Things I've been loving: Podcast edition

It's been a really long time since I've done a post about things that I've been loving recently, so now seems like a good time! (You know...after I did a post just complaining about things, ahem, January...)

During pregnancy, I have a hard time reading and watching things for much of the time. Both reading and watching can give me motion sickness. Yes, that's no fun and sounds weird, but it's true. So, I spent a lot of time listening to audiobooks early on, but I started doing the podcast thing probably back in November. I know people have been really into podcasts for several years now, but it never really interested me. Until I needed more stuff to listen to. I discovered, too, that I liked that most podcasts are a half hour or an hour, which makes getting other stuff done while listening a little easier somehow. 

I should mention that I'm not really into the popular true crime podcasts, super deep spiritual or intellectual podcasts (with a few exceptions), or particularly enlightening podcasts. So, if you're hoping that I'll share something deep or moving, please don't be too disappointed. I think my recommendations are interesting, entertaining, and occasionally thoughtful...but aren't necessarily going to better you as a person.

Note: I listen to my podcasts on the Podcast Addict app on my Android phone.

Anyway, I thought I'd tell you about a few of my current favorite podcasts, in case you're interested in expanding your horizons, too.

1. Because I've been a loyal Young House Love fan/follower for going on a decade now, their podcast, Young House Love Has a Podcast, was my very first one. They stopped blogging regularly a few years ago, took a full year off, and then slowly came back in a much more laid back way about 2 years ago. And, they started a podcast! It's so fun to be able to listen to them discuss a lot of the same things that they always did on their blog, just in a different format. They do still blog/Instagram/participate in social media, so when they describe design ideas, trends, and projects on the podcast, they'll include pictures and links on their blog. I love their style, both in decorating and in presenting their craft, and am just so pleased that they're back! It's a half-ish hour length show and very easy listening. My categorization: entertaining, informative.

2. The second podcast I started listening to was The Big Boo Cast with Sophie Hudson (Boo Mama) and Melanie Shankle (Big Mama). Y'all. This one is so beloved by me but is essentially about nothing. I live in a not-so-culturally-Southern part of North Carolina, so it warms my heart to listen to two Southern ladies who love Jesus talk about SEC football, their kids, cosmetics, and clothes that they like (or how Spanx make them cranky). And occasionally really fun stuff like the upcoming royal wedding or the Olympics. Sometimes they answer listener questions or interview someone like Travis Cottrell or Beth Moore. It's usually about an hour and requires almost zero brain power. My categorization: entertaining.

3. Big and Boo (see above) referenced The Popcast SEVERAL times as I listened back through their archives, so I wanted to check them out. Knox and Jamie (the hosts) literally have a tagline for the podcast that describes their content as educating listeners "on things that entertain but do not matter." That is a very accurate description, and I love that they describe themselves that way! It is about all things pop culture + some fun, creative ways of interacting with it. This is definitely not a podcast for everyone. Example: Brad does not find it entertaining and occasionally rolls his eyes when I talk about it. My sister would find it entertaining, but my mom would not. It's mostly PG-friendly, but occasionally the content swerves into PG-13 territory. They usually give a caveat when that's going to happen, so they are self-aware, as well as aware of the kind of audience their show draws in. They love Jesus and interact heavily with pop culture, which is super interesting to me. They have strong opinions about all areas of pop culture, including politics on occasion, so if you're planning to listen, be aware that they may not line up with what you believe and care about (although those discussions are not ad nauseum or in-depth). They're both very intelligent, witty people, and I enjoy listening to their banter. The episodes are about an hour, and the pace is fast. My categorization: entertaining, informative.

4. Several of the podcasts I listen to regularly are on my list because they were mentioned or recommended by other podcasts I enjoy. Lots of them overlap and are interrelated, so if you listen to any of these, you will most likely hear them mention each other. I started listening to The Simple Show with Tsh Oxenreider after I read (and by "read," I mean "listened to on Audible") her book At Home in the World (which I loved), but she is friends with Knox and Jamie and is regularly mentioned on The Popcast. Small world. The Simple Show is a show about patterns of living that help make life simpler/enable you to prioritize the things that matter. It's not exactly about minimalism but more about ways to think about what's most important to you and how to structure your life to order them correctly. She has several co-hosts that she discusses different topics with, and I really enjoy them all for their different perspectives. Episodes range from a half-hour to an hour, depending on the topic. My categorization: informative, motivational, encouraging.

5. Another podcast friend of The Popcast, as well as The Simple Show, is Anne Bogel (Modern Mrs. Darcy) of What Should I Read Next? I LOVE her show! I've gone back and listened to almost every episode in her archive. The premise of the show is that Anne interviews someone who is a self-proclaimed book lover (Jamie of The Popcast was her very first guest!) and asks three questions: What are 3 books you love? What is one book you hate? and What are you reading right now? She listens to their answers, asks questions along the way, and then plays "literary matchmaker," offering up three suggestions for them to read next. I absolutely love it. I've got a list of books I want to check out, thanks to Anne. Half hour podcast, good pace. My categorization: entertaining, informative.

6. Probably my favorite podcast currently/this season of my life is Mom Struggling Well with Emily Thomas. Oh my goodness. I can't stop talking about it- ask Brad. He'll vouch. It's geared toward moms (and everyone she interviews is a mom), but it is absolutely a podcast that I would just recommend to women, moms or not. Emily is a hilarious and fabulous host, and she interviews such a broad spectrum of women who have so many different backgrounds and perspectives. It's such an uplifting and encouraging show that I can't stop listening to. She always reminds listeners of God's promises, and she includes practical suggestions for how to "struggle well" each week. It's such a bright element of my weekly rhythm. Go subscribe right now! My categorization: encouraging, informative, spiritually uplifting.

7. I wish that the Taking Route podcast had been a thing when I lived in Ukraine. I would have loved to have been a part of that community while I was serving. It's a podcast (and blog/online community) run by two expat women serving with faith-based international organizations about life overseas. It's so encouraging for fellow expats, and it reminds me of so many funny, discouraging, poignant, crazy things that happened in everyday life while living in Poltava. It's not my life right now, but it reminds me of a season that will always be part of my life. So dear. My categorization: spiritually uplifting, encouraging.

Honorable mentions:
1. The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey. I had tons of people recommend this one to me, and I do enjoy it. Jamie interviews a lot of interesting Jesus-loving gals, and I've learned about a lot of people/companies/products from her show. Her interview style isn't my most favorite, but I like learning about different women in the evangelical community. Hour long, sometimes rambly. My categorization: entertaining, informative.

2. For the Love with Jen Hatmaker. I know there are a lot of feelings about Jen in the evangelical community. That said, I've always enjoyed following Jen on social media, and I get tickled at her sense of humor. She interviews a lot of folks on her podcast that I really like, and I have really enjoyed listening to quite a few of her guests, like Danielle of Against All Grain or Anjelah Johnson of "Nail Salon" fame. She does some really fun and helpful interviews. It's an hour-long podcast. My categorization: entertaining, informative.

I have a few other podcasts that I'm checking out, but I don't want to recommend any that I haven't spent a good deal of time listening to and have a feel for. So, stay tuned, and perhaps I'll have more suggestions in the future! If you listen to any of these/start listening to any of these, let me know what you think! I talk about these a lot to the people in my every day life, but so far, I'm not sure anyone has taken me up on any of my suggestions to listen in. Not quite sure what that says about me...

Things I'm Loving These Days.

I realized that I hadn't done a "things I'm loving" post in forever. Granted, I fell off the blogging wagon in general for quite a while, so the same could be said about many things. I'm trying to be more disciplined about blogging these days because a) I'm afraid that I'm going to forget so many things that are going on in our lives and b) I think that disciplining myself to write anything is valuable. Even it it's just sharing things I like.

Anyway, here's a little list of things that I've really been enjoying/benefiting from lately. Maybe you'll like them, too!

1. The Piano Guys. Gosh, I love them. Particularly this song. It's all beautiful and inspiring.

2. This article written by one of my very most favorite professors (and people, in general) from Union, Dr. Hal Poe (as in, closest living relative to Edgar Allan Poe). Seriously. C.S. Lewis and secret agent work? Does it get any better? Give it a read! And also, while I'm on the topic of Dr. Poe and Lewis, if you're a fan of Lewis or any of the other Inklings, might I recommend the annual Inklings Retreat that Dr. Poe facilitates at Montreat College in Black Mountain, NC? Brad and I went to our very first one last April, and WE LOVED IT. It was fabulous. Excellent speakers/topics, great time of fellowship with some wonderful thinkers, and a beautiful setting. We won't be going this year, as I will be very close to my due date, but I highly recommend it (although it's getting kind of late to register for this year)! Additionally, if anyone will be in England this summer (Mrs. Tidwell??), he's doing the first one in Oxford! Here's the info. If you go, tell him I recommended it. You won't get a discount, but maybe he'll have fond things to say about me. :)

3. If you like strategy board games (or have a loved one who does), you should try out Splendor. It's a fun one that's not technically a board game, as there is no board but rather cards and coins. Come visit, and we'll teach you to play! My friend, Breanne, also introduced us to Qwirkle. She described it to us as a cross between Scrabble and Dominoes. That's about as accurate as a one-sentence description can get for this game. We loved it so much that we gave it to my brother-in-law, Tim, for Christmas. We've played it with several other friends and family members and really like it. It's a good one for traveling, too (assuming you get the travel version), as it's lightweight and can be played pretty easily anywhere. 

4. Two of our Durham favorites up and moved away from us back in December. :( We miss them very much and are still sad about it. BUT. They moved to Saudi Arabia for Eric's job and have a super fun and interesting blog that you should check out! Here's the link. They both served with the same SBC organization I did around the same time I did, Ashley in Poland and Eric in South Asia. They're a super fun, well-traveled pair, and I wish you could all know them. Reading the blog = next best thing.

Eric, Ranger, and Ashley with Bearsy right before they left. Yes, Ranger moved with them. And yes, Eric hails from Texas. Thus his hat and his dog's name.

5. In the vein of interesting reads online, here are a few others:

Aspiring Kennedy. I found this gal on Instagram and then began reading her blog. She lives in London with her husband and children and curates trips around England, Ireland, Scotland, France, and Iceland. She's a great read (and her Instagram is full of fun travel-y things.

Davymade. This is a gal that Brad and I overlapped with at Union (and who came to Ukraine with a Union group to work with me one spring break) who has been learning to sew. I know that doesn't automatically sound fascinating, but she's been teaching herself quite a bit, creating fun projects, and has designed a course load of sorts for herself. I love following a good project, and she is up to her eyeballs in projects!

Fun, Cheap, or Free. I discovered this blog last April when I was researching ideas for roadtripping by myself with a toddler. Hers was one of the most helpful posts I found, so I started reading her blog fairly regularly. Her primary focus is everyday frugality for moms. Perfect for my life. She shares a lot about her family, everyday tips, and has some interesting series of posts (like doing a cruise with little kids). Her instagram is also pretty fun.

She Reads Truth. This is an online devotional for women (there is also a He Reads Truth; I mentioned them a few weeks ago.). They do studies every few weeks, either on a theme or on a book of the Bible. I particularly like their Advent and Lent studies (Lent study going on now). You can order physical copies of the studies, or you can follow along online (or on their app) daily. I highly recommend it!

Unfancy. I discovered this gal last spring and was intrigued by her foray into the world of capsule wardrobes. Amiee and I started implementing some of these changes into our lives and really enjoyed reading her blog/following her Instagram account. At the beginning of last summer, she took a sabbatical from writing, which made me quite sad, but she just started blogging again! I'm not usually one to follow fashion bloggers, but I love this gal.

6. Seeds Family Worship music. Some friends gave us this one when Claire was born, and we've added a few more since then because we all like them. They're scripture songs geared toward children but are definitely catchy enough for adults to enjoy, as well. I find myself singing or humming them regularly. I recommend them as gifts for folks with littles!

7. Of course, the money-saving/rebate sites that I've already mentioned: Ebates and Ibotta. I wrote about them here and here. They're still saving us/making us money, and we really appreciate them. (I linked to my referral codes, in case you want to go for it!)

8. Following @meredithtoering on Instagram. She's a 20-something gal who lives and works in China. She works for an organization called The Morning Star Project and manages really important details for babies who have severe heart defects and need lots of medical attention. So much of her work is super serious and really hard, but her outlook on life is fantastically encouraging and unbelievably funny. She spends her days in a house full of adorable babies. I promise you will enjoy following her, if Instagram is your thing.

9. And, here's a soup recipe that we love. 

10. Oh! I also have learned that I can regrow green onions with THE GREATEST OF EASE. If you buy a bunch of green onions, save the bottom two inches (including the root) after using them. "Plant" the root in a bowl of some sort (I actually use a couple of jelly jars with some fake rocks in the bottom to help stand the roots upright), and fill in about 1.5 inch of water. Put in sunlight. Those suckers will grow back in no time. Best part: you can get a few generations of green onions out of the same roots. I regrew one set of roots 6 times before needing to start over. Such a money saver...and you know how I like to save money.

Those are just a few of the things I've been loving recently. Maybe you will, too? Let me know if you do!