Granddaughters, Painting, Flowers & Love

It was an early start for hubby and I - we drove 40 minutes to our daughters house to pick our 2 granddaughters up so our daughter could get the house ready for the House Inspector to check the house for the buyer. The photo below is from later in the day when we were here at the farm.  Jenna, the 6 year old, loves to pick flowers.. this is a daisy in her "bouquet".

Below are the girls and grandpa in the Ford dealership waiting room - we had to get my Explorer serviced today.

When we got home the girls wanted to paint with a set we got for them not long ago.  We set it up on the deck.

Paige enjoyed painting.

Jenna is the family artist.

More painting.

I went on a bit of a photographic safari around the deck... here is Dayle's "Bonsai" tree.  I finally convinced him to let it grow out a bit, he'd been pinching ALL new growth off for years and the poor little thing looked like it was ready to give up trying.

My violet Astilbe is blooming out.. I adore that plant.  My "jungle" of bamboo, Hosta, Japanese Painted Fern, Hyndrangea & the poor Calla Lily that has never ever bloomed in 8 years.

Grape-y colored Astilbe.

Below is my Autumn Fern.. I adore it, the new fronds are the color of fall leaves.

Below I peered down into the Stargazer Lily .. see the beginning of the bud in the center?

 More jungle...

Hubby wintered over several of our magenta geraniums.. they're doing very well!

One of my new Fuchsia.

Below is the cute little Japanese Pagoda garden lamp that Dayle rescued out of his parents back garden after his Dad passed away.  Dayle plugged it in recently and it's been lighted each night since.. and guess what?  It's the same lightbulb that has been in it for probably 20 years!

Baby girl and two "flowers".  Honey, you can pick all of those you want. :-)

Jenna is my budding artist and floral designer.

She picked these in the field on the hill behind our house... I identified all the flowers I could... Dandelion, Daisy, Clover, Buttercup, purple Ajuga -- now help me out, what is the little daisy-like one and the tiny purple one to the right of the Dandelion?

This one.. the lavender one, it's very tiny.. do you know it's name?

Or this frilly small daisy?

I love the photo above, I have yellow paint on my hands from working with the girls, and this little bouquet of the flower I don't know the name of... Jenna's hand cradled in mine.

And yes, we had sun today.  After the downpour of yesterday.  Thank heavens.  The sun is on the upper pool of our waterfall and pond.  We have 4 waterfalls and the pond at the bottom.  The sound of the water falling is just so soothing and divine.  It's the best thing we ever did.  Do you see the large chunk of Rose Quartz at the bottom left?  We got that while in the Bad Lands.. near Mount Rushmore.  At the rock shop where we found it they had a rock the size of a washing machine!

We're plumb tuckered out now.  I just looked over and Dayle was snoozing while watching TV.  LOL  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  Tomorrow I've got to make more jewelry for the gallery at Vista House.. they called and are all out of sterling silver pine cone necklaces!! :-)

((hugs)), Teresa :-)