The Big Boo Cast

Well, it hardly seems possible, but lo, it is time for our annual Big Boo Holiday Gift Guide. It is understandable if you feel the need to applaud and perhaps even whistle.

I'm totally kidding. But man oh man it really is so fun to think about the holidays - especially since summer stretched into the final days of October.

This week we're focusing on three gift categories: hostess gifts, gifts for teenage guys, and gifts for teenage girls. I think it's safe to say that WE HAVE SOME THOUGHTS.

You can find all the links in the show notes below (there are affiliate links, just FYI), and we hope this makes any shopping you do a little easier. We'll be back next week with some ideas for women and men - just in time for all of your Black Friday / Cyber Monday needs.

Enjoy, everybody!

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Show Notes:

Hostess Gifts

- Desktop Calendar by Shelby Vafinis (would also be great for teenage girls)

- Christmas Ornaments by Debra Hewitt

- Seersucker Gin & Topo Chico in a basket with Dot's Pretzels

- Dot's Pretzels

- ESV Illuminated Scripture Journal - Book of Luke

- Two Funny Girls styros, plastic cups, paper coffee cups (free shipping code MERRYBIGBOO until December 6th)

- Bloomingville Transparent Glass Vase with Embossed Design

- Bamboo charcuterie board

- A Place at the Table cookbook by Kelly Minter

- Magic Wand for Christmas tree lights

- Inflatable reindeer antler ring toss

- Little Hearts Prepare Him Room by Holly Mackle - family Advent devotional with ornament cards

Gifts for Teenage Boys

- Peanut Butter Spoon

- JBL Go 2 Portable Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker

- Game of Phones

- Cornhole Board

- Spike Ball

- Pickleball Paddle Set

- Turtle Wax Ultimate Car Care Kit

- NoOne Car Safety Kit

- Leatherman Multi-tool Engraved

- 3x5 Flags for Rooms

- Customized Bobble Head

- Restaurant Gift Cards

- Tickets to a sporting event or a guided hunt with their dad

- Metal detector

Gifts for Teenage Girls

- LED Color-Changing Strip Lights

- Camo Beanie with ponytail hole

- Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette

- Holiday Perfume Travel Sampler Set

- Lashstash

- Personalized engraved name ring

- BDG High Waisted Mom Jeans

- Oversized Hooded Sweatshirts

- Madewell Large Tassel Zip Pouch (25% off with the code STARTEARLY)

- Madewell Glitter Leather Pouch

- Madewell Leather Pouch Wallet

- Aerie Pajama Jumpsuit

- Rifle Paper Co. Pack of 3 Journals

- Portable Mini-LED Projector

- Hydroflask

- Red Bubble Stickers

Sponsors:

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

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

You might expect that all we're going to talk about on this episode is the LSU / Alabama game, but we might actually surprise you. I mean, of course we *do* talk about LSU / Alabama because HAVE YOU EVEN MET US, but we also discuss our air travel pet peeves, the initial rounds of the college football coaching carousel, and a cold front that has swept through Texas and Alabama.

And if all of that weren't enough, I have a couple of Hazel tales to tell, not to mention that Melanie has some TV and make-up recommendations for the good of the group.

Enjoy, everybody!

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Show Notes:

- The Big Boo Amazon Shop

- Rao’s Marinara Sauce

- Rao’s Vodka Sauce

- Family Savvy Baked Ziti

- Family Savvy

- Ramona Singer and “Roll Tide”

- Dak Prescott memes

- Succession 

- Holiday in the Wild

- IT Lash Blowout Mascara

- Buxom lip gloss

-  Anastasia brow definer

Sponsor:

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

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) we don't have any raccoon tales for you this week, but we do have an exciting update about Melanie's kitchen island. CAN YOU EVEN STAND THE EXCITEMENT?

We also talk about some recent high school football fun here in Birmingham, our Thanksgiving plans, a new lipstick I am loving (LOV-ING), and a product that might just provide some hope for my under-eye woes. LET IT BE, LORD.

Hope y'all enjoy!

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Show Notes:

- The Big Boo Amazon Shop

- Valerie Colorblocked Wool Sweater Coat

- Chicken Divan

- Chicken and Dressing

- Too Faced Natural Nude Lipstick in Overexposed

- Collagen Eyezone Mask

Sponsor:

- Simple Contacts (promo code BIGBOO20 for $20 off your first order)

So true story: we spend the first ten minutes of this episode talking about the raccoon that was in Melanie's chimney.

I feel like I may never get to write a sentence like that again.

Anyway, we talk about the raccoon, and we talk about Melanie and Caroline's recent trip to College Station. We also discuss the latest with my bathroom remodel, the latest with college football, and the latest with some coaches we have grown to admire over the years - complete with a Tender Hallmark Moment (TM) about Why Coaches Matter (and man oh man - do they ever matter).

Also, mark your calendars for our Christmas Gift Guide Episode the week of November 18th, and we'll have a special Christmas episode with our beloved Travis Cottrell on Patreon in early December.

Fun times ahoy, everyone. Hope you enjoy this episode!

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Show Notes:

- The Big Boo Amazon Shop

- Succession on HBO (THIS IS NOT FOR THE CHILDREN OR THE TEENAGERS)

- Poldark on PBS

- Behold the Lamb of God by Andrew Peterson on iTunes and Spotify

- p.s. The Madewell boots were gone, so I ordered these little beauties instead. Fingers crossed that they fit. :-)

Sponsors:

- Simple Contacts (promo code BIGBOO20 for $20 off your first order)

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

In this episode we talk way more about high school football than college (no joke: this past Friday night was the most exciting high school football game of my adult life), and I'm so happy that we were able to actually have a podcast conversation about high school football, because that means Melanie's internet connection is working again. May the Lord be praised.

We also talk about some stuff that has happened on the internets over the course of the last week, the problem with the countertop on Melanie's island, Melanie's recent test drive of a hydro-facial, and some make-up that we have recently tried and enjoyed.

Enjoy, y'all!

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Show Notes:

- Our Amazon Shop - new stuff listed all the time!

- Sunday Riley Power Trio: Lactic Acid + Retinol + Vitamin C Bundle

- Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner

- Tarte Double Duty Beauty Shape Tape Contour Concealer (the best concealer I have ever used)

- Maybelline Super Stay Ink Crayon Lipstick

The Bulldogs and the Aggies didn't have an easy time of it this past weekend, but don't you worry: Melanie and I still have big fun recapping what we love about the LSU Tigers and analyzing the greatness of Nick Saban. We also discuss a recent situation where I was told I have angled cuticles, and yes, I realize that might be the strangest declaration I have made to date via this podcast.

In the second half of this episode we were absolutely plagued by disconnection problems, but the bright side of that is that we discovered the root of all of our sound issues. We appreciate your patience as you have had no choice but to join us on this perilous audio journey.

We also talk about a couple of products I've tried and enjoyed, and then we pretty much give up on being able to record anything else. Which is why I am delighted to have included about ten minutes of our most recent Patreon episode at the end of this one. NOW DIDN'T THAT ALL WORK OUT.

Enjoy, y'all!

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Show Notes:

- The Late Night Movie

- Downton Abbey

- Prettygarden Women's Solid Sweater

- Bare Minerals Gen Nude Radiant Lipstick in Queen

- Relavel Make-up Case (IT IS A GAME CHANGER)

- Speed Test for upload and download speeds

- Voluspa Goji Tarocco Orange candle 

- Pickwick and co leather, woods and tobacco candle 

- Nest Moroccan Amber candle 

- Northern lights whiskey and tobacco candle 

- Don't forget about our Amazon Shop!

Sponsor:

- care/of (promo code BIGBOO50 for 50% your first order)

Listen. When Melanie and I started recording this episode, I was in a big ole post-birthday, post-Homecoming, please-someone-make-the-news-cycle-slightly-less-exhausting funk. Plus, we had eleventy hundred sound issues when we started trying to record, so in retrospect maybe I should have just called it a day and taken a 16-hour nap.

However, as it always tends to do, talking to Melanie eventually turned my frown upside down. I think it's the combination of hearing her talk about when lightning struck near their house and how the barista situation is going at C's school and her challenges at their recent family dove hunt and her glorious new mattress topper and the apparently bottomless pit that is contributing to a teenager's checking account.

So all that to say: funny friends are difference-makers, and aren't we all so grateful for that?

Enjoy, y'all!

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Show Notes:

- Downton Abbey - the movie

- Sophie's brand-spankin' new clothes steamer

- Billy Joel Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 & 2

- Sleep Innovations Gel Memory Foam 4-inch Mattress Topper

- Linen Home 100% Cotton Percale Sheets

- Beckham Hotel Collection Gel Pillow - Luxury Plush Gel Pillow

- Sunday Riley Vitamin C Serum

- Sunday Riley Luna Oil

- Sunday Riley Good Genes

- Don't forget about our Amazon Shop!

Sponsor:

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

This past Saturday was a tough one for both of us football-wise (though to the Aggies' credit, they were victorious over the Razorbacks), so as you can imagine, we do some post-game processing on this episode. We also break down some of the better parts of our weekend and discuss why tile selection should be a required exercise for all couples in their pre-marital counseling.

Finally. You will be zero percent surprised to learn that there was a point where I accidentally stopped recording, which meant that poor Melanie had to listen to me tell a story for the second time, and then there were a couple of times where we had to step away from the computer for a minute or so for Very Urgent Matters of Great Urgency. So all that to say: we're just here to be as professional as possible. As always.

Enjoy, y'all!

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Show Notes:

- Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team

- Season 2 of Fleabag (Melanie recommends - and also says that it's not kid-friendly)

- Olivia Colman

- American Royals by Katharine McGee

- Don't forget about our Amazon Shop!

Well, we have been to Amarillo, and we both absolutely loved our trip. So we kick off this episode talking about All The Fun we had with Jamie and Erin and Knox and the Amarillo Angels. Plus, you know, Torchy's Tacos.

We also talk about Homecoming in the here and now and Homecoming in ye olden (Gunne Sax by Jessica McClintock) days, along with a couple of new products Melanie has tried and our (unexpected!) shared reality TV boundary. Plus, you know, our favorite person to follow on Twitter.

As always, thanks so much for listening. Hope you enjoy!

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Show Notes:

- Torchy's Tacos (we loved the avocado salsa dip)

- Barrel & Pie in Canyon, Texas

- Back 40 Grill in Canyon, Texas

- Abuelo's in Amarillo

- Our beloved Popcast friends

- Amarillo Angels

- Relavel Makeup Train Case

- The Madewell clutch we both have (and love!)

- Tula Rose Glow Brightening Eye Balm

- Melanie at Homecoming in 1986

- Texas Homecoming Mums

- American Royals by Katharine McGee

- Ardell Magnetic Lashes

- Karen Howell on Twitter (she's our favorite!)

- Mike Leach on Pac-12 mascots

- Don't forget about our Amazon Shop!

Sponsor:

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

On this episode we chronicle Melanie's recent football heartache, we talk about our upcoming trip to Amarillo, and we break down some thoughts about the fact that the leopard print trend has arrived with authority and apparently intends to stay.

We also talk about the difficulty of persuading our eyes to wake up in the mornings, along with some potions and salves that are bringing Melanie some real hope. And in what might be one of my favorite topics ever, we dig into an offhand comment where Melanie reveals that the Shankles own an extra set of tires. COLOR ME FASCINATED.

Enjoy, y'all!

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Show Notes:

- Cheetah Print Slip-on Tennis Shoes

- Melanie in her zebra-print coat (WE WERE CHILDREN)

- Mad About You revival

- Torchy's Tacos (WHAT MAGIC AWAITS US?)

- Amarillo Angels Benefit (we'll be there with Knox, Jamie, and Erin from The Popcast - and there are still a few tickets left!)

- Sunday Riley Power Trio

- Blaq Undereye Patches

- Jo Malone's Wood Sage & Sea Salt

- Oribe' Royal Blowout Heat Styling Spray

- Crowder's I Know A Ghost

- Don't forget about our Big Boo Amazon Shop!

Sponsor:

-