Kathleen | Roots & Boots
The Canning Bragging Club
I did it! I finally learned how to can. (Maybe there’s hope for my sewing skills…) Thanks to my friend Diana, who was so very generous with her time and with her canning equipment, I can now proudly inform folks that I am indeed from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. And mean it. Even without the sewing…
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Changing of the Guards: Our Rotating Book Display
Well, it’s a new month and almost a new season. We’ve also got a birthday in a few days. [Older Brother will be 7–I can hardly believe it!] At the Yankee Homestead, all of this adds up to: A New Book Display. Several new book displays, actually.
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Year Round Nature Activity for Kids: Raising Butterflies
Raising butterflies is a perfect nature activity for young children–it’s fairly easy to do, and gives everyone a firsthand look at a butterfly’s life cycle. Reading excellent books on the topic makes the experience even more delightful. Want to give it a shot? Read on for our favorite butterfly-raising resources. Also check out this…
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Non-Toxic Nail Polish
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that nail polish is not the healthiest thing to put on your body. After all, nail polish is paint. It doesn’t wash off. It (usually) doesn’t chip. That can’t be healthy, right? It turns out that–as you might imagine–most nail polish contains at least three major…
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Homemade “Lysol” Spray {Easy & Non-toxic, with Essential Oils}
During my days as a Coupon Queen, I used to stock up on cans of Lysol and other aerosol sprays for next to nothing. We used them mainly for the kitchen trash can and in the bathroom. But guess what? Now I know that most household cleaners and sprays contain dangerous chemicals. When you know…
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Free Printable Activity: Last Days of Summer
Last Days of Summer It’s hard to believe that fall is just around the corner. Summer is still with us for a few more weeks, though, and what better way to enjoy these final days of the season than with this fun (and free!) printable activity from Harmony Art Mom, over at Handbook of Nature…
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Using Herbs in Flower Arrangements
This is the time of year when herbs are growing like crazy in our garden. Yours, too? Here’s an idea for putting herbs to good use, aside from the obvious culinary uses… Include them in floral arrangements! We recently hosted a large cookout and I had a fantastic time putting together a zillion small…
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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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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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