The Big Boo Cast

I will go ahead and tell you that this particular podcast has a special place in my heart. And I don't normally say that sort of thing.  But here's why. When we started recording, Melanie and I just talked about our usual favorite topics: kids, dogs, writing, supper ideas, and decorative woes. Surprisingly, we did not talk about mascara, but that's probably because we just ran out of time. Anyway, about halfway into the podcast, our friend Travis joined us. He was driving home after a night of interviewing folks backstage at the CCM "United" webcast to celebrate 40 years of contemporary Christian music. Travis was still beside himself about the whole thing, and it was so fun to hear him talk about the artists who have had such a big influence on his career and calling. Plus, Amy Grant was there, so you know we had to talk about that (OF COURSE WE DID). So yes, we still laugh in this podcast, and there are couple of times when Melanie and Travis get me so tickled that I can't breathe very well. But there's also a little bit of tender, and it makes me happy. Thanks for listening, y'all.

Well, we spent part of this one thinking that maybe Travis was going to be able to join us before it was all said and done, but alas, he had Skype issues and could not. It's a real shame he missed hearing Melanie and me talk about cheese, my issues with a new love song that I heard on the radio, the details about Melanie's dog Mabel's run-in with a pack of javelinas, and our ongoing concern that the fire in Melanie's fireplace was going to follow Edith Crawley's lead and set the whole room on fire. By the way, at one point I mention a little table that I bought to Melanie, and then I texted her a picture, and then I felt weird talking about it since y'all couldn't see it. So here's the table. I do hope that it proves to be a helpful visual aid. And just in case you would like more info, the rug came from IKEA. We also talk about the college football national championship, my new book-related case of the crazies, a surprise gift that Martha gave me, and how Mel and I both feel a little indebted to Tina Fey. Plus, you know, some other stuff.  

Two things right off the bat: 1. We're so happy that our good friend Travis Cottrell (aka FryDaddy) is with us on this episode of the podcast. It's been way too long. I would love to tell you that we've been ironing out the details for months, but the fact of the matter is that we sort of pulled it all together about 9 o'clock Sunday night (please remember that this is nothing if not a fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants operation). But oh my goodness - it is always the most fun to talk and laugh with Travis. Yay. 2. When I was editing I became aware of an issue we had the last time we recorded a three-person podcast - and that is that my microphone sounds way louder than everybody else. So please know that it was never my intention to scream at you. Other than that, we cover all manner of topics: what we're cooking this Christmas, the music of Bruno Mars (we were specifically talking about "Uptown Funk," but I accidentally cut out the part where I said the name of the song), everything we adore about Jimmy Fallon, the wonder that is Amy Grant (seriously - this comes up in EVERY SINGLE PODCAST), our Christmas plans, the holiday music of Neil Diamond, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Hope y'all enjoy it - and Merry Christmas, everybody!

I will warn you that we talk about our dogs a whole lot on this one. We also talk about Melanie's far-reaching knowledge about back pain, Christy Nockels' upcoming worship concert, our nostalgia for the 70s, decorating for Christmas, college football, coaching searches, TV, and who knows what else.  Let me put it this way: when I texted Mel to tell her that the podcast ended up being over 50 minutes, she said, "That's a whole lot of nothin'." And to that I say "amen." Enjoy, y'all!

Well, I can pretty much sum up this episode in two words: SEC football. Oh, we talk about a few other things - dresses, booties (THE SHOES), corduroys, our new books - but mostly we talk about SEC football. And the SEC coaches' wives show on SEC Network. And the most miniscule details contained within the coaches' wives show because apparently I am a little obsessed. Also, Melanie's t-shirt kept rubbing aganist the chair where she was sitting, and I may have mentioned it once or four times. But it's a lot of football, a lot of laughing, and a little bit of comforting Melanie because OH, AGGIES. Her hopes were so high. Enjoy, y'all!

Considering that this is our first podcast of the 2014 college football season, it's really no wonder that we spend a chunk of time talking about, well, college football. However, it might be a wonder that we manage to talk about anything else. Sure enough, though, we covered Melanie's bathroom remodel, the fact that I finally fnished my book, the latest developments with our eyelashes, the joys of 40-something eyesight, and some recent beauty product finds. So basically we're solving all the world's most important problems. Enjoy, y'all!

Well, I know that I'm in the middle of a big ole bloggy break, but Melanie and I have been wanting to record a podcast, and the day before our friend Annie's new book comes out seemed like a fine and wonderful time. Here's the cover of Annie's book. I love it a lot. Annie and I have a delightful chat about 10 minutes into the podcast. Melanie was supposed to be part of that, but unfortunately we (and by "we," I mean "I") could not figure out how to record the three of us at once now that I'm using different software than I did back in the days of FryDaddy. SO - Mel and I talked a little, then Annie and I talked, then Mel and I talked a bunch more. We extensively examined the beach house vs. lake house debate, our favorite summertime foods, the perils of trying to have grown-up conversations when kids are listening, and, of course, our dogs. Also, please excuse the awkward sound effect transition that I used at the beginning and the end of the part with Annie. Just know that I did the best I could with an impromptu back-up plan and very limited technical skills. If I can ever finish this book, I may need to consider signing up to take some sort of online podcasting seminar. I feel like that would be good for all of us. Bless.

Well, the big news in this particular podcast is that Melanie thinks our dogs could possibly be related. It's a long shot - but it's a shot. We actually spend way too much time talking about our beloved little pups, and Hazel barks at random intervals to make her presence known.  Other than that, there's nothing new under the sun, really. We talk about TV and books and sunscreen and our hair. We also share our feelings about sunglasses and marvel about the fact that we've been recording podcasts for SEVEN YEARS.  I'll tell you what: seven years is a long time to talk about nothing. Hope y'all enjoy!  

Well, I'd planned to get this podcast up last night, but State's baseball game with Georgia went to 10 innings, and by the time it was over (after 11pm, mind you), my nerves were far too frazzled to do any sort of editing and uploading and etc. I had to start a new book just to wind down and have any hope of falling asleep, and yes, I'm all too aware that I have some co-dependency issues when it comes to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. ANYWAY. This podcast is hodgepodge (well, let's be honest - all of them are), and we cover a big ole variety of unrelated topics: my incessant cough, Melanie's home improvement goals, the end of school, and my new job as a personal assistant to an 11 year-old. It was all good times and big fun.  Hope y'all enjoy it!  

I just listened to this episode before I uploaded it, and doing that made me realize that Melanie and I had a guest co-host this week that we failed to mention: THE POLLEN. Oh my goodness. I cough, Alex coughs, I sniff, Alex coughs, I take sip after sip of Crystal Light to try to soothe my throat, and then Alex coughs some more. So basically the whole podcast is like waiting with a child in the sick room of a peditrician's office. I'm just as sorry as I can be about that, but the pine pollen is just about more than we can stand right now. At least I didn't resort to using Flonase or a Neti pot at any point in the proceedings. As usual, we talk about many unrelated things: Melanie's new career as a mom DJ / choreographer, my weekend in Oklahoma, my quest for a new spring purse, Mel's fancy dinner this past Saturday night, my exciting MSU baseball-related achievement, the season premiere of Mad Men, and a bunch of other stuff that I can't remember. But by all means, if you'd like to shop with us as we look at purses, click on over to the Noonday bags page; we talk about these purses for a solid 10 minutes. Hope y'all enjoy!