Enigma I be

Admittedly, I am a strange person.

I love pretty dresses, tea parties and whatnot; but on the other side of things, I am completely at ease when, ahem, butchering animals.

On my bed you would find an array of books with titles ranging from, 'Mrs. Dunwoody's guide to homemaking', to Joel Salatin's book, 'Holy Cows and Hog Heaven'. The librarians have given up trying to figure me out. ;)

If I had to choose between a day shopping in town, and a day spent at home working in the barn, I would probably choose to stay home.

I call myself old fashioned, yet I have an MP3.

My idea of a fun day is to stay home, clean the barn, trim goat hooves, stack hay and shovel compost onto the garden.

People ask me what kind of music I like. My answer? Good music. I've never cared for bad music, but I do like good music. ;D I like variety. A little bit of classical, a bit of Celtic, some bluegrass, some Hammered Dulcimer, throw in a wee bit 'o' Josh Groban, and voila! You're lookin' at my mish mash of tastes.

The smell of coffee makes me nauseous. (my family is sure that there was a mix up at the hospital)

As much as I like pretty skirts and dresses, nine out of ten times, you will find me in a faded denim skirt, simple t-shirt, and a horrendous--looking green sweater (it's comfy, what can I say!).

I think it would be fun to have an emu! (what I would do with said emu, I have no idea.)

I don't really care for movies, yet can do quote after quote from various films with my sisters.

I love gardening, and my best crop every year is weeds. Hmm.

I like "eating healthy", but I also really like making chocolate truffles. ;)

So there! Now you know the truth! I am a strange character. But then, what a boring existence this life would be if people weren't strange in some way or another....

~Caitlyn

The joys of cell phones...?

Yes, I do have a cell phone. ;) I know how to call people on it, but that's all. If I need to turn it on or off, or have it recharged, I usually have to find someone in the family to help me out.

The interesting part about this cell phone is that #1, it has a Mississippi number, and #2, it's my brother's old phone. I never get any calls on that phone that are for me; they're either Chris's friends who haven't gotten the memo about his new phone, or it's a wrong number from a Mississippi resident, which is what happened one day....

Upon answering my phone, I was greeted by the sound of a woman with a southern drawl saying, "Hi Caitlyn, (I always give my name when answering the phone) My name is Officer so-and-so from the police station and I'm wondering if you could call your friend Colton and ask him to move his car."

Bewildered, as I had absolutely no idea what this lady was talking about, I stammered that I didn't understand (have I ever mentioned that I don't like phone calls!?).

She tried again, "Your friend, Colton, needs to park his car somewhere else and he gave your number as a contact, so I'm wonderin' if you could call him real quick."

My sense of humor had caught up with me by this time, as I realized that she must think that I lived in Mississippi, and this person whoever he was, had obviously given a wrong number. Trying not to laugh, I told the lady that I knew no one by that name and that I think she had the wrong number.

Those police officers don't give up easily!! She doggedly replied, "Ain't he your friend? 'Cause he gave this number as a contact number."

"No Ma'am, I know of no one by that name."

"But ain't he your friend?"

"No Ma'am."

"But he gave me this number as a contact."

How does on answer to that!? This cycle continued a few more times. She wouldn't take 'no' for an answer! Half frustrated, and half wanting to laugh hysterically, I finally said, "Okay, I'll call him."

It probably wasn't the best way to end that crazy cycle, and who knows what happened to that person's car, but the officer finally let me go after that!! And yes, I laughed until my sides hurt after I hung up.

I do not like phone calls.... ;)

~Caitlyn

Hello? Anybody out there?

You know that it's been awhile since you last blogged, when you have to sit a moment and try and remember what your blog password is. :-/ Ooops.

So what hast kept me so busy lately that has made me shamefully neglect you faithful blog readers? I dunno'. ;)

Life is busy! I know, that's a poor excuse seeing as everyone's busy and many people still manage to keep their blog updated, but I'm afraid that's my top excuse.

I'm still trying my best to get my 30'x50' garden covered with as much mulch as possible. I didn't realize just how big my garden was, until I began trying to cover it.... It's undecided yet if I will be gardening next year or not; I would love to, but I don't know if I will have the funds or time. I've toyed with the thought of joining a CSA for the year and bartering services. I'd get fresh veggies, and they would get pasture raised chicken, turkey and/or rabbit. But right now it's still just a thought.

My Jersey heifer is huge! Standing up to my waist and somewhere around 100 lbs. She is adorable and she knows it! She's still on the bottle, and still getting three feedings per day, which keeps me at home (much to my delight!). I'm hoping to keep her on the bottle until she's 6 months old, which will be interesting.... My left side is pretty bruised due to her bunting at the bottle very hard, but hey, bruises eventually go away. And they are worth it; Poppy is the sweetest little thing! A lot of times, I'll just go outside and lean into her soft, fuzzy neck and enjoy some "cow time". ;) She's a good listener.

Goat wise, I still have Ivy and Capri, as well as having a newcomer named Heidi. All three are pregnant, with Heidi due around February 25th, Ivy is due around April 21st, and Capri is due sometime around May 9th. I am SOOOO EXCITED to have little goat kids again!! I can't wait to see their floppy ears that they will trip over, and hear their little 'Maaaas', and watch them race around the pasture with their mamas. :) Sigh....

Spinning has been pretty slow, which is NICE. I kinda' burned out in the summer, trying to finish up a big order and am now trying to get back to spinning for myself (yes I know, I'm so selfish).

I'm also busy doing school. Or does one call it college? Or maybe just further learning? Well, call it what you want it, but I'm doing a home course on herbal family care. The study course has been very in depth, and I am learning a HUGE amount! Many of you know that I had wanted to try for a degree in the veterinary field, but the Lord very firmly closed that door and I am now seeing His purpose for that. I am so happy and blessed to get to stay at home while still continuing my education!! :D

So, life's been all sunshine and roses for me, right? Ummmm, well maybe exclude the sunshine. ;) December has hit, and with it has come the annual puddles, the flooded feed stall in the barn, finding out too late that one of my rain boots has a crack in it (guess how I found THAT out!) and remembering what a Southern winter is like. It's funny, I don't even think about it when I say "Ya'll", "Ain't" or comment on what wet winters one gets in Oregon, but people almost instantly will ask if I used to live in the South. I just reply, "Yep." ;) I guess I do use the word "ya'll" a lot....

Christmas is coming!! I know exactly what I want to do for each family member, and haven't gotten one single thing accomplished. And Christmas is 15 days away.... Yes, I am a procrastinator. ;D

I am really hoping to raise meat chickens next year, as well as getting some turkeys, ducks, and more laying pullets too. But we'll see where the Lord leads. My rabbits are all doing well; I have two does right now and am hoping to start having some babies hopping around the place in a couple months. If all goes according to the plan (read: hare-brained scheme), these will be sold to some local restaurants, but then, when do things ever go "according to the plan"? Keeps life interesting I guess. :)

Hmmmm, what else?

I tried getting our farm 'Certified Naturally Grown' a couple months ago, and still haven't heard if I'll get the certification or be denied, so I'm in the "hurry up and wait" stage. I have a hunch that we won't be certified since our neighbor sprays his fields and we inevitably get some drift from that. :-/

You can find our farm listing at www.localharvest.org !! I am so excited!

Think, think, think.... What else....

Well, I think that must be the jist of things! I can't think of anything else! I'll try to be better about updating more often; I can see by my ClusterMap that I have a lot of visitors here. Thank you all my readers!! :D :D

~Caitlyn

Today, two years ago....

I suppose that it may seem odd that I remember what I was doing today, two years ago. But Nov. 15th will be a day that I will probably remember for a while yet.

And what was I doing today, two years ago at this time (6:30 as I type)?

I was laying on a hospital bed in the ER, with dirt streaked across my face, as I watched a doctor and a nurse try to pull my broken and dislocated wrist back into place.

I was on my way to milk the goats this morning as I remembered this "anniversary". For those who are new here and have no idea what I'm jabbering about.... We used to board a couple of horses, and one day, while riding bareback and double with my sister Emily, our mount (Quarter horse named 'Peaches' for those who care) suddenly spooked and threw us both off. Emily was fine except for some bruising; unfortunately, I instinctively stuck my left hand out as I fell and the next thing I knew there was a loud "POP"! and I felt a searing pain in my arm.

The impact of the fall shoved my radius and ulna bones (I had to ask a friend what those bones were called, I just call 'em the "arm bones" ;D) onto my hand, resulting in a very grotesque look. ;)

Long story short: Entirely too much pain, I had a cast for 2 1/2 months, did therapy for 2 more months, and to this day, my wrist still gives me occasional pain if I use it too much. :-/

But I did get back on the horse! ;D And to be honest, I miss riding. I guess time heals the wounds and the memory, for I still get the itch to ride....

~Caity

I did it....

I feel like a criminal right now.

I dehorned my calf today.

A dear friend lent me her dehorning supplies, but I didn't want the supplies unless she was included in the deal!! ;) I know how to dehorn animals with the 'dehorning iron' and that's not so bad; it stinks of burnt hair and the animals scream, but once it's done, it's done. This time, I was using dehorning paste, which I have never done, so I wheedled and pleaded with my friend to come and help me do this.

For those who are not familiar with using paste to dehorn an animal, the paste is extremely caustic and slowly burns away the horn, but you have to put it on before the horns emerge, so the paste burns through skin and then the horn. Ouch.

So with fear and trembling, my friend and I tied dear Poppy up and went to work.

Alas, since this was my first time, I was too slow! Poppy began to feel the burn before I had finished the second horn bud, so our dehorning erupted into a rodeo! I don't even remember most of what happened, all I remember is my friend trying to keep her still while I put the paste on bare handed (gloves got paste on 'em) and then my turn holding Poppy still while she (friend, that is) began frantically wrapping duct tape around Poppy's head, so that none of the paste would rub off.

We put Poppy into a small stall, where she wouldn't hurt herself, and watched as she thrashed and flailed in pain, trying to get the burn to stop. Thankfully, after maybe ten minutes she calmed down and dozed off....

Whew! Did I mention that I prefer the iron over the paste!? ;) Of course, it wasn't until after we were done that I had the lightbulb idea of "We should have put her in the milking stanchion!" Why didn't I think of that before? So, lesson learned: if you have a goat stanchion, use it!!

This is my poor girlie with her duct tape "helmet" on. Very stylish, don't you think? ;)

I haven't checked to see if the paste worked yet. I sure hope so, or else we'll have to do everything all over again...

~Caitlyn

Lost another one

Aw shucks, I'm feeling downright lonely around here now.

At long last, Emily got her own blog.

I must admit that her blog is cute though! You can check it out HERE.

~Caitlyn

Wordless Wednesday: Boots

Emily has been busy at her work....

~Caitlyn

At it again...

Just know that I am a farm girl.

And I'm at it again.

Mom and dad gave me permission to try again and get our little farm up and running, so I have been very busy working on just that!

Change number one started when I was at the annual Flock and Fiber Festival with my friends.... And saw an adorable rabbit.... To make a long story short, I saw a gorgeous Champagne D' Argent doe, who had excellent conformation, I haggled the price down to what I could afford and brought the poor thing home in a cardboard box. Don't ever take me shopping where there might be animals for sale. I would've brought a sheep home too, but there wasn't any room in the back of the van.... Next time maybe. ;)

Second half of that story is that when I first saw the rabbit, the area was crowded with people, The owner and I could barely hear each other because it was so loud and I was constantly being jostled while looking the rabbit over. I didn't do a thorough check, basically just looked at its conformation and whatnot. It wasn't until I got home that I did a very thorough check and found out that I just became the new owner of a lovely buck, and not a doe! I still have the goofy fellow, as the previous owners live over 5 hours away. Apparently they got mixed up about which rabbit was their doe and which was their buck. Oh well, he really is a nice buck; I wouldn't mind taking him to a show or two someday....

Change #2. We got chickies again!!

20 Deleware pullets to be exact. :D I chose these birds so that we could breed them with a Rhode Island Red rooster, and the resulting chicks will be sex-linked, meaning the males with be white and females will be red.

And change #3? Okay, this has been the biggest thing of all. After many months of praying, searching, learning, making phone calls, etc... Today, I became the new owner of a 14 day old Jersey heifer!!!

Isn't she sweet!?

I haven't decided on a name yet, but I'm thinking maybe 'Poppy'. ;)

She is such a sweetheart too. :) At first I was worried about how the goats would take to having a newcomer in their pasture, but thankfully they are fine with her around. :D

[sigh] I love bein' a farm girl....

~Caitlyn

Jes' bein' me

I couldn't resist the temptation of sharing this picture with y'all. ;)

The below picture is of me holding a baby Gopher Snake. Isn't it pretty? Okay, so I'm probably the only one who thinks so....

For some reason, I've always had a fascination with reptiles and amphibians. :)

~Caitlyn

Why don't they get it!?!?

I'll say it in public. USDA drives me crazy. These people just don't get it; we small farmers are not out to kill off the population by selling clean, fresh raw milk and unwashed eggs, like the government believes us to be. We know what's good. What's fit to eat. What builds health rather than utterly destroying it like factory foods do. Why on earth does FDA and USDA think that it's healthier to eat beef cattle that have been fattened on chicken manure, than it is to eat grass fed beef cattle that have never known what stress is? Why is it better to drink pasteurized milk from cows that are so pumped full of hormones and antibiotics that they rarely live to the age of five, than it is to drink raw milk from happy healthy cows (and goats!) that spend their day in a grassy pasture and are looked after very carefully?

I found This you-tube, about a Wisconsin farm raid, off a friend's blog and decided to put it here too. I love the background music: 'America the Beautiful'. Ain't we proud to live in a country where we aren't allowed to sell real food? I tried putting the video on my blog, but the whole screen wasn't showing. Sorry about that.

~ Caitlyn

P.S. I really am going to post about what's been going on around here! I'm waitin' for one more thing to get here before I blog.

Finished!!!

I did it. After 6 months of work, I finished a bag of fiber that someone sent me.

Normally, it would not take me this long to finish a project, but the fiber was baby Suri alpaca, which involves high twist, careful handling and slow, steady movements to create a lovely yarn that has incredible drape, luster and feel.

I got a total of 10 skeins from this fleece, which is pretty decent. Total yardage is somewhere around 1,200 yards.

And boy does it feel good to have finally finished this fleece! :)

Now, to go do the other two bags of Suri alpaca that are still upstairs....

Stay tuned to find out what else has been going on around here! With luck, I will do another post on Monday!

~Caitlyn

Lovely rain....

I like rain...

I suppose that's a good thing, seeing as I live in a very rainy state. ;)

I was outside a few minutes ago, gathering some plantain and enjoying the wet. While out there, I couldn't help but think back to when we were still boarding horses...

My favorite time to ride was when it was raining. I would grab a lead rope and then simply hop onto the Quarter horse named 'Peaches' that we were boarding. Peaches enjoyed the rain as well, so off we went! A drenched girl upon a drenched horse, moving in sync beneath the falling raindrops...

Sometimes, I didn't even bother to use a lead rope around her neck; She chose where to go and at what pace. She new the ground better than I did; on dryer areas she would move into a graceful trot and then go back to a walk in the wetter parts. I merely sat atop her, enjoying the ride... Now we trot, then back to a walk; stop to shake off some of the water; try a lope? Ooops! Too wet, back to the walk we go. She eventually stops, my ride is over. No hassle of un-tacking her, no walking her to cool her down, I just slide off and walk away.... Until the next rain, Peaches.

Being outside this evening, made me miss having horses around. There is just something irresistible about riding in the rain...

~Caitlyn

Only One

I am only one,

But I am one,

I cannot do everything,

But I can do something.

What I can do I ought to do;

And what I ought to do

By the grace of God I will do.

~Anonymous~

How has the Lord been working in your life lately?

~Caitlyn

A disgustingly fun day

Some may say that my friend and I are devoid of common sense. Others may say that we are crazy. But to my friend and I? Well, it may be all of the above, but at least we're having fun... ;)

Both of us being herb nuts, we eventually had to try using an herb that brings mixed thoughts the the public: Henna.

When most people think of this herb, it's usually not thought of in a good way. My friend and I use it in a blend for our hair. Henna is a colorant, but not exactly a dye; It doesn't change your hair color, it instead brings out undertones that you already have. You can get a rainbow of shades from the plant everything from neutral to almost black, but again, these are shades to use for hair color that you already have. It's also really nice that it isn't permanent; it lasts about a month before you are once more back to your original shade. I love using it, not only for it's coloring abilities, but because it leaves your hair so shiny that when you're in the sunlight it shimmers brilliantly! :D

But there's a catch. In order to use it in your hair, you have to make a sludge that, I'm sorry to say, resembles a cow pie very well. :-/

So my friend and I began! Unfortunately, there were three cameras documenting everything from start to finish.... ;)

Here we are, mixing up our "sludge". ;D This is a mix of horsetail (the herb!), oat straw (yup, same thing that you find in a barn), stinging nettle (see! It has a use!), cinnamon and of course, henna. Our liquid ingredients included olive oil, eggs and black tea.

Applying henna is the funniest thing. We (I had sisters and another friend watching) were all laughing so hard because we looked so comical! We do it outside as it is a very messy process.

You just have to wrestle your victim to the ground (Ooops! I meant to say "politely ask them to lay down ;D) Get a nice disgusting handful of your mixture and start rubbing it in! Yes, it is as gross as it looks. ;)

After it is completely rubbed in, and your head feels ten pounds heavier that when you began, you have to stay "turbaned" for 1 to 2 hours.

Oh dear, then it was my turn. By the look on my friends face, I figured I was in for it (and I was). To keep a teeny shred of dignity, I threw a towel over my face. With three cameras clicking, I really didn't care to be their sole object of interest. ;D

Yummy....

We kept our lovely up-does in for about an hour, then began the next step. Rinsing. We've learned that the best way to get henna out is to just grab a hose and start washing. You can kind of see in the picture my "new" hair color (blue shirt). My hair used to be a dark brown, now it's got a lovely mahogany tone to it.

And sure enough, when our hair dried, we were rewarded with shimmery, soft beautiful hair.

As disgusting as the process is, my friend and I love doing this to each other, and can't wait until next time....

~Caitlyn

Well THAT was unexpected!

While upstairs this afternoon, I was suddenly called down by mom and Megan who were urgently telling me (and all who were upstairs as well) to hurry. Upon getting to the kitchen I looked out the window that views the porch and saw....

A huge, fluffy black dog that didn't belong to us! "Where on earth did he come from!?" But none of us could identify him. He looked quite comical; lolling on our porch as if he had always belonged there. :)

He turned out to be a very friendly fellow and our dog Copper was ecstatic to have a playmate. But alas! He had a collar; so we had to phone the owners and tell them that we was here. As it turns out, he lives just up the road from us. :)

Quite fittingly, his name was Bear. ;D I'm thinking he is perhaps a chow chow/ lab cross? He's got a very blue tongue, which hints to his chow chow ancestry.

I admit, when I got called down I was expecting to see a squirrel or something; I never expected a dog!! ;D

~Caitlyn

Things that go bump in the night

Now, I am not afraid of the dark.

I usually enjoy it.

It's noises in the dark that scare me.

Upon closing up the barn and returning to the house, I heard something rustling around near our creek that borders our property. Knowing full well that my dog was snoring inside, and that what I was hearing could in no way be a deer, I froze in my tracks as I listened to twigs cracking, and water splashing as something crossed the creek.

I really, really don't like noises in the dark.

I hurried into the house, only to be greeted by mom asking me if I could pop back out and get some catnip to make some tea.

Outside? In the dark? All the way to my herb garden? fifty feet away from the creek? Oh corks...

My herb garden had never seemed so far away as I cautiously crept back into the inky dusk. I tried to tell myself that it was probably just a raccoon, beaver, nutria or a Bigfoot, but I couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched....

My courage finally failed (did I mention I don't like noises in the dark?) and as soon as I grabbed a handful of catnip I hightailed it back to the house. Mr. Bigfoot could have the creek to himself.

Moral of the story? Get needed plant BEFORE it gets dark, and if it's already dark, SEND SOMEONE ELSE!

I really, really don't like noises in the dark.... ;)

~Caitlyn

Music to my ears....

I awoke this morning, to the wonderful noise of a tractor rumbling past our house. :)

I love that noise.... 'Tis music to my ears. Forget Mozart or Bach, I'll take the melody of a tractor any day...

I also love seeing the combines out in the wheat fields, harvesting the crops. They make me think of great, lumbering beetles. ;)

So, how has your summer been?

~Caitlyn

They say you learn one new thing every day....

And today I was informed by a younger sibling that:

Cheese is a fruit.

There! my education is now completed! Imagine what struggles in life might have arisen had I not known that cheese was a fruit!

~Caitlyn

Sisterly Affection?

Emily and I learned something today.

Bush beans, fresh from the garden, will stick to clothing when someone throws one at you.

Sisters can be dangerous....

Especially when in the kitchen with a huge bowl filled with fresh beans.

I can't even tell you how it started, but before I knew it, I found a long, skinny bean sticking to my shirt and a certain sister trying to pull the "ever-so-innocent" look. being the very mature older sister that I am, I, uh--well-- that is to say-- retaliated! ;)

Maturity went to the wind as Emily and I pelted each other with the poor vegetables. Laughing, throwing, feeling ridiculous, the war waged on.

Let's just say that after a few minutes, I ended up stalking, er, walking off, with seven green beans sticking to my shirt.

She may have won the battle, but I'll yet win the war.....

Sisters are so fun! ;D

~Caitlyn

Day #7

Five things I couldn't possibly live without.

Meg has been having fun teasing me about my five choices. Her guesses were: my spinning wheel, yarn, knitting needles, tea and my library card. She was close. ;D

Drumroll please!

1. Laughter. What can I say? I live in a big family, and I have goats. My sense of humor is well developed and almost everything makes me laugh; or at least smile. "Love life, live, laugh" is sorta' my motto. ;)

2. My goats. They are such goofy, sweet, loyal, patience testing creatures. I can't imagine life without them!

3. Lavender. What's life without lavender?

4. My spinning wheel. Megan guessed right on that one!

5. Small Farmer's Journal Magazine!! I absolutely love this magazine and can't possible imagine life without it!

Voila! Five material things I couldn't possible live without.... Does laughter count as a "thing"....?

~Caitlyn

Day #6

It's taken me days to think of a moment that I would want to relive.

It's not that there weren't any times I wouldn't want to redo; it was that there were too many! How on earth do I choose just one! :-/

But in the end, I decided that if I could relive one single moment, that moment would be have to be a whole day. The day I spent shadowing at a vet clinic. :)

Now THAT was a fun day! The staff was friendly, it was a busy day, and I was amongst people who loved the same things I do: animals, and helping them. :)

I still chuckle when I think about the Irish Wolfhound puppy that we had to haul onto the x-ray table. It stood higher than my waist! Oh, and then there was the overweight, heavily pregnant, St. Bernard that also needed to somehow get onto that x-ray table. Took four people for that one... ;)

I remember the sweet little Belgian Malinois puppies that came in to have their dew claws removed. I wanted to hold one sooooo bad, but was too shy to ask! Finally, after five minutes of agony, I hesitantly asked to hold one. The owner was delighted that I liked her puppies, and quickly gave me three puppies to hold! ;D

So there, one moment to relive. That of being at a vet clinic....

~Caitlyn

Day #4 and #5

Well, I don't watch TV, so I can't really give a favorite television program.

But I do have favorite quotes! I think these are my top three favorites:

"Do not part with your dreams or aspirations. For when they are gone, you will still exist, but you will have ceased to live."

"The purpose of life is to grow. The nature of life is to change. The challenge of life is to overcome. The essence of life is to care. The opportunity of life is to serve. The secret of life is to dare. The beauty of life is to give. the joy of life is to love.

~William Ward~

"My dear friend, when will you learn that being normal is not always a virtue? It sometimes denotes a lack of courage."

The last one makes me laugh. ;D

~Caitlyn

Gone!

So there is something that I haven't mentioned on here.... Even thought it happened about a month ago.

My alpacas are gone! :-/

"What! Where did they go!?"

Let's go back to the very beginning...

I started out with two alpacas. Mia and Marina. That was really all I wanted, just a couple fiber animals. But Mia starting acting aggressive, so the former owners brought two more alpacas, Salinda and Altimira.

As you know, Sayla and Mira (plus baby Tumnus) went back, as we needed room for our dairy goats. And it happened all over again. Mia started being aggressive again.

I told myself to just "wait it out", hoping Mia would get over being without a herd, but no go. I gave her a month but she eventually became so aggressive that I couldn't even get into the barn to milk the goats! I remember one night, I needed to milk the goats, but Mia wouldn't let me in, so she and I stood glaring at each other (it's pretty impressive, seeing an alpaca glare) from across the fence.

Barn chores were a nightmare. Some people said just let her know who's boss and she'll calm down. Uh-huh. You try telling that to an animal that can spit 30 feet with deadly accuracy and then we'll talk.

Thankfully, the former owners were happy to take her and Marina back. So I am now once more without alpacas.... :-/

I like goats. Goats don't spit...

~Caitlyn

It's all coming together

I love watching how the Lord moves and works in our lives. It's so fun to watch how, when the timing is right, everything just falls into place. For example:

I've been spinning for almost four years now, and have always had an interest in learning to weave. But there was a problem: I didn't have a loom. If you've ever seen loom prices you know what I'm talking about when I say that they are expensive. So for three years I've been hunting around on Craigslist, hoping someone might have a cheap loom for sale.

Then the ball began to roll. Around the end of June, I found an ad that merely said: "16 heddle floor loom. Very large. If you can come and get it, you can have it for free."

After some phone calls, e-mails and some talking with dad, it was agreed. We would go and take a look at it.

As it turns out, the people lived almost two hours away, but it was worth it! It took us what seemed like forever to get it out of the house and into our van because it was so big and we almost had to leave it behind because we couldn't fit it into the van, despite the fact that it was dismantled! But it did eventually go in. :)

Since I was so new to weaving, I really had no idea if everything was there or not so I had a friend come out and give me her opinion on it. She loved it! Everything was there, there were extra pieces, it was in beautiful condition, and it was very well made. :D We did find one little piece that needed to be replaced but I found the needed piece online and will be ordering it soon.

So without further ado.... My loom.

Does it look like a jumbled mess of wood and wire? That's what I thought too, when I first got it. I wasn't sure at first how easy it would be to use it, as it has 18 peddles (16 harnesses, 18 peddles), a beginner's loom usually has a maximum of four peddles! But my friend assured me that this one will last me a lifetime.

So, I have the loom. But I'm learning that it's like buying a horse. The loom is only the beginning! But once again, the Lord is working all that out. At one of the antique stores we visited the other day, I found some weaving supplies that I needed. Brand new, I would've paid $60 to $80 for these items, I paid a total of $15 for them! :)

I've been given a lot of needed supplies, I've been offered lessons, and my list of needs is getting shorter. :)

Being the silly person I am, I gave my loom a name (although I learned that almost all weavers name their looms and say "she" when speaking about them ;D). She is now known as "Marguerite". ;)

~Caitlyn

Of cupcakes and antique shops

Most peculiar title, I know. Once again, for my birthday, my mom, my sisters, a close friend and I all went to some local antique stores to celebrate my birthday (even if we were a wee bit late)!

What they kept secret though, was that we were also going to visit an adorable cupcake shop while out and about.

"Sweetest Things Cupcakes" was the name of the shop. I had heard of this place, but had never been, so it was a lot of fun. :) It's a small bakery, and as you can guess, their specialty is doing cupcakes; and I mean GOOD cupcakes!! ;D

Our selection of the day...

Oh dear, Emily got a picture of me... :-/

The goody counter....

I loved the decorations! Blue and white with black curlicues. :)

~Caitlyn

Day #2 and #3

As my family tries not to be on the computer on Sunday, I thought I had better do Day # 2 and #3 today.

Day #2 Favorite Movie.

Hmmmm. I'm actually not much of a movie fan, I always prefer to read books. But I do enjoy 'Wizard of Oz'! ;D

I've always liked this movie, since I was little. Not sure why I like it so much though.... ;)

For those readers who know me and my family well, you are already acquainted with what we call "movie speak". For those who don't know us so well.... I learn best by hearing things, and many of my siblings are the same way. This trait can be really good, but it also means that we can see a movie once and be able to say quote after quote from it! :D Emily, dad and I once had a whole conversation while on the way to town, saying lines from different movies! It was hilarious.

Mom once challenged us to see how long we could go without saying a single movie line. I'm sorry to say we got about 10 seconds out, when a certain sibling mischievously quoted: "It's not that it shouldn't be done; it can't be done!" (Quote from 'National treasure). If I remember correctly, that got us all going like a flock of seagulls.... It's in the genes, what can I say? ;D

Day #3 Favorite book. Okay, I draw the line at answering this one! I have far too many favorites. I am a huge bookworm who thinks it terribly cruel of the public library to make 25 the maximum number of books you can check out. I will admit that I have ripped three heavy duty book bags from too many books (one was made of duckcloth too!), and for my birthday, my family gave my one of those plastic crates on wheels that you would find at 'Staples'! I love rolling that thing around in the library!

Alas, for our poor librarians.... They see us coming and they immediately go and get our stacks of books that we have put on hold. When new librarians come, they are told by the more experienced librarians that if anyone with the last name of M**** (Our last name), comes to the desk, to give them ALL of the books that belong to that family. They watch incredulously as we dump our books into the bin and fill it completely.... Very patiently check out the huge stacks that we pile on their desk to check out.... And still love being our librarians! Someone should give them a medal or something.... ;)

~Caitlyn

Day # 1

A favorite song:

This one is actually super hard for me to answer! I am almost always singing something. Either out loud, in my head or perhaps humming a few lines. I like to joke that I have a song for every occasion. :)

But if I really had to choose just one song.... hmmmm.... I think I would probably end up having to choose two songs. A hymn titled: I'll Fly Away (Emily and I sing it as a duet while doing dishes!)

And then a different song called 'Ballad of the Fox hunters'. :)

Milking time is my favorite time to sing, as I can sing without bothering any family members; and the goats don't mind it either! :)

Emily and I love singing together. While doing dishes, while outside, while doing chores, while in the bedroom.... Pretty much anywhere. Hymns tend to be the main choice of songs, but we also enjoy singing celtic folk songs.

~Caitlyn

Because ya'll aren't snoring enough....

A found this list on a friend's blog and thought it might be kind of fun to do too! I figured that if nothing else, if might give ya'll a good excuse for some zzzz's. ;D

Day 1: A favorite song.

Day 2: A favorite movie.

Day 3: A favorite book.

Day 4: A favorite television program.

Day 5: A favorite quote.

Day 6: A moment you wish you could relive.

Day 7: Five things you couldn't possibly live without.

Day 8: A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life.

Day 9: A photo you took.

Day 10: A photo of you taken over ten years ago.

Day 11: A photo of you taken recently.

Day 12: A song that you want played at your wedding(or was played).

Day 13: A guilty pleasure.

Day 14: A vacation you would like to take.

Day 15: A person you admire.

Day 16: A song that makes you cry.

Day 17: An art piece.

Day 18: A time when you felt passionate and alive.

Day 19: A talent of yours.

Day 20: A hobby of yours.

Day 21: Something you know you do differently than most people.

Day 22: A website.

Day 23: A way in which you want to be remembered.

Day 24: A movie no one would expect you to love.

Day 25: A recipe.

Day 26: A childhood memory.

Day 27: A physical feature you love.

Day 28: A scar you have and it's story.

Day 29: Hopes, dreams and plans you have for the next 365 days.

Day 30: A motto or philosophy.

More pictures, as promised!

~Caitlyn

A "Big Grownup"

A few days ago, a little friend of mine came dancing up to me and jubilantly held up four fingers as he said: "Guess what! I'm a grownup now, because I'm this old!" (holding up the four fingers). ;D

Trying valiantly to hide my grin, I asked him if he thought I was a grownup too. When I told him my age (now 18), his eyes grew as round as saucers and his mouth dropped open as he breathed: "Yes, you're a BIG grownup!!" ;D

A BIG grownup, huh? I sure like little kids.... ;)

~Caitlyn

The Bestest Birthday

When you live in a family that has little kids, the word "bestest" really does exist.

Today is my 18th birthday. I feel so blessed to get to be a part of the family that I live in, to live where I do, to have the friends that I have, and to get to share with you a special gift that came today....

This morning, at 6:30 a.m, my new little sister, Audrey Katherine, came into the world!! :D :D

Sorry about the poor picture, the hospital room was quite dim, so Emily was unable to get a good shot of this little girlie. :) But, she is coming home tomorrow, so prepare yourself for a lot of good pictures! :)

I am tickled pink to have another sister! Even more so to get to share birthdays with her! :D

I am blessed...

~Caitlyn