Friday Favorites: Podcasts

I haven't done a "Friday Favorites" post in a while, and when I was listening to a podcast on my drive to work today, I thought it would be a good thing to write about.

I think I have only jumped on the podcast bandwagon in the past year or so, probably coinciding with when I got an iPhone. I like to subscribe to several podcasts and have them automatically download onto my phone. Then I can listen whenever I have time.

I love podcasts because they give me some good "conversations" to listen to while I am doing other things (driving, cleaning, cooking, making cards, etc.). I haven't listened to any of the serial story podcasts that have been popular, but I think I prefer an interview format and like the varied topics that come from that type of podcast.

So, here are some of my favorite podcasts that I subscribe to:
(The links are going to the website, where you can listen directly or you can search for them in iTunes or other podcast apps and download them that way.)

The Wally Show is a radio show that is played on WAY-FM stations during the morning drive-time. Since I usually use that time to catch up with my mom on the phone each morning, I miss most of the show on the radio. Plus, I found that when I had a chance to listen, I would only get to hear some of the segments because of music (what? they play songs on a radio station?) or ads would break it up and then I'd have to get out of the car to go into work. When I discovered that I could download the podcast, I became a fast fan, because I could listen to all of the segments (minus the songs) and they also usually include pre-cast and post-cast bonus banter, which I love.

The Wally Show personalities are Wally, Bekah, Betty Rock, and Zach, and they interact so well together that it's like listening to a group of friends talk and debate things. In fact, I've been known to think of these four as some of my "imaginary friends"! Ha! They make me laugh and give me insight on current events and even pop culture.

The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey
I'm not sure how I heard about this podcast, but it has quickly become one of my favorites. Jamie Ivey spends an hour interviewing/talking with a women in some kind of ministry or place of influence and it's been interesting to learn about women who are living their lives for God's glory and for the good of others. This podcast comes out weekly on Wednesdays, but Jamie has recently started doing a Friday half hour podcast every other week. There are 83 episodes of this podcast and I have downloaded older episodes and listened to them as well, especially if they featured someone I was already interested in or had read their books.

The Big Boo Cast
I think I have mentioned this podcast when I wrote a "Friday Favorite" post about blogs I love. I highlighted the Big Mama blog by Melanie Shankle and the Boo Mama blog by Sophie Hudson, both of whom are wonderful authors, and I love their writing on the blog and in their books.

When I discovered their blog, The Big Boo Cast, it was around the time when I started making some drives over to Knoxville to visit Daniel. Usually, I am driving solo over there and back and it was so fun to listen to Melanie and Sophie talk about all manner of things while I was in the car. It really feels like I am on a road trip with a couple of girlfriends (again, I think of them as some of my "imaginary friends"). This may sound sappy, but it helped me to have this podcast to listen to when I was driving home from moving Daniel to college for the first time and was feeling all the emotions related to that life event. I love listening to this podcast whenever they post a new one and look forward to the next one when I finish listening.

That Sounds Fun with Annie Downs
I found this podcast from reading the blog of author/speaker, Annie Downs. She lives in Nashville and while I don't know her personally, I think we'd be great friends (do you see a theme here?). She has about 10 epidsodes of her podcast and recently started it back up with the release of her latest book, Looking for Lovely. Annie also has a interview format, which is interesting, and has had some interesting people on her podcast. My favorite has been when she interviewed Matt Niehoff, who writes the Experience Nashville blog, about favorite places to eat in Nashville. I wrote down several from that episode that I want to try.

If you have some favorite podcasts that you listen to, let me know in the comments.

Friday Favorites: Gatherings on my deck

Happy Belated October! It's FALL, ya'll! 

One of my favorite things to do in nice weather is to have friends or family over to my house to enjoy my deck with me.

The other night, I got to spend the evening with the women from my community group. It was so low-key and informal, everyone brought what they wanted to eat and we sat outside and enjoyed the evening talking about all manner of topics (what happens on my deck, stays on my deck--haha).

Once the sun went down, the lights of the deck made a nice, warm glow and it made the time so cozy around the table. I love having people around and am thankful to have a home to share with others. It just makes me so happy!

Friday Favorites: Needtobreathe

I can't remember when I first heard about the band, Needtobreathe, but I know that I liked their sound from the first time I heard their song, "Shine On" played on the radio (and looking at the copyright on that song, it was 2006, so that answers that question).

I didn't really follow them beyond liking that song, but that's how I roll with most music I hear and like on the radio. I liked a couple of songs I heard from their next album, "Signature of the Divine" and "Washed by the Water," but then I didn't hear much from them for a few years.

Fast-forward to 2014 and Needtobreathe released a new album called "Rivers in the Wasteland" and I started hearing the song, "Multiplied" on the radio. And I saw some videos, one of which had a friend of ours running through a field (random fact).

I heard that the band was coming in concert to a local venue, but I didn't get tickets and later was kicking myself for missing it, even though I ended up having a friend visit that same weekend and would have had a small dilemma if I had had concert tickets.

After missing that show, I decided I would follow Needtobreathe on Facebook so I could find out when and where they toured this year. They started announcing their Tour de Compadres, with Switchfoot, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors and Colony House, but the Nashville venue kept being listed as "TBA," so I waited some more. I told Daniel that I wanted us to go, since he's a big Switchfoot fan, and when they finally announced the venue and tickets went on sale, I bought two.

Tonight I am finally going to get to hear Needtobreathe perform live and in person! And I'm almost as excited about the venue as I am about the bands. We'll be sitting on the lawn at Nashville's newest outdoor venue, Ascend Amphitheater, downtown by the river. It's going to be a great show!!!

Friday Favorites: Forsythia and Daffodills

I was stopped in traffic on Woodmont Boulevard yesterday and looked over to see a huge stand of forsythia by the side of the road. It was grey and rainy, but the bright yellow flowers stood out and were so pretty, I had to take a picture.

Continuing on the yellow theme, I haven't had a chance to shoot my own photo of daffodills, but they've been putting on quite a show around town this past week as well. I've borrowed a photo that my friend Debbie posted on Facebook (if you're reading this, Debbie, I hope you don't mind!).

I love how spring bursts forth with all its vibrant colors and can't wait to see what shows up next!

Friday Favorites: My College Guy

This photo was taken last year, so my college guy is looking less like a freshman these days, but I can't wait to see my sophomore this weekend! We're going to a game and are hoping for a W this week against UT-Chattanooga. Also hope it won't be a soggy mess! Go Vols!

Friday Favorites: Mitford

 I guess I should admit up front that Mitford is not a real place. But the books by Jan Karon set in fictional Mitford, NC, are some of my all-time favorite books! In fact, I've just started reading the first book for the third time (or maybe the fourth).

It's all because the latest book in the Mitford series, "Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good" was just released in September and I bought a copy for my collection. But I wanted to try to wait to read it until I go on a beach trip in a couple of weeks. But I got that hankering to go to Mitford, so I decided to start back at the beginning and read all of the books leading up to the latest one. Not sure if I'll make it through seven books in the next two weeks, but we'll see.

My coworker who has never read the Mitford series was asking me about it the other day. Someone else had recommended it to her and she was interested, so when I also mentioned buying the latest book she was even more intrigued. I feel like I don't give a very compelling description of the characters and storylines, but I also think it's something you have to experience to appreciate. My mom tried several times to get into the series, and only this summer got hooked. Now she wants to be on the list to borrow my copy of the latest one!

As I have been reading the first book again this week, I have just had to smile at being reintroduced to Father Tim, Emma, Dooley, Cynthia, Puny, and Sadie Baxter. Those are just some of the characters who live in Mitford and become a part of the appeal of the books. I've also been surprised at how many important things took place in the first book. I had forgotten the sequence of some things and thought they happened in later parts of the story.

I first learned about the Mitford series when it was fairly new and I was visiting Blowing Rock, NC, for the first time. Mitford is said to be loosely based on Blowing Rock, so when I am reading the Mitford books, I have a mental picture of a quaint mountain town with a Main Street and fun shops. It makes me want to go back and spend some time in the mountains of North Carolina.

So, in the next few weeks, if you can't find me at lunch time or in the evening or on a Sunday afternoon, you can figure that I've "gone to Mitford" and will be back soon with a smile on my face and a nice, warm feeling in my heart!

Friday Favorites: Black-Eyed Susans

I drove by these pretty flowers at the Publix shopping center and had to take a picture. I have always loved these bright yellow flowers and they looked so cheery!

Black-Eyed Susans are the state flower of Maryland, where my mom was born and raised and where I was also born. I remember when I was a little girl and we'd be driving somewhere on vacation and Mom would point out these flowers to us when she'd spot them along the side of the road. Just one of the fun facts we'd learn while we drove the thousands of miles on our family vacations!

Friday Favorite: The Peach Truck

 I'm sure a lot of people in Nashville have been buying Georgia peaches from The Peach Truck for a while now, but I finally happened on their stand at the Nashville Farmer's Market and bought a bag.

All I can say is "YUM!"

In fact, I got the first bag and didn't even eat one out of hand, but used them to make a cobbler for my coworkers (every four or five years or so, I get into a mood to make something to bring to work--ha). I used a recipe from a cookbook I own, but the recipe on The Peach Truck website is very similar.

And again, YUM!

I checked where I could find The Peach Truck peaches closer to my house and discovered that they are set up at Farmin' in the Hall every Thursday from 5:00-8:00pm at the Crievewood United Methodist Church. Oh yeah, it's on my way home from work! And yes, I bought another bag last week. I've been eating those peaches with the juice dripping down my arm. YUM!

I guess I'll have to go buy some more, though, because I want to make what The Peach Truck people call "Peach Icebox Cake." It looks so delicious! And I'll need to share!

Friday Favorite: Tulips!

Ahh, Spring! Earlier this week as I was driving along Old Hickory Boulevard, I noticed some beautiful tulips in bloom:  the first ones I'd seen this season. I wasn't able to stop right then, but the next morning, I worked my schedule and my route to work so I could go back by those tulips and get some pictures. You know, taking time to stop to photograph the tulips.

Tulips have been my favorite flower ever since I was in first grade and we studied about Holland in Social Studies. I hope to find some other colors of my favorite flower to photograph in the next few days!

Friday Favorites: Love stories

On this last day of February, it is my joy to share this favorite with you:  My parents' love story.

Fifty years ago today, on a snowy night in Bel Air, Maryland, DeLane and Nancy became husband and wife. Their story together began years before, as they had both attended seminary at the same time, but did not date each other (everyone just knew everyone on campus). After they both moved to the northeast and began working in the Baptist Convention (Nancy in Maryland and DeLane on Long Island, NY), mutual friends did some match-making and they started a long-distance courtship which led to their engagement on December 1, 1963. I wrote more about their story in a tribute to them a couple of years ago and you can read it here.

My parents celebrated 47 years together on earth before my dad passed away in 2011. Their marriage was such an example to our family and to others, that it seems entirely appropriate to celebrate their milestone anniversary of 50 years, even though it won't be a huge party with invited guests.

My sister and I are so thankful for our parents and the love they shared and we miss our dad, as we know that Mom misses her husband. Today we're planning a "girls' night out," starting with pedicures and then treating Mom to dinner. It is a blessing to have this legacy of love and committed marriage in our family!

Friday Favorites: Valentine's Day

I have said it before on this blog, but I really love Valentine's Day! I realize how much the greeting card and candy companies (among many others) capitalize on the romance aspect of the holiday, but my reasons for loving February 14 go deeper than sappy sentiment.

So here are my Top Ten Reasons Why I Love Valentine's Day:

10. I got engaged on Valentine's Day back in 1991.

9. I am a February Baby, so naturally, I love things that happen this month.

8. I love to make and send personal cards and notes to my family and friends.

7. I love the colors that are associated with Valentine's Day:  Red and Pink

6. I love candy. And I like that candy is 50-75% off the day after Valentine's Day!

5. I think it's fun to buy/make/eat heart-shaped pizza and other foods.

Tonight's dinner, ready to go in the oven!

4. It warms my heart to hear about the ways that others share their love on this day. From special doughnut breakfasts to singing telegrams, those stories always make me smile.

3. I love getting to spend time with my nieces on Valentine's Day while their parents go on a date. Tonight we're having a Valentine's Sleep-over at Aunt Nette's (heart-shaped pizza is on the menu)!

2. The first time I felt my baby flutter inside me happened on Valentine's Day.

1. My parents, especially my dad, gave me such a great example of saying "I love you" all year long, and he always made sure that Valentine's Day was special in our house.

This morning, Mom and I were remembering how thoughtful Dad was to his girls on Valentine's Day. There was always a little treat and handmade card waiting for us at our breakfast plate. She commented that he usually stayed up late to make our cards after we'd been to bed (including herself). I smile when I think of those little cut-out hearts with simple words of love written on them. It didn't take an elaborate gift for me to grow up knowing that I was loved and cherished by my dad and mom.

This morning in the devotional book, Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young, one of the verses to read was Isaiah 41:13:

"For I, the Lord your God,
    hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, 'Fear not,
    I am the one who helps you.'"

It was a sweet reminder that even though I could be bitter about some things in my life on Valentine's Day, God has always been holding my hand and shows me that His love is greater and deeper than anything this earth has to offer!

Friday Favorites: Hot Tea & Birthday Love

I recently made a "life-changing" purchase at Wal-Mart. I bought an electric tea kettle for $12.97!
You're thinking, "Yeah, so what?," but it has become one of my new favorite things! That little teapot can heat up water fast and I don't have to hear it whistle and it shuts off automatically. Life changing, I'm telling you!

But my even newer favorite thing that I received for my birthday this week was a new mug and mug cozy that was personally knitted for me by knitter extraordinaire, Leanne Goddard! She picked out a mug that she knew I'd love, with red and pink hearts, and then added her own special touch with the monogrammed mug cozy! I love it and appreciate her thoughtfulness in knowing exactly what I'd like. And she included some gingerbread tea bags to go with it. I smile every time I look at it!

And, it's been really nice to have some extra warmth on these cold, winter days!

Friday Favorites: Hot Air Balloons

If you have known me since college days (or maybe before), you may remember that I love hot air balloons. I have moved past wanting to collect everything with hot air balloon images/motifs and have been up in a tethered balloon, but I still have a dream of being able to go on a hot air balloon flight someday.

When I was in East Tennessee last weekend, I was looking for something to do on Saturday evening and saw online that there was a balloon festival happening about an hour south of Knoxville. After much debate in my head, I decided to go on a solo adventure and go find the balloons.

Hiwassee College is down I-75, out in the middle of nowhere, but thankfully my Google Maps chick got me there. I was directed to park in a large field and there were lots of people around. As I walked over to where the festival was set up, I saw two balloons. That's right, only two! I tried to not be too disappointed, but my sense of adventure was deflating (pun intended, if my son ever reads this).

I got in line for some "fair food" and almost decided to leave, but after I overheard another woman say that there would be six or seven balloons, I thought it would be worth hanging around. I got my food, including a fried snickers bar (when in Rome . . . or Hiwassee), and sat down in my chair to people-watch until the sun went down.

Once the sun set and the other balloons were inflated, the real show began. I moved my chair to get a better vantage point, although with it being such a small show, there wasn't a bad place to sit and watch and get some pictures.

I have been to some much larger balloon festivals, but these balloons were so pretty and I had fun taking pictures and getting out of my comfort zone a little. I'm glad that I stuck it out on my little adventure.

Friday Favorite: Fall Weekends

This weekend will be my first UT Fall Family Weekend and football game! I am over-the-Rocky-Top excited to see Daniel and to experience the fun of a UT game firsthand! Go Vols!

Friday Favorites: A New Favorite Team

I'm gonna go ahead and do it! I'm going to jump on the UT bandwagon and show my new colors--Orange and White! Go Vols!

I didn't really have any college team loyalties before and I'm not a particular fan of some of the things that being a Vol might represent to others in the SEC. I don't intend to paint my face or get season tickets (yet) or trash talk (much) with other people about their team. I'm not going to necessarily know the players' names and who has done what on or off the field. I'm just a UT Mom who wants to get into the fun of having a college team to cheer for. So, I'm going to start wearing my orange (or my grey t-shirt with an orange T) and learn the words to Rocky Top (it really is a catchy tune)!

Daniel is going to the game tomorrow, so I can't wait to hear his impression of being in Neyland Stadium with 100,000+ people for the first time! And I will look forward to experiencing it for myself in a few weeks!

Friday Favorites: Blogs (again)

I think I listed some blogs on a Friday Favorite another time, but there are always more blogs to find and I have two new favorites. They aren't actually "new" blogs, but I just started reading them lately, so they are new to me.

The first one I found was Big Mama, written by Melanie Shankle. She had just written a book called Sparkly Green Earrings and I bought an e-book version and loved it. In fact, it might have been my very first e-book to read on my Nexus 7. I quickly discovered her blog, too, and it's just fun to read about her life with her nine-year-old daughter and their family's lives in San Antonio, TX.

Then from the Big Mama blog, I found her friend, Boo Mama, a.k.a. Sophie Hudson. She has also recently published a book, too, called A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet, but I don't have it yet (waiting for Amazon or Google to make it a "deal"). I look forward to reading her book about her life growing up in Mississippi because I enjoy reading her blog.

These women are friends in real life (as opposed to the blog life) and also do occasional podcasts that are fun to listen to. Imagine just eavesdropping on a couple of friends having coffee and that's what the podcast is. Except that these friends have funny stories, not just boring lives that they are whining about. It's fun to listen to while I'm doing something else (walking, making cards, cleaning).

So, there you have it. Two of my most recent favorite blogs! Hope you're having a Happy Friday!

Friday Favorites: Rice and Bean Chips

Oh. My. Word. These chips that I found at Kroger (on sale 2/$5) are soooo good! They also come in some kind of chipotle flavor and a sea salt variation (those are good, but not as good as the other two). YUM!

I originally bought these to be "my" chips, since I've not been eating corn/tortilla chips or pita chips very much. In fact, since this brand was on sale and you could mix and match, I bought some pita chips for D-man and the rice and bean chips for Moi. Didn't take long before I'd come home and find "my" chips opened and almost gone! A-hem, D-man, thanks for eating "my" chips! :-) Needless to say, I started just buying two of the rice and bean kind and calling it a day (yes, these could be gone in a day at our house).

I also discovered a tasty treat to make with these chips. Layer some on a plate and scatter some chunks or strips of cooked chicken breast (I usually buy the pre-cooked kind that has southwestern seasoning) and then top with shredded cheese. Microwave or put under the toaster oven to melt the cheese and you have some yummy nachos! Add some avocado and/or salsa and it's even more better!

Friday Favorites: Songs of the Redeemed

Our church just celebrated its 20th anniversary and as part of the celebration, we released a new worship CD, "Songs of the Redeemed." It was recorded with a live congregation and worship band and makes you feel like you are sitting in one of our worship services. I have been listening to it when I drive in the car and am sure that people at stop lights are wondering what that woman in the CR-V is belting out so fervently!

I've blogged about my love for worship music before, but let me say again how much songs of faith are good for my soul. I can be having a down week/day/moment, but if I play some worship songs, I am quickly reminded of what is important and that it's not all about me! Some of the songs on the new CD were very meaningful to me after my dad died and it's very special to have them in a collection that I can listen to whenever I want/need to.

Worship songs also help me to "speak the gospel to myself" and remember the truths of God's word. I love that there are congregational readings on the worship CDs that our church has produced and that the words of Romans 8 ("Waves of Grace"), 2 Corinthians 4:5-11, 16-18, Luke 18:9-14 and other passages ("Songs of the Redeemed") can be embedded into my heart and mind as I listen over and over again.

If you don't already have it, you can download or order a copy of the new CD at this link. I think you'll see why this has fast become a favorite for me!

And before I go, let me give a quick shout-out to my friends, Jay and Kristi, who designed the cover of the CD, as well as the bulletins and banners that were unveiled at the 20th anniversary last week!

Friday Favorite: Downton Abbey

I wrote a post last year about my affinity for the show, Downton Abbey, but I just had to write about it again, since Season Three is airing now in the U.S. on Sunday nights.

Before the new season started, I went back and watched Season One and Season Two again. And I even got my sister and brother-in-law hooked and they got caught up on the story just in time to start watching Season Three.

On the weekend that Season Three was going to air, I had the idea that it would be fun to invite some friends over for "tea and crumpets" while we watched the two-hour premier. So I put out the invite and made plans to purchase some scones and made some cucumber sandwiches. My friends also brought goodies like petit fours, cheese and crackers and chicken salad. It wasn't "high tea" in the true sense of the word, but we had fun trying out our British accents and giving commentary as we watched the episode.

I've also been getting a kick out of hearing other people talk about the show, namely some male friends. The other night after choir rehearsal, two men and I were saying that we needed to get home to watch the next episode and ended up speculating about how things might end this season. In my opinion, it needs to have a longer run, but I guess they like to keep us coming back for more.

If you haven't gotten caught up in the Downton Abbey craze, you're not too late! Grab some DVDs or find it online and you'll be hooked!

Friday Favorites: Hot Tea

It used to be said of me that I did not drink coffee. It's still true that I don't like the taste of coffee without some sweetener and yummy creamer, but I have traveled over to the "dark side" and can enjoy a coffee beverage here and there.

But lately, I've come back to my first love of hot beverages (wait, maybe my first love was that homemade hot chocolate mix that my mom used to make). Anyway, lately I've been back on a hot tea kick. I'm not sure why, but it may have to do with the fact that I can enjoy flavored, decaffeinated tea without needing to add creamer (i.e.: calories) to make it palatable. It hasn't been very cold in Tennessee lately, but I've still been enjoying a nice mug of tea at work or in the evenings at home.

My thoughtful friend, Gwyn, shares my love for tea and likes to bring me surprises when we meet for community group. This week, she brought some decaf French Vanilla tea bags and suggested that I might want to add a little milk and honey, and it would "taste like dessert." She was right! Gwyn shared some of her tea bags (that she had to buy in bulk because she couldn't find them at the grocery store this year), so the next day I found some sugar-free vanilla creamer in the fridge at work to add and had a little morning treat with my snack.

In case you want to try something new, here are some of my other recent favorite tea flavors:  Vanilla Chai, Chai Spice, Apple Cinnamon.

My sister also made up a tea blend that rivals the tea you can get when you go to an Aveda salon. I often learn new tricks from my smart sister and this time she combined the following in her brew basket to make the tea:

1 bag licorice tea
1 bag peppermint tea
1 T. fennel seed

1 T. dried basil

Hope you can find some time to relax and enjoy a cup of hot tea (or coffee) this season, and feel free to call me to join you!