Author: Big Mama

  • Fashion Friday: Edition we’ve (kind of) survived the first week of school

    This week was our first week back to school. Online.

    via GIPHY

    It certainly wasn’t how I imagined Caroline’s senior year in high school would begin, but we are making the best of it and hoping she can actually be in school in person again before too long.

    The good news is we saved a fortune on back to school clothes shopping because we have all the pajamas we need. And I totally forgot she might need actual things like new notebooks and pens until Tuesday when she said, “Hey Mom, I need new notebooks and pens.”

    What I’m saying is things are totally under control at our house. The Shankle Institute for Distance Learning is currently rated a D minus.

    Here are some cute things I found this week while I wasn’t back to school shopping at Target.

    1. neve tiered blouse

    This is a darling top with a longer length and it’s on sale for $49.95 plus an additional 25% off. It comes in a couple of other color options and all are equally great.

    2. H&M loose knit sweater

    I have the black version of this sweater from last year and love it. So I went to see if H&M had it again this year and found this beige one from last year on sale for $11.99. I’m not sure how long that price will last, but even at full price it’s just $24.99.

    It’s a great lightweight tunic length sweater that’s perfect with leggings or jeans. It comes in black, olive and beige.

    3. stars above striped pajama set

    I saw these pajamas in Target this week and they called out to me because I love a stripe. And I also love pajamas. These are $24.99 and also come in gray.

    4. farm rio gabriela knit maxi skirt

    I featured this skirt a couple of weeks ago but wanted to feature it again because I cannot stress how great it is in real life. The colors are perfection, it’s super soft and the fit is so flattering.

    It’s on sale for $89.95 plus an additional 25% off.

    5. leah kimono

    This kimono is the perfect piece to get you through the end of summer and then transition into fall. It’s on sale for $59.95 plus an additional 25% off.

    6. serena surf henley blouse

    I know I’m heavy on the Anthropologie items, but they have so many great pieces on sale right now. This cute top is $59.95 plus an additional 25% off and also comes in other colors and a blue and green striped pattern.

    7. natalie flounced tunic

    I love this little tunic dress. It would be cute with sandals now and then booties and a leather jacket later. It’s on sale for $89.50 plus an additional 25% off.

    The length is 36.5 inches so it will hit right above the knee on most people 5’7″ or shorter. (I checked because they call it a tunic but then it’s styled as a dress and I wanted clarification.)

    8. giorgia embroidered maxi dress

    This maxi dress is so gorgeous and would transition so well into fall. The reviews say to size up because it is smaller through the bust area so keep that in mind.

    It’s on sale for $129.95 plus an additional 25% off.

    9. leggings depot jogger track pants

    I ordered these last week and they are so soft and dreamy. They are lightweight and the perfect lounge jogger pant, yet I would wear them out as well. I ordered a large because the reviews said to size up and they were way too big so I’m trying a medium next. So I would say order your true size.

    They are just $14.99 and come in several other colors and patterns.

    10. aerie boyfriend voop oversized t-shirt

    I didn’t know that one of my favorite necklines is a voop but apparently that’s the word for a scoop/v-neck t-shirt. I like a voop. It’s the flattering cut of a v-neck but the softness of a scoop. This is oversized, so soft and just $24.95.

    It comes in a ton of color options and you can wear it loose or tie it up.

    That’s it for today. Have a good Friday.

  • Fashion Friday: Edition it’s my birthday

    That’s right. It’s my birthday today.

    I’m officially starting the last year of my forties and so I can only imagine that the money I spend on skincare will increase over the next year.

    via GIPHY

    Here are some cute things I found this week that I may or may not buy myself to celebrate my birthday.

    1. milly plaid button down

    Here’s what you need to know immediately. Francesca’s currently has everything on sale for $20. EVERYTHING. I personally really like this plaid button down for myself, but the truth is we find a lot of cute stuff for Caroline there.

    So if you’re a mom/grandma/aunt/friend of a teen girl, this is a great time to find cute things for a great price.

    2. chic grey cardigan

    I know it’s hard to think about a cardigan when it’s so hot outside, but I think this one is really fun. It’s $46.

    3. solar wind and rain anorak

    Athleta has a lot of things on sale right now, including this lightweight raincoat for $49.99. It also comes in a shoreline beige color.

    I love that it’s such a feminine cut. It would go well with just about anything. Also, I wish it would rain.

    4. universal thread short sleeve flutter dress

    Anthropologie had a dress really similar to this last spring, but this one is priced much better at just $29.99. It also comes in plus sizes and a couple of different print and color options. I personally really like this color for fall.

    5. salutation jogger

    These joggers at Athleta aren’t on sale, but I really like them. I think this could be a basic that I’d wear almost every day because it’s not like I ever have to get dressed up anymore. They are $89 and come in several color options.

    6. vince camuto rumple fabric blouse

    I’m not featuring much of Nordstrom’s anniversary sale because most of the things I really like are already sold out. The exception is this top. I love that the length is a little shorter than some of the tunic length tops I have. Plus, it’s just a great versatile basic.

    It’s on sale for $48.90 and comes in several colors.

    7. cloudlight restore tank

    I wouldn’t normally spend $49 for a workout tank, but I’m also not in a life situation where I basically wear athleisure 24/7. I love the longer length of this and the asymmetrical hem. It comes in several color options.

    8. good fortune green camo sneakers

    These are super cute sneakers for just $28.

    9. vince camuto gradina block heel bootie

    This is my only other Nordstrom sale item. I’ve needed a pair of booties with a heel because my old ones are totally beat up. These are my personal favorites from the sale and they are on sale for $99.90.

    10. breathe Old Navy pullover hoodie

    Did I mention all I’m wearing is athleisure? This Old Navy pullover is the perfect weight and length to wear with my workout leggings or shorts. It’s on sale for $25 and comes in several color options.

    That’s it for today.

    Have a good Friday.

  • Big Boo Cast: Episode 197

    This week we answer some listener questions covering a broad range of topics, but you need to know that college football was one of those topics and we have SOME THOUGHTS. I may have gotten carried away. However, I stand by everything I say. I regret nothing.

    via GIPHY

    Become a Patron!

    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:

    – Athleta Salutation Joggers

    – Athleta Farollon Stratum Joggers (please go on sale please go on sale)

    – Ohio State in the SEC? (we don’t think this will actually happen – but the idea is an interesting one)

    — KitchenAid stand mixer

    – Caphalon

    – Poppies on Blue

    – Our Amazon Shop

    Sponsors:

    – KiwiCo (use this link for 30% off your first order and free shipping)

    – Acorn.tv (use the promo code BIGBOO for 30 days free)

    – Crayola School Mask Pack

  • Fashion Friday: Edition is it fall yet?

    Here’s the highlight of my week:

    It rained here on Monday night.

    Actually, Monday was Caroline’s birthday so that was the biggest highlight, but the rain was a close second. It’s just so dang hot and the rain made it actually feel cool for a second. It made the sky cloudy enough that our air actually quit running for a few minutes because it was able to cool off our house without the intensity of the sun beating down on our roof.

    I realize you didn’t come here for a weather report, but that’s an indicator of how boring this week has been.

    However, there are a lot of good sales happening. I’m not talking about the Nordstrom sale yet because I’m assuming most of you are like me and can’t shop it until August 13th at the earliest. And if you can shop it earlier, then you probably have someone smarter than me telling you what you should buy.

    Anyway, here are a few cute things I found this week:

    1. farm rio gabriela knit maxi skirt

    Let me tell you a short story. Last fall back when life was normal, I stopped by Anthropologie to check out the sale room. There was a gorgeous maxi skirt marked down to 50% off and so I tried it on. Then I fell in love.

    I had never heard of the Farm Rio brand until that day, but now I’m a huge fan of their gorgeous prints. This skirt is very similar to the one I bought that day. The knit is so soft and it’s very forgiving even though it’s a fitted type skirt. It’s not tight and so comfortable. Mine is a small and I’m normally a 4-6.

    This skirt was $138 but is on sale for $89.95 plus an additional 25% off all sale at Anthropologie.

    2. just you wait navy blue floral top

    I think this is the cutest top. I love the colors and it would be so cute with skinny jeans and booties for the fall. It’s $36 but you can get 15% off when you sign up for emails.

    3. old navy linen blend shirtdress

    These Old Navy shirt dresses are such a great basic piece. You can wear them now with sandals or sneakers and then wear a long cardigan over them with booties for the fall.

    This is $28 with an extra 30% off at checkout.

    4. breaking free magenta batwing sweater

    I realize I am getting ahead of myself with this sweater, but the color is so gorgeous. You also don’t have to wear it off your shoulder like that unless you just want to. It’s $54 but you can get 15% off if you sign up for emails.

    And if you’re in the market for some faux leather type leggings this fall and winter, these American Eagle crackle leggings are great and on sale for just $38.46.

    5. stars above wide leg lounge pants

    I know I featured these last week but I don’t want you to miss them. They are the softest dang thing I’ve maybe ever put on and just $19.99. I love them so much that I’m going to get them in the light gray, too.

    And the matching stars above lounge sweatshirt is also $19.99.

    The whole set is so comfortable and soft. I’m just saying that pandemic times require pandemic clothes. Treat yo’ self.

    6. zella high waist daily leggings

    These are my very favorite leggings of all time. I wear them dressed up with boots and tunics and I wear them to work out in when the weather is cool. This is a great deal on them right now. They are normally $58 but on sale for $26.97.

    7. perfect puff sleeve blouse

    My friend Ashley has the cutest online shop called The Bluest Willow. You can follow her shop and see all her new arrivals each week on Instagram here.

    This top was my show stopper this week. I love the color and the style. Plus, you know how I love a piece that you can wear now and then transition for fall later.

    It’s $36.

    8. daily ritual jersey muscle swing dress

    This has been my shining star for the last two summers. It’s just a great basic and I find myself wearing it over and over again because it’s just so easy to throw on any time I have to leave the house.

    It’s just $18.50 and it comes in a ton of colors and some stripe options.

    9. abercrombie mid rise jean leggings

    Abercrombie has all jeans 50% off right now and these are even an additional 25% off. They feel just like leggings and are so comfortable. But there are a ton of great options and styles on sale so I’d definitely look around if these aren’t your style but you are in need of jeans.

    10. marc fisher hopee booties

    I realize these are awfully winter-ish, but they are on sale for $49.98 and that’s a great deal. I bought a pair similar to these last year and replaced the laces with red shoelaces from Amazon and they were my favorites.

    These also come in black.

    11. ripped ultra high rise straight overalls

    My overalls have been a quarantine staple for me and so I’m either way on trend or I’m too old to care that I’m now back to wearing overalls after I swore I wouldn’t do that again in 1996. The heart wants what it wants.

    These are on sale for $55 and I love the distressed look. You can wear them now with a tank and sandals and then later with long sleeves and booties. I’m a fan. The end.

    I also love these white wide-leg overalls for something different.

    They are also on sale for $55 and I think they would look so cute with a black long sleeve top and booties this fall.

    12. madden girl booties

    Speaking of booties, I really like these if you’re in the market for a new pair. They are on sale for $59.99 and also come in black.

    That’s it for today.

    Have a good Friday.

  • Seventeen

    Dear Caroline,

    Today you are seventeen. Even as I type that, I can’t wrap my mind around it.

    I spent all day yesterday thinking about where I was and what I was doing seventeen years ago. In the early morning hours of August 2, 2003, I woke up with stomach pains that I felt certain were the result of eating too much chicken spaghetti the night before. I laid in bed from 2:00 a.m. until 6:00 a.m. with stomach pains that occurred about every thirty minutes and it never even dawned on me that I might be in labor and not in the throes of food poisoning.

    When Daddy finally woke up about 6:30, he asked, “Do you think you’re in labor?” Which was a valid question considering I was thirty-seven weeks pregnant. Sure enough, you had decided it was time to see the world and showed up at 2:14 a.m. on August 3. I didn’t realize you might be early because that wasn’t in the plan, which was just the beginning of things I didn’t know seventeen years ago.

    Here are the few things I did know:

    -You were going to be a girl.
    -We were naming you Caroline Tatum Shankle.
    -Your nursery was decorated in pale pinks and greens that I meticulously picked out.
    -I figured it might be a while before I got a good night’s sleep after you were born.

    Here’s what I didn’t know:

    -That you would change my life forever for the better.
    -I wouldn’t sleep through the night again for about five or thirteen years.
    -The way you’d make me laugh so hard that I couldn’t breathe.
    -That you’d have a little dimple that shows up under your eye when you smile.
    -Seventeen years would go by so mind-numbingly fast.

    You arrived in our lives two weeks ahead of schedule and we have never been the same. I don’t know what we did before you came along, but I know it wasn’t filled with as much joy and laughter. You made us a family.

    This past year…what can I say about this year? Speaking of things I didn’t know…who could have known that the second half of your junior year in high school would be cut short by a pandemic? There is no page in a baby book entitled “Baby’s First Pandemic”.

    One of the things I prayed for over the last twelve months was that you would see and know the goodness of God. I want that to be the guiding light of your whole life and, honestly, I just want to see life work out for you. So it was hard to watch you struggle with soccer injuries, disappointments, and feeling left out a lot of the time.

    But every time I questioned why, God constantly reminded me that His goodness doesn’t always look like my version of good. That never felt more true than when the Coronavirus hit and life totally shut down, ending your junior year and soccer season on a weird, incomplete note.

    Here’s what I watched you learn over the last several months. You don’t always get to choose what happens to you in life. You don’t get to pick which challenges you have to face or what circumstances you may live through, but you get to choose how you’re going to deal with those things. You get to choose your attitude and your outlook and I’ve seen you rise to the occasion in circumstances that are truly unprecedented.

    You’ve fought for joy and laughter. (One of my personal highlights of 2020 was the day you got your wisdom teeth out and were the most hilarious post-op patient ever) You’ve continued to push yourself even when it would have been easy to give up. You’ve learned to advocate for yourself and speak your mind even when it’s not the popular thing to do. I’m so proud of who you are and it’s made me see the goodness of God with a whole new perspective. Warriors don’t learn to be strong if they are never tested.

    Here’s something else I didn’t know seventeen years ago:

    I didn’t know that you would actually be the one showing me what it means to stay strong in the face of adversity.

    On Saturday – as if your seventeenth birthday being imminent wasn’t enough on my heart – you spent the day working on your applications to college. Texas A&M is at the top of your list which makes me feel like I’ve nailed this whole parenting thing.

    After you finished checking over that particular application one last time, you told me you were ready to hit submit. I asked if you wanted to pray before you did and so we held hands and you prayed. I’ll keep your words private but hearing that prayer confirmed for me that you have grown into a woman who is chasing after everything God has called her to be. You trust in the goodness of God even if it looks different from what you planned.

    And as you face your senior year of high school with so many unknowns and uncertainties, I look at you and know without a doubt that you’ll make the best of it no matter what comes your way. You’ve been forged in fires that neither of us necessarily wanted, but here’s something else I didn’t know seventeen years ago:

    It’s often those tough, scary, and unwanted things that are making you into exactly who God has called you to be.

    Since life turned sideways this spring, I’ve found comfort in the words of the song “The Blessing”. I bet I’ve listened to it a million times and I sing it as a prayer over your life, so it feels fitting to end this year’s birthday letter with those words.

    “The Lord bless you
    And keep you
    Make His face shine upon you
    And be gracious to you
    The Lord turn His
    Face toward you
    And give you peace

    May His favor be upon you
    And a thousand generations
    And your family and your children
    And their children, and their children

    May His presence go before you
    And behind you, and beside you
    All around you, and within you
    He is with you, He is with you

    In the morning, in the evening
    In your coming, and your going
    In your weeping, and rejoicing
    He is for you, He is for you”

    Don’t ever forget that He is for you.

    And so are Daddy and me.

    We will be cheering you on every step of the way and cherishing every single second of your last year at home. Here’s the last thing we didn’t know seventeen years ago:

    You are every dream we had come true.

    Love,

    Mom

  • Fashion Friday: Edition the end of July

    Well, here we are at the very end of July. I’m not sure if time is going faster or slower at this point and I guess it doesn’t really matter.

    Here’s what I do know. I’m predictable even in a pandemic because I’m starting to think about fall clothes. In a normal year this means I’m thinking about all the places and events I have planned for the fall and what I’ll need.

    This year?

    I don’t know what it means. I just know I love fall and winter clothes.

    Here are some cute things I found this week:

    1. solene midi dress

    I always like to see what new dresses Anthropologie has in and I love this one to transition into fall. It would be so cute with sandals now and booties and a denim jacket later. It’s $148 but I bet it goes on sale at some point.

    2. ae ribbed henley t-shirt

    This is the softest long sleeve shirt I’ve found and it looks cute on its own or as a layer. It comes in several color options and is $39.95.

    3. army button down

    I saw this and immediately fell in love. I know camo isn’t for everyone, but I can see this with black leggings and tall boots this fall. It’s $42.

    4. prologue cap sleeve dress

    It’s hard to beat a good basic dress for $22.99 This one has great reviews and also comes in tan.

    5. kimberley tunic

    We have a Sundance store here in town now that I haven’t been in much because we are currently in a pandemic. But I ran in there the other day and found this top on sale for 50% off. I cannot tell you how much I love it. It’s supposed to be wrinkled which is a plus and is so lightweight and easy to wear.

    It’s $88 and not on sale online unfortunately. Although I’d pay full price for it now that I’ve discovered how much I like it. It also comes in pink.

    6. universal thread shirt dress

    This is another great basic to transition into fall. It’s longer than it looks on this model and hits me about an inch or so above my knee and I’m 5’6″. It works great with sandals or boots or even sneakers.

    It also comes in a rust color and is $27.99.

    7. zella strength racerback tank

    This is a great workout tank for $25. It comes in several color options and, personally, I like to size up one because I like my workout tanks a little roomier and longer.

    8. free people getaway with me tunic

    I think this is the cutest tunic and it’s still full price for $108 at Nordstrom. But I found it for 40% off with code BACKTOSCHOOL at checkout at Belk making it just $64.80.

    It comes in a couple of different colors and Belk has a ton of great Free People things 40% off right now so it’s worth looking around.

    9. cloth and stone woodland pocket button down

    I love a good plaid buttondown for fall and winter. Evereve is a having a huge clearance sale and this is normally $88 but on sale for $35.99.

    10. 7 for all mankind dojo jeans

    Evereve also has a ton of designer jeans way on sale. These are so cute and on sale for $103.99. They are normally $165.

    11. stars above cozy lounge pants

    I have a pair of lounge pants like these from Target and I wear them every night. The wide leg is my favorite. I just ordered these pair as well because I can’t risk them going out of existence. They are $19.99 also come in light gray.

    You can also get the matching stars above cozy lounge sweatshirt.

    It’s also $19.99 and comes in light gray.

    12. nashelle pure bar drop earrings

    These pretty earrings are normally $41 but on sale for $16.40. They also come in silver and rose gold. I love a simple earring that’s different from the hoops I normally wear.

    That’s it for today.

    Have a good Friday.