagging.

When and if you decide to take the plunge and send your youngster …

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Taking the Stage

February 2011
As a charter member of Wildfish Theatre, Abigail Moorhead performed the role of Sally in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

Some young children are innately theatrical. Their parents are audiences for countless singing performances in the living room and puppet shows behind the couch. For these little ones, all the world is, indeed, a stage.

As they get older, however, in part because of burgeoning self awareness and peer pressure to be cool, home-theater productions often meet the same fate …

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Sweet Tradition

December 2010
Carol Yeates (center) with daughter Jamie (right) and friend Ally Ryf (left) welcome the holidays with their Christmas cookie exchange. (Photo: ##http://www.hartphoto.com##www.hartphoto.com##)

Most of us have something personal that signals the start of the holiday season. For some, it’s choosing the perfect tree from the same farm each year. For others, it’s the smell of wassail on the stove. For some of us, it’s your brother-in-law starting to hint about the upcoming director’s-cut Blu-ray release of yet another science fiction video.

But …

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Helping the Homeless

November 2010
Elena Davis, founder of the I Am Waters foundation, gives water and hope to people on the streets. (Photo: ##http://www.hartphoto.com##www.hartphoto.com##)

The scene is all too familiar: You approach an intersection hoping to get through the light before it turns red, but you don’t make it in time. So now you’re stuck next to a panhandler on the corner. Do you give him money? Or do you stare straight ahead hoping he’ll move on? During those uncomfortable moments at the red …

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The Sibling Council

November 2010
Bill, Eric, Laura and Brad Widing (clockwise from top left) share laughter and family memories during their annual “Sibling Council.”

Sibling relationships can be tough, especially as adults. Even those who get along have leftover childhood issues that can prevent a strong bond.

One local woman, Laura Widing, and her brothers have tackled the issue head on with what they call The Sibling Council.

Once a year, siblings Bill, Laura, Brad and Eric Widing get together for a long weekend. …

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Mascot Madness

August 2010
Memorial's Mustang Sally, Bellaire's Carly the Cardinal and Stratford's Spartacus are ready for the fall football season. (Photo: ##http://www.hartphoto.com##www.hartphoto.com##)

Some people look back on their high school years as ones of insecurity and hesitation. If they had the chance for a do-over, they say they would be more self assured and worry less what others think. Easier said than done, but perhaps a bit of anonymity helps.

By staying behind the mask, high school mascots get to do just …

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Taking Flight

August 2010
Sailplane enthusiast Stefano Costantini flies with the Houston Hawks almost every weekend.

During the summer of 1972 in Italy, 9-year-old Stefano Costantini watched his father, Mario, diligently build a model airplane. For months, Mario worked in his basement, crafting the glider from balsa wood. Stefano dreamed of the day they would launch the masterpiece.

Finally, father and son climbed a hill near their home and found the perfect place for takeoff. Mario …

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Shattered Dreams

June 2010
Emergency personnel carry "critically injured" Brandon Krus on a stretcher as classmates watch nearby.

Operator: “9-1-1. What is your emergency?”

Caller: “Help! I need help. We’ve had an accident. My friends. They’re hurt bad! One of them might be dead. He’s not moving. Please hurry!”

Operator: “OK, sir. Where are you?”

Caller: “I’m at school. At Jesuit. Please hurry. There’s lots of blood!”

Operator: “Stay where you are. Do not attempt to move anyone.”…

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Happy Campers at Any Age

March 2010
Chef Carmen Mazzola gives Jennifer Tiras' stuffed tomato a thumbs up. Scott Tiras wasn't so lucky.

When summer arrives, kids will head to camp. If all goes well, they will explore, try new things and discover untapped talents. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

A number of adults out there certainly think so. In fact, they are so sold on the idea of camp that they want to go too. Why, they say, should only kids get to …

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Deal Me In

January 2010
Bridge players (from left) Nancy Reader, Mary Pat Gentry, Hallie Eads and Pat Levy enjoy an afternoon of cards and friendship.

With all of today’s high-tech games, you might be surprised to learn that bridge still is played by millions worldwide. The game originated in England in the 16th century and arrived in the United States around 1890. These days, the majority of players are adults who have been playing for years. People are drawn into it because no one ever …

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From Farm to Market

December 2009
Donna and Jeff Gershenwald enjoy coming to the Houston Farmers Market in the evenings with daughters Ellie (left) and Sophie. (Photo: ##http://www.lawellphoto.com##www.lawellphoto.com##)

Grocery shopping is a chore of habit. Once you know the routine of your nearest supermarket, the cart almost steers itself up and down the aisles, stopping at the same foods week after week. The first stop is usually the produce section where the types of fruits and vegetables are fairly consistent, year round, thanks to importing foods from the …

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Pie Day

November 2009
Pie Day brought women together in the kitchen to bake traditional apple pies, while sharing baking tips, laughter and friendship. (Photos: ##http://www.hartphoto.com##www.hartphoto.com## / The Buzz Magazines would like to thank Morrison Supply for the use of their beautiful kitchens.)

Fifteen years ago, Karen Edelman baked her first apple pie. It was a lattice-crusted beauty, oozing with Granny Smiths, cinnamon, sour cream and brown sugar, decorated with pastry cut into maple leaves.

Over the years, more and more friends came by to watch her bake and request a pie for their own family’s Thanksgiving. Karen’s pies became so popular that …

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