Books

Well if you’ve been wondering what I’ve been up to over the last couple of days, I’ll tell you. Trying to get over this.

Nothing in my life really prepared me for that.

Our entire weekend basically consisted of either watching Caroline play soccer or driving Caroline to her soccer games. She had her last games with her school team in addition to playing in a tournament with her club team and that all adds up to A LOT OF SOCCER.

I also feel that I should mention that it was cold and windy both days, although considering some of you live in the Northeast and are currently buried in snow, I’m guessing that my sob story about sitting outside on a 40 degree morning isn’t really going to garner much sympathy.

In other news, I have a few things to share that I don’t have the energy to compose actual paragraphs for so I will present them in a list format.

1. The Big Boo Summer Tour

A while back Compassion International contacted Sophie and me to see if we might be interested in essentially bringing our podcast to the road. On a bus. And I said no because did you just read the part about a bus?

But then they threw in that Travis Cottrell would join us to lead worship and I decided that maybe the bus experience might be more “Beyonce Tour Bus” than “Greyhound from Houston to San Antonio”. Although now I’m thinking it’s probably going to lean more towards Greyhound than Beyonce, but it’s too late.

Anyway, I’m super excited about this and think it will be a ton of fun. We’ll talk about everything from friendship to mascara. There are still some openings left so if your church is interested in bringing us in June 2016 please contact [email protected] for more information.

2. The Antelope in the Living Room

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the kindle version of Antelope is on sale for just $2.99. You can find it right here.

3. Southern Living 50th Anniversary Edition

I canceled my subscriptions to all magazines several years ago because I just never really had time to read them and I felt like I could find anything I was looking for on Pinterest and the internet in general. But then Caroline had a band fundraiser and I subscribed to Southern Living because that seemed better than buying gift wrap I’d never use.

Anyway, I received the 50th Anniversary Edition in the mail last week and it has given me deep joy. In fact, it’s renewed my love of the magazine. You should totally pick a copy up at your local newsstand.

4. Glory Haus

I first discovered Glory Haus products when Honey gave me a Glory Haus coffee mug. It was my very favorite mug for years until I accidentally chipped the rim of it. I’d tell you more but, frankly, I’m still despondent about the whole thing.

Then Glory Haus sent me this Texas A&M coffee mug and life is beautiful again.

And, best of all, they have an entire collegiate collection that includes mugs and frames and all kinds of stuff from a bunch of different colleges. They even have some darling sorority frames.

They have fun seasonal banners like this love banner.

And so many darling picture frames like this I have always loved you frame.

I also love this hey y’all pillow.

And I think this Mr. & Mrs. mug set would make a perfect wedding or shower gift.

Anyway, this isn’t a paid advertisement or anything. Just thought I’d share in case you’re looking for a cute gift or something fun for yourself.

5. American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson

Listen. I’m not one to get sucked into any sort of cheesy made for T.V. movie.

(This is a total lie. I live for a cheesy made for T.V. movie.)

But it all started on Saturday night when P and I got totally sucked into some autopsy show about the Nicole Brown Simpson murder. And then I followed a rabbit trail to this American Crime Story on FX and, well, now I’m hooked.

It’s so fascinating to watch a movie about something you vividly remember. The OJ trial was going on during my very first job right out of college and I drove home to my apartment during my lunch hour every single day to watch as only a true career-minded, corporate woman would.

Plus, it’s worth watching if only to see John Travolta’s portrayal of Robert Shapiro and Courtney B. Vance play Johnny Cochran. This is solid gold television.

You can catch up on Hulu but it comes on every Tuesday night. I’m not sure how many episodes there will be but I already know it won’t be enough.

That’s it for today. Have a lovely Wednesday.

***The giveaway is now closed and the winners have been chosen at random and notified by email! Thank you!****

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To say I have been overwhelmed with your response to Nobody’s Cuter Than You is the understatement of the year. In the last two days, I’ve laughed and I’ve cried and I’ve had to put my head between my knees to keep from blacking out.

I cannot thank you enough. Seriously. You are the absolute best and I am so grateful.

I thought many of you might wonder what an author does on the day her new book releases. Well, I went to Walmart and bought a new iron, ironing board and carpet deodorizer, along with a copy of my book.

Don’t hate me for the glamour in my life.

And, not to rub it in, but then I came home and actually used my new iron and ironing board and also ate leftovers for dinner, vacuumed my rugs and did four loads of laundry.

But one of my favorite things all day was to watch the pictures my friend Debbi posted on Instagram using a little photoshop magic. They are masterpieces.

Obviously we had Ron Burgundy because he’s kind of a big deal.

 

 

 

Johnny Manziel loved it.

 

 

And of course Coach Taylor had some inspirational words to share.

 

 

Lucy and Ethel couldn’t get enough of it.

 

 

And even Kate and William got some reading in before Baby #2 gets here.

 

 

Plus, you know Mabel had to write a haiku.

 

 

Finally, Piper summed up all of our feelings at the end of the day.

 

 

She also ate half of a cake I left on the countertop but asks that we not focus on that indiscretion since at least she didn’t eat my book like her sister did.

Anyway, as a way of saying thank you for such a great launch day and to give you a chance to have a fun day with one of your best friends, my publisher and I are giving away TWO $200 gift cards to two of you to Spafinder.com so that you and one of your girls can go get a massage or pedis and manis or facials or whatever $200 will get you for a day of beauty in your town these days. You’ll also get a signed copy of the new book.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post for a chance to win. Maybe you can tell me something you love about your best friend. I’ll leave comments open until Sunday, April 12 at 6:00 p.m. and then choose two winners at random.

ALSO, in case you aren’t one of the two winners chosen, I’m giving away THREE jars of my very favorite ever Julia body butter from Hummingbird Farms along with three signed copies of my book to three of you. My dear friend Debbi owns Hummingbird Farms and she developed this line of products many years ago and I am not kidding when I tell you I might be addicted to it. You will hate all other lotion once you use it.

So go ahead and leave a comment for a chance to win. I’ll notify the winners by email on Sunday evening. Thanks again for all the love and support and encouragement. Y’all make this so fun.

Also, if you’re having trouble finding the book online or in stores right now, you can find it here at Barnes & Noble (free shipping when you order $25 or more so get one for you and two for a friend!), here at Christianbook.com, here at Family Christian, and here at Parable.  And of course you can always just download it on your Nook or Kindle or iPad or whatever fancy thing you might own.

Thank you so much!

Well.

It’s weird how you have a date marked on your calendar for so long and it seems so far away and WAY IN THE FUTURE and then all of sudden it’s here.

That’s April 7th for me. Which is today in case you aren’t clear.

This is the day that my third book, Nobody’s Cuter Than You, is officially out in the world and I’ve had it circled on my calendar for almost a year. Actually, I don’t have a paper calendar anymore so I’ve just had it on my iPhone calendar which is the 2015 version of having it circled on your calendar.

And in case you’re in any of these areas, here are some places where I’ll be signing books in the next few days and weeks:

Wednesday, April 8th – Barnes & Noble San Pedro in San Antonio at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 9th – Barnes & Noble Lincoln Park in Dallas at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 11th – Walmart at 1604 & 281 in San Antonio at 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 18th – Barnes & Noble River Oaks in Houston at 7:00 p.m.

I know I’ve talked about the book a little bit but here’s the story. This wasn’t the original book I was going to write last year at this time, but I knew it was a book I wanted to write eventually. And then I flew to Chicago to meet with my publishers and we agreed I should go ahead and scrap the original plan to write a book about friendship instead. All of a sudden I went from extreme writer’s block and massive anxiety to having a million ideas all at once because, while I don’t have it together in many areas of my life, I am surrounded by good friends who have taught me what it means to be a good friend.

The title comes from something Gulley and I say to each other when we’re having a bad day. It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, but it’s just become our shorthand way of saying, “I’m your biggest fan” and there are all days when we need our biggest fan to make us feel better about ourselves and life and all that goes with those things.

(I also briefly debated calling it “Chicken In The Bed” which is another thing Gulley and I say to specify a day that would be nice to sit around and do nothing together, but that title doesn’t exactly suggest a book about friends as much as life on a poultry farm.)

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is God knew that this was the book for this moment in time and directed this path. When I began to write it a year ago, I had no idea what the next twelve months would hold. I didn’t know that one of my dearest friends, Jen, would be fighting cancer again or that we were going to lose Gulley’s grandmother, Nena, who meant so much to us all. I couldn’t have known what it would mean to me on the other side of turning in this manuscript to have spent all those months looking through old photo albums and retracing the lines and history of friendships that mean more than the world to me. And in the end, to have something tangible to let these girls in my life know that in so many ways they saved me and continue to be my sanity and bring more joy to my life than I could ever convey.

I am seriously sitting here with tears running down my face because there is nothing like a book release to put you on an emotional roller coaster and this one is just so dear to me. And, ultimately, I hope that you read it and it makes you hold your friends just a little bit tighter. Life can get so busy and throw us all in so many different directions, but there are times we just need to remember what a gift we have in our girlfriends. They are the ones who know us, love us, encourage us and challenge us.

I’ve already received so many emails from women who have bought it to give to their bridesmaids or to send to several of their best friends or to read for their next book club and I hope that continues. That in some way it inspires us all to love our people fiercely, which may be a lofty goal for a book where I tell the story about the time I left Gulley to sleep in the lobby of a hospital in downtown San Antonio for hours and then pretended I didn’t know who she was.

I thought I’d share a little excerpt. The pictures aren’t included in the book, but they make me so happy.

“I’d found something deeper than what I always thought I wanted, because God knew what I really needed: friends who carved out a permanent place in my heart. And those friends ultimately helped me find my way back to the God I’d left behind all those years before. He knit my heart together with the people he knew would hold my hands as I walked the path of the Prodigal Son.

Each of them brought out something in me that I couldn’t have found alone and taught me what it means to be a friend who shows up, wipes tears, laughs hysterically, cooks a meal, and eats raw cookie dough right out of the bowl. They taught me that friends share their clothes, their hearts, their dreams, and their study notes.

Friends give grace, advice, fashion tips, a shoulder to cry on, and some of the best memories a girl could ever want. A real friend will help you push your car across a busy intersection when it stalls, pull you out of a trash can when you fall in, listen to you analyze the same situation over and over again, speak the truth even when it hurts, help you find your way when you’re lost, and hold your hand when you have to say a final good-bye to someone you love.

It turned out that my soul mate wasn’t just one guy, but these girls who are some of the greatest loves of my life. There is rarely any other time in your life when you’re given the gift of living day in and day out with people who ultimately become your family.

If I had grasped that then, I would have cherished it even more and maybe looked into staying in College Station for enough years to earn a doctorate in something. My time in college and these people whom God placed in my life had healed what was broken in me, and it broke my heart to say good-bye to them.”

(That last picture was when my Tiff got married and I think our hairdresser was like Annelle from Steel Magnolias and her work tended to get a little poufy when she got nervous. The good news is the hair helped balance out those sleeves. Bless.)

And our friendship has remained. From the days of hot rollers and all getting ready at Gulley’s mom’s house.

to days of unfortunate hats and big perms

from Harley-Davidson costume parties

through graduations

to rehearsal dinners and weddings

(I can’t talk about that vest. I just don’t know.)

to having babies

We have loved and laughed and fought for our friendship.

I so hope that you love this book. And I’m so excited that it’s officially available today.

You can download it on your Nook or your Kindle or whatever. Or you can walk in a Barnes & Noble or a Walmart and buy a real copy. Or you can order it online from any of the retailers you see on that fancy thing below. Just click on whichever one you prefer and it will take you directly to the site.

I will never be able to thank you or even find the right words to say how much I appreciate the way you cheer me on and encourage me. Thank you in advance for buying the book and spreading the word. If you need anything to pin or tweet or broadcast live on network television, you can find it on the official Nobody’s Cuter Than You book page. Truly, nobody is cuter than y’all.

And just in case you haven’t seen the trailer, these are many of your sweet faces. I love every minute of seeing all the friendships this represents.

So I believe I’ve mentioned that I’ve been working on a new book. And also that it was due yesterday. The bad news is I’m not quite finished with it, the good news is the nice people at Tyndale are giving me a little bit of grace and I have a few more days before they follow through on their threats to lock me in solitary confinement until I finish.

But today I get to tell you a little bit about it.

The title is Nobody’s Cuter Than You: A Memoir About the Beauty of Friendship and it will be released in April 2015.

Here’s a brief description:

There are probably only a handful of times in our life when someone walks in who will change us forever, when we find someone we can love with our whole heart who will challenge us and shape us and make us feel like the world is safer and brighter just because they are in it. A person who loves you for exactly who you are, yet teaches you to be better because of who they are and how they live their life. A person who will listen to your stories and hold your hand as you go through heartbreak and joy and figure out all that life throws your way.

This book is about my friendship with my best friend, Gulley, and how we’ve managed to sustain our friendship over the last twenty-five years. But it’s more than that. It’s about all the friendships we develop over a lifetime and the influence they have over who we were, who we are and who we will become. The ones that wounded us and the ones that taught us to love better.

And on a day when our jeans feel too tight, our chins have decided to embrace hormone-related acne reminiscent of our teen years, and our kids have tested the limits of our sanity, they are the ones who will look at us and say, “Nobody’s cuter than you!”

Ever since I knew this new book would be about friendship, I had a dream. Granted, it’s a lesser dream than that of Dr. Martin Luther King, but a dream nonetheless. I wanted a way for you to be able to share a picture of you and your best friend because, ultimately, this book isn’t just about my life and my friendships but how our friendships make all of our lives richer and better.

To celebrate friendship, I’m kicking off a share your photo activity. I want to feature images of you and your dearest friend in the video clip trailer for my next book Nobody’s Cuter Than You. So, get with your best friend and rifle through the hundreds of photos you have together to find that one special photo of the two of you (I would love to see old prom pictures or some bad hair. Don’t be afraid to walk down memory lane because those are often the best.) – or go get your friend and snap that picture today! (Note: the photo that you submit has to be a photo you’ve taken – that you have the rights to use; so no perfectly photo-edited wedding photographer images, etc.) There will be 100 randomly selected photos which will be promoted and shared conspicuously via various social media activities and video recording(s) related to the TheBigMamaBlog.com.

Here’s how you can enter your photo:

Email photos to [email protected]

– Include a subject line “Nobody’s Cuter Than You Photo Share”
– Tell us about you and your friend. I love a good story. Please provide your first names and town where you met.
– In the body of your email, please include your name, date of birth, mailing address, and your email address so that we can reach you if your photo is chosen.

Or you can send your photos by regular mail.

To enter via this method, place your photo in a secure stamped envelope and send to the following address:

Tyndale House Publishers
ATTN: Nobody’s Cuter Than You Photo Sweepstakes
351 Executive Drive
Carol Stream, IL 60188
(Photos will not be returned so don’t send them this way unless you’re willing to say goodbye forever.)

The Legal stuff:

– By email submission of the photo, you hereby agree to the Terms & Conditions. For full rules, click here.
– Entries may be submitted until midnight on October 31, 2014. Winner’s photos will be chosen at random.
– As the content provider, by uploading the photo, you agree that you are the sole rights holder in the content provided, and that you have permissions from all individuals and/or parties depicted.
– You also waive all rights to the content, and you allow Tyndale House Publishers and thebigmamablog.com to use both the image and/or the likenesses of the individuals depicted in advertising, promotion, and publicity use.
– Any photos submitted will not be sent back to their original recipient and become the property of Tyndale House Publishers.

To kick things off, here are a few pictures of Gulley and me.

This is a picture from the Christmas formal where Gulley and I first really got to know each other. I think it’s obvious she was drawn to my ability to create a hairstyle that was bigger than my sleeves.

And here’s one from a night in college when we decided it might be fun to swim in every fountain on the Texas A&M campus. This was before I really worried about things like bacteria in the water.

Finally, this is a picture of us on Gulley’s 40th birthday and is one of my favorites.

Just remember you have until October 31 to get your photos in. I can’t wait to see them and to hear your stories. Hope you have as much fun looking through old photos as I did last night!

Here’s the official update on stomach plague 2014:

Caroline went back to school yesterday.

P ate a whole bag of chili-cheese Fritos.

I spent the day feeling queasy and out of sorts.

What I’m saying is that one out of the three of us appear to have escaped unscathed. Because, let’s be honest, chili-cheese Fritos are a bold gastronomic choice on even the best days. Meanwhile, Caroline and I are both in the weird middle place when you’re recovering from a stomach illness and kind of want to eat but can’t figure out what sounds good and then you end up eating a brown sugar Pop-tart which leads to regret and chewing peppermint gum to get the taste out of your mouth.

And since I can’t really deal with the thought of cooking real food because of all the smells and such, I made P a grilled chicken salad for dinner. And Caroline and I agreed that maybe a nice breakfast taco with just eggs might sound good, but then she changed her mind and asked me to make deviled eggs. But then she couldn’t eat them and finally settled on a piece of toast with some peanut butter.

The point is that we’re living in dark culinary times over here. It’s hard to get back on the horse that threw you.

In other news that’s completely non-related, several of you have emailed and mentioned that you are reading The Antelope in the Living Room in a book club or a Sunday School class or something along those lines and have asked if there are any discussion questions available.

The answer is yes.

One of my favorite emails was from a friend of mine who told me her Couples’ Sunday School class chose to use the book as a small group study to encourage everyone in their marriage. I loved that because it’s always been my hope for Antelope, that in the midst of the funny and the silly and the absurd there would be moments that cause us to reflect on our marriages and appreciate the person we’re married to and that marriage is worth the fight.

So here are some questions that you can feel free to use however you want. Please ignore the fact that I refer to myself in third person in some of the questions. It was either that or the term “the author” and I couldn’t take myself seriously enough to write that.

I hope you find this useful and/or helpful.

And the good news is you can still order The Antelope in the Living Room for less than $10 here on Barnes & Noble or here on Amazon or here at Walmart.

Antelope Discussion Questions

1. In Chapter 1, Melanie mentions that she’d always envisioned a Christmas wedding but ended up getting married in August. How did your own wedding day differ from what you thought it might be?

2. Have you seen ways in your own life that marriage tends to amplify whatever insecurities you have? Have you looked for your husband or job or anything to complete you in some way?

3. Do you remember the first time you met your spouse? What stands out in your mind?

4. Have you ever made a list of qualities you want in your future spouse? What things did you include that ended up not being as important as you originally thought?

5. What are some things in your life that you feel like you’re waiting on right now? Do you agree that we’re all waiting on something, no matter where we are in life?

6. In Chapter 4, Melanie mentions a list of celebrities she’d be friends with if they ever met. Do you have a list?

7. Do you remember things you found out about your spouse after you got married that you didn’t necessarily know beforehand?

8. What was the first fight of your newlywed days?

9. In Chapter 7, Melanie discusses finances. Do you have a budget you stick to every month?

10. Has God ever called you to take a step of faith with your finances or career? What was it? How did you handle it? Did you see him provide in ways you couldn’t have imagined?

11. What was the worst home improvement challenge you’ve ever taken on? Was it worth it in the long run?

12. Do you agree that it’s sometimes our job to be our spouse’s cheerleader? When was a time that you encouraged your husband or helped them through something they were going through?

13. How did having your first child affect your marriage? Did it change the dynamic in ways you weren’t expecting?

14. In your marriage do you feel that challenges you’ve faced have brought you closer together or caused you to drift apart? How do you work together to meet trials that come up?

15. Do you and your husband share any hobbies? What are some common interests you have?

16. What are some challenges you’ve faced with your in-laws? Have you seen ways they have influenced things in your marriage? How do you deal with this?

17. In Chapter 21, Melanie tells of a time she needed to share some things with Perry from her past. Has there been a time that you’ve experienced this kind of grace and forgiveness? How did it affect you?

18. Have you ever thought about the legacy of your marriage and what it means to future generations? Has there been a time you’ve decided to stick with it even though part of you wants to walk away?

19. When you look at your spouse, what do you see? What are the qualities he has that you value even though you may have not even realized when you first married him?

20. Melanie uses The Antelope in the Living Room as six words that sum up her marriage. What are six words you’d use to describe your marriage? Do those six words change depending on the day?