Author: Big Mama

  • Prayers for Texas and ways to help


    (graphic by August Joffe)

    Well if you’re like me then you haven’t been able to quit watching the news coverage of the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey on Texas over the weekend. We are just fine here in San Antonio after some rain and wind, but our beloved Texas coast and Houston area won’t be the same again for a long time. I’d like to ask you all to pray for Houston since the rain is projected to continue falling for days. Pray that God would calm this storm, cause the rains to cease and that Hurricane Harvey would go away for good. Pray for the people who have been affected, lost their homes and have nowhere to go at this point.

    As I watched the news over the weekend, I was moved to tears several times by the outpouring of help and love demonstrated over and over again. In a time when it seems that all we hear about is the worst of humanity, this weekend we saw the very best of it in my dear home state.

    Here are some ways you can help in case you are interested. All of these are organizations I trust to be diligent about using the money to help those in need.

    1. You can request help, offer help, or donate to the Bayou City Fellowship Hurricane Harvey Outreach. This is my friend Amanda’s church and I know without a doubt that they will be good stewards of any money given and make sure that 100% goes straight to help victims.

    2. AirBnB is coordinating free housing for those who need a place to stay. You can find a place to stay or offer a place here.

    3. JJ Watt of the Houston Texans has started a Houston Flood Relief Fund. You can donate here.

    4. You can donate through Samaritan’s Purse here.

    5. The South Texas Blood & Tissue center needs blood donations, especially O negative and O positive blood. If you’re in San Antonio or the New Braunfels area, go to their website or call 210-731-5590 to schedule an appointment to donate blood.

    6. The Texas Diaper Bank could use monetary donations and also actual diapers, for both babies and adults to help out families displaced by the hurricane. You can donate here.

    7. Donate to a local food bank: San Antonio Food Bank
    Corpus Christi Food Bank
    Houston Food Bank

    8. Convoy of Hope is taking donations here.

    9. Disaster Assistance to apply for assistance online if you are in immediate need and are in one of the disaster areas.

    If you happen to know of any other reliable charities or ways to help, please feel free to leave them in the comments. I’d encourage everyone to check the legitimacy of various organizations through Charity Navigator.

  • Fashion Friday: Edition Tropical Storm Harvey

    Well our original plan for the weekend was to head to College Station for a soccer tournament. But the tournament has been cancelled along with basically everything else in Texas. Fortunately, I went to Target yesterday and stocked up on the hurricane necessities.

    And please note those are chocolate blueberries so I didn’t forget the fruit.

    In all seriousness, this is shaping up to be a potentially bad one for the Texas coast so please keep Texas in your prayers and pray that the storm doesn’t gain more strength before it hits the shore.

    On a fashion note (since this is Fashion Friday) I wanted to tell you about a new online shop that some girls here in San Antonio have started. It’s called The Nod Boutique and you can find them here on Facebook or visit their website here.

    Right now I have my eye on this haylie white top because I can’t resist a cute white top.

    And this samantha top is also really versatile and also comes in maroon.

    Here are some other cute things I found this week:

    1. edgewise chambray tunic

    This is such a great top to transition into fall because you can wear it with shorts or jeans. It also comes in white. It’s on sale for $59.95 plus an extra 30% off and free shipping with no code needed at checkout.

    I’m not sure why Anthropologie doesn’t just offer free shipping all the time, but that’s a post for another day.

    2. pleated v-neck tunic tank

    I ordered this in black and I love it. In fact, I want to order another one as soon as I decide which color to get. It looks cute by itself but is also perfect for layering under a jacket or cardigan when the weather cools off. It’s $29.95 plus an extra 30% off and free shipping And it comes in a bunch of color options.

    3. bow back bell sleeve top

    The reviews say to size down in this, but I love the sleeve detail and the bow in the back. It’s 40% off and now $35.40.

    4. lenox sunglasses

    If you’re in the market for an inexpensive, cute pair of sunglasses, I really like these. They are on sale for $19.95 plus an extra 30% off and free shipping.

    5. dressy lariat necklace

    I’m not sure why I haven’t seen this necklace before now, but I adore it. It would be such a great addition to almost any outfit and it comes in several color options.

    6. j.crew cuffed striped boatneck shirt

    I love a striped shirt. But a striped shirt with cute cuffs? I love that even more. This is on sale for $24.50.

    7. maddy mule

    That’s right. The mule is back. I’m not totally sure how I feel about it because they remind me of my mid-90s self who had a hard time walking quietly in a mule. But this one is super cute and comes in a bunch of color options. I especially love this magenta because go big or go home.

    8. knotted hem marled cuff tee

    I think we all know how I feel about a shirt that ties in front. This one is no exception and it comes in several colors, plus it’s only $10 or $12 depending on which color you choose. I would order a size larger than what you normally wear because I think their things tend to run small.

    9. gap lattice back tank

    I really like this lattice back tank for working out. It comes in several colors and is on sale for $24.

    10. hue essential denim leggings

    One of the things that I think we’re all going to really want this fall and winter is a good skinny pair of black pants or jeans. These are technically neither. Yet they give the illusion of a great pair of skinny black jeans with the comfort of a legging. That’s what I call #winning.

    11. monogrammed clear stadium cross body purse

    I meant to mention these last week. For those of us who plan to attend sporting events at our various alma maters, most no longer allow you to carry in a bag that isn’t clear. And it’s hard to feel very fashion forward carrying around a Ziploc bag or a big clear tote. That’s why I love this small clear cross body monogrammed bag. I got mine with a maroon monogram of course and it’s just the right size to hold my phone, cash and credit cards and lipstick. In other words, all your gameday essentials.

    That’s it for today.

    Have a good Friday.

  • An excerpt about sisters

    Y’all.

    We are just barely surviving the first week of school, not because it hasn’t been good because it has been great. But err’ybody in my house be so tired. It’s hard to get back in a routine and my brain hasn’t quite caught up. I’ve been getting in bed every night by 10:30 or 11:00 but I still lie there wide awake until about 1:30 a.m. Why? Because my brain thinks it should be watching something on Netflix.

    Hopefully my sheer exhaustion will give the memo to the rest of me that it’s time to actually fall asleep at a decent hour.

    Okay, so here’s something fun. This past spring my publisher came to my house and filmed various people reading excerpts from Church of the Small Things for me to share leading up to its official release on October 3 and since we are now just a little over a month away from that day, I can officially start sharing them with you.

    Here’s the first one read by my sister, Amy. (Amy, you are welcome for that still screen shot. I had no control over that.)

    There are still some signed, first edition copies available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble and they are currently 30% off which makes them just $16.07. You can order one here.

    It’s also marked down 33% on Amazon and is just $15.31 but the signed copies are only at Barnes & Noble. You can find it on Amazon here.

    And 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.

    I thought I’d share a little bit about why pre-orders are important in case you are wondering or maybe even if you aren’t wondering. Either way, knowledge is good. Early pre-orders effect the initial print run of a book, how many copies retailers order and where the book is actually sold when it releases on October 3, plus it helps make sure that it doesn’t run out of stock on Amazon and other places. All of these things help a book get noticed and that helps spread the word and get the book in front of more people which is what needs to happen so I can write more books. It’s basically like If You Give A Mouse A Cookie except it’s books and not cookies unless you decide to eat a cookie while reading the book, which I highly recommend.

    All that to say, thank you for pre-ordering and thank you for being excited about Church of the Small Things. I cannot even tell you how much I appreciate all the support as I emotionally prepare myself to launch this new baby out into the world. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you are the best.

    And now I’m going to try to go to bed at 10:15 in a quest to be my best adult self.

  • The first day of high school

    So this little nugget started high school yesterday.

    Untitled from Big Mama on Vimeo.

    Which is so weird since it feels like that video I filmed the night before she started Kindergarten was like two years ago. So much has changed, except the fact that she still brings her lunch to school every day. She has never one time fallen for my suggestion that she might like the cafeteria food if she tried it.

    And I honestly have been fine all summer about her starting high school, especially in light of seeing all the Facebook posts from so many of my friends dropping their kids off at college. Gulley texted me last night and said, “These college drop offs are killing me. I had to get in the wine.” I totally agreed with her. It’s reduced some of the toughest guys I know to posting things like “drove up to the house and realized her car wasn’t in the driveway and wouldn’t be again for a long time and broke down crying.” But I do have to say that dorm room decor has come a long way since I was a freshman in college. I thought we were so fancy because my roommate had a giant pink and green Swatch watch that she hung on our wall, but now people have fabric headboards and rugs that aren’t just a carpet remnant from a local flooring store and ambient lighting.

    Anyway, all that to say, I was feeling totally fine and emotionally stable about Caroline starting high school. We woke up yesterday morning and I cooked breakfast, packed her lunch and drove her to school. Everything was fine until she hopped out of the car and I watched her walk through the front doors of the high school that we pass a million times a day and it hit me like a ton of bricks, MY BABY IS GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL.

    I cried a few tears and then drove to spin class at Cycle Hub because my fall self has made promises to my summer self about diet and exercise and “being an adult”. After that I had an appointment to get my hair cut and colored because my gray hairs are relentless, but I really didn’t worry about Caroline all day long. That feels weird because high school is a big step and she’s at a new campus with boys that shave. But the truth is I knew she’d be fine. She’s ready for this next step and I guess that’s what parenthood is all about, preparing your kids for what’s next and then cheering them on as they go. Like she told a friend of mine later in the day at Target as we lamented our babies growing older and eventually moving out, “Well, I could always just stay home forever and live in the basement.”

    This would be problematic. And not just because we don’t even have a basement.

    I picked her up after school and she got in the car with a smile and reports of a good day. Of course I wanted a play-by-play and instead got bits and pieces of information that she shared over the course of the evening and the bottom line is that high school is off to a good start, which makes me so thankful.

    It also makes me not want to think about how fast the next four years will go by. For starters, I don’t know that I’m capable of decorating a dorm room that’s worthy of a spread in Southern Living.

    Oh, there was also an eclipse yesterday in case you didn’t hear.

  • Big Boo Cast: Episode 80

    We are headed back to school in the morning and by we, I mean Caroline. But it seems like it’s time given that she looked at me at 6:00 this evening and declared that she was bored. I suggested she could clean out her closet or work on her summer reading vocabulary or go scoop dog poop in the backyard, but none of those options seemed to appeal to her. I can’t imagine why.

    Sophie and I recorded a new podcast on Saturday morning and we were happy that Travis could join us for the fun. We discussed Bible studies, Amish donuts, our kids getting older and various other topics.

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

    You can also listen on Stitcher.

    Or, as always, you can subscribe on iTunes. We’d be honored if you’d leave us a review.

    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:

    – Travis Cottrell

    – Nut Thins crackers

    – Chicken in a Biscuit crackers

    – Beanitos

    – Melanie and Perry’s wedding picture

    – “George. George Glass.”

    – Awaken by Priscilla Shirer

    – Goliath Must Fall by Louie Giglio (from Sophie: I totally forgot to mention that this book is what our small group is reading this fall)

    – Community Worship in San Antonio

    – Entrusted by Beth Moore

    – Seamless by Angie Smith

    – The One Year Josh McDowell’s Youth Devotions

    – Teddie Organics Rosehip Oil

    – Toni Home Perm

    – “The Best Beauty Lessons We’ve Picked Up From Kate Middleton”

    – Dear Evan Hansen

    *****

    – 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 last one of the summer

    This is the last Friday of our summer. I realize some of you have already gone back to school and some of you have another week or so, but this is our last hurrah. We plan to celebrate by staying up late one more night, sleeping in late one more morning, and then going back to being responsible members of society like we were in May.

    Here are a few cute things I found this week even though it’s too hot for me to ever imagine needing a sweater ever again.

    1. open front cardigan

    Otherwise known as a winter coat in South Texas. I really like this and it also comes in black.

    2. open-stitched cardigan

    I love this gold color and it’s on sale for $59.95 plus an extra 30% with no code needed. It also comes in white.

    3. siya dress

    This is so pretty and it also comes in a stripe pattern. It’s $89.95 plus an extra 30% off at checkout with no code needed.

    4. artless flowers embroidered chambray dress

    I really love this for a fall transition dress.

    5. gap camo skinny jeans

    Camo is still a big thing for fall and it’s everywhere. On sweaters, jackets and these cute skinny jeans at Gap. I have a pair of camo skinny jeans that I’ve had for years and they are a closet staple.

    I’ve worn them with a pinstripe popover and sneakers.

    I’ve worn them with a chambray shirt and boots or booties.

    And I usually wear them with a v-neck black t-shirt or any other black top I have in my closet and, trust me, there are many because I can’t say no to a black top.

    6. stevie cardigan

    This is just $39 and those lace sleeves are a beautiful detail.

    7. old navy crewneck t dress

    The other day I was looking for just a simple black casual dress that I could throw on with a denim jacket and sneakers. Or that I could wear under a sweater vest thing I have or with a kimono. And I found this one at Old Navy for $15. It also comes in other colors but I wanted the black.

    8. old navy button-front shirt dress

    How perfect is this for Aggie football games? It also comes in black and olive green in case you don’t plan to attend any Aggie football games or would like a color other than maroon.

    9. loft eyelet split sleeve blouse

    Loft has 50% off with no code needed at checkout right now. I really like this blouse because I could pretty much wear it year round. It’s cute with sandals and shorts now, but would look equally good with jeans and boots later.

    10. nike air zoom pegasus

    These are my favorite athletic shoes ever. They come in several color options but I am loving the white and gold.

    That’s it for today.

    Have a good Friday.