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You are here: Home / Another day / Here are some things

Here are some things

September 19, 2017 ·

Have I told y’all that I’ve declared Monday to be my new Saturday? Because I totally have. I’m not sure why it took me so long to figure this out, but since our weekends are so busy it just makes sense to let myself be less than productive on Mondays. Granted, this doesn’t necessarily work every week, but when it does it’s delightful. And it felt entirely justified yesterday because we spent our entire Sunday driving to Houston and back for Caroline’s soccer game.

Anyway, I just wanted you to know that. I’m glad we’ve had this talk. Here are few other things I thought you might want to know about:

1. Amazon Silver

I shared this on my Facebook page last week, but it makes me laugh every time I watch it.

2. Frequently bought together

I was shopping on Amazon the other day and this caught my eye.

It made me laugh out loud. Apparently my love for Teddie’s Organic Rose hip oil has convinced many of you to make that purchase, along with my new book.

3. Oven Fried Chicken

I made this for dinner last night (This is the only part of my Monday as Saturday plan that doesn’t work because I still feel like I need to cook dinner on Monday nights) and it was delicious. The chicken was actually crispy which hasn’t always been my experience with oven fried chicken. I also used a paper grocery sack for my flour mixture and then just folded it over and shook the bag until the chicken was coated like Minnie taught Celia Foote to do in The Help. “Minnie don’t burn chicken.”

Speaking of dinner, it’s the bane of my existence right now trying to find stuff to cook that tastes good and doesn’t take a sweet forever in the kitchen because our weeknights are so busy. That’s why I’m so happy about my friend Shay’s new cookbook, Simmers.

It’s full of slow cooker recipes that are simple and perfect for this time of year when we’re all running a little low on our kitchen want-to. You can pre-order it here and it comes out October 3.

4. Books

I have been in a total reading slump because I feel like I’ve been too busy writing to read and so I kept opting to just watch something on Netflix. But then last week I looked at my growing pile of books to read, grabbed one and started reading. Now I’m in full-blown reading mode again.

I finished The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo this past weekend. You can find it here. It was a pretty easy read and I enjoyed it overall, although I told Gulley I think it was supposed to make me feel more sad than it did but I’m just not in that place. However, it opens with 9/11 and that shapes the characters in the book which I found to be an interesting storyline.

And then I started When We Were Worthy by Marybeth Whalen on Sunday night and am already over halfway through because I’ve picked it up every chance I’ve gotten. It’s based in a small football town in Georgia and is filled with tragedy and twists and turns and basically is everything I enjoy in a book that isn’t about World War II. You can find it here.

5. Why the Small Things Matter

I wrote this original piece for Success.com about the ways I’ve learned to appreciate the small things in life in case you want to read it.

That’s all for today. Have a great Tuesday.

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Comments

  1. [email protected]

    September 19, 2017 at 7:23 am

    That’s awesome! Have you received a “thank you” note from Teddie’s Organics? ???

  2. Carrie

    September 19, 2017 at 7:32 am

    I loved “The Things We Wish Were True” by Marybeth Whalen. I’ll have to check out the new one!

  3. Becky

    September 19, 2017 at 7:47 am

    I’m reading The Bestman right now. I’ve laughed out loud. Shay recommended it. It’s so good! Also if you need a Netflix show…”Friends from College” is awesome!

  4. Michele Tinnin

    September 19, 2017 at 8:15 am

    Two words that changed my dinner routine. . . Hello Fresh! The meals are so yummy and all I have to do is choose from several lovely choices. And the instructions come with pictures which is one of my love languages. You should look into it!

  5. Kristin S

    September 19, 2017 at 9:10 am

    Yes, to that rose hip oil! I ordered it last week and also ordered a bottle for my mom (who turns 70 today). For me, it’s taken away a rash I’ve had for a year that no doctor could figure out. For her, it’s already reduced scarring from a BAD fall she took to her face last month while we were on vacation in Alaska.
    I may or may not be ordering bottles for everyone for Christmas. Maybe.

  6. Annie

    September 19, 2017 at 9:51 am

    I’m going to make that chicken for dinner, my husband will love it. I am also going to read that book about football and small-town gossip. Thank you!

  7. rachael butler

    September 19, 2017 at 11:38 am

    I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve watched the Echo Sliver clip. I shared it with my 19 yr old tech guy who’s away at Iowa State, with the caption, “I may qualify for this since I texted you last weekend and asked you which was better, the Echo or the Alexa….” True story!!!!

  8. Sharon K

    September 19, 2017 at 10:20 pm

    Mondays as Saturdays! Yea!
    A few decisions I’ve taken off of Monday’s list ….
    -I always wear jeans and a denim shirt as my Monday uniform.
    -No appointments set on Mondays.
    -In cooler seasons, we have soup for dinner … using up any veggies lingering in the frig, with some sort of meat mixed in.
    -In warmer seasons, we have a big salad with extra protein added.
    Mondays are SO much easier now!!

  9. Marybeth Whalen

    September 20, 2017 at 11:28 am

    Thank you so much for sharing WORTHY and for saying you’re enjoying it– even better!

  10. Lisa

    September 20, 2017 at 4:05 pm

    Just finished When We Were Worthy – oh my, the feels – after downloading it yesterday. Couldn’t put it down. Best book I have read in a while. Thanks for the recommendation.

  11. Tracy Steiner

    September 21, 2017 at 10:19 am

    On Item #2… it would appear that you are the reason that Teddie Organics Rosehip oil is currently unavailable on Amazon. The power of the internets! 🙂 I had this in my shopping cart for a few days (thanks to your recommendation!) and now I will have to wait just a bit longer for them to re-stock the supply. LOL!

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Melanie ShankleMy name is Melanie and, in some strange twist of fate, I’m also known as Big Mama because I started this blog in July of 2006 when my daughter, Caroline, was not quite three years old and I was in the process of convincing her that BIG girls use the potty and BIG girls don’t have pacifiers, thus she thought BIG was the highest compliment in the land and began referring to me as BIG MAMA.Read More

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