diff --git a/lib/couchrest/mixins/properties.rb b/lib/couchrest/mixins/properties.rb
index a426670..aac1b66 100644
--- a/lib/couchrest/mixins/properties.rb
+++ b/lib/couchrest/mixins/properties.rb
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ module CouchRest
       
       def cast_keys
         return unless self.class.properties
-        # TODO move the argument checking to the cast method for early crashes
         self.class.properties.each do |property|
           next unless property.casted
           key = self.has_key?(property.name) ? property.name : property.name.to_sym
@@ -44,17 +43,19 @@ module CouchRest
             klass = ::CouchRest.constantize(target[0])
             
             self[property.name] = self[key].collect do |value|
-              obj = ( (property.init_method == 'send') && klass == Time) ? Time.parse(value) : klass.send(property.init_method, value)
+              # Auto parse Time objects
+              obj = ( (property.init_method == 'new') && klass == Time) ? Time.parse(value) : klass.send(property.init_method, value)
               obj.casted_by = self if obj.respond_to?(:casted_by)
               obj
             end
           else
-            # Let people use :send as a Time parse arg
-            self[property.name] = if ((property.init_method != 'send') && target == 'Time') 
-              Time.parse(self[property.init_method])
+            # Auto parse Time objects
+            self[property.name] = if ((property.init_method == 'new') && target == 'Time') 
+              self[key].is_a?(String) ? Time.parse(self[key].dup) : self[key]
             else
+              # Let people use :send as a Time parse arg
               klass = ::CouchRest.constantize(target)
-              klass.send(property.init_method, self[property.name])
+              klass.send(property.init_method, self[key])
             end
             self[key].casted_by = self if self[key].respond_to?(:casted_by)
           end
@@ -73,7 +74,7 @@ module CouchRest
           # make sure to use a mutex.
           def define_property(name, options={})
             # check if this property is going to casted
-            options[:casted] = true if options[:cast_as]
+            options[:casted] = options[:cast_as] ? options[:cast_as] : false
             property = CouchRest::Property.new(name, (options.delete(:cast_as) || options.delete(:type)), options)
             create_property_getter(property) 
             create_property_setter(property) unless property.read_only == true
diff --git a/lib/couchrest/more/extended_document.rb b/lib/couchrest/more/extended_document.rb
index e846340..d800ad2 100644
--- a/lib/couchrest/more/extended_document.rb
+++ b/lib/couchrest/more/extended_document.rb
@@ -38,8 +38,8 @@ module CouchRest
     # decent time format by default. See Time#to_json
     def self.timestamps!
       class_eval <<-EOS, __FILE__, __LINE__
-        property(:updated_at, :read_only => true)
-        property(:created_at, :read_only => true)
+        property(:updated_at, :read_only => true, :cast_as => 'Time')
+        property(:created_at, :read_only => true, :cast_as => 'Time')
         
         save_callback :before do |object|
           object['updated_at'] = Time.now
diff --git a/lib/couchrest/more/property.rb b/lib/couchrest/more/property.rb
index 06628de..3bb4e3b 100644
--- a/lib/couchrest/more/property.rb
+++ b/lib/couchrest/more/property.rb
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ module CouchRest
         @alias              = options.delete(:alias)      if options[:alias]
         @default            = options.delete(:default)    if options[:default]
         @casted             = options[:casted] ? true : false
-        @init_method        = options[:send] ? options.delete[:send] : 'new'
+        @init_method        = options[:send] ? options.delete(:send) : 'new'
         @options            = options
       end
     
diff --git a/spec/couchrest/core/model_spec.rb b/spec/couchrest/core/model_spec.rb
index fdad16a..610a862 100644
--- a/spec/couchrest/core/model_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/couchrest/core/model_spec.rb
@@ -852,4 +852,5 @@ describe CouchRest::Model do
       @obj.attachment_url(@attachment_name).should == "#{Basic.database}/#{@obj.id}/#{@attachment_name}"
     end
   end
+  
 end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/spec/couchrest/more/extended_doc_spec.rb b/spec/couchrest/more/extended_doc_spec.rb
index 7096293..c1c10ef 100644
--- a/spec/couchrest/more/extended_doc_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/couchrest/more/extended_doc_spec.rb
@@ -3,15 +3,18 @@ require File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../../spec_helper'
 class WithDefaultValues < CouchRest::ExtendedDocument
   use_database TEST_SERVER.default_database
   property :preset,       :default => {:right => 10, :top_align => false}
-  property :set_by_proc,  :default => Proc.new{Time.now}, :type => 'Time'
+  property :set_by_proc,  :default => Proc.new{Time.now},       :cast_as => 'Time'
+  property :name
+  timestamps!
 end
 
 describe "ExtendedDocument" do
   
+  before(:each) do
+    @obj = WithDefaultValues.new
+  end
+  
   describe "with default" do
-    before(:each) do
-      @obj = WithDefaultValues.new
-    end
     
     it "should have the default value set at initalization" do
       @obj.preset.should == {:right => 10, :top_align => false}
@@ -24,4 +27,36 @@ describe "ExtendedDocument" do
     end
   end
   
+  describe "timestamping" do
+    
+    it "should define the updated_at and created_at getters and set the values" do
+      @obj.save
+      obj = WithDefaultValues.get(@obj.id)
+      obj.created_at.should be_an_instance_of(Time)
+      obj.updated_at.should be_an_instance_of(Time)
+      obj.created_at.to_s.should == @obj.updated_at.to_s
+    end
+    
+  end
+  
+  describe "saving and retrieving" do
+    
+    it "should work fine" do
+      @obj.name = "should be easily saved and retrieved"
+      @obj.save
+      saved_obj = WithDefaultValues.get(@obj.id)
+      saved_obj.should_not be_nil
+    end
+    
+    it "should parse the Time attributes automatically" do
+      @obj.name = "should parse the Time attributes automatically"
+      @obj.set_by_proc.should be_an_instance_of(Time)
+      @obj.save
+      @obj.set_by_proc.should be_an_instance_of(Time)
+      saved_obj = WithDefaultValues.get(@obj.id)
+      saved_obj.set_by_proc.should be_an_instance_of(Time)
+    end
+    
+  end
+  
 end
\ No newline at end of file