Feeling A Little Like Pharoah Must Have Felt ;-)

You know that old saying, "When it rains, it pours" and how it is usually used when describing not the weather, but the happenings during a certain season in someone's life? Well, if you live on the Crossroads Country Ranch in Western Washington about now, it might go something like "When it rains, it is relentless." This seems to describe life here the last couple of months! (And actually, it could also refer to the weather here!) We usually try not to complain, or focus on our troubles. Really! But at the moment, the exercise of writing down our woes and how the Lord has and is carrying us through, seems rather therapeutic . . . . or at least comical relief! About two months ago, things got kicked off with Stanley getting his very first head cold (involving a trip to the doctor and many sleepless nights) and the goats experiencing the great return of the dreaded heel mites. Then, a ewe (that was already sold and waiting to be delivered to her new home) became seriously ill. (Oh, so many sheep sicknesses and so little time to figure out what it is and how to treat it!) Sometime in there, Caroline got real sick with strep throat/tonsillitis. Then, a goat got really ill (we think from poisoning from the heel mite treatment.) The new-old diesel van that has been in and out of the mechanics' since we purchased it a year ago, quit working again (right after we spent $3,000.00 on a new transmission for it). About this time, we discovered that our yellow litter of nine puppies had contracted what seems to be a fairly rare skin infection. (This involved two vet visits, daily baths, and medication for them twice a day.) Stanley is sick again, and poor baby, can't sleep again at night, and we're pondering whether we should take him back to the doctor to be checked. Recently, the truck was making an awful noise and we realized the muffler had become detached (due to rust . . . hmmmm, wonder why? ;-) and it also needed some new u-joints. While all this was going on, Lydia was waging war with the new greenhouse she just purchased and was growing her seedlings in. The wind kept destroying it little by little, until eventually, it was being held together by duct tape! A week ago Sunday, while I was staying home from church with the sick baby, I looked out the window to find all of Lydia's sheep out of the safety of the pasture fence, and feasting on all the lush new green grass. (I think they knew I was home alone! ;-) Knowing that this can cause serious digestive issues for them, I quickly called the church and asked Lydia what to do. She thought it would be a good idea to get them wrangled back into the pasture. The only problem is, she said, we happen to be out of grain, so try putting rocks in the bucket and pretend to have grain when you lure them back in. Oh, and the most important thing, she said, is to not get rammed by the ram . . .that could be really bad! So, I put the sick baby down, rushed outside, and taking my life in my hands, managed to get the ram and one other sheep back behind the pasture fence. No sooner did I get back in the house tending to my sick baby, I looked out the upstairs bedroom window to find Lydia's greenhouse, completely picked up and mangled by the wind, in a heap across the garden fence. All of her seedlings she had worked so hard to salvage all along, were turned over as well. About this same time frame, the diarrhea began in Valerie's dog, Mabel. Then, one night soon after, Allie got into the kitchen trash, and began her week long sickness. And of course, not to be left out, our Pastor's dog, Heidi, that we happened to be boarding at the time, also came down with "stress induced colitis" which also meant lots of mess for us. (We opted to just take two of these three dogs to the vet.) Then, this Sunday, when we woke up for church, we discovered that Caroline is sick with tonsillitis again, not only feeling miserable, but unable to play the piano for their scheduled Sunday worship time. So the other girls scrambled real quick to pick some other songs that would be better suited for the reality of no pianist. Then, quickly, the rest of the family rushed off to church, as I stayed home again with the sick ones. About a half an hour later, I got a call from Ted at the church saying that they forgot the church computer they will all need for the service and asked if I would bring it to them. So I hopped in the van and drove all the way to and from church. Just as soon as I got home, and began tending to my sick baby once again, I hear a faint alarm sound in the distance . . . . . upon opening our back door, I realize Meemom and Papa Bob's house alarm is going off. So I hopped in the van again and rushed over there to meet the "intruder", turn off the alarm, and answer the call from the alarm people. (When the sheriff showed up an hour later, I opted to stay put and let him come to me if need be!) Then, last night, Valerie discovered that the other litter of three puppies across the house in the other garage have also come down with the same skin infection as the yellow pups. And would you believe that when I went to start the lawnmower recently, it wouldn't start, and upon closer inspection, gas was pouring out from it all over the ground? But, the great news is . . . our awesome God has been hard at work all along, healing us and the animals, and providing above and beyond for our every need through it all! And hopefully, we've learned a lot, grown a lot and can comfort others in their time of need!

More Snow Pictures from Today!

Yesterday . . . . Today

What a difference a day makes

with the weather around here!

Enjoy the contrasts!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

YESTERDAY . . . .

TODAY!!!!

YESTERDAY . . .

TODAY!!!

YESTERDAY . . .

TODAY!!!

A Dream in the Making . . . .

Hello everyone! This is Valerie! :-) I would love to share with you all a little bit about a dream of mine that I believe the Lord is cultivating in my heart.

Since Febraury 2009, when our family began our adoption journey, my love for orphans has grown so very much. I feel that God is calling me to help them in their distress. James 1:27 says, "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."

When the Lord saw fit to help us find favor in the eyes of the state, and we finally got our foster-care license in October of 2009, we were very anxious to get a child to love and eventually be able to adopt! But, then the real wait began! It was taking a lot longer than we ever expected, and then we received the news that the adoption ministry caseworker we had been working with quit there to go work for the state. We began to wonder whether this truly was the way God was going to bring another child into our arms.

Mommy and I started talking about other adoption possibilites, but knew that the cost of domestic or overseas adoptions was around $30,000! How would we ever afford that? One day, while we were out on a walk, we started talking about our other passion of breeding quality Labrador Retrievers. Perhaps the Lord would bless a little side breeding business for the purpose of raising adoption funds. After getting Daddy's approval, I began a search for some older female labs. And the Lord did bless! We were able to "adopt" Missy and Chloe right away, around May 2010. Then, shortly thereafter, we miraculously found the perfect stud dog for Missy, and she had her first litter with us (of nine puppies) on August 10th, 2010.

While we were approaching the time when the puppies were ready to go their new homes, we got the call about little Stanley! We were so excited and blessed beyond measure that Stanley was placed with us. God had him picked out all long to be our precious little baby!

After this, I started to wonder what should become of our recently started fundraiser for adoption. By that time, I was more aware of the innumerable amount of homeless, helpless, fatherless orphans that so desperately need someone to love them. I started thinking about how I could make a difference in the lives of an orphan/orphans by continuing on my own to raise funds for adoption. My ultimate dream one day, should it please the Lord, would be to adopt a little orphan girl from China . . . . or anywhere. :) But, if that ends up not being God's plan for me, any of the proceeds from my dog breeding will go to help orphans in some way. These children are God's precious children and He wants us to be His hands and feet and reach out to them. I have been reading MANY books on adoption and God's heart for "the least of these." Here are some verses that I have memorized recently that show God's loving heart for the needy.

Matthew 25:34-40

"Then the king will say to those on His right, Come you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink: I was a stranger and you invited me in; naked, and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will Him, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see you a stranger, and invite you in, or naked, and clothe you? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to you? The King will answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me."

Psalm 68:5-6

"A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation. He sets the solitary in families, he brings out those who are bound into prosperity."

Deuteronomy 10:18

"He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing."

Deuteronomy 24: 17-22

" You shall not pervert the justice due an alien of an orphan, nor take a widows garmet in pledge. But, you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and that the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing. When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back and get it, it shall be for the alien, for the orphan and for the widow, in order that the Lord you God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again, it shall be for the alien, for the orphan and for the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again ; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan and for the widow. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt ; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing."

Can you see through these verses (there are lots more:) how much God cares about the needy? Anyway, sorry for the LONG post. :) All this to say, that is where my heart is right now, and I am so grateful to my parents for allowing me to pursue this dream that God has given me!

I am very thankful that 5 of the 9 puppies from Chloe's litter of puppies are already pre-sold. If you would like to see more adorable pictures of the puppies you can visit my website at: http://www.purejoy.web.officelive.com/. I am constantly updating it with new pictures . . . and videos! (Daddy just taught me how to post videos on my website . . . EXCITING!)

Thanks so much for following along with me on this journey!

I love you all,

Valerie

P.S. The name "Pure Joy" came to Mommy and I in thinking of both the James 1:27 verse "Pure . . .religion . . ." and also the delight to our family of having a new bundle of "joy" to love! To others, it might mean that a new lab puppy would be "pure joy" . . . and that works for us too :- )

February 16th Snow!

This is how it looked yesterday as we left home for our afternoon of lessons and errands!

Everywhere That Lydia Went . . .

. . . the lamb was sure to go!

Our Surprise Today!

Missy, our second chocolate lab, was bred in December,

but she never really looked pregnant,

so we figured it didn't take this time.

Today, we were surprised to find out she actually was pregnant . . . with three pups!

Also, on the farm, we've had a few more lambs born . . . for a sub-total of five so far!
Below are some current photos of our yellow lab's nine puppies.
They will be three weeks old on Wednesday!
Three of them are sold already!