Ramblings

Today is a cool cloudy day. As I've been in and out the back door tending to dogs, fetching the laundry in, or just puttering, I have noticed that the leaves are starting to fall, leaving bare looking trees at the edge of the woods. I also noticed this as I drove back from our small town Post Office and was immediately reminded of the cool wintry evenings that are ahead of us. Seeing the trees with their lonely limbs stretched out reminds me of the "quiet solitude" that winter brings... as I step outside in the evenings to observe the stars I am struck with the extense of the Universe and the quiet calm that surrounds me (until a cars passes that is!). I do enjoy winter, although I have to admit that I prefer to stay where it is warm on most days! :o)

"The Shop Off the Back Porch"
Today we once again began toting our laundry out to the shop to be washed. Yesterday "Mr-Fix-It-Man" came to "fix" our new HE washer. It has been sounding like a plane preparing to take off during the spin cycle for sometime now and come to find out the bearing that the drum sits in is bad, so the drum and bearing both have to be replaced (IF I am understanding this right... which I think I am). It's going to be a week or two before he can get the parts and get back out here, so in the meantime we are thanking the Lord for an extra washer AND for a warranty that should cover the fix-it-process! I find it so amazing to see how He orchestrates things and provides for our needs!
Staying on top of the laundry is crucial now...

"Puppy Love"
Sayre brought in three "little" puppies after lunch... what sweet hearts! They tuck their heads up under your arm and go to sleep or, if you hold them just right, will look at you with their sleepy eyes and yaaawn really big.
Sawyer is becoming more and more attached to them with each passing day. He almost cried when I took them back to their Momma earlier.

"Mother & Daughter Shopping"
Momma and I headed out bright and early yesterday morning for the BIG Sale at Hancock's and had a wonderful time together! We got everything that is needed to finish the quilt top in addition to the other things that were needed. There was quite the sale going on... notions, buttons, thread, quilting supplies, ribbon, certain fabrics, etc... was all fifty percent off. Everything we purchased was fifty percent off AND we got an extra ten percent off each and every item at the register! We came out of there elated and ready to go hibernate in the sewing room!

I've been able to make some progress on my Fall/Winter Projects.

"The Cross-Stitch"
I began working on my cross-stitch pattern a week ago last night and quickly realized that I was going to become "hooked" on it! I've been working on it mainly in the evenings but I have also managed to find time during the day to work on a section or two! :o) Cross-stitch is a great thing to do in attempt to use the bits and pieces of sitting to the best advantage; I've been doing it while a movie plays, while a conversation takes place, during the Sunday drives to church or other places (although it can get tricky on some of the bumpier roads!), or during quick get off my feet for a minute. I LOVE it!

"Saw-wa's Blanket"
Sawyer's Christmas present is also in the works! I was able to sew the edges down last week but had to wait till I was able to get floss before I could really begin work on it.
As a side note: Sawyer knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is his!!! He meandered into the dining room last week with it clutched it in his arms and informed me that "this is mine bing bing"! I definitely underestimated his memory. Oh well, maybe if I remove it from the sewing room and keep it out of sight. I wonder if the saying "out of sight, out of mind" is really true... I suppose I'll be finding out real soon!!!

The rest of this afternoon will be spent in the sewing room as I'm working on some cooling cloths and gifts bags for our neighbor. I hope y'all have a terrific afternoon and evening!

Fun Times!

I have just come in from trimming the puppies nails, cuddling with several of them, and giving "Maggie Loo" some attention . They are sweet little butterballs that will melt your heart, so I advise you not to come a visitin' unless you plan on picking out your very own puppy to take home! after they are weaned of course!

Did I mention that there are five boys and three girls? So far it appears that the boys are the larger ones but anymore it's hard to really tell. They have the biggest little paws...

I think the fall colors are peaking this week. The reds are so vibrant, the oranges breathtaking, and the color combinations are simply breathtaking! I could sit and stare at this tree all day long. I bet the trees at bull run are simply spellbinding!

Yesterday afternoon Momma and I took some lettuce starts and some broccoli up to our neighbors, the Ashley's. Mrs. Ashley was at home and was tickled pink to give us the tour of her brand new chicken house and to introduce us to her chickens! She and Momma were just so excited over everything!

Mr. Ashley built the whole thing and did a wonderful job! Mrs. Ashley told us her tale... they had gotten an egg Sunday morning and then one other either Monday night before or Tuesday morning; she had spent most of yesterday out at the coop puttering and coming up with decorating ideas thinking all the while "surely they will lay an egg for me"!

While we were there this one chicken kept disappearing into the coop... and we kept disturbing her by peeking into the nest boxes or opening the coop door! We finally decided to give her some privacy and went to pick apples... all of a sudden "buck, buck, buck, SQUAAAAAAAAAWWWWWCK!" and we knew something serious was gong on! Soon the chicken darted out of the coop and announced to the world that she had done something! Imagine our delight when upon opening the box, there laid a brown egg!

The proud hen paraded around the pen squawking and making chicken noises for a while as we slowly "conversed" our way back to the 'burb.
I do believe Mother's chicken fever has come back in full force; she's looking at book with coop plans in it. Maybe next spring we will be the ones making the hens nervous as we wait for those first eggs!

Fall & Winter Projects

As the days are getting cooler and my major sewing seems to have gotten caught up, my mind turns to the projects that I want to work on this fall and winter.

Projects, such as this, need no longer wait for me to delay in finishing them.

I found a pattern for these mitten ornaments, and several other cute ideas, this time last year and was immediately struck with the potential for them! Mom and I fell in love with the idea and made a trip to Hancock's for supplies. I was able to find wintry type fabric on sale, we already had thread, and since we have a large stash of buttons handy we didn't need to buy any!

I already have quite a few mittens started so I shall work on putting the blanket stitching around the edge and embellishing the mitten itself.
What am I going to use them for? I can see them used as a "garland"-strung across windows or up the stairway, used as decorations on a small tree, or put on gifts. What I like about them is that they are winter decorations not just Christmas.

"In my Sewing Stash"
In my overflowing sewing fabric basket I have some camouflage fleece and two types of decorator fabrics. The camo is Sawyer's Christmas present! Since he enjoys curling up with Sayre's fleece blanket, I figured he would enjoy one of his own. He helped pick it out and he actually sits on it when he's in the sewing room. Last week I told him it was his Christmas present to which he responded "Ohhhhhh, that is so sweet of you Ashy". I'm hoping that he forgets about it in the next two months!!! Anyway, I'll be turning the edges under, sewing them down, and then I'll do a blanket stitch along the edge to give a special touch.
With the decorator fabrics I shall be assembling a purse/tote bag. The white and blue toile will be on the outside while the blue stripe shall be on the inside and possibly the straps (I'm not wild about the stripe, but it was the closest matching fabric I could find).

I also need to start this cross-stitch that I bought earlier this year. I have everything I need other than time to work on it! Maybe I'll finish it by next October!

There are other things that I have down to do...
1) make the curtains for my room.
2) Momma and I want to make a quilt together.
3) I have a skirt and two blouses I need to make in addition to three other skirts that I need to find fabric for.

I do believe that these things will keep my busy until oh, February at the earliest!
Do you have any fun projects planned?

Goings-On

The weather has been cool and you can see the changing colors of the trees more and more each day!

Yesterday was overcast with a little bit of rain, but that didn't stop Daddy, Trevor, and Collin from putting some siding on Trevor's house. Daddy had taken the day off from his "bean counting" in order to meet with the well digger and Trevor had gotten rained out from work, so I'm sure they enjoyed the break from the normal everyday routine. I wish that both Daddy and Trevor could stay home everyday as it makes the day brighter when they are home.

"Trevor's Driveway"
I finally made it over to Bull Run for the first time in several weeks yesterday morning! You would think with it being two miles down the road I would make it over there at least once or twice a week! Anyway, Trevor had gotten his driveway laid out, the dirt tilled up and raked out on each side of it, and grass planted last week! I can't wait to see what it looks like come spring!

"The Siding Begins"
Trevor is patiently awaiting his electrical friends to come out and run the electric, so in the meantime he is working on the siding. I love the way the windows are "framed" as it makes it look neat and trim!

"Sewing Away!"
As some of you may know, I have recently become a part of a group called "Sinfonia" at a local college. We had a concert last night that I needed a black dress for, so I have spent the past few days in the sewing room. Sawyer sits in there with us and has taken to cutting fabric scraps which he says are for Thelma!

"Problems"
Although I had bought fabric for the dress weeks ago, knew what pattern I was going to be using, and realized that I needed to make the dress soon, I somehow forgot about making it until Monday afternoon. I was finally able to begin assembling it on Thursday and as with all projects that you start at the last minute, problems arose! Such as... I accidentally sewed BOTH sleeves onto the wrong side of the bodice (the bodice is lined and I mistook the inside for the outside!); and then, the knob on my machine became stuck and I couldn't wind a bobbin (after much exertion, my Mom and Thelma laughing at me, and quite a few goofy pictures later, it loosened up!)
With Momma and Thelma pitching in the dress was done five minutes before I had to leave! What have I learned from all this? Start a project as soon as the fabric is washed and dried, that way you have plenty of time to finish it!

Now for the Breaking News!!!!!!Maggie had her puppies last night!!!! As of ten o'clock this morning there are eight black and furry pups nestled in the dog house!

"Momma and her babies"
They lay in a giant heap and grunt a squeal when they are disturbed. We can't wait to see what they look like as they get older and I can already foretell a bunch of rambunctious fun that is coming our way!
Have a wonderful weekend!

A Wonderful Weekend!

Oh what a wonderful weekend we had! It all started Friday afternoon, when the Franco's came over for a visit, and then carried through until Sunday! It was a wonderful time with most everyone working around the house!

"The newest member of the animal family"
To begin with, Sayre bought this little guy from Happy Cow! Isn't he cute? He is furry and has a pink nose with a white spot on top which makes it look like his mouth is even further up on his head than it really is!

"Look at his size in relation to Moo Cow"
Believe it or not, this little guy is only several weeks old. Sayre bottle feeds him twice a day and in between times he has access to grain. He and Moo Cow will moo across the field to each other which is so neat to hear!

"Ohhhh, it's another playmate Buck!"
Lila and Buck are doing really well with it. The just want to romp and play with it and I'm sure they would somehow get it into their dog house if they were allowed to do so!

Now, Sayre needs a name for his calf. Does anyone have a suggestion?

"Morning Solitude"
Moo Cow really, really, really likes the calf. When not grazing she can be found over by the little guys' pen keeping him company. She getting also seems to be getting bigger each and every day and Tristan can't wait to move her over to Bull Run!

"Preparing for winter"
On Saturday the garden was pulled up and everything plowed under. After the dirt was all turned over Daddy ran the disc through it and the dirt is nice and dark. There is one lone tomato plant in the middle of the garden that was saved as it is still bearing lots of fruit. Watching Daddy and Collin avoid that was amusing!

"Thing One and Thing Two"
These two acted as if they were on a long vacation Saturday morning! Between randomly chasing each other, pulling monster sticks around the place, chasing soccer balls, and in general acting goofy... I've never seen such weird dogs in my whole life. Of course, we are the Castlebury's! :o) Odd things seem to grow here!

"The Birthday Boy"
Sunday was Sayre's thirteenth birthday and he was the happy recipient of ten Ballantyne books! These might keep him busy for three weeks as he reads non-stop these days.
Sayre is a goofy guy who keeps us all laughing and on our toes as to what he might do next. He has developed a real interest in wildlife and is very gentle with animals.
He's a joy to have around!

"Oh so that's why you wouldn't let me buy this yesterday!"
You should have seen his eyes when he saw this animal trap!

"The Men-Folk"
Left to Right: Daddy, Trevor, Sayre, Tristan, Collin, and Sawyer.

What a wonderful weekend with fall temperatures, colors, and delights! I hope yours' was just as delightful!

Busy, Busy, Busy...

Each time it seems that I am settling back into doing blog posts three times a week, something, or somethings, happen which remind me that I am not the one who is in complete control of my time! I am learning to ask the Lord to direct my day which means if I don't get certain things on my "list" done it's ok. I gave the day to the Lord and there is such satisfaction in ending a day knowing that He allowed me to accomplish what He wanted.

"Momma Dog"
We are still awaiting Maggie's puppies. I gave up on following the "timeline" for an expectant dog I found on the internet; we have no idea how far along she is and per the timeline she's been stuck in the seventh week of gestation for almost two weeks now!!! I'm just keeping an eye on her... Tristan thinks she will whelp by the end of the week, and I wouldn't be surprised if she did.

"The Hunter"
Rifle Season opened last weekend, much to Collin's delight, and he celebrated it by getting two does on our neighbor's land Monday evening!! Hip-Hip-Horaaay!!! He gave one to a friend and kept the other to help fill the freezer. This is just the beginning... we have to wonder what else is in store!

I have to admit that I cannot wait for tomorrow to be over with. I'm spending the morning making three batches of soap (start at nine and get done by noon, hopefully), after lunch I need to practice my horn, make eclairs, work on the things that I didn't get done in the morning, and if I have time I'll go weed my garden. I have a rehearsal at six and a horn lesson following it so I won't get home until after eight. A busy day is ahead, but with the Lord's help I'll do my best.

Of Housebuilding and Gardens

I'm so enjoying these beautiful fall days! Temperatures have hovered in the seventies during the day and getting down into the fifties at night. With the windows open a delightful breeze comes through certain rooms and seems to clear the air! I think fall is my favorite season although spring ranks right up at the top as well!

"The Work Continues"
Trevor's house has begun to look more and more like a house during the past week. They put the tin on half of the roof over the weekend and he spent Monday "puttering" on those small projects that have to be done sometime (like putting a doorknob on the door, filling some holes he accidentally put into the bathtub, etc..)

"Taking a Tour"
On Saturday he gave Momma a tour of the house and showed her where future walls are going to go. He had also made a few changes to the floor plan that he was able to confer with her on.

"Construction Acrobats"
Trevor wanted to see how high he could climb the ladder while keeping it standing up. I'm sure Sayre will be trying this one out sometime soon!

"Of Onions and Zinnias"
I moseyed out to Mommas garden late yesterday afternoon to see how the fall vegetables were doing. Since her garden is inside of a fence she thought that this would be a good place for the veggies as I'm sure "the critters" would get into stuff out in the big garden.

"The Broccoli Patch"
As you can see the plants are HUGE! They aren't quite knee high yet, but compared to how big they were when we got them... well they are monsters now! Several of the plants have heads on them and I am now going to be monitoring their growth; I wonder how big they (the heads)will get?

"The Cauliflower and Brussel Sprout Patch"
You have to pay attention to the "item tags" when you're in this particular patch as everything is huge and "all together". If you aren't paying attention you may mistake the Brussel Sprouts Cauliflower!!
You can also see that the zinnias are still in bloom. All of the flowers are enjoying the cooler weather to their fullest! I simply had to go out and pick some for a centerpiece last evening for they are so cheery looking!

"It has finally Bloomed!"
The roses have gone nuts and are producing beautiful blooms! My little rose bush finally put on some buds and it's happy peachy color brightens my day.

"Mowing"
Even the grass is performing now! We have to mow once a week just so it doesn't begin to look like a jungle out there. Apparently the cow wasn't eating "her" grass fast enough for Tristan had us mow it (at the highest setting mind you) late last week.
I found it highly amusing to watch the cow pen being mowed... MooCow, Lila, and Maggie were all playing mind games over a cantaloupe that someone had thrown out of the garden. Each time the mower got to close whoever was eating it, they would jump up and then as it moved on they would all stare at each other and see who would make the first move! Since the cow doesn't have teeth that grip she couldn't run off with it like the dogs could!! :o)

"Playing Baby Moses"
Momma has been reading Bible stories to Sawyer and we've found them being integrated into our everyday lives. For example, at dinner last night Sawyer started talking about God creating the animals (or something like that. We couldn't understand him very well.). Then this morning he came and got the laundry basket so he could "make a nest" which turned into Momma re-enacting the "Moses story" with him. I became Miriam and had to watch him for a little bit. He is truly a hoot!

"Y'all come back here now, you hear?!"
Ahh yes, we are going to have puppies sometime in the next few weeks! After my initial "oh boy, how on earth are we going to find homes for ten to twelve puppies?", I have to say that I'm really looking forward to this occasion! It will be fun and I know we/I am going to learn allot! Maggie is huge... she's eating a ton... and her personality has become sweeter (she was sweet before but now she's downright lovable). We're all eager to see what kind of a mother she is and if she matures at all.
Does anybody want a puppy?!

Nothing Much..

I cannot believe that today is Wednesday as I keep thinking that it's actually later in the week than it really is! The days have been full of us running here or there, packing orders, keeping up with housework, and enjoying the wonderful weather!

"Having our Devotions"
Sawyer and I don't get to spend early mornings together as Momma likes to get him up and do things with him, but today I finally got my chance! He likes my "wed bing-bing" and always asks to be wrapped up in it when it's around (of course, he does that with Sayre's bing-bing to!). So we spent a little time in my room reading- he talks allot as well but I can deal with that!
He's so sweet...

"Insert what ever your mind thinks of here"
I looked back through "this time last year" pictures a bit ago, and look what I found! Trevor and "the boys" had taken the trash to the convenience center and this is what happened upon arriving at home! Apparently they had lost a barrel or can right before our driveway so Trevor jumped out to get it and instead of getting back inside the truck he just jumped in the back. Tristan was driving and only had his permit at the time so you can imagine the start he had when Trevor began flinging cans, buckets, and barrels in front of him and all over the yard! This is what the place looked like as Daddy drove up! Thank goodness we have an easy-going very laid back Daddy!

I have been instructed to "take it easy" this afternoon which means no laundry, ironing, and housework; I'm supposed to re-cooperate from this nasty cold/virus/whatever it is... I had counted on mowing the yard but I guess I'll have to wait on that! So instead I've been perusing a website in search of gifts ideas so that Momma doesn't have to, I'm working on getting my Lamplighter Christmas list put together, and I've been thinking about Christmas gifts that I can make for my family and friends.
I hope y'all are having a wonderful afternoon!

A Peek Into the Past few Days

As I was downloading pictures from my camera earlier this morning I was wondering what I was going to do today's post on. Nothing earth shattering is going on and life is going by as normally as can be! So, let me share several pictures and maybe you can imagine the rest!

"A Sick Little Boy
A cold is beginning to make its round through my family. Sayre and Sawyer were the first victims but they made the most of it by making nests on the sofa or yellow chair and watching goofy videos like Buster Keaton or Andy Griffith.
Yes, Sawyer wore that look for several hours Friday afternoon! It was quite cute!

"Progress"
Trevor is almost to the point where he can start the plumbing and electrical! Today he is putting the decking boards down on the porch and I do believe that he has the windows in! I can only imagine the sense of satisfaction he has when he steps back and observes what his hard work has done.

"From the Hill"

About halfway up the hill, the trees open up and you can see Trevor's house... it's a wonderful site to see! The camera cannot even begin to capture the picturesque setting; you just have to see it in real life!

"Preparation for the Fence"
Tristan is still digging holes for the wooden corner posts. He's been at it for about four weeks now and I know he anxious to get it done.

"Antics before Sunday Dinner"
Sawyer loves to be roughed up and messed with! He will "come and get you" just so that you will come and get him (which means he gets tickled!).
I think he had been messing with Collin right before he got picked up by his belt!

"Sunday Dinner"
As we walked in the door from church, the smell of Sunday Dinner hit you. Ahhh, Momma had fixed Bar-b-que pork, Green Bean Casserole, Corn, and Iced Tea! Oh, it was wonderful!
Since Momma had kept S&S home from church she had time to make sure that dinner was extra special. Grandma's china was used, candles were lit, and coffee cups were on the table! It felt as if it were Thanksgiving or Chrismas!
We had a wonderful lunch; one that I will remember for quite some time!

"The Boys"
Can anyone tell me what is unique about this picture? It might take some close observing... no, it's not the shoes Sawyer is wearing!