25 - IT'S SUMMER! Mulching, Motherhood, Favorite Things, + A Heated Discussion About 75 Hard

This week is a classic catch-up episode packed with everything from flower beds and summer plans to fitness goals, grocery budgets, and the realities of parenting growing kids.

Patty shares her latest landscaping adventures, including spreading mulch, planting sunflowers and zinnias, and dreaming up future projects around the farm. The girls swap gardening ideas, talk about favorite flowers, county fair entries, and why planting trees feels like a gift to future generations.

The conversation also takes a more emotional turn as Patty reflects on Samantha heading to kindergarten and the bittersweet reality of watching kids grow up. Amy shares her experience tackling "23 Hard" after falling short of the full 75 Hard challenge and talks about what she learned about discipline, movement, and keeping promises to herself.

The girls chat about summer goals, morning walks, yoga, finding time to move your body, and how fitness looks different in different seasons of life. They also share some favorite budget-friendly meals, grocery-saving tips, family recipes, and a list of simple little luxuries that bring joy without breaking the bank.

It's a fun, wide-ranging conversation about motherhood, self-discipline, gratitude, and finding joy in the simple things.

Bible Verse Referenced:

Psalm 23:1
"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing." (NIV)

Links Referenced:

Nourish Move Love Workouts: 

• https://www.youtube.com/@nourishmovelove

Hurry Up Chicken Butt Game: 

• https://www.amazon.com/Exploding-Kittens-Hot-Potato-laughing-secretly/dp/B0C2RG3GQS/ref=sr_1_1_sspa

The Uzzle Game: 

• https://www.amazon.com/Uzzle-Royale-Family-Children-Puzzles/dp/B0CCZL2PWC/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?th=1

Ice Cube Tray: 

• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C3LPTR8R?th=1

75 Hard Program:

• https://andyfrisella.com/pages/75hard-info

Transcript

0:00

Welcome to 27 Good with Amy and Patty. What's up? What's up? Locked up in your flower beds look so nice. Thanks. Oh my gosh. Getting mulch is back breaking work. Really is sleeper of love. So we got it Friday. And you put it in the truck bed, right? Not bags. No, but it was on in it was delivered into my yard. Oh. Big pile in my yard. This is the second time we've done that. We used to bring it to you? Yeah. And they just have that little, I think it has a little delivery fee, but I used to do it always in the truck bed, but it was always then it was when Brian would be available to go get it for me. And he's never available because he's busy farming. And so a couple years ago, I didn't get mulch last year. Two years ago I got it. And they just delivered it and it made it so much easier because it could just be whenever you want it. Whatever. But I had him deliver on a Friday because we were anticipating a busy weekend and rain and all the things. And what a terrible Friday afternoon task. I went home and I you're Friday night tired. Yeah, do you mulch? I went home and I just got it all done. And I also really funny just got a new wheelbarrow. Charlie bought new clippers for his lamb from Facebook Marketplace. This they were probably somebody that was getting done with 4-H animals. They were selling like a ton of stuff. They just said, like, come look at any of it and make us a deal. And then they had wheelbarrows too. And so Brian grabbed me one and I texted him a picture of it next to the mulch. I was like, greatest gifts I've ever reached. Seriously? Wheelbarrow and mulch. But so Charlie was funny. Yeah, the things you say now, the things you love and want. Charlie was so busy because he was getting ready for a sheep show. And then Sam had Open Gym. And I told Brian that I picked Sam up from Open Gym. And he got in the car and he was like, oh my legs hurt so bad. And it was just because he knew I was going to make him fucking do a mulch. He was like, I wondered. Oh man, that was tough. And then I didn't. I was like, let him go. Yeah. And Brian was like, I would have never. Like he would, he sat on the couch then and watched TV while I did a mulch. Brian was like, never mom. But that. I was like, yeah, it was Friday night. He kind of. I'm so sore. So sore. Or basketball. Oh, it's hilarious. Well, yeah, thanks. So it does. They look good. I just planted some seeds today, my zinnias, and then I did sunflowers. I've done sunflowers before, so there are so many varieties of sunflowers. Did you know that? No. Samantha just got two sunflower plants from school. They just brought them. Yeah, Sam got one too. I immediately threw it away because they get too like um here we go. Hopefully that's we've always planted them. And then they work fine. Like two of the three did. Yeah. And showing us two of the three. Sam's I could tell was too um, I don't know what the word is. It gets like too long and skinny. Like it was gonna fall away. No, yeah. Anyways, because it was in this little thing. So I didn't tell him, but I threw it away. I was like, yeah, I planted it. Cause then when the so when the sunflowers bloom, I'll just pretend like one of them was his. Yes. I'm laughing because my kids, I've thrown their crafts away and then Smith is like, what's this doing in the trash? Yeah, you have to do it. I know, I know this is sneaky. You have to do it when when you're like taking the trash. No, not when they're bringing home artwork every day in preschool. Yeah. But so the sunflowers, there's so many varieties, and I had to do some research of which ones I wanted because I would see a certain sunflower somewhere, and I would think that's the kind I want. So we'll see if these were the right ones. Chuck Chad BT. What sunflower is this? I uh maybe I might it might have gone that route at one point of just walking me through these different varieties. The other thing I thought we should have done in Medina was today when we were in there, was gone to that greenhouse you loved. Actually, when I saw you up there, I saw what she's doing. Yeah, when a boyard's gosh, that place is just so great. There's nothing I I don't love more than I think that this fall is my I have big landscaping dreams in my head that I have not done any research on. But I'm gonna do it all myself. I would love to pay someone to do it, but just not like I mean to get it set, like established, because ours really is not from when we did the house. So I just can't wait. It's gonna be so fun. What are you gonna do? I'm gonna put one of those trees at the corner. You know how people put like a tree at the corner of their house? Like a small tree. I just okay, if you look at my house from when you drive up, yeah, it like slants so far down. To the right. Yeah. You're gonna put a tree over there. Yeah. Yeah. And then I need to get some tree. Like flowering a flowering tree, like a crab apple. Yeah, I don't know what that is, but just something. I have a lot of research to do. I want to do a lot of color. I don't regret a white house, but I kind of wish we would have picked a color on the side. Yeah. So I feel like I want to get a lot of color with like the plants. Yeah. We were talking about this. Would love to do a peony hedge. Like just a ton of fun. Like just make we would love more lilac bushes. We only have one. My peonies are from when my mother-in-law lived here, and I love them, and they're so easy. They're so beautiful. Every year I tell myself I'm gonna get more to plant, and they're when you plant in the fall, and then I never do. Well, this fall we're doing it. Fall comes and goes. Yeah, we gotta go and get some. That's a great idea. Let's do it. And then we just love to plant more trees. We planted 20, I think, in 2024, and we just I just want trees everywhere. I know. How are those doing? Great. Yeah. I don't think any of them have died. So we'll see. That tree out there, the red maple. You planted one when was it five years? Yeah, it was our first year here, and Brian just said, Man, that tree is huge. And I said, Well, we've lived here for 12 years now. I love the maple trees. It is so great to just yeah, add stuff like that to your yard because it's something well, I don't know about you, but I always hope, anyways, that one of my kids is gonna live here someday because we're living in the house that Brian grew up in. So I always think that someday those trees are yeah, something that they can enjoy. Because trees take so long to grow. I also got some dahlias for my flower beds. I always get those. Those are just so fun, and I'm determined this year to winterize them properly. The first year I had them, I tried to winterize them, and I don't think any of them made it through. I don't know what I did wrong. I don't think it's supposed to be that hard. The second year I said, which was last year, I said, I'm not winterizing them, we'll just see if they live. They didn't. We had a really harsh winter. I don't know even what that plant is, but I'm gonna learn. They're gorgeous flowers. And then I plant zinnias always, those are super easy to plant. I actually, when I was like sprinkling them around my flower beds, I was like, this is the one that if you had a friend that was like, what should I plant? Great. That's what I'll do next year. They're full sun, and they're so easy and they're so gorgeous. Yeah. So last two years ago. Maybe we'll do them this year. We'll see. Two years ago, was that when I first started doing the flowers? Yeah, so two years ago I wanted just to have flowers to cut into vases. And the one thing that I did that was like outside of bringing them to friends was I brought a bouquet to church for the altar. And then last year I signed up to take flowers to the fair. But then my dad got really sick at right when I would be like getting them ready, and I just had to like say, I can't do another thing, and I didn't do it. So maybe this year I'll get to bring them to the fair. That'd be great. I would have won that, hopefully won like four dollars, I bet, is what you would say if you win. That's what it is. It's so much work, and then they're like, here's a four-dollar check. Just enter some baby. Yeah, I made a chocolate cake that one year, and that's what I got. I think a three-dollar check. And my mother-in-law was like, that amount of money for the has not changed in 30 years. They're still investing for the same amount of money for first, second, and third place. But those buildings, I always think if people aren't like I love to walk through and look at like there's canned goods, baked goods, all the artwork, all that stuff. I love to look through all those buildings, and if people aren't gonna enter stuff, then you have nothing to say. I should do it then. Are there kids ones? My kids would love it. Uh-huh. Yeah, we should do it this year. I was gonna do photography too. I always have like big plans, and then when it actually our fair is the week after Labor Day, so it's maybe a month into school, and it's just too much late. Yeah, if it was probably in July, I'd be entering all kinds of things all the time in the world in the summer. I said that I didn't have feels about Samantha going to kindergarten. No, I do. I cried yesterday. I saw something on Instagram. I just can't. She's not going. I'm quitting my job and I'm homeschooling her. Yeah, great. When they did, I don't know if they still do, do they still do a jump start program like the week before you can have them go for a couple hours a day just to like no idea. I feel like I don't even know what he did, but the second day I dropped him off there, he clung to me and wouldn't leave and was crying, and the teacher had to peel him off of me. I walked out of that building sobbing. It was so terrible. Why do they do that to us, these kids? The same's gonna be true, I feel like Austin and Andrew. They're going to Park Street to new preschool, and there's it's just gonna be first hard week. Mostly Austin. Well, it just doesn't phases. They'll be fine, maybe for a little bit, and then I don't know, either they get sick or they're just something, then they cry and they don't like it, and you and then you second guess, just like as you do as a mom always, you second guess everything. I shouldn't even send them to school. We even Michelle texted me today that she listened to the podcast where we I talked that they were moving, and she's like, I changed my mind. Austin's not ready. And I was like, stop it, I'm already second guessing myself, anyways. That's so cute. Oh funny. Well, big news here. I just wrapped up a program called 23 Hard. Maybe you guys have heard of it. 23 Hard. So it's where you attempt to do a program called 75 Heart, but on the 23rd day. I think you're awesome for doing it for 23 days. So this week has just been well, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Just not great days. Work has really sucked this week. And Wednesday night. So you have to do a handful, it's like you have to follow these instructions, and you just do this every day in the whole. Some people probably know 75 hard, but some people don't. So run up. So it's you have to do two 45-minute workouts, but they have to be three hours apart. You have to drink a gallon of water. You have to read a book for 10 minutes. No, nonfiction, though, isn't it? Yeah, nonfiction. Nonfiction for 10 minutes. And what am I missing? What if you read really slow? I'm only gonna read one second. Oh, not 10 minutes, 10 pages. Sorry. 10 pages. But like your your Bible can count towards it. Yeah, right. Thankfully. What am I forgetting? Who wants to read? No alcohol, and you have to take a progress pick every day. Did you hit a progress pick every day? You left that out when you were doing this. I don't think we I ran through everything with you, maybe. You have to also track your food. No. Oh, I think that's a good one. Oh, that was you pick a diet of whatever you want. You have to do it. So all I did. Oh my god, Amy. No, all I did was say, I want to hit 125 grams of protein. Okay. So I don't feel like I yeah. It was uh it's really a mental toughness challenge, is what this dude says. And he's the same. So here's the thing. Patty's hated it. It's been so funny. I tried to be nice. You didn't think you were? I I do think I like I'm supportive of a friend trying to better themselves. Yes. So it But I just hated this pattern. It was so funny. You were like a gallon of water. I think that what I hate I really had to like reflect on like why this why am I why is this triggering me in this way? Why it's so funny. Is Amy Miley trying to do something good for herself? And I think what it really and I thank God never listened to the guy because you sent me that clip of him and he's crazy. But I think what it came down to was just, well, I am older than you, and I just think like it felt like a punishment. You have to do these things. Like, even just like the three hours apart, like it seems very like you're so stupid, you can't take care of yourself, so you need to do this or something, you know? And he talks like that. Doesn't he talk like that? You're so stupid. Drink your gallon of water, you stupid. So I think the only reason, okay, so what's funny is a year ago we talked about doing this challenge at work, and I was like, oh, I would never do that. Like I could never do that. And everyone is like, you can do there's the 75 soft, there's like other you can modify it. And then I listened to his podcast where he talked about the program and he cusses all the time. And I just think like he's so funny. I do not I don't know. It's just funny. He's not trying to be funny, he's trying to be like aggressive. Um, but I didn't view it as a punishment at all. He basically was like, if you the whole point was, oh, and one of the workouts had to be outside. That was the other tricky thing, and then that's where I ended up failing because it rained all day. It there's a thunderstorm. Imagine trying to do it in the winter. I know, that's why I would never. But I said when Austin turned two I would do it, and then it was like, all right. But the whole goal is that you just if you believe you can do something and keep a commitment to yourself, then like what could you do? You know? So, anyways, I did cry that night. It was a terrible day, terrible night, terrible day at work. See, that's the thing about the program though, I think it's like it shouldn't be set up to this way of like now you're crying. I just cried for a second, and it was also because I just was like Jason had to work so late. There was a cow cabbing, and it was like tonight was not the night for this, but what are you gonna do? You're like, I have to go do a workout in the rain. Sky thunderstorming. That's guys. I have to But it just was so good for me. I feel like it taught like it felt so good to be proud of yourself or something of like I can do these five things every day. I think if you did a crazy diet, it would have been so hard. If you were like, no, especially if you weren't doing one to start or watching a way to start. Uh but I felt like that was not that part was not that hard. Um the reading was surprisingly, I know that sounds not hard to do 10 pages, but it's like before bed and you're falling asleep. So he says if you miss a day, then you have to just restart the whole thing? Yeah. I read that. Which I'm not, obviously. Yeah, we just were quitting. Thank God. But it was it really was so good because I think that it was like the girl who couldn't fit in a few 30-minute workouts. Okay, now like then I could fit that in. Uh, it kind of reminded me that running has been so like has brought me a lot of joy in the past. And I've never I never intend to run like a half marathon or something like that again. I did that a long time ago. But some 5K, some fun 5K's just getting out and having some time to yourself. Yeah, and that was so nice to just go on some runs um and walks at night alone. Um, so anyway, I just think like I don't know where you fell in like with your parents and diet culture, but I watched my parents do the Agkin's diet and my mocked. Yeah, and I just think you have to be careful with some of these programs that come across really being like, oh, it's just about discipline, where it's really just diet culture packages something else. I think because you choose whatever diet you want. Yeah. Like I totally, I totally get that and tot and for sure agree. But I just felt like I don't know, I just felt so strong, you know? And I actually um it just was like, gosh, you actually can work out and you feel so good. So it was so nice to do a 30-minute workout today. That was the annoying thing, too, is 45 minutes. I felt like I was just trying to walk to finish, you know. Yeah. But so I did 23 hard. And it was great. Yes. But I'm dead now, and it feels a little bit free to do whatever I want now. So maybe what's funny is I told Brian at one point that you were doing 75 hard, and he was like, tell her I do 365 hard all the time. Of course, Brian. I'm always working hard. 365 days a year. Yeah. Not in the winter, I can tell you that. So funny. Just funny, yeah. I love it though. So, what's next for you? I could do something. Do you have a goal for I'm just gonna actually follow? I love this nourish move love girl that does these workouts online. Yeah, you track. And it's just like now I can just pick a program because that was the other thing that's hard to find a 45-minute workout. Yeah, because most workout videos, they're trying to do 15 to 20 minutes even. So it was fun to do, like I would do some mobility stretches, I did yoga and Pilates. That was fun. Um, but yeah, she just has like these two-week programs, and this was also a little bit of the catalyst. It took me over a month to do a two-week program with her, and now it's like, okay, I can actually do these in two weeks. Yeah. So love it. Um, and I just think I did not want another year to go by that I didn't do anything. Last year it was like, it's my glow up year, and then a whole year went by. Yeah. And it was just like, if I said discipline is the word, then it's time to have a little discipline and be just follow through to myself. My gosh. Kind of going along with it. I just told uh my sister Annie that for this summer, I just want to be well, I mean, my semi-word was discipline too. Usually my summers are spent catching up on sleep, catching up with the people that I want to see and hang out with. And I just want to like, I think I'm gonna set an alarm and take a walk every day because also I'm in a stage of life where my boys are very needy of running and things going on. And I don't get I a few years ago I did yoga for the first time and I could leave any time of the day because nobody seemed to need me and it was like the perfect window. And now last year I hardly went to yoga in the summer. I didn't go at all hardly this school year with everything that was going on with my dad. But I feel like if I had time myself, I just wanted to be home. Like I'll walk the road or I'll do something at home. So I just think I'm gonna try to do that. Check in, but try to sit the mornings, yeah. Just because it it can get really hot here. And so if you don't get your walk-in, I love to walk my road. And if I don't get my walk-in pretty early, it can get too hot really to do it. So get my walk in. My house usually is quiet. I'll be the first one up, probably. And have you back before anyone like that? Yeah, drink my coffee on the porch. I just really that's kind of my goal this summer is just I love that to do that. Yeah, it really does change your whole day. Yeah, it absolutely's not that hard. Right. Like it's really not. And if I once they're awake and they have plans for the day, then there goes my chance to get anything. Plus it's done. Yeah. Just feel accomplished. And if I can then even go to yoga class later or do something else. Yeah. I still would love to go to Pilates class with you my summer, this summer. Or yoga. You would love them both. Yeah. I feel like yoga is so hard. So hard. I just like it. It's really funny. I went last night to yoga and the teacher that teach it teaches the classes, a teacher at the well, actually she might be kind of admin now, but at the career center. And so she was like, oh my gosh, Patty, you know, how are you doing? And I said, Well, I'm just gonna lay on my mat back here. When it's over, just kind of like nudge me awake because I'm so tired because I'll see back here asleep. The end of the school year. She was like, Yeah, perfect. I'll just let you know when it's over. But I felt like, and there's no way she had to have had the class planned before, but it was so perfect for there was a lot of like really long holds and like stretches that I felt were like, gosh, just what my body needed. I feel like in in my age where I'm at, maybe is just yoga can be so great to just I don't be quiet and still and just work my body. It's not hard, it's hard in a different way too. How did we ever do beach body? Because that compared to like even these complete ones are amazing. So when you posted that little video of that guy talking, the 75 hard guy, it reminded me of Autumn. I feel like that's how she used to talk to us. Like, you're so stupid. He did it. Why can't you follow a diet? And I used to mute her because it was like, girl, I'm doing your workout. I don't need to know now about how I need to be doing my measurements and all these things and setting these goals and eating my protein and watch what you're doing in the kitchen. Like, sister. I think that's why I love that. Nourish Mabel Up. She's the mom of three. She focuses on like mobility and functional stuff. And she's just like, You have this beautiful body that you should be. That's one thing with yoga, they talk about a lot of just like balance and mobility, and can you get up off the ground without using your hands always or things like that? Which is so hard. The video I did, I'm like, gosh, I cannot do this. And not as flexible as I would like to be. All right, you had a few things that you wanted to share that are just some fun. Okay, yeah. So I was thinking, so at one point we said, what could we do to help with our grocery bill? Right? Was that maybe mentioned? Yeah, we can talk about that. The grocery bill's insane. Insane. It just is. The gas bill's insane. Yeah. And so along those lines, I did not write down things for the grocery bill. We'll talk about that though. But along those lines, I was writing down things. I like a good treat yourself. And I was trying to think of just cheap little things that bring me joy. So mom luxury items under $20. So one was I got this ice cube tray. Okay, so I tried to buy an ice cube tray. Actually, I got it for because you had mine over here. Yeah, those balls. But mine is not as good. I think I need a different one. I actually bought it for a gift for a bridal shower, and I was like, I can't give this to her. It's not that nice. Oh yeah. Because it doesn't, doesn't yours have a container that they jump into? Mm-hmm. Yeah. We'll have to post a links to these. Yeah. So my ice cube tray, yeah, it just brings me so much joy. And actually, um Sam uses it. It's just kind of a fun treat. They're so fun. They're little balls. Yeah. Like big marbles. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Um, another thing was getting a new candle, which again, new candle for Mother's Day from Charlie. And it's just such a fun treat. New hand soap. Sometimes it's fun just to get a new season. It's gonna be summer, so now it's the season of lemon, right? Or something floral. I have not done this, but something that I really want to do. Have you ever gone to the gas station and filled up like your Stanley with ice and then had like fun gas station ice for the day for drinks? Like the nugget ice? Right. Not whole. Should we do that? I think we should do that. Yeah. I love nugget ice. Me too. We have it at work. Of course we do. Yeah. And it's just the best. But I have no counter sprays to ever buy one of those. One thing I've been doing lately, and my mom's gonna say, you cannot be drinking that diet coke. The aspartame is bad. I'm a diet coke and diet pepper girl now. I love a drive-thru diet coke. A McDonald's Diet Coke. Let's go. Let's go get some one right now. I'm with you. It's heavenly. I cannot believe I am drinking it, but I'm drinking them at work. Of course. It's just a fun afternoon treat. Diet Coke. Mm-hmm. Oh, fresh sourdough from a local a local bakery. Local roots is where I love to stop. And they also have little pre-made meals in the coolers. And I think it's it's I can go right from yoga. I always think that's the perfect day is I go to yoga, I get a sure house coffee, grab something from local roots, like a sourdough, and then go to the library. Perfect. That's all walking distance. I know. We love our town. Yes. And then the other thing I just recently bought for myself, and I think it was four dollars from Walmart. It was a new succulent plant. Oh, I thought you were gonna say the tablecloth. That was from um Gabriel Brothers. Gabriel Brothers. Just kidding. I was like, it was four dollars. I don't even know what it is. I got a little succulent plant, and it's just kind of fun to get a new plant. Yes. I love all those. Yeah. That's so fun. I had wro written down a couple things that we loved that I didn't even know we had. One was called this game. I think my sister got it for us for Christmas, maybe, called The Uzzle. Have you ever heard of this? It's where they stack these little blocks. It's like a card that says how stack these blocks. And it's perfect for kids. They learn their colors and learn like order stuff. They follow a pattern. Yeah. And then they can just get up and do that in the morning. Like something on the table, an activity for them to do. They're loving Danny Go right now. Do you know what that is? No. It's like a I don't even. Do you remember Blippy? Yes. Yes, you do. Yeah. This is it's like Blippy. So it's this grown man who does tons of songs, and they're kind of like get up and move songs. So it does like they get up and do stuff. What's so funny is if I'm doing a workout video, Samantha is like, well, you want to do Danny Go so we can do our exercise. That's cute. Yeah, it's kind of cute, but also I'm over Danny Go. I'm kind of done with it. And Austin now has a meltdown when we turn it off. So it's kind of been like, sny old Danny Go break. Yeah. Um my kids had some lady that did like a yoga class, like a kid yoga. Oh, funny. And they would do that. Yeah. I should find that one. I think right now, every one, I am so grateful. I love being a mom and I love my kids. And everything's so loud lately. Well, that's just my kids are so loud. Even in the car today, Samantha and Andrew, it was just the two of them and me. And they're like playing and then like screaming, and it's just yeah, so loud. I think that just everything that they do for little kids, big kids, everything is so loud, bright, and overstimulating. I know you said it's your kids, but I think it's this the shows. Well, and I feel like I'm strict about what they watch. We'd never have never done Coco Melon because that show is insane. Yeah, all those set weird the colors, too. Yeah. This one at least it's like a guy, but you're right. The one that's like it though, and Charlie loved it as a baby, was or a toddler was Mickey Mask Club. I was gonna say that one's insane. Yeah. I feel like Austin, he just is into Paw Patrol, which is a cute show. Yeah. And you have the PBS shows, Paw Patrol, Teamizumi. Did you do they watch that? Uh Daniel Tiger, so great. Oh my gosh, love Daniel, except for he's always telling us these songs that are stuck in our heads. But actually, you know what we sleep on is Baron Steam Bears on YouTube. Do you remember Baron Steam Bears? Yeah. They're so kind, they teach so many good lessons. It's not ever stimulating. Sam loved Sesame Street and he loved Elmo. I forgot about that. My kids have never watched that. And then mine would get into a lot of tractor videos. There was this one that was John Deere, like they sing all these tractor farm songs. And yeah, so cute. Really fun. Fun stuff. Yeah, really fun until it's not when it's just too much. But yeah. I mean, it is really fun. Real fun until it's not. Real fun until it's not. Real fun until we're like get daddy go off of my TV. All right. The other fun thing is there's a game called Chicken Butt, and it was just the cutest fun game. My sister asked for it for my nephew. That's what I got him. And I was like, Well, I have to get my kids one of these too. Chicken butt. Because they have a long-running joke with Jason's aunt Julie about uh guess what, Chicken Butt. Oh yeah. She started this whole thing, and so it's just this adorable game. And then do you just want to share? We had talked recently about sharing meals we love. Sure. Really? Mm-hmm. So a few things that we've been making that have just been so fun that are kind of new. And it's not really fun. I'm excited for you to share the one. I haven't made it yet, but you told me that. The crunch wrap? Yes. Okay. Tell us about the At-Home Crunch Wrap is just 10 out of 10. It's amazing. So the first time I made it, I saw it on, I don't know, Instagram. And it was like doing it on a whole sheet pan. And you it just in the oven? Yes, in the oven. It was so fun and so good, but it was too much for my family. Like we don't need it was like a little bit of a little bit of a little bit. Oh, like they spread it all out. Yes. Okay. And then you put another sheet over top. Yeah, it was great. I think I've seen that too. If you were having people over, that would be the way to do it. And then you kind of like slice it like a pizza almost or something. Okay. But then someone at work was like, you know, you could make that on the stovetop. I was like, what? So I looked up those videos, and then that's what I've done recently. So you start with the big, soft a large burrito. Large burrito, soft. And you put cheese on it, which nacho cheese, if you have, I think would just be it. But I have shredded shredder. So that's what I use instead. And then ground beef. And then you put the tostada on the meat, and then you put lettuce and tomato on top of the tostada. And then you take a small burrito and you put either plain Greek yogurt or sour cream on that. And then you fold the big tortilla, the big burrito, all over. And then you put it on your pan and cut it in half. And you can make a fun sauce to dip it in. But I just love dipping it in salsa and it just is such a treat. And I've eaten the whole thing several times. But what's so funny about kids is they just love things and then they don't. And they'll ask for it. They asked for it recently. And Smith is like, I don't like that. Like you've loved it. You told me I was the best chef in the world because I made this. Right. It's always those funny things that are like, I bought all these strawberries because my kids into strawberries and now they won't eat any of them. I don't know. But that's been so fun. She graduates from preschool and she was like, I want you to make this for the meal. I was like, I'm not cooking. We can just go to Taco Bell and you can taste a real one. Right. Because I've actually never had one from Taco Bell either. I haven't either. That's obviously where it's from. Chicken fried rice is always such a hit and it's always so easy. I always forget how easy that one is. We do a chicken rice, like so. My mom used to make something called she called it chicken divan. And it was you had to bake it and she cooked the chicken ahead of time. So that's annoying because you're boiling chicken. And then or or cooking it in some way. And then you had to cook the rice ahead of time and assemble it all into a dish. And it was the creamy. She did, I think it was like mayonnaise, cream of chicken, cheese, probably, I mean heaven. But so I've created this cheap, easy version of it on the stove where it's chicken, rice, and then broccoli, and then I just add in milk. Oh, chicken broth when you're cooking all that. But it's just one pan. I've kind of like a lot of cool. You create the rice in that then? Yeah, I cook the chicken first with garlic or something, um, butter. And then I throw in the rice and the chicken broth and let that all cook. And then I add in just milk, cheese, and the broccoli usually. And then it's we just call it chicken broccoli rice. And yeah, I that's a hit. And I feel like I've perfected this delicious chicken to ban my mom used to make. I should make that. Because it just took it had so many steps. Whenever I would make my mom's recipe, it was yeah, so many different things. Yeah, I'll send you. I actually like base it off of roughly base it off of a recipe that I found online, but then I've created my own version that I feel like. Yeah, it's yummy. One thing that I've been making lately, and it came from one of Sam's friends, brought it over, I think for New Year's, was a homemade ranch dip to dip veggies in. It's heavenly. You will never buy another veggie. I've been making homemade ranch, so tell me how you make it. Okay, so equal parts, either mayonnaise and sour cream, or I also do mayonnaise and Greek yogurt. I tried to do it once with just Greek yogurt to be a little bit healthier. You have to have the mayonnaise. You have to have the mayonnaise for the consistencies. Um, so I add in minced garlic, salt, pepper, garlic powder, then paprika, and then I think the trick this is cayenne pepper or cayenne powder. It makes it like gives it a little bite. Yum. And then tons and tons of dill. And I buy the freezer dill, like in the jar instead of fresh as a thing. Dill, it's freeze-dried, not freezer. But and then I sometimes add in a little bit of white sugar, like depending, but I just kind of I never even measure, I just add it all in and keep like adding until it tastes good. Oh my gosh, it's so good. That sounds so good. It's just so good. I've got to make kills. And then we do carrots and cucumbers cut up, and I feel like I always have it in the fridge now because I can just always whip it up. And I always have the ingredients in the cupboard, and it's easy to make. And yeah, it's just so yummy. That's so yummy. Let me tell you how I make mine because it's way not as good as this. Yeah, it might be. You use just a ranch packet. Yep. Yeah. But you gotta try this. Mixed with the yogurt and the mayo and this will change your life. A little milk, I think. I'm sure that's a good one. Yeah, sometimes you add milk if you need to, but I don't think I normally have to. I think I was using mine on salads, and so I wanted a little runnier. More milky, or like, yeah, runnier. Gosh, it sounds so good. And then I'm just like seasonal girl, that I always want to cook whatever is in season. And so I have rhubarb in my flower beds, which you have asparagus. Is your asparagus? Yeah, it's going. It's growing. So I did just strawberry rhubarb crunch, is what I made. No, strawberry rhubarb dump cake is what I did. My dad has a little bit of a request for me just to make rhubarb sauce that he could put on toast or something. Kind of like jelly almost. Yeah. I'm gonna make him some of that. And then I mean, I have a ton of rhubarb. Probably make some this weekend. Maybe a pie. Pie is just such a labor of love. Gotta have a little bit of time for that. But I do love to make a strawberry rhubarb pie. Yeah, so good. But even just a plain rhubarb, it's just yeah. So I mean, it's kind of tart like a lemon. And then grilling burgers, grilling chicken. I feel like it's grilling season. We're doing all that. Made a pasta killer pasta salad recently. Yeah. We uh grill a lot too. We grill all year, I feel like. Yeah, because your grill's always there. Yeah, it's that like that. But we especially more now, and one of the things we've been, or I've I don't know, we've been making is when you do burgers. Have you ever made a burger bowl? So I feel like this was inspired by when there was the whole thing of ground beef. Do you remember seeing this? It was like ground beef, sweet potatoes, ice cheese, that whole thing. Okay. Well, I never tried that, but in a burger bowl, it's kind of just whatever you have. And I love doing diced potatoes that you cook. I cook them in the oven. Probably good ones. I love a sweet potato filler. Well, I've never used a sweet potato and I should do that. Have you ever bought like the diced frozen sweet potatoes? I did blunt. Yeah. That's easy though. But I do you just bake like I always just roast them. Is that how you make them or no? The frozen ones. Usually they're like in the microwave bag. Oh, I've never done that. Oh. I didn't even. They have them like that. I mean, I bought it, but I didn't know it was a microwaveable. Maybe yours wasn't. I don't know. I just love the crunch of a roasted potato. That's the thing. You're not getting that from the microwave. No. Yeah. It's mushy. Yeah. Um, and then even tonight I'd make the kids mac and cheese to go with because it was just like I gotta quick get dinner ready. And so I threw that in there with like ideally I love the cabbage in it, but I have lettuce. Yum. And sounds delicious. So kind of reminds me of my mom. My mom started it. She made, and I think it's gotta be a recipe she found online. It was called a goddess bowl. And I create these versions of it all the time. So a goddess bowl in my mind, it has to have some rice. A lot of the times I make salmon. What's funny is if you told Brian that I was feeding him goddess bowls all the time, he would die. But I like fish, so make salmon, and then any kind of veggies, so broccoli, something, but then usually I put something cold with it, like diced up cucumbers or something with hummus. We throw in asparagus, throw it all in. Yeah, whatever you have. So at our house we call that a slop bowl. And it's and Austin loves it now. A slop bowl? It's so gross. Why would you call it that? But it's the same. It's like rice and meat, vegetables. Veggie's better. He puts cream or cottage cheese and he puts applesauce in it. Yeah, no gross. I wouldn't do those. So gross, yeah. But now that I would do like taziki and some hummus. I would do something like that. It's along those lines. A little Greek. Right. Because when we do like a vodka bowl. Yeah, I know. But now Austin, what did I get for him today? Applesauce. And he's like, no, daddy's bull. Like he wants not a kid bowl. Just so funny. So we're gonna call him goddess bowl. Yeah, Austin, this is a goddess bowl. This is not a slap bowl. Jason and Austin were home today while I took the other kids to the dentist, and he was like, the two dumpsters or the two, what are you yeah, the two dumpsters like demolished everything left in the fridge. I was like, there's our eaters, those are our eaters. Everyone in my family, it's like that. The one thing we did talk about just saving money on groceries, and I do think there's a couple things that I think does save money in a house full of eaters. And one is, and not everybody has this opportunity, but buying local, we have amazing Amish stands by us, and they're gonna be just bursting pretty soon. Right now, I think that they only have rhubarb available, maybe asparagus, but pretty soon they're gonna have so much, and they just really that's the way to do it. And then you just go buy what they have available and then kind of build your meals around that. Like this is what was cheap, this is what's available. And then the other thing is baking stuff yourself instead of buying things made, cutting up like a big watermelon and having that in the fridge. Yeah. I mean, I'm really anticipating having everyone home and eating all day long all summer. And so I'm thinking of some of these things and always having fresh bread that's been baked. They can have a slice of bread. Um, even if you're just adding that to your meal, I think that that helps. I'm with you. I feel like this is the thing I've learned over the past, I don't know, year-ish. When you make stuff from scratch, it's not that much harder. It's taste so much better. And I'm shocked at how much cheaper it is. The ranch dressing is a great example. Like you have all those ingredients like so many, yes, so often you have ingredients like that. Pizza dough is one I've started reselling, which I always bought the packet, which is not that much, but it's a dollar fifty. Right. And so, and I'm buying two. It just really does add up when you have flour and yeast at home. I think one of the biggest things too is just not having waste, like cleaning out your fridge. Yeah, like cut up the produce right away. Because I think that's anything at your meals yeah, when you start throwing things away. I didn't think on much else. I don't know what I have. For sure, buying like things in season is always cheaper. Berries, especially. Yeah, Brian likes to have grapefruit all the time. He's the grapefruit guy. He just likes to always have them in the fridge and he likes to eat them. And I fight with him all the time on that. Like, this not grapefruit seasoned. You have to wait until the floor. Like right now, he could just have berries and watermelon instead. Or, you know, we're habitat right now. I'm like, it's not gonna be good. It's gonna be expensive from the grocery store because it's being shipped from somewhere, and yeah. I fight with him on that. And even just making, I just said this weekend we're making energy bites because I haven't made those in so long. Yeah, I feel like to buy a packaged snack is where it gets so expensive too. And when they can eat that instead, and like save those for when you're rolling places. Yeah, love it. Love it. I think the Bible verse I would love to share is just Psalm 23. The whole thing is so good, but it's where God just provides every single thing that we need. And it says we lack nothing. The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. Or shall not need. There's like obviously many versions. Yeah. And I just think what's so true, and we've talked about this in the worry episode. Or did we say that verse? I don't remember last. Oh well, that's fine. I don't remember. I don't either. I don't think we did. But it's just he just does, and we forget so much of it. And I just feel like I have this heart of gratitude today. It was a great day, the sun was shining, and you just remember everything. And you were done with 23 hearts. I was done with 23 heart. It was my first day of freedom. No wonder she felt so great. So yeah, the Lord will provide. He always does. He always does. Okay. Do you want to pray? Sure, dear God. Thank you for today. Thank you for the gift of moving our bodies, for the ability to provide for our families and come up with fun meals. Thank you for the season of fresh produce and sunshining, and help us to always be grateful for the things that you provide for us and to always be the light. Amen.