My Suburban Kitchen

Delicious Recipes to Keep my Family of Four Happy and Full

Guest Blogger: Homemade Christmas Wreath

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Hello Just Us Four readers, I am so happy to be here and guest posting! My name is Ciara and I run a blog called Teaspoon of Life. I am one of 13 siblings, a mommy to a rambunctious little girl, and wife to a wonderful husband. In my spare time, besides blogging and taking care of my little princess, I love to cook/create recipes,  and occasionally do some crafts.

 This is only my third Christmas with my husband and we don’t have many decoration yet. We agreed on our first Christmas together that we would only get a few decoration each year (so we aren’t spending all our money at once). Also even more important, so we have something special for each year. This year I am in a very creative mood and decided to make something!
Teaspoon of Life GP Picture 1

I had a thought in my head of a door decoration and by making it myself it makes it even more special! I decided to make a Christmas wreath because they can get so expensive at the stores sometimes!
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Guest Blogger: Paint Dipped Wreath

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Hi there Just Us Four readers! My name is Laura and I blog over at The Experimental Home where I share my everyday creative experiments. I believe that I can create anything with just a little experimentation and you can too!  I am so excited to be guest posting today on Thanksgiving eve. I am also excited because in two days, our Christmas decorations come out of the attic and it is time to deck the halls!  I am not one of those people who totally replace my seasonal decor every year. For me, the best part of Christmas decorating is all the wonderful Christmas memories that the decorations hold. However, each year some decorations get retired and new ones take their place.  This year, I know I need a new wreath for my front door. I wanted to create something simple and modern with classic Christmas style. I have been loving the color-blocked look this year, so I decided to experiment with a paint dipped wreath. It was super-simple to make and I just love how it turned out!
Experimental Home Picture 1…

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Christmas Burlap Bell Wreath

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I took my first trip to Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago and I was so excited.  A store finally opened that was within an hour of me so I carved 2 hours out of my schedule to give myself plenty of time to check it all out.  While I was there, I fell in love with a burlap wreath that had bells on it.  I didn’t love the price tag though and was convinced I could make something similar for less.  Luckily, being in Hobby Lobby, it wasn’t difficult to find the supplies for my Christmas Burlap Bell Wreath.Burlap Bell Wreath with Candles_wm…

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Christmas Decorations: Frames of Joy

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Decorating for Christmas is something I love and look forward to from about November 1st.  I always wait until the week of Thanksgiving to actually start putting out Christmas decorations but I definitely dream about them long before that.  This year, I wanted to add a few new items to our home and I decided to start with some framed words.  Joy and Noel are two of my favorite “words of the season” so I picked one of those. Joy Frames Cropped_wm…

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Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

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Christmas is my absolutely favorite time of year.  From mid-September, I start dreaming of my Christmas decorations and start to think about what this year’s Advent Calendar will look like.  Last year, our Advent Calendar was a frame with little envelopes for each day.  I wanted to do something a little different this year and, after a brainstorming session with Mathlete, we came with the idea of a Christmas tree Advent Calendar.

Christmas Tree Advent Calendar with label_wm…

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Black Friday Survival Kit with a Printable

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Guess what will be here in a just over a week?  Sure, there is Thanksgiving but there is also Black Friday!  Are you a Black Friday shopper?  I definitely am and look forward to it every year.  If you are too, I am here to help you with your black Friday preparation with tips on creating a Black Friday Survival Kit {and printable}!

Shopping Survival Kit with Banner Label_wm…

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Pumpkin Pie French Toast Casserole Recipe

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We are spending more and more of our holidays at home with family.  With a large-ish house and two kids, it seems to work out really well for everyone to come and hang at our house for major holidays.  We have space for everyone to stay and the kids can stay comfy in their own environment.  Knowing I have extra mouths to feed in the mornings always has me searching for breakfast ideas that are quick and easy.  Wanting something delicious but that required very little work of a morning led me to make this pumpkin pie french toast casserole recipe.

Pumpkin Pie French Toast with Label
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Let’s Go on a Sleigh Ride

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This post was originally shared over on Salt Tree but I wanted to share it with you here as well!

 For my kitchen decorations this year, I focused on bright reds and greens for the decor.

Someone keeps eating the M&Ms out of my little bowl…thieves!

One of the newest additions to the room started with this unfinished wood sled.

I taped stripes with painters tape and painted part of them red.

Once it was dry, I taped off the other stripes and painted them green. Then, I let the entire thing dry for several days before adding my vinyl lettering to the sled.

Are you ready for sleigh rides?

I love this sleigh because, even though it is red and green, I think it can stay out for decoration all winter!

Gift Ideas for the Littles

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I’m sure all you prepared parents have your gifts purchased, wrapped and under the tree.  So, this post isn’t for you.  It is for the parents {like me} who are still out walking the aisles and clicking on the web looking for great gifts for their kids.

Or maybe the aunt or uncle who just has no clue what to get…or the grandparent  who isn’t exactly “hip” when it comes to kids’ toys.

I’ll go ahead and caveat this and say, if the kids you are shopping for aren’t {or near} 5 and 2, I’m not going to be of much help.  But, if they are, read on for some great gift ideas that are readily available right now!

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