Author: Big Mama

  • An excerpt from Gulley about Autocorrect

    It is now officially just one week out from the release of Church of the Small Things, which means I am doing a lot of deep breathing and hiding out in my house. I’ve had October 3, 2017 circled on my calendar and by that I mean that I’ve had it marked on my iPhone calendar for almost two years so it’s a little surreal that it’s almost actually here. I guess part of me thought maybe Jesus might come back before I had to live through another book release.

    The truth is I’m excited about the book and about the message that small things matter. And so I thought it is fitting to have today’s excerpt read by none other than Gulley. The thing about Gulley that I don’t think you know unless you know her in real life is that she teaches preschool.

    Every day Gulley teaches three-year-olds how to stand in line and wash their hands and share their toys and not throw sand and to make it to the bathroom in time. This is my version of hell. But she does it with so much love and dedication and every time one of her little tiny students sees her around town it is like they have seen a rock star. They can barely contain their excitement. Seeing the way she loves her students and the way they love her is proof that the biggest difference we make while we walk this earth can usually be found in the smallest acts of faithfulness.

    Her other ministry is that she makes me laugh every single day.

    If you haven’t ordered it already, you might as well go ahead and order now because you only have to wait a week to get your book. Plus, you can still get all the free stuff for pre-ordering here. (If you have pre-ordered and never got your link with all the stuff, please email me with your order number and let me know!)

    There are still signed copies available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble with exclusive bonus content and a bullet journal in the back. You can order one here.

    And you can find it on Amazon here.

    And you can find the book trailer and all other buying options here.

  • The Big Boo Cast, Episode 82

    Full disclosure: Sophie and I talk a lot about football in this one. We originally recorded it last week before this past weekend’s football games so Sophie was wildly optimistic and I was all gloom and doom. But we added to it today and, well, the gist is that college football will break your heart.

    We also talk about rose hip oil, a new OLD show I’m loving and various and sundry other topics.

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

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

    You can also listen on Stitcher.

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

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

    – Sophie’s dear pretend friend Gerald McRaney wins an Emmy

    – This Is Us

    – Hart of Dixie

    – Mary Beth Whalen’s When We Were Worthy

    – Teddie Organics Rosehip Oil

    – “It’s A Heartache” by Bonnie Tyler

    *****

    – Melanie’s new book – Church of the Small Things

    – Sophie’s new journaling devotional – All in All

    – Melanie on Twitter and Instagram

    – Sophie on Twitter and Instagram

  • Fashion Friday: Edition the longest week

    This is just a theory I have and is no way necessarily scientific, but I believe the weeks are getting longer. It feels like it took us approximately 472 days to get from Monday to Friday. But, finally, here we are. Welcome, Friday, we are so glad to see you.

    You might remember that a few weeks ago I told y’all about a new online boutique that some friends of mine have started. It’s called The Nod and they have some really great stuff and just thought I’d share two of my favorites with you.

    I love this caroline top and not just because it has a great name. It also has a great back that makes it different from the other black tops I have in my closet.

    And I also love this lana layered necklace because I adore the look of layered necklaces but sometimes it feels like too much work.

    As for some other cute things I found this week, here we go:

    1. camo print stretch ankle leggings

    I took Caroline shopping last Saturday which explains how I found myself in Express after years of not finding myself in Express. And I saw these camo jeans. I have a pair of camo jeans that I have loved but they are getting worn and are in need of a replacement. This is the perfect camo jean, not too bold and just the right amount of faded with a distressed hem. They run small so you might want to go up a size, but they are so cute.

    2. j.crew side slit sweatshirt

    You might notice that I have chosen a lot of comfort clothes this week. It’s because this week has worn me down and I’m ready for clothes that feel like a warm hug. I love this because it’ll look great with anything from jeans to workout leggings to pajama pants. It also comes in navy.

    3. tiered ruffle sleeve dress

    But just in case you have an occasion coming up, I think this red dress is really pretty. I love the sleeves and the simple v-neck. It would be perfect for the holidays.

    4. j.crew city coat

    Every year I debate buying one of these city coats because I think they are so cute. And then I remember I live in San Antonio and I basically need a coat two days a year. But now I’ve seen it in this gorgeous green color and I might be powerless against us, plus the long term forecast is saying we are going to have a colder winter than normal. You call it justification, I call it being prepared.

    5. te amo minidress

    Red is such a big color for fall and I really love this. It also comes in black or white, but this red is stunning. Clearly, I would wear this with leggings.

    6. circle knit cardigan

    Anthropologie has 30% off all sale right now. This is $89.95 and I think it’s so cute and the color is perfect for winter.

    7. gap soft spun marled joggers

    I ran in Gap last week because I’d seen a black jumpsuit online and I was intrigued. They didn’t have the black jumpsuit, but they did have these “joggers” that we all know is just a fancy way of saying sweatpants. They are so soft and fit great without being bulky. I bought a pair for me and a pair for Caroline and we may not take them off all winter long.

    8. hailey crepe dress

    I ordered this a few weeks ago because I needed a simple dress that I could dress up or down. I was skeptical as to whether or not it would work, but it is so cute. I think you’d need something under the lighter colors, but the darker ones are great.

    9. asics gel-fit sana sneakers

    Look at these Asics that were made with Liberty of London patterns. I DIE. I need these to wear with my sweatpants. I mean “joggers”.

    10. gap striped ribbed leggings

    While I was in Gap I went to look at their pajamas because Gap pajamas are usually a win. These leggings are perfection. They are super soft, fit like a dream, don’t get all bagged out at the knees and are lightweight but warm enough that I’ll wear them all winter long. They are on sale for $25.

    I also love this sleep graphic pullover. I have been needing a sweatshirt type thing to wear at night because I always get cold before I go to bed. I’ve had the same on that I bought at Anthropologie years ago and it is so worn down that the material on the inside was starting to scrape my elbows to the point that they’d get raw. How embarrassing is it to say you have an injury from wearing a sweatshirt too long? That’s a low.

    And these gap mix and match sleep shirts are super soft and on sale. Some combo of all these pj pieces would make great Christmas gifts.

    That’s it for today.

    Have a good Friday.

  • An excerpt by Bops about Bops and Caroline

    Today we have an excerpt read by my dad, also known as Bops. He decided before Caroline was born that his grandpa name would be Pops, but Caroline pronounced it as Bops when she was a little over a year old and so Bops it is. He is the best.

    Also, this is a picture from about four years ago that is exhibit A of how much they favor each other.

    There are still a few signed, first edition copies available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble (Did I mention I signed my name until my left hand fell off and I nearly died?) and they are currently 30% off which makes them just $16.07, plus they have exclusive bonus content and a bullet journal in the back. You can order one here. Once they are gone, they are gone forever so if you want a signed copy for yourself or to give as gifts, this is your chance.

    And you can find the book trailer and all other buying options here.

    If you pre-order, don’t forget to go enter your order number here to get all your pre-order bonuses, which include downloadable prints by Heather Gauthier, the amazing cover artist, five of my family recipes, the first three chapters of the book and the first video session of the Church of the Small things Bible study. (If you have pre-ordered and never got your link with all the stuff, please email me with your order number and let me know!)

    Have a great Wednesday!

  • Here are some things

    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.

  • Fashion Friday: Edition if ever there was a Fri-Yay, this is it

    Maybe it’s because we are a month into school at this point or maybe it’s because last week was a short week and this week was a full on five day affair, but I am so ready for the weekend.

    Super quick note before we get to the fashion portion of this post. I have a guest post on Ann Voskamp’s blog that is an excerpt from Church of the Small Things. You can read that here if you’re interested. I’ll tell you that it’s one of my personal favorites from the book.

    Also, you know how much I love all things Hummingbird Farms lavender and I wanted to share their September special with you because it’s too good not to share. While supplies last you can get a bottle of their 12 oz lavender hand soap free when you purchase an 8 oz lavender lotion. And they also have specials on their heavy cream and body wash. You can find them all here. These would make great hostess gifts or Christmas presents or just a little happy for yourself.

    And now for some cute things I found this week:

    1. outfield v-neck tee

    This is a great basic v-neck tee with a great length. It’s on sale for $39.95 plus an extra 25% off all sale at Anthropologie right now. It comes in several color options and is perfect by itself or to layer under cardigans and jackets for the colder months ahead.

    2. monroe oversized button down

    This is so cute and $49.95 plus an extra 25% off all sale. It also comes in a muted red and white stripe. I can’t decide which one is my favorite.

    3. laguna thermal top

    This is one of those tops that I will debate buying and then will finally cave and it will be on my body for five out of seven days every single week. I love the length, the cut and it comes in several color options.

    4. tie bell sleeve sweater

    Love the sleeves on this sweater and that it is a good length. As you can tell, I’m all about the length on things right now. I think this is because I ordered a shirt last week and it came in and barely hit my waist and I was all like “NICE TRY BUT I AM FORTY-SIX YEARS OLD.”

    This also comes in other colors.

    5. gap fit hoodie

    My conservative estimate is that I own five of these hoodies in various colors. They are the perfect weight for a Texas fall and great for just running around or actually working out.

    6. plaid flannel boyfriend shirt

    Plaid is still everywhere this fall and these Old Navy boyfriend shirts are fairly inexpensive and come in cute color combinations.

    7. tie front cozy fleece pullover

    You can’t appreciate how soft this is just by looking at this picture. These are 40% off and just $35.40 and it would be worth getting one even if you just wear it around the house. They are super comfortable.

    8. lace up lounge hoodie

    Speaking of super comfortable, this is 40% off and $51.60. It also comes in black and would look cute with jeans and sneakers.

    9. flutter sleeve shift dress

    This dress is so pretty, but simple. I’m a fan of that combo. It also comes in black or red and is on sale for $41.40.

    10. superga sneakers

    I ordered a pair of these last year and decided they were too wide for my feet. But I still love them so much and Duchess Kate wears them and surely her feet aren’t wider than mine. That would be very un-princesslike. So I think I may have to try them again because the gray color is all I want in a sneaker.

    That’s it for today.

    Have a good Friday.