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make your own chocolate chips

Make Your Own Chocolate Chips (and my favorite brand of chocolate)

Making these chocolate chips is not exactly rocket science, but I thought it might be helpful for those who are anything like I was at the beginning of our Strange New Dietary Journey: needing all the help I could get!

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The Nutcracker for Kids

Last December we enjoyed our first experience with The Nutcracker. Older Brother was five and Little Brother not quite two, so we haven’t yet ventured out to a live performance. [I should also point out that Mr. Native Texan is not quite convinced of the value in watching leotard-clad dancers pirouetting around a stage, especially in…

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World's Easiest Guacamole

World’s Easiest Guacamole

I love guacamole. Until Little Brother arrived on the scene, I was, alas, the only avocado-lover at the Yankee Homestead.  So sad. I made guacamole only for guests, because I was incapable of eating a whole batch on my own. Now I can whip up a small batch and even Mr. Native Texan will pitch in and…

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Free nature journal resources for kids

We do lots of nature study here at the Yankee Homestead. Older Brother (6 yrs. old) works daily on his Nature Folder, which includes a Nature Observation Calendar and a  Clouds & Weather Tracker.  We also have blank Nature Journal pages that we use from time to time, especially after a more formalized nature excursion…

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Pumpkin Nut Butter Brownies | Roots & Boots

Pumpkin Nut Butter Brownies

One of my favorite easy recipes for a healthy treat, these yummy Pumpkin Nut Butter Brownies are gluten-free, dairy-free, and Paleo.  They’re a staple at my house!

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Gingerbread Cookies (Babycakes Graham Crackers)

This recipe is adapted from BabyCakes Covers the Classics: Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes from Donuts to Snickerdoodles.   (Clicking on the book’s title, above, will take you to googlebooks where you can view the contents of the book online, purchase the e-book or click through to a variety of online retailers to buy a hard copy.  You can…

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raw cranberry sauce

Raw Cranberry Sauce (and more)

I love Elana’s Pantry! I do NOT love agave (more on that another time), which is heavily employed in many of her recipes.  Her recipes are a great springboard, however, although some recipes-with-agave are harder to adapt than others. We’ve used her recipe for Raw Cranberry Sauce for several major holiday meals now and really…

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Vintage Diaper-Changing Station

  And yet another example of why I love to decorate with junk…..

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DIY Pallet Shelf

I love to decorate with junk.  I love to repurpose unique materials.  I love to add texture to my rooms.  I love to add storage to my rooms.  And I love me a good bargain! In my efforts to make our playroom/all-purpose room/room where we spend 75% of our day more space-efficient, asthetically pleasing and…

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Favorite Thanksgiving Poems, Hymns & Scriptures

Add meaning and warmth to your family’s holiday celebrations with this collection of Thanksgiving poems, hymns & scriptures. Keep this list handy and simply read a poem at the breakfast table, sing a hymn at the dinner table, or share a scripture at your Thanksgiving meal.  It’s a simple way to elevate your Thanksgiving traditions beyond…

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