How to Have Perfect Children: A Digital Public Service Announcement ::: Whether we blog, Tweet or Facebook, it’s not a bad idea to say a prayer before we post and ask ourselves, “Will this encourage or discourage those who read it?”

You are More than Your Swimsuit ::: This body has seen life that the adorable taut, toned and tiny lifeguard girls on duty couldn’t possibly dream of yet.

Motherhood is a Calling (And where your children rank) ::: Stop clinging to yourself and cling to the cross. There is more joy and more life and more laughter on the other side of death than you can possibly carry alone.

Amazing Grace: From Generation to Generation? ::: There are folks who are full of bravado, disdaining their need for a Saviour, thinking that there is nothing beyond.  I wish they could have seen my grandmother.  Hers was a faith worth having.

how death brings us to life ::: Heaven is touching earth right now. But sometimes it takes endings for us to see it.

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

For more, visit SouleMama.

With all of the wonderful rain we've been getting, our garden has been growing beautifully. We're harvesting basil, cilantro, peas and strawberries, and the blueberries and zucchini are in full bloom.

The garden is like my little sanctuary. So still and quiet, with so much going on at the same time. I love it. I love the sound and smell of the water as it sprays and soaks into the garden soil. I love watching the plants burst through the ground, slowly uncurl and grow. It's my place for being still, and my place for seeing God's beautiful handiwork.

So I'm sure you can imagine my absolute fury to discover an invasion of my precious place.

*image courtesy of google

In case you've never made their acquaintance, this is a squash bug. 

I know they have a more scientific name, but the name's not really important. 

Their existence is the issue. When I discovered them on Sunday morning I realized I now know what is meant by the term "righteous indignation". These bugs are the object of my pure and unwavering hatred. Their mission is to suck the life out of my zucchini, killing it from the inside out until I'm left with nothing but a shriveled up mess!

They made a brief appearance towards the end of last summer, but the zucchini plants were so near done with producing that it wasn't too big of a concern.

But this year with only my first blooms appearing, before I've harvested a single piece of zucchini, they had the nerve to show up.

And not just one or two. I disposed of twenty that first morning. TWENTY!

Not good.

The internet is full of useful information about them.

I particularly enjoyed this article that stated, "Squash bugs are a garden insect pest that seem to drive many people right to the brink of insanity." 

Insanity is definitely the word that has run through my mind as I've crawled around my zucchini bed, head tilted upside down as I attempt to find them under leaves. It's almost become this compulsive need, to find them and kill them.

One of the above links kindly suggested carrying a bucket of soapy water, grabbing the bugs and dropping them in so they drown. I guess that's a nice way to do it.

I don't bother with a bucket though.

I just pull on my handy garden gloves, grab them with thumb and index finger and crush them as severely as possible. NO chance of them coming back from that, and honestly I think there is some level of therapy in this method of disposal.

I'm not a tough girl. I can't stand bugs. The mention of snakes sends me running to hide. If a grasshopper jumps against my leg I will probably scream. But these bugs have somehow managed to channel a pathway straight to that tiny ounce of deeply hidden rage with me.

Please don't judge me.

So anyway, this week we are off for a grand summer adventure in the land of cows. I've left a nice little mist to keep my garden invaders company.

How's your garden growing?

With formal lessons out of the way for a couple of months, the schoolroom table has become home to a favorite companion of mine.

It's been so nice to have the sewing machine out where I can just stop and use it a few minutes here and there. Normally it has to be stored when not in use because we just don't have the extra space for it to sit out all the time.

With it so readily available, it's been getting lots of use. I find simple, uncomplicated sewing to be a wonderful "break" in my day.

Of course I already showed our collaborative summer sewing project here.

I've been able to completely take care of a pile of clothes mending and altering that had been sitting for months. Yay for that!

I've also done a bit of what I call "just make up whatever you want" sewing. I spent some time recently with a friend who operates an etsy shop where everything is made out of used materials and it left me feeling motivated to consider what I might be able to create out of things we just aren't using anymore.

First I made my baby a headband out of one of her old shirts. The flower was decoration on the shirt and I just couldn't bear to throw it away even after the shirt got holes. This was super fast and easy…maybe a ten minute project. I just love it!

Next I made bandana style headbands for all of us out of random fabric scraps. Another simple and fast project. 

For the big girl I whipped up an around the house/play dress out of two of Hombre's old shirts. She loves it, it's super comfy, and cute in a very funny way. To be honest it doesn't look exactly how I pictured it. But it was ten minutes of just snip and sew and see what we end up with. I figure any dress that takes ten minutes start to finish is awesome.

And last, to please my fancy girl, I took some excess dress up clothes and trimmed them down to fit the dolls. Again, so fast and easy and all the girls are thrilled with this addition to the doll wardrobe.

I know this is all super basic stuff, but it's been fun and gives us all something "new" to be excited about without spending a penny. 

Have you been doing any sewing this summer?