I know it is still 11 days before Christmas, but I doubt I will be able to get back here to the blog before then. The computer will not be one of my top priorities for the rest of the month.
I will be enjoying time with my friends and family at home and at church for the next couple weeks, celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We have much to look forward to during this season. This weekend we will be putting together the fruit sacks at church to give out in the community and we will be doing some Christmas caroling as we deliver the 75 or so sacks. It was a wonderful blessed time last year. Sunday I am looking forward to a baptism down at the creek after church. What a unique way to celebrate Christmas! We will also be decorating our home next week, when we get time, with a Christmas tree and some simple decorations. Later in the week we will be leaving Pure Water Hollow to visit family in the Cincinnati area for a couple of days and then be back home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I will try to take pictures of our Christmas Eve fireworks and bonfire at the clearing that we traditionally have to celebrate Christ's birth. Hopefully we will have good weather. The week after Christmas we are looking forward to some relaxing time to enjoy the snow (we hope).
If I do not get back over here before 2007, I hope all of you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
1 comment
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CedarCityMom on January 3, 2007 at 7:03 am
Just thought I'd drop a hello and hope all was well for your holidays.
Blessings
Jessica
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Oh What A Tangled Web…
The new live action Charlotte's Web movie is set to open tomorrow. It will likely be a wonderful famliy movie.
Would anyone like to guess why my family will NOT be seeing it?
Here is Wilbur from the movie:
And here is Porky, from our homestead:
I have looked around the barn, and there is no spider willing to offer herself for Porky's salvation…
5 comments
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Athena on December 14, 2006 at 7:59 am
Porky is so cute! I can definitly see why your family will not be going to see the movie. I certainly wouldn't take my kiddle to see it if I had Porky in my backyard.
Maybe when the movie comes out on DVD or something huh?
~Athena
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gokings13 on December 14, 2006 at 8:06 am
Porky is a doll !!!!
I have not seen a review on the movie? Is it bad?
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Purewater on December 14, 2006 at 8:15 am
Everything I have read is that the movie will be very good and family friendly, and we would likely go to it if I did not have a little girl who looks like Fern and a little pig that looks like Wilbur! We are raising Porky for pork.
On the other hand, maybe the movie won't be all that good for those of us trying to get back to the "butchering your own farm animals" type of homesteading life. Might it do for homesteaders what Bambi did for deer hunters in the eyes of the public?
I am glad for the good family movies that they come out with every once in a while.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Catherine Ann on December 15, 2006 at 9:00 am
From the mother of 3 little girlies who at any given moment may break into a song from the "orginal" Charlotte's web….. we're just not cut out to "grow our own bacon" LOL! We still have those days when "What kind of animal is this?" is asked at the dinner table!
Have a blessed Christmas!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris on December 15, 2006 at 10:56 am
I think you can safely watch it… but we understand if you don't want to! Love the pics of your pig, though – Chris
Would anyone like to guess why my family will NOT be seeing it?
Here is Wilbur from the movie:
And here is Porky, from our homestead:
I have looked around the barn, and there is no spider willing to offer herself for Porky's salvation…
5 comments
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Athena on December 14, 2006 at 7:59 am
Porky is so cute! I can definitly see why your family will not be going to see the movie. I certainly wouldn't take my kiddle to see it if I had Porky in my backyard.
Maybe when the movie comes out on DVD or something huh?
~Athena
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
gokings13 on December 14, 2006 at 8:06 am
Porky is a doll !!!!
I have not seen a review on the movie? Is it bad?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Purewater on December 14, 2006 at 8:15 am
Everything I have read is that the movie will be very good and family friendly, and we would likely go to it if I did not have a little girl who looks like Fern and a little pig that looks like Wilbur! We are raising Porky for pork.
On the other hand, maybe the movie won't be all that good for those of us trying to get back to the "butchering your own farm animals" type of homesteading life. Might it do for homesteaders what Bambi did for deer hunters in the eyes of the public?
I am glad for the good family movies that they come out with every once in a while.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Catherine Ann on December 15, 2006 at 9:00 am
From the mother of 3 little girlies who at any given moment may break into a song from the "orginal" Charlotte's web….. we're just not cut out to "grow our own bacon" LOL! We still have those days when "What kind of animal is this?" is asked at the dinner table!
Have a blessed Christmas!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris on December 15, 2006 at 10:56 am
I think you can safely watch it… but we understand if you don't want to! Love the pics of your pig, though – Chris
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
A Corny Idea?
Is the price of feed corn going through the roof other places? We buy cracked corn usually in the 100 lb. sacks to feed to our chickens. All through last summer it was $7.60 for a 100 lb. sack of cracked corn and $7.30 for the shelled whole kernal corn.
I hardly noticed when the price went to $7.70 for the cracked corn and I didn’t mind much when I paid $8.10 for a bag. I started to really get concerned, however, when they asked me to pay $8.70 for a bag. The next time was $9.10 and last week it was $9.50 for the sack! When is it going to stop? It seemed that the price for corn was pretty uniform all of last winter, but I am getting nervous this year. Our flock has increased and they are eating quite a bit of corn now.
I am sort of getting an idea to try to grow a field of corn to use to feed our own chickens. It seems that if we could even grow a few bags worth of corn it would help out. This might be a silly idea for us, because we have not been very successful growing corn for our own family in the past. We usually have some corn survive, but not enough to freeze for later use. Last year the raccoons ate almost all of our sweet corn right before we would try to havest the ears! We have also had trouble with the stalks staying up after hard rains. Our 2005 crop was pretty much ruined by a series of rain storms.
Our biggest problem will probably be that we are limited as to the places we could make a large corn field. We have many acres of land, but almost all of it is mountainside. Folks in eastern Kentucky used to raise corn right on the side of hills, but I do not see that around here anymore. I wonder how difficult it would be?
First we would have to clear a spot. Here is the first area I have my eye on. It is up past the schoolhouse on the right before you get to the barn:
We would have to clear out over 100 trees, but most of them are not very large. There are also a lot of rocks that we would run into. On the plus side, it is an area that is not straight up and down, but rather a gentle incline.
Has anyone out there ever tried to clear a field like this and plant crops in? I would appreciate any pointers.
I will likely not tackle this job for quite a while, as there are so many other things to do right now, and this is something that I think would take a long time. We probably won’t see a corn field here this spring, but maybe in future years?
If the price of corn does not drop back down, we will need to do something!
3 comments
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Nancy on December 13, 2006 at 5:22 pm
The feed prices here are going up also. First I was using an all grain…it went from $6.25 to over $7. Then I switched to a different brand of grain…same thing…price went up. Switched to sweet feed..started at $5.35 and is now $5.55. All in the last few months!!!
We have 2 horses, 2 beef calves, 4 goats and lots of chickens. The prices are driving me crazy.
I was told by an employee at the feed store that the price of the stuff they use for fertilizer for corn is going up, and they are raising the prices of all feed with corn in it for that reason. (Get this though, the price of the fertilizer is for NEXT YEAR, they are trying to get the money to buy it early I guess.LOL)
Hope it all works out for you, we might try to grow some corn for feed also. But we only have 7 acres total, that includes where the houses sit, and the woods, so we wouldn't be able to plant a whole lot.
Nancy
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 on December 12, 2006 at 10:11 am
Have you thought about feeding oats or some other grains? I know the people around here who have chickens feed oats. You could try feeding a few different types of grain.
The price of corn is going up.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CedarCityMom on December 12, 2006 at 8:27 am
I actually have no idea on the growing corn part. All of my growing experiance has been in a desert (Las Vegas) and I now live in a much differant climet. I have to learn to grow all over again and that'll happen this spring I hope. That's when I hope to have my garden up and going. I pray you get the needed answers or the price of corn comes down. You'll probably get the needed answers before prices ever come down though, Lol. Have a good one though.
Jessica
I hardly noticed when the price went to $7.70 for the cracked corn and I didn’t mind much when I paid $8.10 for a bag. I started to really get concerned, however, when they asked me to pay $8.70 for a bag. The next time was $9.10 and last week it was $9.50 for the sack! When is it going to stop? It seemed that the price for corn was pretty uniform all of last winter, but I am getting nervous this year. Our flock has increased and they are eating quite a bit of corn now.
I am sort of getting an idea to try to grow a field of corn to use to feed our own chickens. It seems that if we could even grow a few bags worth of corn it would help out. This might be a silly idea for us, because we have not been very successful growing corn for our own family in the past. We usually have some corn survive, but not enough to freeze for later use. Last year the raccoons ate almost all of our sweet corn right before we would try to havest the ears! We have also had trouble with the stalks staying up after hard rains. Our 2005 crop was pretty much ruined by a series of rain storms.
Our biggest problem will probably be that we are limited as to the places we could make a large corn field. We have many acres of land, but almost all of it is mountainside. Folks in eastern Kentucky used to raise corn right on the side of hills, but I do not see that around here anymore. I wonder how difficult it would be?
First we would have to clear a spot. Here is the first area I have my eye on. It is up past the schoolhouse on the right before you get to the barn:
We would have to clear out over 100 trees, but most of them are not very large. There are also a lot of rocks that we would run into. On the plus side, it is an area that is not straight up and down, but rather a gentle incline.
Has anyone out there ever tried to clear a field like this and plant crops in? I would appreciate any pointers.
I will likely not tackle this job for quite a while, as there are so many other things to do right now, and this is something that I think would take a long time. We probably won’t see a corn field here this spring, but maybe in future years?
If the price of corn does not drop back down, we will need to do something!
3 comments
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nancy on December 13, 2006 at 5:22 pm
The feed prices here are going up also. First I was using an all grain…it went from $6.25 to over $7. Then I switched to a different brand of grain…same thing…price went up. Switched to sweet feed..started at $5.35 and is now $5.55. All in the last few months!!!
We have 2 horses, 2 beef calves, 4 goats and lots of chickens. The prices are driving me crazy.
I was told by an employee at the feed store that the price of the stuff they use for fertilizer for corn is going up, and they are raising the prices of all feed with corn in it for that reason. (Get this though, the price of the fertilizer is for NEXT YEAR, they are trying to get the money to buy it early I guess.LOL)
Hope it all works out for you, we might try to grow some corn for feed also. But we only have 7 acres total, that includes where the houses sit, and the woods, so we wouldn't be able to plant a whole lot.
Nancy
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 on December 12, 2006 at 10:11 am
Have you thought about feeding oats or some other grains? I know the people around here who have chickens feed oats. You could try feeding a few different types of grain.
The price of corn is going up.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CedarCityMom on December 12, 2006 at 8:27 am
I actually have no idea on the growing corn part. All of my growing experiance has been in a desert (Las Vegas) and I now live in a much differant climet. I have to learn to grow all over again and that'll happen this spring I hope. That's when I hope to have my garden up and going. I pray you get the needed answers or the price of corn comes down. You'll probably get the needed answers before prices ever come down though, Lol. Have a good one though.
Jessica
Monday, December 11, 2006
Thank You, Fellow Bloggers!
I just wanted to say “thank you” for the overwhelming response in the way of comments and private messages to my little web log this past week. It has been a great week! Homestead Blogger is a wonderful community of nice people and I appreciate the encouragement you all have given me.
It's too bad that I didn't have much to blog about last week, though.
We have been busy. Several of you have asked about Lisa's back pain, and, sad to say, it is still lingering around. The doctor decided it was a pulled muscle and I guess it will just take time to heal. She has had some good days, so it seems to be getting better, but it has been rough seeing her out of commission. All the children have been helping out wonderfully but we all want Lisa back to normal! We appreciate your prayers for her.
We also stepped into a new era of ministry for me last week. Saturday evening I accepted the position of Assistant Pastor at our church, so I would appreciate your prayers for me in this new job. I have not served in an official manner in a church since 2004, so I am excited about what the Lord is doing!
I will try to post a few more times before Christmas, but will probably take off from blogging for a couple of weeks during the Christmas and New Years holidays.
We are looking forward to celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ! He is the true reason we have Christmas!
3 comments
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sheryl on December 11, 2006 at 9:11 am (edit)
I hate to hear you won`t be able to blogg for a little while, but to understand. I will keep you all in my prayers. You will do a great job as asst. pastor. Have a Blessed and Merry CHRISTmas. God Bless and take care, sheryl
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katenicholl on December 11, 2006 at 10:45 am (edit)
You and your family are in my prayers for your new job.
Catherine )
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BuzyMumof3sons on December 11, 2006 at 10:56 am (edit)
What a blessing to be called to be Assistant Pastor! I'll be praying for your ministry and for Lisa's back as well!
Dee
It's too bad that I didn't have much to blog about last week, though.
We have been busy. Several of you have asked about Lisa's back pain, and, sad to say, it is still lingering around. The doctor decided it was a pulled muscle and I guess it will just take time to heal. She has had some good days, so it seems to be getting better, but it has been rough seeing her out of commission. All the children have been helping out wonderfully but we all want Lisa back to normal! We appreciate your prayers for her.
We also stepped into a new era of ministry for me last week. Saturday evening I accepted the position of Assistant Pastor at our church, so I would appreciate your prayers for me in this new job. I have not served in an official manner in a church since 2004, so I am excited about what the Lord is doing!
I will try to post a few more times before Christmas, but will probably take off from blogging for a couple of weeks during the Christmas and New Years holidays.
We are looking forward to celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ! He is the true reason we have Christmas!
3 comments
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sheryl on December 11, 2006 at 9:11 am (edit)
I hate to hear you won`t be able to blogg for a little while, but to understand. I will keep you all in my prayers. You will do a great job as asst. pastor. Have a Blessed and Merry CHRISTmas. God Bless and take care, sheryl
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
katenicholl on December 11, 2006 at 10:45 am (edit)
You and your family are in my prayers for your new job.
Catherine )
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BuzyMumof3sons on December 11, 2006 at 10:56 am (edit)
What a blessing to be called to be Assistant Pastor! I'll be praying for your ministry and for Lisa's back as well!
Dee
Our Pigs Are Growing
We can tell a big difference in the size of our pigs already. They have grown so much during the past 6 weeks since you have last seen them! Since we have not raised pigs before, their growth rate has taken me by surprise.
I don't think these pictures really show the size difference as much as they really look in person, but maybe you can get an idea.
Here was Sally and Nellie about 6 weeks ago with Simon:
And here they are just over a month later:
Simon said Nellie was tickling him in this picture.
They are almost too big now to play with, but they are still friendly. Nellie and Sally are now about 3 months old and Porky and Rufus are about 2 months old.
The biggest trouble lately has been keeping them fed and watered. The four together almost ate 100 pounds of hog chow last week along with dozens of gallons of old milk! And the temperatures here have been below freezing most of the time so that is making the water more of a challenge. We have been bailing water out of the pond for them, but lately we have had to break the ice in the pond to get to the water!
We are still enjoying them, but I am sure thankful I have a capable 13 year old son who has been doing the lion's share of the work!
1 comment
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BuzyMumof3sons on December 11, 2006 at 10:55 am
WOW your pigs have grown so much!!!! Thanks for posting the updated pics of them!
Dee
I don't think these pictures really show the size difference as much as they really look in person, but maybe you can get an idea.
Here was Sally and Nellie about 6 weeks ago with Simon:
And here they are just over a month later:
Simon said Nellie was tickling him in this picture.
They are almost too big now to play with, but they are still friendly. Nellie and Sally are now about 3 months old and Porky and Rufus are about 2 months old.
The biggest trouble lately has been keeping them fed and watered. The four together almost ate 100 pounds of hog chow last week along with dozens of gallons of old milk! And the temperatures here have been below freezing most of the time so that is making the water more of a challenge. We have been bailing water out of the pond for them, but lately we have had to break the ice in the pond to get to the water!
We are still enjoying them, but I am sure thankful I have a capable 13 year old son who has been doing the lion's share of the work!
1 comment
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BuzyMumof3sons on December 11, 2006 at 10:55 am
WOW your pigs have grown so much!!!! Thanks for posting the updated pics of them!
Dee
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Some Friendly Correspondance
This was just a nice message and my reply that I decided to preserve for posterity...
Original message from Ashli:
I wanted to congratulate you on your blog being shown so well, and I’m so gratful too! I really love your writing and how you and your family have put up this site so well. It’s a very nice addition to family life and farm life. Plus, you all love the Lord so much, and that shows a lot too! It’s the warmth I see and enjoy that makes me read your posts!
I’ve read so much of your posts tonight, and it’s so late, but I wanted to just introduce myself and let you know I’ll be stoping by more often
I’m new to this place, but I just love reading everyone’s blogs
Thank you for your time, and warm blessings to you and yours,
Ashli & Family
=====================================================================================
Ashli,
Thank you for your nice message.
God has used it to encourage us very much!
It is a bit overwhelming and humbling to realize that people from so many different places are being touched by this little blog. I pray that God will use it to His glory.
We are thankful for the life that God is allowing us to live, but we are really just normal folks trying to get by and attempting to keep from getting messed up by the world’s values. The un-godly world around us is always trying to demand that we conform to its ways, but we want to reach for a higher standard; God’s standard!
This blog has been a lot of fun for me to write, too. I have not been here much longer than you! I think I saw on your profile that you started blogging here in October and I just started in September. I had been reading some of the blogs here before then, but not for too long.
We have not gotten to read many of your entries yet, but I am adding you to our friend list so we will be able to keep up with your blog, too. I enjoy clicking on the “friend” link and reading everyone’s latest entries. It took me a while before I realized that it worked that way. I was surpised when I clicked on it the first time and saw all of my listed friends’ entries right there on my template! That was pretty neat.
Thanks again for your message and encouragement. You all take care!
In His Love,
-Eric
Original message from Ashli:
I wanted to congratulate you on your blog being shown so well, and I’m so gratful too! I really love your writing and how you and your family have put up this site so well. It’s a very nice addition to family life and farm life. Plus, you all love the Lord so much, and that shows a lot too! It’s the warmth I see and enjoy that makes me read your posts!
I’ve read so much of your posts tonight, and it’s so late, but I wanted to just introduce myself and let you know I’ll be stoping by more often
I’m new to this place, but I just love reading everyone’s blogs
Thank you for your time, and warm blessings to you and yours,
Ashli & Family
=====================================================================================
Ashli,
Thank you for your nice message.
God has used it to encourage us very much!
It is a bit overwhelming and humbling to realize that people from so many different places are being touched by this little blog. I pray that God will use it to His glory.
We are thankful for the life that God is allowing us to live, but we are really just normal folks trying to get by and attempting to keep from getting messed up by the world’s values. The un-godly world around us is always trying to demand that we conform to its ways, but we want to reach for a higher standard; God’s standard!
This blog has been a lot of fun for me to write, too. I have not been here much longer than you! I think I saw on your profile that you started blogging here in October and I just started in September. I had been reading some of the blogs here before then, but not for too long.
We have not gotten to read many of your entries yet, but I am adding you to our friend list so we will be able to keep up with your blog, too. I enjoy clicking on the “friend” link and reading everyone’s latest entries. It took me a while before I realized that it worked that way. I was surpised when I clicked on it the first time and saw all of my listed friends’ entries right there on my template! That was pretty neat.
Thanks again for your message and encouragement. You all take care!
In His Love,
-Eric
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Featured Blogger of the Week Acceptance Speech
(This was a fun little post. I hope you can sense the "tounge in cheek" aspect of it.)
Ladies and Gentlemen, Fellow Homesteaders, and Distinguished Guests:
I blog before you this morning to accept the prestigious Featured Blogger of the Week Award. It is incredible that I have been named the featured blogger this week! I only started blogging back in September and I don't think I even understood what a blog was at this time last year!
I count it as a great honor to be chosen this week, especially considering the hundreds of wonderful blogs that are so prevalent on this site. It has been great fun to reflect on the happenings around our homestead and I think it has also been good for me and my family.
I wish to thank all those who have made this moment possible:
First I need to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has given me my life and family and this place we call Pure Water Hollow. If it were not for Jesus saving me and changing my life, anything I would blog about would be meaningless and empty!
I also want to thank my brother who first inspired me with his own blog on Homestead Blogger. He also gave me his computer with photoshop on it and a card reader to make getting pictures on the computer easier and got me set up with a photobucket.com account and told me how to upload pictures there. To make the long story short, if it were not for him, you would not have been able to “see” anything we have done at Pure Water Hollow. I would have just been able to describe with words what was going on, but I doubt I would have been able to use any pictures to spruce up the writing.
Speaking of pictures, I would like to thank my daughter, Erica, who has graciously allowed me to use her digital camera time after time after time. She is usually the one taking the pictures and hers is the only digital camera we have. (Thanks Mom for getting that camera for Erica last Christmas!)
Finally, I would like to express my thanks to Nancy Carter and the Front Porch team for bestowing this honor upon me. You all do a fantastic job making this website family friendly and a place where we can all feel at home visiting!
11 comments
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katenicholl on December 5, 2006 at 7:12 am
Congratulations! You really deserved the award! Your blog makes great reading!
Catherine )
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Anne on December 5, 2006 at 7:54 am
Congratulations on being blogger of the week. I always enjoy coming here and reading about the happenings at Pure Water Hollow Homestead. And I'm glad that Erica shares her camera with you since I really enjoy seeing pictures.
~~Anne
PS I hope your wife's back is feeling better.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Renee on December 5, 2006 at 10:20 am
When I saw you as the blogger of the week I said to myself "I know you!"
I am so happy for you! You have been really working hard on your blog and it show's.
I can't wait to see all that God blesses you with in the next several monthes.
Love to you all,
Renee
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CedarCityMom on December 5, 2006 at 10:44 am
I noticed you due to being Blogger of the week. I'm very much a newbe here and wanted to say Congrats!
God has blessed you greatly =) I do hope to contue coming back to your blog. I read a few entries and they're wonderful. I hope and pray all is well for you.
Jessica (CedarCityMom)
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Catherine Ann on December 5, 2006 at 12:22 pm
Wow, what a great acceptance speech! I love the photos of your fall color…so beautiful.
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HSB Front Porch on December 5, 2006 at 4:12 pm
What an awesome acceptance speech. Kind of makes me feel bad we don't actually have a trophy or blog button or something. But you do get candles, so that's good right?!
What a generous brother you have to get you set up with Photoshop right off the bat. A friend set me up with Photoshop Elements, but I'm still trying to learn how to use it.
Always learning though, that's what it's all about, huh?
~Nancy
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mrs. Joseph Wood on December 6, 2006 at 12:23 am
WhoooHooo!!!!!! How exciting! I have enjoyed sharing pig news with you and look forward to reading more in your blog! Have a wonderful day!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BuzyMumof3sons on December 6, 2006 at 9:59 am
on being Blogger of the week! You truly have a wonderful blog to read! Blessings upon you and your family this week!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OklahomaJamie on December 7, 2006 at 10:31 pm
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I just wanted to pop in and congratulate you on the site of the week!! It's well deserved, your blog is great!!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kimmie on December 8, 2006 at 4:04 pm
congrads!!!!!!!!!!! well deserved
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Henry on December 8, 2006 at 9:36 pm
Eric, way to go on getting Blogger of the Week. I have enjoyed your blog and getting to know you. God bless my friend!
Ladies and Gentlemen, Fellow Homesteaders, and Distinguished Guests:
I blog before you this morning to accept the prestigious Featured Blogger of the Week Award. It is incredible that I have been named the featured blogger this week! I only started blogging back in September and I don't think I even understood what a blog was at this time last year!
I count it as a great honor to be chosen this week, especially considering the hundreds of wonderful blogs that are so prevalent on this site. It has been great fun to reflect on the happenings around our homestead and I think it has also been good for me and my family.
I wish to thank all those who have made this moment possible:
First I need to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has given me my life and family and this place we call Pure Water Hollow. If it were not for Jesus saving me and changing my life, anything I would blog about would be meaningless and empty!
I also want to thank my brother who first inspired me with his own blog on Homestead Blogger. He also gave me his computer with photoshop on it and a card reader to make getting pictures on the computer easier and got me set up with a photobucket.com account and told me how to upload pictures there. To make the long story short, if it were not for him, you would not have been able to “see” anything we have done at Pure Water Hollow. I would have just been able to describe with words what was going on, but I doubt I would have been able to use any pictures to spruce up the writing.
Speaking of pictures, I would like to thank my daughter, Erica, who has graciously allowed me to use her digital camera time after time after time. She is usually the one taking the pictures and hers is the only digital camera we have. (Thanks Mom for getting that camera for Erica last Christmas!)
Finally, I would like to express my thanks to Nancy Carter and the Front Porch team for bestowing this honor upon me. You all do a fantastic job making this website family friendly and a place where we can all feel at home visiting!
11 comments
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
katenicholl on December 5, 2006 at 7:12 am
Congratulations! You really deserved the award! Your blog makes great reading!
Catherine )
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anne on December 5, 2006 at 7:54 am
Congratulations on being blogger of the week. I always enjoy coming here and reading about the happenings at Pure Water Hollow Homestead. And I'm glad that Erica shares her camera with you since I really enjoy seeing pictures.
~~Anne
PS I hope your wife's back is feeling better.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Renee on December 5, 2006 at 10:20 am
When I saw you as the blogger of the week I said to myself "I know you!"
I am so happy for you! You have been really working hard on your blog and it show's.
I can't wait to see all that God blesses you with in the next several monthes.
Love to you all,
Renee
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CedarCityMom on December 5, 2006 at 10:44 am
I noticed you due to being Blogger of the week. I'm very much a newbe here and wanted to say Congrats!
God has blessed you greatly =) I do hope to contue coming back to your blog. I read a few entries and they're wonderful. I hope and pray all is well for you.
Jessica (CedarCityMom)
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Catherine Ann on December 5, 2006 at 12:22 pm
Wow, what a great acceptance speech! I love the photos of your fall color…so beautiful.
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HSB Front Porch on December 5, 2006 at 4:12 pm
What an awesome acceptance speech. Kind of makes me feel bad we don't actually have a trophy or blog button or something. But you do get candles, so that's good right?!
What a generous brother you have to get you set up with Photoshop right off the bat. A friend set me up with Photoshop Elements, but I'm still trying to learn how to use it.
Always learning though, that's what it's all about, huh?
~Nancy
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Mrs. Joseph Wood on December 6, 2006 at 12:23 am
WhoooHooo!!!!!! How exciting! I have enjoyed sharing pig news with you and look forward to reading more in your blog! Have a wonderful day!
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BuzyMumof3sons on December 6, 2006 at 9:59 am
on being Blogger of the week! You truly have a wonderful blog to read! Blessings upon you and your family this week!
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OklahomaJamie on December 7, 2006 at 10:31 pm
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I just wanted to pop in and congratulate you on the site of the week!! It's well deserved, your blog is great!!
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Kimmie on December 8, 2006 at 4:04 pm
congrads!!!!!!!!!!! well deserved
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Henry on December 8, 2006 at 9:36 pm
Eric, way to go on getting Blogger of the Week. I have enjoyed your blog and getting to know you. God bless my friend!
Monday, December 04, 2006
Featured Blogger – PureWaterHollow
Dec 4th, 2006 by HSB Front Porch
This week's featured blogger is Eric from Pure Water Hollow in Eastern Kentucky! Eric and his wife were just enjoying homeschooling and raising their four children out on their 100 acres when friends started telling them that they were actually homesteading.
And Eric's made it easy for me to introduce you all to his blog. He has listed some of the foundational entries right in his sidebar!
What Is Pure Water Hollow
From City Boy to Mountain Man
The Lord of Pure Water Hollow
The Queen of Pure Water Hollow
Why I Am Keeping a Pure Water Hollow Blog
A Visit to Pure Water Hollow (with pictures!)
His family's latest adventure is raising pigs though and you can read all about how they built their pig lot, and the cage for their truck, and even about the castration process. They've been learning a lot about pig raising as they go and you can read his latest update here.
It's great to have more men joining us here at HomesteadBlogger and I think you'll all enjoy following along with Eric's Pure Water Hollow blog. Go by and congratulate him on being our featured blogger this week. And Eric, you get a great soy candle gift package from Homestead Originals.You'll have to let us know what the gang at Pure Water thinks about them!
Happy Homesteading,
~Nancy Carter
Senior Editor
One Response to “Featured Blogger – PureWaterHollow”
Purewater says:
December 4, 2006 at 9:36 pm
You took my breath away with this honor! I can hardly believe that I am the featured blogger this week.
I am working on my acceptance speech right now and will try to deliver it tomorrow morning on my blog!
Thank you, thank you, and thank you.
-Eric
This week's featured blogger is Eric from Pure Water Hollow in Eastern Kentucky! Eric and his wife were just enjoying homeschooling and raising their four children out on their 100 acres when friends started telling them that they were actually homesteading.
And Eric's made it easy for me to introduce you all to his blog. He has listed some of the foundational entries right in his sidebar!
What Is Pure Water Hollow
From City Boy to Mountain Man
The Lord of Pure Water Hollow
The Queen of Pure Water Hollow
Why I Am Keeping a Pure Water Hollow Blog
A Visit to Pure Water Hollow (with pictures!)
His family's latest adventure is raising pigs though and you can read all about how they built their pig lot, and the cage for their truck, and even about the castration process. They've been learning a lot about pig raising as they go and you can read his latest update here.
It's great to have more men joining us here at HomesteadBlogger and I think you'll all enjoy following along with Eric's Pure Water Hollow blog. Go by and congratulate him on being our featured blogger this week. And Eric, you get a great soy candle gift package from Homestead Originals.You'll have to let us know what the gang at Pure Water thinks about them!
Happy Homesteading,
~Nancy Carter
Senior Editor
One Response to “Featured Blogger – PureWaterHollow”
Purewater says:
December 4, 2006 at 9:36 pm
You took my breath away with this honor! I can hardly believe that I am the featured blogger this week.
I am working on my acceptance speech right now and will try to deliver it tomorrow morning on my blog!
Thank you, thank you, and thank you.
-Eric
A Nice Christmas Weekend at Church
We stayed away from Pure Water Hollow for much of this weekend to enjoy the Christmas activities of our church.
We are a part of a small country church, around 50 or so attending worship services. Probably 60 or 70 could squeeze into the sanctuary and still be fairly comfortable, but not many more. I am mentioning those numbers only to give you an idea of how crowded we were Sunday afternoon when we hosted a community Christmas Sing. There were probably over 200 in attendance! One reason there were so many was because the sing was a joint effort between us and three of our sister churches nearby. We put out every folding chair we had and even stuffed folks into the Sunday School rooms and kitchen where they could only hear the singing but not see anyone. There were still about 15 of us that had to stand for the entire time!
Even with the huge crowd, everyone seemed to have a wonderful time and blessings flowed freely! No one came forward during the invitation, but the gospel went forth and I think God's people were encouraged.
I preached during the morning service (when we only had about 50 in attendance) and that was a wonderful time as well. It was a message that leaned toward a Christmas message but was more about the perfecting of the saints and each of us doing the work of the ministry.
Moving backward in the weekend to Saturday and Friday, we hosted a “Christmas Shop” at our church, which was also hugely successful. It was a fund raiser for our women's group but it was a ministry to the community also.
They had the fellowship hall and Sunday School rooms packed full of items to buy as Christmas presents with free gift wrapping. Children could come in and shop for their friends and family and buy really nice things for only a dollar. Adults could buy things at a bargain also, but those rooms were priced at more than a dollar. The ladies collect and buy items to put in the Christmas Shop all year long.
They also sold baked goods, soups, hotdogs, and drinks and sponsored a free health screening with real nurses, and free flu shots. The health screening was only on Saturday, but it was a good part of the Christmas Shop. It was especially nice for people like me who seldom go to the doctor but just hope that everything is working right.
I am very thankful that most everything seems to be ok with my health, which was a little surprising given the fact that I am very much overweight and have some asthma trouble. Blood pressure, pulse rate, blood sugar level, and blood oxygen level were all in the normal range. They checked something else that was normal, too, but I forget what. (The only slight problem was that my total cholesterol was elevated in a borderline range.)
The Christmas Shop was a wonderful ministry and many families took great advantage of it. My children got much of their Christmas shopping done, even though they worked most of the day on Friday. While people were being ministered to, they were also helping the church. The ladies group raised almost $2,000 with the shop this year! Not bad for such a small church as ours! They use the money they raise to support various missionaries and ministries as well as help with our churches needs.
From Friday morning through Sunday evening we had a joyfully packed weekend of Christmas festivities at our church. But, like I preached Sunday, we all need to be careful to not only have the Christmas spirit, but most importantly, be sure to have the Holy Spirit! Being in the Christmas spirit is nice this time of year, but being in the Holy Spirit is essential this time of year and always!
2 comments
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HSB Front Porch on December 4, 2006 at 5:02 pm
You are our featured blogger this week! I've been really enjoying reading about your family's homestead and especially your pig raising updates. We may try to raise a few pigs someday so it's always helpful to hear what others are learning along the way. )
Just email me your family's home address and we'll get your package from Homestead Originals sent ASAP!
Blessings,
~Nancy Carter
SeniorEditor@HomesteadBlogger.com
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Chris on December 4, 2006 at 9:37 pm
You get blogger of the week! Congrats. Are you the pastor of this church? Sounds like a great weekend of activity. Thanks for sharing. -Chris
We are a part of a small country church, around 50 or so attending worship services. Probably 60 or 70 could squeeze into the sanctuary and still be fairly comfortable, but not many more. I am mentioning those numbers only to give you an idea of how crowded we were Sunday afternoon when we hosted a community Christmas Sing. There were probably over 200 in attendance! One reason there were so many was because the sing was a joint effort between us and three of our sister churches nearby. We put out every folding chair we had and even stuffed folks into the Sunday School rooms and kitchen where they could only hear the singing but not see anyone. There were still about 15 of us that had to stand for the entire time!
Even with the huge crowd, everyone seemed to have a wonderful time and blessings flowed freely! No one came forward during the invitation, but the gospel went forth and I think God's people were encouraged.
I preached during the morning service (when we only had about 50 in attendance) and that was a wonderful time as well. It was a message that leaned toward a Christmas message but was more about the perfecting of the saints and each of us doing the work of the ministry.
Moving backward in the weekend to Saturday and Friday, we hosted a “Christmas Shop” at our church, which was also hugely successful. It was a fund raiser for our women's group but it was a ministry to the community also.
They had the fellowship hall and Sunday School rooms packed full of items to buy as Christmas presents with free gift wrapping. Children could come in and shop for their friends and family and buy really nice things for only a dollar. Adults could buy things at a bargain also, but those rooms were priced at more than a dollar. The ladies collect and buy items to put in the Christmas Shop all year long.
They also sold baked goods, soups, hotdogs, and drinks and sponsored a free health screening with real nurses, and free flu shots. The health screening was only on Saturday, but it was a good part of the Christmas Shop. It was especially nice for people like me who seldom go to the doctor but just hope that everything is working right.
I am very thankful that most everything seems to be ok with my health, which was a little surprising given the fact that I am very much overweight and have some asthma trouble. Blood pressure, pulse rate, blood sugar level, and blood oxygen level were all in the normal range. They checked something else that was normal, too, but I forget what. (The only slight problem was that my total cholesterol was elevated in a borderline range.)
The Christmas Shop was a wonderful ministry and many families took great advantage of it. My children got much of their Christmas shopping done, even though they worked most of the day on Friday. While people were being ministered to, they were also helping the church. The ladies group raised almost $2,000 with the shop this year! Not bad for such a small church as ours! They use the money they raise to support various missionaries and ministries as well as help with our churches needs.
From Friday morning through Sunday evening we had a joyfully packed weekend of Christmas festivities at our church. But, like I preached Sunday, we all need to be careful to not only have the Christmas spirit, but most importantly, be sure to have the Holy Spirit! Being in the Christmas spirit is nice this time of year, but being in the Holy Spirit is essential this time of year and always!
2 comments
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HSB Front Porch on December 4, 2006 at 5:02 pm
You are our featured blogger this week! I've been really enjoying reading about your family's homestead and especially your pig raising updates. We may try to raise a few pigs someday so it's always helpful to hear what others are learning along the way. )
Just email me your family's home address and we'll get your package from Homestead Originals sent ASAP!
Blessings,
~Nancy Carter
SeniorEditor@HomesteadBlogger.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris on December 4, 2006 at 9:37 pm
You get blogger of the week! Congrats. Are you the pastor of this church? Sounds like a great weekend of activity. Thanks for sharing. -Chris
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Pig Raising Update
This past week we have kept Porky in a stall with Rufus for company. It has been six days since his castration and it seems that he is doing very well. The ag teachers at school commented this week that they were suprised that Porky did not squeal during the castration process. They said they had seen thousands, but none like Porky! They were very impressed and supposed that it was because we have been petting him all along and he was used to people. They said that Porky made it easier on himself by not getting excited because they bleed more when their adrenelin is pumping.
This had been a busy week and I had not gotten home before dark except for yesterday. Monday I had to stay late at work, Tuesday we had a meeting until 6:30, Wednesday I got home just in time to leave for church, and Thursday I had a meeting after work over an hour away in Breathitt County, and we all visted at a funeral home that evening.
Matthew has been taking care of the pigs all week and yesterday was the first time I had gotten to see Porky since the castration Monday! I was home at a decent time yesterday but then Lisa and the children did not get home until very late. They were working at our church for the "Christmas Shop" we are having today and yesterday. (I started to go off on a tangent and tell you all about the Christmas Shop, but I decided to leave that for another post.)
Today we decided to let Porky and Rufus back out into the lot with Nellie and Sally. They ran and jumped and were happy to be out again. We were sad to see that Sally wanted to bully Rufus and Porky. I guess they had to re-establish the pecking order. When Porky and Rufus first came we had trouble with the way Nellie was treating them, but she was fine today. Maybe Nellie is the number one hog and Sally wants to make sure she stays the number two hog? Nellie and Sally are growing quickly and they are still much larger than both Porky and Rufus.
The medicated feed for Porky will last the rest of the weekend, but it is almost gone. We have been saving some on feed costs this week by giving them free out-dated milk. A friend told me about the milk company in town that gives away the milk that does not sell and that pigs enjoy eating milk! Matthew has been giving them a couple of gallons of milk every day and we still have 10 or 12 gallons up at the barn! We should be able to get all the milk we can use! (Some of the milk was even good for us to drink! They throw out milk with that current days outdate on it and if I can get it before someone else does, it is likely still good. We had about 30 little 8 ounce bottles of Strawberry milk that the children loved!)
I think I need to get some more straw next week because the temperatures are getting pretty cold here, and we have already used the 4 bales that I got earlier. I guess the barn will probably stay drafty and open all winter because there is just not time to tighten it up. Maybe we can do something over my Christmas vacation, but we have so much else we want to do also. We may just have to spend more than we should on straw this year to keep them warm. It can run into quite a bit of money, with one bale of straw costing $4.75. I think I will get about 10 next week and see how long that lasts us. We use straw for the chicken coop, also. One benefit to getting 10 bales at once is that it looks so nice having something up in the barn loft!
1 comment
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Henry on December 2, 2006 at 9:37 pm
Eric, way to go on your new adventure. When I need some pig work done I will know who to call. A neighbor man of ours at our farm butchers hogs the old fashion way. He has a big vat of hot water he rolls them in after he kills them to clean them. As of yet, I have not watched him. Not sure if I want to. The Igs are wanting to help him one day. That will be a good day for some pictures.
This had been a busy week and I had not gotten home before dark except for yesterday. Monday I had to stay late at work, Tuesday we had a meeting until 6:30, Wednesday I got home just in time to leave for church, and Thursday I had a meeting after work over an hour away in Breathitt County, and we all visted at a funeral home that evening.
Matthew has been taking care of the pigs all week and yesterday was the first time I had gotten to see Porky since the castration Monday! I was home at a decent time yesterday but then Lisa and the children did not get home until very late. They were working at our church for the "Christmas Shop" we are having today and yesterday. (I started to go off on a tangent and tell you all about the Christmas Shop, but I decided to leave that for another post.)
Today we decided to let Porky and Rufus back out into the lot with Nellie and Sally. They ran and jumped and were happy to be out again. We were sad to see that Sally wanted to bully Rufus and Porky. I guess they had to re-establish the pecking order. When Porky and Rufus first came we had trouble with the way Nellie was treating them, but she was fine today. Maybe Nellie is the number one hog and Sally wants to make sure she stays the number two hog? Nellie and Sally are growing quickly and they are still much larger than both Porky and Rufus.
The medicated feed for Porky will last the rest of the weekend, but it is almost gone. We have been saving some on feed costs this week by giving them free out-dated milk. A friend told me about the milk company in town that gives away the milk that does not sell and that pigs enjoy eating milk! Matthew has been giving them a couple of gallons of milk every day and we still have 10 or 12 gallons up at the barn! We should be able to get all the milk we can use! (Some of the milk was even good for us to drink! They throw out milk with that current days outdate on it and if I can get it before someone else does, it is likely still good. We had about 30 little 8 ounce bottles of Strawberry milk that the children loved!)
I think I need to get some more straw next week because the temperatures are getting pretty cold here, and we have already used the 4 bales that I got earlier. I guess the barn will probably stay drafty and open all winter because there is just not time to tighten it up. Maybe we can do something over my Christmas vacation, but we have so much else we want to do also. We may just have to spend more than we should on straw this year to keep them warm. It can run into quite a bit of money, with one bale of straw costing $4.75. I think I will get about 10 next week and see how long that lasts us. We use straw for the chicken coop, also. One benefit to getting 10 bales at once is that it looks so nice having something up in the barn loft!
1 comment
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Henry on December 2, 2006 at 9:37 pm
Eric, way to go on your new adventure. When I need some pig work done I will know who to call. A neighbor man of ours at our farm butchers hogs the old fashion way. He has a big vat of hot water he rolls them in after he kills them to clean them. As of yet, I have not watched him. Not sure if I want to. The Igs are wanting to help him one day. That will be a good day for some pictures.
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