Yeast Rolls

I said this blog was about joy – so I thought I'd share with you one of the upteen million hilarious stories, jokes and videos I've been collecting in my funny file for over 6 years now. Over a 1000 to be exact! If you know me, laughing is literally one of my most favorite things to do. It's so contagious, so liberating and is like medicine to your heart. Okay, so what made me decide on this true and extremely funny story was I laughed so hard when I read it, again, that I had tears running down my cheeks. So, for today's blog – get ready to roar. With Thanksgiving just weeks away, this is one of the best Turkey Day Stories around…. Put down your coffee and make sure you are near a bathroom cuz this is F-U-N-N-Y!!    

CrazyTracee

Jasper and the Yeast Rolls


We have a fox terrier by the name of Jasper. He came to us in the summer of 2001 from the fox
terrier rescue program. For those of you who are not familiar with this type of adoption, imagine taking
in a 10 yr. old child whom you know nothing about and committing to doing your best to be a good
parent.

Like a child, the dog came with his own idiosyncrasies. He will only sleep on the bed, on
top of the covers, nuzzled as close to my face as he can get without actually performing a French kiss on
me. Lest you think this is a bad case of 'no discipline,' I should tell you that Perry and I
tried every means to break him of this habit including locking him in a separate bedroom for
several nights. The new door cost over $200. But I digress.


Five weeks ago we began remodeling our house. Although the cost of the project is downright
obnoxious, it is 20 yrs' overdue, AND it got me out of cooking Thanksgiving for family, extended family,
and a lot of friends that I like more than family most of the time. I was, however, assigned the task
of preparing 124 of my famous yeast dinner rolls for the two Thanksgiving feasts we did attend. I'm still
blaming the electrician for getting the new oven hooked up so quickly; the only appliance in the
whole stinkin' house that worked, thus the assignment.


I made the decision to cook the rolls on Wednesday evening to reheat on Thursday morning.
Since the kitchen was freshly painted you can imagine the odor. Not wanting the rolls to smell
like Sherwin Williams latex paint #586,I put the rolls on baking sheets and set them in the living
room to rise for 5 hours. After 3 hours, Perry and I decided to go out to eat, returning in about an
hour. An hour later the rolls were ready to go in the oven. It was 8:30pm.


When I went to the living room to retrieve the pans, much to my shock, one whole pan of 12
rolls was empty. I called out to Jasper and my worst nightmare became a reality. He literally wobbled
over to me. He looked like a combination of the Pillsbury dough boy and the Michelin Tire man
wrapped up in fur. He groaned when he walked. I promise you, even his cheeks were bloated.

I ran to the phone and called our vet. After a few seconds of uproarious laughter, he told me the
dog would probably be OK, however, I needed to give him Pepto Bismol every 2 hours for the rest of the
night. God only knows why I thought a dog would like Pepto Bismol any more than my kids did when they
were sick. Suffice to say that by the time we went to bed the dog was black, white and pink. He was so
bloated we had to lift him onto the bed for the night.


Naively thinking the dog would be all better by morning was very stupid on my part. We arose at
7:30 and as we always do first thing; put the dog out to relieve himself. Well, Jasper was as
drunk as a sailor on his first leave. He was running into walls, falling flat on his butt and most of the
time when he was walking his front half was going one direction and the other half was either dragging
the grass or headed 90 degrees in another direction. He couldn't lift his leg to pee, so he would just
walk and pee at the same time. When he ran down the small incline in our back yard he couldn't stop
himself and nearly ended up running into the fence. His pupils were dilated and he was as dizzy as a
loon.


I endured another few seconds of laughter from the vet (second call within 12 hours) before he
explained that the yeast had fermented in his belly and that he was indeed drunk. He assured me that,
not unlike most binges we humans go through, it would wear off after about 4 or 5 hours and to keep
giving him Pepto Bismol.

Afraid to leave him by himself in the house, Perry and I loaded him up and took him with us to my
sister's house for the first Thanksgiving meal of the day. My sister lives outside of Muskogee on a
ranch, (10 to 15 minute drive). Rolls firmly secured in the trunk (124 less 12) and drunk dog leaning
from the back seat onto the console of the car between Perry and I, we took off.


Now I know you probably don't believe that dogs burp, but believe me when I say that after
eating a tray of risen unbaked yeast rolls, DOGS WILL BURP. These burps were pure Old Charter. They
would have matched or beat any smell in a drunk tank at the police station. But that's not the worst of
it. Now he was beginning to pass gas and they smelled like baked rolls. God strike me dead if I am not
telling the truth! We endured this for the entire trip to Karee's, thankful she didn't live any
further away than she did.


Once Jasper was firmly placed in my sister's garage with the door locked, we finally sat down to
enjoy our first Thanksgiving meal of the day. The dog was the topic of conversation all morning long
and everyone made trips to the garage to witness my drunk dog, each returning with a tale of Jasper's
latest endeavor to walk without running into something.


Of course, as the old adage goes, "what goes in must come out" and Jasper was no exception.
Granted if it had been me that had eaten 12 risen, unbaked yeast rolls, you might as well have put a
concrete block up my behind, but alas a dog's digestive system is quite different from yours or
mine. I discovered this was a mixed blessing when we prepared to leave Karee's house. Having discovered
his "packages" on the garage floor, we loaded him up in the car so we could hose down the floor. This was
another naive decision on our part. The blast of water from the hose hit the poop on the floor and
the poop on the floor withstood the blast from the hose. It was like Portland cement beginning to set
up and cure. We finally tried to remove it with a shovel. I (obviously no one else was going to offer
their services) had to get on my hands and knees with a coarse brush to get the remnants off of the
floor.


And as if this wasn't degrading enough, Jasper in his drunken state had walked through the
poop and left paw prints all over the garage floor that had to be brushed too. Well, by this time the
dog was sobering up nicely so we took him home and dropped him off before we left for our second
Thanksgiving dinner at Perry's sister's house. I am happy to report that as of today (Monday) the dog is
back to normal both in size and temperament. He has had a bath and is no longer tricolor. None the worse
for wear I presume. I am also happy to report that just this evening I found 2 risen unbaked yeast
rolls hidden inside my closet door. It appears he must have come to his senses after eating 10 of them
but decided hiding 2 of them for later would not be a bad idea.


Now, I'm doing research on the computer as to "How to clean unbaked dough from the Carpet."

My Father's Eyes

I'm sure that you are familiar with Amy Grant's song entitled, "My Father's Eyes". That is the tune that continues to play in my head today, even as I write this! (it can be very annoying while you are trying to write something else!!)

As moms, we do things for our kids without question, without them asking, without complaining (most of the time), without getting something in return. Often it is the thankless jobs. And often I wonder, "Does no one else see this? Am I the only one in this house that can fold a towel or pick up a toy?" But I do it. I do it because I love my kids and know that they love me. Don't get me wrong, I am teaching my kids the lessons of chores and picking up after themselves - always keeping in mind that we are learning!!

Sometimes I get so caught up in the chores that I don't see what is right in front of me. My son, Jonathan helped me with that this week, even though he doesn't know it. He is not your typical boy. He is VERY compassionate, loving, sensitive (in a good way), and here recently, very thankful. Everyday that I have dropped him off for school this week, he has stopped and blown me kisses, waves goodbye and flashes one of those prize-winning smiles.

It blessed my socks off the first day, but I didn't get it. It blessed me again yesterday, but I still didn't get it. (see a pattern?) Today...I got it!! (God will keep putting things right in front of your nose until you get it) I put myself in my son's place and imagined myself as a young girl waving and blowing kisses to her Heavenly Father. WHOA!! I saw myself through My Father's Eyes. I decided today to thank my Heavenly Father for all the thankless jobs that He does for me, to blow Him kisses and bless HIS socks off!!

Ask the Lord today to help you see yourself through His eyes and as the song goes, 'Eyes that find the good in things when good cannot be found.' Sometimes we have to dig to find the good in ourselves, other times it is easy. I challenge you to dig deeper. Find the good, see yourself through your Father's eyes. You can start with this, we are ALL God's daughters and (as His word says,) as a precious jewel in His crown. Jewels are VALUABLE, they are RARE, and they are UNIQUE.

"The Lord their God will rescue his people, just as a shepherd rescues his sheep. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown." Zechariah 9:16

Janice

Tradition - Good or Bad?

As we approach the holiday season, I am remembering all of the timeless traditions that we as individuals, as Families, as Americans, and even as a Human Race participate in and pour ourselves into and it causes me to reflect on the reasoning behind some of those traditions.

Upon each tradition that we pour our time, effort and money into this year, we should ask ourselves these questions:

Why was this tradition set? Where did it come from? What purpose is it serving? Can this tradition be positively changed in any way for our generation? Should it be changed? When should we change it?

When we reflect, we should remember the circumstances and reasoning behind a tradition, or the foundation on which it was applied. We should not get so wrapped up in the tradition itself that it looses its meaning in the first place. We should remember the past, but don't let that heritage get lost in the busyness of the tradition itself.

I am reminded of a kitchen story (I have a lot of those...:)), that goes something like this:

A newly married wife decided that she would make a Thanksgiving meal this particular year for her family. She planned carefully, making sure not to forget any of the ingredients needed for the traditional meal, including the turkey. She asked her mother to help prepare the food, and all was well. The young bride was ready to prepare the turkey and as she did, she cut off the legs of the turkey and placed them inside the roasting pan. She had always seen her mother do this, but it had just occured to her that she didn't know why. "Mother, why do you cut the legs off of the turkey and lay them in the pan before you cook it?" The mother thought about it and replied, "I don't know! I had always seen your grandmother do it, and so that is how I did it as well! When she gets here, we will ask her."

When Grandmother arrived, they asked her the forboading question of why she cut the legs off the turkey and laid them in the pan before she cooked it. Grandmother smiled and replied, "Honey, I don't know why you do it, but I did it because it wouldn't fit in my oven any other way."

Sometimes traditions are set and we don't even know why. Sometimes they are unneccessary to our times and end up costing us our time, effort and moneys. Other times, traditions are comforting, they are familiar and they identify us to who we are and what we can become when we remember why they were set, by whom they were set, and the circumstances which birthed them. An example of this is Christmas. The tradition set long ago to celebrate every December 25th as Christ's birth can be comforting to us, they are familiar, and they identify who we are in Christ and what He can allow us to become. Don't get so lost in the gift giving, the shopping, and the feasting to loose sight of the meaning and significance of why the tradition was set; for us to reflect on our Savior. and for us to enjoy each other.

Janice

God is Bigger than Your Circumstances

On my way back home after dropping my 2 children off at school (my husband does the earlier H.S. run, hallelujah!), I was thinking about my kids and how they see Jesus. Okay, Janice – it's all your fault because you keep bringing these stories about your kids so I thought I'd bring you a story about my kids! Haha! There's no competition here, I promise. Haha! Actually, there truly isn't. J Having said that, I hope you are having as much of a blast as we are in this joyblog! J

Okay, concentrate Tracee and get back to the story. Lol! So, this was back a few years in 2003. Let me remind you before I go any further, I haven't aged ONE BIT since then! Alright, now that that's resolved I can continue with this story. Okay, so we had just returned from Ireland having done some missions work there and we were now Youth Pastors in Oklahoma City. Financially, things were rough. Coming from overseas, we had brought back with us some lovely debt that was overwhelming me, not only that, it just seemed that life circumstance (you'd be here all day if I wrote every single detail! Lol!), at that time, had brought on some unwanted stress in my life that I was trying to find a balance on as I CONTINUALLY sought God's presence!!! Sidenote: That's the key to removing unwanted stress in your life – DIVE into the Word of God and stay there! Of course, eating chocolate and shop therapy helps as well. J

So, back to the story: One day, my daughter Faith and I were driving to church on a Wednesday night and we were having our fun usual conversations about the day when we started talking about God. Due to my circumstances, my vision was blurred spiritually so I wasn't seeing God with what I call, faith eyes. I don't recall exactly everything I said (that is NOT due to my age!) as I usually have always been the one that has stood firmly on God's word – knowing that there's nothing too BIG for Him. This day, sadly, wasn't one of them as it was obvious that I was talking about the pressures of finances and feeling like we'd remain in our trap for what felt like forever. Not seeing a way out. This was a rarity because I never talked to my children about financial pressures. My daughter, though, wise in her young years finally got me to hush (a miracle in itself!) and looked at me while we were stopped at a stop light and said these amazing words, "You know mom, God is bigger than you think and He is richer than you think. Look around, see all this? It all belongs to God. He owns the whole world. He is rich!!" Right then and there the light bulb clicked as did the green light, I snapped out of my misery that I was putting on myself, got my eyes back onto God and clung to the statement of my 6 year old daughter. She was right. Why on earth did I have to worry when my God held the world in His hands. From that day forward, I changed my thoughts, started seeing past my circumstances and resolved to move forward knowing that my God is the supplier of ALL my needs in my life. Time and time again He's never ceased to amaze me with His incredible faithfulness and provision. That's another novel at another time. Lol! No, my life circumstances weren't resolved in those 4 minutes but when I choose to change how I looked at my circumstances and NOT let them define my life, it put be back on track with the right focus and that is Jesus is in control of my life.

So, I leave you with this verse from The Message, "You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity." Philippians 4:19

Don't let the circumstances of your life define your future – but know that your Father in heaven is BIGGER THAN YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES!!

Chatty Tracee J

What Can I Do For You?

I should be in bed but for some reason, the past few weeks, actually, since I was sick a few weeks ago and couldn't sleep, I've gotten into the habit of going to bed later than I want. So not fun when my alarm goes off between 6-6:30 in the morning to get the kiddo's up and out for school. So, here I am once again, 1 a.m. and up! I go to bed every night to find myself getting up within 15-20 minutes. It's quite comical but I'm ready for it to end. I need my beauty sleep. haha!

So, in the midnight hours, I find my heart leaning towards the heart of God, reflecting on Him and what He wants in my life. It's a question that is never far from my heart and mind as I really want all that I do to be His and for His purpose. I find that as the years go by (I just couldn't get myself to say the word "older"), my purpose becomes less about me and more about Him. I absolutely love it. Jesus is the release in my life I've always searched for and have found.

I love the title of today's post (or this midnight post) - What Can I Do For You? That isn't me asking, but imagine every day that you wake up and Jesus is standing at the foot of your bed saying, "My Daughter, What can I do for you today?" What a liberating question because it puts your heart into His and allows Him to lead you. What need in your life do you have, what have you gone through that you can't carry anymore, what blessing do you need in your life? Our God is bigger than this world, our God is bigger than our circumstances and He so desires to pour out His unconditional love, peace, joy and faithfulness into our lives. What can He do for you today!! That's absolutely priceless!! Just as a mother and a father care for their children, take care of their needs, feed them, provide a home for them and so much more, how much more our Father in heaven longs to take care of us.

What can HE do for you?

Tracee

Jesus Simplified

Last Saturday was a mommy/daughter day spent shopping. I wasn't sure Lydia would last all day, but she said she was up for the challenge. Our mission...Groceries and Christmas... It was a perfect time for me to stroll her through the toy isles at Target and tell her nothing was off limits...she could put anything she wanted on her Christmas list. During this time of year for my Kindergartener is a little difficult though as she sees scary displays of ghosts, skeletins, monsters and cobwebs everywhere we go. Trying to explain to her the difference between real and make-believe becomes more and more difficult when the store displays look so real. Being bombarded with ghosts, spiders and vampires at school, we have had our daily discussions on our drives home. She finally looked at me while we were shopping and innocently asked if ghosts were real (again). I had to think, "How do I really want to answer this question? How real should I get?" I decided that she wanted more than a yes or no answer and told her that there was ONE REAL GHOST!!

Her eyes got big and she listened. I had her complete attention as I began to explain to her in the middle of the store about the Holy Ghost. She was captivated. I told her that God sent us the Holy Ghost to comfort us and to help us. "What does comfort mean?", she asked. "Well, honey, it's kind of like the Holy Ghost makes you all warm inside and makes you happy!", I replied. "It's a good thing!"

Our conversation was over and days passed. While we were on the bus Monday, headed to our Corn Maze field trip, I overheard Lydia telling her classmate about the Holy Ghost. "He is the ONLY real ghost, and he makes you warm inside!!", she exclaimed. "Do you want to be warm inside?", she asked. "Your coat can keep you warm too", she explained, "but not on the inside! Only the Holy Ghost can keep you warm on the inside!"

As I listened to their conversation and seeing the little evangelist in my daughter, I realized how we as adults can make life difficult. How we can make our relationship with our Jesus difficult. How we can make understanding something so simple, so hard. Why is that, when Jesus tells us to be like the little children? Go back to your childhood...Did you ever worry about transportation? How about the mortgage? Did you worry about your next meal or your clothes? No! Because someone always provided for you. It is the same with our Heavenly Father. In Matthew 6:25-34 He tells us not to worry, that He will provide. In Mark 10:14-16, He plainly tells us to have child-like faith, then He blessed the children.

Don't make mountains out of mole hills. Throw your theology and religion out the door, and simplify. Don't complicate your relationship with Jesus...for this is Jesus, simplified.

Janice

The Wheels on the bus go round & round...

(the whole gang at the Corn Maze yesterday)

Earlier this month, my kids brought home a paper from school stating that they were both going on a field trip to the Corn Maze on the same day! How often does that happen? "Wonderful!", I thought! "I can kill two birds with one stone and spend the day with both of them!!" I made the necessary arrangements with the teachers and all was good. I checked into the school early Monday morning, lunchbox in hand and ready for the day. When I checked in with Jonathan's teacher, I was only assigned to be with Jonathan, but when I checked in with Lydia's teacher, I was not only assigned Lydia, but another little boy as well. "Okay," I thought, "I can handle this! It's only one more kid, I can handle that." Then I remembered the last time that I chaperoned and the other child that I was assigned had difficulty obeying. I quickly said a prayer.

All was good as we loaded the bus, but as we loaded, I noticed that we were running out of seats. Naturally both of my kids wanted to sit with me, and I couldn't leave the other child to sit by himself in a seat, so we all piled into one bus seat. How many of you have been on a bus recently? Either my butt doubled, or the seats are smaller!! (I blame new bus seat designs). I didn't think we were going far, but I also had never been to this particular Corn Maze. I decided that we could all ride in one seat for a short ride.

After about 30 minutes and still on the interstate with no Corn Maze in sight, I began to wonder where this thing was at. All three kids were getting restless in our little seat and started asking questions. "When are we going to be there?" they asked. I honestly didn't know, but knew if they didn't stop this bus soon, I was going to throw up. We arrived to the Corn Maze 1 hour and 15 minutes from the time we left the school. "Thank God!!" I said another quick prayer...

Yea!! We arrived!! As we unloaded the 3 buses that caravaned up there, I began to realize that it was not only the 4 Kindergarten classes and the 3 First grade classes, but also the 3 Preschool classes, teachers and parents that are with us! I was surrounded in this wonderful world of little people...all around me...on their morning cereal sugar rush...:)

I have to give credit to the owners of the Corn Maze for keeping us all together and entertained! We didn't loose one kid through the Hay Ride, the pet farm, the pumpkin patch, the corn maze and the 4 wheeler train ride. Oh! Did I mention that the teacher forgot her camera and I was also dubbed photographer for this trip?! By the end of all those activities, I was carrying three coats, three sacks each with a pumpkin, goard, and Indian Corn.

I unloaded at the bus and grabbed our lunch as the kids took a ride on the 4 wheeler train. Nothing was said about lunch, but I decide to feed my kids and in the meantime, caught a bee in my lunchbox. The picnic tables were in front of a playground, so the kids went to play as soon as they were done eating. All was good until I lost my own daughter!!!!! She decided (after 30 minutes of me looking for her) that she won hide and seek. (I didn't know we were playing, but OKAY!!!)

FINALLY! It is time to go home!! We all pile back into our little seat and head home. After a LOUD performance of Lydia singing 'Superstar' (written by Tracee Davidson), I asked the kids what they liked the best and they replied in unison, "THE PLAYGROUND!!"

"Oh, brother!" I thought!! I could have saved the gas and took them all to the park to play for 2 hours and had my OWN seat to sit in...

But then I realize that a small inconvienence like sitting in a small seat for 1 hour and 15 minutes with your kids, enjoying the moment, making memories, getting to know their friends and hearing their conversations, it is all worth it. I found myself saying another little prayer...Lord, give me more moments like these...

Janice Conyers

Mirror, Mirror On the Wall

Do you like what you see in the mirror? What’s reflecting back at you? For me, I see zits, yes, I said zits! You’d think after all these years of being an adult they would’ve been long gone, but no, not me!! I help support all those wonderful acne cleansers! I see a person with imperfections, grey hairs that keep trying to play peek-a-boo and that keep pinching my pocketbook to hide every 8 weeks. I see a mom that sometimes loses her patience because her child left his only pair of tennis shoes outside and it rained overnight –when how many times did I tell him to NOT leave them outside! I see the good, the bad the ugly BUT, what I am and have learned to do is to change the way I think and look at myself as someone who is radiant, beautiful, lovely, full of life, believing in myself, my dreams, inspiring, passionate, motivating. I’ve come to a conclusion that life is whatever I make of it – however far I let God be extended in me is as far as I will go.

Let me challenge you to stop looking in the mirror and saying you don’t like what you see – don’t tear yourself down but instead do something different that is so opposite of this world but soooo how God see’s us and that is to speak life into existence in your very life, encourage yourself to become what you’ve always dreamed of, be gentle, kind, passionate and loving to yourself and know that with Christ, there is absolutely nothing that you cannot do because He said He is your strength! Phil. 4:13 God has made us in His image – we are beautiful and He so desires us to live a full and abundant life. So, when you wake up in the morning and look at yourself in the mirror (and throughout the day – You know you pull that rearview mirror down in the car and say, “Girlfriend, You look good!! Haha!), choose to love what you see – it will revolutionize how you think, how you live, what you say, and what you do!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall – I am beautiful in God’s eyes and today I believe that ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!!
Passionately,
Tracee

Learning

You know, when Tracee asked me to become an author on this blog, I was excited and scared all at the same time. I was excited because the Lord had been pointing me in this direction for a while, yet I didn't know enough about blogs and how they worked to get one started. I was scared because there is a lot going on in my life right now, and I am the kind of person that if I say I will do something, you won't get a 1/2 job out of me, I am committed to it. I was concerned for my time and my lack of knowlege with blogs, but you know, you never stop learning. If you are not learning something new in your life right now, it is time to re-evaluate things. Don't be afraid of the unknown! Embrace it! Just like I am embracing 'blogs'! I may not get it right, and I might make mistakes, but that is part of the learning process.

Think about something that you have always wanted to try, something that you have always wanted to learn. Maybe it is a skill, like baking bread or crocheting or canning. Maybe it is learning a new language, taking a spinning class, or finishing your education. Maybe it is to fit a good habit into your daily routine like, a consistant daily devotional, a 15 minute walk or reading time with your kids. Whatever that new thing is for you that you want to start, learn or finish, do it! Embrace it! Accomplish it!

"For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need!" Phillipians 4:13

Janice

Friends R Friends 4-Ever

I've spent the last few days with a really amazing friend of mine. We've had tons of laughs, cried, shared life together, showing each other hilarious pictures of our kids. It's been refreshing and beautiful. It's caused me to see how much we really need each other, how we need true friendship. So many of us have gone through so many similar things in life and yet so many times we feel as if we are the only one's going through a certain circumstance, when it's really not true. We are not alone!

So, as I am rebuilding my life and my priorities, I want to be determined to be a better friend. We need each other. I pinch myself at the amazing blessing of friendship that God has placed in my life. Friends I can be ME with, where we believe in each other, we allow each other to show our good and yucky sides (you know we all have them! Haha!), we accept one another in the beauty of how God made us. That is such a liberating feeling. I see the core group of my friends lasting 'til we are all grey haired, sitting on our front porches, rocking away drinking our coffee and saying, "Remember when…" Okay, so I might already be battling some grey hairs but thanks to my wonderful addiction to hair color, I hope to never see it! Haha!

So, be a friend that loves, accepts, one who is kind, not judging but lifting each other up. We all need a place of refuge, a place where we can simply be 'me.' That's what friends are for…..

Clorox and Jesus

I've been sniffing Clorox Cleaners and Dish soap for the past couple of hours as I make my house sparkle. I have to admit, I absolutely LOVE a clean house. It feels good!! In the middle of it all, I've had some good laughs as well. If people peered into my front window, they'd think I was quite strange from the episodes of laughter I have especially when there's no one else in the house but me! Haha! Okay, so no, I'm not always motivated to 'clean' my house but I discovered that if you put on a CD of workout techno music, before you know it – you find yourself cleaning to the beat of the music. You need to try it – it's quite a blast. My husband discovered me while I was in the kitchen with a broom, dancing along while I cleaned. I'm sure I looked quite a sight with no make-up on, hair up on top of my head, bee-bopping around like I was a teen again. He simply smiled in pure delight.

So, you just might be thinking, "Where does this get spiritual?" As I sat down to start to write this blog 'novel', I felt led to go to the book of Nehemiah and bam, I found it!! It's totally cool! Remember how yesterday I talked about rebuilding your LEGO HOUSE? Well, here we go – I am on this journey of rebuilding my daily life, not wanting my house to look like everyone else's. Which, this means that I have to 'clean' my spiritual house out! What's totally amazing is in Nehemiah 4:1-3 it talks about how a small band of Israelites attempted the huge task of rebuilding the burned walls of Jerusalem. Get the picture – REBUILD. Theses builders, women and men, faced a lot of obstacles, had times of simply being worn out and the greatest challenge was the ridicule they faced from outsiders who were against what they were doing – these guys were Sanballat and Tobiah. Their weapon was – mocking words.

That brings up the question: As you rebuild your house, who are you going to listen to? One thing I know from mocking words is that is causes fear, insecurities, doubt – it literally robs you of finding your destiny with God. Wow!! It will cause you to want to give in, give up and move on. So, in rebuilding your 'spiritual' house – we must build it on the promises of God and His word. Don't let these mocking words paralyze you from living a full life of the dreams God has given you. Remember, not everyone is going to agree with how you live your life, or agree with the dreams and destiny God gives you - what matters most is that you choose God's journey and not man's.

So as I close,yes, Clorox and Jesus go together!! Last but not least: Remember how I said that my hubby smiled in pure delight while I was dancing around my kitchen with a broom? I can't help but think of Jesus and how He does the same with us. He is smiling down on you, every SINGLE day! Imagine that!! He delights in you. So, be encouraged that He is you strength and will give you the tools you need to build your 'new' LEGO HOUSE! With Clorox! haha!

TraceeJ

P.S. Let me know what you think of these blogs and if you have something you'd like me to write about!! Love you guys!! Isn't this fun! I'm loving it!

My Lego House

Today I find my thoughts challenged by the way I live my life. I truly enjoy this adventure and love the life I have been given – even when the kids track in dog doo doo in the house. Not really, but you might as well laugh it off. ;) I'm asking myself questions like: What can I change in my everyday life? What can I remove? How can I make worship a more continual part of my daily life? What can I re-prioritize? These are important questions to ask especially since it is so easy to get into a 'normal' routine. If there's one thing I am not, is normal. Haha! Having said that, I definitely do not want to live a normal life. I actually believe that we were never meant to be 'normal' as Believers. The Bible says that we are not of this world – so to me, that speaks that we shouldn't act like this world so there is an actual verse to support my craziness. Haha! Okay, I might be stretching it a bit, but think? Do you really want to live a 'normal' everyday life..having your Lego house look like everyone else's? I don't! I reflect on what Jesus looked like when He walked this earth. He was on a mission from God, He was expecting great things to happen daily. He pursued love, life, friendship, forgiveness, peace, kindness, fellowship, and that is only the beginning. He prioritized His life because He had a clear mission on what He wanted to accomplish – He was about His Father's business. Really, we are too. Everything we do should reflect that mission. Our lives are truly not our own. We live it out but our days belong to God. So, my heart is stirred to make more of my today than how I lived yesterday. I'm excited – I'm not going to like every single area of change, I am human…haha! But, I choose to be ready to face the challenge because I know that the end result is I'm going to end up with a Lego house that looks different because my mission is Jesus.

I close with this – what is your mission because that will reflect on how you live your daily life.

Isn't it amazing that we are not alone on this journey. We have each other and together, we can change the life we are living. It's time to take down your Lego house and rebuild it. Stomp on it, crumble it, do something – but whatever you do, find your mission and build your new house around it.

Together we can do this!

Tracee

T.V. or Kids?

As I'm sitting here in my living room, watching my children hilariously entertain me, I'm thinking...my kid's are way more hilarious to watch than t.v. It's pretty stinkin' funny!! Thanks to a Hannah Montana CD playing in the background to add to this craziness around here. I might even freak them out and join them.

So, the question I have for you is.......da da da dum! When was the last time you got crazy and just had a hilarious time either with your spouse, your friends, family or kiddo's? As I love to say, 'get over yourself' and have some fun!! Life's to short to be too serious. Laugh and love a lot - it will totally brighten your world up!!

So, from me to you - here's my first video blog to give you a little laughter with the help of my 2 out of 3 kiddos!!!

Remember - rejoice in the Lord always and AGAIN I say rejoice!!

P.S. The picture of our video blog isn't too fantabulous but it works!!

Technology

Okay, so I admit, I'm new to this blogging thing but I have to say wow! On my laptop in MS Word, it has a blogging section I can choose which links me directly into my joyblog website. That is totally awesome. It also makes it easier to chat with you and share my life and thoughts with you. Just so what you wanted, huh? Haha! Okay, that's it on this short blog as I'm trying out this new techy stuff.

Come on in!

So many things are going through my head at this moment, which is nothing unusual. I am a quite spontaneous person who can literally go from one thing to another in a split second. It’s actually kind of fun being this way because it sure makes for an interesting and eventful life. Except for the unfinished project(s) I left behind. Don’t worry, it all gets done some way, somehow! If I could only wiggle my nose!!

I’ve started this blog for 2 reasons…one, because when I replay things I’m learning in my life over by putting them down on paper, reflecting on thoughts and scriptures, it helps me to get it into my heart which is where I want it to end up. I’ve learned that if I can get something into my heart, I’ll remember it and it will cause growth in my life which is what I soooo want. I never want to remain the same but continually getting closer and closer to God.

Second, due to the many ‘hats’ I wear (see the About Me section..haha!), I am in front of and with people all the time. My life is people. I love people…and I absolutely love MOTIVATING AND INSPIRING those around me by spreading contagious laughter and joy and causing them to have V8 moments in their lives spiritually and simply in every day living. So, that’s why I am here. Kind of scary, actually. I didn’t make the most likely to succeed my senior year of High School and we won’t talk about when that was, but I made most hilarious laugh. So, hopefully in the midst of the ‘deep’ spiritually revelations I bring (don’t you love that wording – I sound intellectual!), I’ll also give you some great laughs because you know, in this life, we need all the joy we can get!!

So, I hope you’ll enjoy this journey of adventure with me on the traceejoyblog. I know I’m already having a blast and to be truthfully honest, when it comes down to it, I feel my heavenly Father wanting me to do these blogs. It’s been stirring in my heart for a while now. So here we go!! We need each other! So, jump on this joy adventure and let’s get started!