It's What's Inside that Counts

We've all heard it said... "It's what's inside that counts."

We live in a world that is totally consumed with outside appearances.

I mean, I find myself getting a little that way myself at times...

...just being real here.

I mean a girl's gotta do the best she can with what she's got...or hasn't got.

~BUT~

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at.

 Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

~1 Samuel 16:7

Of course, I know this to be true but I sometimes miss the mark.

That's why I need Jesus.

I have mentioned this before but even though I don't feel like I always deserve them,

Jim makes sure that I have fresh flowers about every other week to adorn the dining room table.

Most of the time they are a mixed bouquet of some kind, usually including roses.

Here lately, because the roses don't seem to last more than a few days,

he has been experimenting with finding different types that hopefully will last a bit longer.

One of my favorites that seems to last and last are the Peruvian Lily.

  

They come in such beautiful colors and can last for 2 weeks or more. 

 And one of my favorite things to do with any flower is get in really close with the camera.

There is so much going on deep inside of a flower that is so easy to miss.

 

Just look at the little surprises tucked inside these Pink Campanulas.

I've never had any of these until they were among the last bunch...

in fact, I didn't know what they were until I googled them.

They were all closed up at first and were quite slow to open.

 But when they did...

look what was inside!  

And they lasted for nearly two weeks!

~

Here's a little more beauty from within...

 petunia...

a purple rhododendron...

a tulip poplar bloom that had fallen from the tree...

 orange lily.

I don't know the identity of this one (below) that was also included in my flowers from Jim.

Before the petals unfurled, they looked like rolled up tissue paper.

I have googled it's description to no avail...

...all I got were photos of flowers that were actually made from tissue paper. 😐
~

What an amazing Creator we have.

Only the One True God would and could design gazillions of flowers...

...each and every one completely unique.

Just like us.

~

So let's just remember this...

source

Happy Mosaic Monday!

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Mosaic Monday

Red on White

Here in the south, we really either hate snow or we get really excited.

Since I'm not from these parts originally, I get excited because being from Ohio, I miss it!

You out there in the colder parts of blog land kind of just accept snow as part of normal life.

So I tend to find ways to celebrate our few and far between snowfalls.

Of course, one of the ways is watching the birds go absolutely CRAY over it!

We always have a pretty good assortment of birds throughout the year, including cardinals.

I love feeding and watching all of them but when there is snow on the ground,
there just aren't any that compare to those stunning pops of red against the brilliant white snow.

I was able to get most of the bird photos through my dirty windows.
It was bitter COLD out there!

There were so many birds that I decided to put out an extra container of seeds on the deck.
It didn't take long for them to find it...and fight over it.
I love how the cardinal seems to be telling the sparrow, "This is MINE...go get your own!" :)

But I did endure the freezing temps for just a bit to get out in that lovely white stuff.
I walked the dogs down the driveway and when I turned around back towards the house,
it was kind of like seeing the red cardinals against the snow...except....different.

Our formerly-brown-but-now-red-house really stood out against the ground covered in white.

Also, the night before the snow came, Jim went out to the store and brought me back flowers.
I'm sure you see where I am going with this...

...and surely you remember how much I like to play with flowers in the snow :)

 Kind of a crazy idea for a post, don't ya think?
Oh well, it's only the beginning of January...surely things will get better :)
By the end of this week, we are to have temps in the upper 60's again.
Welcome to North Carolina!
~
And surely you have guessed by now that I'm linking up with Maggie at
Mosaic Monday


Have a great week!

...with boughs of holly...

Deck the HOUSE with boughs of holly,

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la...
(Do you think folks used to actually deck their halls?)

I was so excited to see my holly bush out back, heavy laden with clusters of red berries.

Some years there aren't any berries at all and I've often wondered why.

I already knew the part about only female plants will produce berries,

but only if a male is within a certain distance from her.

Well, once you have berries, you'd think you would have them every year, right?

I mean, it's not like these bushes just get up and move around...
...and away from said male or female influences.

Maybe the male and female bushes were just not getting along well that year.

I didn't know why...I am horticulturally challenged!

 

So I got curious and if you are interested, you can read more about holly right here.

Many of you smarty-pants friends already know these facts, no doubt.

There are other things that can interfere, such as the weather...too wet or too dry.
Regardless, I was pleasantly surprised to see so many beautiful red berries this year.
These red and green boughs just make everything look so Christmas-y!






When I was young and much more ambitious,
I made wreaths and centerpieces from real greenery just about every year.
I even tied boughs of evergreen together to make my own garlands.
I do love the old-fashioned look of them and of course, the aroma is heavenly!
Adding some holly to the mix just makes it perfection.

Do you have a holly bush in your yard or use real greenery for your decorations?

Today, I'm linking to



 Mosaic Monday

Won't you come over and check out everyone's lovely mosaics?

Glory in the Cornfield

I was out doing my Friday morning thing when I saw it...

you know, that thing I do, taking the back roads to the store on Friday mornings.

Last year in the early fall, I came across this field of morning glories.

It was quite literally "GLORY"-ous!

So this past spring as I was making one these routine trips,

I noticed to my disappointment that they had planted corn in the field.

This is a side by side of the same field.

  Now I do love a good cornfield, don't get me wrong...

...but I love me some morning glories even better.

So several weeks had gone by and I hadn't been down this particular road in a while.
 For some reason I had gotten an inclination to go back and check out the cornfield
since I had seen morning glories still blooming in other areas.
So I did and this what I saw.



The morning glories were still alive and well, using the corn as one gigantic trellis...

...acres and acres of bluish-purple trumpets were trailing up the wasted corn stalks...




...just about as far as my eye could see.



I tried to get them all into one panoramic photo but was not very successful.

Oh, it was a such a sight...and my photos just cannot do them justice.

As I stood there snapping photo after photo and taking it all in,
I couldn't help but compare what I was seeing to what God does for us.

That lovely old Gaither song "Something Beautiful" popped into my head.

Our lives can sometimes become like these dead, brittle and dried up corn stalks, can't they?

This beautifully stunning contrast spoke such peace to my heart,

and I was reminded once again that God's love covers a multitude of sins.

So, now you see why I look forward to these Friday morning detours?

It seems like there is always something new to discover...

...and something I already know to be reminded of :)

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, 

are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. 

For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.   

2 Corinthians 3:18

~

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