2 Ways To Prepare Potatoes For Baking

Honestly, I think we could eat a baked potato almost every day of the week. We love baked potatoes. Baked potatoes are one of those simple things even the most inexperienced cook can pull off. Today, I am sharing two simple ways to bake potatoes; one way takes longer but still produces a good potato and the other one can be used when you are in a rush.

This is the way I use most often. It is a simple one that DD can prepare on her own with supervision. Wash the baking potatoes off good with warm water. Take a fork, poke holes in both ends and the sides. Cover the potato with tin foil. Place in the oven and turn it on to 350 degrees. Bake the potato for about 2 hours or till it feels soft to the touch. If it is a smaller potato, it will take less time. A bigger potato will take a little longer. Let the potatoes cool for a few minutes, unwrap, then top with favorite toppings and devour. 

If you forgot to put the potatoes on early enough to be ready when  you need them or if you are in a rush, then this is the method for you. This is the way most restaurants prepare their baked potatoes. Wash the baking potato is warm water and dry. Lightly coat the outside of the potato with some olive oil, then roll in salt. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and place in a oven preheated to 450 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Let potato cool a little then place on a plate and pop it open with knife, then top with favorite toppings and devour.  

 

Baked potatoes are just simply one of those best things in life!

2 Ways To Prepare Chicken For Grilling

We eat a lot of chicken around here, a lot! Whether it is baked, poached, fried, or grilled. Grilling chicken can be somewhat tricky.  So today, I am going too share 2 ways I prepare the chicken to grill that keeps it moist and prevents charring. 

First of all, we like to grill chicken tenders. They are small enough that the meat is cooked through in a small amount of time. Then, I like to brine the tenders or marinate them. By brining or marinating the chicken, you are locking moisture into the chicken and it won't lose it as it is being grilled. 

To brine the chicken tenders, pour water into a big bowl or a dish with a lid. To the water add some salt and dissolve. (I usually just eye ball it and put in as much as I think it needs.) Place thawed chicken in the bowl, cover, and place in frig for at least an hour before grilling - longer would be even better. When ready to grill, place the on the grill. The results will be moist chicken with a good grilled taste to them. 

Choosing a marinade for your chicken is a personal choice. We like using Kraft Tuscan House Italian Salad Dressing. My in-laws like using Kraft Zesty Italian. I also use a homemade Italian Salad Dressing based off of this recipe. We also like to use Lawry's Herb & Garlic w/ Lemon Juice, (which is especially good when making kabobs with chicken and veggies.) 

Just pour the dressing into a big bowl or dish. Placed thawed chicken in the bowl or dish and place in frig. Let chicken marinate for at least an hour, but longer is better. The chicken will be moist, flavored, and grilled perfectly. We like to eat marinated chicken on top of a big garden salad.  Yummy!

Two different ways of preparing chicken for grilling is just simply one of those good things!   

Couture Crates

When we moved into our new home almost 10 years ago, our laundry room shelf housed a mish-mash colored crates. These crates held laundry room essentials as well as cleaning rags and dirty kitchen towels. I knew I wanted to replace them with something, but I wasn't sure what.  

An idea finally hit me as I was walking through Walmart one day and saw these crates in a green color that blended well with all the greens I was using in my kitchen. I knew I wanted to use them but they needed to be dressed up somehow. So I bought four of them, brought them home, and placed them on the shelf. It was then that another idea hit me. Why not by red gingham ribbon and weave them through the holes and tie a bow at the front. So I was off to Hobby Lobby to buy ribbon. Back home, I sat down and started crafting my couture crates. I loved how they looked and they have dressed up our laundry room so much. Couture crates are simply a good thing! 

Couture crates just require a colorful crate, ribbon to wind through the holes, and a big bow in the front.

A closer look.

They look great on the shelf and give the laundry room a polished look!

Making those places you spend a lot of time in pleasant and pretty is my simple style of decorating!

Soap Stylin'

If you are like us, our kitchen sink is very close to our back door and the first place we stop to wash our hands. We use to use dish detergent, but I was tried of constantly having to fill up the bottle. So I decided to buy hand soap in a pump. Of course, liquid soap comes in a tacky plastic bottle. They have tried to make them look nicer, but I still didn't like the plastic beside my glass dish detergent bottle. So I went on the hunt for an alternative. 

I found one at Walmart in the bathroom accessories section. Walmart has many liquid soap dispensers to choose from. I picked one from their Mainstay collection that was only about $2.00. I picked a dark green since it went so well with my kitchen colors. Every now and then, I have to clean off the actual pump part but it rarely clogs. It is ceramic so it will be slippery when it gets wet.

Overall, I am pleased with my choice. It also looks really nice sitting on the sink by my glass dish detergent bottle. Both of them help to make my sink area a little more appealing. What do you think?

Dressed dish detergent bottles and a stylin' soap dispenser is simple way to spruce up a chore area!

Living a simple life and enjoying the chores that come with it! 

Dressed Up Detergent

Making the areas we spend a lot of time doing chores in, pretty, helps to make the chores seem a little less like chores. So over the next 3 days, I am going to share a few of the simple, little decorating ideas I have used to make some those areas a little more appealing. All of them are simple fixes and don't require a lot of money. 

For those of us that don't have a dishwasher, a bottle of dish detergent is part of our kitchen decor. It is inconvenient to keep the plastic bottle in a cabinet, because if you are like me, you need to use it all the time. So when we moved into our new home, I decided I was going to find a way to get rid of the plastic bottle but still have the detergent on the counter for ease of use, then I remembered an idea I saw on one of Martha Stewart's show a few years back. That idea was to use a glass bottle, like an olive oil bottle, to place the detergent in.  

So off to Walmart, I went in search of the perfect bottle. I found a simple rectangular one that was relatively inexpensive. When I got home, I filled it up and liked what I saw. I have not gone back to that plastic bottle since. 

There are a few things you need to keep in mind if you are thinking about changing to a glass bottle. When they get wet, they can be slippery so handle carefully. Another thing is to keep the spout clean because it can clog up. When I pour more detergent into the bottle, I put the spout under running water and then blow air through the tube that sits in inside the bottle just to make sure it is cleared off any gunk. 

A glass bottle for dish detergent is a simple way to make your kitchen sink area a little prettier and nicer to look at! Stay tuned for tomorrow's idea, because it is the companion for this detergent bottle. 

Looking for simple ways to make life a little prettier!

clean house!

If you are looking for a home keeping book that promotes the use of environmentally friendly cleaning solutions then clean house! is just the book for you. Written by Alison Haynes, this book offers ways to keeping your home while minimizing the use of chemicals. She also offers "green ways" to deter pests in your home and ways to save water/energy. 

clean house! talks about the importance of clean air in your home and how to go about making that way. Alison covers the harmful effects of chemicals used for cleaning and found in the air. She talks about the importance of keeping dampness and humidity in check. Ways to clean and declutter you home are also discussed. She also provides recipes of homemade chemical free cleaners. 

This books has sections on how to go about laundry and cleaning each room in your house. There is one whole section on the outdoors which contains gardening tips, ways to save water, and chemical free ways to control outdoor pests. The last sections is a vocabulary section of sorts on housecleaning terms and chemical names. 

By no means am I a tree hugger, but I do believe we were given the charge to take care of this beautiful earth God gave us. I also know that humans and chemicals don't mix very well. I also know that the things that God put here on earth for us to use are the best products to use around our families and in our homes. While I have not completely gotten rid of my chemical cleaners, this book has given me many different ideas that I have put into use in our home. So if you are leaning toward a "greener" home, then a clean house! is a must read. 

Living a simply "greener" life in order to take care for this beautiful place God gave us to live in!  

Collections Of The Homekeeper

Collection Of The Homekeeper: Treasury Of Vintage Homekeeping Skills was written by Mrs. Martha Greene. She a wife and a mother to a large family. She homeschooled her children and is now enjoying her granddears. She enjoys sharing what she has learned over the years and inspiring home makers.

Collections Of The Homekeeper is different from other homekeeping books. It harkens back to days of old, but still contains a wealth of information. It has the usual homekeeping sections on cleaning and laundry, but in addition to these sections she includes other unusual sections. 

One of the unusual sections is a section on hospitality. The hospitality section is based on the New Testament hospitality. She describes it like this "an open home flows from an open heart." She shares ways to make guests feel comfortable. She then shares several menus and recipes ideas to prepare for guest. Several pages are provided to write down the name of guests you have welcomed to your home and what occasion brought them there. 

Home Duties is the next section. This section talks about the little things a homekeeper can do throughout the day to keep the home kept up and ready for loved ones to return at the end of the day. It covers the duty of the parents toward their children and the duty of the children toward their parents. 

"First Aide for the Home" and "Gardening" are the next two sections. The first aide section has a checklist of things to have in a home medicine cabinet. She covers emergency care and home remedies. She provides places for making notes of family medical history. The gardening section cover the basics of how to start a garden, info on vegetable and flower gardens. There are several pages about herbs and their medicinal purposes. She also talks about important info on sketching out your gardens, how to keep soil healthy, and saving seeds. 

The "Cooking and Baking" section covers staples to keep on hand, how to plan out a menu, kitchen tools, and measuring tips. Meat charts for pork and beef show you where the different cuts of meat come from. She shares some basic recipes and has many pages for you to write down your family's favorite recipes. 

The "Reserves for the Family" section discusses how to prepare for an emergency and make a kit. It covers how to dehydrate, dry, freeze, preserve, and can food. It also has a place to keep track of the food you have preserved. 

The last three sections covers a variety of things. "Handiwork" is a section of basic sewing skills and stitches. "Business of the Home" is a place for keeping track of home repair and home documents. It also has a place to write down an inventory of the items in your home. The "Family Records" section is a place to keep track of all those special and sad events in the life of a family. 

This book is also unusual in the fact that a lot of space has been provided to write things down. It also provides space to place clippings and add drawings of things. You will find encouraging quotes and Bible verses throughout the book. This book is just simply another great one to ave around!

Enjoying every minute I spend simply taking care of my family and keeping out home! 

America's Housekeeping Book

Published in 1941, America's Housekeeping Book was considered the only one of its kind. It also claims to be the first ever published complete manual for a housewife. Like many other home keeping books, America's Book covers the basic organization, cleaning, and caring for you home. However with it being published in 1941, some of the information is dated, but it is still a good book to have on hand. You can find some copies for a much cheaper price than the first two books I shared with you this week.

 

I first heard about this book on a blog I use to read a long time ago. Curious about it, I ordered it. When my book arrived, I was excited to see that it was once given to another housewife as a Christmas present in 1941 by an inscription wrote in the front of the book. Somehow that made the book even more special for me. The book offers a glimpse into history and the history of home keeping. While that fact may not interest some, it is very fascinating for me as a history buff.

America's Housekeeping Book is a simply great book for a home keeper, a history buff, or both!  

Home Comforts

Home Comforts: The Art & Science Of Keeping House is another great book on keeping your home to have around. It was written by Cheryl Mendelson and was published in 1999. In a lot of ways it is similar to Martha Stewart's book, but it has its own unique tone to it.

Mrs. Mendelson sees house keeping as an art. She understands that the cleaning and keeping of a home encompasses a lot of skills in different areas. She understands that keeping a home is more than keeping it clean, but also about a private place to meet a family's needs. 

The book starts out with setting up a routine that will work for you and your family. The next section is on food. It covers home cooking, serving meals, beverages, tips on marketing, food storage, and food safety. 

The third section is an extensive section on cloth - the different types and how to care for them. Doing the laundry is covered from the gathering of it to the putting away of it. It also cover how to launder tricky items, problem solving tips, and stains removal. The fourth section is on the cleaning of you home. It covers the materials to use and how to clean unusual items in the home.

Dealing with those things you use everyday is covered in the fifth section. It also covers setting the mood for a peaceful, calming home. It covers how to care for books, pictures, and pets. The sixth section is a section on how to set up a bedroom for a good nights sleep. The seventh section covers setting up a safety plan, what to do in case of emergencies, and how to handle dangerous household chemicals. The last section covers the rights of a homeowner and what to look for when it come to laws or regulations in your area. 

Home Comforts is a large book with almost 900 pages in it. I still am reading and learning from it. It may take you a while to get through it, but it is definitely a good book to add to your home keeping library. 

Living a simple life and loving every minute of it! 

Martha's Stewart's:Homekeeping Handbook

One of the books on keeping a home I have found useful is Martha Stewart's: Homekeeping Handbook. The book is billed as "The Essentail Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home" and it lives up to the title. Martha covers how to go about cleaning every room in your house to keeping your appliances in good working order to a guide for moving. It is a comprehensive book with lots of charts that are easy to follow and read.

The book starts out with a Cleaning Product 101. It covers the ingredients found in common cleaners, how to read the labels, and how to use them. Healthier alternatives are also covered. The book then goes on to cover how to clean every room in your home, what products would work well, how to organize each room, and how to keep on top of keeping each room clean. There is also a section on how to clean and care for outdoor spaces.

The next section covers how to go about each cleaning task and what type of equipment is best or needed for each task. How to take care of your furniture, walls, ceilings, windows, window treatments, and woodwork. All of this is followed by a section on how to care and maintain your heating/cooling system, water systems, lighting, and air quality. It also contains a section on home security, emergency preparedness, fire safety/prevention, living with pets, and pest control. The book ends with a section on moving, a material guide, and resources. 

The Homekeeping Handbook is a big book and I have yet to read every page, but I still have found it useful. I have gone to it when I had a question about food storage or how to store a delicate item. It is a good book to have around the house or for that new bride starting out in her new home. As Martha would say "It is a good thing!"

Loving every minute I get to care for and clean our simple little home! 

Grocery List & To-Do List Notebooks

The last two notebooks I will be sharing with you this week are my grocery list notebook and my to-do list notebook. I used more of DD's unused journals for these two. I made pretty cover pages for both notebooks. Who said being organized has to be boring or without feminine charm? I think making it pretty and feminine makes me want to use them more. 

In my grocery list notebook, I recopy each week's grocery list from the notebook paper in my home management binder. Having the list contained makes it easier to keep up and it won't get lost in the dark regions of my purse. Since I go to  3 different places to grocery shop, I have 3 separate lists. When I get done with all of my grocery shopping and everything is put away, I sit down and write down the amount I spent at each place beside the name of each place at the top of the grocery list. I then total up all the purchases and write down a total amount. At the end of the year, I total up all of the amounts to see how much we spent on groceries and then find an average I spent each week. 

My to-do list notebook is mainly a place for me to write down all those little things I think of that I need to get done. I don't let this list run my life though. To this day, I still have things I wrote down last fall to do and I will when I get around to it. This notebook is more of a reminder for me than a plan for chores to be done for a week. 

Both of these notebooks are just another way I keep organized. Being organized is a must for me to function! The less organized I am, the more out of control I feel. So being on top of things help keep me happy! 

Living a simply organized life and happy that I am!  

Event Organizer Notebook

My third notebook that helps keep me organized is a holiday, holiday events, and travel notebook. Since that is too long to be the official title, I decided on Event Organizer Notebook. For this notebook, I didn't choose a binder for it. DD had numerous journals she received as presents over the years. They weren't being used, so I commandeered several for my use. In this notebook; I organize Christmas gift list, holiday gatherings info, birthday menus/to do lists, and travel planning lists.

When Christmas time rolls around again, I sit down and write out all the names of people we need to get gifts for, then write down what we were planning on giving them. If we don't have a clue what to buy them yet, we write it down when we do figure it out so we can look back the next year. If we change a gift idea, we write down what we got instead. I also make a note after the list of what wrapping supplies we have left over and what we will need to get for the following year. 

All of the holiday gatherings we have planned for the year get written down too. I write down the date, time, and location, then I write down what foods I am taking, so hopefully I won't repeat them the following year. Birthday dinners also get planned in this notebook. Along with the date, time, and location; I write what food is requested by DH or DD. I then write down a grocery list, a things to do list, and any decorating ideas I come up with. 

When we are planning a trip, this notebook is a tremendous help. I write down things that need to be done before we leave. I also write down lists of items NOT to be forgotten, meds to take, and toiletries to take. I write down a menu and then compile a grocery list of all the things we need to take. I write down items that we need to take for Miss Oakley. I also write down what is needed for our other animals for the family members that will be watching them. 

I am sure by now you have noticed I also decorate the pages with stickers and drawings. I do all of that while I am thinking about what I need to write and include. It makes it a little more interesting for me to look at, too. 

A notebook like this isn't really necessary, but it helps me to keep on top of things. I also like to think of it as a future history lesson for someone in the future as to how the average person lived and planned in America in the early 21st century. So much of our written history is being lost thanks to technology, I like to think I am preserving a little part of it for future generations - especially for the grandkids I hope we will be blessed with one day. 

Living a simply organized life and wouldn't live it any other way! 

Hostess Binder

My newest binder was the result of me outgrowing my home management binder and I have named it my hostess binder. When I decided to start another binder, I decided to get a color that would go with my mint green. The color I decided on was a shade of pink. I haven't made a cover for it and really don't know what I want for a cover. If you have any suggestions, I would be glad to hear them. 

The first section is filled with articles on entertaining guests at home. I have items about how to provided the comforts of home for an overnight guest. Items on how being a good hostess when giving a dinner party.  I have napkin folding tips and place setting ideas. I also have articles on setting the mood and decorating for an event. I have also saved articles on cute decorating how to's. Most of the articles I have saved have come from magazines. 

The next section contains decorating ideas for the home. I have ideas on how to decorate with pictures, how to arrange them, and unusual places to put them. I have articles on how to style bookshelves, coffee tables, and other pieces of furniture. I also have some neat decorating projects ideas I would like to try one day. 

 

Decorating and craft ideas for the holidays is in my next sections. I have articles on how to tie bows, package and present gifts, and wrapping techniques. I also have craft project ideas for various holidays I want to try, someday. 

I know I may never use all of these ideas I have save, however; I will and have already used quite a few of them, especially the wrapping presents ideas. Besides all of that, I think an entertaining, decorating, craft project binder is simply one of those good things! 

Living a simple life and enjoying making it a little more gracious and styled! 

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Over a Pinterest, I have several boards that contain ideas and inspiration for hosting parties, showers, and dinner parties. They add to the info I have contained in my hostess binder.

There is a board called "That's Entertainment" where I have stored a lot of planning and prep ideas for events and parties.  It also has a lot of napkin folding, etiquette for placing settings, and preparations list to get you organized for an event. 

I also have a board full of centerpiece ideas and other decorating ideas for tables and buffets; "Centerpiece Sensations." You also might want to check out "Inspirational Entertaining" and "Food Art & Serving Ideas." I also have boards for certain seasons and holiday entertaining. So go and take a look!

Home Management Binder

Starting out as a young wife, I tried several things to try to organize my time and cleaning schedules. After a lot of trial and error, I hit on the idea of keeping things organized in a notebook and this was before I had even heard about a Home Management Binder. When I began homeschooling our DD, I started reading about HM Binders and thought I had been doing that for years. As I did more research on them, my research lead to me reorganizing and redefining as few things. I have reorganized at least 2 or 3 times since then and have come up with a smooth system that works for me now. 

My Home Management Binder is its current form is contained in a 2" binder I found at Office Depot. I found one in what I consider to be my signature color - green, mint green to be more specific. I took some of my scrapbooking materials and made a nice cover for it. 

For the inside, I bought clear sheet protectors to put my papers in. I made a cover page for it out of my craft supplies and the little artistic skills I have. 

I have several sections in my current binder. As a matter of fact, my sections outgrew my binder and I had to add to my binder collection (I will be sharing those later). For each section, I have made a cover page or am in the process of making cover pages. (I used my old Gingham Girls coloring book pages as my inspiration.) Some of the cover pages I gave the titles and some I haven't. I am not in a rush to complete them, but when I have a few spare moments I work on them. 

My first section in my binder is a faith section. It contains Bible verses that encourage and provide guidance for my walk as a woman after God's own heart. It has items in it on how to uplift, encourage, and pray for my husband. Other pages to encourage me in my role as a wife and mother. Be on the look out at "A Life Lived Simply" FB page. I will be sharing some of sources on there. 

The next section is a calendar/planner. I couldn't find any calendar papers that I liked so I made my own. I used graph paper (4 blocks is an inch) and laid out the calendar the way I wanted it. I was able to give each day plenty of room to write info on and am able to put 6 weeks on one page, front and back. (I forgot to take a pic of the calendar page, sorry.)

After my calendar section, I have a section for notes. This is where I save info from all of the things going on in life. Right now, I have a list of all of the places DD has applied for jobs. A list of quotes that I love. (I forgot to take a pic of the cover page.)

Menus and Grocery Lists is my next section. Here I have 26 pages of notebook paper, where I write my menu for each week and the grocery list for that week. I use the front and back of each page. The menus are followed by my coupon which I have organized in business card/baseball card holders. I organized my coupons the way I think about them and gave each page a label.

After the menu section, I have a section with items that encourage me in my role as keeper of the home. I have articles that uplift me and remind me that my role as a keeper of the home is a calling from God. Articles that remind I am not wasting my life by doing so. They encourage me to embrace my role, cherish it, and to feel good about it. 

The next two section are related to each other. They are my cleaning schedules and a chores list. In the first section, I have my chores laid out for what I need to do daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. It also have a list of the cleaning supplies I use and a routine of things I need to do each day. The next section, I have all of the things I want to do in each room wrote out dividing them into weekly/biweekly and monthly chores.

 

The next section doesn't have a cover page yet. In this section, I have articles I have saved from magazines that have cleaning tip, cleaning suggestions, and how to's that I think are useful. 

Organization tips and decorating ideas are in the next section. I have articles on how others have organized their kitchens, craft rooms, etc. I also have info on how to organize info on computers and in purses. Also on how to organize pictures and other keepsake papers. There are ideas on how to organize your freezer, how to pack a cooler, or how to pack a suitcase. This section also has storage container ideas.  

 

My home management binder has helped keep me on track. It has made making out a menu and grocery list easier. I like having all of the chores laid out for the day or week for a quick reference as well what I need to do in each room. I know there is always room for improvement and my saved articles have provided fresh ideas. I have used a lot of the organizing ideas found in the articles I have saved, too. 

My binder will be forever changing and growing. I will continue to add things and get rid of some. I may have to expand into even more binders, but that is just fine with me, because, I believe my home management binder is simply a good thing!

Living a simple life and loving every minute of it!  

Keeping Our Home

Keeping our home neat and tidy is something I am really good at. Not that it is spotless and completely organized all of the time. Believe it or not, cleaning house is also a way for me to deal and manage stress. The work helps calm my mind and helps me release pent up energy. Besides all of that, I enjoy it. 

With almost 28 years of housekeeping under my belt, I have learned a few things along the way. Things that I feel the urge to share, because I just have this feeling that there is someone out there that needs the help. However with all of the things I have learned, the best tip I can give anyone is that you have to find what works for you, your family, and your schedule. 

Over the next two weeks, I am going to share ways I organize the cleaning of our house.  I will share the ways I have come up with to help keep up with all of our schedules and plan for those special occasions. I will be sharing how I come up with a menu and a grocery list every week. I will share resources  I have found to be useful and helpful. I will share how I manage and plan what chores I do and when. So check in over the next two weeks for the begin of this series I am calling, Simple Home Keeping. 

Simply enjoying taking care of our home for my family and loving every minute of it! 

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On my Pinterest page, I have a board where I have saved some great home keeping tips, helpful hints, and cleaning ideas to help me keep our home. You can find it at the following link: The Keeping Of Our Home.  

Snapshots Of A Simple Life

Every so often, I will be sharing some snapshots of our simple lives; pictures of nature, animals, food, and happenings. Some, I will have already shared on "A Life Lived Simply" Facebook page, but some won't be. So be on the lookout for "Snapshots Of A Simple Life."

This is the scene that greeted us the morning after an ice storm in February.

This Spring has been one of the prettiest ones we have had in a long time.

The Bradford pear trees have been absolutely beautiful.

We have had some warm, sunny, blue skies days.

I just love this shot.

Bradford pear blooms against an azure sky.

I have baked a lot the past few weeks. These Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies were delish!

Spring means the beginning of strawberry season. Although local strawberries won't come in until May, we can't resist buying them when they hit the stores.

Two of the best things in the world - fresh strawberries topped with homemade whipped cream. However, adding a slice of lemon pound cake to it would make it heavenly! ~ For a homemade whipped cream how-to go to this link on "A Life Lived Simply" Facebook page.

 

There all kinds of wild flowers around our simple home place.

These tiny blue flowers are on the ground by our clothes line. They are lovely.

These violets are blooming in our pasture.

These are the only purple mound of violets.

These purple flowers are in the pasture, too. I know it is most likely a weed, but it reminds me God sees beauty in all the things He created whether it be a weed or a rose.

Thursday, March 24th, we bought these little ladies home.

They are Buff Orpington and we hope the eight of them will become great egg layers.

Here they are a week later.

They are getting use to us. I am able to pet several of them when they walk up to me. They will have to live in their custom made box for another few weeks yet, before we move them into the chicken coop. To see pictures of their custom made box visit "A Life Lived Simply" Facebook page.

Hope you enjoyed a little peek into this simple life we lead. Be on the lookout for more snapshots.

Living the simple life and simply loving it!