It's Here Be Dragons week, and Melanie is gearing up to be out of town a lot while I am gearing up for quick trips to San Antonio and Auburn. On this episode we discuss A&M's new basketball uniforms, college baseball opening weekend, and our critical computer situations (true story: Melanie's headphones wouldn't connect while we recorded, and my microphone didn't, either, so this week's sound isn't great, Bob). 

We also talk about what we've been watching, and it's my turn for Five Favorites. 

Enjoy, everybody!

- Join Us on Patreon

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- Fayetteville Live Show Tickets

- Here Be Dragons by our beloved Melanie

- Melanie's book tour info

- Melanie on The 700 Club

- A&M's new basketball uniforms

- Cade Belyeu at Auburn

- Fiona Davis - The Lions of Fifth Avenue

- All Creatures Great and Small

- A Place to Call Home

- Frasier

- Paradise

- The White Lotus

- The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

- Peet's Cafe Domingo K-cups

- Portland Leather Famed Frame Clutch

- Apotheke Sea Salt Grapefruit for Pura

- OLIPOP Orange Squeeze

- Pilates crew socks

- AG1 - use this link to get a welcome pack worth $76

- Thrive Market - use this link for 30% off your first order plus a free $60 gift

- Honeylove - use this link for 20% off sitewide

- Helix - use this link for 27% off sitewide plus two free Dream pillows with mattress purchase

This week Melanie and I dig into the dynamic between her and Caroline as far as wardrobe planning is concerned (it's a complex situation), and we talk through my recent discovery related to using mascara. We also discuss my Severance obsession, which is significant. 

On top of all that, Melanie has a new book out next week (!!!), and it's her turn for Five Favorites. 

Hope you enjoy!

- Join Us on Patreon

- Our Amazon Shop

- Fayetteville Live Show Tickets

- Melanie's book tour info 

- Gus Mayer in Birmingham

- Benefit Fan Fest mascara

- Lancome Idole mascara

- Sweed Cloud mascara

- our friend Erin's book 

- Melanie's Little Professor event in Birmingham

- Teka Molina in San Antonio

- The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

- Landman

- H&M oversized blouse - $24.99

- L'oreal Plump Ambition lip oil

- Ghirardelli milk chocolate mint cookie candy squares

- Edibites Stress Releaf CBD chew

- Nature's Bounty Anxiety & Stress Relief

- Here Be Dragons by our beloved Melanie

- Thrive Causemetics - use this link for 20% off your first order

- Boll & Branch - use this link for 15% off your first order plus free shipping

- Lume - use code BIGBOO for 15% off your first purchase

- OSEA - use code BIGBOO for 10% off

It's been a week full of cross-stitching and watching Samford Step Sing and catching up with friends since we last recorded, so Melanie and I talk through all of these things as well as how she might be able to deal with the handling of the chicken in a recipe I made over the weekend. 

We also discuss what Melanie's been reading and watching, and it's my turn for Five Favorites. 

Please do enjoy. :-) 

- Join Us on Patreon

- Our Amazon Shop

- Fayetteville Live Show Tickets

- Melanie's heating pad capelet

- finger knitting

- Alex's fraternity at Samford Step Sing

- Chicken Tuscany

- victims of the airplane and helicopter collision in DC

- Live Wire by Kelly Ripa

- You're Cordially Invited on Prime

- collared v-neck short sleeve rugby sweater

- (sidebar: The Alix skinny jeans)

- tension embroidery hoops

- Hazel's new hallway runner

- Aerie Hey Crochet sweatshirt

- our Patreon episode with Lindsay Ferrier (it's on Google drive if you want to listen or share it with someone)

- Laundry Sauce - use code BIGBOO for 20% off

- Trust & Will - use this link for 10% off plus free shipping

- ZocDoc - use this link to download the ZocDoc app for free

- AG1 - use this link for a free bottle of D3/K2 and five free travel packs with your purchase

This week Melanie and I both have tried some new things: Mel has ventured into a new workout experience, and I have decided to pick (back) up a hobby I enjoyed back in high school and college. There's also a mouse update (in light of the Polar Vortex), and Mel shares a great recipe for a dinner party.

Mel also has a new nighttime skincare ritual, and it's her turn for Five Favorites.

Enjoy, everybody!

- Join Us on Patreon

- Our Amazon Shop

- Fayetteville Live Show Tickets

- Patrick Mahomes' post-game AFC championship interview

- Aggies and Longhorns and basketball

- sarcastic cross stitch patterns on Etsy

- Slow Horses

- Hotworx

- Hearth & Homestead tallow balm

- Luminesce facial sculptor

- Giada's Sheet Pan Lasagna

- Clearly Loved Pets acrylic dog bowl and stand

- Unbrush detangling brush

- InnBeauty Mineral Glow sunscreen

- Auden striped pajama pants (with matching top)

- Mother Science Hero serum

- Hungryroot - use code BIGBOO for 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life

- Drink LMNT - use this link to get a free sample pack with any purchase

- Thrive Causemetics - use this link for 20% off your first order

- Trust & Will - use this link for 10% off plus free shipping

Our dear friend (and most frequent podcast guest) Travis Cottrell is with us this week, and what a treat it was for Melanie and me to get to catch up with him. We talk about college football, NFL football, what we've been watching lately, and how we feel about looking up setlists before a concert.

We also discuss 80's music (WHO AMONG US IS SURPRISED), and it's my turn for Five Favorites.

Hope you enjoy!

- Join Us on Patreon

- Our Amazon Shop

- Fayetteville Live Show Tickets

- Travis Cottrell

- Travis on Instagram

- Travis' beloved Boone, NC

- Melanie's beloved Anthro fleece

- Ohio State's National Dance Team Champions

- Andy Reid

- Cocoon

- Chris Jones

- Dan Campbell

- Travis leading worship for Beth's Bible study at The Met

- Band of Brothers

- Chef's Table: Noodles

- 80s on 8

- 80s on 8 Top 500

- Time Life Ultimate Love Songs on Spotify

- "Somebody's Knockin'" by Teri Gibbs

- PaperMate Profile ballpoint pens

- birthday gift boxes

- the cutest shirt for Valentine's

- Jetset Wingman by Think Royln

- Aloh sanitizing gel with rosemary and peppermint

- OSEA - use code BIGBOO for 10% off your first order

- Thrive Market - use this link for 30% off your first order plus a free gift

- AG1 - use this link for a free bottle of D3/K2 and five free travel packs

- Helix - use this link for 20% off site wide plus two free pillows

On this week's episode Melanie and I talk about my snow days here in Birmingham, her playroom clean-out in San Antonio, and our thoughts about the upcoming national championship college football game. We also discuss a couple of epiphanies I experienced this past week (and, as a follow-up to our last episode, one of them is Wicked-related). 

As if that weren't enough, we have an exciting heating pad update / development, and it's Melanie's turn for Five Favorites. 

Enjoy, everybody!

- Join Us on Patreon

- Our Amazon Shop

- Fayetteville Live Show Tickets

- Pat McAfee and Marcus Freeman

- Riley Leonard

- Aggie Baseball is preseason baseball #1

- Mississippi State is preseason baseball #18

- the heating pad of my life

- IKEA Kallax shelves

- Perry's preferred Wrangler pants

- Hearth & Homestead whipped tallow balm

- LMNT sparkling water

- Inn Beauty age-defying duo

- Maya Chia The Great cleansing oil

- Linnea diffuser in lavender / rosemary

- Boll and Branch - use this link for 15% off your first order of sheets plus free shipping

- Honeylove - use this link for 20% off sitewide

- Hungryroot - use this link and code BIGBOO for 40% off your first box plus a free item in every box for life

- Drink LMNT - use this link for a free sample pack with your order

Clearly the Lord is up to something in 2025, because on this episode Melanie shares a tip for cooking with a rotisserie chicken, and I talk about seeing a movie that I had been resisting because of its rampant popularity (so sorry, I'm weird, still haven't seen Titanic, etc.). On top of that, we recap our exciting New Year's Eves ("exciting" is a relative term, but alas). 

We also get an exciting update on the health of Melanie's scalp, and it's my turn for Five Favorites.

Hope you enjoy!

- Join Us on Patreon

- Our Amazon Shop

- Fayetteville Live Show Tickets

- Anthropologie half-zip fleece

- "the cutest shirt" that I ended up ordering

- glazed buttermilk donut cake

- French 75s

- French 95s

- Marcus Freeman

- cream cheese chicken enchiladas

- Wicked movie soundtrack

- stainless steel tablespoons

- giant heating pad

- Williams Sonoma classic stripe dishtowels (here's a backup link if you need it)

- By Anthropologie classic long line coat

- AlvaQ oversized sweatshirt

- Lume - use the code BIGBOO for 15% off

- AG1 - use this link for their special offer

- Dwell - use this link to download the Dwell app

- Thrive Causemetics - use this link for 20% off your first order

It's our first regular episode of 2025, and we're off to a strong start with some inconvenient (though entertaining) challenges. The Aggies lost their bowl game, one of Mel's refrigerators has gone on to its eternal reward, and the Shankles have had some unexpected visitors in their laundry room. VIVA LA 2025!

We also reflect on our words / phrases for 2024, discuss our words and phrases for the new year, and it's Melanie's turn for Five Favorites.

- Join Us on Patreon

- Our Amazon Shop

- Fayetteville Live Show Tickets

- Las Vegas Bowl

- our Favorite Favorites episode on Patreon

- One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

- Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

- Bagster at Lowe's

- 2025 Low-Level Goals episode on Patreon

- Cole at the Pop-Tarts Bowl

- A Fine Sight to See 

- Conair 2-in-1 steamer

- Rubbermaid 28-piece storage container

- OSEA Dream Night Cream

- Grace for the Moment Daily Bible

- makeup brush cleaner

- AG1

- Dwell

- LMNT

- Zbiotics

When we recorded this episode, Melanie was making cinnamon rolls, and I had just completed a grocery run full of vegetables and several different kinds of sugar. In other words: Christmas Day is upon us, and on this episode we talk about all of our last-minute preparations and even some plans that have gone awry. It's also my turn for Five Favorites.

Merry Christmas, everyone - we are so grateful for you, and we hope your Christmas is full of time with the people you love the most!

- Join Us on Patreon

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- the cinnamon rolls Mel likes to make

- the Chex Mix we both like to make (I use Dot's Pretzels and add the Gardetto rye chips)

- Ouida Wednesday squash casserole

- sweet potato casserole (I use half and half, not evaporated milk - and no cinnamon)

- "Jesus Can Work It Out" with Dianne Williams

- JazzTX in San Antonio

- A&M (and Mississippi State) to be featured on SEC football show

- "Tourniquet" by Zach Bryan

- Libro.fm - a great way to listen to audiobooks

- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

- Dinner with Vampires by Bethany Joy Lentz

- James by Percival Everett

- Black Doves on Netflix (not for the children)

- Glazed Buttermilk Donut Cake

- Aerie cozy long sleeve oversized boyfriend tee

- Catrice Instant Awake under eye brightener

- OneSkin peptide topical supplement and skin longevity age reversal eye cream

- Mrs. Meyer's dish soap in peppermint

- AG1 - use this link for a free welcome gift, a bottle of D3/K2, and 5 free travel packs for new subscribers

- OSEA - use code BIGBOO for 10% off sitewide

- Drink LMNT - use this link for your free sample pack with any order

- Boll & Branch - use this link to get 25% off plus free shipping on your first order

'Tis the season to record an audiobook and do a little bit of hostessing - or at least that's what Melanie and I have been up to this past week. On this episode we talk about our college kids' laundry situation (it's bad here in Birmingham), what we've been reading and watching, and why Melanie needs a new rug in her dining room to help with podcast recording quality.

We also discuss a fantastic concert I went to this past weekend, and it's Mel's turn for Five Favorites.

Hope you enjoy!

- Join Us on Patreon

- Our Amazon Shop

- Melanie's new book

- Helen in Birmingham

- Leslie Odom, Jr.

- Leslie Odom, Jr.'s Simply Christmas

- Courtney DeFeo's podcast

- The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

- All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett audiobook

- Polo on Netflix

- No Good Deed on Netflix

- Cold Case: Who Killed Jon Benet Ramsey on Netflix

- Shark Pro vacuum mop

- v-neck batwing sweater

- Quince cotton cropped cable knit sweater

- Varley Hawley half-zip sweatshirt

- Frank & Eileen Shirley oversized button-up

- Helix - use this link for 20% off plus two free pillows

- Lume - new customers get 15% off with code BIGBOO

- Thrive Causemetics - use this link for 20% off your first order

- Trust & Will - use this link for 10% off plus free shipping