Bonus! Do what you can with what you have with Emily Ann Roberts

A “Whole Lotta Little” is one of the songs on Emily Ann Roberts’ new country album, Can’t Hide Country.

A 2015 finalist on NBC’s The Voice as a member of team Blake Shelton, Emily Ann went on to release her first single, “Stuck on Me and You” in 2018 and now has released her debut album just ahead of going on tour with Blake Shelton in early 2024.

When she’s not singing, Emily Ann loves the “old time things,” as she would call them, things like cooking and crocheting.
Which is why she calls herself the “Yeehaw Meemaw.”

And now she’s turned those needlework skills for good.

Emily Ann hand-crocheted a gorgeous throw blanket and is giving it away this holiday season alongside The Salvation Army. Anyone who donates to The Salvation Army through her virtual Red Kettle through December 31 will be entered to win with a winner drawn this New Year’s Day.

Of course, each donation goes directly to The Salvation Army to help bring joy and relief to families who need it this season and all year long.

We’re talking with Emily Ann today about what inspires her to do good whenever she can and how you can spread a “whole lotta little” goodness too.

Show highlights include:

• How she got the nickname, “Yeehaw Meemaw.”
• What made Emily Ann want to do a giveaway of a hand-crocheted throw blanket with The Salvation Army this Christmas.
• What it’s like to stand up on a stage and sing.
• Her belief that it’s more of a blessing to give than to receive.
• The importance of faith in her life and how she was raised.
• What it is particularly about country music that she loves.
• Emily Ann’s favorite song and what it means to her.
• How she would encourage others to do good with the gifts and talents they have.
• What she’s most looking forward to in 2024.

Listen and subscribe to the Do Gooders Podcast now. Below is a transcript of the episode, edited for readability. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, see the links at the bottom of this post.

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Christin Thieme: Well, Emily Ann, welcome to the Do Gooders Podcast. Thank you so much for being here with us today.

Emily Ann Roberts: Thank you for having me, it’s so good to be here.

Christin Thieme: Yes, I want to start with this. I think it’s fun. I’ve heard you jokingly call yourself the “Yeehaw Meemaw” and I love it. Can you give us a little insight into why the nickname?

Emily Ann Roberts: Well, I’m into the old stuff and I, gosh the older I get I feel like I’ve just turned 25 but I’m going on like 80 and I am just into stuff that usually kids my age are not passionate about and I started crocheting which is a wonderful hobby I’m trying to get so many other young folks in on it because it’s so much fun. You just get so much joy from creating something with your hands. And so I love to crochet, I love to cook, I love to be a homemaker. I love old-fashioned music. I love vintage and antiques, and I just love a bunch of old stuff. So I like to tell folks that I’m one part yeehaw, one part meemaw. Because I love to have a good time, but I’m definitely older than my 25 years at heart.

Christin Thieme: Yeah.

Emily Ann Roberts: So that’s kind of where that came from, but it’s been able to open up so many fun conversations and new doors, especially the crochet stuff. I have a page where I share literally just crochet and I’ve branded it yeehaw meemaw.

Christin Thieme: I love it. That’s so fun. And I want to come back to that crochet. But first, for those listening, who probably do know that you were a finalist on The Voice, you have a new album out right now and you’re about to go on tour with Blake Shelton in the new year. What is it like for you to stand up on a stage and sing? Tell us a little bit about why you love to sing.

Emily Ann Roberts: Oh, goodness. Well, for me, singing is something that I get to express myself with. I get to kind of lose myself in when life is crazy and things are busy or maybe I’m heartbroken or maybe I’m excited. Whatever emotions that I have going on, I pour those out in music. And so it’s the biggest blessing for me to get up on a stage and get to share my heart and sing.

I do a lot of different things in this career of being a country music singer. I song write and package and ship out all my merch and we spend hours driving in the car and there’s time in recording studio and all different kinds of things. But at the end of the day, what fills up my cup is getting on that stage and being able to hopefully be an encouragement to the folks who are listening.

And that’s why I do it, because music has always been an encouragement to me. It’s been something that I know the Lord has used to uplift me in my life and turn things around for me in my life. And so that’s my hope every time I get on a stage is that my music will be able to have a positive impact in the people, people’s lives who are listening.

Christin Thieme: Yeah, absolutely. You can’t help but feel good listening to your music, so I know it does.

Emily Ann Roberts: Oh, that’s sweet. Thank you.

Christin Thieme: I was perusing around your Instagram and saw your granny square sweater, which is super cute. You have a special knack for making crocheted items fashionable, so well done. And you’ve now crocheted a gorgeous throw blanket that you are giving away this season in connection with your virtual red kettle.

So from what I’ve heard, anyone can enter to win the blanket by donating to The Salvation Army through your online red kettle through December 31st, and you’re gonna draw a winner on New Year’s Day. What made you think of such a fun giveaway?

Emily Ann Roberts: Yes! Well, I’ve loved, like I said, I love crocheting and I love giving crochet gifts to people. And we did a granny square sweater that we did as a giveaway when my album came out. But, you know, I was thinking how can I use this gift of crochet for good, you know, to really make an impact other than just giving it away to somebody. Like, how can we make an impact together?

And so, I love The Salvation Army. And I was talking with my team and we were talking about plans for Christmas and talking about how we could use it for good and we realized that would be the most incredible pairing to be able to have a virtual red kettle and let people donate to go to all the folks who need it the most. And then they’re also being entered to win a blanket for themselves in their home.

And so it’s a win-win no matter how you look at it because I know in my life I’ve always received such bigger blessing by giving than receiving. And most of us have been blessed beyond measure. You know, we have got an extra five bucks, we’ve got an extra 10 bucks, some of us have an extra $100 to give to impact somebody’s life in such a huge way.

And so that’s what is exciting about this giveaway. Folks don’t have to give a certain dollar amount to be entered to win. If they have a dollar, they can give a dollar. If they have $100, they can give $100. And so, we are running that, like you said, through the end of December and then will draw a winner. So, it’s just been really, really cool to see how folks can come together to be a blessing to folks who need a blessing.

Christin Thieme: Yeah, I love it. And like you said, with whatever you have, everybody can make a difference in their own way. So can you tell us for anybody listening who hasn’t seen the picture yet, we’ll link to it, but tell us a little bit about the blanket and maybe how did you even learn to crochet? How did you come across that? Is that a new talent? Have you been doing it your whole life or what?

Emily Ann Roberts: Yeah, well, so the blanket is like basically a never-ending granny square. So granny squares are some of my favorite things to make. That’s what my sweater’s made of, and I love doing anything with granny squares. Well, this blanket in particular is just a granny square that keeps going and keeps going and keeps going. And I had never made a blanket like this before. I had seen them, but I had never tried to make one. So it’s special because it’s the first one I’ve ever made like that.

And I’ve been crocheting for probably four or five years now. I started one fall and I thought, okay, I’m gonna learn how to make gifts for all my family for Christmas. That was my intention behind it. But after I got my hook and my yarn and I started practicing, I realized, I’m gonna be lucky to get one thing done for Christmas. Like I am in over my head.

And so anyways, I started a blanket for my first project and I was getting so frustrated with it because it was a new skill. I had never done it before and I was really struggling getting the hang of it. And my brother-in-law told me as I was working on it, taking it apart, redoing it and taking it apart, he said, now Emily, your first project’s not gonna be your best project. And I have put that little piece of advice to use in crochet, but in so many different areas of my life, because a lot of us give something a try and we wanna be great at it, first try. But I go back to that advice all the time and tell myself the first time you try something is not gonna be the best time you do it. But that doesn’t mean you should give up. And so I just kept going and kept practicing and I’m so glad that I didn’t give up because now it is seriously one of my favorite hobbies. It’s a way to be creative and express myself when I need to turn music off in my mind.

Christin Thieme: Yeah. I love it. I know in your family home, your mom had a saying on the wall, “I am filled with joy,” from Psalm 126:3. What does that mean to you? What place does faith have in your life?

Emily Ann Roberts: Oh, faith is the most important part of my life. I wouldn’t be able to put one foot in front of the other without Jesus. He’s where all my hope comes from and my peace comes from, my joy comes from. And I’m so thankful for that in my life. I’m thankful for the Word of God and how it has shape who I am and how I think and how I see other people because anything good about me or my life is from God and anything not good is from me. If I was left to my own devices I would be lost as a ball in high weeds as my family says.

So faith is so important to me and you know being filled with joy to me, being filled with peace and contentment is not about material things. All of that stuff just gives temporary happiness and nothing you can really hold on to and it always leads you wanting more. You know, you never feel like you have enough and I’m really thankful that my mom and daddy always raised me up to know that being rich in life is not about how much money you have in the bank or the home you live in or the car you drive.

Being rich is being rich in those things that money can’t buy, like friendship and family and faith and laughter and joy and love. Like those are the things that truly make us rich. And they always taught me to know that you don’t have to do a whole lot to make a big difference. You just have to do what you can with what you have. And I think a lot of us discredit ourselves. We think, oh, I don’t have enough to make a difference in somebody’s life. If I only had more money, then I could be a blessing.

But my mom and dad never had excess finances, but my mom knew how to bake. And so she would bake a cake for people or take cookies over if somebody was going through a hard time or, you know, she is a great listener and she would sit and listen to people who just needed a friend, you know?

And so anyways, I hope that with this crochet blanket that people are inspired to see that you can give back and do things with just whatever you have. It doesn’t have to be some big to do to make a difference.

Christin Thieme: Yeah, a lot of times those simple, small, individual things are what make the biggest impact too.

What is it about country music specifically in particular that you love?

Emily Ann Roberts: Country music means so much to me because it’s about real life. The stuff that I was raised on especially are stories about real life, you know? And it’s relatable and I’ve always loved the storytelling aspect of country music. You can listen to a country song that will take you on a journey, you know? And it’s like reading an incredible story book and it’s all in, you know, a couple verses and a couple choruses, and you feel like you’ve seen a whole movie, you know? And so I love that about country music as well, but I also love the sound of country music. And the stuff that I was raised on has got that kind of mountainy feel. And I grew up in East Tennessee, and so I love any type of stringed instrument, whether it be fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, all of that stuff makes me so happy and makes me feel like like home.

Christin Thieme: Yeah, love it. Do you have a favorite song? And if you do, what do its words mean to you?

Emily Ann Roberts: Oh gosh. That’s such a hard question. Man.

Christin Thieme: It’s hard to pick favorites, I know. One of your favorites, we can say.

Emily Ann Roberts: Okay. I think I’m gonna go with… I know. I’m gonna go with Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors.” I love that song. I love Dolly so much. And I love that song so much because it shows her heart first of all, which is precious. When you hear a song and you feel like you get to know the singer, like you cannot listen to “Coat of Many Colors” and not feel like you know Dolly, you know? And it just shows her heart, but I also love the whole sentiment behind it because it meant so much to her to have that handmade item that other kids thought was just old rags, but to her it meant the world because her mama made it for her. And she knew how long and how hard her mama worked on it. And I don’t know, it’s just precious.

That’s another reason why I love country music. The music and the songs, it just fills your heart up. It’s just sweet. It’s good and encouraging and precious.

Christin Thieme: Yes. We loved watching Dolly just a few weeks ago now at the Thanksgiving Day Red Kettle Kickoff. That was so fun and I saw her the day before talking about her partnership with The Salvation Army in her bedazzled Salvation Army uniform. It was great. She’s amazing.

Emily Ann Roberts: She’s amazing. I love her.

Christin Thieme: So we often say on this show, and it’s kind of what we’ve talked a little bit about so far that you can do good right where you are with whatever you have, however you can. Which is why I love that you’ve taken something that you love to do a hobby and turned it into good. How would you encourage others to do good with the gifts and talents they have this season?

Emily Ann Roberts: I would just encourage them to think about the things that they enjoy doing, things that they know they’re good at. And like I said, if that is literally just somebody saying, I’m a good listener, there are so many folks that need somebody who will listen. You know, if they say, I’m a good friend, if they say, it doesn’t even have to be like physical things you can give to someone. Sometimes it’s just being a friend is all that somebody needs.

But for me, I think about the things that I enjoy doing and whether that’s crochet, whether that’s singing, whether that’s baking, whatever that is. And then I think, how can I be a blessing to somebody with this? And I promise you, when you shift your perspective to all of a sudden, instead of saying, I enjoy this, so I’m gonna do it for me. When you shift your perspective and say, how can I be a blessing with this gift? You will see opportunities all around you.

If you just shift your perspective, if you are looking for a way to be a blessing, I promise you’ll find it because there are people all around you, everywhere you go, that are just in need of a pick-me-up and a blessing, and you never know if you can be that in somebody’s life. And so I would just say, look at what you got and do what you can with what you got. Don’t overcomplicate it.

Christin Thieme: Yeah, absolutely. You have so many fun things coming up this year. What are you most excited for as we enter 2024?

Emily Ann Roberts: Oh gosh, it is gonna be a fun year. I have to say I’m most excited to go out on the road with Blake Shelton. I got to work with him when I was on The Voice in 2015. He was my coach on the show and I learned so much from him and it’s such a full circle moment now, eight or nine years later, to be able to go out on the road with him. It’ll be my first ever like real arena tour.

And so I just am honored that he would have me out. And I can’t wait to take my music places that it’s never been. We’re going to Canada, we’re going to a bunch of cities here in the U.S. that I’ve never been before. And so I’m really excited to get to take this project that I’ve made and sing it to all kinds of new folks and hopefully make a bunch of new friends.

Christin Thieme: Yeah, I love it. Where can we find and connect with you online if somebody wants to listen in to your new album? Where is the best place to connect with you?

Emily Ann Roberts: Yes, so all my music is out everywhere you get music—iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, stuff like that. If you want physical copies of my album, you can go to my website, emilyannroberts.com. We actually just launched the pre-order for my album in vinyl, which I’m really excited about. And so you can get that online as well. And then I’m on social media @emilyann_music. Or if you are really interested in the crochet stuff, Yeehaw Meemaw has an Instagram account. You can follow her too. It’s just me, but you can follow her too. And so I’ve gotten that as well and people can find me there.

Christin Thieme: Oh, a secret! I love it. Well, you still have time to enter into the virtual red kettle and have a chance to win that crocheted blanket. So we will link to that and definitely throw your hat in. You never know. Thank you so much for sharing today.

Emily Ann Roberts: Yes, thank you so much. Thank you, it’s so good to talk to you. Thank you.

Additional resources:

• Give to Emily Ann Roberts’ virtual red kettle and be entered to win her hand-crocheted blanket.
• Find Emily Ann Roberts’ debut album and learn more about the upcoming tour.
• Get on the list for Good Words from the Good Word and get a boost of inspiration in 1 minute a day with a daily affirmation from Scripture sent straight to your inbox. It’s an email to help you start your day with goodness.

Listen and subscribe to the Do Gooders Podcast now.