A change of HEART!

O.k......I stayed away longer than I thought I would. Do you want the story? Well you gonna get it.
My "plan" was to start blogging as soon as school started...which for us Floridians was August 16th. The first day of school went great...great teachers, classes, etc. Second day went just as good as the first! I... (well.. we meaning my husband and I) decided t-o-g-e-t-h-e-r that it was finally... after 16 years of work time for me to STOP...work that is! I rarely in those 16 years ever worked full time...but 1/2 somehow feels the same? So freedom from work...time to clean closets...and apparently time to clean some HEARTS I was unaware of.

On the third day of school...my dad (who I must preface by saying lives 1/2mile away from us- with my mom and they are the kind of "older" parents who don't seem "old" always getting comments like..."No way you can't be that old"...they are very close to us and our children -intricate parts of our daily lives...very loved and cherished..accept in those very real moments of parent to daughter...when I feel 12 again and want to tell them to mind their business...it wouldn't be the same without those moments...then they would just be really great older friends.) O.K. that was my "preface" to the fact that my dad went in for a routine cath. to check his heart. After only 20 minutes into surgery the Doc. called us into the "family waiting room"...which we knew could not be good since everyone else got their news right in the "main waiting room."

He was completely blocked...100% here 90% there ....they had to go in 2x and clear him out...quintuple bypass-major stuff.

We had "those" talks in the days leading to the surgery..the kind you see in movies, read about in books, and hope you get the chance to have but hope you don't ever have to have. The reality of our mortality.
 My dad who loves Jesus kept saying...if I don't make it...don't be jealous...I will be in a much better place than you! Oh how true...but sooooo hard to think about  he is strength to me....to us. He has defined my view of father which has formed my unconscious way of relating to God as father...faithful, loyal, strong, loving, safe, secure, present....

He is home in week 2 of recovery and doing well...thank you Jesus...and an awesome surgical team.  He has lost weight and some uuumph but no doubt will be telling me what to do soon:)

The reality of our mortality can do nothing but change a heart. It softens it, cleans it out, and forms it more into the likeness of our Heavenly Father. I am soooo grateful. So grateful that what seemed like an impossibility for these surgeons... was nothing for Jesus...I am so grateful...my heart was in a place where it needed softening (in many areas), it needed to be cleaned out of some resentment in reaction to this world and some of the people in it, and it needed a good dose of forming into what I hope is a greater likeness to my Heavenly Father...always in process friends, always in process...So all of that to say...no pictures today...just a heart that has been changed...and a friend who has decided she has had a change of heart about this blog...I almost decided to stop...but am going to keep going. I have lots to share with whoever decides to read it...I can promise only this... it is from the heart....

Flea Market inspiration from BH&G.

Could not help but grab the new BH&G magazine "Flea Markets 100 ideas".

Since I have been in blog world I have not bought magazines as much...but it was staring at me...

I believe it called my name...I figured it was calling your name too...so here are

a few pictures from it! Great inspiration!

I have several of these wire baskets...but none this big...on the list though!

I love this refrigerator! Chalkboard, black and white photos and especially

the twine on the handles! Who ever said you can't put a filing cabinet in your kitchen!

Simple...and all flea market finds!

Going to flip again through this magazine...dream about flea market finds...

and finish painting the 2 new lamps I got...that are getting the

creamy white, antiqued treatment!

Love and flea market dreams! Tracey

This is me today!

This is a puffer fish...

This is a close up of a puffer fish.

I am bloated today...and maybe even a little grumpy about it!

You were probablly looking forward to some decorating or...cooking pics. Sorry not today!

I have started an organic...vegan...cleansing diet thing.

Please I know call me crazy...I just might be!!

I have wondered if the "whole" eating really makes a person feel that much better...so I am trying it!

For today I feel like a puffer fish! See the mean teeth of the close up of the puffer...ya I feel like that...bloated and wanting a pizza...not a vegan pizza!

Praying that Jesus will not fail me now (cause he certainly never has).

We took these photos on a great boat tour on vacation....these little creatures puff up when they are threatend...that's me...my yummy foods are being threatend and I am puffed up.

Really I just think all the veggies and fruit must be bloating me....I know more than you wanted or needed.

Here let me make up for my puffiness....

feeling better....

better....

maybe less bloating....

now this will work for sure!

Love and Puffers...Tracey