The Big Boo Cast

On this episode Melanie shares her thoughts on a recent soccer game - and how she suffered after insisting that Caroline needed to stretch afterwards. We recap inaugural fashion (A BALM TO MY SOUL), and we spend some time speculating about JLo's skincare routine (whatever it is, IT WORKS). 

Melanie also has some new products to tell us about (my favorite!), and on top of that, she tells us about her Five Favorites - which may or may not reinforce our 2021 great-grandma vibe. We're just here to serve. 

Enjoy, y'all!

Show Notes:

- Melania Trump's Florida dress that we LOVED (We didn't know it was Gucci. This is slightly more expensive than an Anthro dress.)

- JLo and ARod on the steps of the Capitol 

- Michelle Obama's pantsuit (THAT COAT)

- Jill Biden's evening coat

- Jami Nato on Instagram

- Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara

- Turmeric Oil

- Mindy Kaling's Amazon essays, Nothing Like I Imagined

- Nature's Way DIM-plus Estrogen Metabolism (as with any supplement, check with your doctor before taking these)

- Disposable black face masks

- Laneige sleeping lip mask

- Bombas socks

- Hummingbird Farms Lavender Body Cream

Sponsors:

- KiwiCo (use promo code BIGBOO for 30% off your first month and free shipping on any crate line)

- Sakara (use promo code BIGBOO for 20% off your first order)

- Apostrophe (use promo code BIGBOO for $15 off your dermatology visit)

- Best Fiends (download in the Apple App Store or on Google Play)

Well, this is just the fanciest of the episodes. We talk about vegetables, whether or not we're bothered by food odors, our struggle to make better meal choices, and how we like to achieve volume in our hair using a chip clip.

We also talk about how sometimes giving up is the best option, Melanie's new method of chronicling what she reads, and my most recent round of Five Favorites.

Enjoy, y'all!

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- Become a Patron!

Show Notes:

- Living Proof Dry Volume Blast 

- Goody Hair Clips

- Wonder Woman 1984

- Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand

- Nothing Like I Imagined (Except for Sometimes) by Mindy Kaling (each essay is listed at 99 cents for Kindle, but if you click on each one individually, you can borrow it for free with Amazon Prime)

- Southern Charm

- @sharonsaysso on Instagram

- We, the Pizza donations to National Guard members

- Sunday Planning journal

- Our friend and business manager, Retha Nichole

Sponsors:

- Apostrophe (use code BIGBOO for $15 off your dermatology)

- Care/of (use promo code BIGBOOCAST50 for 50% off your first order)

- Prose (use this link for your free in-depth hair quiz and 15% off) 

- FabFitFun (use promo code BIGBOO for $10 off your first box)

On this episode we spend some time making predictions about the National Championship game, and then we move into deeper subjects like eyebrow pencils, what we love about libraries, and additional low-level goals for 2021.

We also talk about Melanie's completely accurate assessment of the Living Proof Dry Volume Blast (I finally tried it!), my quest for the perfect hair towel, and Melanie's (DELIGHTFUL) Five Favorites.

Hope y'all enjoy! Hang in there, everybody.

Show Notes:

- Zoe's Family Meals

- Titans by Leila Meacham

- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

- Soul

- Sylvie's Love

- Living Proof Dry Volume Blast

- Anastasia Brow Wiz

Jamie Golden's Brow Product Recommendations:

- LA Colors Shady Slim Brow Pencil

- Benefit Gimme Brow Gel

- Glossier Boy Brow

- Flower Beauty Brow Gel

- Glossier Brow Flick Pen

- Benefit Brow Filling Pen

- Fenty Brow MVP Sculpting Wax Pencil & Styler

- Things I Bought & Liked on IG

- Rechargeable LED Book Light

- Anrabess Long Sleeve Batwing Sweater

- Lemon & Eucalyptus oil

- Acrylic tissue holder

- The Bible Recap by Tara-Leigh Cobble

- ESV Large Print Bible

Sponsors:  

- Munk Pack (use promo code BIGBOO for 20% your purchase)

- Hello Fresh (use promo code bigboo10 for 10 free meals and free shipping)

- Native (use promo code BIGBOO for 20% off your first order)

- NuCalm (use this link for 50% off your 30-day subscription of NuCalm)

Consider this episode a celebration of the arrival of Twenty Twenty-Fun, because we have lots of happy football news and happy movie news and even some happy salad news. 

Yes. I said "salad." 

We also talk about our low-level goals for the new year, our favorite crunchy vegetables (THIS IS AN IMPORTANT TOPIC), and last but not least, my current Five Favorites. So, as you can see, 2021 is off to a spectacular start!

Hope y'all enjoy!

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Show Notes:

- Episode 194 with Coach Mike Leach

- Soul

- LIfe in PIeces

- Solitaire app

- That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs - Christmas Party Episode 8 with Amy Grant

- The Next Right Thing Guided Journal by Emily Freeman

- Brooks Adrenaline GTS 21

- Soul soundtrack on Apple Music and Spotify

- Piano Chill playlist on Apple Music

- @thesaltedtable on Instagram 

- Instructions for how to add our Patreon episodes to your favorite podcast app

Sponsors:

- Sakara (use promo code BIGBOO for 20% off prenatals)

- Thrive Market (join today for free gift worth $24)

- Best Fiends (download on the Apple App Store or Google Play)

Lo, it is our last episode of 2020, and right out of the gate Melanie comes in strong by sharing catchphrase she's heard for 2021. I have a feeling that this episode won't be the last time we reference it. Besides the catchphrase fun, we talk about our respective Christmases, my deep affection for a new year, and we also discuss what three product discoveries from 2020 we plan to carry with us into 2021. 

Oh! And I share a recipe for an easy dip I made on Christmas day, plus we discuss the challenges of new technology at this stage of life, and Melanie shares her five favorites. 

Enjoy, y'all!

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Show Notes:

- That Sounds Fun with Annie Downs and guest Ben Rector

- Universal Standard Stephanie Wide Leg Stripe Pants 

- Vidalia Onion Dip (made it for the first time in forever this Christmas and remembered why we love it)

- Thrive Market

- Cuisinart Coffee Center (update as I'm editing this episode: we have finally figured out our best strategy for a great pot of coffee - 12 cups of cold, filtered water and 8 large scoops (that's 16 tablespoons) of ground coffee)

- Kleem Organics retinol moisturizer

- Kenra Heat Cast thermal spray

- Living Proof Dry Volume Blast (Melanie's hair MVP)

- Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo

- Living Proof Triple Detox Shampoo

- Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin Body Wash

- R+Co Dallas Biotin Thickening Shampoo & Conditioner

- Prose Pre-Shampoo Scalp Mask

- Hair Scalp Massager

- COOP Home Goods Pillow (a for sure 2020 MVP)

- Redland Cotton Sheets

- Alexa Home Studio

- Echo Silver on SNL

- Colorfulkoala leggings 

- M3 Anti-Cellulite massage oil

- ABLE Leather & Lavender candle

- @heymadinelson on Instagram

- Lucky Peacock Designs

Sponsors:

- Pipette (use code BIGBOO for 30% off your order)

- Hello Fresh (use code BIGBOO90 for $90 off and free shipping) 

This week I share a terrible (okay - not really terrible - just exasperating) thing that happened when I had to go to Walmart and Target on the same day, and Melanie analyzes the Aggies' College Football Playoff chances. We also have a discussion about Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash, only I call it Sierra Mist Cranberry Blast, and clearly I have reached a point in my life where I just make up my own names for familiar products. 

And as a public service to readers everywhere, Melanie makes some book suggestions that feature war / espionage as a backdrop for brave actions by gritty heroines, and I share my Five Favorites. Only I forgot to include the Five Favorites background music. I hope you can forgive me. 

Please do enjoy, everyone.

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Show Notes:

- Tasha Cobbs Leonard

- Beatriz Williams (she has tons of books; Melanie mentioned three: A Hundred Summers, Golden Hour, and Along the Infinite Sea)

- The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck

- The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott

- Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

- The German Heiress by Anika Scott

- The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

- The Huntress by Kate Quinn

- This Secret Thing by Mary Beth Whalen

- Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas

- Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas

- Scalp Massager Shampoo Brush

- R+Co Dallas Biotin Thickening Shampoo

- Prose Hair Mask

- Prose Dry Shampoo

- Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo

- Compassion Live Show - this Saturday, December 19th, at 7pm central - sponsorship option

- If you attended the live show back in the summer, message our friend Retha on Instagram and she'll pass along a special code just for summer attendees

- Buy a ticket for the live show

- Bath & Body Works Fresh Balsam candles

- Algenist Eye Renewal Balm

- Mindy Kaling's ring finger

- Old Navy sweaters in regular sizes and plus sizes

- Sanctuary Project jewelry (use promo code SANC25 for 25% off)

Sponsors:

- NuCalm (use this link for 50% off your first 30-day subscription)

- Magic Spoon (use the code BIGBOO for free shipping)

- FabFitFun (use the code BIGBOO for $10 off)

- KiwiCo (use promo code BIGBOO for 50% off and free shipping)

This week we talk about weather (yes, we are 107), some fun fashion memories, and college football because if we didn't talk about college football then the world would surely stop spinning on its axis.

We also share part of this month's Closer Look episode from Patreon - with special guest Travis Cottrell. As many of y'all know, Travis is one of our very favorite people - and he happens to be a huge fan of 80's music. You'll hear the 80's music part of our Patreon discussion on this episode, and you'll also see a link to Travis' 80's Duets Playlist in the Show Notes below.

And on top of all that: Melanie shares Five Favorites.

Hope y'all enjoy!

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Show Notes:

- Silk Reflections hose

- A great Barefood Dreams alternative (I decided the Barefoot Dreams options were way too long for Martha - and this style is much more her speed) (please don't tell her that this is one of her presents) :-)

- Travis Cottrell

- Travis' 80's Duet Playlist on Apple Music

- Travis' 80's Duet Playlist on Spotify

- Revitalash

- Pure Science Neck Firming Cream

- Melanie's new favorite Stars Above pajamas

- "Heirlooms" by Amy Grant

- Allie+Bess bracelets

- Lucky Peacock Designs

Sponsors:

- Magic Spoon (use promo code BIGBOO for free shipping)

- Storyworth (use this link for $10 off your first purchase)

- Hydrant (use promo code BIGBOO for 25% off your first order)

- Acorn (use promo code BIGBOO for 30 days free)

Well naturally we kick off this week's episode with a Thanksgiving weekend recap in general and a college football recap in particular (you should expect no less from us in late November / early December). We also talk through a fairly extensive list of shows we've been watching, and Melanie fills us in on her family's recent trip to the Christmas tree lot - among other Christmas-related dramas.

On top of all that delightfulness (is it? let's pretend it is, okay?), we're back in it with Five Favorites this week, and one of them is the old Instagram because the new Instagram is garbage. We sound like we're 102 when we talk about how WE DON'T LIKE THE CHANGES, and we're okay with that.

Enjoy, y'all!

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Our Amazon Shop

Show Notes:

- The Crown

- The No's of Hallmark Movies on The Popcast with Knox and Jamie

- Dash & Lily 

- Virgin River - Season 2

- Grand Designs

- Voices of Fire

- Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker

- COOP Home Goods Pillow - OUR FAVORITE

- Hello Fresh (IT IS A BLESSING TO MY SOUL) (use promo code BIGBOO90 for $90 off your first order) (I LOVE IT)

- The Nester's thoughts on quieting the house

- HomeTown on HGTV

- Christy Nockels' The Thrill of Hope

- A Ben Rector Christmas

- Leslie Odom Jr.'s The Christmas Album

Sponsors:

- Sakara (use promo code BIGBOO for $20 off your first order of the Prenatal)

- NoteCube (use code BIGBOO for 20% off)

- Best Fiends (download in the Apple App Store or on Google Play)

On this episode we did a little spin on our weekly Five Favorites to spend some time focusing on gratitude. Yes, 2020 has been a train wreck, but it's also given us all sorts of opportunities to be thankful for essential workers and college football and Phil Rosenthal, among other things.

And just in case we haven't said it enough: we are extraordinarily thankful for all of you who make up our little podcast community. There's no way to adequately express how much you have enriched our lives over the duration of the podcast - but maybe this year more than ever. Y'all are the best, and we love you.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! Enjoy episode 212!

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Show Notes:

- Our Amazon Shop

- Hazel's beloved dog bed (she has the 36-inch)

- "The act of thanks-giving is holy protest against cynicism, covetousness, fatalism, entitlement, self-pity, joylessness, discontentment, self-sufficiency, greed, arrogance, and apathy.” - @dukekwondc

- Ouida Wednesday (look on Sophie's Instagram in the highlights)

- Somebody Feed Phil

- Ted Lasso

Sponsors:

- Hydrant (use promo code BIGBOO for 25% off your first order)

- Storyworth (use this link for $10 off your first purchase)

- Hello Fresh (use promo code BIGBOO90 for $90 off) (also: the joy of my life has been how much David loves to cook our Hello Fresh meals; it has been a GAME CHANGER for us)

- KiwiCo (use promo code BIGBOO for 50% off and free shipping)

Well, we're back with the second installment of our annual Holiday Gift Guide, and man oh man has it ever been an eventful week between part 1 and part 2. We catch you up on all of that at the beginning of the episode, and then we dig into our favorite gift ideas for men and women in lo, the year of our Lord 2020.

If you missed last week's episode, you can catch up on our gift ideas for teenagers right here. Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend! Grateful for y'all!

Our Amazon Shop

Become a Patron!

Show Notes: (some links are affiliate links)

- The Queen's Gambit

- The Crown

- Southern Charm

Gifts for Men:

- Eddie Bauer Oversized Down Throw

- Groovelife Belts

- Aggie Ring ornaments

- Bose Solo Sound Bar

- Fishing Tackle Storage Bag

- Waterfield Laptop Sleeve

- Digital Ear Muffs

- Howler Bros. Snapshirts

- Olukai house shoes

- Pickwick & Co. Leather, Tobacco, & Woods candle

- Black Rifle Coffee

- Benerx MD CBD pain cream (10% off and free shipping with code BIGMAMA)

- 2020 Dumpster Fire Ornaments (here's another one)

Gifts for Women:

- Nepresso Vertuo Coffee & Espresso Maker

- Michelle Morin Animalia Flannel Shorts

- Half Baked Harvest Super Simple Cookbook

- Shelf Subscription from The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia (would also be a wonderful gift for a man or for children)

- Leila Meacham books

- Old Navy High-Waist Powersoft 7/8 Joggers

- ABLE Celine Huggie Hoops (use code BIGMAMA25 for 25% off)

- Hobo Vida Wristlet (Sophie's FAVORITE wallet)

- Jo Malone Cologne Discovery Sample

- Jo Malone Body Wash / Bath Gel in Lime Basil & Mandarin

- Rifle Paper Co. Island Poppy Notebook

- Everyday Holy by Melanie Shankle

- Gentle & Lowly by Dane Ortlund

- Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison

- Emily Freeman's books

- Two Funny Girls 10-Count Styro Cups (code MERRYBIGBOO for free shipping - expires 11/27)

- Two Funny Girls Personalized Pillowcase (code MERRYBIGBOO for free shipping - expires 11/27)

Sponsors:

- FabFitFun (promo code BIGBOO for $10 off your first box)

- care/of (promo code BIGBOOCAST50 for 50% off your first order)

- NuCalm (use this link to get 50% off your first 30 day subscription)

- Magic Spoon (promo code BIGBOO for free shipping)