Author: Big Mama

  • Fashion Friday: Edition it’s been a full week

    Y’all.

    It has been a week around here. We’ve had a lot going on and I’ll tell you all about it next week. It’s just been one of those weeks where I kept thinking I was going to have time to write and then it just never happened.

    Anyway, here’s a quick Mother’s Day gift idea just in case you need one. I believe that my love of all things Hummingbird Farms lavender is well-documented at this point.

    Hummingbird Farms is running a Mother’s Day Special through May 15.

    Their gift boxes (you can see all the gift box options here) are normally priced at $75 but with the following codes, they are only $59 + free shipping (and an additional $5 in savings when you buy two):

    (Enter codes in ALL CAPS)

    MAMA16 for one gift box and save $16
    -or-
    2MAMA37 for two boxes going to same address and save $37

    FREE SHIPPING AND EACH GIFT BOX WILL ARRIVE WITH A HANDWRITTEN NOTE FROM YOU.

    And now here are some cute things I found this week.

    1. hadley dress

    I love casual dresses like this for the summer and the stripes on this one make it fun. It’s $34.95.

    2. bsubeach kaftan

    Gulley and I have decided that we are going to embrace the kaftan for the summer. It’s the perfect thing to wear around the house or to throw on as a swimsuit coverup. And so we found these kaftans on Amazon that we believe are good starter kaftans since they’re just $22.99.

    They come in several pattern and color options. And there aren’t many items of clothing that will cause you to sing, “Come and knock on our door. We’ve been waiting for you…”

    via GIPHY

    3. superga gingham sneakers

    Urban Outfitters has all their shoes on sale for 50% off right now and these darling gingham sneakers are just $44.

    Gingham is huge right now. It’s basically the 2017 kale of the fashion world.

    4. linen twist pool slide

    I have the striped version of these which are right below and I love them so much that I ordered this neutral linen pair, too. They are on sale for $19.99 and so comfortable and cute. I normally wear an 8 1/2 and ordered a 9. I definitely recommending sizing up.

    These are the striped bow pool slides.

    They are also on sale for $19.99.

    5. j.crew navy gingham classic boy-fit button-down

    See? Gingham. This shirt is on sale for $28 and would be so cute with white jeans or shorts for the summer. Personally, I’d wear it tied at the waist because that’s a trend I’ve never gotten tired of.

    6. the wren blouse

    Love this cute striped blouse with the ruffled sleeves. I like that they are ruffled, but yet not too precious looking. This is $57.

    7. kork ease santa ana platform mule

    These are pricey. I’m not going to lie. But I saw them this week and can’t quit thinking about them. Kork-Ease shoes are so comfortable and I love the idea of a platform mule that doesn’t make me want to cut my feet off by the end of the day.

    8. halogen linen blend cardigan

    So is it just me or has spring been a little chillier than usual? Like maybe we need to power spring down and then try to reboot it in ten minutes to see if that helps?

    All that to say, I’ve found myself needing a light sweater pretty much every day when I leave my house and I love this linen blend one. It’s great over a dress, with jeans and a t-shirt or even more dressed up for the office. It comes in a ton of color options and is $68.

    9. sarah skinny jeans

    Someone emailed yesterday and asked about a good pair of white jeans. I love the Hue leggings that I featured last week, but if you’re looking for an actual jean then you might try these. They are $64 and have really good reviews.

    10. loft striped square neck blouse

    Loft has 40% off everything right now and I love this striped square neck top. Mainly, I think I just love the sleeves. And the stripes.

    I also like this loft striped peplum tee if you’re looking for more of a t-shirt type situation.

    That’s it for today.

    Have a good Friday.

  • The Big Boo Cast: Episode 102

    In this episode we start off with a discussion of Hazel’s current knee injury along with our wish that we both had dogs that knew how to be normal dogs.

    We then transition into a conversation about T.V. shows and/or movies that influenced us when we were younger.

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

    You can also listen on Stitcher or Google Play.

    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.

    Here’s where you can get more info on the stuff / products / places we mention:

    Loft – WHO KNEW there was so much cute stuff?

    What Sophie ordered:

    Loft Denim Bermuda Shorts in regular and plus

    Loft Floral Tie Cuff Mixed Media Sweater in regular and plus

    Loft Striped Ruffle Cuff Tee in regular and plus

    Loft Frayed Denim Shorts in regular and plus

    Loft Striped Wrap Pull-on Skirt in regular and plus

    The Carol Burnett Show

    Little House on the Prairie

    Moonlighting (OUR BELOVED)

    All the President’s Men

    Friends

    Our new Big Boo Cast t-shirts from Milk and Honey Tees!

    SPONSORS:

    Easy Kicks

    Simple Contacts

  • Fashion Friday: Edition headed to Aggieland

    That’s right.

    I’m so excited because I’m picking Caroline up after school and we’re headed straight to College Station with Gulley and her family for the maroon and white game on Saturday, which is the Texas A&M spring football game. It will essentially help us survive these long, torturous months before college football starts up again. Plus it will just be fun to hang out with friends and drink wine and eat brownies, basically all my favorite Bryan/College Station things.

    Gulley and I were so bummed that we couldn’t get to College Station over Spring Break because of all the kids’ activities and this felt like our chance to go, so this is essentially our break after Spring Break.

    Here are some cute things I found this week:

    1. splendid felix platform wedge sandal

    I don’t want to exaggerate but these might be the cutest wedges I’ve ever seen. Look at that patterned heel! They come in several color options and not all of them have that detail on the heel, but it’s the very best part in my opinion.

    2. sanctuary hayden eyelet tee

    This darling tee is $59 but it has a tie! And it’s eyelet! And you could wear it all summer long with just about anything! It also comes in washed papaya which I believe is a fancy way of saying light peach.

    3. bp hoop earrings

    I have these and they are my new everyday earring. They are $10 because I am very fancy. And they also come in silver. They’re a little larger than your average hoop, but I actually like that about them.

    4. harem leg cami jumpsuit

    I bought this for myself a couple of weeks ago and I love it. I’ve worn it with a t-shirt under it and a tank top under it. It feels like wearing pajamas and it’s just $17. For size reference, I got the small and there is plenty of room. I’d say sizes 2-6 for a small and then you can go up to a medium, but it definitely runs big.

    5. pleione short sleeve kim blouse

    This is the short sleeve version of the tunic type tops that I wear during the winter and fall. They come in several color and pattern options and are just $29.97. They can be dressed down with a pair of shorts or dressed up with a nice pair of pants, jeans or even a skirt.

    6. sole society sarafina bag

    I think this bag is really cute and it’s just $59.95. It also comes in a light gray that I think is equally pretty. It just depends on what your current bag needs happen to be.

    7. free people oversized embroidered tunic

    I saw this darling tunic and I am never one to resist a good Free People tunic. This was originally $168 but is temporarily on sale for $83.99 at Macy’s. The reviews say it runs big so I’d definitely size down. It also comes in terra-cotta which is actually burnt orange. You aren’t fooling me, Free People.

    8. sanctuary artisan peasant blouse

    This is $89 and also comes in black. I think it’s so pretty. Look at the sleeve detail!

    It’s another top that could be dressed up or down depending on your preference.

    9. hue selvedge edge denim leggings

    I know I featured these before but they are so good that it’s worth mentioning again. They feel just like jeans and they even have back pockets, but they are stretchy and soft like leggings. And they’re just $48 which is substantially less than you’d have to pay for a great fitting pair of white jeans. I love that I can wear them multiple times (assuming I don’t get the white dirty) and they never lose their shape or bag out at the knees.

    As for sizing, I would say they are true to size. I normally wear a 4 in pants and the small fits me perfectly.

    They all have these hue split hem denim leggings

    They are $36 and come in a bunch of color options. They also have plus sizes. I’m telling you, these are worth trying.

    10. striped mix media shirt

    Loft is currently offering 30% off tops and sweaters with an additional 10% off if you buy three or more. These are the three I think I love the most.

    The first one is $44.50 plus the extra 30% off.

    Secondly, this lacy striped flutter shell

    I think this is darling. It’s $54.50 plus an extra 30% off.

    Third, I love this lacy shirred split blouse

    It’s so pretty and crisp. It’s $59.50.

    And, finally, these aren’t on sale but I plan to buy them as soon as they are. Look at these loft beach floral cropped pants

    .

    They are $69.50, but I think they are the cutest things. They are listed in the swimwear section so I’m assuming they would work well for wearing around town or as a swimsuit coverup. Either way. They are just bright and fun.

    That’s it for today.

    Have a good Friday.

  • Book releases and ovens that won’t come clean

    Listen.

    I don’t even know what to say about how y’all have supported Everyday Holy. It means the world to Richard and me. I mean, look what you made happen.

    I posted that picture on Instagram along with this caption about Richard wanting to rename the devotional book Richard Calling since Jesus Calling is pretty much the bestselling devotional book of all time.

    And then look what happened next.

    The Jesus Calling folks are totally supporting Richard and his quest for a book deal. My heart couldn’t be more full. There will be no living with Richard from here on out. I’m concerned that he and Mabel may team up for a book deal and totally cut me out of the equation. As it is, I see Mabel taking notes behind my back all the time. I suspect she’s compiling information for her eventual tell-all.

    But in all seriousness, I am so grateful for your support. I’ve mentioned several times that Everyday Holy was so hard for me to write and some of that was because of all the pressure I was feeling about the fall release of Church of the Small Things.

    (I’m about to share a little behind the scenes of how the book sausage gets made so feel free to either keep reading or just click away if you prefer to believe that books just magically go out into the world carried on the wings of songbirds and fairies.)

    First, let me say that I love Church of the Small Things. It was the book that God put on my heart and in my head and it’s a message that I believe in so much. It’s actually my personal favorite of all my books. But the thing about having your fourth book published is that it comes with a lot of expectations and goals for it to surpass your previous books. I was essentially a dancing monkey trying to make sure that I wrote every article and was a guest on every podcast and basically did anything and everything I could to make sure it would be a success. And I want to clarify that this was pressure I was putting on myself more than anything. I am a people pleaser by nature and I wanted everyone to be SO HAPPY.

    Here’s the thing, Church of the Small Things has done well. It just hasn’t necessarily sold over and above what my previous books have sold. It hasn’t set the world on fire. No one is offering to turn it into a movie and Reese Witherspoon still hasn’t called me. (Although if I’m picking, I’ve always thought Sandra Bullock should play me in my life story because she confirmed she can do a good Texas accent in Hope Floats) And I’m totally fine with that. In fact, it’s been a good lesson to me that where I belong – where I live my life – is truly in the small things. That was the whole point of that book from the beginning. It’s just that behind the scenes of it all it started to feel messy and I lost the joy of what it means to get to write books because it felt like it was under a microscope. It was the book that broke me. I forgot that all of this was a dream I didn’t even dare speak out loud just six or seven years ago.

    All of this say, I approached the release of Everyday Holy with zero expectations. I basically said no to everything I was asked to do. It was all part of my YEAR OF NO. And I felt great about it. God has absolutely used the last six months of my life to bring my focus back to what really matters and to not worry about the rest. You know what matters to me right now? Soccer games, track meets, dinner with my people, wine time with my girlfriends, and sitting out on the back porch on a pretty day. The end.

    So it’s been a fun couple of days because everyone has been so great about Everyday Holy and welcomed Richard with open arms. I’ve already gotten so many kind messages about the first couple of devotions and how they have spoken to you or encouraged you in some way. And that’s what this is all about for me…letting God use whatever meager little offering I have to help someone in some way.

    Thank you for that.

    And since so many of you have asked, Heather Gauthier doesn’t have a print of Richard’s Third Espresso available at the moment, but she is working on it and we’ll let you know just as soon as it’s ready for purchase.

    Also, for those of you who pre-ordered the book, your free matching journals will ship separately from my publisher in the next week to two weeks.

    Finally, I shared on Instagram that book release day is always super glamorous for me. This time I managed to do three loads of laundry by 9:00 am. and then I almost hesitate to tell you what I did next for fear the envy will overtake you.

    I cleaned my ovens.

    We had an Easter brunch tragedy over here that involved a french toast casserole that boiled over onto the bottom of both my ovens. The whole house filled with smoke as I inadvertently created burnt caramel inside my ovens. Nothing says gracious hostess like not being able to see your brunch guests through all the haze.

    Then I did what I always do in these situations which is forget all about it after the smoke clears. So when I went to make baked ravioli for dinner on Monday night, all of that burnt caramel concoction on the bottom of the ovens heated up and smoked up the house all over again. It’s moments like these when P is so glad he married me.

    And so I vowed AS GOD IS MY WITNESS that I would clean the ovens the very next day, which happened to be book release day. I used a Pinterest solution I read about that involves baking soda and vinegar.

    Sadly, this is the after picture.

    So if any of you have any great ideas about how to get baked on grease off an oven door and burnt heaven even knows what off the bottom of an oven, I’d be so appreciative. I mean, I probably won’t actually clean it again anytime soon but it will give me something to do the next time I have a book release.

    Once again, I’m sorry to make life the life of an author seem so extravagant and over the top. All I can say is don’t hate the player, hate the game.

    And somewhere right now Caroline just felt embarrassed and doesn’t even know why.

  • Everyday Holy

    So I have a new book out today.

    And it’s weird because I keep forgetting about it. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I feel like I was just doing all this with Church of the Small Things and now here I am again. Or maybe it’s because it’s mid-April and we’re just in that crazy downhill run to the end of the school year. Or maybe it’s because Cardi B. is pregnant and I’m just focusing on that.

    I don’t think it’s that last thing.

    Although Caroline told us at dinner last night that some of her friends were arguing on Snapchat about some stuff and P and I decided to do a deeper dive into that statement and asked, “What are they arguing about?” And she replied, “Oh, you know, like celebrity pregnancies and stuff.”

    I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.

    Anyway, Everyday Holy is different from my other books because it’s a 100 day devotional. When I started writing it, I thought it would essentially be like writing 100 blog posts. How hard could that be?

    Let me tell you the answer. It was very hard.

    But you know what it taught me to do? To look for God in all the ordinary, mundane day-to-day places of real life. That has really been the theme and the challenge God led me to as I wrote Church of the Small Things and it continued on into Everyday Holy. It has challenged me and it has changed me. It’s taught me that the biggest thing God calls us to do in this life is to look for him right where we are, instead of always waiting for that elusive next thing. He has each of us where we are for a reason and a purpose.

    As for the cover, I want to show you the original inspiration. My friend and artist, Heather Gauthier, painted this piece and named it “Richard’s Third Espresso”.

    I have this print of it sitting on my mantle because it makes me laugh every time I see it. And when we began to discuss the cover of the devotional, I was struggling with what it should look like. I mean, it’s a devotional book. Does that mean it needs to have like praying hands and a peaceful riverside scene on the front? Maybe a waterfall?

    So I sent them this picture of Richard and said, “Hey, I know this is random but I really love this guy” and they sent me back a prototype of what became the cover, featuring Richard front and center. I could not love it more.

    I feel like Richard is all of us. Life has him a little frazzled. Maybe even a tad freaked out. He needs that third espresso even though he knows that much caffeine is bad for him. And he’s got that one feather that won’t stay down no matter what products he uses.

    And here are a few sample pictures from the inside just so you can get a feel for how much it’s basically like something Oswald Chambers would have written.

    All that to say, I love this book. I realize I’m biased because I wrote it, but I’m really proud of how it came together and I know that God was in it every step of the way because otherwise I would’ve just watched Netflix.

    My hope is that it will make you think, make you laugh, and draw you closer to the God who loves to see us do both of those things every day. It would also make a great Mother’s Day or graduation gift because Richard is all about celebrating special occasions.

    The general average price point right now seems to be $12.32 (because apparently no one likes to end with a five or a zero anymore like God intended) and I don’t know how long that will last. The original price is $17.99 but we really wanted to offer it at a discount right from the beginning and someone actually listened to us.

    You can find it here on Amazon, here on Barnes & Noble, here at LifeWay, here at Faith Gateway, and here at Target.

    You can also find it inside actual bookstores if you are a person who still walks in a bookstore.

    Thank you so much for your support for Everyday Holy and please spread the word, write an online review if you feel so led and just know that I am so thankful for every bit of it.

    With much love and three espressos,

    Melanie

  • The Big Boo Cast, Episode 101

    That’s right. Episode 101. At the rate we’ll be at 200 by the year 2030.

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

    You can also listen on Stitcher or Google Play.

    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.

    Here’s where you can get more info on the stuff / products / places we mention:

    The Popcast Live in Dallas on May 5th (Melanie will be there!)

    The Happy Hour Live in Austin on May 5th (Sophie will be there!)

    Victoria Secret’s (comfortable!) strapless bra

    Bobeau Two-Pocket Cardigan

    Fashionable Rosario Flutter-Sleeve Jumpsuit

    Sophie’s new favorite dress (The Katy from Universal Standard – sizes 10-28 – and the fabric is SO GOOD)

    What Remains by Caroline Radziwill

    Everyday Holy – a new devotional book by our very own Melanie

    Collagen Powder Peptides 16oz Unflavored Hydrolyzed Collagen Grass-Fed Non-GMO Kosher Easy Mix Drink

    The Health Genie on Instagram

    Our new Big Boo Cast t-shirts from Milk and Honey Tees!