11.16.2020 So, you know 2020 must be crazy when I’m thankful for Clorox on Friday and Lysol on Monday. Times are weird, y’all, but I gotta be honest. This can of Lysol is kind of a big deal. I haven’t seen Lysol spray on the store shelves since March. Not at Target. Not at Walmart. Not at Home Depot. Not at the grocery store. I look for it pretty much whenever I’m in a store. I understand why it’s been in high demand, but I’m honestly kind of baffled that the supply chain has

11.14.2020 I’ve been making a concerted effort the past few months to make sure I get enough sleep. It’s very adult of me. I know, though, that pretty much everything goes better for me if I’m well rested, so I’m trying very hard to go to bed at a reasonable time. This morning my Fitbit told me that I got 9 hours and 22 minutes of solid, glorious sleep. It also told me that I fell asleep at 7:26 p.m. I can’t say that I intended to go to bed quite that early last night, but oh

11.13.2020 I was on the struggle bus today. Some days the motivation is a flowin’ and some days it isn’t. Today was the latter. All is well, but from the minute I woke up today I pretty much just wanted to sit on my couch and stare at my Christmas tree. Adulting is hard. I resisted the urge to stay at home in my pajamas today, and honestly, the effort was worth it. It was actually a really good day. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t dragging pretty much the whole gosh darn day, thou

11.12.2020 This is one of my favorite pictures of the two of us. I’m guessing I was about 4 or 5 in the picture, which would mean Libby is about 6 or 7. We were playing bus. We clearly had to wear our fancy dress up clothes on the bus. As I recall, we played a lot of dress up in our childhood. Libby was my first and favorite playmate. I cherish the memories of building clothesline tents together, swinging and singing in the backyard, riding our bikes to Grass Island, recordin

11.11.2020 I did a thing today. I put up my Christmas tree. It’s definitely the earliest I’ve ever put it up. I blame the pandemic. I only put up the one (so far), and I haven’t decorated it yet. I haven’t touched my other Christmas decoration boxes yet either. But the tree is up. I needed it. I think the world (or at least my world) could benefit from an extra dose of comfort and joy right now, so up went the tree. It makes me really happy. Today is Veteran’s Day. I’m so ver

11.10.2020 When your mom is an accomplished seamstress and you teach Kindergarten in the middle of a pandemic, she keeps you stocked in fun masks to wear to school each day. She’s got the design down pat, and she’s made me a ton with different fabrics and patterns. I’m not kidding you – I have masks with dog paws, dinosaurs, knights and dragons, stars, butterflies, kitties, Winnie the Pooh, fish, jungle animals, Paw Patrol characters, Peppa Pig, the ABCs, and on and on. Her C

11.9.2020 Let me preface this post by saying that Zoom fatigue is a real thing and I think most of us have spent way more time on a computer or device than we’d like to this year. There have been moments this past year when I wanted to throw my computer on the ground and drive over it with my car. I am praying that things stay safe enough that I’m able to continue teaching face-to-face, because online Kindergarten is FAR from ideal. I’m also an extrovert, and nothing replaces

11.8.2020 I watched my first Hallmark Christmas movie of the season this afternoon. I slept horribly last night and by 8 a.m. this morning I already knew that an afternoon nap was going to be high on my priority list today. By 1:30 this afternoon I had my sweats on and was cuddled up in a fuzzy blanket on my couch. I turned on a Hallmark movie that I have saved on my DVR and melted away into cozy Christmas bliss. I think my favorite thing about Hallmark Christmas movies is t

11.7.2020 Fun fact for y’all: I was voted by the Fort Atkinson High School Class of 1997 as the most likely to become the 1st female president. While I appreciate my classmates’ confidence in 18 year old me, I’m here to tell ya that 41 year old me knows that this is a terrible idea. I hate politics. I don’t know a thing about international affairs. Talking about money frequently ends with me in tears. Social studies has always been my least favorite subject. And, if given the

11.6.2020 Two shades of rock in my backyard means that some of the rock got wet!!! After a 42 million day drought in Phoenix, it rained tonight! Each time I was outside today the sky got grayer. It was a beautiful, overcast and slightly cooler day. We don’t get many of those in Arizona, so that in itself is something to get excited about. But, tonight as I was getting ready for bed and I went to close and lock the patio door, I smelled it. I’d been hoping for that smell all d

11.5.2020 I left school shortly after dismissal today. I was tired. It felt pretty good to just sit on my couch and let my busy brain rest for a bit. Of course my loyal pal Barkley hopped right into my lap. I’ve sure got a lot on my mind these days. I know many can relate. So, the Barkster and I just sat for a while. It was exactly what I needed.

11.4.2020 I have a little girl in my Kindergarten class who, every single day, greets me with “Happy School Day, Ms. Wiebel!” It’s very cute. I think it started because I sometimes say Happy Wednesday (or insert appropriate day here) to the kids. She wanted to do the same, but keeping track of what day it is can be kind of tough when you’re 5 years old. Now, I look forward to her sweet, bubbly, and very sincere greeting each morning. Today was a happy school day. One of the m

11.3.2020 I think it goes without saying that this election season has been rough. The TV ads have been ugly. The news has been ugly. Social media is ugly. The debates have been ugly. I’ve hated every minute of it. Although the temptation to just hide in my bed and wish it all away definitely existed, I know that it’s my right, and more importantly, my responsibility, to educate myself and vote. I dropped off my early ballot yesterday and proudly wore my sticker today. I wore

11.2.2020 Tonight I attended a very touching memorial Mass in remembrance of those who have died this past year. It was lovely. One of these candles is for my Aunt Irene. She passed away at the very beginning of the pandemic and unfortunately we weren’t able to have a funeral to properly honor her. It felt nice to honor her tonight. I’m quite certain that she’s up in heaven right now discussing politics with my Grampy. I know that I’ve been abundantly blessed to have such ama

11.1.2020 I remember a warm spring day way back during my senior year in college. There was no special occasion -- just a carefree afternoon/evening hanging out with some of my dearest friends. While watching the sunset sitting on the hoods of our cars somewhere in the countryside outside of Dubuque, one of the friends I was with commented that the sky was sky blue pink. He said that his family named the sunset shades as if they were crayon colors. I loved the name sky blue p

11.30.19 Day 30. I made it. 30 stories. 30 days of sitting down to write. 30 days of finding a blessing in each day. 30 days of sharing. I’m thankful for the perseverance to complete this self-proclaimed challenge. I’m thankful for the daily accountability to look for a blessing in each day. I mean, I don’t suppose any of you would’ve publicly berated me or cut me out of your lives if I’d stopped after a few days, but sharing my daily dose of gratitude with y'all did provide

11.29.19 The weather forecast was calling for a massive rainstorm Thanksgiving night and into the day on Friday. We Arizonans always get excited about a good rainstorm, so I was actually kind of disappointed when Thursday produced absolutely no rain and when I went to bed in the wee hours of the morning after a bit of Black Friday shopping, a single raindrop had yet to fall. It was windy, but dry. I was awakened to the emergency alert sound on my phone about 4 a.m. this morni

11.28.19 Today I am thankful. Not for any one thing specifically. But for everything in general. I'm thankful to have spent a chill day with my family. I'm thankful for an invitation that includes the words "come over in your pajamas." I'm thankful for apple cider mimosas while watching the parade. I'm thankful for joking and laughter and catching up. I'm thankful for delicious food to feed my body and loving family to feed my soul. I'm thankful that on Thanksgiving "both" is

11.27.19 Seriously? She’s kidding, right? I know that’s what you’re all thinking. Thankful for a trip to a crowded grocery store on the night before Thanksgiving? Well, yeah. I am. Was it the most fun shopping experience I’ve ever had? Probably not. Were there young children melting down? Yes. Were there grown adults melting down? Yes. But, there were also a whole lot of people in really great holiday moods. I was on a mission for about a dozen items, and I have to say that o

11.26.19 My church has a 24 hour adoration chapel. You will find someone praying in the chapel at all times. All are welcome at any time, but there is someone scheduled to be there at all hours of day and night, every day of the week. When I started my job at my current school, I signed up for an hour – every week, early on Tuesday mornings. I was all about starting new healthy habits along with the new job, so I was eager to volunteer. I love my adoration hour and each week