Saturday, December 26, 2009

Seasons...

It's been quite some time since I last posted, has it not? It has been a busy season since the post and I needed to take some time off to focus on the tasks and to think. Combining fall cleaning, working on large projects (such as quilts), two holidays, visitors, and the normal everyday life of the Castleburys' (which has somehow become more busy of late... I'm not sure how, but has managed to do it again!) makes for a very interesting time. A time where one has to focus on the important thing - that being ones family and what you can do to help them.

It's been a wonderful time though... I thought I would give you a quick glimpse into the highlights of the past six and a half weeks!!

Feedin' Rex and Meetin' the Cows...
Towards the end of October Mrs. Franco and the kids were able to come visit for a day or so!! We had such a wonderful time with them... I think the highlight, for the kids at least, was going out to Bull Run and feeding the cows as most ALL of the cows are taller than they are!! Or maybe it was building a fort in the woods with Sayre... hmmm, maybe that was it! Bethany posted some pictures from their visit HERE.

Victoria, Haviland, Sawyer, and I - with Bethany in the background and Buck wanting in on it all!
It was a terrific time spent went them; a time of renewing friendships (we don't get to see them very often), a time of good discussions, and a time of working together!! We hope to see them again soon!

Finished!!
As soon as the fall cleaning was finished, Momma and I started working on our quilts. I had bought my quilt top at a yard sale well over a year ago now, and I was oh so anxious to see it completed. It took almost two weeks, as we had guests and other things that needed doing, but it's now finished and draped over the bench inside the back door!!! Oh I love it and am so pleased with how it turned out!

Being goofy...
Sawyer has been our entertainment of late!!! In the above picture he had just gotten knocked into the sink and we were all laughing at him!!! His comment upon being 'rescued' was "Oh, now my pants are wet!" which sent us into even further peals of laughter!! I love his smile... his eyes glow or 'dance' when that smile of his comes out!! Its the sweetest thing ever! Yes, he wears a hat most of the time - it just adds to his cuteness! :o)

Still in the works
Trevor has been working on the chicken coop, every chance he finds, with Sayre's help. The above picture is where the construction is on it right now. They have one full side plus a partial side of the coop to put the siding on, and then they'll move indoors putting in widows and doors, building nest boxes and roosts, and then I'll move the chickens in!!! I can't wait till that day!

The Chicky-y-doos
Speaking of the chickens, we are now getting anywhere from 11 to 13 eggs a day!! Thankfully we have a source that WANTS as many eggs as we can spare, otherwise we'd have a bit of a problem on our hands! :o)
These birds are an absolute blast!!! The ones that fly the fence have become rather bold and are up near the house scratching in the dirt... I have to count the birds each evening just to make sure that everyone is back in. I have to wonder if I don't have chickens laying outside of the pen.

A FIRST for us!
The best and most exciting part of the past few weeks has been the addition of a new calf to my herd of cows!!! She arrived last Sunday evening and is the cutest little thing ever!! She's highly curious and rather energetic for a new calf, I think. I have two more heifers that are due any day which is giving us allot of suspense and anticipation here!! It's going to be so neat to see all three of the calves running around out at Bull Run!

My Family~Winter 2009
In Front left to right: Sawyer, Momma, Me, and Thelma - Trevor's wife
In Back: Sayre, Daddy, Tristan, Trevor, and Collin.


Over these past weeks I've been doing some serious thinking in regards to my blog, and I've come to the conclusion that it is time for me to close this season of my life. There are so many things that I want to learn about or research, projects that I need to do, and new things that I want to delve into; as I've stepped back and looked at this area, the question that has kept coming to my mind is "What would the Lord have me to do during this time of life?". I'm here to serve the Lord by serving my family... this is a time of learning from my Mother... this is the time to learn things that I might not have the time to learn about years down the road... and I could go on.

I do not make this decision lightly; I've prayed about it, talked about it, and thought about it for quite a few weeks. But this is the right thing for me to do. I'll be leaving the blog up, but not posting (well, maybe I'll pop in every so often with a new post, but I'm not going to commit to anything).
I have so very much enjoyed blogging - from getting to know some of my readers through comments they leave all the way down to the encouragement y'all have been to me! It's been a wonderful time!! Than you for making it so!

To all my readers I wish you a Happy New Year! :o)

13 comments:

Ashley Sebo said...

Well, Ashley. I have to say I'll miss your cheery posts, but I'm so glad that you are following the Lord's will!!!

Thank you for the encouragment you have been to me in the past through this blog!! (I'll look forward to your emails even more now!)

I'm so glad your enjoying your herd! As for the "Chick-y-doos", I'm glad they are bringing you so much joy!! Mama and I were impressed with Trevor's Chicken Coop. Looks like it's coming along nicely!!

Have a wonderful evening, Ashley!! Lord bless you!!

Kim said...

You will be missed. I've enjoyed reading your blog. You've been an encouragement to me and I've learned from you. I pray the Lord will continue to bless you as continue to serve Him in what He has called you to do.

Laura said...

I'm going to miss your blog. I've taken a little break myself while I'm going to school. Take care and God bless!

MissLila said...

Ashley,
You're such an encouragement, I really hate to see you quit. But of course you must do what is right for you. You'll be sorely missed!
Miss Lila

Becky said...

Ditto what everyone else has already said! They already said what I had planned to. :)

I will check back now and then to see if you have updated once in a while.

Joy said...

I enjoyed seeing what you've been up to, Ashley! Your quilt looks so pretty!

It was nice to see your family's picture...what a nice family you have! I only have one brother, and his name is Tristan, too! :) Growing up, everyone was constantly commenting on what an unusual name he had, but now it seems to be a bit more common than it was then (my brother is 32 now).

I'll miss checking up on you through your blog, but I admire your willingness to follow the Lord and focus on what He has for you in this season.

May the Lord bless you, Ashley!

Love,
Joy

Ashley said...

Ashley, Thank you so much for your comment!! It was a delight to hear from you, once again!

I would definately say that I'm enjoying both the cows and the chickens! :o) My heifers have been aloof and 'scared' of people from the very beginning, so imagine my delight when I was able to get one of them to take some alfalfa cubes from my hand yesterday!!! Daddy has been working with them, as he gets out there more often than I do, and it's wonderful to see his hard work paying off!!

Thank you, once again, for you comment Ashley!!! I immensely enjoyed it!
~Ashley


Mrs. Melton - I really appreciated hearing what you typed. Thank you for taking the time to put it into words. Thank you also for your prayers...
~Ashley


Laura - Thank you for your comment!
~Ashley


Miss Lila - How good it was to hear from you again! I've been wondering how you're doing... so thank you!

I can remember waaaay back when you first began commenting and how glad I was to hear you enjoyed my posts!! Thank you so much for doing that - it meant so much and I immensely appreciated your encouraging words.
~Ashley


Becky - I suppose everyone else putting your thoughts into words would make it a bit easier to leave a comment!! :o) I had to laugh when I saw that!! :oD

Thank you for all of the comments you have left on my posts these past few months. Your perspective always adds to the fun of the post and makes me grin or laugh!! :o) Thank you for that!
~Ashley


Joy - It was a real treat finding your comment!! I know you're busy, so I appreciate you taking the time to leave one.

Thank you for your kind words about my family! Wow, you have a brother named Tristan as well??! That's neat!! I think his (as in my brothers') name was pretty unusual when he was younger (he'll be 20 in four months) but, like you said, it has become more common in the past few years. My parents gave all of us kids more 'unusual' or uncommon names, which has been really neat! I love hearing what our names mean and why our parents chose them.

Thank you for your kind words, Joy! I'm going to miss seeing your comments...
~Ashley

Anonymous said...

We will miss your blog. Before you go, tell us please about your quilt.
It is beautiful. Did you machine quilt it to the backing? Thanks.

Beth said...

Dear Ashley-
I have mainly "lurked", until now. I wanted to let you know how much I have enjoyed your blog..and that I will miss it. I have two children, teenage daughter and son. I have read through your past posts and have shared your stories with my daughter. Best wishes to you. I will check back occasionally to see if there are updates. I admire you for being able to prioritize so clearly in your life. Sincerely, Beth

Sarah said...

How I loved seeing this post from you, Ashley! I so enjoyed reading through what all you shared and greatly enjoyed each and every one of the special photos. I especially loved the one of you in the back of the suburban with the children . . . I can just imagine how very much they enjoyed that special time with you!

The first photo with the children and Rex is also so nice! It looks like he was enjoying the attention. :) And my! how he’s grown since I bottle-fed him earlier this year!

Once again, your quilt turned out beautifully! Great job!!

Oh that photo of Sawyer in the sink made my heart melt and made me laugh out loud all at once! (Do those two things even go together?!) I’m missing my little buddy!

The chicken coop is coming along very nicely! Your Mom is realizing her dream coop! :) Your chickens are going to be living in style that’s for sure. :) I’m looking forward to seeing it when it’s completed!

And another “once again” . . . how excited I am for you with your new calf! She’s just as cute as cute can be.

It was so nice seeing your all’s new family photo!

As others have mentioned, I will really miss your posts, but I completely understand and admire your decision. Thank you once again for sharing all of this, Ashley . . . this was a beautiful post, and I was encouraged and blessed through reading it. Thank you!

Ashley said...

Anonymous- Thank you for your comment! I really appreciated it!

To answer your question, I found my quilt top at a yard sale a year ago this past September or October and it appears to have many older fabrics in it! I was thrilled to find it, and at such a good price as well!!!
I entertained the idea of hand quilting it as I thought it would add a special touch, but ultimately decided against doing so as it would take so long. So I machine quilted it - I simply sewed 'in the ditch' of the rows and then folded the backing down over the top and sewed it down as well. I'm so pleased with how it turned out!!

Have a wonderful day!
~Ashley



drnurse- Thank you for de-lurking!!! I always enjoy hearing from those who have been reading but not showing themselves! So thank you!

Thank you also for your kind comments...
~Ashley



Sarah- What a comment... what a comment... what a comment!! I really enjoyed it! :o)

Yes, Rex has most certainly grown since you bottle-fed him back in March!! You should see B-Moo... he's HUGE! It's amazing how fast they grow.

I totally understood what you meant about your heart melting yet laughing out loud at the photo of Sawyer!! I think since you know him you can understand a bit more of what's behind that photo!!! His grin says it all!! What a hoot and a blessing he is to all of us!

I'm going to miss seeing your comments Sarah... I'll have to come through here every now and then and re-read them. Your comments have always brightened my day and been a blessing to me. Thank you!

Have a great day!
~Ashley

Anonymous said...

Ashley, Thank you for answering my question about the quilting. You must have machine quilted it very quickly! Good Job. I hope you really enjoy your quilt. Julianne

Anonymous said...

When's the wedding? I'm sure you're very busy with wedding prep. God bless!

Lynn