Something to "Cluck" about!

One of my wonderful friends had two chickens (one hen and one rooster) that needed to be re-homed. 

We already had nine (or so) red hens and one red rooster so I figured they would fit in well! 

It is so nice to walk out to the chicken coop and get some fresh eggs for breakfast! 

Now when we first added these two new chickens the rooster had what you would call "little man" syndrome! He would attack the red rooster (who might I add is twice the size of this guy) for no reason. It was quite comical to watch! The big red rooster would just walk away and occasionally "smack" this little guy on the top of the head as if to say "Bug off!" These new additions to the flock were quite the sight to look at! They make me giggle every time I see them! You see, they don't look like your average chicken... They have a tuft of white feathers on their heads, down their legs and have black skin. Unlike the red hens who are your "normal" looking chicken. 

Rhya is in LOVE with these chickens! Whenever we are outside she points to the coop and says chi chi, thats chicken if you don't know how to fluently speak Rhya! She enjoys gathering the eggs, feeding them crackers and just observing their every move. She also enjoys the other animals as well. This child has NO fear! I don't know if it is a good this or bad... I guess we will find out! 

Here are a few photos to enjoy!

Best Friends ... Maybe???

This post is dedicated to our good friends Jarred and Sarah! Jarred met Sarah the same summer Alan and I met. The joke is that those two guys do everything together. Their first girlfriends became their wives all within the same year! Then to top it off they both had daughters about a year after they were married!!!!! Cool right?!?!?

Sarah and I met when I started to date Alan the summer of 2007. I wasn't sure if we would get along... you see we grew up differently but once we started talking it was easy... I think... She might tell you differently!!!

Our husbands talk everyday... morning, afternoon and night and Sarah and I talk a few times a week! You know your friends when you can ask/tell them ANYTHING!! Yes I'm thinking of you Sarah!!! I feel so blessed to have a friend who feel comfortable asking anything and vice versa. Someone I feel comfortable talking to! 

So do you think Emma and Rhya will someday have the same friendship their parents have??? I think maybe!!! Here are a few cute pictures!!!

Emma about 3-4 months and Rhya 1-2 months

Emma and Rhya LOVED  puffs :)

The girls enjoying a swim together with a little help from their daddies  

Sharing! Rhya's 1st Birthday :)

It's not a real horse but I know where to get one! I can see this pictures in a few years on a real horse!!

Being fairies... with a little wardrobe malfunction :( 

Watching Elmo together!

Reading to each other! How cute!!!!

Rice, Peas and Chicken

Lunch... what to make for lunch... often the question that runs through my mind at about 11:59 in the morning. Does anyone else have that problem? Or is it just the Gerlach side coming out in me... Yes I said it, Gerlach side!!! We have a funny way of procrastinating and then mad rushing to get the job done! Here I am on one of my most famous bunny trails! So back to lunch! So I decided to make rice (easy right) chicken and veggies. It was good! For a last minute idea! Did I mention I was watching what I was eating! Alan is not a big fan but hes coping pretty well with the idea! 

Heres a photo of the final product!

So do you want to hear about something sickening sweet! 

Anita (my sister-in-law) and I decided we were going to embark on a cake decorating adventure! 

We rolled out the fondant and began to put our creativity to work! (I baked the cake ahead of time)

We decided to go with a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing! YUMMMMMMMM!!!!!

I didn't snap any photos during the process (bummer) but lets just say we had a lot of cleaning up to do after we were done! We started at 4 pm and worked until 9pm ish on Tuesday. We then put the finishing touches on the cake the next morning before I headed to family night for Geoffy birthday (Kate's hubby)!!!

Here are a few photos of the cake! 

Getting in shape!

Yippy! I finally have a treadmill! Not your ordinary one either! Its a Nordic track! Lets just say from the info I read online I will burn more calories and build muscle faster with a Nordic track than a regular treadmill! I started on Thursday, walking about 5 minutes everyday. I know its only Saturday but i must tell you all that I am up to seven minutes! Yeah! I am so out of shape its really not funny!

I have also been trying to eat right... less carbs... more greens... etc! So far I'm feeling pretty good but I am going through a sugar withdraw! UGH! Sugar is my weak point. I have substituted honey when I'm in desperate need and that holds me over. It doesn't last terribly long but it gets me through.
I am excited that I actually ate breakfast this morning! I am not a morning eater and I like to graze in the afternoon  so this whole breakfast thing is... well... new for my stomach. I have oats with peaches this morning! Yummy!

On a different note, we were helping my dad clean out the barns at the other farm that is being sold yesterday. Oh... how depressing... and yet a blessing I do think. There won't be that work load that he (my father ) will have to worry about and the cows will be coming to Alan's family farm.
Here are a few pictures I snapped yesterday

Alan talking on his cell while on the job!

PROJECT .......... BARN!!!!!!!

We have been slowly working at remodeling our barn for the last month or so. I shouldn't say slowly because we have to move the family's herd of Red Angus cows here to the Harnish farm! I am so excited to be able to look out my kitchen window and see red cows! Not that the black and white ones aren't pretty... Theres something about seeing your own herd early in the morning when the dew is still on the grass... peaceful and quiet, nursing the newborn calves. Farm life is such a blessing and I wouldn't trade it for anything! Anyway here's me rambling about the cows when I'm to be talking about the barn!! So far the barn is cleaned out, posts for head locks in and now we have to wait for the headlocks to arrive... which will be 2 weeks or so. My father and Alan are building our gates. So far I think they have at least 3 done... After the pens are done for the cows we are going to get stalls ready for the horses!!! Yeah!!! 

 Alan cutting the pipe for the posts

 Rhya making sure everything is done right!!!

Pipes layed out ready to be pounded in!

 Hit rock !!! Explosives would have been a little to much so they resorted to a hand drill...

Pounding the posts!!!

Funny story to enlighten your day!

I decided I was going to take a great adventure to BB's or Ben's Bent and Dent on Friday of last week. I didn't want to go by myself to a new place so I called my friend Sarah and asked if she and Emma would like to join me. She agreed it would be a fun adventure and it would get us and the girls (Emma and Rhya ) out of the house for some quality girl time!!!!

I picked Sarah and Emma up around 10:45 and we headed for BB's.

 

Both of the girls (Emma- 21months, Rhya-18months) were chattering for a little but soon fell fast asleep as we drove. 

DRIVING DRIVING DRIVING... and some more DRIVING!!!! My directions said it was only to take about 20 minutes to get there so we kept driving and talking not realizing how long we had been driving. Like women do! Sarah finally said " For some reason I don't recognize where we are?". We had just pasted a sign that said 4 miles to Maryland!!!! Wow! We pulled up the directions once again on my phone only to realize we were on 

rt 272! Not rt. 222!!!! So we turned around and headed back in the right direction!!! We pulled up to a stop sign and proceeded to turn left when the coast was clear! Not realizing (because it wasn't a very safe intersection and you couldn't see very far to your left) that the coast certainly wasn't clear and I had to mash on the gas pedal just barely escaping an accident! Whew! Poor Sarah (who is 7 months pregnant)! Then a car decided to turn at the last minute and I had to slam on the breaks!!! Whew! Another close call!! 

We finally made it to BB'S after getting lost, two close calls and driving right past the road we needed! 

So all this hassle just to walk around the store... (I didn't know they only took cash or check) so we didn't buy anything! 

What fun morning and I am so thankful for Gods protection!!

My Valentine

Hello everyone!
I decided that since valentines day is just around the corner I am going to write about my valentine.
I will start off with 10 facts you might not know about the love of my life!

1. He snores... period... its funny some days when hes sleeping on the couch and wakes himself up!
2. You CANNOT leave anything food oriented out on the counter because it will NOT be there when you return! I refer to him as my BIG kitchen mouse!
3. ALWAYS call or knock before you stop in... you wont be walking in on something but he does like to walk around in his boxers... I guess its more comfortable...  If I was walking around in my undergarments the reaction would not be the same!
4. Socks! This man has an obsession with socks! He will  go through at least 2 if not 3 pairs in one day!!! I find socks in places I would have never imagined!!!
5. He has a soft spot for Jerbie, our 3 year old cat. He lets her snuggle with him in the evenings and will play with her when Rhya isn't! 
6. He can cook! He is very talented in the kitchen and can make some seriously AWESOME dishes! Ask a few of his friends, they will tell you! 
7. He is very passionate about keeping his word and helping others. There isn't one person I am aware of that he would drop what he was doing to help. 
8. He ran his family's farm since he was 16. He was never a teenager... so to speak... all he knows is hard work and that is why he is where he is today. 
9. He is stronger than any man that I know. When I say stronger I mean mentally and emotionally. You can't even begin to imagine.
10. He is beginning to fall in love with photography. Much to my delight!

My husband came into my life at the right moment and has never left my side. I own everything to my rescuer, my romeo. He saved me from a hurtful and scary situation. I still have nightmares, flashbacks and nervous breakdowns since that summer. I have been healing ever since... He choose me to be his wife. He picked me... I was in love with him to, of course, but sometimes I think we, as women, forget sometimes that our husbands have picked us to be their wives. He picked a girl who had problems, scars and baggage.


I am so blessed to have him as my husband

First Date