Featured WIRL of the Moment

Reality – What It’s Really Like

Reality – What It’s Really Like

This post is part of a series titled, “A-B-Cs – What It’s Really Like”. Each week a new letter and its word will be revealed. Each word’s explanation will illustrate significant personal meaning, application and ultimately demonstrate, What It’s Really Like… Back in 1998 MTV debuted the reality TV s... Read More »

Previously Featured WIRLs

My Skin Won’t Stop Me

My Skin Won’t Stop Me

  My MOLE is only skin deep. My skin won’t stop me because it does not define me or who I am. As a child growing up, we all saw witches in the movies. They were old, ugly women with long hair and a GIANT MOLE, most of the time, on their nose or somewhere on their face. Or we all laughed seeing Austin Powers in Goldmemeber making fun of Fred Savage‘s character “the mole”... Read More »

living with PTSD | WIRL Project

Living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

When most people hear “PTSD,” they envision war veterans, assault victims, and survivors from a catastrophic accident. Those are the people who make the news, the people that are used online as click-bait. They are attractions in a world of people who experience trauma by proxy. I will not be one of those people, but I will tell what I can comfortably share of my story. PTSD, like any other mental... Read More »

Confessions of a Starbucks Barista

Confessions of a Starbucks Barista

Who doesn’t love Starbucks? The coffee, the croissants, the sandwiches, the smell, the atmosphere, the “Cheers” experience you get when you walk in to your local one and Everybody Knows Your Name. But, have you ever thought about what it’s really like? What do the Barista’s see and hear that we don’t? What kind of crazy shit do they have to deal with from behind... Read More »

Golden Gate Bridge

My Trip to San Francisco

  If you follow me on social media, you probably know that I recently went to San Francisco with my husband, Mitch, to celebrate our Anniversary and my 30th birthday. We left our toddler at home with Nana and took our first “getaway” without him. I felt guilty for leaving him, but we had a great time! For what we did while in California, I would not recommend bringing a toddler, o... Read More »

My Introduction to WIRL

Hello my name is Michele Barrett. I have been a stay at home mom for the past 9 years with 3 children, ages ranging  from 4-9 years old. I always had  a vision of owning a small business one day. I decided to take a leap of faith this new year and I started my own decorating business. I always felt I wanted a little something I could call “my own” especially when you are a mom and you ... Read More »

Middle School Blog U | WIRL Project

BlogU: Middle Age Middle School

I had the weirdest dream: I’m sharing a couch in a hotel bar with “I Just Want to Pee Alone” NYT Bestselling Author, Jen Mann. Our conversation meanders from our mutual admiration for Hugh Howey to me giving her shit about the fact that her rental car has manual roll-down windows. We then somehow make the connection that I was in the PTA with a book blogger that she follows. The next thing I know,... Read More »

Refreshing Your Kitchen

Refreshing Your Kitchen

Having the winter blues?? Well, I was… so why not take on a fixer-upper without spending a fortune!!  I decided to refresh my kitchen. First, I painted (well I hired painters) to renew my old oak cabinets by using an antique finish… eggshell paint with mocha trim border.  They turned out great and made the kitchen feel twice its size! Secondly, I purchased new hardware for the cabinets... Read More »

How Winnie The Pooh Changed My Life

How Winnie The Pooh Changed My Life

I’ve been watching a lot of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh lately and there some pretty good “life lessons” within the story. You know, like when Piglet gives up his beloved family home to Owl because he doesn’t want to hurt Eeyore’s feelings. Or when Rabbit invites Pooh in for lunch, even though he knows Pooh will eat all his honey. And I realized that the mo... Read More »