Shannah, Author at My Suburban Kitchen

Creating Princess Teeth and #HolidaySmiles

November 26, 2012 By Shannah 2 Comments

Five years old is a tough age sometimes. My daughter definitely thinks she knows it all and can be difficult when trying to explain the importance of doing something she isn’t really interested in doing. This happens a lot with things like brushing teeth.

At our first dentist appointment for her, the hygienist explained that brushing and flossing were super important to maintain her “princess teeth.” Since that visit, we have definitely played to her love of princesses when attempting to get her to brush her teeth. We also try to include dental hygiene items in a lot of her gifts to make it fun for her to brush. With Christmas coming, I have been looking for something for her stocking and I am so excited about a recent gift I got for her!

I was out shopping and noticed that Colgate had some adorable Holiday packs that included a toothbrush and toothpaste together with characters that my kids love!

My daughter adores Dora so I grabbed one to add to her stocking. I am hoping that, by making the toothbrush and toothpaste more fun with Dora on them, she will want to brush more. I love being able to give practical items that have a little twist as gifts because they are both useful and fun for my kids.

You can see more of my shopping trip in my Google+ album.
Once home with my purchases, I started working on putting the items into the stocking.

Along with my Colgate Holiday Pack with the Dora toothbrush and toothpaste, I had also bought some fun glittery lip balm and a little Dora jewelry holder for her.

I finished the stocking items by adding tags to each with words from her favorite song that I changed up a bit to fit into my attempt to get her to brush more. The song is all about what you do to be a princess so I added a few words about teeth brushing to my tag.

The stocking is all filled and ready for her on Christmas. I hope the new toothbrush and toothpaste from the Holiday Pack will get her super excited about brushing so she can show off her #holidaysmiles.

Do you fill your child’s stocking with practical items that have a fun twist like the Colgate Holiday Pack I picked up for my daughter?

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Colgate. #CBias #HolidaySmiles #SocialFabric”

Graphic Christmas Lists

November 23, 2012 By Shannah 7 Comments

Making Christmas lists is one of the most fun parts of prepping for Christmas. My kids are a little young to write out their Christmas list in full so, this year, I decided to take a different approach.

I started with a large piece of cork board and a piece of red fabric I found in the bargain scrap bin at Walmart.

Typically, I would have used my staple gun to attach the fabric but it was missing. So, I used little thumbtacks instead.

On the front, I attached letters I had cut out to made the categories of the list: Want, Need, Read

Then, we pinned pictures of the items H had started with for her list into the right categories.

The board is much fuller now that H has picked out more items. She has so much fun cutting out the pictures and putting them on the board.
She has also been putting items she thinks E wants onto his matching board.

How do you do Christmas lists in your house?

Pinworthy Projects Party #38

November 23, 2012 By Shannah 6 Comments

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving yesterday! I definitely enjoyed spending time with my family. Right now, I am probably out braving the crowds at my annual Black Friday shopping tradition! I can’t wait to see what you’ve linked up when I get back to my computer.

Ok, it is time to party!

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Did you create something Pinworthy this week?

Link it up below!

Feed Me Friday Blog Hop

November 23, 2012 By Shannah Leave a Comment

The hop is early this week but, first, I have giveaway winners to announce!

Clean Mama Printables: Kortney Picker
Blurb Giftcard: Ginger Gisi
Mystery Box: Jessi @ Practically Functional

Please email me at justusfourpartners {at} gmail {dot} com to claim your prize!

And, speaking of giveaways, be sure to check out the newest one happening RIGHT NOW – Life of Pi Limited Edition Ornament and Tote Bag courtesy of World Market

Now, on to the hop…
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Welcome to Feed Me Friday Blog Hop, hosted by Nap Time is My Time, Great Contradictions and Just Us Four and Eco Baby Mama Drama!

Feed Me Friday is a Blog Hop to help you meet new bloggers and build your e-mail subscriptions.

Want to be a part of Feed Me Friday?

Just follow these simple rules:

– Add your blog link to the linky

– Subscribe by email and follow via Google+(or Linky Followers) to the four hostesses (Nap Time is My Time, Great Contradictions, Just Us Four and Eco Baby Mama Drama). Make sure to leave us a comment and we will return the favor.

– Visit as many blogs on the list as you can. If you like the blog subscribe to their email (feel free to follow on Google+ too, if you want)

– Leave them a comment with your blog link so they know you are subscribing from Feed Me Friday. Be sure to confirm your subscription! Subscribing back is not mandatory, but it is recommended. It is a great way to build blogging relationships.

Since this is an email subscription blog hop, your blog must have a place for people to subscribe to your email. If there isn’t an email subscribe option, your link will be removed from the linky without warning.

Every Friday we will put up a new Feed Me Friday linky, so be sure to stop by and add your blog. Each week we will typically have a featured blogger, if you’d like to be our featured blogger next week, link up below. We’ll use Random.org to select one!

This Week’s Featured Blogger is…Planned in Pencil

Thanks so much for linking up with this this week. If you’re a new participant, please be sure to leave a comment below!

Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sales

November 22, 2012 By Shannah Leave a Comment

I hope you are all enjoying your Thanksgiving! In preparation for your holiday shopping, I thought I would share some of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals being offered by my sponsors!

Lighting Buff

$75 off $500 + Free Shipping

$25 off $250 + Free Shipping

10% off Elk Lighting, Landmark Billiard Lights, and Dimond Lamps

10% Off Maxim Lighting Vanity Lights

15% Off select Minka Group Lighting

ModCloth (two fantastic sales!)

It is time for the ModCloth ‘Tis The Season Sale today through 11/25 with huge savings! The ModCloth ‘Tis The Season Sale is an amazing sale including 100s of brand new stunning styles at 50% off! Now is the time to stock up on great styles for the holidays and beyond!

The ModCloth As You Wish Sale featuring some of their most popular items starts Monday! The ModCloth As You Wish Sale is a unique sale of the “Most Wished For” items and includes 100s of fan-selected styles at 25% off for a limited time! The styles were voted on by ModCloth’s customers through the Be the Buyer Program, Tweets, Pins, Likes, Votes, & Wishes! Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to save on these beloved pieces.

ShoeDazzle

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and ShoeDazzle is offering two fabulous Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals to kick off the holiday season! Beginning Wednesday, 11/21 through Sunday, 11/25, ShoeDazzle will offer up to 50% off select styles (no code required). Then starting Monday, 11/26 and for one day only, ShoeDazzle will offer a 40% off Boot Sale (no code required)! Whether you’re treating yourself or looking for the perfect gift, don’t miss your chance to save on stylish shoes from ShoeDazzle! Happy Shopping!

Stella & Dot

With the holidays right around the corner, Stella & Dot allows you to lavish your friends and family with boutique style jewelry and accessories that they are bound to love without exceeding your budget. I was pleasantly surprised to find many gifts under $50 and in addition, Stella & Dot is offering an additional 25% off sale items in celebration of Black Friday, valid 11/22 through 11/25 (no code required)! Whether you’re treating yourself or looking for the perfect gift, I hope you have a wonderful holiday! Enjoy!

Layla Grace

Layla Grayce is offering a fabulous Black Friday & Cyber Monday sale! For six days only, save 15% off the ENTIRE site (some exclusions apply) with promo code HOLIDAY valid 11/22 through 11/27! Below are a few of my absolute favorite gift ideas:

Let the children in your life dream of sugar plums in the adorable Zig Zag Bedhead pajama set. These soft cotton pajamas make bedtime fun with lively prints just for kids. The Mirror Magnet Board is perfect for any co-worker! Let them re-decorate their office space with this adorable magnetic board. Five brass magnets are included so they can start hanging their memos and photos right away! Delight your tech savvy friends or family with a new Boatman Geller Personalized Cell Phone Case. Boatman Geller’s collection of personalized cell phone cases come in bright and preppy patterns that turn phones into the ultimate accessory. Happy Shopping!

Amazon

As always, the Amazon Black Friday Deals are awesome. From video games to toys to housewares, there is something for everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 22, 2012 By Shannah Leave a Comment

I hope you are all having a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones. I am enjoying the holiday with our family.
This year has been filled with so many blessing and I am thankful for each and every day I have with my family, friends and you dear readers.

Placecard Boxes – Guest Post from Planned in Pencil

November 21, 2012 By Shannah Leave a Comment

Special treat today! PJ from Planned is Pencil is here to share an awesome placecard with you. She used fall supplies for hers but this would be fantastic for Christmas or any holiday!

Check it out below 🙂

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Hello!

I’m PJ and I share my crafts, home decor, DIY projects and life at Planned in Pencil.

I’m just tickled to be sharing a fun placecard craft today here at Just Us Four.

I seriously love following along here and Shannah is just the sweetest for having me.

The holidays are coming and I adore giving gifts, so any occasion to give a little something special is perfect. Why not show your guests to their seat with a gift box made out of paper that fits with your dinner theme.

My mom taught me to make these boxes years ago, I probably haven’t made one in 15 years but it still came right back to me… funny the things we remember isn’t it.

Choose two pieces of square paper. I dipped into my scrapbooking stash and got these fall inspired pieces. Your box will always be 1/3 of the size of your original box. These 12×12 pages made a 3×3 box.

Using a straight edge find the center of the paper by drawing a line from corner to corner.

Fold all four corners in the center and then back out. You want precise folds that are crisp.

At this point you fold each corner past the center mark to the center of the opposite sides fold. If you want to draw your line all the way across the paper so you always know where that intersection is you certainly can. I’ve made so many of these I just eyeball it.

Now your paper should look like this.

You’re going to cut like shown to create the sides of the box.

The sides come up and are secured by folding the adjoining side over the cut edges.

You secure the bottom with another fold and a little piece of tape. If you don’t want to see the points coming together you could cut a piece of paper 3×3 and simply set it in the bottom of the box.

Now do the same with the second sheet. The cool thing is that because the paper is flexible the top and bottom are reversible.

Now using twine simply attach a little scrap of burlap, or a cute cutout with the guests name on it and voila!

Inside can hold the napkin and a mint, a small gift, a note to the diner.

My husband came home after I took these pictures and got all excited that he had a present… so be careful if you leave them sitting around!

Thanks for having me Shannah!

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Thanks so my PJ! I love them! Be sure to go visit PJ over on her blog, Planned in Pencil, to see all the other aweomesauce stuff she has to share.

My Black Friday Morning Delight – #DeliciousPairings

November 21, 2012 By Shannah 2 Comments

I’m a coffee lover. If you follow me on Facebook, you know that I don’t just drink any coffee. I am an avid Starbucks drinker {Avid as in I am “friends” with my morning barista and she knows my order by the sound of my voice on the drive thru speaker}.

On Black Friday, our Starbucks won’t be open until pretty late after we start our shopping. So, we decided to brew some Starbucks at home and take it with us. Since I usually stop at the Starbucks Cafe each day, I didn’t have any at the house so I headed out to the store.

I picked up the Breakfast Blend because it was a medium strength coffee which I knew I would enjoy.

I wanted an easy to carry treat to go with my coffee so I headed to the bakery to check out the selections.
Like a beacon, I saw a familiar face

The store had a display offering suggestions for #delicious pairings for the Starbucks coffee I was buying.

I took the suggestions and went searching for muffins to pair with my coffee. The mini blueberry muffins looked like the perfect size.

Once home, I decided to give the coffee a try before the “big” shopping day. I made 4 cups of coffee using the 1 scoop of ground beans per cup rule.

The smell of the coffee as it brewed was delicious. I couldn’t wait for it to finish so I could try it.

Once my coffee was done, I poured it in my mug and tasted it.

The coffee had such a smooth taste and it was just the right strength for me. Since I don’t normally make my coffee at home, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was perfect though…almost as if my favorite barista had made it for me!

Of course, as I was sitting there sipping my coffee, the muffins started calling my name {well, not literally because that would be creepy}. So, I opened them and dug in.

I was pretty excited with how my coffee had turned out and, then, I added the blueberry muffin to the mix. DELICIOUS. The blueberry flavor played off the little acidity that the coffee gave off. It was like a party in my mouth.

So, even though this was supposed to be primarily for Black Friday, I finished the enter cup of coffee and devoured 2 miniature muffins.

On the plus side, I knew the ideal serving size for my shopping trip and had found #DeliciousPairings to boot.

Are you going Black Friday shopping? If so, I definitely recommend this coffee and muffin combo. It will be the perfect treat to help you along while standing in line waiting for your deals.

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. #CBias #SocialFabric

Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Glaze

November 21, 2012 By Shannah 41 Comments

I just can’t get enough of pumpkin this time of year. One of my favorites things are the pumpkin muffins from Panera. They come with this delicious powdered sugar dusting on top that makes them taste so delicious. I decided to try and make my own version of pumpkin muffins at home and added a cream cheese glaze to mine over the Panera powdered sugar. They turned out wonderfully so I will definitely be making them again!

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WTCW #78 {Guest Post from Sewing Barefoot}

November 21, 2012 By Shannah Leave a Comment

I’ve got exciting news! One to two weeks per month, What to Cook Wednesday will feature one of you as the guest poster! Today, we kick off the fun with Shannon from Sewing Barefoot!****************************************Hi! I’m Shannon from Sewing Barefoot and I’m really excited to be a part of WTCW [What To Cook Wednesday] this week. I have gathered a mix of recipes that I’m hoping you’ll like just as much as we do. I am not a cook (and to be honest, I don’t really love cooking) but I’ve learned that having a few staple meals in our weekly repertoire really help keep us on track. Here are some foods that tend to show up in our kitchen:

Sunday is the perfect day for a hearty meal. This pork tenderloin with pan sauce recipe is to die for – the pork stays so tender and is delicious when served with green beans & a baked potato. No one likes going back to work on Monday, so why not make something to look forward to when you get home. These little french dip crescents are easy to make and are yummy after a long day at work. For Tuesday, I’m ready for something that will be great leftover for lunch. Chicken noodle soup is the perfect dinner (with fresh bread for dipping, of course) and is also great in our lunch boxes the rest of the week. I love to put yellow curry powered into my soup – it spices it up a bit!

Since it’s the middle of the week, I usually feel like I need to eat a little healthier by Wednesday. Stuffed peppers make me feel good about what I’m eating and they don’t require a lot of effort. My husband and I love making these and mixing in different things we have in the fridge. I try to eat salad a few times a week, so Thursday is a great night to have chicken caesar salad wraps. It’s easy to cook down some chicken in the crockpot for this dinner. Sometimes, if I haven’t planned ahead, I stop at the store on my way home from work to pick up a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. Super simple.We’re usually on the go on Friday, so these grilled veggie kabobs are a perfect meal paired with anything! Steak, chicken, burgers, salmon or anything else on the grill. Since we cook on our grill year round, kabobs are a staple for us.I always want someone else to cook for me by Saturday, so these crock pot chicken tacos are the next best thing! Put the ingredients in your crockpot and by dinner time you have a home cooked meal. They can be eaten as tacos, nachos or on a salad. We love them with lots of fresh salsa! I hope you’ve enjoyed this recipe roundup and that you’ve found at least one new meal to add to your weekly mix. I hope you’ll stop by Sewing Barefoot to see what I’ve been “cooking up” in my craft room.

Thanks Shannon! Love all the recipes you shared.

Are you interested in doing a What to Cook Wednesday feature? Send me a quick email {justusfourpartners@gmail.com} and I will tell you more. Happy Wednesday!

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