Foreign.

Welcome to no Shame in the Home Game, the podcast that cares how your home feels, not looks.

I am Lacey, your co host, who's just happy to be here today because it's been a little bit of chaos lately.

Snow is beautiful, but stressful here with my co host, who deals with way more snow than me on a yearly basis.

Hi, Sarah.

Hello, Lacey.

Yeah, it's funny.

All that snow was south of us, so yeah, it's funny to hear everyone else.

It has been interesting how the rest of the people I know are dealing with boatloads of snow and I'm looking at my grass going rules are reversed right now.

So I do feel for you.

I know what kind of chaos can ensue with a lot of snow at once.

Yeah, we're in an interesting place where snow shouldn't shut us down as much as it does, but it does.

But that's okay.

We're here now, we're chatting.

We get to check in with our dear friend Alex from season one, which I'm excited for everyone to hear just because I adore Alex so much and because I love the energy she brings into the world.

I was so excited to do our follow up with Alex.

It was good to hear what was new with what we had worked on, but just to get her take on life always feels so good.

Yes, absolutely.

A few notes for listeners.

One, we had a little bit of a technical challenge, so our audio quality is not as great in this episode as we typically like to see.

We had to use our backup audio.

We still have audio.

I'm gonna celebrate that.

And the other thing is that we had such a great conversation with Alex, but then she sent a little voice memo afterwards of some things she wanted to make sure she mentioned.

So you're gonna hear that clipped on at the end too, before Sarah and I come back with our moment of gratitude for the day.

Let's check in with Alex and jump right in.

It's been over a year since you were on our first season and seeing how things are going.

Yeah, maybe you can recap me what was our last recording.

What would that month have been?

So the actual date was 14th of August in 23.

You were two months out from being due and I had just gotten a new dog who behind the scenes I follow on Instagram because totes adorbs.

And I'm staring at him out my window right now.

He's outside.

It's lovely today.

We're having this like magical 50 something ° sunny day right now.

So that's what was Going on in your life.

When we ended what we had really focused on, and I'm assuming it got more interesting with the addition of a dog and another child.

Your transitions in and out of the house, so loading up the car, going out for your adventures, coming back.

And we really looked at how do you support yourself.

But we don't have to dive right into that.

I just want to hear a running narrative.

Alex, whatever is on the top of your mind right now.

It feels like so much.

Yeah, I had a baby.

The dog didn't really change that much, to be honest.

He's sort of a butt who eats all my children's food right out of their hands.

But he hasn't changed.

I mean, we had a dog before, so the routine is generally still the same there.

We had our fourth daughter, Willie.

This is probably gonna sound crazy to people who have had a baby.

Like, one kid, maybe two.

She didn't change much about our lives.

I told friends often, I was like, she has added absolutely zero stress to my existence.

Like, she just sort of came along and was happy to be there.

I mean, she's now, what, 13 months for most of that.

She has just been super easy peasy.

She hasn't been sleeping great for, like, the last month, which could be improved.

But what are we gonna do?

Can I just pause and say, that is the most Alex thing in the world of, like, I had another baby.

But it really didn't add that much.

We're still rocking and rolling.

Like, that is just such an Alex thing.

That's why I'm like this.

It might sound not quite believable to people who have had one or two children, because those are major shifts.

Right.

But things were super chaotic before Willie came along, and she was just so calm and easy.

I don't know.

It was just like, we have a second purse we have to bring along with us.

Lacy knows this, but she's also, like, had some, like, struggle with hitting milestones.

So she's in physical therapy and things, but she's still not, like, walking or really moving on a small radius.

So our health still hasn't been flipped upside down by the chaos that can be when a kid learns they can climb stairs or get into your liquor cart or, you know, all those, like, things that all of a sudden you're having to rearrange your whole life because they're a little too curious.

So we haven't hit that stage yet.

So last update would have been birding of just started.

She's five.

She would have been four then.

So she would have been doing half day preschool at that time.

I was staying home with our toddler around then and the baby.

So that was very hectic.

Not having maternity leave.

I, that was not cool.

Don't recommend that for people.

Thank God my mother in law was like, oh, I'll take the older girls a few days.

It was a lifesaver.

Now coming up to this year, both older girls and then of course I have a son who's 14.

They're in school full time there.

I was just like, nope, we're not doing that.

We're, we're.

Everyone's going to school.

That's been such a shift.

When I started this journey, I was home with them all.

Then I was like, okay, I'm gonna send one half day preschool.

And then after the summer I was like, everyone's going to school.

Stay at home, mom.

Life might not be my dream.

And then I was.

All this time I've also been working part time.

I went back to work.

Yeah.

Do you go into an office?

Are you working from home?

I really enjoy going into the office.

I kept Willie home with me because she's still very easy to work from home with.

But when I can go into the office, I mostly work because I want to see people, not actually do things.

See really why I work.

But I'll also finish a project if you need me to.

But you've got a house full of.

People, many very needy people.

So working part time because you want to see people.

And then the two daughters who are going to school full time, are they going to the same building?

Yes, walk there.

It's behind our house, like through a little trail you walk through through the woods.

It's very cute.

So we were in the car far less.

That's probably been one of the biggest changes from when I was staying home with the girls.

We were going to the ymca.

Then I was taking them on essentially a field trip and then we'd do something in the evening.

Now if I'm in the car, it's with the kids.

That's probably more weekends and less weekdays maybe because it's winter and we need to do stuff.

I'll take them to the YMCA in the evenings, but me and my husband will rotate that.

Now we walk the two girls who.

Are in school full time to school.

School.

You come home and then some of the days you're going into an office and you said your mom watches the youngest.

My mother in law will come and she'll pick them up.

I don't even drive there at this point because she's now watching another one of my nieces who lives a little further out.

So she picks up Willie on her way and then takes her back on her way there.

And then at the end of the day, are you having to get back to the school at a certain time to get the two older girls?

So again, it's just a walk through the.

Through the woods.

And then your mother in law drops off the youngest.

Oh, my goodness.

So I mean, it's a totally different pattern than we were in before.

What I like about this is it really highlights something we say a lot, which is it's about the seasons.

It's never about finding a solution and saying, and this is it forever.

You clearly showed the solution that you needed was for a very specific season.

And now everything's different.

Your patterns of going in and out.

And you said you're kind of just in the car on the weekends now.

I mean, that's.

I'm still in the car at least once a day.

But not transitioning my kids to and from different places where they need different things.

And we have to plan for a whole day's worth of activities when we're getting in the car.

Yeah.

I'm having those memories of packing all the foods, packing all the change in the clothes.

Yeah.

And you're like, we're gonna need a snack.

We might go outside.

Maybe it'll start raining.

Yeah.

So things are different.

And I love hearing the evolution of all of this.

If I could just channel a little bit of you in my life every moment of the day.

I like how easily you just said.

Being a stay at home mom life wasn't necessarily for me.

Like, we found our rhythm.

But I was like, wait, they.

There's an opportunity for Babs to go to school full time.

Let's throw her in.

I'll work just to pay for her preschool.

Let's go.

And again, that's where the solution that works for you doesn't necessarily work for your neighbor.

I know lots of friends who may not be willing to say it out loud to the whole world, but I have a lot of friends who've admitted to me, yeah, I want my child to go to daycare full time because that's where they get potty trained.

That's where they get like all the basic foundational stuff.

I'm like, know yourself.

That's awesome.

You are inspiring me to remember to embrace.

Don't worry about what other people expect of you.

Like, do what works for you.

I've not been very concerned with Other people, like, for me, Birdie has always loved school.

Babs struggles a little bit with, like, she hates the nap room, which.

Yeah.

I get a girlfriend.

It's hectic, but she's fine.

Yeah.

Her thriving.

I love it.

So tell me about how the house rhythm or the house routines.

Laundry was a little bit of a sticking point, getting things.

Yeah.

Laundry sucks so much.

It's the worst.

So laundry still.

Still awful.

Okay.

Why do they wear so many clothes?

Have you ever considered a laundry surgeon?

I mean, I know maybe it exists, but I'm pretty sure my husband would be like, no, I'll just do the laundry and then he'll do some of it.

If my daughter wants to wear the same outfit two, three days in a row, I'm like, sounds great.

Do it.

No, I'm not going to stop you.

Whatever brings you joy, girlfriend.

Love that.

Yeah.

I looked into it for a client of mine, and obviously it's dependent on where you are in the country and.

What'S available, but for a populated area.

Where the service was already going, it was like, yeah, they pick it up and you decide one or two times a week, and then it's the same day.

So let's say they pick up dirty on Tuesday, and then they drop off clean on Tuesday and pick up your next thing, and then it was per pound.

Like, how much they wash and dry.

If you know something in the Cincinnati area that isn't gonna break our bank.

But when I.

As well.

Well, that's what I was about to say.

I think for Alex, it's not the actual washing and drying.

It's the collecting and putting away that are challenging.

It's everything.

There's just so much of it.

And I guess maybe that doesn't bother.

It bothers me.

Our laundry is in our kitchen.

When I'm folding it, it's on my countertop, which devastates.

So I've got the bins, Lacy, like you have, but those are just for us.

Just Lee and I.

We need a thousand bins.

I mostly don't hate that there's so much laundry, but just that it is in my face.

I tried to get Lee to buy a new house.

I pushed hard for it.

I wanted.

We were trying to.

I'm like, they have a laundry room.

There is a roof, but I couldn't get them to go as high as they wanted.

But I wanted that laundry.

I can picture what I want my ideal laundry situation to be.

And yes, it's its own room.

All of the clean clothes get folded and hung up.

In there.

So if anyone from the family wants their clothes, they come to the central location.

It's all just in one place.

Oh, my God.

Yeah.

If it could just be a room, I wouldn't.

I've talked about this, I think, with you guys, where if I can close a door to that area, it's good.

Don't even care.

Don't care what's happening back there.

Great.

But the fact that it's in my kitchen, communal visual space is a.

It salts me daily.

Well, that's the trade off with your husband.

We couldn't get the house laundry room, so we're gonna pay somebody to do the laundry.

Out of sight, out of mind.

I think if we could find it affordable, I think he would.

He would be like, okay, we can do it.

It doesn't have to be all or nothing.

Right.

It could just be a subset of items just to reduce the bulk.

But yeah, I will actually look into that.

And if anybody listening is in the Cincinnati area and wants to be a.

Sponsor for Alex, I don't need the adults clothes to wash professionally, like just.

And Atticus does his own laundry at this point, so that's great.

Three little kids is where.

And it's so little.

I just read a thing on Threads today.

It was something about the part of parenthood that will truly drive you insane.

Is all the washing and folding and putting away of the itty bitty clothes.

Most of it I don't even fold.

I hang that.

Folding's annoying, but it's just that the laundry's so big and when it's boatload, that isn't that many things.

But when it's so much laundry and it's kid things, you're like, wait, it's like triple the clothing items.

Yes.

Especially because they go through so many.

More in a day with the so many.

And food, let's see.

You said food was never a big deal with the family.

So you're just feeding one more person that doesn't need that sounds such a gift.

Still has yet to become a priority in my life.

Here's the tv.

Here's your paper plate.

Because I don't do wash your dish.

Alex seems to be the poster child.

For our seven day easy.

Well, I also think that I want to bring in that I know Alex has been doing in life and I want to see how it like fits into this world.

She's built.

And she started doing wet plate photography.

Metal Alex, you explained it.

I didn't know what it was until you.

That's okay.

So if you've ever wandered through either an antique store or maybe you have really old photos of great great grandparents that are, you know, in family albums you will see either these portraits like printed on metal.

Right.

And I know for me I do have some of these old family photos from my great grandfather where you have these beautiful black and white family portraits.

Something you'll note about them is like sometimes they're posed in like a scene or sometimes you see like blurry figures because clearly someone moved because back then taking a photograph you to sit still for a really long period of time when while the light was able to capture what was happening.

So years ago I got interested in this but just it just wasn't the right time or I had a little bit of like and I still do like imposter syndrome.

I've always thought this kind of photography was super cool.

And so over the summer I went out to upstate New York for three days and studied with a tintype photographer named John Cofer who back in the 70s traveled on a horse and buggy.

He's always lived off grid taking these kind of photographs and like bringing this big resurgence of this type of photography back to the States.

So I studied with him over the summer and then just finally in the last two months have been able to like tackle it on my own because there's a lot of stuff to get.

I have chemicals that I brew and then I have my like turn of the century like wooden camera with the big lens on front and.

Yeah.

So I just started in the last like few weeks, really got into a groove with it and then now like have launched my business.

I don't know if that's really realistic just because I do have four kids and a lot of people who want to get their photographs taken want to do that on weekends, which isn't.

I'm not willing to really risk too much of my weekend time.

But my hope is really to be able to bring this to where our cabin is and do a lot of like off grid like nature photography in this style that was the only style of the 18th century.

That is so cool.

What is the business called?

Blue Creek Tin Works.

Blue Creek is the town where my cabin is.

And then something I loved about the name when you're.

It's called a plate, right.

It's a piece of metal that you're going to take the photograph on.

So one of the chemicals is called silver nitrate that you have to let it sit in before you take your photo.

And it's a very bluish whitish color.

So that was.

That was part of where that name came from.

So if somebody does their picture with you, you take the picture, and it's on the metal plate, and then you develop it on the metal plate, and then that's what you give to them, Correct?

Yeah.

There's no paper.

There's no film in, like, you know, a traditional film way.

It's all done.

It was done on tin originally.

Now, tin prices had pretty much skyrocketed.

So if you're not willing to, like, scavenge and, like, go to junkyards and collect tin and then cut it and then go through a whole other chemical process to prep it for a photograph, you can buy aluminum versions of that, which is what I've been doing.

But I'm about to embark on a whole other side of it, which is, like, basically going to junkyards and collecting tin and then trying to make my own plates, because why not?

And then you could also do these photographs on glass.

And so I.

I've been doing a few on glass which have turned out really cool.

And you just have to find, like, black velvet or really deep, flat background for it to appear on.

I know through chatting about this, it's hard to envision.

And then I just ordered from the stained glass shop up the street, like, an amber glass.

So if you've ever seen, like, a Coors Banquet beer glass bottle.

Right.

That dark brown.

So I just ordered, like, a giant sheet of that that I'm gonna try and also take some photos on.

And, Helen, I have so many questions.

I love this.

Sarah was gonna be like, tell me more about this.

I just.

I love us for a lot of.

Reasons, and I don't even know where to start.

I mean, I just.

I love when people find something that lights them up.

And I'm like, oh, my gosh.

You found something that truly lights you up, and you're passionate, and you're taking your time.

And then right before you got on, Lacy and I were discussing.

We're always re Honing our message with joyful support.

And it was, say it, Lacey.

Make space for joy by living with ease.

And I'm like, oh, my gosh.

That's exactly what I'm hearing from you.

You're like, yeah, my kids eat chicken nuggets three times a week on paper plates.

And, you know, like, you've just.

You've got this sort of.

Yeah, those are the things I don't want to give my time to, because I am passionate about these other things.

Yeah.

I mean, I.

I'm very much about like, pick your battles.

And for me, my kids definitely have screen time kind of thing.

Like, we are not great about that on certain days.

But one thing I push for is that we do get completely disconnected from it on other days.

And that feels great to me.

So, my gosh, I love that you're.

You're an inspiration, Alex.

I just love art.

So my, my best friend was over a couple days ago to take some photos down here and she pointed out this like Venn diagram of my life that she felt really fell together with tintype photography where she said like, you have f.

You have been fighting for so long to find a way to be outdoors.

So the photography I'm doing is only with natural light outside.

You can get strobe lights, but I'm not too into that yet.

So natural light outdoors, something in which I get to have really deep, meaningful conversation with people and interact on a one on one or small group basis and then where I get to be part of the world of art.

And it's like it is just taken these three pieces that I've always found a part of each of these in a job or in a side hustle or whatever.

But I've never been able to like put all these three things that bring me so much joy together.

Let me just say Alex has been like pulling people off the street literally to come do.

To sit for her.

Like, like this wasn't there like a handyman that was working on something next to her?

Oh, you guys are like best friends.

Yep.

A guy working on a house.

He's like a contractor and I like seen his stuff and he's got a cool look.

And I'm.

As soon as I told him though, he was so into it, he's like, I'll come over as many times as you need today, like whatever you need.

But I just needed in these last two weeks to like troubleshoot a few issues I was having.

And I was like, who.

Who can just come during the day?

Which I know is tricky for a lot of people because they're at work.

But yeah, I'll, I'll ask anyone.

I love the diversity of all of you that Venn diagram, but I love.

Especially since we're like looking back because a lot of your story was about figuring out how these different pieces of your life come together because you were coming from being a mom working full time to being a stay at home mom and probably working part time and not having any care.

And so just I love, and this is one of the things that I love the Most about Alex, but you have created such an equation for your life that you are.

Allow for these different spaces of you to move and adjust as needed for everything.

And that's just so freaking cool and awesome.

It.

It really is.

I feel so lit up by where I'm at right now in terms of, like, trying to pivot.

I will say this is all.

I am incredibly privileged to be able to explore this area.

And Right.

It's a very big financial investment up front, so I had to also work corporate space stuff to be able to even get to the point that I'm at.

You know, it's.

It's thousands of dollars to invest in, so it's not just something that anyone could just decide they want to pivot to.

So I'm very lucky that the company that I've been with for many moons now, like, is so gracious with offering up projects when they have them and being willing to work with, like, my schedule.

And then I have a husband who is so incredibly supportive.

Like, when I went to.

I was going to upstate New York to take these classes, and he's like, sure, we'll all go and we'll stay in this town that has nothing, and I'll drive you there and hang out with the kids all day while you do that and, like, pick you up with all the kids.

And on Thursdays and Fridays when people are coming over for photos, he's watching Willie while he's working his job as well.

Like, and he's so excited about the chemistry part of it that he's helping me downstairs and, like, helping describe the minute chemical reactions that I have honestly no interest in.

But he's, like, summarizing it for me, so I know what's going on.

So he's.

From the moment I told him I was interested in this years ago, he was like, hell, yeah.

Like, that.

That sounds awesome.

And that highlights to me the enthusiasm in your voice as you were talking about it.

Something I always say is, like, finding your fuel to keep going.

And that's your fuel.

Like, being passionate about that is your fuel for the things that may be not as fun because, you know, you get to do this thing that you're so passionate about.

So if he's really inspiring, I think it's inspiration about where you prioritize.

Is your home functioning for you to do the things you want to be doing and that you're doing what you want to be doing, which is beautiful.

Thank you.

So, one thing I was just thinking, if you had asked me something, like, is there Anything we talked through or systems that we discussed last year that have stuck with you, I would have said something along the lines of, while my life has really changed, so something like a gift that you all gave me was really thinking through the day to day pathways that were taking in my house and how I can store things more intentionally, more mindfully, so that it eliminates a few steps, a few extra pieces of effort that I was adding to my life that were unnecessary or burdensome.

So just thinking, where am I putting my kids backpacks and homework and where are they putting the shoes that I know they're going to need tomorrow?

Or how am I getting their snacks together and what's going to make it easy so that they can access these things quickly in the morning and not that I have to do it all and run up and down the stairs.

So I just wanted to say that that was a real gift that our conversations gave me was to proactively think about the spaces and pathways in my house that are used most and how I can store and organize items that we're going to need in the most convenient places.

So I just wanted to say that that's.

That has really stuck with me.

So thanks.

I just so love Alex perspective on everything.

I wish I could have some kind of morning wake up mantra from Alex just to set the tone of my day.

It's so enjoyable to listen to her.

Yes.

I mean, we used to share videos daily, but we haven't been doing that as much.

I would get a daily dose of Alex.

She moves through the world in a way that I adore but also knows not right for me.

I think that's one of my favorite things about my relationship with Alex is that we both have our strengths and weaknesses and we both get to be who we are.

She lets me be me and I let her be her.

And I love having that view of her world and knowing that that's what works for her, but not for me.

There's something so special in our relationship that I am proud of.

Just us letting each other be who we are and showing up where we're at.

I was listening to her actually last night as I was winding down my day on Instagram.

She was showing some of her tin cans that she was harvesting and I just had this moment where I'm like, I am never gonna do this myself.

But man, I could listen to her talk about this all day long.

Absolutely.

I'm waiting for us to have a podcast with Alex just called Tin Talk.

I love that.

TikTok.

Yes.

So I really appreciated that she sent that follow up message too of something that she has taken forward and used in her day to day life and something that she's really thought about and has made an impact.

One, just because I like hearing when we make an impact.

But two, that has also been a big lesson for me too of setting up my life where things happen, not where I feel like they should be.

And that I think is a huge takeaway that can be really magical and life changing.

That is so true.

I still remember that first episode when she was talking about her front door.

Every answer was no, we don't use it.

It's not convenient.

I'm like, well, there you go then stop trying.

The two things that I really appreciated about this episode, that it highlights the work we do.

One, the seasons in life.

Right.

The main topic that we worked on, not applicable anymore.

It's a season in life.

And then two, love, love, love.

We're always talking about living with ease to make room for joy Alex.

Oh my goodness, she is just like shining star.

Oh.

I mean we say it all the time, but Alex is actually doing it.

It's a motivator for me.

Oh yeah.

That's why we do this work.

Truly don't care how your home looks.

We truly care if you have room for joy in your life.

Absolutely.

I've literally put it as my background on my phone and computer.

Ease is very much on my mind.

I love her comfort with ease and how much room that creates for joy.

Because a joyful Alex is a joy ripple in the world for sure.

It makes me so happy.

It makes easy to roll into gratitude after that because it's just like happy upon happy.

Well, Sarah, would you like to start us off with your gratitude?

I am thankful for canned soup.

Let me tell you why.

When this girl gets sick, all I want is toasted bread and soup.

And man, oh man, if I am not so thankful that that soup can be in your cupboard for six months.

No, it was not expired.

Don't worry.

But I love that it can just be there for six months.

You have no desire.

And then one day I'm like, all I want is soup.

That's all I want.

And I'm so thankful it was there for me, I could shed a tear.

I'm so thankful for soup.

Right, so now I have soup questions.

Are we talking like your Campbell's chicken noodle?

Do you have something fancier?

So to keep in the cupboard?

Basic tomato soup from Campbell's.

I add Milk, not water.

I like that thick and creamy.

And I also am unable to eat tomato soup without grilled cheese.

And then chicken soup.

Don't know why.

I do Progresso.

It's a little heartier.

It is.

And my husband turned me onto that one.

So those, because they're not as fancy, have a little bit longer of a shelf life.

I will admit I went to the store yesterday to restock up on soup, and there's a lot of fancy soup options.

And I got overwhelmed, but I knew I was overwhelmed, and I was like, no, I gotta just go with what I know.

Because I was coming out of that sick haze.

I actually told my husband I came home.

I'm like, I almost laid down in the middle of the grocery store.

I felt good when I went.

And then halfway through, I was coughing and I was like, oh, I don't.

Think I can do this.

I kept just resting my head on my shopping cart.

So, yes, I love me some fancy soups.

No, this was classics.

What are.

What's your soup du jour?

See how I use that there?

You're super.

I know.

Look at you.

I am a finicky gal when it comes to soup, which may not surprise anyone.

I love a fresh soup, like a fresh chicken noodle that you make with the bones from chicken.

My mom makes really good chicken noodle soup.

That always fills me up.

I do like a heartier soup than a brothy soup.

I'm a bit of a snob, and I would prefer have that fresh soup to canned soup.

Some of my favorite soups are like Panera's autumn squash soup.

It's amazing.

I love it so much.

Also, if I have soup, I need good bread with it too.

If I don't have good bread, then I don't want the soup.

Oh, yeah.

I actually had the thought, but I didn't say it all.

The soup was accompanied by really good bread.

Yeah.

Yes.

It makes the experience so much better.

Yes.

I love the idea of everything that you said of having the cans and them being there when you need them.

The cans in our pantry are like either French onion cream of something for casseroles.

It's not necessarily to function as soup because, like I said, I'm a bit of a snob.

French onion soup is a big deal for me and Joe.

When Joe and I were in Paris, we had the best French onion soup we've ever had because it was like 60% cheese.

And so now that is our standard of soup.

I will always go for a French onion soup if it's available and have strong opinions about it.

I realized this.

There's kind of a back side to having something that good.

You're going to compare every French onion soup to the Paris French onion soup, and nothing is ever going to match it.

It took us by surprise so much.

Oh.

Like, there's no recreating it because that surprise adds to the flavor.

Yeah.

Like, literally, he and I were like, how much cheese in this soup?

This is amazing.

There's that and then there's this macaroon.

It wasn't a macaron because it was bigger than one.

Like, it was more of, like, a macaron sandwich that had fresh raspberries in it and, like, a cream that had a little bit of, like, a citrus taste to it.

It was the best bite of food I've ever had in my entire life.

And I just think about it and I don't even know what to call it because it was just available in a boulangerie type place.

And Joe just kept buying it for me because I was like, this is the greatest thing I've ever had.

And in addition to our upcoming new podcast called tintalk, we'll also have a podcast called the Food Lacy and Joe Ate in Paris.

Oh, we're food people.

So that was one of our main goals.

I'm glad that soup was there for you.

Sarah, what are you thankful for?

Today?

I am thankful for knitting.

I have been knitting again because I go through phases, right.

And I really have enjoyed figuring out a new type of knitting for me.

They're called double pointed needles, and this is not like a fancy thing, but for me, it feels intense because you're managing four different needles at once.

To be able to knit circular, it's very intimidating at first, but once you start to get into it, it's not so bad.

I've made four mittens, so a set of mittens for each of my children.

I knit hats for all of my nieces and nephews that I was giving gifts to.

My children also each got a hat and a scarf.

I finished the last mitten today.

I have found a lot of joy in the process of learning and being okay with mistakes that I've made and figuring out how to fix them, but also being okay with the fact that they're there.

I still hold the mitten and I'm like, joe, I made this.

I just keep showing it.

I made this.

Can you believe this?

It's also good because it keeps me from doom scrolling and that kind of thing.

I can put a podcast or an Audiobook on, and my hands are busy and my mind is calm, and it's just.

I'm thankful for knitting.

It's been great.

I am so happy to hear you talk about knitting.

I have.

This is like a back to you and Alex appreciating one another.

I have zero desire to knit, and I am so happy to hear about your knitting.

Well, I.

I don't want to brag, but I can knit and I can crochet.

I.

I would say I'm a beginner in both, and I'll probably never become an expert, and I'm okay with that, but, yeah, I wouldn't think it'd be something I enjoy so much.

Oh, I can totally see that for you.

Because there's a bit of intrepidness in that.

You can do what you want to do.

Like, you don't have to use that design.

I'm gonna do it like this.

I start with a pattern and then end up absolutely where I end.

I wouldn't expect it any other way.

So I can see that for you.

And it's very tactile, because I know you do like the tactile.

I will say I.

I grew up cross stitching, but then my friend actually got me into embroidery, which is really fun because you can go freestyle like that.

And I've done some freestyling, and that is fun.

You need to be focused because needles are pointy, and sometimes I'm not focused enough.

At least with knitting needles, you're not truly going to hurt yourself.

You can.

With some force and effort, you can.

But embroidery needles?

Yeah.

Yeah.

I'm on the verge of getting into sewing.

I'm actively fighting it.

I love a Thrift flip sewing video.

TikTok, the algorithm, has figured out how much I like to watch people make things and sew them.

I have not bought a sewing machine.

I'm not going to.

I've made it three weeks thus far of not buying a sewing machine.

Have I looked on Facebook, Marketplace?

Have I looked on Amazon?

Do I know exactly what I would get?

Yes.

I still have not bought it, so I'm proud of myself for that.

You know how sometimes in a workplace, there'll be a big sign and then there's numbers, and it's like, it's been 22 days without a workplace incident.

I want there to be a big sign in your house.

It's been three weeks, and Lacey still hasn't purchased a sewing machine.

So proud of me.

With both of my other kids, I kind of had a fixation during that infant stage, newborn stage.

I have a feeling it might emerge during that time that I, like, try to sew, especially because I'm getting my body back and want to try to fit close to me better, but we're not there yet.

With Isaac, it was Cheers.

I watched a lot of Cheers.

And with Iris, I went hard on home improvement shows, which then turned into home improvement plans for me to give to Jill.

Wow.

What a.

What a range.

Well, thank you for your time today, Sarah.

I've greatly loved and appreciated talking to you.

Thank you, Lacey.