Seasonal

Bad City Planning Plus Severe Winter Weather Equals a Recipe For Disaster
Hello and welcome! So I’m aware that it is February 9th, and technically, spring is only a mere six weeks away. However, here where I live in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, we are in a period of heavy winter. Usually our snow fully melts by the end of April. I am writing this blog on January 6th, 2026 and I experienced many frustrations on Monday the 7th as I was driving my kids back and forth to school for the day. So first off - a little background: I have two... Read more...
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2026!
Today is not an informational post. I just want to send out a New Year Thank you to all of my viewers and subscribers! First of all, I hope you all had a safe and wonderful Christmas with your families. As I’ve come to realize, our family (either the one you came from or the one you create) is the most important thing. We seem to come together more at Christmas because we are always so busy doing all the things in our planners! I wanted to thank you all... Read more...
Halloween 2025
Happy Halloween! Yes, I know that by now, it is past a couple of months. I just had some thoughts about this year that I wanted to share, plus, I can show you our costumes! So first, as we took the kids out trick-or-treating, I noticed that less and less people are decorating their houses and handing out candy. To be fair, we don’t because we always go out with the kids. Our kids are still too young that we would never trust to have them walk around the city... Read more...
The End of Another Summer 2025
Hello and welcome! You will have to forgive me. I just finished a course/book called The Artist’s Way , by Julia Cameron. It was a 12 week course and I’ve been writing blogs on the course material literally for the past twelve weeks. It has been awhile since I’ve written a “normal” blog. At the time of writing (October 8, 2025) we have been going through some changes and weird times. By the time this article posts, the issues may have resolved and everything may be back to normal. However... Read more...
A Tiny Taste of Spring
We are in the first full week of January and the current weather may be well considered spring for this time of year. In the harsh climate of where we live, we have extremes when it comes to winter and summer. We do not live near a large body of water, so here in Alberta, our summers can get up to +40 degrees, and winters can reach -60 degrees - that’s a huge spectrum. To be fair, each of these recordings were in different years and are at the extremes.... Read more...
Welcome To the End and To a New Beginning
It seems like 2024 has passed by in a blur. Each month I created a new monthly planner setup, I would comment on how fast it seemed the time flew by. This time of year always brings me around full circle. The end of December feels like the end for me, but January opens up a whole new realm of possibilities. December is literally the end of the calendar year, but it also has special significance for me. It has been eighteen years now since my Dad passed away on... Read more...
Changing of the Seasons
Well, it is that time of year again, and the leaves have fallen and the days have become short and dark. At the time of writing, it is only the end of October, but it feels like we are already in deep winter. (It always reminds me of Game of Thrones, “Winter is coming”. As usual, I feel a sense of loss and my heart feels broken as I watch my plants wither and turn black from the frost. I see all the skeletal branches of the trees, and I... Read more...
From My Home To Yours…
It’s that special time of year…Christmas, and my heart is full of gratitude and love. I have to say that this has been a pretty rough year for my family and I. We’ve had very few “ups” and a lot of “downs”. What I can say is we’re all still here and we have food to eat and a roof over our heads. We also have love. We have love for each other, our family and friends, and I also wanted to send a big hug and thank you to... Read more...
Can Holiday Shopping and Minimalism Coincide?
Hello friends! Welcome back to the blog. It’s that time of year again - the holiday season. You might be busy shopping away, or like, me, you might be waiting for a bit, trying to decide how to go about shopping this year. I for one have had a big mindset shift when it comes to shopping for the holidays and I will explain why. First, the economy hasn’t been that great. I think all of us are having some issues with debit, high interest payments and rising costs of... Read more...
Getting Back into School Time and Normalized Routines
Well, we have reached that time once again. For those of us who have children or are caregivers for children, you know what I’m talking about. Some of us might be really happy right about now, and others are mourning the sleeping in and extra kiddie cuddles. I’m always on the fence about this time of year. For one thing, I love summer; it’s my most favourite time of year. I love the break from routine (I’m a huge advocate for change because I get bored so quickly), and I... Read more...
Garage Sale Season: Having My First Garage Sale Ever
First thing I’ll say…I’ll never do that again. That’s not to say my experience having a garage sale wasn’t positive. Because it was - I had one on one time with my family, and my best friend who helped me. Her presence was a total comfort and her experience and help was so greatly appreciated. Really, this garage sale was the second part of a mental process for me. The first part was parting with all my stuff. I have this problem with sentimentality. I attach meaning and special value... Read more...
Spring Is Coming ‘Round Once More
Hi friends and welcome to this spring edition blog! So we made it through another vicious winter and the days are finally brighter and warmer. I just had to take a moment actually to re-read my Spring Blog from last year. (You can view it here: https://sandradahl.ca/seasonal/countdown-to-spring). I find that not only has my style of writing changed a bit, but I think my attitude has changed a little as well. At the current time of writing, (Feb. 9, 2022) the days are warmer currently than they were last year... Read more...
The New Year 2022: This One Is It
Alright…so you guys remember back at the end of 2019 and start of 2020, people were like “This year is going to be so great, I can feel it!” ? Right… Well we all know what came of that…No one was expecting it, and we couldn’t control it. As I always say, we can only control our reactions to things. Trust me, people did not show the best of themselves in 2020. Hopes and dreams were dashed, people mourned and it seemed like life came crashing down around our heads.... Read more...
Holiday 2021 Prep
Good morning folks! Happy Monday to you! So…the holiday season is here. It is time to get prepared for all the goodness that’s coming. This time last year, I wrote about how to lessen the stress of the season with “Holiday Shopping: Lessen the Stress”. You can read that blog here: https://sandradahl.ca/seasonal/blog-post-title-three-wxa3p-0QaUS I think anything that you can do prior to the holiday season will reduce the panic, stress and anxiety that sometimes comes at this time of year. If you haven’t already done so, get yourself a planner, or... Read more...
The Transition To Fall and Back To School
I hope today finds you well my friends! I really think that I have a love-hate relationship with this time of year. Particularly after this hot and dry summer, I long for cool days and fresh autumn winds but I also mourn the death of summer. I love getting cozy with a hot cappuccino and a sweater, and I miss the days with the water balloons and the kiddie pool. Just like we prepare for spring with a good spring cleaning, fall is a time to bring it all in.... Read more...
Countdown to Spring
Hi everyone! Welcome back once again. I figured we could all use a good pick me up - not only from my last blog, but from life itself. I think everything has been adding up and making me feel even worse than I usually do around this time of year. I’m writing this blog on February 11, 2021, in the midst of a super cold spell. I think the temperature got down to a low of -47 degrees Celsius with the wind chill. The entire week has been really cold.... Read more...
The Winter Blues
Hi friends and welcome back! So this topic is similar to my Anxiety Blog, in that…I’m not a doctor. I can’t tell you what’s right for you, but I’m hoping that by telling you a bit about myself and my experiences, you can find tools that do work for you. The more we help each other, the more we get ahead and the better off we will be 💙. So, when I talk about the winter blues, I’m really referring to SAD, which is Seasonal Affective Disorder. Google states that... Read more...
The End of 2020 and the Beginning of a New Year
Hi, and welcome to the end of the year. Wait…what does that mean exactly? People see it as the ending of a chapter. However, this year was a bit different. (Total understatement of the century here). I feel like the older I get, the end of the year doesn’t matter anymore. Don’t get me wrong…I still envision setting the best goals for myself into the new year. Probably now more than ever. When I was younger, I didn't understand goals. I didn’t know how to set them or work through... Read more...
Holiday Shopping: Lessen the Stress
Hi all you Holiday Shoppers! Are you wondering how you are going to get everything done before the big day? Or, are you the type to start shopping early and then keep on buying because you forget about all the stuff you got months ago? Or…is there a happy middle ground? I have been at all three of these stages at some point in my life. This year, I think I finally found that magic balanced middle ground. In an already crazy world, it has helped to lessen my anxiety... Read more...