On this week's episode Melanie teaches us a new word related to real estate, and I talk about three exciting discoveries from my most recent writing weekend at a local Hampton Inn. We also discuss our thoughts about how dogs perceive time. And while we didn't plan it, Melanie offers her thoughts on blazers (I'm still thinking about what she said), and she also shares her Five Favorites - which I interrupt to discuss a pair of shoes I've been admiring from afar. As always, please do enjoy. - Our ...
Feb 11, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Be advised that you may get whiplash from this week's episode; we are all over the place with our topics. We move from discussing the new Buc-ee's in Birmingham to Melanie's new liver supplements to the fact that I read two books in 24 hours to Melanie's determination to solve her family's TV streaming issues once and for all. And at the end of this episode, you'll hear an excerpt from our recent Patreon conversation with our friend and business manager, Retha Nichole . Our conversation with Ret...
Feb 04, 2021•1 hr 6 min
On this episode Melanie shares her thoughts on a recent soccer game - and how she suffered after insisting that Caroline needed to stretch afterwards. We recap inaugural fashion (A BALM TO MY SOUL), and we spend some time speculating about JLo's skincare routine (whatever it is, IT WORKS). Melanie also has some new products to tell us about (my favorite!), and on top of that, she tells us about her Five Favorites - which may or may not reinforce our 2021 great-grandma vibe. We're just here to se...
Jan 28, 2021•1 hr
Well, this is just the fanciest of the episodes. We talk about vegetables, whether or not we're bothered by food odors, our struggle to make better meal choices, and how we like to achieve volume in our hair using a chip clip. We also talk about how sometimes giving up is the best option, Melanie's new method of chronicling what she reads, and my most recent round of Five Favorites. Enjoy, y'all! - Our Amazon Shop - Become a Patron! Show Notes: - Living Proof Dry Volume Blast - Goody Hair Clips ...
Jan 21, 2021•1 hr
On this episode we spend some time making predictions about the National Championship game, and then we move into deeper subjects like eyebrow pencils, what we love about libraries, and additional low-level goals for 2021. We also talk about Melanie's completely accurate assessment of the Living Proof Dry Volume Blast (I finally tried it!), my quest for the perfect hair towel, and Melanie's (DELIGHTFUL) Five Favorites. Hope y'all enjoy! Hang in there, everybody. Show Notes: - Zoe's Family Meals ...
Jan 14, 2021•54 min
Consider this episode a celebration of the arrival of Twenty Twenty-Fun, because we have lots of happy football news and happy movie news and even some happy salad news. Yes. I said "salad." We also talk about our low-level goals for the new year, our favorite crunchy vegetables (THIS IS AN IMPORTANT TOPIC), and last but not least, my current Five Favorites. So, as you can see, 2021 is off to a spectacular start! Hope y'all enjoy! Our Amazon Shop Become a Patron! Show Notes: - Episode 194 with C...
Jan 06, 2021•59 min
Lo, it is our last episode of 2020, and right out of the gate Melanie comes in strong by sharing catchphrase she's heard for 2021. I have a feeling that this episode won't be the last time we reference it. Besides the catchphrase fun, we talk about our respective Christmases, my deep affection for a new year, and we also discuss what three product discoveries from 2020 we plan to carry with us into 2021. Oh! And I share a recipe for an easy dip I made on Christmas day, plus we discuss the challe...
Dec 31, 2020•1 hr 2 min
This week I share a terrible (okay - not really terrible - just exasperating) thing that happened when I had to go to Walmart and Target on the same day, and Melanie analyzes the Aggies' College Football Playoff chances. We also have a discussion about Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash, only I call it Sierra Mist Cranberry Blast, and clearly I have reached a point in my life where I just make up my own names for familiar products. And as a public service to readers everywhere, Melanie makes some book...
Dec 17, 2020•1 hr 6 min
This week we talk about weather (yes, we are 107), some fun fashion memories, and college football because if we didn't talk about college football then the world would surely stop spinning on its axis. We also share part of this month's Closer Look episode from Patreon - with special guest Travis Cottrell. As many of y'all know, Travis is one of our very favorite people - and he happens to be a huge fan of 80's music. You'll hear the 80's music part of our Patreon discussion on this episode, an...
Dec 10, 2020•59 min
Well naturally we kick off this week's episode with a Thanksgiving weekend recap in general and a college football recap in particular (you should expect no less from us in late November / early December). We also talk through a fairly extensive list of shows we've been watching, and Melanie fills us in on her family's recent trip to the Christmas tree lot - among other Christmas-related dramas. On top of all that delightfulness (is it? let's pretend it is, okay?), we're back in it with Five Fav...
Dec 03, 2020•55 min
On this episode we did a little spin on our weekly Five Favorites to spend some time focusing on gratitude. Yes, 2020 has been a train wreck, but it's also given us all sorts of opportunities to be thankful for essential workers and college football and Phil Rosenthal, among other things. And just in case we haven't said it enough: we are extraordinarily thankful for all of you who make up our little podcast community. There's no way to adequately express how much you have enriched our lives ove...
Nov 26, 2020•58 min
Well, we're back with the second installment of our annual Holiday Gift Guide, and man oh man has it ever been an eventful week between part 1 and part 2. We catch you up on all of that at the beginning of the episode, and then we dig into our favorite gift ideas for men and women in lo, the year of our Lord 2020. If you missed last week's episode, you can catch up on our gift ideas for teenagers right here . Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend! Grateful for y'all! Our Amazon Shop Become a Patro...
Nov 19, 2020•1 hr 5 min
This week Melanie and I dig into some areas of personal dysfunction - practical things in our lives where we have largely operated as if we had no choice but to participate in poorly functioning systems (that sounds really serious, but I can assure that our discussion is not). We also spend some time celebrating the #5 Texas A&M Fightin' Aggies before we jump into the main focus of this episode: our 2020 Holiday Gift Guide, this week with gift ideas for teenage girls and guys. All that to sa...
Nov 12, 2020•1 hr 2 min
Well, we recognize that there's a lot going on this week (#election2020), so we do our best to PROVIDE SOME DISTRACTIONS. We talk about the storm that hit Birmingham last week, some exciting news in Melanie's family, and our unexpectedly reflective thoughts about 2020 in general and quarantine in particular. We also discuss five of my current favorite things as well as the new devotional book I'm using in the mornings. Plus, we have a conversation about college football because DO YOU KNOW US AT...
Nov 05, 2020•1 hr 2 min
We recorded this episode when one of us (okay, it was me) was experiencing some significant sleep deprivation, but why let a little loopy-ness stop the podcast fun? We talk about an incredible meal we had in Pawhuska, a recent shampoo / conditioner revelation, and our new favorite TV show that's on Apple+. In addition to all that goodness, Melanie shares an update on Imogene from Imogene's basement (we talked about it in episode 207), and she also weighs in with a verdict on her new pillow. COUL...
Oct 29, 2020•58 min
We recorded this episode earlier this week when we were in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, so it's probably no surprise that we talk a little bit about our trip. Unfortunately, though, we recorded before we had the feast of our adult lives at Ree's P-Town restaurant Monday night, so we'll for sure have to talk about that next week. Perhaps we will have recovered from all the deliciousness by then. We do cover some football ground this week - what with the Aggies defeating the Bulldogs and all - and we also ...
Oct 22, 2020•1 hr 4 min
This week was a real home run as far as our technical prowess, because something extra bizarre happened with my sound file the first time we recorded - so we had to re-record two days later. We're just trying to stay on brand with 2020, apparently. So what we have here is a barely-edited episode (which is why it's a little longer than normal) - just edited enough to put the ads in their appropriate places - and you'll have to trust that we did our best to stay enthusiastic even though what we wo...
Oct 15, 2020•1 hr 9 min
There's only one way to sum up how the college football weekend turned out for Melanie and me: it was not ideal. So on this episode we discuss our respective disappointments (in fairness, Melanie seemed to handle things much better than I did) and do our best to believe there are great football days ahead. You can almost smell the optimism. We also talk about what Melanie's watching, why she wants some new living room chairs, and what in sam hill is going on with her computer (I complain a littl...
Oct 08, 2020•1 hr 4 min
Normally Melanie and I try to show some restraint during college football season, but this week, between the start of SEC football, Mike Leach's coaching debut with Mississippi State, and my Bulldogs winning in Baton Rouge, WE HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY. Thank you in advance for your patience with us during this very exciting time. In addition to talking about football, football, and LO, MORE FOOTBALL, we discuss my day-o-fun at a student leadership retreat and five of Melanie's current favorites. Enjo...
Sep 30, 2020•1 hr 4 min
If listening to Melanie and me troubleshoot our technical issues is your idea of quality podcast material, then this, my friends, is going to be the episode of your dreams. Our ish-ahs are thanks to a clicking noise that I believe to be the result of a short in one of Melanie's USB ports, but what matters most, I think, is that Melanie's reactions to the whole situation are SOLID GOLD. In addition to our showing off our technical prowess, we also spend some time in this episode talking about SEC...
Sep 24, 2020•56 min
If you listened to last week's episode, then you won't be surprised to learn that the first thing we address on this episode is WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED WITH THE BOOTIES? It might well be the biggest cliffhanger in the history of our little podcast. Our own version of Who Shot JR?, only with shoes. And no oil fortune. And no guns. But other than that, IDENTICAL. In addition to a booties update, we talk about foot problems, Perry's upcoming 50th birthday, books, and my new favorite socks. And o...
Sep 17, 2020•1 hr 5 min
You'll be shocked to know that we talk about football on this episode (including our favorite stay-up-to-read-the-post-game-news wins), and we also break down a little Real Housewives because, well, WE ARE STILL IN A PANDEMIC. On top of all that excitement, we discuss what we're reading, five things I'm enjoying right now, and the harrowing situation with Mel's most recent booties order from Nordstrom. Please do enjoy. Become a Patron! Show Notes: - Our Amazon Shop - Kirk Herbstreit on GameDay -...
Sep 10, 2020•54 min
Well, it only took us thirteen years, but here we are at episode 200. Won't He do it? On average we have cranked out 15.38 episodes a year since 2007, and if you're thinking that doesn't seem like a lot, you're exactly right. This might be a good time to point you in the direction of 2010 and 2012, when we managed to record one whole episode each year. Bless it. Anyway, our 200th episode is pretty much just like all the other episodes (this feels right, doesn't it?). We talk about Melanie's week...
Sep 03, 2020•1 hr 2 min
Well, if you've wondered over the last week if the Kale Boss was in fact the boss of our friend Melanie, you'll be happy to hear this week's juice cleanse update. You might also be interested to hear my update on our first high school football game of the season, which was a happy return to a little something we like to call a LIVE SPORTING EVENT. What a marvelous concept that is. On top of all that, we talk about what shoe works best with a wide cropped pant, what pajamas I'm renaming "loungewe...
Aug 27, 2020•1 hr 2 min
Sometimes we don't get a chance to talk about a regular-ole-life something that's going on until we sit down to record on Mondays, and that was certainly the case this week. Melanie shares some newly formed health / fitness goals, and I think the best way to describe my response is SURLIGHTED (surprised + delighted). Oh my goodness. Next week's update should be solid gold. We also discuss a parenting question we didn't get to last week re: technology as well as the lingering effects of my renewe...
Aug 19, 2020•54 min
Not long before we recorded this week's episode, I posted on Instagram and asked if y'all had any broad topics you wanted us to cover. To absolutely no one's surprise, college football the #1 answer - followed by parenting, friendship, and home. SO. We structured this episode (well, "structured" might be a strong word - maybe just "loosely organized") around those four topics, and we used some of your specific questions to do that. You won't see many show notes because we didn't talk about many ...
Aug 13, 2020•59 min
After spending the last two weeks with delightful, wise, funny guests (thanks, Mike Leach and Phil Rosenthal ), we’re back to our usual shenanigans on this episode. It’s just Melanie and me, and we talk about the comfort of a good caftan, the practical side of going back to work (for example, I can no longer spend my days in walking tights and t-shirts), and the joy of finally finding a dry shampoo that exceeds expectations. We also discuss how I really showed my Enneagram 9-ness in terms of ant...
Aug 06, 2020•53 min
If you've been listening to the podcast pretty regularly the last couple of months, then you have heard Melanie and me mention the Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil over and over again. Melanie started watching (after Karen Howell recommended it, if memory serves), and then I started watching, and here we are, roughly six weeks later, both certifiably obsessed with it. Because it is FANTASTIC. So you can imagine how delighted we are to tell you that, in one of the most unexpected occurrences in ...
Jul 30, 2020•52 min
I feel like I can speak for most Mississippi State fans and say that when it comes to Mike Leach being named our head football coach earlier this year, we're all still pinching ourselves. And listen - Melanie has been just as excited as I have been. That is because Mike Leach is a genius, and he is a college football legend, and the SEC will be better with him in it. So needless to say, we are absolutely beside ourselves that he is our guest on this episode of the podcast. How did this even happ...
Jul 23, 2020•1 hr 3 min
The credit for this whole episode goes to Melanie, who suggested that we have a conversation about the books that have shaped us over the course of our lives. So what we have here in Ye Olde Episode 193 is a discussion of Books We Have Loved - from childhood to adulthood. And it's not just that we love these books; it's also that, in big ways and small ways, these books have shaped us in some significant ways. I swore and declared that I was absolutely not going to do links for all of these book...
Jul 11, 2020•1 hr 7 min
