Life lately

Sarah is in between trips, having just completed one home to see family and looking forward to a week away with Neil.

A neighbor’s tree fell in a storm and took Abby’s chicken coop roof with it.

Reading lately

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Sarah finished a gripping travel read: Who is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews.

Abby read The Fixed Stars, the latest memoir by Molly Wizenberg.

Reading snobbery

We discuss the ways in which people being snobby about books has affected us and our kids. Things we mentioned:

• Read Aloud Revival
• Hot and Bothered
• Saga
• Dogman
• Thoroughbred

Eating lately

Abby has been eating frozen stuffed hashbrowns from Jimmy Dean and Sarah enjoyed a coconut veggie rice prepared by Neil.

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!

Life lately

Abby is loving overalls.

Sarah had to re-book a vacation rental after a tree fell on the original.

Reading lately

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Abby the sports romance Kulti by Mariana Zapata.

Sarah read Zakiya Dalila Harris’s novel The Other Black Girl.

Attempting organization

We discuss our organizational style, the easiest and hardest areas for us to keep organized, organizational aspirations, and tools that help us keep it together. Links mentioned:

• Home Edit
• Fair play cards
• Tough Lough Self-Care Challenge

Eating lately

Sarah’s enjoying Spindrift seltzers in the summer heat.

Abby’s family found new baked potato toppings: barbeque pork and okra from her garden.

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!

Life lately

Sarah is going to make more masks for her children so she doesn’t have to panic wash them at night.

Abby and Andrew are watching (and loving) Ted Lasso.

Reading lately

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Sarah finished a great summer read: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Abby flew through the YA graphic novel series Heartstopper by Alice Oseman.

Back to school (for us + our kids)

We share our back to school routines, what school looks like for our kids this year, and how we are feeling about going back to school as adults. Links mentioned:

• Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner by Amy Schwartz
• The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson

Eating lately

Abby shares a blueberry muffin recipe and Sarah’s family enjoyed stuffed shells.

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!

Life lately

Abby is feeling anxious about COVID again, thanks to the delta variant.

Sarah reflects back on the summer.

Reading lately

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Abby read Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu.

Sarah finished Let’s Talk About Hard Things, written by Anna Sale, host of the Death, Sex, and Money podcast.

The Enneagram 8 experience

We discuss our thoughts on the Enneagram and our experience as type 8s.

• Enneagram Institute
• Free Enneagram test
• The Honest Enneagram by Sarajane Case (who also runs @enneagramandcoffee)

Eating lately

True to form, we each share a cheese-heavy recipe: fancy cheese dip (Sarah) and a one-pot mac and cheese (Abby).

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!

Life lately

Sarah is moving into a new role at work.

Abby gives a rave review of the Tushy she got for her birthday.

Reading lately

Sarah listened to What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon and Abby read C.L. Polk’s The Midnight Bargain.

How our gardens grow

We discuss our gardening history, current status, aspirations, and favorite and least favorite things. Take a photo of a plant you love and tag us (@friendlierpodcast) in your story on Instagram.

Eating lately

Abby’s been enjoying avocado toast with sunflower seeds and Sarah is into salads lately, including one from the co-op with spinach, goat cheese, blueberries, and red onions and a homemade one with spinach, pepperoncini, olives, tomatoes, and feta.

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!

Life lately

Abby is making her way through nursing school prereqs.

Sarah is thankful the Brood X cicadas have come and gone.

Reading lately

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Abby is reading the Bergman Brothers series by Chloe Liese, and particularly recommends and Always Only You and Ever After Always.

Sarah loved everything about The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow.

2021 update

We do our annual mid-year review, reminding ourselves of our goals and intentions and checking in on how things are going halfway through the year.

Eating lately

Sarah made a French toast casserole and Abby enjoyed a traditional broccoli salad.

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!

Life lately

Sarah’s been optimizing routines, inspired by our discussion in our last episode.

Pepper got his first haircut!

Reading lately

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Sarah listened to A Burning by Megha Majudamar and Abby read TJ Klune’s The Cerulean Sea.

The future!

We discuss our currently reality, whether it matches how we imagined life in our mid-thirties would be, and our hopes and dreams for the next ten years.

Eating lately

Abby shares a strawberry cake from Smitten Kitchen and Sarah enjoyed Swiss mushroom venison brats while camping with friends.

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!

Life lately

Abby is back at an in-person yoga studio.

Sarah applied to library school for the fall.

Reading lately

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Abby listened to two slow burn romances by Mhairi McFarlane: Don’t You Forget About Me and If I Never Met You. Sarah enjoyed Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano.

Routines: the ideal vs reality

We discuss our ideal morning, afternoon, and evening routines and how it compares to our current reality. Links we mentioned:

• Previous routines episode
• The Skimm and What A Day newsletters

Eating lately

Sarah made applesauce oat muffins and Abby tried a new meatball recipe.

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!

Life lately

Sarah’s kids have been watching Alone with Neil.

Abby recently installed this sandbox (a gift from her sister) in the backyard and her kids are into it.

Reading lately

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Sarah read the own voices YA novel Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez and Abby listened to A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende.

Our everyday superpowers (and foils)

We discuss the everyday things that might not sound like superpowers at first, but definitely make our lives easier, as well as basic things that we’re really terrible about.

Eating lately

Sarah made salmon bowls from the Dinner Illustrated cookbook, and Abby found a takeout pizza that’s a hit with her family in Birmingham.

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!

Life lately

Abby just got back from a weekend away with friends.

Sarah gives an art shelf update, which she first talked about in our state of our home disorganization episode. The one she bought is no longer available, but it is similar to this one.

Reading lately

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Abby read the YA fantasy novel Legendborn by Tracy Deonn and Sarah listened to Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell.

Splurging and saving

We discuss our general approach to purchases, three areas or items where we’ve splurged or saved, categories where we’d like to splurge or save more, and our splurge regrets. Links mentioned:

• Female altar form sculpture
• Swimsuit from Unique Vintage
• Jade yoga mat

Eating lately

Sarah enjoyed corn and green chili quesadillas from the Dinner Illustrated cookbook.

In an unexpected twist, Abby is recommending a vegan cheese dip. To make, toss the following in the blender:

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!