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...

Anonymous sender

I received a hand written card in the mail the other day, this is what the note said:
Dear Becky,
Be encouraged in your high calling as a Godly wife and mother today! Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in His commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon the earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Ps 112: 1-2 :)

Wow! What a surprise & what an encouragement. This got me thinking...do you know someone that could use encouraging? Maybe you could be an 'anonymous sender'? I've got some blank cards sitting around in my office, think I'll pay forward the blessing this week. :)

Back to school pics-2010

*This was Big Sister at Easter time. She's away at school right now in Job Corps working towards her diploma and CNA certification.

Big Enough

Mastermind?

Have you ever heard of (or played) this game? I haven't. I read about it this morning on a blog I follow, she's having a giveaway. Here's what she had to say about it:

As a homeschooling mom I’m always on the look out for fun, challenging games that encourage thinking and reasoning skills. As a mom who loves to spend time with my kids I love to find games that are fun for both children and adults. Mastermind does both. It was also one of my favorite games when I was a kid.

Mastermind requires and hones deductive reasoning and logic skills. As a child it was one of my favorite games to play with my father. I loved being able to solve my father’s patterns and Mastermind was a game that my father truly enjoyed. I remember waiting to take my turn as all of us children would play Mastermind tournaments with dad.

The game pits a code maker against a code breaker. The ‘maker’ selects a pattern of colored pegs, then the ‘breaker’ tries to guess the pattern. After each guess the ‘maker’ scores the guess which provides the ‘breaker’ with information about the true pattern. Play continues until the ‘breaker’ is able to deduct the true pattern based on the information provided by his previous guesses and scores.

Players take turns being the maker and the breaker and the player who is able to guess the code in the least amount of turns is declared the winner. Of course our children love challenging each other to games of Mastermind (otherwise I wouldn’t be telling you about it), but it’s also a game that both Mark and I enjoy playing with our children as well as with each other.

Mastermind is a 2-player game designed for ages 8 and up, although our younger children do a fine job at being code breakers. The Attaché edition of Mastermind (shown) is terrific for travel. It comes in a zippered case with built-in, covered storage for all the game pieces.

Buy Mastermind

There are several editions of Mastermind available on the website. They range in price from $9 – $18.99.

To enter her giveaway, go here. 3 days left! :)

Meet Katie

Meet Katie. She is the author of one of my all-time favorite blogs. Her heart bleeds compassion. Admittedly, she seems to be handling certain situations with her older adopted children better than I have. She seems to be handling uncertainty and the 'unknown' of raising adopted teens with more grace than I. She's an amazing Woman of God and one whom I've been learning from! Check out this recent post:

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/2010/08/teenagers-and-lesson-from-jacob.html

Precisely...

I homeschool.

Everyone who knows me knows I homeschool.

But if they had to guess my reasoning they’d be wrong.

Sure, I had my reasons when we initially began homeschooling: issues with the school, bullying, etc. But those reasons changed and morphed and took on a whole new life.

Everyone I know who homeschools does it for the same reason: To give their child the best education possible.

The issue that comes in to play is the definition of education. Some pile their kids high with books and programs so that nothing is left out. Others let the children lead, through unschooling. Some teach the dead languages. Others feel that Japanese is the way to go. Some insist upon a stringent course of study. Others insist upon taking their time.

And so now I can tell you why I homeschool. Be sure to brace yourself, I am a bit of a pariah in the homeschooling community.

• I home school because kids only get to be kids once. They only have X number of years before the responsibilities of adulthood take them over. They only have so much time to relax and have relatively carefree lives.

• I don’t want my children worrying nonstop about a math test that is coming up before they can fully grasp the concept. I’d rather give them chance to figure it out.

• I don’t want my children to feel pressured to grow up too fast in the public school environment. I’d rather them mature at their own rate.

• I don’t want my children staying up until 2am to finish a report on a book that has no interest to them and no cultural value whatsoever. I’d rather work with them to pick and choose books that have meaning.

• I don’t want my children to dissect a poem and try to figure out what the poet meant when he/she wrote it. I want them to decide how the poem made them feel.

• I don’t want my children to learn about history without seeing both sides. They need to know that even the “bad guys” think they are doing the right thing. It’s all about perspective.

• I don’t want my children to grow away from each other as schools seem to promote. They need to know that while friends come and go siblings are forever.

• I don’t want my children to grow away from God. They need to develop the tools to live for Him while they are still young. They have years to defend their beliefs, I just want to take a few years to help them learn how to do so.

Are you waiting for specifics? Well, they can do everything the “average” kid can do. They can also repair lawn mowers, bake cakes, sketch incredible pictures, and write music. They can grill burgers, pull weeds, do laundry, and help replace alternators in mini-vans. But more importantly they can sit and hold a conversation with their 88 year old great grandmother, they know how to get on the floor and play with their 1 year old cousin. The teens will cuddle and hug their younger siblings. They volunteer their time and money to help others without batting an eye.

They are all best friends (their words not mine). They help boost each other up when their reach falls short… They hold each other’s hands when fear sets in… And they guide each other in their steps, no matter how rocky those steps may be.

And I suppose that’s why I home school. To give my children the best education possible. And my definition of education is the same as the the Free Dictionary’s: A knowledge or skill obtained or developed by a learning process.

Sheri Sears (with the help of her fabulous husband Mike) began homeschooling her four children in 2001. She spends her time creating whatever she can out of nothing to make her house more homey, writing lesson plans, listening to her son’s garage band and writing how God is carrying her out of the depths of depression. You can catch up with Sheri at her blog The Shades of Pink. Be sure not to miss the Love Story she and her husband have written.

Taken from: http://heartofthematteronline.com/

Just a lil ole mustard seed

Luke 13: 18-19
Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."

Last night I was canning a second batch of pickles and one of the ingredients was mustard seed. That got me thinking...such a little seed but yet so powerful... Most of us probably have heard the parable about the mustard seed and a mountain. Matthew 17:20- "So Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." So, true faith, by God's definition, always involves surrender to the will of God. Both the source and the object of all genuine faith- even the weak, mustard-seed variety- is God. And with God nothing will be impossible.

Have you ever thought about your faith? What kind of faith do you have? The 'show-me-everything-will-work-out-good-before-I-do-this' kind of faith or do you have what others would call crazy-insane-jump-in-with-both-feet-because-God-told-you-to' blind faith? Or maybe something in between?

I've been 'nesting in the branches' of the large mustard seed tree...I've been searching for comfort during this time of refining. For me, it's hard to see the bigger plan during the process of refining-all I can see is the fire. But I trust God with everything in me, I know He loves me so and wants me to reflect Him. We've lived here 9 months now and with that has come a lot of change. For me, it's been a time of working through issues that I've allowed to lay dormant for way too long. I'm realizing now that allowing my heart to have these dormant areas hasn't done me any favors! While it's painful to work through past hurts and conflicts, the future holds such great promise. I still feel my heart is in the midst of the fire but the intensity of the heat is lifting, some clarity is shining through!

So, I am thankful for the reminder of that lil ole mustard seed...not only can it grow into something mighty to provide us shelter from a storm, but it can also help to demolish any problem we see as impossible...with God's help, of course! :)