We spend considerable time on this episode breaking down all the fun we had at The Popcast Live! Show (Melanie) and The Happy Hour Live (Sophie), and then somehow we manage to segue into a discussion about McDonald's chicken options, a topic that we feel certain we have never before covered. We also (apparently) have A LOT OF THOUGHTS about this season of Southern Charm . So whether you watch or not, you're going to get yourself a little bit of a Southern Charm education. And even if reality tel...
May 13, 2018•54 min
You'll be delighted (or not) to know that on this episode of the podcast we first discuss our respective struggles with our ongoing coughs. This is due to our combined age of 402. We also talk maybe a little too enthusiastically about the new royal baby (WE HAVE SOME THEORIES) before we spend some time revisiting Hazel's ACL situation. We also continue our pop culture discussion and dig into some exciting new beauty products that Melanie has tried (or is planning to try). As an added bonus, you ...
Apr 26, 2018•1 hr 2 min
We kick off this episode with an update on Hazel (as Sophie's mama would have said: "God love her") and then segue' into a discussion about our new favorite clothing store that we had almost forgotten about (credit to Melanie, of course, for the re-discovery). Then, like we threatened to do on the last couple of episodes, we talk about some of the pop culture influences that we loved when we were younger. Also. It probably goes without saying that we don't know what to think about our current le...
Apr 16, 2018•55 min
Some of you may know that Mississippi State lost the NCAA Women's Basketball National Championship thanks to an incredible last-second shot by Notre Dame, so in the first part of episode 101, Melanie and I take some time to walk through some of the post-game emotions I felt last week in Columbus, OH. We also talk about our spring fashion frustrations, and I may or may not have called a cold-shoulder top the mullet of shirts (I don't know that my assessment is original, but I can assure you that ...
Apr 08, 2018•56 min
Well, well, well. This is our 100th episode of The Big Boo Cast, and it only took us 11-ish years to get to this point. Try not to be overwhelmed by our frenzied pace. Anyway, on this episode we talk about Spring Break travels, our sassy new podcast t-shirt, and a few new beauty favorites. There are also several moments where we laugh until we wheeze. So, you know, pretty much the usual. Thanks so much for being such faithful listeners, everybody. You're the best! Hope you enjoy episode 100! Her...
Mar 30, 2018•1 hr 17 min
This is part two of our recent conversation with our funny, wise, loves-him-some-80's-music friend, Travis Cottrell. After we wrapped up lo, all of our many thoughts about 80's songs, we moved into some serious reminiscing (at least from Melanie and me) about the country music of the early 90s. And then we talked about at least twenty more artists / songs that filled our 20s with love and happiness and all manner of wonderful memories. You can find links to those playlists in the show notes. We ...
Mar 27, 2018•50 min
As you can imagine, Melanie and I were delighted to have our good friend Travis Cottrell join us on Episode 98. We caught up on life in general - what's been going on with our kids, spring sports, Travis' feelings about the reboot of American Idol - and we also talked a little about Travis' FANTASTIC new worship album, The Reason . More than anything else, though, we enjoyed the fire out of a discussion about music from the 70s and 80s. It was a musical memory lane to beat the band (see what I d...
Mar 22, 2018•1 hr 5 min
Well, episode 97 is really a continuation of episode 96, and I even thought about calling it episode 96.5, but WHATEVER EVERYBODY WE ARE SO CLOSE TO 100 AND I WILL TAKE EVERY NUMBER I CAN GET. Therefore comma I am embracing episode NINETY-SEVEN with everything I have. SO, here's what's happening this go 'round. Melanie and I continue our discussion of every day favorites (makeup remover! K-cups! and other exciting items!). Then our oh-so-funny friend Jamie Golden jumps in with some serious, life...
Feb 27, 2018•1 hr 3 min
This episode is the first of a two-part series, which all sounds very fancy until you realize that it's actually not fancy even a little bit. But here's what happened: first we talked about Melanie's car troubles and my new simple suppers plan. Then Melanie and I had a *very* lengthy discussion about some of our everyday favorites (coffee, running shoes, Mexican entrees, etc.), and since we talked for a sweet forever (not to mention that we wanted to keep the show notes at least a smidge shorter...
Feb 23, 2018•1 hr 5 min
I don't even know what to tell y'all about Episode 95, so how about some fun facts? Number of times we thought we'd worked out a time to record it: approximately 14. Number of times we actually recorded it: 2. Number of times we were able to retrieve the files after we recorded: 1. Number of times I wondered if we would ever complete Episode 95: at least 20. Number of times teenagers' sports commitments forced us to re-schedule: 6. Number of times Melanie and I cleared our throats when we record...
Feb 18, 2018•58 min
Maybe the most important aspect of this episode is that Melanie has some very exciting news about her eyelashes. And honestly, why would any of us care about any other topic when clearly there have been some VERY IMPORTANT eyelash developments since the last episode? We do, however, talk about a bunch of stuff before we get to the eyelashes. We answer some of your questions about marriage and parenting (keep in mind that the verdict is still out on whether we have the foggiest idea what we're ta...
Feb 03, 2018•1 hr 6 min
Well, for the first half of this episode Melanie and I talk about movies and TV, and for a big chunk of the second half of this episode, we talk about marriage. Yes. I know. MARRIAGE. Which we hardly ever talk about in any sort of detail. But we have us a fine conversation about it right here on episode 93. We also discuss our new favorite music and an outstanding list of Amazon products that Melanie discovered, so go ahead and prepare yourself to travel down that rabbit hole for a few hours aft...
Jan 28, 2018•1 hr 10 min
Well, it's our first episode of 2018, and true to form, we're all over the place. We analyze Hazel's behavior during Christmas break, we marvel at the fact that Melanie is smitten with a real-live musical ( The Greatest Showman ), and we decide we like Bruno Mars' new single more than Justin Timberlake's. As you do. We also talk college football (WHO IS SURPRISED) and compare Melanie's commitment to information about the Royal Family to my commitment to information that I find on Twitter (we'll ...
Jan 09, 2018•1 hr 8 min
A couple of weeks ago Melanie and I realized that by the end of this year we would have recorded TWENTY TWO EPISODES of the podcast in 2017, and if you think that hasn't blown our minds just a little bit, then clearly you missed the part where it took us NINE WHOLE YEARS to record the previous 68. We realize that for actual podcasting professionals (or, you know, people who just take some time to plan) the 22 episode achievement might not be a big deal (or perhaps even mildly embarrassing becaus...
Dec 30, 2017•1 hr 9 min
Our good friend Travis Cottrell is with us on this episode of the podcast, and we talk about all manner of unrelated topics. We dig into some Christmas traditions, discuss our favorite Christmas music, break down the college football play-offs (along with our coaching changes), and ponder the deep well of teenage sarcasm that is currently full to overflowing in all of our homes. Also, you'd better believe that Neil Diamond makes an appearance. Or two. Or three. Be warned: Melanie, Travis, and I ...
Dec 15, 2017•1 hr 8 min
On this episode Melanie and I talk to our (hilarious) (also deeply gifted) singer / songwriter / comedian friend Dave Barnes , and unfortunately I forgot to hit "record" for the first 15-20 minutes of our conversation. SO THERE'S THAT. And what that means for you, dear listener, is that when I finally did in fact hit the record button, we were smack-dab in the middle of a conversation about the Enneagram and introversion / extroversion. So just stick with us during what will certainly feel like ...
Dec 11, 2017•1 hr 6 min
I know. We didn't expect to record a new episode this quickly, either. But our football coaches are no longer our coaches. And we found out this morning that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are engaged. As you might imagine, we needed to talk about these things. Please do enjoy. - The targeting call on Deshazor Everett (aka the targeting thorn in Melanie's side) - Prince Harry & Meghan Markle's engagement video - Melanie's favorite picture (the first one inside the article) - Closing Song...
Nov 28, 2017•59 min
When we decided to do a Christmas Gift Guide for the podcast, we thought we'd pick five gift options a piece. Ten total. Easy breezy. Here's how many gifts we actually discuss: EIGHT HUNDRED AND SEVENTY NINE. That might be a slight exaggeration, but have mercy we talked about all manner of Christmas gifts and chased all manner of Christmas gift rabbits, so to speak. We had the best time talking about fun things to buy for your favorite hostesses or teenagers or husbands or friends or parents, an...
Nov 23, 2017•1 hr 5 min
So, full disclosure - we recorded this podcast episode over a week ago, but then I (Sophie) went out of town last weekend for speaking stuff and this past week was jam-packed and I just got around to editing and recording the sponsor stuff and etc. Better late than never, I guess. And for your sake it's probably better that you don't have to listen to my post- Alabama / Mississippi State heartbreak. What a game that was. As far as this episode goes, we have A LOT OF THOUGHTS about November heat,...
Nov 19, 2017•1 hr 1 min
This time around we discuss the Mississippi State / A&M game, the Astros' win in the World Series, and the glory of a redemptive sports moment. (For example.) ( This is the GIF Melanie texted Sophie during the State / A&M game.) ( This is the GIF Melanie tweeted after the Astros' victory.) (You can see the contrast.) We also talk Sol Dance (edited to add: pretty sure that I said Selena Gomez instead of Demi Lovato, but that is understandable since I am 104 and had also just read news tha...
Nov 03, 2017•1 hr 1 min
We are all over the place in this podcast episode - from an exercise class that I recently tried to pajama leggings to hypothetical situations that would make us sprint to kombucha to football to mascara to essential oils to our feelings about scarves. BUCKLE UP, PEOPLE. Also, I sound more quiet than usual on this episode, and after troubleshooting to the point of utter frustration, I have come to the conclusion that my USB microphone wasn't plugged in and I was recording using my computer's int...
Oct 26, 2017•1 hr 23 min
It's been an exciting few days here at The Big Boo Cast because Melanie's fantastic new book, Church of the Small Things , released this past Tuesday. Yay, Melanie! Yay, everyone who gets to read it! So you might not believe it, but on this particular episode we actually stick with a theme and talk about some of our very favorite small things. I went sort of sentimental and nostalgic with my list, and Melanie went sort of practical with hers, and the result is that somewhere in the overlap of ou...
Oct 05, 2017•1 hr 8 min
Well, the first thing I should probably mention is that we recorded this episode while we were having a thunderstorm in Birmingham, and Hazel was losing her fool mind over the weather. Just think of her barking as soothing background music. The second thing I should probably mention is that we talk a LOT about college football this time around. It's just that time of year, y'all. So we break down the latest with Melanie's Aggies and my Bulldogs, we discuss Melanie's need for some football bounda...
Sep 25, 2017•1 hr 11 min
Well, first of all, we recorded this episode with Melanie talking on her phone because her microphone was in the guest room where P was napping. Sure, we could have waited until another day so that the sound quality was better, but when you've only recorded 80 podcasts over the last 10 years, you take the recording opportunities when they present themselves - no need to wait for pesky sound equipment. Second, we answer several of your questions in this podcast, including how we navigate argument...
Sep 11, 2017•1 hr 2 min
It's always a treat to have our friend Travis Cottrell on the podcast, and this episode is no exception. We cover a wide stretch of conversational ground: favorite football snacks, the wonder of an Amish donut, our ever-growing kids, current Bible study options, and, of course, our obsession with rose hip oil. (That last one was more of a discussion between Melanie and me. But Travis was as patient as he could be when we talked about it.) (Or maybe he was just distracted.) We also reminisce abou...
Aug 21, 2017•1 hr
I think it was last summer when Melanie and I first talked about Last Chance U . We both binge-watched season one of the Netflix series, and in addition to discussing it on the podcast, there were several times when we talked on the phone about it because we were so fascinated by a certain player or could not believe how someone reacted. Then, in episode 78 I mentioned that I'd watched season 2 and found it just as magical as season 1 (though, as I have often pointed out, the language is terribl...
Aug 08, 2017•1 hr 22 min
Well, this super-sized podcast was a mighty memorable moment for Melanie and me. Because much to our delight, legendary football coach Jackie Sherrill and his super-talented daughter, Bonnie Bishop, join us at the beginning of this episode. Specifically, they share some of the challenges they faced in terms of forming a relationship after Coach Sherrill married Bonnie's mom. Now they're extremely close, and they're doing speaking events about motivation and relationships - and how when it comes ...
Jul 25, 2017•1 hr 27 min
In this episode we talk about our summertime travel, the life-changing hummus I recently enjoyed, our current struggles with our hair, and our lack of business vision or insight or skill. Melanie also states her very strong feelings about being on a boat in the middle of a large body of water (suffice it to say that a cruise is nowhere in her future) and relays a tale about a very aggressive seagull. We also talk about potential road trip destinations for next year, recap the summer movies we've...
Jul 13, 2017•1 hr
On this episode we discuss my almost-here trip to Kenya, what I refer to as Melanie's enthusiastic opposition to khaki, and recent events at the SEC Baseball Tournament. Recent events may or may not have involved me approaching someone I believed to be a This Is Us cast member. Basically there's a lot of talk about sports - college baseball in particular - a lot of laughs, and a lot of theories about why I might have felt so compelled to approach the alleged celebrity. Good times, people. We hop...
May 31, 2017•52 min
Let's just get this out of the way: there are times when Melanie's internet is dicey on this episode. KEEP DOING YOU, AT&T. But if you can stick with us during the our internet troubles, then you'll hear our thoughts on Pippa Middleton's wedding (Melanie is our resident royals expert), the madness that is May, and my upcoming trip to Kenya. We also discuss shoe options for summertime, Southern Charm Savannah , and the challenges of writing a devotional book (which, by the way, were surprisin...
May 22, 2017•1 hr 4 min
