Our Midwestern Life

Kristin and Abigail sit down to discus how their daily and weekly habits help them save money, use their time well, steward their mental energy and recycle in their homes. Follow Kristin on Instagram at @sageandskydesigns. Follow Abby on Instagram and Twitter at @abigailmurrish. Jennifer Scott's website, The Daily Connoisseur The Slow Home Podcast    

Sometimes, things don’t go as planned and podcast episodes are share WAAAYYY later than planned. So, here’s Abigail and Jonathan talking about their favorite things from 2017. But while I (Abigail) was editing it, I realized that the episode also works for January too, because we’re really just talking about the tips, tools and little daily joys that made our lives better last year. And who doesn’t need that in January? LastPass News Feed Eradicator for Facebook Kindle Paperwhite Abby’s favorite podcast discoveries in 2017: Presidential Pass the Mic The Popcast No-Knead Bread in Dutch Oven The 10 Item Wardrobe What is Hygge? From Hygge House  

Abigail Murrish sits down with Hillary Copsey, founder of Make America Read, to discuss their favorite reads from 2017 and how those books shaped their lives and perspectives on the world. Sign-up for Hillary's newsletter Make America Read. And, follow Hillary on Instagram and Twitter at @HillaryCopsey. Sign-up for Hillary's newsletter Make America Read. The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker Exit West by Mohsin Hamid Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward Founding Brothers by Joseph J. Ellis Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng Mr. Rochester by Sarah Shoemaker Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke In the Shelter by Pádraig Ó Tuama The Three Pines Series by Louise Penny The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch

Today, Abigail is joined by Abby Hummel to talk about how to live in the tension of joy and sorrow during the holidays. Abby's first appearance on Our Midwestern Life: GMOs - Our World and Your Kitchen Sorta Awesome 80: Offering Gentle Comfort in Times of Grief Just Show Up by Kara Tippetts and Jill Buteyn The Hardest Peace by Kara Tippetts Persuasion 118: Going Solo during the Holidays with Gina Dalfonzo Every Moment Holy Brené Brown on Empathy Fat & Faithful: A Fat Holiday Survival Guide Abby's Chai Recipe Ingredients: 2 cardamom pods 1 cinnamon stick A few whole peppercorns (pink peppercorns are delicious!) 3-4 cloves 1 piece of candied ginger 2 black tea bags (you can substitute rooibos tea for a caffeine free option) 1 cup of milk Sugar Directions: Put spices and tea bags plus 2 cups of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil, then simmer the mixture for 5 minutes. Add the milk, and let simmer for another 5 minutes. Add sugar to taste. Enjoy!

Kristin and Abby talk about the significance of traditions and rituals in this episode of Our Midwestern Life. Abby detangles the term liturgy, and explains how it's related to traditions and rituals, and how it's shaped her daily and seasonal habits. Kristin's Advent Calendar The Lazy Genius Collective Blog + Podcast Why You Need Rituals and Where I Invest My Love and Life (Abby's articles on Boundless) The Meaning is in the Waiting by Paula Gooder How to Celebrate Everything by Jenny Rosenstrach You are What You Love by James K.A. Smith Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren Chatbooks Simply Christmas by Leslie Odom Jr.

Jill and Abby talk about how they have built friendships with people in different stages of life than them.  The Big Family Cooking Showdown Giddy Up, Eunice by Sophie Hudson Sign-up for my newsletter and be entered to win an Amazon gift card. Follow our show on Instagram at @OurMidwesternLife. 

Steve and Abigail talk about echo chambers in this episode of Our Midwestern Life. We talk about what they are, why they matter and how to get out of one. Here We Stand: A podcast about the 500th anniversary of the Reformation from Desiring God Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng Steal Away Home by Matt Cartyer and Aaron Ivey The Psychology of Self-Righteousness: Krista Tippetr's  Pantsuit Politics: A political podcast... their tagline: "Sarah from the left. Beth from the right. No shouting. No insults. Plenty of nuance." Find Steve on Twitter at @daltonsbriefs. Find Abby at @abigailmurrish on Instagram and Twitter.  

Kristin and Abby discuss how personality frameworks have helped them develop habits and routines. They provide an overview of three common personality frameworks: the Enneagram, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies.  Find full show notes at abigailmurrish.com/personality. Follow Kristin on Instagram at @sageandskydesigns. Follow Abby on Instagram and Twitter at @abigailmurrish. To shop Noonday Collection, visit abigailmurrish.com/noonday.

Jonathan and Abby discuss their philosophy of travel along with sharing some of their favorite travel tips. Our Favorite Resources: Rick Steves' website, YouTube channel and books. Rick Steves: Travel as a Political Act The Simple Show Reddit Solo Travel Our Travel Must-Haves: Kindle Paperwhite Osprey Backpacks The Osprey Porter Backpack Anker Portable Charger Salomon Shoes Rain Jackets Recipes that Abby's Been Cooking: Pioneer Woman's Pot Roast Smitten Kitchen's Red Bean Chili

In this episode of Our Midwestern Life, I'm talking with J. Nicole Miller fat-dignity, justice and body shaming. Connect with Nicole on Twitter at @jnicolemorgan Find Nicole's podcast Fat and Faithful on iTunes, Facebook and Twitter. Sign-up for the Fat and Faithful newsletter here. Make sure you watch for Nicole's book next year!  

Why should we engage in conversations about awkward topics like religion and politics? In episode 81 of Our Midwestern Life, Steve and Abigail discuss the importance of having awkward conversations about challenging topics. Follow Steve on Twitter at @DaltonsBriefs. Follow Abigail on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @AbigailMurrish.

Today, I'm talking with my friends Masoud and Zahra. Masoud and Zahra call Iran and the Midwest home. In this episode, we talk about Iranian food culture and the power of the table to draw people together and create a shared space to learn about one another's stories. Show notes available at abigailmurrish.com.

A conversation with season 7 MasterChef contestant Tanorria Askew. Find Tanorria online at tanorriastable.com. Find show notes at abigailmurrish.com.

Find notes at abigailmurrish.com

I'm chatting with Our Midwestern Life contributor Kristin Boys.

On this episode of Our Midwestern Life, I’m talking with Nathan Nieuwendorp about life as a pig farmer. Nathan is a lifelong Midwesterner and makes his home in Iowa with his family. As he explains in today’s show, his farm is what would be considered a “factory farm.” And that’s exactly why I was thrilled to chat with him. Show notes available at abigailmurrish.com.

I'm sitting down with my friends Chris and Taryn to talk about one of our favorite TV shows: The Great British Baking Show. Whether you've binged every season or haven't seen a single episode, join us as we talk about our favorite contestants, memorable bakes and how the show has inspired in and out of the kitchen.

A conversation with a research scientist and writer about their passion for biotechnology and its role in remaking the broken aspects of our world. Show notes at abigailmurrish.com.