The Unfolding

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Friday Favorites ~ My Recent Images

I take a lot of pictures. To be fair, I don’t take nearly as many right now as I have in the past but it’s still a lot of photos. It’s the glory of digital I guess. I can take all of the random shots because it doesn’t cost me anything to do so.

And it works out because I sometimes capture some shots that I really just enjoy for no other reason than they’re pretty. So here are a few of my most recent images taken in June that I happen to like well enough to share.

I found these really lovely wildflowers at Holly Beach and brought some home to enjoy. They did not disappoint.

And then of course I got super excited to see the sprouts popping up in the flowerbed! I shared a couple on Wednesday but saved these two for today’s post because I was so pleased with them.

I love the graceful curve of this one with the stem just about to unfold. If I were a sculptor I think I would recreate this one.

This one is a favorite because I love how the seed casing is visible, even if just barely hanging on.

But last night. Y’all the sky was simply amazing! Rob and I were outside throwing balls to the puppies and I happened to glance over my shoulder and literally gasped out loud.

The sky had caught fire behind us and it was a glorious sight to behold.

Then I turned back around and was completely stunned by the most massive full rainbow I think I have ever seen in my whole life.

What an amazing God we have. I know people can use science to explain the whys and hows we get skies like this, and that’s fine. But that only points me to the fact that He designed things to work that way so that for no other reason we get to stand under a sky such as that. I mean, doesn’t that blow your mind just a little?

Have a good weekend, y’all!

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ~ II Corinthians 9:8

Refreshed

Good Morning, Monday

You came very early 🙂

Claire was riding with friends to camp this week which meant we were up early. After she came back inside from loading her suitcase in the car she said, “I heard an actual rooster.” She was excited about her week ahead though so she didn’t really mind.

We have friends coming to stay a few days but a dear friend gave me some beautiful roses from her garden yesterday and it was such a lovely start to my week and I wanted to share the love.

Aren’t they just simply gorgeous? I wish you could smell them.

I was talking with some other friends yesterday and we all agreed that snail mail is such a wonderful gift and an artform we are in danger of losing. It inspired these pictures:

The roses themselves in their lovely vase are so classic and romantic that I had to add pearls in to a few shots. This was my favorite.

But of course it wouldn’t be much of a Monday post without a few macro images.

Isn’t the yellow so soft and dreamy?

I love floral pictures so much and can’t seem to keep myself from taking their picture. With the start of our flower farm I have a feeling (I hope) that I will have many many subjects in the future to capture so I hope y’all don’t get tired of them.

Have a beautiful Monday, friends! The Lord be with you.

The Beauty In Coming Undone

A Little Macro On A Monday

Last week I was gifted a beautiful arrangement of antique roses and boy, did I enjoy them! A few of the shots I took close and a few of them closer still. I am fascinated by the intricate delicateness of flowers.

Everything is packed so tightly inside a tiny little bud.

And then when it is released from the confines of its green cocoon the petals just seem to spill out, at first slowly and then seemingly in a burst. I loved the color of this one and oh mmm gee the smell has heavenly.

The petals are so delicate and thin. I love how you can enjoy the variegated shades of color on the pink one.

And then there is the tight spiral that gradually unwinds.

Each petal unwraps itself but still maintains the ruffle of memory.

My favorite flower is the tulip but I cannot argue with the beauty of a rose.

Have a wonderful Monday, friends. I hope you see little bits of beauty in random things this week and marvel at the work of His hands!

Learning New Things

Did y’all know my brand new son-in-law is a photographer? He is and a really good one. He’s a young whippersnapper though and has given me grief over the fact that I don’t use Lightroom (the industry standard) for my editing. All in jest of course, and much love, because he wanted to marry my daughter 😉

He is actually going to second shoot a wedding with me in July though and in the interest of making life easier for both us in that endeavour I made sure my computer was up to snuff and could handle the Adobe program and I am now officially doing things like a grownup photographer.

I’m shooting in RAW and editing in Lightroom.

Turns out that young whippersnapper knew what he was talking about when he kept telling me I just needed to do it. I still have a bit of a learning curve and as of yet I haven’t worked on anything involving people but I love love love what I have been able to do so far just with some flower pictures I took in my yard.

Between the extension tubes and Lightroom I am feeling all fancy and the clover in my yard has never looked prettier.

I don’t do a whole bunch of editing but I do think I like what I have the freedom to do since the file is larger and gives me more information to work with if I do want to play with it.

I know, I know. I’m just geeking out over a few pictures and new techniques and skill sets and it’s probably not terribly interesting to you. But seriously, look at the scope of detail that God put into a simple little clover.

The swirl and flare of each petal. The movement of color from stalk to stem. Even the beautiful tea stained shade of the dying flower.

How much more does He care about the details, the smalls ones and the big ones, about your life?

I’m still hung up on the wonder leading to wisdom I guess. Because how can we not be in awe of the God who created this and not trust Him enough to live the life He calls us to? A life of genuine love and real forgiveness? One flush with steadfastness and truth, beauty, and goodness.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

We have been created with even more attention and care than the flowers and He has work for us to do, good works. So get busy. You’re supposed to glorify Him today. Go make someone marvel at what He has done.

Clover

Almost Wordless Wednesday on a Thursday

What can I say? I got my days mixed up and posted Thursday’s post on Wednesday and didn’t even realize it until mid afternoon. I am going with someone needing the passage from Colossians yesterday instead of today 🙂

Anyway, here is what was supposed to be a wordless Wednesday post yesterday…

Think On These Things ~ Colossians 1:9-17

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 

so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 

being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 

giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 

in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 

And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.