← The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast
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- [00:01]
Podcast Host (Ad Read)
This episode is brought to you by Prime Obsession is in session. And this summer, prime originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, and the book to screen favorites you've already read twice off campus. Elle every year after the Love Hypothesis, Sterling Point and more slow burns, second chances chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on Prime.
- [00:30]
Ginger
I thought we would have like a little live catch up and so let's just chat about how life has really been. Like, I know it's been a hard season for a lot of us and. Yeah. How are you holding up?
- [00:41]
Joy
I am getting through all of this. I feel like every day it's different and I think that it's probably been the hardest time I've ever gone through, honestly. I think every day just feels so heavy. I have really. I've really been struggling, honestly. And I think I've had to lean on the Lord more than I ever have, which is a good thing. That's a positive thing. I guess I didn't. I don't know. Yeah, there's just.
- [01:11]
Ginger
No, you can't plan for something like this. Yeah. Yeah. Welcome back to the Ginger and Jeremy podcast. Okay. You might notice that it's just me here this week, but it's not just me here this week because Jeremy is out recording. So I have invited on a guest. I got to choose our guest and I chose my sister Joy. She is my favorite co host and she's back to join us on the pod. So welcome, Joy.
- [01:39]
Joy
Thank you so much for having me. This is so fun. Hopefully Jeremy doesn't mind me taking his place for a little bit today.
- [01:48]
Ginger
I think that he's going to be a big fan. He's probably actually going to go listen to the episode as soon as we're done because he's going to want to know what we talked about. He has to get it on. All the girl talk, you know.
- [01:57]
Joy
Oh, yes.
- [01:59]
Ginger
I love it. Well, thanks for jumping on with me. What have you been up to? How is life? Give me a little life update.
- [02:06]
Joy
We have been working so much around our house on the land. A lot of indoor house products. Austin just finished building our fireplace mantel. Remember, we were, we were hoping we were going to have it for Christmas when you guys were here, but that didn't happen. So anyway, he had to end up. He like cut it on the sawmill and then took it to his dad's and planed it down and got it all dried, all the things. So it took a little bit longer than we thought. But he got it built. It's beautiful. He finally built the steps going into our sun room. And then we've been working a lot on the land and start a garden. So we've been busy, but like a good busy, like at home, not going out and about as much.
- [02:46]
Ginger
That is literally the best. I mean, when we were there at your house, you guys are so kind to host us. When your house was under construction and you were just moving in as we came to visit and you still hosted us, which was incredible. And so, yeah, like, kudos to you for doing that. I mean, and then we saw the progress. It was so much fun being there. And then, yeah, those steps down. So into going down into your playroom area is kind of crazy. It's like this big drop off. And I'm glad that you finally got a step there because, well, I remembered, let me just say, you're like, oh
- [03:21]
Joy
my goodness, he's gonna pretty much the entire time. But it was funny because Gunner finally got used to them like he was before, just like crawling down the step and he finally got used to just like jumping off of the ledge. So, yeah, it's nice to have him done. But that was a lot of fun. That made like the transition from our old house to this one even so much sweeter having you guys here for that time.
- [03:44]
Podcast Host (Ad Read)
Aw.
- [03:45]
Ginger
Well, that's so sweet. We felt the same way. I mean, even in like all the chaos of moving, having, you know, the can lights put in as we were there, all that fun, like legit, it's bonding. It's so good. It was so, so good.
- [03:58]
Joy
It was fun.
- [04:00]
Ginger
Well, I thought we would have like a little life catch up thing and so let's just chat about how life has really been. Like, I know it's been a hard season for a lot of us and. Yeah. How are you holding up?
- [04:14]
Joy
I am getting through all of this. I feel like every day it's different and I think that it's probably been the hardest time I've ever gone through, honestly, and so. But also, it's also been so sweet. And so I think we're all grieving in different ways, but I think it. It feels just. I think every day just feels so heavy. And I definitely think as time goes on, it's gotten certain things have gotten lighter. But I have really. I've really been struggling, honestly, and I think I've had to lean on the Lord more than I ever have, which is a good thing. That's a positive thing. But I didn't. I guess I didn't I don't know. Yeah, there's just. No. There's no black and white answer.
- [05:04]
Ginger
You can't plan for something like this. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [05:07]
Joy
It's been really hard, and I think it's so tough. I've been setting up pillars of praise, and it was actually a song I had found a couple days after all of this blew up. And it was talking about in the valley of death, making it into a valley of worship. And I think it was so fitting for everything that we've been going through because I. I tend to. And I realized this the last few years, but I tend to like, jump into just everything's a mess and God, where are you and why is this happening? And I go to, like, the deep, deep end and. And I think God was just reminding me that even in the valley, like the children of Israelites, they would go through something really hard. And at the end, God would say, set up a pillar so you don't forget. And I think I haven't done that in the past a lot. And so when I go through a hard time, then I'm questioning everything rather than looking back at the pillars that God has already answered in my life and brought me through. So that's been something positive that I have to look to and I have to, like, grab onto the positive things because it's been super hard and super dark and really heavy. So anyway, but I'm. I all that to say I am holding in there. I'm doing okay. Trying to find the balance of, like, online too, of how much to talk about, because I feel like it's already impacted my family so much that how much room do I want to give to it in my life? And so I feel like the more I talk about it publicly, the more it just gets, like, rubbed in our faces. And I. I kind of want to just move on with life in some ways.
- [06:46]
Ginger
Totally. Yeah.
- [06:47]
Joy
And so that's been a hard balance.
- [06:50]
Ginger
Yeah. Well, I think that you guys are doing a good job and it's. It's not easy for anyone, and it's just a tricky thing to handle, like, especially with the public side of it. And so. Yeah, love you guys. And I'm sorry it's been so hard. And anyhow, it, like, really is something that I wanted to address, even initially, but then also just to move forward and talk about even some of the little joys, things that you have been finding joy in, like in those moments where there are little windows of, like, pockets of joy that God shows you that he really Cares and reaches down and like in little ways.
- [07:32]
Joy
You know, I've had a lot of those things. And I think even going through a dark season, I think you can see the little joys even more because it's like, especially I think, God, just having kids, they.
- [07:45]
Ginger
You.
- [07:46]
Joy
I at least it helps me pull out from all of the darkness and the sadness because they just. They just bring so much light and joy into my life. And so we've had a lot of fun. Fun just being. I think we've had so much time at home and just watching the kids play on our land. We built a little mountain biking trail for them and they absolutely love it. We had like a whole dirt pile that Austin was going to use for landscaping. And so we just flattened down one side and they've been riding up and down that.
- [08:16]
Ginger
It helps that you have like an excavator on the property. You know, you guys always have like backhoes, bulldozers, all the things to do those projects.
- [08:24]
Joy
Oh yeah. Austin has all the equipment because he did land clearing for a long time and then with his home building, he uses it all the time. So we do have a lot of equipment. So the kids have absolutely loved that. And I think just being we've been outside a lot and I think through all of this, God knew I needed it. Thankfully, it's summertime. Like we have been outside a ton and I think sunshine helps me. I was actually telling Austin the other day, I told him, I said, I think I'm solar powered. Like if I'm in the sunshine, I feel so much better. And I feel like my mood's better. Like I can think clearer. And so we've been really purposeful. Sadly, it's been raining a lot the last like week almost. But when I'm out in the sun, I feel so much better. And we all just are having like clear minds. And so we've been trying to be outside as much as possible, doing lots of family bike rides. Like those are highlights. Taking the kids to a bike park near us. So I think those are little things and just the kids excitement always helps me just have a better day and see the good and the beauty in life.
- [09:38]
Ginger
We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about Cozy Earth. Our house has almost everything cozy Earth. And so from our bed sheets, which are the bamboo bed sheets, they are buttery soft. We have had so many people who come to our house stay at our house and they love those sheets. They ask, where your sheets from? I want to get a set and we actually sent one guest home with our bed sheets because they were that good. And right now I want to tell you guys about another thing that I'm loving. It is the brushed bamboo jogger set and also the lake house clogs. They are amazing and that is just a next level gift to give to a friend. Give to a loved one. And Cozy Earth stands behind everything that they make with a 30 day return policy on all products. They have a lifetime warranty on all their clothing and they have 100 night free sleep trial where you can try the sheets for 100 nights and get your money back if you don't like them this Memorial Day week. Give yourself the kind of comfort that lives with you all day, not just the moment you get home. Cozy Earth's brushed bamboo jogger set and lakehouse clogs are designed to keep you cozy, comfortable and actually relaxed all season long. Comfort lives here. Head to cozyearth.com and use my code ginger for for up to 30% off, but only for a limited time. And this exclusive offer runs from May 18 through June 1 only, so don't wait. That's Code Ginger j I n-g e r@cozyearth.com for up to 30% off. And if you see a post purchase survey, let them know that you heard about Cozy Earth right here. We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about Pocket Hose. So pocket hose is one of those things that you're going to want to invest in. We had to buy a new water hose almost every single year because they get brittle in the sun, they crack and they're just not that great until we got pocket hose. Pocket hose is the number one expandable hose in the world. It is super lightweight, it's easy to use and it's retractable. So you use it and it's easy to like put away. We had another hose that we had bought before and we never used it because it was so difficult. Such pain. The pocket hose is the easiest thing to use and it's so super durable, it's super lightweight, it's easy to manage and when you turn it on, it expands. Then when you turn off the water, it actually retracts back to pocket size. So it's incredible. And now for a limited time, when you purchase a new pocket hose ballistic, you'll get a free 360 degree rotating pocket pivot and a free thumb drive nozzle. Just text JJ to 64,000. That's JJ to 64,000 for your two free gifts with purchase text JJ to 64,000 message and data rates may apply. Now back to the episode. That's so good, Joy.
- [12:22]
Joy
I love it.
- [12:22]
Ginger
Yeah, I was just thinking, I mean, too bad you guys don't live in sunny California. You're always able to just move here, up and move here one day and then we can just do, like, more podcasts in person. I think that would be super fun.
- [12:35]
Joy
That would be fun.
- [12:36]
Ginger
Just give it a couple months. But I feel like the last couple times you guys have come to visit and throughout the years, like, I feel like you always come in the rainy season, which is only like a month long. It's crazy. Like, in Southern California, we are so blessed to have beautiful weather most all the time. Even today, like, we woke up and we're like, whoa, why is it overcast? Like, I went to a bridal shower and they were all talking about it. They're like, wow, it's overcast this morning. And then it opened up and it was like, beautiful sunshine. So now it's like, sunshiny outside, but we're all like, why is it overcast? Is it going to rain? Like, it's still beautiful outside. 72, perfect weather. But, yeah, I think that, that, that's interesting. I like the solar powered thing. I feel like that's so true.
- [13:19]
Joy
It is.
- [13:20]
Ginger
Anytime that you're not feeling great, get outside, get a little sunshine, get a little exercise, and it can boost your mood.
- [13:25]
Joy
It really.
- [13:26]
Ginger
Get a coffee, too. Get an iced coffee or if you're a tea person, do your thing. But getting those, like, little bits of joy, not to rely on them, but it also is like a little gift from God. Take advantage of it.
- [13:38]
Joy
Oh, I definitely do take advantage of it. I told a friend of mine. I was like, you know what? I'm doing better. I'm not drinking an iced coffee every day. And I'm so proud of myself. It'd been like two weeks. This was a month ago. And I told her, I was like, I've been two weeks not drinking one every day, and I feel like I don't need it.
- [13:57]
Ginger
And then.
- [13:59]
Joy
And then, literally a couple days later, I was like, I just forget that. Like, I'm just gonna go get a coffee every day. It doesn't matter. Like, I'm just. It. It does. And obviously, like you said, we don't need to rely on it. And I think for me it was like, can I go without it? And I realized I did it for a little bit, but it wasn't.
- [14:18]
Ginger
You know, two weeks is a very long time. Joy. I'm very impressed.
- [14:21]
Joy
Yeah, that's great.
- [14:22]
Ginger
Did you do decaf or anything or just. No coffee.
- [14:24]
Joy
I just did no coffee. Which I don't have to have coffee. Like if I don't drink coffee, it doesn't give me a headache or anything.
- [14:33]
Ginger
Yeah, for sure. Well, you and I are different on that. I feel like I probably would get a slight headache. I don't know if it would last that long. I've done it before. I've actually had to go off of all caffeine. I did it for a year and a half, but I still drink coffee. I just drink decaf.
- [14:47]
Joy
Yeah, that was very impressive for you.
- [14:50]
Ginger
Then another time I went off of all caffeine for another several months. So I've done no caffeine. But I still love the flavor of coffee. So I had to get decaf to fill in the space. Cause I'm not a tea drinker. I will drink a tea if it's like at a tea party and everybody's drinking it. But you love your tea.
- [15:08]
Joy
I do.
- [15:09]
Ginger
You're a big fan of tea.
- [15:10]
Joy
Let's talk about that. My husband and I, in the evenings we started drinking tea and I don't even know where.
- [15:15]
Ginger
Like his mom is so old or so British. I don't know which one.
- [15:18]
Joy
I don't know why, but I'm thinking it probably now that I say that his mom had bought us a bag of like peach like. No, it was like a white peach tea from like a tea like shop at the mall. And she had like showed me how she made it and she would make ice and hot with it. And so I think that's probably what got us started on it. This was a couple years ago and then now, especially in the fall and winter, like in the cooler days, we will drink tea together in the evenings. And it's like our little that's so cool thing. So yes, we're definitely turning into old people.
- [15:52]
Ginger
But I love it. I love it. What's your go to coffee shop and go to coffee order 7 brew.
- [15:58]
Joy
100%. But I know you're not a huge fan. Yes, Sugar. Sugar.
- [16:03]
Ginger
Did you just say sugar brew?
- [16:06]
Joy
I do Starbucks sometimes and I'll do the Onyx coffee that's here. But I just. The convenience of a drive through for me is really nice. And so if I'm by myself, I do go to Onyx or the Arce is actually is right here too. So I do like that. But I prefer. I prefer 7 brew. It is a lot of sugar and I always get Their ice caramel macchiato. And I get it.
- [16:31]
Ginger
It's good, though.
- [16:32]
Joy
Like, I get it partially. Not as I don't get it as sweet as they have it sometimes, but I don't mind the extra sugar, so I just.
- [16:41]
Ginger
You just drink it.
- [16:42]
Joy
Just give it to me.
- [16:42]
Ginger
I like it. You know what we just got is a Dutch Bros. And that's also. I was looking. It popped up on our local Instagram and it said, we are getting a Dutch Bros. And in the comments below, people were saying, oh, it's a. It's a sugar. Sugar high. Like, you just want a sugar high. Go there. And so I. I mean, differing opinions. I probably. I was looking at it, debating if I want to, like, actually go there.
- [17:08]
Joy
Well, you have to try.
- [17:09]
Ginger
At least you said, joy, I will, I will. I've done Dutch Bros one time before, and what I remembered was it was way too sweet. So I think it's one of those, like, seven brew that I need to order, like, a quarter sweet. Because Jeremy, Jeremy already at. At, like, our favorite coffee shop. That's a legit coffee shop with good coffee, if you know what I mean. It's like they roast their own beans. It's legit. You're there for the flavor of the coffee, to taste the tones of it. You're not there for the sugar.
- [17:37]
Joy
Yeah.
- [17:37]
Ginger
That coffee shop, he already gets a latte a quarter sweet.
- [17:40]
Joy
Oh, wow.
- [17:41]
Ginger
And they barely sweeten theirs. And so that's how he is. I always do half sweet. And anyhow, but with. With Dutch Bros, the last time I had it and the only time I had it, I think I went for maybe half sweet, which felt like a full sweetness. And I was like, I feel like I'm drinking syrup too sweet. I almost wanted to just have them pour, like, a whole nother cup of, like, milk in there to, like, balance it out or something. That's. But correct me if I'm wrong, I like my sweets. Like, I like my sweets when it's. It's like, not ice cream or something. Not my coffee.
- [18:17]
Joy
See, I mean, I don't.
- [18:19]
Ginger
Maybe I'm not a big sweets person. I don't know.
- [18:21]
Joy
I had a friend tell me. She was like, I finally worked up to drinking black coffee, and I'm so proud of myself. And I was like, ooh. Like, I. I want to be that person, and I want to work towards that, but also, I don't. And I like. I like the sweetness of it. But maybe it's because I've never, like, actually had the coffee. Like, the black coffee. I don't drink coffee, though, just from, like, home. Unless I make my own, like, latte at home. But if it's just, like, a black
- [18:50]
Ginger
coffee or not coffee, you're not going to drink it.
- [18:52]
Joy
Yeah, I don't drink that. And so, I don't know, like, something about the flavor of it. I just can't do it. I don't know.
- [18:58]
Ginger
Yeah, well, I mean, that's something that's like a developed taste. So if you're drinking your tea, I wouldn't just sit down and make myself a cup of tea. But at home in the mornings, like, one of my favorite things to do is to make a pot of coffee, and then we just add, like, a little splash of half and half and just drink that in the morning because it's a stronger flavor. But I've had to start adding more half and half. Let me tell you why. The coffee, depending on what kind you have, if I use, like, a Starbucks blend, which I'm not a big fan of it, but, like, I'll do a richer kind, like a darker roast that I like it to taste strong half the time, but that literally hurts my stomach. It gives me a stomachache later in the day. As much as I love it, if I don't have enough cream. So I used to do it, like, with a tiny splash of cream. Jeremy laughs at me now because the amount of cream, I have to put, like, this much half and half in it to not hurt my stomach, and then I feel fine.
- [19:54]
Joy
Crazy.
- [19:55]
Ginger
It's only with the really strong stuff, though. So, like, I've actually switched, like, more an upgraded coffee. And so I'll grind my own beans in the morning and use it in, like, the coffee pot. Oh, and I use, like, trophy coffee, which is a really good coffee that's here. Or Herb's house. There's a lot of good ones that I use. I just kind of mix it up. Whatever our local roasters have, too, I'll grab, but I'll just put that in there, and that does not hurt my stomach.
- [20:24]
Joy
That's so crazy.
- [20:24]
Ginger
Like a Starbucks blend does, which is kind of crazy.
- [20:26]
Joy
That is crazy.
- [20:28]
Ginger
We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about trust and will. So if you're anything like us, we have walked through life doing our best to be there for our family, to make the best choices, to set our kids up for success for the future. But one thing that we prioritized early on was making sure that we had a living will for our kids. Trust and will makes it easy to safeguard your children's future with a stronger, smarter estate plan. Trust and Will gives you and your loved ones and much needed peace of mind. And it keeps families connected through generational planning. Trust and Will is the most trusted name in online estate planning with thousands of five star reviews on trustpilot. Protect your legacy and your loved ones today, tomorrow and beyond with Trust and Will. The most trusted name in online estate planning. Go to trustandwill.com ginger and get 20% off. That's trustandwill.com ginger to get your 20% off. Trustinwill.com ginger I wonder what the difference is. Like I'm with you. I love. I've actually switched. It all started with Joy. It all started with you because I was anti cold coffee. Do you remember that?
- [21:37]
Joy
Yes.
- [21:38]
Ginger
For years.
- [21:38]
Joy
Yes.
- [21:39]
Ginger
Hot coffee. It's 100 degrees outside.
- [21:41]
Joy
I don't know.
- [21:42]
Ginger
And I couldn't get myself to drink the iced coffee because I'm like, it's too watered down. And then when you came out to visit for like a month, you and Austin were out here with your kiddos.
- [21:54]
Joy
You started ordering your caramel latte.
- [21:57]
Ginger
Yes, I would. And it was always hot. And then you started ordering a caramel macchiato. So I started ordering a caramel macchiato if we went to Starbucks because Starbucks coffee, I'm like, it's hit or miss if I'm going to love it.
- [22:10]
Joy
I don't know.
- [22:12]
Ginger
And then once I got that, I was like, I'm going to look at Starbucks as my place to get a sweet treat. So that's my sweet treat place. And then I started thinking, if I think of it more like a treat, like I'm gonna get an ice cream in the mid afternoon. That's what Starbucks is for me. So it's not all about the coffee. I'll get the caffeine, but I'll also get the caramel because then I feel like it's good. But I do get a half sweet still. Oh, yeah? Yeah. But I just went there like 2
- [22:41]
Joy
days ago how you went with hot coffee in the summer. I mean, I'm sure you still do it, but it just.
- [22:47]
Ginger
I still do it sometimes. It's crazy. But I'm telling you, once I made the switch, I was like, this isn't half bad. And they have a drive through so I don't have to get all the kids out. Like if Jer's at work as he is, then I just take all the kids through the drive through and I don't have to unload them. So half the time I'll do that. Half the time I'll just take them to the coffee shop, get them like little slushie or whatever. Yep, little treat.
- [23:11]
Joy
That's the way to do it.
- [23:12]
Ginger
It's fun. I love it, but. Okay, Joy, let's jump into another section of this podcast. I want to talk about things we've been loving, and I feel like I was just talking about things that we've been loving.
- [23:24]
Joy
Oh, yes.
- [23:25]
Ginger
But let's jump into this section.
- [23:27]
Joy
But are we talking about, like, products or are we talking about like, actual, like, activities or things we're loving? If that makes sense.
- [23:35]
Ginger
Well, like. Well, this is what I was thinking. So what are some things that, like, have made your life easier? Give me a couple of those if you'd like. I was thinking maybe five things that we've been loving. Okay, but give me anything. It doesn't have to be five if you don't have five. But, like, what are things that you've been loving? A product you've been loving. What is, like, something that you did recently? Like, you love, like, weekend trips or, I don't know, what's your favorite food recently or an easy go to meal?
- [24:03]
Joy
Okay, I. As far as things I've been loving, there's just one of those, like, one of those staple things that everybody needs, but not everybody has. It's this car charger, which I do not charge my phone at night, most nights, because I don't know why. I have no excuse, but I just don't. And so I'll like, set my phone down somewhere. And I've been purposing not to go to bed with my phone because I end up staying up on my phone. So I set it down wherever I'm at and then I just go to bed. So I'm in the car a lot, though. And having. This car charger has retractable cords. It has both the, like, both like the main chargers that you need, plus, like, a USB plug in. And it charges really fast. And so that's something that I have been loving. And I just ordered another one for Austin's truck because it just simplifies life. And it's like, you don't anything that, like, helps make my life feel less complicated or more organized.
- [24:59]
Ginger
Clutter too, Joy.
- [25:00]
Joy
Yes, because it retracts the cords back in by itself. You just pull it and let it go. And it's not like cords everywhere in your car. So that's one thing. Another thing is I have been buying those, like, 10 gram protein beef sticks and keeping those.
- [25:17]
Ginger
I thought you said ten grand. My. Like, I'm listening to you and I'm like, 10 grand.
- [25:24]
Joy
10 grand.
- [25:26]
Ginger
Wow. Joy, you're living it up. She's just a little. She's just a little wealthy over there.
- [25:31]
Joy
No, no. The 10 grams of protein, though, and I've been taking those with me because I feel like either the kids or I get hungry. That's a good protein snack. So I've been keeping those on hand a lot recently. So those are two things. What about you? I'm going to think while you fill in.
- [25:47]
Ginger
Yeah, well, I'm trying to think. So some things I've been loving. I've been listening to a lot of podcasts recently, and if you're listening to this, you're listening to a podcast right now, too, so that's great. Thanks for listening. But I have been having a few podcasts that I love, so I've been listening to Always Here, which is so much fun.
- [26:05]
Joy
Oh, that is such a fun one.
- [26:06]
Ginger
With Abby Howard and Abby Howard. So if you know Matt and Abby, it's just so much fun. It's like sister talk. Just such a blast to listen to. I've also been listening to a podcast by Kendra Adachi, and it's awesome because it's all about. It's called the Goodness Watch My Brain Leave. I just had a mom move. This is what happens to us. Yes. I'm like, I listen to it almost every day. The Lazy Genius podcast by Kendra Adachi.
- [26:33]
Joy
Wow.
- [26:33]
Ginger
I even remembered her name. I'm terrible with names. I remembered her name and not the name of the podcast first, which is incredible. But it's great because it's talking about, like, little hacks for life. And so I found some of those. Like, she talks about hacking the system for when you don't feel like cooking, hacking, you know, life. It's not to get, like, more done, but it's get things done in a way that's, like, easy for you and then create little systems that work long term. That's great. I love it. It's fascinating. So great. So listening to a podcast, though, this is what I was gonna say. I feel like I've been in a little bit of a rut of, like, I typically have no problem getting dishes, laundry done, housework, all that stuff is usually so easy for me. It's a favorite thing to do. I love to do that. And my house is not always perfect just because we have kids.
- [27:28]
Joy
Right.
- [27:28]
Ginger
And I do have a lot of clutter that I've been wanting to, like, clean out. That's a whole nother project for another time. So when I go to do, like, normal housework stuff, I typically want to have a podcast on, and it's something that's like, I'm just listening to in the background. And so those are a couple of podcasts that have been helpful to help me get stuff done because I've been in a little bit of a rut of like, oh, no, I'm letting laundry go for three days, which I usually do, like, a load every single day. And so that helps me. When I don't want to do that, I just turn on a podcast. And it is the one thing that, like, it makes me excited because I'm like, I'm listening to a fun podcast and I'm going to get stuff done, and I feel like I'm learning how to do it.
- [28:11]
Joy
I'm learning.
- [28:11]
Ginger
Or like, an audiobook is great. Yeah. I've not done a lot of audiobooks recently, but I've started a couple chapters on them and then not continued.
- [28:19]
Joy
Oh, I just turn on a podcast and this.
- [28:22]
Ginger
So that's great.
- [28:22]
Joy
So that's great.
- [28:23]
Ginger
But that's something. And then we just recently did, like, a weekend trip to Kingsburg, and it was so much fun. We went to family tree farms over there. We were hanging out with our friends on the river. It was so jealous. Beautiful. And it was such an easy drive, like just a couple hours away. So we did not have to take the kids on an airplane. It was like, so simple. You just put them in the car drive, time it around Finn's nap, and hopefully he won't be screaming the whole way. It was brilliant. So that's something that I've been loving is like, we. We've done that a couple times where we'll just do like on a Friday, Saturday, just go somewhere. And California does have a lot of awesome options. Like right outside of la, there are countless places you can go that are beautiful. So we're thankful for that. But also I'm like, that's our plan this summer is to stay local and just to do a couple weekend trips.
- [29:19]
Joy
That's a great.
- [29:19]
Ginger
So I'm looking forward to that.
- [29:21]
Joy
I love that.
- [29:21]
Ginger
Yeah.
- [29:22]
Joy
And then.
- [29:23]
Ginger
Oh, I was another thing.
- [29:24]
Joy
Oh, go ahead.
- [29:25]
Ginger
Yeah, go. No, you go ahead.
- [29:27]
Joy
Oh, I found a recipe, A new recipe. When you said that, it made me think, share it with me.
- [29:33]
Ginger
I'm in a cooking. Right.
- [29:34]
Joy
Shrimp scampi. Have you ever made shrimp scampi at home? Never so easy. Ginge and it made me think of you because I had bought this huge bottle of sriracha when y' all were here.
- [29:46]
Ginger
The hot sauce for Jeremy?
- [29:48]
Joy
Yes, for Jeremy. And I never used it. I don't know if he used it or not.
- [29:52]
Ginger
But anyway, send it over. Send it over.
- [29:54]
Joy
I'm out of that shrimp scampi recipe, and it called for some hot sauce, and, like, just add a little bit of flavor. And I thought it said 4 tablespoons of hot sauce, but it actually said 4 splashes of hot spice. So I just. I was like, you know what? We don't really like spice, so I'm just gonna do two tablespoons.
- [30:15]
Ginger
Oh, my word.
- [30:16]
Joy
And it was a little bit spicy, but it wasn't, like, unedible. It was still edible.
- [30:21]
Ginger
Did the kids eat it?
- [30:22]
Joy
They ate it, but it was really good. So I just. I didn't have hot sauce because we
- [30:26]
Ginger
got over there crying, and you're like, you're fine. You're fine. Just, like, eat some yogurt.
- [30:30]
Joy
No, they actually did fine. And I added extra noodles into their portion so it wouldn't be too spicy for them. But we made it. And while I was making it, I was like, oh, ginger. And Jeremy would love this because I used.
- [30:42]
Ginger
I need that recipe.
- [30:43]
Joy
So that's the one I used, Joy.
- [30:44]
Ginger
I need that recipe. But it literally was something that I haven't cooked much is shrimp.
- [30:48]
Joy
It was under 30 minutes.
- [30:50]
Ginger
Wow.
- [30:51]
Joy
And it took, like. It was super simple. And I actually did not have shrimp, so I used chicken. I like sub chicken, which is funny. And then I added in asparagus to it. And I also. I didn't have the white wine, so I had. I subbed in chicken broth. And it was so simple. But I love finding meals like that that are really easy to add into, like, our rotation of meals. And so that's something that I've been loving.
- [31:17]
Ginger
I'm here for that. I think we should drop that in the show notes below, because I need it, and so maybe I'll have you send that over. We put it in the show notes for everybody, so you can see and get that recipe, because it sounds delicious.
- [31:28]
Joy
It is so good.
- [31:28]
Ginger
And let me just say, Joy is talking about this hot sauce, so sriracha. It has to be not a knockoff brand of sriracha half the time. What Jeremy likes. Jeremy is a big fan of hot sauce, but it has to be the right kind. So he had one time. Joy, did I tell you about this? Jeremy is. He can easily be bribed into Doing something crazy. He's a bit of a risk taker. Daredevil. And if you challenge him on something, he's gonna do it, even if it's like a little bit insane. So there was somebody, like, when we were living in Texas, we went out to eat at, like, this. It was not good food. It was like hot dogs and hamburgers that tasted like they weren't great, you know, and it was probably only like $7 worth of food.
- [32:21]
Joy
Oh, wow.
- [32:22]
Ginger
And they told Jeremy, they said, hey, if you drink this entire bottle of hot sauce, then it was like, wait, what is that kind? Tabasco. Is that the name now? I'm having a moment of, like, forgetting what it's called. Tabasco hot sauce. It was like that. And they said, if you drink this entire bottle, we'll pay for your meal and your wife's meal.
- [32:42]
Joy
Oh, my word.
- [32:43]
Ginger
It was somebody from the church. Jeremy was like, sure, okay, I'm gonna drink that. I love hot sauce. So he drank the whole thing. And he felt so sick. To this day, he cannot use that Tabasco hot sauce.
- [32:55]
Joy
Oh, my.
- [32:55]
Ginger
He is so picky about it. So any vinegar based hot sauces? Oh, no. If they have like, that's the base and they're more watery, like with vinegar and then the hot spice, he can't do it because it made him so sick.
- [33:06]
Joy
Oh, no.
- [33:06]
Ginger
And I was like, jeremy, I wish you would have done that for like a steak dinner. Like it's, you know, like a $500 dinner, $200 dinner.
- [33:14]
Joy
Then, like, do it for something fancy.
- [33:17]
Ginger
Don't do it for a, like a $7 meal for you. $7 for me. I'm like, that's pointless.
- [33:22]
Joy
Oh, my God.
- [33:22]
Ginger
We sit for a whole day. I messed his stomach up. Oh, yeah. He hated it. But then he found sriracha. And sriracha is one that for some reason, he loves it on everything. And when I say everything, I mean we will make a random meal. I'll make a dinner if I make chicken, rice, and veggies, which is what we have as a staple. I know you guys do that too. Like basic protein, veggies, whatever. I mind you, I'm not like, the best cook. I have my cooking rut. But he will go and smother in hot sauce. And then he'll be like, oh, wait, we have pasta. And then he'll be like, wait, where's the sriracha? And just yesterday he was making some, like, oh, noodles, Pasta, Yes. So rigatoni spaghetti. He puts it on there. He puts it on like Ravioli, anything.
- [34:12]
Joy
Wow.
- [34:14]
Ginger
And I was wondering. I'm like, is this an abomination to the Italian side? His family? I don't know. We'll have to ask him, I bet. But he puts that stuff on there like there's no tomorrow. I mean, it's insane the amount he puts on there. And then just a couple days ago, though, he realized that we were out, and it was. I don't remember what I made. I made something like pasta. And he was so sad. He was like, oh, no, Should I go to the store and get some? And I was like, you're fine. Like, we'll survive. It's okay. But it's been probably, like, four days, and I still keep forgetting, like, he had food yesterday that he would typically put his sriracha on. We don't have any. He only has, like, a Trader Joe's version, which he said is not the same. I'm afraid for him, it may taste too much. Like the Tabasco. Yeah. So he's not gonna be able to go back.
- [34:59]
Joy
Well, when he was here, which, granted, y' all were here for a little while, but he, like, bought. I don't know if he bought it or if I bought it, but it was, like, one of those huge bottles, and I don't know how many. It was a huge bottle. And we did not, like, we don't do hot sauce ever. Like, that was the first time I've used it since you guys were here. So. Yeah, he definitely loves this.
- [35:19]
Ginger
It's crazy. Well, he had to make sure you had it stocked up for next time he comes. He will put that on. Like, at night, we do charcuterie boards. A lot of nights we'll do that. And we'll do all the regular charcuterie with the cheese crackers, whatever, all the good stuff. And he always has, like, no matter what kind of crackers, he'll have these sweet, like, fig crackers with everything. And then he'll put a dab of sriracha, put the cheese, and then put, like, a pickle or a piece of fruit and eat it together.
- [35:48]
Joy
His taste buds are old.
- [35:50]
Ginger
Really.
- [35:50]
Joy
He's turning into a whole bunch of.
- [35:51]
Ginger
I think you're right. He probably is so old. Oh, no. Oh, no. That's crazy. But I feel like in this season, I am so, so much in a cooking rut. It's really annoying. So even, like, a meal service is helpful to have, because we have, like, any of those meal delivery services that I use is awesome when I get that, because then I'll have A new recipe that I've tried, and if the kids love it, I love it. Jeremy loves it. We'll actually be able to incorporate that back into our meal routine, like rotation. But right now I'm more like, okay, we need to eat a meal. I'm gonna cook a meal that's healthy. Ish. Pretty healthy. And I'm gonna get us fed. But I'm not, like, creative right now. I'm not in a season of that. So I wanna try this shrimp scampi.
- [36:43]
Joy
You'll like it. It'll be a fan favorite. But, yeah, I feel like I get into that too. I feel like our staple is always, like, steak, chicken, or salmon, and then like a starchy side or like, we'll always do a veggie or a salad or something. But that's.
- [36:59]
Ginger
What do you do for your veggies? What are your favorite veggies?
- [37:01]
Joy
Right now we do asparagus a lot. Like, the kids, Evie and Gideon actually know how to make it. And so then I'll just put it in the oven. That's so cute. So cute. They love. They fight over who gets to make the salad and who gets to make the asparagus. Like every time you make them.
- [37:14]
Ginger
They did that when I was there too, visiting they. That was so cute.
- [37:19]
Joy
So they. We. Asparagus is a favorite that we rotate. And then green beans is another one. Gideon doesn't. Gideon's the only one that doesn't love asparagus, but the rest of the kids will eat it. And they love. All of them love green beans. And then we do a lot of salad. Pretty much every meal we have a salad. And then past that, we don't really eat. I mean, we do corn on the cob some. We, like, boil it in water and do the whole. Cause the kids love that.
- [37:47]
Ginger
That's so good.
- [37:48]
Joy
They love the corn on the cob. But besides that, I don't do a lot of other. Austin doesn't love broccoli or cauliflower, so I normally. Yeah, I normally get those out. But he loves mushrooms, which I'm like, that's odd. Like, I don't like mushrooms.
- [38:02]
Ginger
So random. So that's like a texture thing. The mushrooms are squishy. Yeah.
- [38:06]
Joy
But I think it's because he said his dad loved mushrooms growing up, and so he would eat them too. So I think it's just what you are used to eating as a kid.
- [38:14]
Ginger
Like, that's normal, 100%.
- [38:16]
Joy
So we don't really have any other vegetables, though, that we rotate through. Like on A regular basis. What about you guys, Man, I feel
- [38:25]
Ginger
like I've been in the green bean stage for my kids because Finn loves peas. So we have frozen peas is what we do. We do the frozen petite peas from Trader Joe's. They're really good. They're smaller than the regular ones, and they're sweeter. So I use those for the kiddos all the time. Like, I will literally just put them in a, like, ceramic bowl, microwave them for a couple seconds for Finny, and then give it to him as a snack. And he was like, dairy and gluten free for just a little bit. I'm trying to, like, cut him, you know, cut back on those other things for his eczema. So it was helpful to have that little bit of protein. But then it's also, like, a yummy snack that he can just grab.
- [39:00]
Joy
And it keeps having to feed him every bite.
- [39:03]
Ginger
Yeah, it keeps him so busy. So he's feeding himself fully now with everything, but that's been a go to in the season. And then, like, the sheet pan green beans that you just put a little olive oil. We do the frozen French green beans.
- [39:16]
Joy
Yep.
- [39:16]
Ginger
And you, like, put a little olive oil, sea salt, put it in the oven at high temp, and they come out crispy. And the kids think they're like French fries.
- [39:23]
Joy
Have you tried?
- [39:24]
Ginger
Yeah, they're so good.
- [39:25]
Joy
Do y' all do asparagus?
- [39:28]
Ginger
Asparagus is so good. I love asparagus. Yeah. And the kids do too.
- [39:32]
Joy
We do.
- [39:32]
Ginger
They totally do.
- [39:33]
Joy
Olive oil, sea salt, and garlic. And then have you ever tried adding, like, parmesan in for the last few minutes? Either.
- [39:41]
Ginger
Try to make it for us. It was really good.
- [39:43]
Joy
Like, grated. It is really good.
- [39:45]
Ginger
I like the flavor. Fresh grated stuff would be, like, even better than just the regular.
- [39:49]
Joy
I had tried the regular.
- [39:51]
Ginger
I'm saying the regular. It's like the bottle that you use
- [39:53]
Joy
on probably the unhealthy stuff that sits on the shelf.
- [39:56]
Ginger
Yeah. It's like at restaurants.
- [39:57]
Joy
Yes.
- [39:58]
Ginger
It sits on the table for, like, 10 years. They never change it.
- [40:00]
Joy
That stuff is not as great. But the grated Parmesan, it is phenomenal.
- [40:05]
Ginger
That's amazing. I actually need to add that I need to do asparagus more often. And I also do, like, sweet potatoes. When I feel, like, real fancy, I do sweet potatoes or, like, roasted potatoes in the air fryer or in the oven. Like, half the time I'll just do. If I'm doing regular potatoes, I do them in the air fryer. Cause then they're really fast. And they get really crispy fast.
- [40:26]
Joy
Yeah.
- [40:26]
Ginger
For the kids.
- [40:26]
Joy
That's a good idea. I need to do potatoes more often. I think my kids.
- [40:30]
Ginger
My kids are not, like, the biggest fan of potatoes.
- [40:32]
Joy
Something we can.
- [40:33]
Ginger
But I've tried to get them to try them every time. Yeah, they don't like mashed potatoes at all.
- [40:38]
Joy
Yeah.
- [40:39]
Ginger
Which I was surprised by Your kids, too.
- [40:41]
Joy
Yeah, they're not. They're not a fan of potatoes. Something with the texture. Gideon would literally gag as a kid. I would try to feed him and he'd gag.
- [40:47]
Ginger
So sad. Yeah, something too. Joy.
- [40:50]
Joy
Okay.
- [40:50]
Ginger
I said I was never gonna be the parent to, like, give my kids shows. And we did so well for so long. This is something I've been loving recently, though. I have to share it with you because I feel like we're in a stage where we have a one year old and then I have a five year old at home with me. But then closer to dinner time, whenever it's time for us to make food, I feel like it's really hard for me to make it through that dinner portion of, like, dinner prep. And half the time I feel like I have the dinner prep starting around, like, 4 o' clock or so. And then Jared's not home till, like, later from work. And so I don't have that time where, like, I could wait for him to get home, but then the kids are gonna want snacks. It's going to push everything back too late. So I've been giving them a show half the time for, like, dinner prep. Not every time. But one thing I found that entertains most of the kids is it's called Little Lights, and it's on YouTube and you can turn it on and has cute little songs. It teaches ABCs, it teaches learning, it teaches Bible stories. And it's a girl who is, like, somebody that I've met before and she's super cool and she does these little videos. And it's so entertaining for Finn because he loves to clap and dance to these songs. It is seriously his favorite thing ever. So just gonna say little lights on YouTube. Look it up. It's great. It's free. It's amazing. And that's been an absolute lifesaver in the season.
- [42:21]
Joy
That's amazing.
- [42:21]
Ginger
I said I was never gonna do that, but it's something that's like, I don't feel bad to train the kids. And Evie has been quoting tons of Bible verses from that. She'll just be in the car and then she just starts quoting Bible verses. And I'M like, I didn't teach you that Bible verse. And it's all from Little Lights. It's amazing. Aw. So, anyhow, I like that. Okay. Things we've been loving. Well, anyhow, as we wrap up, I just want to thank you guys for listening in to this. This has been so much fun with Joy and Joy, I have to say, I think you should come back on. If Jeremy lets you come back on,
- [42:57]
Joy
then maybe we'll kick him. Kick him out again for another week.
- [43:00]
Ginger
Kick him out. I think. I think that he would be happy to take a little break and we'll see if he lets us do that. I'm kidding. Let's just do that.
- [43:08]
Joy
Well, do the podcast listeners, they should actually. We should take a poll from them and see if they actually want to do that again. Like, we. That'd be fun.
- [43:15]
Ginger
I love that we can cover other topics again. And yeah, let us know if there are any topics that you want us to cover as sisters. Come on. Drop them in the comments below. See if this is a good thing. Keep going and we will see you guys next time.