Rethinking my blog title...

While there are many joyful things in my life, after the morning I've had, I'm contemplating changing the title! Is it wrong to write about un-joyful things when the title of my blog is Everyday Joy, when the purpose of writing a post should be to write about something joyful. I'm just not feeling it this morning. Maybe if I take a minute to vent first, I'll get to the joy.

The past few months have been really hard when it comes to my stepmom/stepson relationship with Hudson. I struggle with knowing what to talk about or do with him. As a boy, he would rather hang with Randy then me, and I completely understand that. He's at the preteen/tween stage and I realize it will only get harder. For the most part, we get along great. But when we clash, it seems to take a few days to get back on track. I'm learning to pick my battles with him, although this sometimes means that Lily gets overlooked. If I correct him too much, he'll be mad for days. I can only gently tell him to be nice to his sister, to put his dishes away, to please clean up his things, etc. If I even remotely get stern, he keeps pushing buttons until I either lose it or just walk away. Randy does his best to defend me, but he can only do that so much, until it's almost to the point where Hudson resents me for "getting him in trouble". I guess I am just needing to vent. I know that I am doing the right thing by choosing my battles and letting Randy fight the big issues, with my support. It just truly hurts me to be walked and crushed, sometimes for no other reason than putting a fork in the dishwasher! UGH!!! AHHH! There is only so much one woman can do! 

Okay, I'm done venting. That feels better, thanks for listening!

Now onto the joy! My sister and her kids are coming this weekend, and I could not be more excited! The weather should be beautiful, upper 70s and sunny! Needless to say, on top of my normal, busy week, I've been cleaning and organizing like a mad woman! It's all worth it, because I can't wait to spend some time with her and the kids!

Welcome to my new blog!

Ok, it's actually still the same blog, but with a new address! I'm hoping to get some time soon to be able to update more often! Now that I have a laptop and can work from home or in the evenings, I should be more active on here!

I hate doing certified payroll...

My sister threatened to disown me if I did not join her blog hop. Ok, that is only partly true. She didn't threaten to disown me, but she did threaten!

So the topic for this little discussion is household or other chore that we really despise doing. My sister posted about how she hates doing dishes. And while I completely understand this one, and somewhat agree, as someone who longs to be able to cook more for my family, having dishes to wash at the end of the meal, for me that means I have succeeded in providing a well-balanced, home cooked meal. I'm lucky to be able to cook once a week, so it may sound strange, but I look forward to a sink full of dishes. But only if I'm the one that put them there! Ha!

So the chore that I chose for my least favorite is not one at home, although I'm sure I could come up with some. My chore is one that I do often at work, certified payroll. The reason I hate it so much is the accounting program I use does not record info the same way the government wants to see it. Go figure, the government wants it how they want it! Every week I end up typing and retyping payroll! And the data I put into the form cannot be saved, so each week I'm typing some of the same info all over again!

Okay, I will quit complaining. I should be happy that I have to do certified payroll, because this means we have ongoing projects. Doesn't mean I have to like it, but I will attempt a more positive attitude. Or I could just teach my assistant how to do it! Hahahaha!

A few pics from our summer!

A few pictures from our July 4th/Lily's birthday weekend!

Brooke, Lily, Cooper, and Hudson preparing for their first indoor skydiving adventure!

Cousins playing cards!

4th of July! We had a great night, best fireworks we've seen in a long time! We went on base this year, none of us had ever done that before. The fireworks were great, free games for the kids, tons of food vendors, free concerts and more! We had a blast!

Blog Vacation

I am way behind in blogging! I kind of lost my motivation, I even ignored Facebook and Twitter for awhile. With school about to start, I've really been trying to get reorganized for the new year. So here's to more blog posting!

Goals Revisited

Well I have been stumbling with what to write about lately, obviously since I haven't posted in a while. I was looking back through this years posts, and saw my New Years goal list, you can read the whole post here. I decided it is time for me to revisit and update you all on how I am doing, kind of like a quarterly update! This may help keep me on track if I leave it out there for the world to see!

(My updates are in green)

1. Get out of debt, both personal and business. We're half way there!

2. Grow my hair long, or cut it shorter. It's getting longer!
3. Begin, and stick to, a workout routine. Well, I started yoga and power walking a few weeks ago, but then I got the stomach bug for a week, so now I need to get back into this routine!
4. Lose 5-10lbs. Struggling with this one. I've completely changed how I eat and really limiting calories, but those weekend outings always get me!
5. Go on a family vacation, if #1 is completed. See #1.
6. Quit smoking. Not yet.
7. Go to church on a regular basis. Not yet.
8. Read one book a month. I'm halfway through 2 books right now, which I've been reading since Feb. I'm a little behind.
9. Finish the quilt I started over 5 yrs ago. Definitely not even close.
10. Work harder at seeing the good in every situation. I've been doing much better with this lately! As Hudson is getting older, he is really testing our limits lately. I'm trying to "pick my battles", as my Mom would always say.
11. Practice patience and gentleness with the kids, and spend more time with them. Working on this one daily!
12. Cook more than one meal a week. I'm lucky if I have time for one meal :(
13. Make more drastic changes to my diet and nutrition. I've made drastic changes, just need to reel in those weekend treats!
14. Reorganize my closet. I was just working on this the other night.
15. Take Dozer for a long walk at least once a week. Failed on this one, not even close! Well, there it is. And as I'm rereading what I've just written and admitted to, I'm not sure how I feel. In some areas, I feel like a failure. In others, I know I am doing my best. If nothing else, I can be proud while knowing I still have work to do!

Blog Along- Baker

Ooo baking! It's been a while since I've baked anything, but I do have a list of things that make baking easier!

5 things that make my life easier as a baker:

1. Kitchen Aid mixer- My grandma gave me her mixer a few years before she passed away, and it is something I treasure! Not only for the ease of mixing, but because I know how much she used it and loved it, all the wonderful treats she made using the mixer!

2. The Internet- Whenever I want new recipes ideas, there are tons of great websites all about baking!

3. Stackable cooling racks- I love these! They are especially great around the holidays when I make more cookies. If I'm running out of counter space, I just stack these puppies on top of each other!

4. The microwave- Since I normally don't have loads of time to just bake the day away, I never get a chance to let my butter soften to room temperature. So the microwave always comes in handy for that!

5. My apron- My mom got me an apron a few years ago and embroidered my name on it! So cute! And I tend to be a bit messy in the kitchen, I move a tad too fast and end up spilling things, so the apron has saved many an outfit!

Be sure to check out the other participants of this Blog Along:

Amanda
Meagan