How to slaughter chickens - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com

How to slaughter chickens - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com: If you purchased chicks way back in March when the Cheshire Horse was having its sale, you may be ready to harvest any roosters that ended up in your flock by accident. Not everyone wants to have a rooster for their hens, and in some areas in or around cities, you may not be allowed to have a rooster. If you're ready to say goodbye to the males in your flock, then read on!

How to store potatoes for the winter - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com

How to store potatoes for the winter - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com: Right now, potatoes are pretty inexpensive at the stores and farm stands. This is because they're in season. This is the time of year that potatoes are dug up and offered to the public. Potatoes from August through to the end of September will be very fresh, delicious, and cheaper than you'll see them at any other time of year.

Prepare yourself for back to school chaos - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com

Prepare yourself for back to school chaos - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com: It's hard to believe, but it's suddenly back to school time. In just about a week, children across the state will be getting on their new fall clothing, filling up their stylish backpacks, donning their sneakers and boarding the bus for school. This summer went by very quickly.

Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange

Every week, Little House on the Prairie Living has a recipe exchange. It's akin to the pioneer women or early Depression ladies who would get together for some tea and conversation, and trade out recipe cards. This week I linked to my Sweet and Sour Meatballs recipe (the link was to here which then leads to the Examiner article).

I invite everyone to go have a peek at this week's linky. Merissa always has yummy recipes listed up, and who knows, maybe you'll find one for your dinner tonight!

Neat lunch boxes!

Rubbermaid has apparently come up with some new ideas for packing lunches. Over at Little House on the Prairie Living, they're doing a give-away! I wanted to share it with my readers because this is a great way to get rid of all those messy, trashy little baggies and go with something more eco friendly.

Tangy, tasty sweet and sour meatballs - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com

Tangy, tasty sweet and sour meatballs - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com: Though the days are still hot, autumn is definitely coming. The kids are preparing for returning to school in just a couple of weeks and night time temperatures are dipping into the low 50s. With the fall rains, sometimes a warm meal is just right to fill the tummy.

Work on emergency plans now - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com

Work on emergency plans now - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com: You have food and water stored, and fuel for your generator. There are enough medications to last through just about anything. You have a shelter that will keep you safe and consider yourself ready to deal with the worst. Then the worst happens.

Rosehips are a rosy treat - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com

Rosehips are a rosy treat - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com: Rose hips are the tiny reddish brown seed pods that remain on rose bushes after the roses have died back. They look almost like tiny fairy purses, at least until they get shrivelled and wrinkly. They are technically a fruit, and have a flavor that is reminiscent of a very tart apple. They are chock full of vitamin C, and have many uses.

Himalayan Salt Lamps

Woot! Merissa over at "Little House on the Prairie Living" is having a give-away for one of those really cool Himalayan salt lamps. I've always wanted one. They're supposed to make negative ions that cling to allergens and make them drop to the floor. Considering my allergies, I think this might be a great answer for my bedroom, which is always a bit allergy driven in the winter when all the windows are closed. I'm going to give it a try; why don't you? :)

Autumn gardens produce into early winter - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com

Autumn gardens produce into early winter - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com: You may have noticed the hot days of late summer, but have you also noticed the need for something more than just a sheet on the bed at night? The weather is still hot in the day but evening temperatures are dipping into the low 50s again. Peas and beans and beets have been harvested and now you have holes in your garden. It's time to start fall clean-up, but it's also an opportunity to do so much more.

How to dry your peas for seed - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com

How to dry your peas for seed - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com: "Back in February or March, you may have planted peas in your garden. For the past couple of months, they will have provided you with many delicious meals. Perhaps you had enough excess to can or freeze some for use over the winter. Now, though, those beautiful green plants are yellowing, and some of the pods are beginning to look like something out of a horror movie. It's time to pull up the plants."

'via Blog this'

Turn your family on its head with Apple Upside Down Cake - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com

Turn your family on its head with Apple Upside Down Cake - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com: You don't have to be an expert baker to pull together this delicious creation. Even if you're prone to flat bread or cakes that are a bit starchy, this upside down cake will turn out well every time, and your family will be clamouring for more.

Get motivated to clean and organize - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com

Get motivated to clean and organize - Manchester simple living | Examiner.com: You wake up in the morning and stumble out of bed. You don't make the bed, nor do you open the curtains. Zombie-like, you shuffle toward the coffee maker and fumble for some life-giving caffeine. This is complicated by the pile of dishes in the sink, hampering you from filling the coffee carafe with water to fill the percolator, but you manage it. Reaching for the container of coffee you manage to knock over a glass of last night's milk that one of the kids left out and you didn't bother to tidy up, and it pools over the counter top and onto the floor. You almost cry with frustration.