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

Exhausted beyond belief...

I can't sleep... My hubby says its because I worry to much. And hes right, I do worry. I worry about how much money (if any) will be left over at the end of the month, how the cows are doing, when we are brining the horses home, am I being a good wife and mother... etc... I worry but at night I try to let it go. If I find that I start to worry, I pray. That doesn't always help. There are some nights I will fall asleep but wake up multiple times. Then there are others when I just can't fall asleep and when I finally do its like I'm forcing myself to sleep. I wake up with a "tired" head ache almost everyday...

Does anyone know what to do... I don't like to take medicine if I don't have to. Are there teas? Scents? Music???? ANYTHING????? I am desperate for a good nights sleep!!!!!!! 

Onto Rhya... We ( Alan and I ) have decided together to put her into "time-outs" when she gets beyond upset. I don't know if anybody else's children do this but if Rhya doesn't get what she wants, she will SCREAM at the top of her lungs. And her reasoning... well... She gets very upset when she doesn't get to watch a movie when she wants, if she can't turn a book page by herself or even if she thinks she needs to feed Buddy and Jerbie. It is emotionally draining for me as a mother. You might think that I'm handling it just fine and that I am patient but I am telling you there are days when i have to rely on Gods strength to get through. Rhya will throw a fit for anywhere from 5 minutes to 45 minutes... I wonder am I doing this right??? I need her to be obedient... I need her to stop when I say no... I need her to listen... I know its not going to happen overnight and I know that shes young. I was raised in a home where you listened. 

So far Alan and I have been doing these timeouts for about 3 days. Rhya's first timeout lasted 45 minutes, Today she was in a time out and I don't think it lasted more that 5 minutes!! YEAH!!! I think shes getting it!!! 

   Here is what I do for her time out

   I pat her behind, say no and set her on our living room step to sit.
   I tell her she needs to sit (all while shes crying)
   I walk away. Far enough that she can't see me but I can see her.
   I make her sit until she calms down.
When she is calm I ask her if she would like read a book, she usually nods yes and I will read a book to her.
I still want to show her that I'm not a mean mom!! lol!! So far she is learning to control her frustration and channel  it! Yeah!   

A Song To Inspire You

I have recently heard and fell in LOVE with this song by Kutless. 

"Thats what faith can do"

Everybody falls sometimes

Gotta find the strength to rise

From the ashes and make a new beginning

Anyone can feel the ache

You think it’s more than you can take

But you're stronger, stronger than you know

Don’t you give up now

The sun will soon be shining

You gotta face the clouds

To find the silver lining

 I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains

Hope that doesn’t ever end

Even when the sky is falling

I’ve seen miracles just happen

Silent prayers get answered

Broken hearts become brand new

That’s what faith can do

It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard

Impossible is not a word

It’s just a reason for someone not to try

Everybody’s scared to death

When they decide to take that step

Out on the water

It’ll be alright

Life is so much more

Than what your eyes are seeing

You will find your way

If you keep believing

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains

Hope that doesn’t ever end

Even when the sky is falling

I’ve seen miracles just happen

Silent prayers get answered

Broken hearts become brand new

That’s what faith can do

Overcome the odds

Here piggy piggy, Here piggy piggy!!!!!!!!!

Howdy!!!
We have a pig barn, most of you know. The pigs require a lot of attention, hard work and a keen eye.
With Alan's back, we have needed help getting our hog barn ready for the little piggy's coming this month. Our church has been blessed to be working with Karen refugees from Burma/ Thailand (I think?). They are willing to help when and where they can so... They helped us get the barns ready!
It wasn't as difficult communicating as I thought it would be! I was able to point and direct enough plus I lead by example! They did what I did! I had a blast working with and listening to the Karen guys sing!

 Alan was working right along side the guys. Even though he should have been taking it easy. We (Alan and I) strongly believe that we WILL work alongside our helpers, not watch.

 Putting bubble wrap in after we drug in the mats. This helps to keep the heat in for the little pigs.

 Rhya is supervising with Grandpa Wilbur!

The guys also helped split about 2 weeks worth of wood!!! (which is a HUGE pile) They were a BIG help and a blessing!!!

We are training a new worker for the hog barn... Any guesses????

I know this picture isn't great but you get the idea!!!! My big little helper was carrying a 10-15 pound piggy!!!!! She is loving the piggy's and even helps Alan tend them once and a while when I need a break!!!

What are my Pros/Cons on living the farm life?

So I was asked a tricky yet very easy question! What are the pros and cons (for me and my family) of farm living?

I grew up on a farm and wouldn't have it any other way! Yes there are lots of pros and cons but I do feel that the pros do out-way the cons!

I am sorry these photos are out of order but here are a few pictures that will help with the pros of farm life!

Where else do your get one on one photos with a piglet???

Pro: Meet all sorts of animals right from the start! FEAR NOTHING!!!!!

Con: Exposing to different types of germs and piggy's do bite! (only when pushed..)

Or see a dog walking a "pet" Calf???

Pro: Laughter, Discipline, determination and tame food! So far this guy (Romeo) is still getting fat and happy but someday soon he will be making us fat and happy!

Con: You get attached to your "food".

How about meeting your family's herd of beef cattle???

Pro: Being raised with beef cows you learn that each animal has a purpose... That is food or producing food :) Harsh I know but I learned very young that God gave us the privilege to grow these animals for a purpose and that is to feed people :)

Con: Alot of work! You have to feed, water, walk, watch, breed, show, bath, halter break, and sell your animals. With this comes risk of : Being kicked, trampled, bitten, trip to the emergency room, stitches... etc...

This is a precious moment I caught my daughter bonding with one of our old herd cows! They had never seen a "little human" before!

This is my sister and I with "Mama Red" our first red angus beef cow!

Mama red was a gentle, trusting, tame, beautiful and understanding cow. Your probably wondering why I feel this way about this cow... Well... "God protects the young and dumb" a trainer once told me and now I understand. My sister and I enjoyed roaming the pasture for new calves, brushing the cows, and herding them back to the barn. (This meant chasing them nicely!) Most animals wouldn't tolerate that and mama red enjoyed our attention.

The chickens!!! 8-10 hours everyday we spent in the chicken house. EVERYDAY! You cant imagine the strain it was on my mother and father but it needed to be done, and it was a paycheck.

Pro: Learned hard work, discipline and how to enjoy a job even if you didn't like it!

Cons: No Vacation, no breaks, and you begin to hate chickens!!!!

My parents still have chickens but they do not have layers anymore.

Another pro is you have access to different types of animals and lets just say our favorite were the horses! Kate and I enjoyed many days grooming, riding and perfecting our horsemanship techniques!

Who needs a pool and all the upkeep bills when you have a creek to play in!!! Many hours we spent in the creek running through our farm! It was a cheap and easy way to cool off after a long day on the farm!

Here is another list I have put together that doesn't include pictures... though I wish I had some!

• Cons

1. Mud and dirt everywhere!!!!! I can't keep my house clean more than 5 minutes!!!!!
2. Farming is very dangerous. PERIOD... If i listed all the dangers of farming we would be here for a few hours!!! I will give you a few samples of what has happened to me while i grew up, and pregnant... I was trampled by a 500lb steer, kicked many times by cows and steers. Bitten by horses, dogs, cats and cows. Thrown off of a few horses. Body slammed into gates and pinned by a bull. While I was pregnant I was knocked down by the pigs, kicked in the stomach by a calf, slammed belly first into a gate by a cow, head butted by a cow and flipped over a gate to get out of the way of a mad bull! (My blood was pumping then! Whew!)
3. Vacation never happens! My first time to the beach was when I was a freshman in high school! Thats pretty bad!!!! Ever since then it was rare to get a vacation and our family decided that horse-shows were our vacations. Now that I am a hog farmers wife, Alan and I don't get out at all. Our honeymoon was to the Pocanos because we couldn't travel any further due to the hogs starting to go out (the honeymoon was only 4 days long :( )
4. Life doesn't take a break on the farm. There is always something that needs done!

• Pros

1. You can grow your own food. This cuts your grocery bill drastically! We don't need to buy Milk, Eggs, Tomato sauce, Peaches, Pickles, Red Beats, Green Beans, Broccoli, pork, chicken, beef, peppers, celery, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, apple juice, grape juice... etc you get the idea! It is a relief when it snows like it did today!!!!
2. Fresh Air!!! I love the smell of the farm. The freshly plowed soil. The hay drying in the summer sun. The smell of a rain storm. The cool fall breeze drying your laundry! Theres nothing like the country air!
3. Life lessons! You learn a lot of different lessons as you grow up on a farm! I learned how to read animals like others learn how to read music...It is a gift. I can tell you if a cow/ horse is mad or just scared. I can herd a cow where she needs to go without much effort! I laugh at the newbies in the barn who try to herd a cow into a barn and she just runs circles! Its a skill you don't learn overnight!

You learn discipline. You have to get up to feed, water and walk you animals everyday. They can't feed themselves! Even if that means 4 in the morning in order to be ready for school! Through I didn't like the early mornings I did enjoy the quiet time I had with God before my stressful day at school!

Strength. Strength to halter break a steer only to have him get sick and you have to start all over. Strength when you pull a foal from a mare only to find that the foal has a fatal disease and you need to let her go. Strength to shrug off the pricing comments from peers about your attire or how you smelled since you came straight from the barn. Strength to be gentle when an animal is the opposite with you. Strength to show mercy to those you don't get along with.

You learn to be tough... tough skin... You learn to get back on the horse when you've been thrown.

You learn to get back up after you've been trampled and finish your job even if your bleeding or in pain.

4. I can outwork most woman outside, I don't mind getting dirty and the smell... well its life! Who cares!

Thats what showers are for!

5. I believe that if our eyes are open, we can see God everywhere on the farm! From the plants we grow, to

the cows caring for their newborn calves.

I am so blessed to have been raised a farm girl and now a farmers wife! Life couldn't be any sweeter!

I feel that the pros out-way the cons for me! I am in love with the farming lifestyle and would be lost without it!

As a farm mom I am exposing little Rhya to everything! She is already showing a great interest in the horses, pigs and cows! I am so proud of her! I am hoping that I can be the teaching, trusting, understanding, supportive, and merciful mother that my mother and grandmother were to me.

Here are a few amusing pictures!!!

Rhya is helping to planing in the garden (Spring 2010)

Fresh Milk!!!

Me and my show horse mable (Spring 2010)

Rhya helping to wash the tomatoes for the sauce! What a BIG help she was!

Two very important women in our lives! Grammy (Closest to the camera in solid blue) and Aunt Eddie! These two women are some of the hardest working women I have ever worked with!

My Husbands favorite piece of equipment! The combine is to him and the horses are to me!

A nice dip in the creek to cool off after working hard to the garden!!!

You know you married a farmer / Farm girl when you arrive to your wedding reception in a combine!!! What a blessed day that was!

"Hey mom, we're trying to focus here!!!!" I love Rhya's love to ride with her daddy!!! She is her fathers daughter!!!

Clothes drying in the country breeze!

Hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoy creating it!!!!