Kathleen | Roots & Boots
Laundry Room Makeover, Part 2: The Sorting Closet {Before}
The Sorting Closet Remember the sorting hat from the Harry Potter books? Well, we have a sorting closet. Unfortunately, our sorting closet does not actually perform the sorting for us (like the magic sorting hat). However, it does simplify the process, not to mention the fact that all sorting can be hidden…
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Certified Organic Restaurant in DC {Gluten-free Friendly}
Friends in the Northern Virginia / D.C. area, and visitors to our nation’s capital, I’ve got a fantastic restaurant recommendation for you. Especially for you Real Foodies out there. Restaurant Nora Restaurant Nora claims to be America’s “first certified organic restaurant,” which means that at least 95% of all ingredients must come from certified organic farmers…
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This Year’s Garden Experiments: Organic Bug Control
If you’ve been following along with our Garden Experiments, you may know that we’ve experienced a few mishaps along the way. Recently, I showed our abundant green bean harvest, so you may also know that we’ve experienced some success as well. The first major Garden Experiment was the implementation of a new method: Square Foot Gardening. You can…
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Learning to Can (Can)
Somehow, I spent an entire childhood in the beautiful farm country of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and emerged without any knowledge or skills in the culinary art of canning. A family friend pointed out that the this likely had to do with the fact that my mother was born and raised in east L.A. Canning was not…
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Nature Activity for Kids: Butterfly Identification
As you may know by now, we’re crazy about nature here at the Yankee Homestead. [By the way, if you’re a parent or teacher, or have any interaction or influence with children, I highly recommend this book: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. It’s fantastic–both inspirational and practical. Read my…
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2 Favorite Folk Singers and 1 Fantastic Venue {Part Two}
Did you catch this post: 2 Favorite Folk Singers and 1 Fantastic Venue {Part One}? If there are any children in your life, I highly recommend the two musicians–and their CD’s–discussed in that post. This part is for the locals, or for visitors to our nation’s capital… Do you live in or near Northern Virginia (outside…
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Chocolate Zucchini Bread {gluten & dairy-free, Paleo}
This Chocolate Zucchini Bread is so easy, and so tasty. You might also like to know how fantastic it tastes cold, straight from the fridge. Especially while your children are resting upstairs and you’re all alone downstairs. Just a thought. It’s also gluten-free and Paleo, and it freezes well. Plus it’s a perfect way to use up…
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2 Favorite Folk Singers and 1 Fantastic Venue {Part One}
Our family has a slight obsession with good folk music. I love these words from Ruth Crawford Seeger, in her wonderfully helpful book American Folksongs For Children: Many of us open a savings account at the bank when a child is born, and add layer after layer of small deposits which he can later draw…
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Green Beans Galore
Holy green bean harvest! I might need to serve some with breakfast this morning, and at every meal thereafter, to ensure they’re all eaten up. And to think…we almost didn’t plan beans this year. They’ve turned out to be our most successful, low maintenance crop! Green beans do make for somewhat tedious harvesting,…
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