His love is deep...

You know how you get a song stuck in your head? Well, I woke up singing this song this morning. You could say it's stuck in my heart...



Such an amazing song, especially following an amazing weekend. It's one thing to get the gravity of what He did for us, it's another to watch children FULLY understand it for themselves. It's a look of soberness and reality of how huge a thing it really was. And to fully grasp what a sacrifice He made for each of us individually can be overwhelming. Such a precious thing when a child says, "Mama, Jesus is so awesome- I want Him to be with me forever and ever."

How was your Easter? The week before Easter (starting Palm Sunday) we began daily readings explaining the things Jesus did that particular day. The kiddos really understood what Jesus did the last week of His life, they were shocked that Jesus went into the temple and got mad and starting flipping tables over. When I explained that He was mad because the people there were disrespecting God and it hurt Jesus' heart to see them being selfish in selling things to try and make profit a in His Father's house. I then likened that to sometimes we do stuff that disrespects God when really we should just be worshiping Him. Our 8 year old said, "Whoa..."

The kiddos were so adorable (ahem...and handsome) in their new duds. Grandma and Grandpa have graciously provided the Easter outfits the past 2 years. What a blessing!

Think on these things

As I was reading through Philippians this morning-quite a few things jumped out at me...isn't that interesting when that happens?
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Phil 4:6-7

~Do you ever get in the middle of some situation and think, "I'm not content with this. Why do I have to do this? I don't like what's happening. Why is this happening like this? Should I do this?" Well, if not then it's just me...because I basically say something to this effect EVERY DAY! :)

~First of all, I find it hard sometimes to NOT be anxious. God tells us to NOT be anxious, pray, be humble, be thankful and ask, and then He will in return give His amazing peace and guard our hearts. Hmmmmm, sounds like a pretty good plan doesn't it? Sounds to me like it just may help my anxiousness and help bring about the peace I always seem to be looking for. Now, if I can just remember this before a freak-out session....

Lord, help me to remember Phil 4: 6-7 BEFORE I freak out next time!

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

This might not look like more than a bunch of gnarly branches to you- but I see something very exciting just around the corner! Some tiny, baby buds just starting to turn a yellowish-green. It won't be long and these buds will explode into beautiful and fragrant lilac flowers. I can't wait, this bush is right next to our back porch- the flowers smell SO yummy!

I'm so proud to announce my 30 baby garlic cloves made it through the winter. They starting shooting up out of the dirt even before all the snow was gone! I kept watching them hoping they'd make it after that second (2 ft) snowfall. I'm so excited to see what's under that dirt- to see if I'll get a good harvest...it's amazing to me that after such a harsh winter, life waits patiently until it's safe to jump forward and say, "I'm here!!!" Hello spring, nice to see you again!

Snow, Rain & Robins

You know when you see this guy, there's hope for nicer weather.




The Northwoods hasn't been overly kind to us this winter...everything was melted and then WHAM- 2 feet of snow in a matter of a day. I know it's common in this neck of the woods but its still not pleasant any way you look at it. The residual snow has been shrinking little by little each day, today it's rain-snowing. You know, the kind of freezing rain that's snow too...maybe you don't know...consider yourselves blessed! :)

I'm looking forward to my garden again this year- and the herb bed- and the flower beds! Actually, that's all I can think about these days as I sit here in my chair looking out at all that white stuff.

My mother-in-law gave us this amazingly awesome (homemade) bird feeder. It's huge! The thing holds more than a bucket of seed at a time. Yes, I fill my bird feeder with a bucket... Over the winter, I've grown fond of the feeder as I watch the birds coming to eat and carrying the seed(s) away. Even the squirrels and little chipmunk amuse me. I have two bird identification books on the bookshelf that are collecting dust-now that some of the pretty birds are coming back I'm excited to dust off those books and see what we've got. So far we've spotted male and female bluejays, chickadees (of course!), morning doves, a woodpecker and a female cardinal. And of course, last but not least, this morning we saw some robins. Hallelujah for the robins!!!

My rubies

Here's a little ditty about some rubies:

About 4 years ago I asked Hubby for a mother's ring. We lived near an amazing place that had a little jewelry shop. The wife and I struck up conversation every time we walked through there, she had lots of littles and so did I. I filled her in on our adoption adventure and how we were working so hard to bring 4 new children home to our family. It was her husband who was to make my mother's ring. Naturally, I included a birthstone for each of our children. 7 children to-be, 7 birthstones. They were still working on the ring after our African children came home. About that time I found out I was expecting our little Angel Baby. So, I called them up and had them add an 8th stone to the ring. I chose an anniversary style ring with the stones going all the way around the band. Only 8 stones wouldn't cover the entire band...I wondered what to fill the rest of the band with? I immediately thought of rubies. So, I called and the man evenly spaced 3 rubies for every birthstone placed around my mother's ring.

Why rubies you ask? Well, partly because of Proverbs 31:10. "A capable, intelligent and virtuous woman, who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls." Not that I'm the most capable, intelligent or virtuous woman out there but it was my Hubby who found me and it is He who says I am far more precious than jewels and my value is far above rubies or pearls. Hard not to feel beautiful and appreciated when it's said that way, isn't it?

Way, way back in 2006 at the very beginning of this blog I spoke of our decision to adopt from Liberia and why. It was at my very first Above Rubies retreat that God used an every day woman to speak to me about the orphans in Liberia. My life and my family's life was changed forever by that retreat. So, as a result of that experience is reason #2 why I chose rubies to be placed in my mother's ring. God used that retreat to make me a mother to 8 children.

Below is a picture of Colin & Nancy Campbell. I've been to a few women's retreats over the years and have had the pleasure of speaking with Nancy personally. She is the founder of Above Rubies ministries. Such a sweet, sweet lady. You can read more about them here.

It was an Above Rubies magazine that first introduced me to her and the ministry. Did you know you can get this magazine for free? As many copies as you want for free? I get them, keep one for myself and give the rest away or leave them in waiting rooms. I pray over them and hope that someone will pick it up and receive the same encouragement I have. Interested? Take a look here.

I've learned a lot over the years from things she has had to say and from the articles others send into the magazine. I've also wrestled with certain things she's said. Those things have caused me to dig deeper into the word to see what God has to say about it (it wasn't hard to find, all her teachings are FULL of scripture!) and pray really hard about how God would have me receive that information and apply it to my life. I've acquired many of her books and CDs over the years as teaching materials and enjoy digging deeper into the subjects she talks about. Amazing things...amazing lady.

We are blessed to be going to our very first family retreat this next weekend. I'm so excited to be bringing my entire family as well as meeting Colin for the first time. I highly recommend the women's retreats and after next weekend, I'm sure I'll be saying the same about the family retreats! Wanna take a look at info on the retreats? Here it is. I've also met all of Nancy's daughters personally. Sweet, sweet girls. I am the age of their youngest daughter, Serene. Serene and Pearl have many CDs (found in the bookstore) and have blessed this home time after time with their sweet voices.

I've been praying for a few years now about hosting/planning a women's retreat. Now that we are back in northern WI, there just aren't any near here (trip to Canada anyone?). I've been holding out and praying for a partner in crime to help me. I think it might be a bit much for one person, we'll see what God has to say when He answers me about it! :)

Reason #3 I picked rubies for my mother's ring: I think they're pretty.

24 hours

Well, the last 24 hours has been a humbling experience! I asked for help and you all jumped right in. I went from 6 followers to 31 in less than 24 hours...you all could make a girl blush! I've filled out my application for the review team I was telling you about. Thanks for all your help in making that a possibility! If you stop by and aren't a 'follower' yet- I'd love to have you! The more the merrier!

So, now that you are all here you should know I have plans to jazz things up a bit around here (and post LOTS more). That being said- for those of you who've looked around here a little, what kinds of posts do you enjoy most? What would you like to see more of? Here we go...................

Can you help me out?

Hey there! :)

Can you help a girl out? Will you 'follow' my blog? If you're not sure how, hit the word 'follow' over there on the right. Then, fill out the info in the little box with a Google account, etc. That will make you an official follower. As of now, there are 6 of you (thank you!). But, I need 25 minimum in a quick hurry (2 weeks) to complete the application process for The Old Schoolhouse Crew. The TOS Crew reviews homeschool curriculum and I've wanted to join for 2 years! I'll be Facebook-ing about it too and may even join the Twitter world so I can tweet. So, would you show me some blog love and follow me?

EEK!

Has it been a month already? I bet you thought I'd forgotten about you all- nope, not so! I'm beginning to think it may be MANY years before things slow down...

As of late January I went back to school to complete my bachelors degree in nursing. Just a handful of classes left until graduation! :) So, I now school the kiddos by day and then try and study and do classwork at night and on weekends. My original thought of doing it in my spare time has proven futile. I guess I don't have much spare time- who would have 'thunk' it? School and every day life stuff has kept me hopping- I'm very much looking forward to spring break to catch up on little projects around here and to breathe a little! Before we know it the snow will be melted and I'll be planting the garden again (can't wait for that!). We're all ready to get out of this house and enjoy the outdoors again!

This past weekend we took a road trip to my sis & bro-in-laws new house. We celebrated her birthday along with our Mama who also came for the weekend. Here's a few silly pics of our time together:


Me & my baby (one of them anyway!)

Mama
Mama rockin out Honky-Tonk Style!


A mean game of cribbage between the boys!



Jelly face!
~Sweet Princess~


Hangin in the kitchen...

Bday girl....'You talkin to me?'



Just 5 of the cousins...a good time was had by all!

STAND FIRM- JAMES 1:12

Waiting...

In this new year, do you have a clear sense of where God is taking you? Sometimes we sit in a waiting pattern as we wait to hear from the Lord. What would you like me to do Lord? How would you like to use me? This is such a perfect song to remind us what to do as we sit, pray and wait to hear from Him.

Welcome 2011

May you feel His love & presence more this year. And in return, may you show His love & presence more... Happy 2011, be blessed!

End-of-the-year pictures

Dear Son #2 turned 12 on Dec. 11th. Here he is reading one of the homemade cards from his siblings (with sister & Grandma looking on).

There's a story behind this gift...our boy has seen that all our bio kids have gotten blankies as babies. He never got a blankie and mentioned that to me one day, saying he felt sad and left out. My first thought was 'You're too big for a blankie.' Then I paused and really thought about it...no he's not. Every baby in this family needs/gets a blankie. So, here he is with his blankie. He was one happy boy & I got a HUGE hug that night!

Our yearly tradition of 'see-if-you-can-make-the-birthday-boy-talk-so-he-has-to-sit-under-the-table'. He's normally tough but he busted out laughing at his siblings attempts...so, here he is under the table! **Notice brother's foot... hehe

I got this picture idea from a friend. She's reading the Christmas story out of Luke 2.

Angel Baby

Princess

**Smiley** (her new nickname given by her softball coach)

Big brother

Little Brother

Big sister (home for Christmas from school)

Merry Christmas from the Gustafsons!

Did you know?

Did you know you can buy 2 chickens (that will supply countless eggs providing protein) for $25? Did you know a pair of goats costing $150 helps to provide protein for children to grow? A family can sell extra milk, cheese & yogurt at market to earn money for medicines and other necessities. Fertilizer from goats can increase the amount of vegetables grown in a family garden. For $40, a family fishing kit can be purchased including nets, lines, hooks, a pole and a basket. You can empower a family to put food on the table. Did you know 5 fruit trees can be purchased for $30? How about a donkey that can help transport produce, firewood or other goods that can be sold at market. That same donkey could carry a sick child or family member to a distant clinic. Donkeys are reliable and hardworking and can live for 30 years or more. Does it make sense that you can buy $1,100 worth of medicines for $100 (including antibiotics, antiseptics, disposable syringes, painkillers, antifungals, de-worming meds, anti-fever drugs and vitamin A)? What about the low cost of providing a family with a bed net for $18 to help protect from malaria? Contaminated water infects and kills many children, worms alone contribute to 200,000 needless deaths every year. You can contribute to a clean water fund or even help a clean well to be dug in a village across the world. Why is it $1,650 worth of school supplies can be purchased to stock an overseas school for only $150? What about the low cost of giving one Bible for $18, in a child's own language, that shares God's love and Jesus' salvation? Did you know America is suffering too? Economic crisis has dramatically increased the number of American families falling through the cracks. $300 worth of necessities can be given to an American family for $50! What??? Did you know U.S. classrooms, especially in low-income neighborhoods, lack basic school supplies. Education is power, right? $150 worth of school supplies can be delivered for $25.

We have seen first hand the devistating effects when some of these basic needs are not provided. Our African children (their friends and biological families) have suffered at the hand of protein deficiency, lack of clean water and it's effects, non nutritious sources of food, lack of vitamins and/or medicines to treat simple issues (and medications that were given that were severely expired), malaria because of a lack in mosquito nets or nets with large holes, schools with no materials and/or teachers trying to educate in a room with little or no chairs and a broken piece of chalk board hung on the wall (and no chalk to write on it).

As I sat here this morning going over our Christmas lists and tidying up my to-do list, I thought about the different kinds of gifts that can be given. A lot of American families have struggled this past year because of many reasons. Many parents want to give their children that perfect gift and place it under the tree. Did you know that on Christmas, in Africa, my children looked forward to a boiled egg (or chicken leg) and Kool aid for a special treat? How much more are we able to give all our children? But how much hurt and lack in basic needs still exist?

There are many organizations that pull on your heartstrings, especially during this time of year. If you feel led, find one that you feel is legit and give a gift to help. What about Operation Shoebox? If you missed it this year, start planning for next year. We know the pain and lasting difficulty that physical and emotional depravity brings, we experience it first hand in our 'heart-babies' every day. When you're buying those last minute items and those dollar signs are swirling about, would you give a thought and prayer for those less fortunate than us? They are all around us...

One organization that we try to contribute to every year is Heifer International. We haven't been able to buy a whole animal to gift, but shares are available. A share allows you and your family to give $$ towards the purchase of an animal. In the past, instead of exchanging gifts with family members, we've honored them by purchasing a share of an animal from Heifer International. We were able to print off a card to give in explanation of their gift.

Another organization along the same lines is World Vision. Check them out to see how you can contribute to their cause.

Above all, please remember the reason for the season. If you don't feel led to give towards food, clean water or medicines- please pray about giving the gift of a Bible. That is the eternal food most desperately needed around the world.

Merry Christmas to all!

Shutterfly Savvy!

I just adore Christmas picture cards! You know, the kind that has the fancy background in which you painstakingly place your favorite family picture in the center and choose a fancy font (in usually silver or gold writing) to tell everyone 'Merry Christmas 2010'! Or something of the sort... Our family has only done this once or twice in the 10 years since we've had children, mostly because of finances (sad but true). BUT....this year I ran across something quite interesting and lovely, to say the least! Shutterfly is having a Christmas promotion where they are 'giving away' 50 free cards. And all I have to do is tell you about it! They have so many cute and adorable templates! I think my favorites are the collages...I'm trying to figure out a way to squeeze everyone in there! My plan is to try and include a family picture as well as individual shots of each child. Question of the day: why have I not done this before? Answer of the day: Because I usually do things the hard way....urgh...I really don't like admitting that. :)

They make it so easy for you, go and check it out! And while I was looking around, of course I noticed all the other great things they offer besides Christmas cards. Here's just a few of the products that caught my eye:

Christmas photo cards

Birth announcements

Desk Calendars (great Christmas gift idea!)

How's that for going viral? Pretty sweet promotion if you ask me! Have an awesome holiday season, enjoy your family & remember the 'reason for the season!'

Kitchen cleanout

A friend of mine began a thread about feeling as if she was drowning in certain areas of her house. I could so relate! I think we discussed these areas: dishes, clothes/laundry, shoes, toys, school books/papers, etc. So, she began by doing a kitchen cleanout. I said I was going to join her but she beat me to it...I'm playing catch up this week. She came up with the idea that in the 'old days' people had one cup, one bowl and one plate, and that she wanted to model that with her children/family. I thought about that for awhile. Good idea...but my first reaction was why I go through all of that cleaning out and packing away/giving away if I could just keep up with dishes at every meal? This is a huge challenge for us. Since moving, we have no dishwasher and our kitchen is a fraction of the size of what we had in AR. While my pal was doing her kitchen redo, I tried to keep up with the dishes at every meal- I failed miserably. As part of daily chores, the kids used to rotate and do all the dishes-when we had a dishwasher. After moving here, daily chores became very overwhelming. Partly because of unpacking and reorganizing and partly because our chore responsibilities were different in a new house. Working all those kinks out always takes us time...lots of time. In the mean time, I felt bad for the smaller kiddos because the dishes always just got so overwhelming. If I had a hard time tackling it, how could I expect them to? So, I started doing the majority of the dishes and when things didn't seem so bad, I'd have them do it.

During this time, I also started thinking about routines, lack of routines and 'old' routines that don't work anymore. I suppose when you have a house full and the kiddos are all younger, any lack of routine or 'old' routines stick out like a sore thumb. That's where we are, especially in kitchen. So, I decided my pal was exactly right- take away the things that overwhelm. I did the same as her and packed away some 'kid' plates, bowls & cups for company/cousin visits. I proceeded to leave each child one plate/tray, one bowl, one 'meal' cup and one water cup. That's it, that's all they have. After cleaning out that cupboard, I tackled my plastics cupboard. That is the one that always has things falling out of it...we don't have that many leftovers to store so why have so many random containers, right? I started chucking...

I reorganized some cabinets and felt great! Then I turned around and looked at all the 'extra'- that didn't feel so good. How could it have gotten so cluttered? How did we get that many 'kid' plates/trays & cups? Unbelievable... So, I went in the basement and hauled up some boxes, in it went. This is just a little of my finished project:


The kids now only have the top shelf! I left their holiday mugs in the back for hot chocolate on our movie nights. We're missing one cup and one bowl in this pic. I took it this morning and baby was still eating...

This is now my plastics cabinet. I even had room for mixing/serving bowls!

And I actually have some counter-space here! Enough so to drag out the bread machine (to help me when I'm in a hurry!).


This is what's getting hauled out today. GOODBYE FOREVER!!! :)

p.s. The children are all washing their own dishes after each meal. If they don't, there's nothing to eat on at the next meal! :)

Gotcha Day

Today marks 3 years since our African kiddos came home to the U.S. We mark today as our Gotcha Day because it is the first day we were all together as a family- Hubby traveled alone to Africa to bring them home. The past 3 years has been some of the most eventful years of our lives, full of many ups and downs for everyone. But if we've learned anything, we've learned much more about forgiveness and how to love more deeply and unconditionally. Today we celebrate the unification of our family. We celebrate the uniting of our physical family here on earth as well as the beginning of a dream orchestrated by God. We don't know many specifics about this plan/dream, all we know is that it is of Him and we are following Him to carry out THE plan. For those of you who followed us during our journey- you may remember these:







Happy Gotcha Day, Gustafson family!

Reflection

Our kiddos this Halloween. We had a (good) witch, pirate, ninja, princess (of course) and FiFi the pink poodle. I struggled this year (again) with the concept of Halloween. Our older children questioned me on where Halloween came from and who 'made it up.' I tried to give a short but honest answer and they were quite confused even with that. They asked why people celebrate Halloween. I tried to answer by explaining about culture and traditions and that we'd dress up and enjoy the party put on by our local school instead of going door-to-door...but I think even that left all of us confused and a little uneasy. Our local grade school did an amazing job putting on a party for the kids and spared us all the gross and gory stuff that Halloween tends to bring. I was thankful for that but have also realized we need to think about this a little more for next year and years to come. We teach our kids the motto of practice-what-you-preach so it's only right and 'just' that we address this issue to stay on the right side of our family motto...

I've been reflecting on especially the last year. What a whirlwind! The last few years has really been insanely crazy but I think my memory has a hard time going back more than a handful of months and recalling things accurately! Tomorrow marks the 3 year anniversary since we brought our African kiddos home. It also marks 5 years since we began the adoption process, wow, how time flies. Every year, we celebrate our Gotcha Day by talking about what we remember and how we felt on that day. A special friend of mine (and photographer) took pics for us as my Hubby stepped off the plane with our 4 oldest children, she also made it into DVD form with music. We watch that DVD every year on our Gotcha Day.

So much has happened since then- our bio kids have grown by leaps and bounds (physically, emotionally and spiritually) as have our African children! We've welcomed a new baby in that time and said 'goodbye' to the 2 oldest children as they've gone out on their own in pursuit of their futures. We've moved 1000 miles back to the place we call home. We've said goodbye (for now) to friends, those we consider family, our church as well as a home and business. We've taken the next step in homeschooling as I went from teaching 2 children to 5 (then back down to 4 this year as we helped our 17 yr old African daughter transition into Job Corps this fall).

We've grown spiritually through all these hills and valleys and still have a long way to go. We're trying to 'clean up' any areas in our marriage/parenting/every day living that has gone by the wayside and needs attention or has been neglected. Yea, it gets tiring at times but we're committed to God, our marriage and our family. That alone keeps us trudging along especially during those times it feels like we're wading through mud.

We've returned to extended family, our church home/family as well as the heritage/culture we were raised in. Those things alone bring comfort and a feeling of 'belonging' that is hard to describe unless you've lived a portion of your life without it. We had an amazing summer with grandparents and I enjoyed getting my hands in this nutrient-rich, glacier soil and we had a bountiful harvest of veges and lots of herbs (not to mention lots of pretty flowers!). The fall has kept us running with winterizing (we'd forgotten how much work this is!) and I've been crazy canning yummy foods with our garden bounty (as well as an entire tree's worth of apples!).

We're moving into the holiday season now and are starting our homemade gifts for friends and family (in all our spare time)! :) Last year the holiday season was rushed and chaotic. We're looking forward to enjoying the season more this year...I even think I may decorate early, just because!

I think I'm looking forward to the winter months-I'd like to tackle some projects and crafts that seem impossible in the summer months. Let's see how I feel in February when we're neck deep in snow! We hope you're enjoying the fall season and that you're looking forward to the holiday season as much as we are! Until next time...