Birthday surprise for my husband!

Yesterday morning I woke my husband up with an early present for his birthday! I handed him a brand new pair of boat shoes; he'd need them for our day on a boat! Of course, since we are house hunting, I couldn't buy him a boat, but he was perfectly happy with a rental for the day! The weather was gorgeous and we had an amazing time!

Top 2 Tuesday

Top 2 Healthy Recipes and Snack ideas


1. Lavish Dark Chocolate Oatmeal by Better Oats- this is my go-to late night snack if I'm really hungry and craving sweets!

2. Sneaky PB Banana Smoothie


Ingredients:
1 cup Almond Milk
2 tbsp natural peanut butter
1 medium sized banana
1 large handful of raw baby spinach
1 scoop whey protein powder


Blend until smooth and enjoy! You won't even taste or see the spinach!

Time for an update

While I would love to update my blog for the few followers I may have, first I must clean off my desk so I can get to the keyboard! Mandy, would you like to offer your assistance?

Two of my favorite things!

So delicious! Perfect mix of sweet and salty!

I'm so hooked on this stuff, I've had 2-3 cups a day since I discovered it! Tastes wonderful with a splash of milk!

Therapy Thursday

Retail therapy, that is! I recently splurged on these boots. I have been looking at this style of wedge boots for almost two years, so I think I waited long enough! Of course, I have buyers remorse and feel guilty for spending almost $200 on a pair of boots. However, my husband reassured me that I made the right move; he loves them! And then there's me worrying that I won't have the right outfit to pair with them! Typical girl thoughts! But since I splurged on the boots, I'm thinking a pair of skinny cargos from Target or Old Navy would be a great match! Spend less on trendy pieces, spend reasonably on long-lasting items. So I'm off to the store to see what I can find!

I would also like to try wearing them with leggings and a sweater dress or heavy knit tights and a wool skirt, once it cools down a little more. Although, I'm not very adventurous with my style, I am trying to push myself outside of my comfort zone! Since the temps are finally going to be in the low 60s tomorrow, I'm going to wear these babies for the first time! That is, if I can decide on the right outfit!

Sunday afternoon laziness!

I'm sitting at home, in bed, watching a movie, catching up on emails, texting with my mom, writing a post from my laptop for the first time, and I'm loving every minute of it! All I need is a coffee or tea! And maybe a cookie! Church was great this morning; we haven't been in a few months and it always feel so uplifting to go. Every time we go, we always wonder why we don't go more often. And honestly, our reasons for not going are silly, but typical! We're tired, of course. We're always so busy and Sunday mornings are normally our only time to rest. Well this morning, I'd had enough of our excuses. So I woke everyone up and got 'em moving! And boy, am I glad we went! Just what we needed!

The kids have been so busy with tennis, school, friends, etc. They are doing great at tennis! It's always fun when we all get out there and play, but of course, ,with all their lessons, Hudson and Lily are better than Randy and I, so typically, we just let them practice. I'll post pics soon!

Time to go make tea!

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!