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Welcome to episode #18 of the To Do Lists of the Semi-Adult podcast where Rae and I talk about the best television ever. Subscribe to this bi-weekly podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link.  This week we talk about our favorite books we read as children, and why they're the best. Some links are affiliate. So Rae and I both loved Breaking Bad, even though sometimes the lighting drove me nuts, but it was nothing if not forward-thinking. We also briefly talked about The Wire, which was an excellent show, but maybe, possibly, didn't have the best story-telling strategy considering if you miss any five seconds of any episode ever you have no idea WTF is going on. Also on Rae's list is The Good Wife, which I think can be a little boring sometimes, but it's easy to watch AND all of the characters are fun to ship if it gets boring. (If you're not on board with shipping yet, go read Rae's post on America's new favorite pastime right now.) We also  briefly mention Grey's Anatomy, which I have recently sobbed over, and West Wing, which I think is my favorite show ever. We talked about Friends, which Rae brilliantly described as "comfort food." Her favorite friend is Rachel, and mine is Chandler, although we're not so sure Monica should have ended up with him. I asked Rae what she loves about Twin Peaks -- and the short answer is everything. A.J. and I just started watching The Following, which I think Rae would like too, but bad news bears, it's now cancelled. So maybe don't start that one. We are also re-watching The Office, and it's one of the few shows that makes me crack up out loud. It's such a great cheerer upper. Rae talks about Hannibal, which she is reviewing for Just About Write. She loves the beauty and thought that goes into the sets and costume design, as well as the fascinating plot. See more of her posts here. In the lightning round, I mentioned this one-pot pasta dish I recently made, and Rae and Michael are using fresh herbs from their garden! Rae's going to start reading Stephen King's new book, Finder's Keepers, and I'm reading a biography on Andrew Carnegie for work. So that’s what’s going on this week on the podcast. Will you be our Internet friend? Rae can be found at raesdays.com, on Instagram and Twitter, and at raesdays(at)gmail(dot)com. Jewels is at ovenlovinblog.com, on Instagram and Twitter, and at jewelsphraner(at)gmail(dot)com.

Welcome to episode #17 of the To Do Lists of the Semi-Adult podcast where Rae and I talk about our favorite books that we read as children. Subscribe to this bi-weekly podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link.  This week we talk about our favorite books we read as children, and why they're the best. Some links are affiliate. So Rae and I both read the Baby Sitter's Club series, with Rae particularly favoring the mysteries.  Also Rae recently discovered a BSC mysteries wiki, so we can relive our youth there.  I also read the Nancy Drew books when I was younger. If you read them too, perhaps you will remember the prevalence of mud-covered license plates.  Speaking of series, Goosebumps is still around. Amd R.L. Stine is on Twitter! We also mentioned Harry Potter of course. I'm personally in the middle of a dilemma about whether or not to buy our turning-10-year-old nephew the first HP book for his birthday, but I'm not totally sure he'd read it and that could very well crush me and my all my hopes and dreams for the youth of America. As I was telling A.J. last night, Harry Potter isn't really about the great, magical plot, but about the important lessons imparted in the book -- like the importance of friends, and that doing the right thing isn't always easy, but it still must be done, and shining a light on goodness in the world.  Rae also mentioned Ella Enchanted as a really great book for lessons -- especially for girls, because it is all about gender roles. I mentioned To Kill a Mockingbird as one of the first books that exposed me to perspective in writing.  Don't forget Harper Lee's sequel is coming out this year!  And Frankenstein is also great, because Mary Shelley's husband tried to take all the credit for it, and it didn't work out too well for him. What did you guys like to read as children? In the lightning round, Rae mentioned her new Gap leggings and a new comic book she's reading, Bitch Planet.  Why is the comic book world so great at bringing social issues to light and the rest of the world is so far behind? Here's an article Rae found about the artist from Bitch Planet. I am not reading, but I am working on this super cool cross-stitch series on cities from around the world. The designs are by Satsuma Street.  I'm working on Tokoyo, but Paris and New York are done! So that’s what’s going on this week on the podcast. Will you be our Internet friend? Rae can be found at raesdays.com, on Instagra

Welcome to episode #16 of the To Do Lists of the Semi-Adult podcast where Rae and I talk about our favorite beauty products.   Subscribe to this bi-weekly podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link.  This week we talked about the products we use for our skin that we love and hate. But first, updates! Rae is moving in with Michael, they bought an amazing orange couch and she got a great hair cut! one more new thing this weekend: we got this couch A photo posted by Rae Nudson (@raenudson) on Mar 7, 2015 at 5:36pm PST new haircut (lot of new happening around here) A photo posted by Rae Nudson (@raenudson) on Mar 7, 2015 at 5:36pm PST Rae feels like she has found her stylistBFF in Isabelle at Indira Salon in Southport in Chicago. Protip: find a stylist that is excited for a new hair style for you as you are. We also briefly mentioned the Apartment Therapy Small Cool spaces contest that is coming up. Also, if anyone wants pro decorator tips, see Rae. Our hands-down favorite beauty product are Neutrogena Face Wipes for removing makeup without drying your skin out. Rae prefers the nighttime ones. I don't like the generic versions or the ones from MAC Cosmetics, because they are too expensive. Also on Rae's list, this Stila eyeliner with primer. I can't use primer on my eyes, but I use a MAC paint pot, as a primer. I also love MAC blush, especially in desert rose, because it lasts forever and is super pigmented.  We both agreed MAC products are pretty great, but we also like drugstore brands -- like Burt's Bees chapstick in pomegranate and Maybelline Falsies mascara. Rae uses the flared, waterproof, volume express. We actually don't like expensive mascaras -- they're the worst. I also like E.L.F. products a lot, especially this clear lip liner. I also mentioned this Reddit tutorial for lipstick that I really like, even though it's a lot of steps. We like the Anastasia brand for eyebrows. She uses pencils, and I use powder. Try filling in your eyebrows, you guys. It's life changing. She also uses Burt's Bees tinted chapstick, and I love Pantene Pro-V styling products, but not their shampoo and conditioners, or Suave, apparently. Rae also uses Expanda Dust Volumizing Powder for adding volume to your hair. Rae also really likes BB cream for a fast foundation. She uses the Boscia brand. What kind of products do you guys like to use? In the lightning round, Rae and I discussed which chores we love and hate. She love

Welcome to episode #15 of the To Do Lists of the Semi-Adult podcast where Rae and I talk about our favorite kitchen gadgets.   Subscribe to this bi-weekly podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link.  This week we talked about our favorite kitchen gadgets, as Rae said, for seasoned cooks and less seasoned cooks. Some links are affiliate. She mentioned Blue Apron as a way to circumvent meal planning, which I have used too, and we both love. And we have the most amazing news: We have a few free weeks on Blue Apron to giveaway, so if you are interested in trying it, leave us a comment below or on Facebook or tweet us, and we will get you a free week. (First come, first serve.) Mostly I talked about how much I love my food processor and how it makes weekly prep work a snap. We also talked about the benefit of good, sharp knives. Seriously ask your older relatives if you can have their knife sets, because they don't make knives like they used to make them.  There are also some articles on the Internet about knife shopping and for what to look, but be prepared to invest. It's worth it though, promise. Oh, and I mentioned my tiny spatula that I use most often for scraping things out of measuring spoons and getting between the beaters on mixers. These are hard to find, so stock up! Rae mentioned her teapot, which she uses in very versatile ways including as a French press or to make hot water for oatmeal in the morning, which I think is just brilliant. She also talked about how helpful it is to have a George Foreman grill for cooking meat, and we discussed our mutual love for our Apple Machines. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8YFw5_KC0E&feature=youtu.be I  mentioned the value of a salad spinner, for keeping lettuce fresh for weeks, and how much I love my coffeemaker with a timer, so coffee is brewed by the time I wake up. There is nothing better than walking into the kitchen in the morning and smelling fresh coffee.  Rae and I use this coffee maker, which makes The Best Coffee. I also very briefly discussed steel mixing bowls, especially if you're going to bake things that need to stay cool or hot, i.e. pie crust. During the lightning round, we talked about winter hats. Can everyone please tell me what you call the hats below: In Pittsburgh they call them tassel caps, and I think that's weird! Rae just finished Volume 1 of The Wicked +The Divine, and I just finished John Green's Paper Towns, which I pretty much liked. I r

Welcome to episode #14 of the To Do Lists of the Semi-Adult podcast where Rae and I talk about how we document our lives, publicly and privately. Subscribe to this bi-weekly podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link.  This week we talked about what we're willing to put on social media -- mostly anything we like -- and that we think other people should feel equally comfortable posting what they like to. Give us your babies. Give us your pets. Give us your dinners. Give us your text message screen shots. All fair game, and if we don't like it, we'll scroll passed it. No biggie.  However, we tend to draw the line with work and avoid posting about our jobs, because we are professionals. Except for this picture that I took at work of my new glasses. Whoops. We also talked about how to document and display personal things -- and we mentioned Project Life, which is an easier scrapbooking system. You can see some of our old spreads here, here, here and here.  Rae also mentioned keeping a file on her desktop full of photos she likes and then every so often she'll get them all printed, just so she has hard copies of all photos she likes and then she always has photos on hand, which is such a good idea. I also mentioned a service I've heard about for keeping your digital photo files safe.  Forever.com is what I was thinking, but there are apparently a ton of companies that offer this kind of service. We also document our every day lives in personal ways -- Rae keeps a sketchbook and tries to sketch every day. I use my planner to write a few words out every day about the previous day. I also mentioned journal52 which provides weekly art-based journal prompts, which are fun. Rae is just finished The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, who are the girls behind the Go Fug Yourself blog, while I am plodding through Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.  I really love Wallace's essays, so I'm willing to work my way through the million pages, but the likeness to Faulkner is killing me slowly.  Rae gives Blue Apron another thumbs up, and I just made these beef and mushroom stroganoff meatballs. Rae also gave a very hearty recommendation for this Sephora liquid eyeliner for her wingtips. Also Rae and I both have hooded eyes, so if you have any hooded-eye tips, that would be great. So that’s what’s going on this week on the podcast. Will you be our Internet friend? Rae can be found at raesdays.com, on Instagram an

Welcome to episode #13 of the To Do Lists of the Semi-Adult podcast where Rae and I talk about how to be mindful of collecting stuff. How do we clear out clothes and books and things we don't need or use? With difficulty, is the answer. Subscribe to this bi-weekly podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link.  This week we talked about how much stuff we've managed to collect during our 27 years of life, and what to do with it.  Inspired by a Netflix documentary on Tiny Houses, Rae said she is going to try to be more mindful about buying things and throwing out things that have holes or are broken, like her super cute galoshes, and I talked about how I turn my hangers every Memorial Day to see what clothes I haven't worn. We also caught up on each other's lives, because it's been awhile! A.J. and I recently moved this bookshelf into our living room and organized the books my color! Our saturday project involved moving this bookshelf and organizing the books by color! A photo posted by @jewelsphraner on Jan 17, 2015 at 10:26am PST And she recently attended a Bulls game with Michael, and took an adorable picture. During the lightning round, I mentioned that I just finished reading Amy Poehler's Yes Please, after reading Tina Fey's Bossypants and Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me. I liked Poehler's book best. Rae is reading a cool trilogy about magic and criminals called Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. You can see more of her thoughts and sketches from the book here and here. Food-wise, she's favoring grilled cheese and tomato soup, and I recently made a chocolate-peanut butter pretzel layer cake from Joy the Baker's new cookbook, Homemade Decadence. Today's other project. @joythebaker 's chocolate-peanut butter pretzel layer cake from #homemadedecadence A photo posted by @jewelsphraner on Jan 17, 2015 at 2:46pm PST So that’s what’s going on this week on the podcast. Will you be our Internet friend? Rae can be found at raesdays.com, on Instagram and Twitter, and at raesdays(at)gmail(dot)com. Jewels is at ovenlovinblog.com, on Instagram and Twitter, and at jewelsphraner(at)gmail(dot)com.

Welcome to episode #12 of the To Do Lists of the Semi-Adult podcast where Rae and I talk about the holidays, again. Remember that pre-plan planning we did in episode #11? Yeah, now we're stressed. Subscribe to this bi-weekly podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link.  This week we talked about where we're at as far as preparing for the holidays.  Rae is stressed at work and has to plan for an international  vacation, on top of regular holiday stuff.  This week's podcast is also when I realized that I had exactly two days to send out all of our Christmas cards and packages through the regular mail. Whoops.  But, have no fear, there are still two days to send things out using priority or first-class shipping.  The U.S. Postal Service has a handy holiday guide with all these dates. Try to avoid Priority Mail Express though, because it will seriously cost you a million dollars. (I've made that mistake a time or two.)   Also protip:  you can buy stamps from the cashier at the grocery store, the UPS store and from drugstores, if you can't get to the post office. UPDATE: Rae has mailed all her gifts on-time! But the big takeaway here is that "adult Christmas is hard."     It has gotten to the point in my holiday planning, that I'm cutting everything I can out. For example, for our family holiday party, I am brainstorming ways I do not have to cook -- possible options include Chipotle, Boston Market, Honeybaked Ham, or, you know, ordering pizza. Also, don't feel guilty about doing things for yourself while you're doing things for other people. Booking a haircut is totally acceptable.  Also, Rae and I tote the benefits of making lists all the time, but our best advice is to take the time to think things through and figure things out and it will get easier. Also we talked about end-of-the-year reflections and resolutions. In 2013, my resolution word was finances -- we worked really hard to eliminate our credit card debt and create a working budget that we stick to no matter what, and always keep our finances in mind when we made big decisions.  Next year, I'd like to focus on health. Going to the doctor and the dentist and paying attention to how our bodies are feeling and working and how to improve our general health. Also, don't forget to reflect on your year and be proud of all the things you did. Another thing Rae and I want to do next year is continue to try to connect with our cities.  I found a "bucket list" of th

Welcome to episode #11 of the To Do Lists of the Semi-Adult podcast where Rae and I talk about the holidays. They are nigh! Subscribe to this bi-weekly podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link. This week we talked about planning for the holidays. Yes, we know it is still early November. First, what are we doing about Christmas cards? Obviously if you can capture yourselves holding a Merry Christmas sign in front of a snowy ski lodge in time for Christmas, that is what you should go with. But some of us don't have a snowy ski lodges at our disposal, or even snow yet, for that matter, so if you're looking for inspiration, don't worry, I have a Pinterest board dedicated to couple's holiday card ideas.  A.J. and I are probably going to go with something like this: In the past we've also done something like Minted's Year-In-Review card.  Also if you're not into taking the time to design, print and cut out your own card, totally  buy them! But don't pay $18 for a pack of 10, please.  Rae recommends Barnes and Noble's holiday cards on sale. And even dollar stores have some options.  We also talked about making the holiday card process more efficient by using address labels or a stamp (which just happens to be on my Christmas list, this year!).  I've got my eye on this one. And Elise Joy recommends using Simon Stamp.       We also talked about mass producing small gifts for our friends. In the past, we have done: ugly sweater tree ornaments, coffee cozies, monogrammed coffee mugs and Insta-magnets. Rae also briefly talked about her family's cool Christmas camp that happened last year, with which I am obsessed. During the lightning round, Rae mentioned that for Family Book Club, she's reading The Name of the Wind, which she can't put down, and I'm still working on my Starry Night cross stitch.  I also just made these delicious Hungarian turkey burgers. So that's what's going on this week on the podcast. Will you be our Internet friend? Rae can be found at raesdays.com, on Instagram and Twitter, and at raesdays(at)gmail(dot)com. Jewels is at ovenlovinblog.com, on Instagram and Twitter, and at jewelsphraner(at)gmail(dot)com.

Welcome to episode #10 of the To Do Lists of the Semi-Adult podcast where Rae and I talk about figuring out what you want and how to own it. Subscribe to this bi-weekly podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link. Rae and I feel like this "semi-adult" stage of our life is all about figuring out what is going to make you happy in life. Sometimes it's about trying new things, sometimes it's about realizing that there are things you don't want, such as working nights or having an inconsistent schedule.  It's always about  making the best decision for yourself at the time with the information you have.  If later, you change your mind or realize that's not actually what you want, you can make some changes.  Just because you invest time in a pursuit that ultimately doesn't make you happy doesn't mean it was a waste of time. Internet experts believe part of this whole process is to analyze the feelings behind your desires. Rae and I shared different articles about this including a Huffington Post dating column and an article from Oprah's website.   We also mention what to do when people tell you that you shouldn't want or not want something. One example is Rae's cool new purple hair  -- she was afraid to tell people about her decision before it was done, because she thought someone might talk her out of it. The takeaways from that are: you totally don't have to tell anyone what you want, it's OK to keep it to yourself. But if you are put on the spot --like mothers asking me if I want kids -- and you want to answer truthfully -- "nope, not ever" -- realize that people's doubts of your decision are mostly them justifying their decisions to themselves. In the lightning round, Rae talks about finishing up The Magician's Land, and I'm not reading anything at all, but I am working on an embroidery project of Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night.  Rae tried out the ingredient/recipe delivery service Blue Apron last week and loved it, and I made some wonderful banh mi inspired meatballs (that are low-carb, keto-friendly and gluten-free). So that's what's going on this week on the podcast. Will you be our Internet friends? Rae can be found at raesdays.com, on Instagram and Twitter, and at raesdays(at)gmail(dot)com. Jewels is at ovenlovinblog.com, on Instagram and Twitter, and at jewelsphraner(at)gmail(dot)com.

Welcome to episode #9 of the To Do Lists of the Semi-Adult podcast where Rae and I talk about the pleasure-pleasures that is popular culture intended for young adults. Subscribe to this bi-weekly podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or by using our feed link. Rae and I share a love for popular media intended for young adults. We're talking about ABC Family television series, animated movies and easy, fun, capturing books about terrible romances. Rae owns it, and I spend a lot of time feeling guilty about it, but she's right. "There are no guilty pleasures, just pleasure-pleasures." First on the docket is our discussion on the merits of The Secret Life of the American Teenager, of which the entire series is available for all of your viewing pleasures on Netflix. We also talk about Frozen, the Hunger Games trilogy, Pretty Little Liars, Twilight, Divergent, and Prince of Egypt. Also, of course, we talk about the Harry Potter series, which might not even count as the young adult genre. One of the coolest ways to enjoy Harry Potter for a second, third, fourth or fifth time is through the Mark Reads blog, where you can read about his reaction to the books, chapter by chapter. We also want to thank Xavier for sending us an awesome email, and in that spirit: please send us mail! Rae can be found at raesdays.com, on Instagram and Twitter, and at raesdays(at)gmail(dot)com. Jewels is at ovenlovinblog.com, on Instagram and Twitter, and at jewelsphraner(at)gmail(dot)com.