Queenager Hobbies & Cocktails

This week on the Between Batches Podcast, we’re embracing our full “queenager” era with a Cherry Pie Cocktail in hand and absolutely zero shame about our growing list of grandma hobbies. From baking sourdough and canning vegetables to gardening, football obsessions, exercising, and collecting hobbies like emotional support projects… we’re talking about all of it.

Why do these slower, cozier hobbies feel almost rebellious in today’s hustle culture? Why do women suddenly wake up one day needing bird feeders, a Dutch oven, and twelve different kinds of tomato plants? And why does healing sometimes look less like grinding harder and more like making homemade jam while watching football?

We dive into the chaos, comfort, and comedy of aging into ourselves, finding joy in simple things, and realizing maybe our grandmas were onto something all along.

So grab a cocktail, your current hyper-fixation hobby, and come hang out with us Between Batches. 💕

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to Between Batches, where life happens between batches.

SPEAKER_03 0:06

We're two friends figuring out life in what we lovingly call our Queen Ager era. I'm Ashley and I'm Danielle. Well, something's coming together in the kitchen. We're talking about everything else. So let's get to what we're batching today. And what are we batching today?

SPEAKER_00 0:19

We are making a cherry pie cocktail. Yum. While we talk about our queenager, aka grandma hobbies.

SPEAKER_03 0:28

Yay! I love my grandma hobbies. I don't want to be a grandma anytime soon. Right. But I love my grandma hobbies.

SPEAKER_00 0:33

I love my hobbies. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 0:34

All right, so let's get into this cocktail.

SPEAKER_00 0:36

Yes. So we are gonna start with one and a half ounces of vanilla vodka.

SPEAKER_03 0:41

Yummers. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

And one ounce of bourbon.

SPEAKER_03 0:45

Perfect. Don't tell my husband we're using his good bourbon. Hubby will have no idea. We'll just tell him he drank it. He did. You drank it, honey. And this recipe is not any specific creator's recipe. This is a kind of a mishmash of a bunch of different recipes we found, and we just kind of made it to suit our tastes and likes. And we will absolutely be posting this on our Instagram page and our YouTube page for you when my stuff is really. I apparently can't pour from a full steep. It looks there's there's cherry juice, is what she's putting in our glasses.

SPEAKER_00 1:29

Heart cherry juice.

SPEAKER_03 1:30

Yes, and it is currently all over my counter and looks a little bit like a crime scene. It yeah. It's kind of funny, actually. Oh, and now we're squirting a lemon juice.

SPEAKER_00 1:38

A half ounce of lemon juice.

SPEAKER_03 1:40

Fresh lemons. Can't beat fresh squeezed juice, I don't think, in a cocktail, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:44

I agree.

SPEAKER_03 1:44

Like sometimes I try to cheat and use like the bottled stuff, but it's never as good.

SPEAKER_00 1:49

Especially like in the winter when it's harder to get a hold of, but no, it's never as good. I agree. I love fresh lemons.

SPEAKER_03 1:55

Did you know that lemons are not a naturally occurring thing? That they're man created.

SPEAKER_00 2:00

No.

SPEAKER_03 2:01

Google it. It's quite fascinating. They didn't actually occur in nature.

SPEAKER_00 2:05

Man created them by like why?

SPEAKER_03 2:08

By like splicing plants together.

SPEAKER_00 2:11

Okay, a half ounce of grenadine, which we normally wouldn't drink grenadine, but we're just gonna like suck it up buttercup for this cocktail because the sweetness in the cherry and the tartness of the cherry needs a little mellowing.

SPEAKER_03 2:25

Oh well, sweet.

SPEAKER_00 2:27

And then it also calls for a half ounce of simple syrup or the equivalent. Well that you pour that since I already made a bit.

SPEAKER_03 2:36

And you can buy simple syrup, but honestly, it is like the easiest thing on the planet to make. It is equal parts. Sugar and water, and you just warm it up on the stovetop until it dissolves, and that's it. And then you let it cool. And then I did not use brown sugar, even though this is brown. I just used a natural like unbleached whatever sugar. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:06

Oh, I feel like this is gonna be so good. Do we top it with anything?

SPEAKER_00 3:10

Well, if we had graham crackers, we would have rimmed our glasses and graham crackers, but I stir up stir.

SPEAKER_02 3:19

I'm stirring with a knife because you know. You use what you got. You use what you got. We say that a lot. I feel like we need t-shirts that say we use what we have. Yes, exactly. All right, are you ready? Cheers. Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:35

I'm not sure that I would say cherry pie, but it's pretty good. It's definitely cherry. Yes. I like it. I like it too. All right. Make yourself a cherry pie cocktail and join us at the table. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:49

All right, and welcome to the table. And what is our table topic today?

SPEAKER_00 3:54

As we previously mentioned, we are talking about our queenager and grandma habits. Or hobbies, I guess.

SPEAKER_03 4:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

Um, so why do you think women start embracing hobbies as they age or talking about their hobbies at least?

SPEAKER_03 4:08

I honestly I think it's a combination of we have more time. And if you've had children, you need somewhere to put your energy and your expertise and your all the things, right? Like I need something, I need to create something or nurture something or do something. I mean, that's what I think. What do you think?

SPEAKER_00 4:29

Yeah, I think it's definitely you have more time, but I also think that at least for myself, as I've gotten older, like whether it's self-confidence or I give a damn's busted, but like I am like what willing at least to talk about these hobbies more and have the hobbies because I don't necessarily care. Like I realize that my life isn't about what other people think of me, but right.

SPEAKER_03 4:56

What happens in my well, and I think you just naturally want something that's going to enhance your life more. Yes. So hubby and I were just talking about this the other day. When you get like when you're younger, you are in like this, I need to acquire stuff phase, right? Like you feel like you want to gather things, like you're in this gathering of things, whether it's clothes or furniture or cars or whatever. And then you get older and your kids get older, and you're like, I need to get rid of this stuff. I don't want any more stuff. And you're not really clubbing anymore, and you're not actively out looking for a spouse most of the time. Some people are, but we're not. And so it's like, okay, well, what am I gonna do with my time? And it feels weird to just do nothing. So I think you just naturally gravitate towards what can I do that's gonna enhance yeah, my life. My life. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:49

Yeah. At what moment do you think that you realized you were officially a queenager?

SPEAKER_03 5:56

Um, I think it would be a combination. I think it would be one when I got really excited about gardening.

unknown 6:05

Fair.

SPEAKER_03 6:06

Um, and two, when people started talking about going out, and I realized that I no longer wanted to go out at 10 p.m. I wanted to be in bed by 10. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 6:20

For sure.

SPEAKER_03 6:21

How about you?

SPEAKER_00 6:22

Yeah. So actually, when my daughter was pretty young, I started sewing and I would make her dresses. And um I was, I mean, that was 16 years ago though.

SPEAKER_03 6:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:37

And it was something that like I growing up was in 4-H and stuff. And so I was like, I'm bringing this back.

SPEAKER_03 6:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:44

Um, and then like we discussed, kids got busy, things got busy, and so that kind of set aside. And then um, and then I decided that gardening is something that I needed to bring back into my life too. And that was probably, yeah, when I got excited about the plants.

SPEAKER_03 7:03

There you go. So let's talk about some of our favorite current. And they call them grandma hobbies, but I think for this episode, I'm just gonna keep calling them queenager hobbies because I don't feel like a grandma. And I'm quite frankly, don't need to be a grandma for quite a while. So let's talk about some of those. So one that I know we both do is gardening.

SPEAKER_02 7:22

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 7:23

Um, what tell me about your gardening experience? What do you love about it?

SPEAKER_00 7:29

So I love the something out of nothing and like nurturing and watching them grow. I have to say that my gardening experience has been kind of fascinating. Um, growing up, yes, we did 4-H, we always had a garden, and we've had we've lived in two different locations since um moving to the area-ish that we are in now, and had a very successful garden in one location, and then we moved, and now we have property, and I have not my tomato plants are always loaded with green tomatoes that never turn red. And I have yet to figure out what I'm doing wrong. And yes, I know full sun, all the things they are.

SPEAKER_03 8:18

So if you're a tomato person out there, I don't know, help a sister out.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

Um, so some of these things that it's like I am struggling with things that I haven't before, and almost didn't plant a garden this year, but my son really got excited, and so I brought him in, and we've got a small, smaller than normal garden. But what about you?

SPEAKER_03 8:40

So my garden gets bigger every year, um, much to hubby's dismay. I started out, I think, with like one planter, and now we're up to five raised garden beds and an entire corner that I have squatters rights on, I guess, for lack of a better term, at my in-laws next door that is for all of the herbs and overflow. Um, and then I also last year decided that if it was going to be in my yard, it was going to feed us. And so I started pulling out a lot of our ornamental bushes and replacing them with blueberry bushes, which has not made me sad. Um, and then I told Hubby this year, I was like, okay, I think I need one more raised bed, and then I think I'm good. And he just, I got the look, you know, the look. Um, but I so you plant inside too. Like you're a great houseplant person. I am not. For whatever reason, I cannot keep a houseplant alive to save my life. But my garden is amazing every year, and I usually have more than enough to feed us and my in-laws and my mother, and I've even sent some with my son to work for the guys that he works with, and um neighbors and canning and all the things, and I just love it. And so I have tomatoes and peppers and eggplants, and this year I tried corn. I'll have to let you know how that goes. This is an experiment. Um, and in the part of the world, the United States that we live in, um, we've told you we live in the Midwest, and and it's great for farming, but our particular area where I live in our neighborhood is very like hard clay almost, which is why we've gone to the above ground beds because it's just it's too hard to work. Um, and that's kind of been the best thing ever. Yeah. I could talk about gardening. I don't know what it is. She could. I could. And I send like I have other gardening girlfriends, and we like send each other like, I just saw this. Did you see this? And we send, yeah. It's kind of it's a grandma.

SPEAKER_00 10:52

My son and I like to walk out almost every day and like check on the plants. And yesterday he was like, Are there any watermelons yet? And I'm like, dude, we planted them a week ago. No, a little over a week ago. No, they're still this big. Um, but I do have a lot of houseplants and um they make me very happy. Are you a I like to talk to my plants person or yes?

SPEAKER_03 11:20

Yes, I do like to talk to my plants. In fact, if you are one of my neighbors, you probably get the joy of seeing me out there in the morning looking fabulous in my pulled-up hair, no makeup, pajamas, usually with something thrown over the top, and my galoshes because the grass is usually dewy and wet, and I have to walk all the way out, and my cup of coffee. And like a crazy grandma, I am standing out there next to the beds talking to the plants.

SPEAKER_00 11:50

Like, well, it helps them grow better. It does.

SPEAKER_03 11:52

It does. Right now, this time of year, I'm like, we don't flower yet, we're not tall enough yet. And I'm like picking, and they're probably like, what in the actual life?

SPEAKER_00 12:01

Hey, it is scientifically proven that talking kindly to your plants does help them grow.

SPEAKER_03 12:07

So little trick.

SPEAKER_00 12:09

All right, talk sweet to them.

SPEAKER_03 12:11

Maybe if I talked to the houseplants, honestly, though, I think by the time we get to winter, I'm like so done with the garden that I want nothing to do with indoor houseplants at that point. I just need the rest.

SPEAKER_00 12:22

And I want all the green to come inside. Yeah. Like I've put several of my houseplants outside um already. And it's a good thing because my husband would tell you there's way too many. Um, so they're outside for the summer. Uh, but I always love bringing them in.

SPEAKER_03 12:39

You are legitimately the crazy plant lady. I am. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:42

I have a shirt. You do. You do actually have a shirt. What hobby would your teenage self make fun of you for?

SPEAKER_02 12:50

Ooh.

SPEAKER_03 12:52

Um all of them? I don't know. Probably probably the amount of from scratch things that I think is necessary. I'm very anti-packaged food. Yeah. Now don't get me wrong. I'm a human being. We get busy. I'm a mom. I'm all the things. Like sometimes packaged food saves the day. Um, but as a rule.

SPEAKER_00 13:20

I'm with you. If I can make it, um, I know that I know what ingredients are in it. And it is a little concerning how long some breads and things like last um just out on the counter.

SPEAKER_02 13:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 13:39

When I really think about it, after I started making my own bread, and you see how quickly one you I feel like my family eats it better because it tastes so much better. But what doesn't get eaten, how quickly it goes bad and molds.

SPEAKER_03 13:55

Yeah. Like when you do make something from scratch and you realize A, oh, this only has three things in it. Why is the ingredient list this long, like a paragraph and a half on the package? And you're like, that just doesn't make any good sense. And then if you start to read them, you're like, some of these aren't even necessary, like food coloring in things that you're like, why is there food coloring in pickles? They're already green. I don't understand.

unknown 14:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:21

Well, and like I know for myself, like, especially bread, like it's really flour, salt, and water for sourdough. And then you add in some yeast and butter and maybe a tiny bit of sugar.

SPEAKER_02 14:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:37

Um, yeah. And why is that so therapeutic when we're baking?

SPEAKER_03 14:41

Like, why is I think there's just something about baking that is you have a recipe and it's very like, I do this and then I do this, and then I do this, and I get this result. And then you get to share that with people and watch them enjoy it. And I think there's just something very you can't rush it.

SPEAKER_02 15:02

No.

SPEAKER_03 15:02

I mean, if you try to rush it, it ruins, right? So there is no rushing it, and you have to follow the recipe, or it's going to turn out not good. Yeah. Um, so I think there's just something very like, what is that when it's like rhythmic? Yes, it's very rhythmic.

SPEAKER_00 15:20

And and I love, and you guys are probably sensing a theme, but I love when you mix everything up, and then like if I'm saying making like a yeast red, you watch it like grow and turn into something different.

SPEAKER_03 15:36

And isn't it fascinating how the texture changes? Like you start off with like this puppy, sticky, like ick, and then just from letting it kind of rest and rise and make this as a flash lobby. I agree. This is a really good life lesson here. Yeah, it turns into just this soft, pillowy, silky, beautiful thing, beautiful thing that everybody loves.

SPEAKER_00 16:02

I yes, I agree.

SPEAKER_03 16:03

So perhaps we need to be more like bread.

SPEAKER_00 16:06

What is your signature baked item? Speaking of bread.

SPEAKER_03 16:10

Ooh.

SPEAKER_00 16:10

Doesn't have to be bread.

SPEAKER_03 16:12

I would say if it was if we were talking about bread, probably facaccia. That's kind of we've talked about that before on previous episodes. It's kind of my go-to. My nemesis is sourdough, which is your signature thing.

SPEAKER_00 16:25

I would say is my signature thing, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:27

For sure. And I think when people see you make one of those two things, they get a little bit excited.

unknown 16:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:34

They know. They know goodness is coming. Goodness is coming. Yes. Okay. I feel like we should, since this is not a gardening podcast, maybe move on to we've done gardening, we've done baking. Should we move on to something else? I suppose. I probably. All right, hobby. What is our next hobby?

SPEAKER_00 16:54

Um exercise. Exercise. So specifically, um walking is probably my favorite queenager, like of the things that I have incorporated into my life since becoming a queenager. I would say it's walking. Um, because I've lifted weights for many years. And um have you?

SPEAKER_03 17:18

Okay. So weightlifting is probably my favorite. I do enjoy walking, um but weightlifting is not something I ever did.

SPEAKER_00 17:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 17:28

So my background was all in exercise-wise was either dance or cheerleading. Um, and back in the day, we didn't know all of the benefits of weightlifting. And so we always just falsely thought if you lift weights, you're gonna get bulky. Well, when you're a ballet dancer or a cheerleader, the last thing you want to be is like bulky, right? Like you want to be long and lean. And so we did always like yoga and Pilates and that kind of stuff. Um, so I have really actually enjoyed learning how to weightlift, and it's been really fun. And I mean, honestly, after years of aerobics and stairmasters and Tybo and every other stupid thing under the sun we did. Um, I think I welcome not having to like do an hour-long class every time I go to the gym that's nothing but cardio.

SPEAKER_00 18:20

Yes, and I love lifting. Um, in our house, we have a plethora of weights and TRX. TRX is one of my like favorite things. Um, but I think the thing that I have incorporated, yeah, in this era is walking, walking with a weighted vest.

SPEAKER_03 18:41

Oh, the weighted vest. If I remember that's like the queen ager uniform.

SPEAKER_00 18:48

I have to remember it though, like, because it's not something that's aesthetically pleasing to just like leave in your house um out. And so it's in like my gym area, and I don't always think to go grab it.

SPEAKER_03 19:01

Yeah. And I keep mine in the spare room and same. I forget to go grab it a lot. Um, but that's okay. I mean, do the things, walking. Yeah. What what are some I mean, I don't even know what people do now. I do the walking, I do the weightlifting. I mean, really, that's pretty much it.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

Do you do it for aesthetics, health, stress relief, or survival?

SPEAKER_03 19:25

Yes. Can I just say yes? I don't know what aesthetics mean.

SPEAKER_00 19:29

Does that mean like the way you think because it looks cute doing it? Like that's what I'm thinking.

SPEAKER_03 19:34

I do not look cute doing it. Can we just dispel that myth right now? I am not one of those little gym bunnies that goes in my cute little matching Lululemon or Aloe or whatever it is. Um, now, no, it is like my husband's old t-shirt, a pair of um leggings that I most likely picked up at the Costco because you know we love the Costco. That is my version of a club these days, and some tennis shoes that I've probably also used to garden in and are stained, and my hair pulled up. And whether or not I have makeup on depends on if I did anything outside of the house.

SPEAKER_00 20:09

What kind of day it is, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 20:11

So it is definitely not for the aesthetic. Um, but stress relief is definitely a good one. I think we talked about that on a previous episode as well. Um, when I had my meltdown.

SPEAKER_00 20:22

Yeah. I mean, I think that like if I'm walking, which I try to do daily as long as the weather is nice, it's probably for stress relief whether I am actually stressed out in the moment or I just know, like, just get out and enjoy.

SPEAKER_03 20:38

And then health, right? I mean, we all know in our queenager era that your health becomes a full-time job, whether it's what you're eating or what you're doing. It's kind of a full-time job. And so, I mean, let's be real, most of us go for the health benefits because we don't want to shrink, so we're trying to maintain our bone health, and we don't want to weigh 600 pounds, so we're trying to do that and keep our cortisol low and our calorie burn high, and that stresses me out just thinking about it. We better go for a walk.

unknown 21:09

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 21:11

Yeah, I mean, I think it's definitely for health. When I first started back up um several, several years ago, it was really with the thought that when I'm a grandparent, um, I want to still be able to do the things with my grandkids and be present for them and not be confined to a chair. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:36

And I think for hubby and I, like this era of getting in shape, whatever that means, is um, and that's why I air quoted it because I think just means something different for everybody, right? Um, but for us, it's more watching our parents age and knowing what do we want that to look like for us in the future and how are we gonna be able to interact with our kids and our grandkids and then For us having the added pressure of a special needs child that has mobility issues, staying healthy for that. And just we know nothing is foolproof, right? Nothing is guaranteed, but there are things that you can do to make it less likely that you are in dire need of health care earlier, you know, rather than later.

SPEAKER_00 22:22

So yeah, I agree. And speaking of like all of not necessarily healthcare, but um the obsessions. Um, I think I knew we are seeing more about protein. Oh my gosh. High protein this and high protein that. And um, do you feel like it's justified or has it gone too far?

SPEAKER_03 22:44

I think like most things, it's gone too far, right? I mean, that's just what we do in America, right? Somebody says here, do this thing, and we're like, we're gonna do it the best it's ever been done, the biggest it's ever been done. So the most that we are gonna do it the most we can, um, which I think is a wonderful quality, but also sometimes gets out of control. And I think the protein obsession started from a good place. I think when you have a culture like ours that eats packaged food, mainly packaged food, you're you're not getting enough good, healthy proteins and fats and quality. Um, so I think that's where it started from. I think it started like most things from a genuine good place. But like the other day I was walking through my favorite place, the Costco's, and I mean, there was protein cereal and protein popcorn and protein cookies and protein candy and protein, and I'm like, okay, for the love. Like, we have just like we are so far from the mark at this point. Like, just because somebody says this has protein does not make it a health food.

SPEAKER_00 23:44

Well, and I think what has happened, um, because I'll be totally honest, when it comes to grocery shopping, I pretty much shop online and then pick up, have either I pick it up or someone in my household picks it up. Yeah. So I don't walk down the aisles that often and see all the things, but I do think that a lot of them have just been repackaged to have that protein um label, forward label, like yogurt and cheat. Things that always yogurt has always had protein in it.

SPEAKER_03 24:14

Um splashed across the front, so you know it has protein. So I think, yeah, I think it's gone too far. But again, I mean, if you think about the cyclical things, like when things were keto, that was splashed all over, and when low fat was the thing, that was splashed all over, and it's cyclical, like it'll all cycle again. This protein craze, although we need to keep it to some degree, will eventually like go away and something will take its place. And yeah, we'll be talking about that in six months.

unknown 24:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:46

So I mean, I know um clearly you guys have gathered that we are not the packaged food. We are the make from scratch as often as we can. Um, the canning ladies, do you feel like canning is impressive or kind of terrifying?

SPEAKER_03 25:05

Yes. So I think it's very impressive when people can things. I can. But there are three kinds of canners, I think. And you can tell me if you agree with this. I think there are people that exclusively water bath can.

SPEAKER_00 25:19

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 25:20

There are people that pressure can. Maybe there's four. There's people that do both, and then there's people that do like the rebel canning where they can things that you probably really shouldn't can for like safety reasons.

SPEAKER_00 25:33

Like, what should we not can for safety reasons?

SPEAKER_03 25:36

There's lists.

SPEAKER_00 25:37

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 25:38

So there's this whole battle right now on the socials, if you didn't know. I'm clearly not in the canning socials between rule follower canners that follow the USDA guidelines, and I'm putting that in quotes because we don't always believe everything the government tells us, and people forget that the USDA is a government agency. So, um, but there's the USDA guidelines and then there's rebel canners. And so interesting.

SPEAKER_00 26:01

I'm learning here, guys, with you. Did you not know this? No, I did not know that.

SPEAKER_03 26:04

It's a fascinating side of like the social medias if you go to that side. It's really fun. Um, and so I kind of dabble a little bit of both. Um, I mean, you just use common sense, right? If you open it and it smells weird or tastes weird, don't eat it.

SPEAKER_02 26:18

Like, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:19

Um, but I personally find pressure, I really want to learn to pressure can, but it terrifies me.

SPEAKER_00 26:26

Yeah, my mother-in-law is like amazing when it comes to canning. Like, she cans, she might be a rebel canner, I bet. Because she cans like everything, like, um, and I I love it. My favorite thing to can or to receive from people is just whole tomatoes because I feel like they're so versatile. Um, my mom and my sister will my sister always has a really big garden and plants a lot of tomatoes, and they will can spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce and ketchup and salsa and all the things and ketchup. My mom's ketchup V8, like your homemade V8. Um, but I'm always like Bloody Mary mix for Bloody Mary's. Yep. I'm always like, just I'll I'll take all your whole tomatoes because I I do love my mom's spaghetti sauce that she cans.

SPEAKER_03 27:19

But yeah, I tomatoes are a great thing to can. I can them every year. Last year I got really fed up and I just threw some tomatoes in the freezer because I've done that before too. I was too hot to can and I just I didn't have the bandwidth. But I love canning. I think when people are really, really good at it and do a lot, it's super impressive.

SPEAKER_00 27:39

I am definitely my mother-in-law is one of those people that it's impressive to me. Like she even cans, like they'll can meat, and like she has like a burrito base that she cans, and my nephew will like slam two or three cans of that after school.

SPEAKER_03 27:55

Now, those are things you have to pressure can.

SPEAKER_00 27:56

Yes, and she does not water bath can meat.

SPEAKER_03 27:59

Yeah, but I here's what I wish. So there's all kinds of videos and stuff online, but I'm like a very tactile learner. So I want, yes, I want a place where I can go physically learn and like buy the canner as part of the class, the pressure canner, so I learn on that one.

SPEAKER_02 28:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:18

And and then ready. Yeah, I don't know who would like it, who would do that, but somebody needs to invent a class so that I can go learn how to pressure can in person.

SPEAKER_00 28:27

Yes, I agree.

SPEAKER_03 28:29

All right, so one of our other grandma queenager era hobbies, at least I think, is having dinner parties. Yes. And that sounds really way fancier than it is. Can we just call them having friends over for dinner? I mean, for sure. Dinner party sounds so very formal. It does. Um so in your opinion, is there a combination, food drink that you serve on the regular that just no matter what it is or how you're dressed or who's coming over, it just instantly feels kind of elevated and classy to like dinner party status.

SPEAKER_00 29:09

So I think the combination would be, um, and we'll have to make this on another episode, but like any kind of spritz cocktail because I just really love a good spritz. And they just feel fancy because it's like bubbles. Um, and I really love bubbles. Bubbles are great. Yes. Um, and then I don't know about the food, like the combination. We often have people over in the summer just with like my husband has smoked a pork butt, or we're just like hanging out and grilling. It's very usually laid back and casual at our house. Rarely is it anything formal.

SPEAKER_03 29:53

So I think that would probably be like my combo that, like, if I can't decide what I want to make or nothing's sounding great, that just instantly feels special would be we're using air quotes a lot. I know we are today. Sorry, okay. Well, and if you're listening to us, you can't see them, so it's less annoying. Um would be I was gonna say steak and and wine. Like if somebody comes over to my house and I just want them to feel special, we will usually grill a really nice steak, have a really great bottle of wine, yeah, maybe have a dirty martini while we're waiting for food to be ready. Um and that's kind of like my go-to. If I want to get super duper fancy and budget is not super tight that at that moment, I might do like a shrimp cocktail beforehand. Um okay, so here's a little tip if you want to do a great shrimp cocktail. Aldi carries this frozen shrimp that's called tiger shrimp. Have you bought this? Yeah. Okay, it is they're gigantic. They're probably, I don't know, what is this? My husband would say it's six inches, but I know it's not. Four? Sure. Umsert bad joke here. Um, but they're big and they're like almost lobster-y texture, and they're so good. I just adore them. So that is an instant yeah, elevated. Elevated dinner party thing, I think.

SPEAKER_00 31:19

Do you prefer like a fancy elevated dinner party or like a cozy?

SPEAKER_03 31:24

I'm more of a cozy, I wouldn't say chaotic or casual necessarily, but like a cozy thing. I do love to throw a party. You know, you all know that. We've talked about that. But I think my favorite evenings are the ones where we just have like one other couple over. Yeah. Maybe two if we're super pushing it. Oh, yeah. And just have a relaxed dinner that's not ready by the time they get there, but is in process, and we can just have cocktails and chit-chat, and it's just kind of casual and laid back. And those are honestly my favorite thing. Your favorite too. Is it? Yeah, I agree. You just get more conversation, I think, that way. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 32:03

I agree. It's wonderful. It is wonderful. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:06

Okay. So speaking of parties and being bigger, um, one of the things that has definitely become a queen ager hobby, I think, for both of us, is football.

SPEAKER_00 32:17

Oh, yes.

SPEAKER_03 32:18

I love have you always been a sport.

SPEAKER_00 32:20

I was just about to say, well, for me, this is like football has been a part of my life. Football is life. I mean, but like, since I like I cannot remember a time when football has not been a part of my life, like my entire life. Yeah. I think I've mentioned I have a sister. So I don't know if that's part of it. Just like our dad, like, but I'm also from, I'll just, I'm from like a state where football is life or was life. Um, and it still is. Like you literally bleed it. So um, yes. I think that it is, yeah. I can't, like I said, I can't remember. Even when I was really little, like I remember watching our team play in the super, not the super bowl, play in the um Orange Bowl, which was the national championship at the time. And I was like falling, like nodding. I was so little, I'm like nodding off on the couch. And then my dad's like, hey, we won. And then you get up and you're so excited, and you have to go to bed and go to school the next day.

SPEAKER_03 33:18

But um because we didn't get days off for stuff like that back in our day. They do now.

SPEAKER_00 33:23

So yeah, anyway, it's been a part of my life my whole life, but I think now I have more time and more resources that I can um invest in getting to see more games.

SPEAKER_03 33:35

I know that is the fun part. So for me, I sports has always been a part of my life. Um, but where I grew up, football was not as big of a deal. We were very much a basketball and baseball, huge baseball. My grandparents were huge baseball people. So I grew up watching, I mean, we watched spring training, we went to spring training, we went to baseball games, we went to, we watched them on TV. Like we planned our summers around the baseball schedule. Um, and then I was in a big, big basketball town. And when we moved to the back to the Midwest 20 some years ago, um started watching football because that's what we have here. What we have here, and just really like, I don't know, it like got the sports happy juices, like competitive nature that I have flowing, and now I'm very diehard, like to the point where we've changed flights to catch football games. Um I probably shouldn't admit it's terrible. Um, but I just I love it. I love everything about it. I love the way it brings the city together. I love the way it brings neighborhoods together and people together. It gives you a reason, like an excuse, not that you need one, but to gather and cheer for like a common goal. Yeah. Um, and then it's just kind of fun to have something to yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:02

And we were like, I mean, growing up, like my college team was really good. But like, guys, I think we've both been fans of the same couple of teams, but even in times like when I first really bad. So not even just like cheering for your team when they win.

SPEAKER_03 35:21

Well, here, uh, my grandparents were originally from Chicago. Um, so I grew up a Cubs fan because when you are born into a Cubs family, that is what you do. There is no choice, that is what you do. Yeah, um, and so you want to talk about knowing the heartbreak of losing all the time. Poor cubbies poor cubbies, they're not so poor anymore, but yeah, for very many years. My poor grandmother, she lived to be 90 and never saw them win a World Series. She had hope every year. God love her.

SPEAKER_00 35:55

So, why do these cozy hobbies feel, and maybe do they feel, rebellious in this like hustle culture, like gardening and canning and baking?

SPEAKER_03 36:05

Because you can't rush them, you can't hustle them, there's no quick fix, you can't fake it with a good filter on your phone, right? You either take the time to let them occur naturally, whether that's fermenting bread or letting it rise or waiting for a plant to grow fruit or whatever, and you have to give it forces you to be slow.

SPEAKER_00 36:30

To slow down, yeah, it does. And I love that.

SPEAKER_03 36:34

I do too. I love that. Okay, enough of our grandma queenager hobbies. We have a question for you guys.

SPEAKER_00 36:41

Hang on, we have to do our craving first.

SPEAKER_03 36:44

We do. All right, so let's talk about our current cravings. Ashley, what are you currently craving?

SPEAKER_00 36:51

So I feel like this is a little grandma-y because everyone in my family has one in their car or their backpack, but um, it is a little pill travel pill case, and um it has several different some small sections, some big section, like one big section, this particular one. Um, and it's kind of grandma because like don't grandmas also almost almost always have like the pharmacy with them? 100%. Um, so yeah, this is my current my craving.

SPEAKER_03 37:25

I love those things. They're great because you can keep all the things in them for anything that might ail you when you're out and about or you eat the wrong thing because yeah, queen agers now, and that happens. Um, so for me, it would be my tea. And this particular one is can you see that? It's kind of there we go. It's my chamomile tea. It's the Aldi brand. I think their teas are lovely.

SPEAKER_02 37:46

I do too.

SPEAKER_03 37:47

They get in all kinds of them. Um, but it's the caffeine-free chamomile, and I have a cup of tea every single night with local honey in it before I go to bed, and it's like my body's cue that hey, we are like ending our night now. It is time to calm down. And I have my chamomile tea. Sometimes I have mint tea. I have mint tea at night. And this year I'm thinking about trying to do my own tea like in the dehydrator. Yeah. Let you know how that goes. But as usual, these will all be on our pictures page. And we will link them for you.

SPEAKER_00 38:22

Question on the table for our listeners. Yes, we have questions. Okay. Um, what is the one queenager or grandma hobby that you really, really love, like that you have really embraced, or one that you would really like to learn?

SPEAKER_03 38:38

So I think, I mean, obviously, we've been talking about this for the whole episode, but the one that I really, really love the most, I think is gardening. It's just it gets me outside, the sun's shining, the birds are chirping, provides food for the family. I love it. Um, and then obviously we talked about this too. What would I like to learn? I want to learn how to pressure can.

SPEAKER_00 38:58

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 38:59

How about you?

SPEAKER_00 39:00

Um, so I think the thing that I like the most is actually baking. Um, yes, I just love baking anything, and then especially sourdough, although that is like such a process. Um and I would like to learn how to can. Like I've learned from my mom, and I know that I could do a lot, like I could can tomatoes, um, but I actually haven't been brave enough to do any of it on my own.

SPEAKER_03 39:28

Really?

SPEAKER_00 39:29

Oh, I'm a wuss. It's all right, it's terri it's in the terrifying category for you. Very impressive, but yeah, terrifying. I love it.

SPEAKER_03 39:38

Okay, so we want to know from you. So comment on our Instagram page, on the YouTube page in our community. Let us know what hobby do you love, um, what teenager hobby would you love to learn? Um, maybe even tell us what terrifies you.

SPEAKER_00 39:53

And um, if this episode resonated with you or you think that you have a friend that would love it, um, please share it and like and subscribe.

SPEAKER_01 40:02

And we will see you back here at the table next week for another episode of the Play Back.