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Diary

Big Boo Cast: Episode 321

Diary

This week Sophie and I talk about how we're navigating the lull between college football and college basketball season, and we discuss P's newfound knowledge about face contouring and the Royal Family. Life comes at you fast. Sophie shares about the writing progress she made over the weekend (will wonders never cease), I have an update on my reading progress, and we also discuss some spring Read More

Fashion Friday: Edition this one is super heavy on Anthropologie sale items

Diary

I realize that it's almost mid-January but I have still spent this past week in some sort of Christmas break type mindset because Caroline is still home. It's not bad. But next week the real world will hit and I'll do all the responsible adult things I've been putting off like making dentist appointments and such. I will say that as I looked around this week for Fashion Friday things, I Read More

Big Boo Cast: Episode 320

Diary

On this episode Sophie and I talk about the college football National Championship, and one thing we for sure agree on is that Nick Saban is a delight and a joy as a commentator. We share some details from our respective weekends, and we spend a good bit of time breaking down Sophie's unwavering affection for Amy Grant (She has been in her feels about AG ever since she watched the Kennedy Center Read More

Fashion Friday: Edition the first one of 2023

Diary

Happy New Year! Here we are in 2023. Congrats, you've made it. As for me, I'm still kind of living like I'm on Christmas vacation until Caroline goes back to school on January 16th. It's not a bad way to ease into the new year. Here are some cute things I found this week: 1. mock turtleneck pullover If you need a great basic cream colored sweater, this one is really good. It's a Read More

Big Boo Cast: Episode 319

Diary

We recorded later than usual this week because Sophie has been out of town, and we were moving through a series of New Year-adjacent recaps (the latest with the Shankles, State's bowl game, the playoff games, a few I See Yous) when I saw some breaking news about A&M's new offensive coordinator. To paraphrase Ross Gellar, it was a bit of a pivot because I needed to do some serious real-time Read More

Fashion Friday: Edition the last one of 2022

Diary

I have spent this week between Christmas and New Year's with hardly a passing awareness of what day it is or what a vegetable looks like. And I have to say I don't hate it. But it's probably good that 2023 starts on Sunday and I'll need to rejoin the real world. Here are some cute things I found this week and, yes, some of them are kind of Valentine's Day adjacent so I'm essentially like Read More

Big Boo Cast: Episode 318

Diary

This week Sophie and I talk through a wrap-up of our Christmas festivities, and we even (unexpectedly) discuss some low-level goals for 2023. We also talk about our current writing frustrations, and Sophie shares about an exciting new habit she developed in 2022. Except that it's not really exciting. But yay for new habits! You can rest assured that we break down everything we've watched this Read More

Fashion Friday: Edition the weekend before the weekend of Christmas

Diary

Yep. If you haven't finished your Christmas shopping then it's time to get going. And probably too late for a lot of shipping unless you order everything from Amazon, in which case you can have it before you finish reading this post. My college girl is home, the first batch of Chex Mix has been made, the Christmas tree is still alive and life is pretty dang good. Here are some cute things I Read More

Big Boo Cast: Episode 316

Diary

As you can imagine, we were heartbroken to hear about Coach Leach's death earlier this week. We actually recorded this episode before he passed away, so we talk about a lot of the stuff you might expect: My hunting wardrobe, the trip that David and Sophie took last week, A&M's continued search for an offensive coordinator, and our thoughts about the college kids coming home for Christmas Read More

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Who is Melanie?

Melanie ShankleMy name is Melanie and, in some strange twist of fate, I’m also known as Big Mama because I started this blog in July of 2006 when my daughter, Caroline, was not quite three years old and I was in the process of convincing her that BIG girls use the potty and BIG girls don’t have pacifiers, thus she thought BIG was the highest compliment in the land and began referring to me as BIG MAMA.Read More

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The Latest on Instagram

The fish we caught today were all bigger than my h The fish we caught today were all bigger than my hat and, frankly, that’s hard to do.
A few nights ago, Perry told me to come look at th A few nights ago, Perry told me to come look at the sky just as the sun had set. This picture doesn’t do it justice, but we couldn’t believe how bright Venus and Jupiter were next to the moon in the dusky pink-blue sky. In full disclosure, we didn’t know which planets they were until I went inside and googled it because we are amateur astronomers at best. ⁣
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Anyway, I took a quick photo because I wanted to capture it. And over the last several days, I keep thinking about those planets and how God spoke them into existence. We live in a culture that often wants to make God smaller in an effort to make him more palatable or relatable, but I find lately that I am most comforted by his magnitude and his holiness. When I look at this photo it’s a tangible reminder that he holds all things together even when there are days it feels like things are falling apart. ⁣
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When we pray for peace, we’re praying to the one who placed the stars in the sky and knows them by name. When we search for wisdom, we’re looking to the one who sees all things. When we need joy, we’re asking the one who created laughter. When we face circumstances that seem impossible, we’re calling on the one whose robe fills the throne room of heaven. When we have a battle ahead of us, we have a rider called Faithful and True who fights for us. ⁣
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So lift your head and remember that the keeper of the stars doesn’t overlook a single detail of your life. It’s in his hands, right next to Venus and Jupiter. ✨
Mabel believes patrolling the fence line is her fu Mabel believes patrolling the fence line is her full time job. And she takes it seriously. 🐾💕
🌟🤠𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗨𝗟𝗘𝗜𝗡 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗧𝗦 𝗚𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗬🤠🌟⁣
⁣🌟COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED AND A WINNER WAS SELECTED🌟
Y’all. Rodeo Season is indeed a thing and if you want to do it right, you are going to need some fabulous boots. I’m so excited to partner with the girls @frauleinboots to giveaway the following to one lucky winner:⁣
⁣
✨ one pair of Fraulein boots (winner’s choice)⁣
✨ a Fraulein t-shirt⁣
✨ a Fraulein bandana⁣
✨ a Fraulein rope hat⁣
⁣
🌟Here’s how you enter for a chance to win:⁣
1. Follow @melanieshankle and @frauleinboots 
2. Like this post⁣
3. Tag a friend in the comments (one per comment) Every comment counts as a separate entry. ⁣
⁣
Giveaway closes at noon central time on Friday 2/10/23 and ONE winner will be selected at random using a computer generator. Winner will be notified through DM and announced in stories. ⁣
⁣
𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗟𝗨𝗖𝗞! 🌟🤠
Had the best time last night speaking at the @fede Had the best time last night speaking at the @federationtexasaggiemoms dinner. So grateful for all they do for Texas A&M students. ⁣
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There’s not much better than being in a room full of Aggies. Thanks and Gig’em. 👍🏻❤️
2022 was a year of seeing so much of God’s goodn 2022 was a year of seeing so much of God’s goodness. Like most years, there were highs and lows, but also so much joy and laughter with the people I love the most. 💕⁣
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We’re ready for you, 2023! 🎉🥂⁣
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“Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.⁣
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord.⁣
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16: 5-8

The Latest on Twitter

Melanie Shankle @bigmama ·

Well, that was anti-climatic.

Reply on Twitter 1612659662435803139 Retweet on Twitter 1612659662435803139 1 Like on Twitter 1612659662435803139 43 Twitter 1612659662435803139
Melanie Shankle @bigmama ·

Wow, Georgia! What a comeback!!

Reply on Twitter 1609414435394965506 Retweet on Twitter 1609414435394965506 Like on Twitter 1609414435394965506 48 Twitter 1609414435394965506

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