Author: Big Mama

  • Thursday Things

    I almost forgot that it was Thursday because I picked Caroline up at school early on Tuesday because she wasn’t feeling good and she was home all day yesterday and this essentially caused me to lose track of what day it was and where we are in the week. But then I ran to HEB on Wednesday to pick up some medicine for her and realized it was the day before Valentine’s Day because the store was filled to the brim with all manner of Valentine’s Day gift offerings, including a bouquet made of beef jerky and Corona. I almost bought it for myself.

    I did buy these two small vials of something called Immunity Boost Turmeric Shots that are supposed to help you either not get sick or get over your illness faster. Caroline has already missed one soccer game and will most likely miss a track meet and really wants to get better in time for her next soccer game on Friday. I brought them home and she took a little swig and immediately started coughing and gagging and declared, “This is the most awful thing I’ve ever tasted.” I thought she was being overly dramatic and said, “Oh for goodness sake, how bad can it be?” right before I took a sip for myself.

    You know how bad it can be?

    Bad enough to make you wish you didn’t have a tongue.

    Like, seriously. There are no words or a description that’s adequate for the vileness of it. From now on, we’ll stick to regular, old-fashioned orange juice.

    Anyway, here are some things I thought I’d share this week.

    1. caitlin peters design

    I found Caitlin Peters design when my friend Carly at C. Style posted some her darling notecards on Instagram. They are so bright and colorful and just make great gifts.

    She also has these personalized otomi notepads

    2. hum glow sweet glow vitamins

    I can’t remember where I heard about these, but I decided to give them a try. They are supplements that help your skin and contain vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and vitamin e. All the things that you hear you need for good skin and they protect from free radicals which are the worst radicals of all.

    True story: I’ve been taking them for a month and I do think my skin feels better. Also, they taste like a dreamsicle so it’s not a challenge to take them every day.

    3. german nivea cream

    Jamie Golden mentioned this on her Instastories for her January favorites. Apparently, the ingredients in the German made Nivea are very similar to the ingredients in La Mer. I don’t know if you know this but La Mer costs about $500 and your first born child. This German made Nivea was $10.87 and I get to keep Caroline, so that seems like a better bet.

    The trick is it has to be the German Nivea and not the one at your local Walgreens that’s made in Mexico. The link above is for the legitimate German version that’s made in Hamburg, Germany. I’ve been using it for a week and my face and neck feel so much better. I love my rosehip oil but my skin just needs a little more moisture during the winter.

    4. comments by celebs

    I may be the last person on Earth to know about this Instagram account, but it’s one of my new favorites.

    5. Christian breakup lines

    In honor of today being Valentine’s Day, I thought I could post something really sweet and romantic. But then I found this John Crist video of Christian breakup lines and decided it was a lot more fun.

    Have a great Thursday.

    I’ll just be here administering cough and cold medicine and Vitamin C and trying to not get sick.

  • Big Boo Cast: Episode 132

    We were so delighted to have one of our favorites, Erin Moon, join us for this episode of the podcast. We discuss several things, but mostly our thoughts on John Mayer. And then we just talk about life in general right now.

    You can click here to listen. Or here. You can even listen right here on the blog.

    And if you’re on the Facebook, well, we are, too.

    We’d love for you to subscribe on iTunes, and we’d be honored if you’d leave us a review.

    Show Notes:

    – Maggie Rogers’ new album, Heard It in a Past Life

    – Maggie Rogers on Current Mood

    – John Mayer singing “It’s My House”

    – John Mayer singing “XO”

    – O Heavy Lightness – a Lenten guide and devotional by our good friend Erin Moon

    – The Swipe Up – Erin’s very informative and delightful newsletter

    – Erin Moon’s Instagram (SUCH A TREAT)

    – Ben Platt’s “Bad Habit”

    – Ben Platt’s “Ease My Mind”

    – Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

    – Everything Yolanda Hadid Eats in a Day

    – French Onion Beef Sliders for a Crowd (note from Sophie: I made these earlier this week, and Alex declared them the best thing I’ve ever made. And don’t feel like you need to splurge on gruyere. I made some of them with cheddar, and they SUPER tasty.)

    Sponsor:

    – FabFitFun (promo code BIGBOO for 40% off your first subscription box)

  • Fashion Friday: Edition I needed a cold front

    It has been warm and cloudy here all week long and I was finding the whole thing incredibly depressing because it’s just that yuck kind of weather that won’t commit to being a rainy day yet the sun won’t shine either. But yesterday morning the beautiful North breeze began to blow and at least now it’s cloudy and cold, which is what I prefer February to be. Do not make me have to think about breaking out my sandals before March. It’s just wrong.

    Anyway, here are some cute things I found this week:

    1. antola tunic

    I featured this before because I love a v-neck tunic type shirt either by itself or layered under a sweater coat or kimono type thing. It has great reviews and it’s now on sale for $29.95 plus an extra 25% off.

    It also comes in pink, black (looks more like charcoal gray) and a brown that I’d describe as burnt sienna if you know your box of Crayola crayons.

    2. samara cowl neck tunic

    This is another great basic that’s on sale for $39.95 plus an extra 25% off. It also comes in black, gold and mint.

    3. sweater moto jacket

    I have to keep telling myself that I absolutely do not need this jacket because now it’s even more on sale than it was before . It’s $69.95 plus an extra 25% off and I just think it is so darling.

    4. clarington half-zip pullover

    This is another Anthropologie item I’ve been watching to see when it goes on sale. And that day has come. It’s on sale for $79.95 plus an extra 25% off.

    5. steve madden kala slide sandal

    I ordered these slides last summer and really liked them but decided I didn’t really need them. But now they’re on sale at Nordstrom Rack for $34.97 and I think they are a great warm weather option. I just don’t want it to be warm enough for me to wear them until mid-March.

    They come in cognac, black, gold or white.

    6. universal thread espadrille mules

    I saw these at Target the other day and think they are such a cute shoe option for transitional weather. They are $24.99.

    7. loft knit pocket blazer

    A good blazer is just a great basic to have and I love this knit version with gold buttons. You can dress it up for the office or just wear it with jeans and t-shirt. It’s $120 but I bet Loft will have a sale at some point soon. It also comes in petite and plus sizes. It has great reviews.

    8. j.crew factory smocked tie-front dress

    This dress looks much cuter on the model but I couldn’t get that picture to work. I love a good basic black dress that can be dressed up or down. This is on sale for $56.50.

    9. j.crew blossom drop earrings

    These earrings are darling and they are on sale for $14.50. Perfect little pops of color for an outfit. They also come in yellow, white, navy, black

    10. amazon casual cotton jumpsuit

    I cannot vouch for the quality of this jumpsuit but I do plan to order it because I feel that it has the potential to be something I will love. Plus, it’s just $19.99. The reviews say it runs small so I’d definitely order a size up. It’s worth the gamble because I like to live on the edge.

    Not really.

    I hate the edge.

    Have a good Friday.

  • Thursday Things Edition 2

    What? Two weeks in a row? I think I smell a regular feature.

    And, as it turns out, it’s pretty easy to come up with some things to share when you make notes in your phone all week about things you want to remember to tell people.

    So here are some of those things:

    1. julian’s pretzel baguette

    Gulley told me about this pretzel baguette a year ago and I was like “Okay, sure” and then I never could find it at HEB and then I forgot all about it until she had it at her house on Christmas night and I ate an entire baguette by myself. It’s so good and comes pre-buttered and essentially I could live on it.

    I looked it up online and it looks like it’s available at various grocery stores nationwide. It’s in the frozen bread section at HEB so I’m assuming that’s where it is at your grocery store of choice.

    2. bobbi brown crushed liquid lipstick

    My entire skincare/makeup regimen has become one long “What would Jamie Golden do?” She has the best tips and tries everything. I highly recommend following her instastories here.

    She recommended this Bobbi Brown crushed liquid lipstick in her January favorites and I knew immediately that I would love it by her description that it was like a lip stain and lip balm and not sticky. So I ran to Sephora and bought the “in a jam” but I almost bought “smoothie move”. I also liked “give a fig”. It lasts forever and feels so moisturizing but not sticky at all. In other words, it’s a match.

    via GIPHY

    3. O Heavy Lightness: A Guide for Lent and Holy Week by Erin Moon

    My friend and another favorite on Instagram, Erin Moon, has written the loveliest guide with daily devotionals for Lent. I started reading it yesterday and can already tell I’m going to love it. Erin is funny and smart and was raised Southern Baptist and is now Anglican so what I’m saying is she can cover some theological ground.

    4. isle of paradise self-tanning drops

    I bought these on the recommendation of some fashion blogger I follow and was a little skeptical but decided it was worth a shot. And here’s the verdict? I love them.

    They are tanning drops that you can mix with your favorite face or body moisturizer and it becomes a self-tanner but without the smell and the agonizing choice of deciding if you want to use good moisturizer or have some color on your pale winter skin. I bought the medium and I just mix about 3 drops with my rosehip oil for my face and then about the same with my Hummingbird lavender lotion for my body. It’s genius. They are $28. You can also find them at Sephora but they are currently sold out online so I linked to Beauty Bay instead.

    5. John Mayer cover of It’s My House on Watch What Happens Live

    My friend Holly Mathis shared this with me a few weeks ago and it has become one of my favorite John Mayer songs that isn’t actually a John Mayer song. It just makes me happy.

    That’s it for this Thursday.

    Hope you have a good one.

  • Big Boo Cast: Episode 131

    This is the second part of the conversation we began in Episode 130.

    You can click here to listen. Or here. You can even listen right here on the blog.

    And if you’re on the Facebook, well, we are, too.

    We’d love for you to subscribe on iTunes, and we’d be honored if you’d leave us a review.

    Show Notes:

    – Vidalia Onion Chop Wizard

    – The Weighted Blanket

    – Frankincense Oil

    – Edie Wadsworth’s Instagram

    – Sophie’s YouTube Rabbit Hole:

    Safiya Nygaard Melts A Bunch of Different Candles Together

    Safiya Nygaard Melts A Bunch of Eyeshadow Together

    Safiya Nygaard Melts A Bunch of Lipstick Together

    Architectural Digest Goes To Famous People’s Houses

    Sweet Digs on Refinery 29

    And by special request, Melanie drags a (dead) wild hog into the brush.

    Sponsors:

    – FabFitFun (promo code BIGBOO for 40% off your first subscription box)

    – Green Chef (promo code BIGBOO for $50 off your first box)

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

  • Fashion Friday: Edition I have a cold and possibly the plague

    I’m going to get right to the point because I am ready to take some Nyquil and get in the bed. Caroline had a cold all last week and, naturally, now I have it in spite of all the precautions I took to make sure that didn’t happen.

    Here are some cute things I found this week:

    1. free people kiss kiss tunic

    I am powerless to resist a pretty white tunic. This is $128.

    2. peepers shine on blue light filtering reading glasses

    I have worn reading glasses for at least the last three years, but I had never merged my need of reading glasses with my need to have glasses that filter blue light. These do both and they are so cute even though Caroline says they make me look like Edna from The Incredibles. They are $25 and come in several color options.

    3. a pleasant surprise white lace top

    ‘Tis almost the season for all the pretty white tops. I really like this one and it’s $42.

    4. the merly jacket

    I realize that $148 is a lot to pay for a denim jacket, but I have owned this one for two months now and it is the best denim jacket I have ever owned. It’s so soft and feels like I’ve had in for a million years. I wear it with just about everything right now.

    5. topshop cleo faux leather hobo bag

    In case you are in the market for a black handbag, I think this one is really great and it’s just $55.

    6. caslon cuff sleeve sweater

    This sweater is now 40% off and on sale for $35.40. It comes in several color options but I really love this white for transitioning into spring. You could wear it with white jeans and the denim jacket and it would be the cutest.

    7. genny ring set

    This popped up on my Instagram feed because I guess I thought that I might want to buy some sort of pretty costume jewelry ring and Instagram read my mind in that weird way it does that I don’t want to overthink lest I throw my cell phone away and try to get off the grid. This set is $42 and I think it’s a fun pop of color.

    8. lilax knit slouchy oversized warm winter beanie

    We are currently in the midst of school soccer season which means I sit out in the cold and/or rain at least two nights a week. This requires some sort of warm hat to wear on my head and I was tired of all my other ones. Then I found this cutie on Amazon for just $10.99 and it’s my new favorite. It is so soft, the perfect amount of slouch, warm and comes in ton of color options.

    9. c9 champions leggings

    I ran in Target earlier this week and saw these fun leggings. They are $34.99.

    And they’d look really cute paired with this layering hoodie for $24.99

    The hoodie also comes in navy and white if you just like the hoodie and are scared of bright colors. Fuchsia isn’t for everyone.

    10. clayton sweater

    I featured this last week, but I cannot overstate how much I love mine. I bought the medium so it’s oversized and it is so cozy. Several colors are almost out of stock, but the red has all sizes left and it’s such a great color. I also like the blue. It’s much prettier in person.

    It’s $69.95 but an additional 40% off.

    11. loft beach ruffled henley dress

    I was going to end with that sweater, but I happened to see this beach dress at Loft. It’s normally $79.50 but on sale for $39.50 and would be a great coverup if you can even think about such things while in the midst of a polar vortex.

    That’s it for today.

    Have a good Friday.