Explore every episode of the podcast Friendlier

We discuss the past year and look ahead to 2025. Also, surprise! This is our final episode of the podcast and we share our favorite episode and what the pod has meant to us over the last 8 years.

Our favorite episodes: Quitting, Hard times, Enneagram 8 Experience (Sarah) and Everyday superpowers and Personal policies (Abby)

And because we didn't do a year in books episode this year, here are our favorite reads from 2024.

Life lately

Sarah loved her kids' winter musical performances.

Abby got her first tattoo with 13 other adult friends in Birmingham.

Reading lately

Sarah finally read the Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas.

Abby enjoyed The Wedding People by Alison Espach.

Eating lately

Abby made egg bites like you can get at Starbucks.

Neil found a recipe for gnocchi pot pie, which is the best thing Sarah eaten in a long time.

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

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Day in our (fall) lives

We share the details of our days from Tuesday October 22nd. You can also listen to our first day-in-the-life episode or similar episodes from 2020 and 2022 if you’d like to see how our days have changed. Links we mentioned:

• The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
• The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln
• Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over American, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan

Life lately

Abby and Sarah both share about recent trips.

Reading lately

Abby enjoyed listening to Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle.

Sarah read Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy by Cait West.

Eating lately

Sarah enjoyed new camping food while Abby was disappointed with Texas fair food.

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!

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Life lately

Sarah has a running injury and is rethinking her fall race plans.

Abby and fam had an incredible long weekend at the beach.

Reading lately

Sarah shared two nonfiction hits: Behind Their Screens by Emily Weinstein and Carrie James and Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey.

Abby read yet another witch book, The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings.

Our dream lives

We talk about what we dream of for our lives in 5, 10, 20 years, as well as what dreams we'd have if money was no object or if we could go back in time and change things.

Eating lately

Abby has found the perfect snack for work: individual cottage cheese cups.

Sarah made a vegan chocolate cake for Neil's birthday.

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

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Transportation update

We share our current transportation situations, how they've changed since our last episode on the topic, the challenges and joys of this stage, and our transportation dreams for the future.

Life Lately

Abby is over the summer and ready for fall.

Sarah's family is adjusting to new school year routines with HP in middle school.

Reading lately

Abby loved the witchy vibe of Weyward by Emilia Hart.

Sarah got a lot out of listening to Die With Zero by Bill Perkins. She originally heard about the book from this podcast interview.

Eating lately

Sarah and E are making Thai iced tea with boba (and these straws).

Abby enjoyed the taste of fall with a new apple cake 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!

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We chat about the ways in which we support our kids to learn to make choices and how that's changed in the different seasons of parenting.

Life lately

Sarah and her people had an amazing week at family camp.

Abby is over summer and ready for school to start again please and thank you.

Reading lately

Sarah read the contemporary romance Better Left Unsent by Lia Lewis

Abby loved the trio of queer romances in the Love and Other Disasters series by Anita Kelly.

Eating lately

Abby made the crunchy roll bowl from Pinch of Yum.

Sarah and E are testing out a chocolate peanut butter cake recipe.

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

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Checking in on 2024

We reflect on how the year is going so far, remind ourselves of our words for the year, and look ahead to the second half of 2024.

Life lately

Abby is starting a new job.

Sarah loved the show The Break: A New Rock Musical.

Reading lately

Abby thoroughly enjoyed Ink, Blood, Sister, Scribe by Emma Törzs.

Sarah recommends two romantic comedies: Funny Story by Emily Henry and The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren.

Eating lately

Sarah tried a new breakfast casserole (with croissants!).

Abby's family enjoyed this street corn 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!

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Family life lately

We chat about what's going well and not so well in our families these days, as well as share some optimism about things that have been hard in the past and aren't any more.

Life lately

Sarah's children are out of school and summer has begun!

Abby is eagerly anticipating a friend group camping trip to Rickwood Caverns State Park.

Reading lately

Sarah read the nonfiction book The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt.

Abby enjoyed the spicy romance Scandalized by Ivy Owens, which is a pseud for Lauren Billings (half of romance-writing duo Christina Lauren).

Eating lately

Abby is very into these probiotic sodas from Trader Joe's.

Sarah introduced her children to cinnamon sugar bagels, and they are a hit.

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

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Obsessions

We share what we've been into lately, from camping to curry. Links mentioned:

• 1000 Hours Outside podcast about camping
• Where Should We Camp Next? Budget Camping by Stephanie and Jeremy Puglisi

Life lately

Abby's family is down to one car after the Volvo's transmission died.

Sarah graduated from library school!

Reading lately

Abby listened to You Need a Budget by Jesse Meacham and Sarah read the YA historical fiction novel We Are Not Free by Traci Chee.

Eating lately

Sarah is making curry with these curry pastes.

Abby was delighted when her favorite vanilla creme donuts were back in stock.

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

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We chat about how good we are at getting things done, which tasks are easy for us to start and finish, and whether anything helps us check things off our lists.

Life lately

Sarah (along with all of Bloomington) is prepping for April 8's solar eclipse.

Abby got a puppy, Edie.

Reading lately

Sarah highly recommends the YA novel, In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner (especially the audio version).

Abby has been slowly making her way through the first three books of the Her Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen.

Eating lately

Abby hacked a grocery store cookie cake for Pepper's birthday.

Sarah tried out this Pad Thai recipe.

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

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Life lately

Abby is feeling good about their family's summer plans.

Sarah's kids are enjoying some winter hobbies.

Reading lately

Abby read True Biz by Sara Nović and Sarah read S.K. Ali's young adult novel Saints and Misfits.

Looking ahead to turning 40

As we enter the last year of our 30s, we look back over the last decade, look ahead to our 40s, and share how we hope to celebrate our milestone birthdays.

Eating lately

Sarah tried two new focaccia recipes but had the most success with this one from Alexandra Cooks.

Abby shares about a new Trader Joe's product: garlic asiago cheese dip.

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!

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Life lately

Sarah is thankful that January is behind us, and night shift is going surprisingly well for Abby.

Reading lately

Sarah read (and loved) The Good Part by Sophie Cousens.

Abby listened to Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist by Judith Heumann.

Religion and spirituality

We discuss our experiences with religion and spirituality, growing up, today, and how we think about religion and spirituality as parents.

Eating lately

Abby ate Torchy's Tacos every day she was in Texas and has no regrets.

Make-your-own sushi is a big win at Sarah's house.

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

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New year’s intentions, 2024

We set our intentions for the year, share our words for the year, and discuss specific goals in various categories.

Life Lately

Abby is looking forward to time with family over the holiday (plus Tex-Mex!).

Sarah shares to home winds: the headboard Neil made and all the secondhand plants.

Reading lately

Abby found a new romance series by Sarah Estep--the Brunch Bros.

Sarah read the technology parenting book Growing Up In Public by Devorah Heitner.

Eating lately

Sarah found success with a traditional caramel recipe and Abby enjoyed apple cider caramels made by a friend. We recommend this thermometer that attaches to the pan.

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

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We look back on our respective years, talk about how we did with our intention words, and do a lightning round of favorites from 2023.

Life lately

Sarah recommends the Fantastic Fiction website.

Abby is leaving the leaves this year.

Reading lately

Sarah read the nonfiction book The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World by Max Fisher.

Abby enjoyed the first two installments of the Wilmot Sisters contemporary romance series by Chloe Liese.

Eating lately

Abby is very into Cherry Cordials, the best seasonal Little Debbie.

Sarah has significantly upped her bean game.

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

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Our year in books, 2023

We share the highs and lows of our reading year as well as our favorite books in various categories.

Life lately

Abby loves her new Pact sweaters.

Sarah is cozying up with the Calm Christmas podcast.

Reading lately

Abby read the spicy romance novel (set in Bloomington!) How Not to Fall by Emily Foster.

Sarah read Michelle Huneven's novel Search.

Eating lately

Sarah made cranberry orange bread and Abby wants you all to know about shrimp toast.

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. Thank you for listening!

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We give an update on the state of clutter in our homes and discuss how we think we might manage it better. We'd love your ideas! (And here's the podcast Sarah mentioned: A Slob Comes Clean)

Life lately

Sarah ran a half marathon—yay!

Abby built a screen door.

Reading lately

Sarah read the satirical novel Wellness by Nathan Hill.

Abby enjoyed the first two mysteries in the Jane Austen-inspired Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney series by Claudia Gray.

Eating lately

Abby tried out a new spinach dip recipe, and it was a hit at her work potluck.

Sarah and E made some yummy mint brownies (similar to this recipe, just swap ganache for mini chocolate chips).

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

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Parenting strengths and weaknesses

We share areas of parenting that come easily to us (and those that don't!), our partners' parenting superpowers, and a recent parenting win.

• Episode about our everyday superpowers

Life lately

Abby shares the sad news that the hospital where she works will be closing Labor and Delivery later this month.

The renovation continues at Sarah's house... In this update, concrete stain!

Reading lately

Abby read the YA fantasy novel To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose.

Sarah read R.F. Kuang's Yellowface.

Eating lately

Sarah tried two new recipes from the Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook for Neil's birthday.

Abby enjoyed a buffalo chicken dip made by Andrew.

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!

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We look back on how the summer went and what we learned about how to make next summer even better.

Life lately

Sarah is picking paint colors again. (What a nightmare.)

Abby healed one of her kitty's ears without a vet trip thanks to this product.

Reading lately

Sarah read the Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom Duology by Leigh Bardugo.

Abby read Feed the Baby: An Inclusive Guide to Nursing, Bottle-Feeding, and Everything In Between by her dear friend and IBCLC, Victoria Facelli.

Eating lately

Abby loved this recipe for samosas made with crescent roll dough.

Sarah made a delicious white bean chicken chili in an effort to get back to meal planning.

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

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Mindsets

We share mindsets and mantras that have served us well over the years, ones that do not work for us, and mindsets we are trying to help our kids cultivate.

Life lately

Abby was on television for her work.

Sarah's family has joined the local climbing gym.

Reading lately

Abby is all-in on Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.

Sarah recommends Maame by Jessica George.

Eating lately

Sarah and Abby both enjoyed meals cooked by their moms: orzo pasta salad and hashbrown casserole.

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!

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We reflect on how the year is going so far, remind ourselves of our words for the year, and look ahead to the second half of 2023.

Life lately

Sarah’s children are at sleep away camp for the first time.

Abby recently did a refresh of her indoor plants.

Reading lately

Sarah read and loved You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir by Maggie Smith.

Abby listened to Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.

Eating lately

Abby and her family have been harvesting their homegrown blackberries.

Sarah enjoyed a seafood boil on a recent beach trip.

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

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Preferences

We share our preferences in our lifestyles, food, music, tv/movies, books, and socializing, as well as how our they have changed over time and whether they align with our spouses' preferences.

Life lately

Abby's battling the lice that made their way into her home.

Sarah's family is preparing for an egg drop competition.

Reading lately

Abby read the queer, young adult romance Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth.

Sarah read Laura Bates' Men Who Hate Women, which she heard about through an interview with the author on the Offline podcast.

Eating lately

Sarah is enjoying homemade sushi, using this Instant Pot sushi rice recipe.

Abby found a simple and delicious recipe for pork shoulder.

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

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With this episode, we're starting a new schedule for Friendlier. We’ve decided to release new episodes on the first Tuesday of each month, instead of every other week, as we’ve been doing. As our lives have gotten busier, it’s been tough to fit in podcasting, but we love this creative project and connecting with all of you, so we’re hopeful that the new schedule will help us continue to fit the pod into our lives.

Life lately

Sarah and E enjoyed seeing Annie together.

Abby has a nest of baby birds on her front door wreath. 

Reading lately

Sarah loved Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld.

Abby is deep into The Ravenels series by Lisa Kleypas.

Looking ahead to summer

We discuss our summer plans and aspirations, as well as how this summer will be different from summers past. 

Eating lately

Abby introduced her children to toaster strudel.

Sarah was inspired to make shrimp tacos.

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

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K-12 school experiences

We share the highs and lows of our experiences in elementary, middle, and high school.

Life lately

Abby has poison ivy.

Sarah just got back from the SEC gymnastics championships in Georgia.

Reading lately

Abby enjoyed the cozy fantasy The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.

Sarah read Jennette McCurdy's memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died.

Eating lately

Sarah's family is having pancakes for breakfast nearly every day.

Abby's enjoying hearty salads for lunch at work.

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We discuss what we want more of and less of, as well as things that are just right in our lives.

Life lately

Sarah took the kids to their first public meeting.

The neighbors fixed the fence at Abby's house.

Reading lately

Sarah enjoyed Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel.

Abby got into the cozy fantasy/romance Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree.

Eating lately

Abby resurrected a childhood frozen favorite: Mrs. T's Pierogies.

Sarah brought back delicious gummy bears and chocolate from Germany.

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

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Technology

We share our most used tech in daily life, technology other people seem to love but we don't, favorite tech related to kids/parenting, and our technology aspirations. Links we mentioned:

• Kindle strap
• Wireless headphones
• Wyndy app
• Calm app

Life lately

Abby shares that her beloved cat, Duncan, passed away last month.

Sarah just got back from a ten day to trip to Germany.

Reading lately

Abby listened to, and loved, Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson.

Sarah read the tennis novel Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Eating lately

Sarah a new to her dining experience--Michelin star restaurants in Berlin.

Abby tried a sheet pan dinner with roasted veggies and sausage.

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!

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We talk about cultivating a family food culture: what we want food and eating to feel like in our families, what is working and not working in our family food experience, and resources that we’ve used in developing family food culture.

Links we mentioned:

• Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
• Virginia Sole-Smith’s Instagram
• Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibility
• Visible Child

Life lately

Sarah and Neil rented and watched Free Solo.

Abby remade some old pillows with new stuffing and is enjoying how they look on her couch.

Reading lately

Sarah read Spare by Prince Harry.

Abby listened to Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way to Think About Abortion by Gabrielle Stanley Blair (AKA DesignMom, also the author of this Tweet thread).

Eating lately

Abby made meat loaf in the Instant Pot.

Sarah and her family are loving Cool Ranch Doritos.

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

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The days are dark and cold, at least in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere. We thought it would be fun to share what is bringing us joy, comfort, and generally helping us get through these months until spring arrives.

Life Lately

Abby used this kit to pierce a second set of holes in her ears.

Sarah’s kids are enjoying sleepovers with friends.

Reading lately

Abby read Out of the Clear Blue Sky by Kristan Higgins which was a recommendation from a listener—thank you Chrissie!

Sarah and E enjoyed the Friends series of graphic novels written by Shannon Hale and illustrated by LeUyen Pham: Real Friends, Best Friends, and Friends Forever.

Eating lately

Sarah made vegetarian beef stroganoff (with Impossible meat) from this Damn Delicious recipe.

Abby treated herself to chocolate mousse from Costco.

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

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We discuss our favorite spaces in our homes, the projects we want to tackle, and how we want our homes to feel.

Sarah’s enjoying her newly installed windows and an accompanying living room rearrangement.

Abby passed the NCLEX (nursing board exam) and is now an RN.

Sarah read a cozy mystery, The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.

Abby loved the most recent romance in the Spoiler Alert series by Olivia Dade, Ship Wrecked.

Abby was pleasantly surprised by how well this Instant Pot beef stroganoff came out.

Sarah and her kids have been making energy bites for the kids’ lunches, which they are packing independently.

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

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New year’s intentions, 2023

We set our intentions for the year, share our words for the year, and discuss specific goals in different categories.

Life Lately

Abby shares a toy all six of her cats love.

Sarah and Neil attempted a calendar meeting to moderate success.

Reading lately

Abby read The Bookwoman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson, the sequel to The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek.

Sarah read Sophie Cousen's Just Haven't Met You Yet.

Eating lately

Abby is loving the chipotle pot de creme from El Barrio.

Sarah is eating fancied up ramen noodles multiple times a week.

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!

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We reflect on the past year and discuss our words of the year, how it went in several categories, and do a lightning round of 2022 favorites.

Life lately

Sarah and her family took an awesome train trip to California, and Abby is struggling with the transition away from school. 

Reading lately

Sarah listened to Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton, and Abby enjoyed The Stand-In by Lily Chu.

Eating lately

Abby made an autumn sangria (subbing champagne for white wine and bourbon for brandy) on Thanksgiving, and Sarah and her family ate plenty of dessert in the dining car on their train trip.

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

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Our year in books, 2022

We share the highs and lows of our reading year as well as our favorite books in fiction, non-fiction, memoir, romance, audio, most-enjoyable, and read-aloud.

Life lately

Abby has finished nursing school and Sarah is starting a new job.

Reading lately

Abby read the novel We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman.

Sarah read Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.

Eating lately

Sarah attempted this caramel sauce while Abby enjoyed two new cheese dips from Trader Joe's.

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. Thank you for listening!

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Life lately

Sarah and her family had a lovely Halloween, and Abby gives a winter garden update. 

Reading lately

Sarah enjoyed the nonfiction read, Achtung, Baby: An American Mom on the German Art of Raising Self-Reliant Children by Sara Zaske, and Abby read two romance novellas from the Love Unscripted series by Olivia Dade.

Gift giving and receiving

We share our philosophies about gift giving and receiving around the holidays, at birthdays, and for anniversaries. This is an update to our 2017 episode on a similar topic.

Eating lately

Abby's been eating food prepared by Andrew after she works a 12-hour shift. Sarah's jumping on the no-knead breadbandwagon. 

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

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Life lately

Abby successfully completed her longest solo-parenting stretch to date!

Sarah is headed into a cold-weather camping weekend; wish her luck!

Reading lately

Abby read Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson, the first book of a fantasy fiction trilogy. Sarah stepped outside her usual genre and listened to the classic novel Another Country by James Baldwin.

Graceful quitting

We share why neither of us are quitting averse, our most memorable quitting (and not-quitting) moments, quitting regrets, gracefully quitting relationships, and our thoughts on quitting books and television shows.

• Freakonomics episode on The Upside of Quitting
• Twitter thread about setting boundaries

Eating lately

Sarah is searching for simple lunches to incorporate into her family’s life.

Abby is looking forward to eating roasted cranberry sauce, both on Thanksgiving and for many days after.

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

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For better or worse

We share the best and worst traits we and our spouses bring to our marriages.

• Girl Next Door's Best Spouse / Worst Spouse episode

Life Lately

Abby has started her practicum in a labor and delivery ward.

Sarah cut off her hair and is rocking the buzzed look again.

Reading lately

Abby read the unique and quirky Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki.

Sarah's been reading more graphic novels including Smile by Raina Telgemeier, El Deafo by Cece Bell, and Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier.

Eating lately

Sarah loved the edition of Trader Joe's elote corn to her cheese dip.

Abby is planning to try a new recipe for apple fritter cake.

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You all submitted a wide variety of questions, and we loved answering them. If you sent in a question, but didn’t hear it, it was probably so meaty that we’re saving it for it’s own episode later on. Thank you for being such great listeners!

Life lately

Sarah shares updates on her latest 5K and 10K, and Abby just took her final exam of nursing school. 

Reading lately

Sarah enjoyed the YA graphic novel, The Girl From the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag. Abby found a new regency romance series (The Palace of Rogues) and read the first in the series, Lady Derring Takes a Lover by Julie Anne Long.

Eating lately

Abby has been making root beer floats, and Sarah made a two-layer chocolate cake for E’s birthday.

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

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Novelty and progress

We share how we feel about novelty and progress, where we most enjoy them in our lives, where we prefer the comfort of the familiar, and how our thoughts have changed over time.

Life lately

Abby prepared her garden for fall, including removing all the giant zinnias.

Sarah is gearing up for two races despite limited training.

Reading lately

Abby listened to How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith. We also discussed the interview with Smith and Ashley C. Ford at the end of her memoir, Somebody's Daughter.

Sarah was flew through the ya mystery Queen of the Tiles by Hana Alkaf.

Eating lately

Sarah has fancied-up her easy enchilada recipe (but still uses this enchilada sauce). 

Abby has another five-ingredient Trader Joe's recipe to share: turkey soyaki bowl. 

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!

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We chat about the seasons, including our favorite and least favorite things about each one, the best seasonal foods, and whether there are seasons we’d skip if we could.

Life lately

Sarah’s kiddo HP took his first trip away from home without family along—and did great. Abby and her family watched Coco with the family and loved the Dia de los Muertos vibes. 

Reading lately

Sarah had fun reading nonfiction, The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again by Catherine Price, and Abby was delighted by the queer YA romance, Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jagirdar.

Eating lately

Abby found a new Instagram account, Trader Joe’s 5 Items or Less, and tried out their Cheesy Corn Orzo Pasta with salmon cooked in the InstantPot. Sarah cooked chickpea + couscous salad from Hello Fresh.

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Also, we’re gearing up for another listener Q&A, and we’d love to answer your questions in that episode if you send them our way. Thanks for listening!

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Personal policies

We share mantras that guide our lives, boundaries we maintain, things we always say yes/no to, and aspirational policies we'd like to bring into our lives. Mentioned on the show:

• Girl Next Door episode on personal policies
• Sow Connected episode on rules to live by
• B Team Facebook group

Life lately

Abby is enjoying her new art from Nicole Simmons.

Sarah is getting new (black!) windows.

Reading lately

Abby enjoyed the cozy sci-fi Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers.

Sarah was delighted by Bonnie Garmus's novel Lessons in Chemistry.

Eating lately

Sarah attempted homemade cold brew coffee.

Abby has found the perfect snack: mini-Kind bars.

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!

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We chat about how we’re coping with inflation, what frugal tricks have helped, and our frugal aspirations.

Reading lately

Sarah read another family gap year memoir, We Came, We Saw, We Left by Charles Wheelan.

Abby was compelled by but is not sure what to think of Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey.

Life Lately

Sarah and her kids cleaned the kids’ room. Abby is almost done with her semester.

Eating lately

Abby has been enjoying peach salsa her in-laws brought to town, and Sarah is into Everything But the Bagel seasoning from Trader Joe’s on ramen and popcorn.

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

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Flexibility

We share where it's easy for us to be flexible, where we find it more challenging, and how we've grown more and less flexible over time.

Life lately

Abby got another cat and Sarah has Covid.

Reading lately

Abby flew through the Ravenswood series by Talia Hibbert.

Sarah was moved by Imbolo Mbue's latest novel How Beautiful We Were.

Eating lately

Sarah wants to perfect homemade cold brew and Abby shares her favorite breakfast.

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!

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We discuss the things giving us life at the end of the summer. Links to Abby's bathing suit top and bottoms (although it looks like black is sold out).

Life lately

Sarah loves the towel racks and trash can Neil custom made for their new bathroom. Abby is so thankful for her nursing school friends.

Reading lately

Sarah read My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress by Rachel DeLoache Williams.

Abby recently finished Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez.

Eating lately

It's frozen food day on the pod. Abby was a bit disappointed in the Beecher's frozen corn and not-fried rice she tried, while Sarah's kids are into the Kroger chocolate chip frozen waffles.

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

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2022 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.

Life lately

Abby took a spontaneous camping trip and Sarah is showering in her new shower.

Reading lately

Abby read I'll Show Myself Out: Essays on Midlife and Motherhood by Jessi Klein after enjoying her article in The Cut.

Sarah enjoyed listening to Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman.

Eating lately

Sarah made frittata muffins from the No Fuss Family Cookbook.

Abby was inspired by a fellow student's lunch to make beef stroganoff.

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!

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We share the details of our days from Wednesday, June 15th. You can also listen to our first day-in-the-life episode and a similar episode from two years ago if you’d like to see how our days have changed. Links we mentioned:

• The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
• YouTube Swim Lessons

Life lately

Sarah loves physical therapy, and Abby’s ebike dreams have come true.

Reading lately

Sarah loved the YA vibes in K-pop Confidential and its sequel, K-pop Revolution, by Stephan Lee.

Abby enjoyed A Lady for a Duke (queer historical romance) by Alexis Hall.

Eating lately

Abby made the Smitten Kitchen Best Chocolate Pudding as a sub for the discontinued Belgian Chocolate Pudding from Trader Joe’s, while Sarah enjoyed a free meal thanks to a malfunctioning credit card machine.

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

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Capturing family memories

We share our philosophy around capturing family memories, our best strategies, and how our approach has changed as our kids have grown.

• Little Hoots
• Five year line-a-day journal

Life lately

Abby has a cat adventure to share. The remodel at Sarah's house is (finally) underway!

Reading lately

Abby read Listen to Me Good: The Story of an Alabama Midwife by Margaret Charles Smith and Linda Janet Holmes.

Sarah turned to an old favorite to get out of her reading slump and reread the YA fantasy novel A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas.

Eating lately

Sarah's enjoying naan pizza with fig jam while Abby made fancy ramen with a friend while camping.

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!

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We talk about how our processes of discernment look and rave about this essay by Cheryl Strayed.

Life lately

Sarah is enjoying TV, especially Bridgerton. Two and a half years after moving to Birmingham, Abby finally feels like she has friends.

Reading lately

Sarah read Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting by Lisa Genova, a popular science book about memory.

Abby listened to and loved The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline.

Eating lately

Abby is enjoying maple pecan granola from Trader Joe’s while Sarah tried a new donut place close to work.

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

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Pets in our lives

We share our history with pets, our current pet situations, the best and worst parts of having (or not having) pets, and our future pet dreams.

Life lately

Abby's planned lots of short trips for the upcoming months and Sarah is loving all the outdoor play happening in the neighborhood.

Reading lately

Abby enjoyed the second Bellinger Sisters' novel by Tessa Bailey: Hook, Line, and Sinker.

Sarah loved My Lady Jane, a young adult novel that re-imagines the life of Lady Jane Grey (plus magic!) written by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows.

Eating lately

Sarah is loving Trader Joe's inside-out carrot cake cookies and Abby found a new way to use eggs: cheddar and ham quiche cups.

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!

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We share the favorites in our families that have stood the test of time. Visit our show notes for links!

Life lately

We share our plans for the upcoming summer.

Reading lately

Sarah read I Must Betray You by Reta Sepetys, a young adult historical fiction novel set in Romania at the end of the Ceaușescu regime.

Abby loved The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd.

Eating lately

Abby enjoyed Texas brisket while Sarah’s lack of tortillas led to fancy nachos.

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

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Trying new things

We share new things we've tried as adults, our trying new things fails, mantras/mindsets that help us when trying new things, how parenting intersects with our approach, and new things we aspire to try in the future.

Life lately

Abby is almost done with her first semester of nursing school!

Sarah is watching a lot of NCAA gymnastics.

Reading lately

Abby was disappointed by Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano.

Sarah raced through The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. 

Eating lately

Sarah is teaching her kids to make French toast.

Abby is making lots of deviled eggs in an attempt to keep up with the abundance of eggs from her chickens.

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!

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We share how we find new books to read, strategies for managing our holds queues at the library, and what influences the kind of book we want to read next.

Links mentioned:

• Sarah and Abby on Goodreads
• Shelf Awareness and Maximum Shelf newsletters
• Booklist newsletters
• Reading the Past (for historical fiction)
• Smart Bitches Trashy Books (for romance)
• Tor (for science fiction and fantasy + good ebook deals)
• Libby (app) / Overdrive (web-based)
• Hoopla
• A note about the Nashville Public Library: Sadly, since we recorded they have decided not to offer library cards to folks outside of their area.

Life lately

Sarah is really into running slowly.

Abby is relieved Spring Break has (finally) arrived.

Reading lately

Sarah read the young adult novel The Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley.

Abby finished the newest romance by Rachel Lynn Solomon: Weather Girl.

Eating lately

Abby’s family is eating Domino’s deep-dish pan pizza for an easy weeknight dinner, while Sarah tried a new dessert: pear custard pie.

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

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Division of labor

We give an update on how we divide the housework in our families: who does what, how we feel about it, outsourcing, and what we have found to be most successful.

Life lately

Abby's family welcomed two new cats to their home.

Sarah took an overnight trip to St. Louis.

Reading lately

Abby is obsessed with the Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells.

Sarah read the graphic memoir And Now I Spill the Family Secrets by Margaret Kimball.

Eating lately

Sarah made a quick broccoli salad and Abby found the sour cream pound cake of her dreams.

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!

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We discuss what it’s been like to be back in school as adults, including what we are studying, the best and worst parts, and tips for anyone thinking of going back to school.

Life lately

Sarah is relishing riding a bike with working brakes.

Abby shares that Pepper was vaccinated as part of the Pfizer COVID clinical trial!

Reading lately

Sarah read the the cozy food mystery Arsenic and Adobo by Mia Manasala.

Abby finished the first book in a science fiction series: Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.

Eating lately

Abby tried a new spinach and artichoke dip for the Super Bowl.

Sarah made a veggie pot pie with cheddar biscuit topping.

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

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