Baby Cheers at beachcats bargains

I'm excited about a new line I've just added to my beachcats bargains stores...Baby Cheers. I've started with a few of the products I think are really neat! It's been a few years since I had a baby but I think most new (and not so new) mothers will LOVE these colorful, soft, practical, well-made items for baby and baby care.

One of the unique items that made my favorites list is "Socks in a Box"... a pretty Keepsake Box filled with 6 pairs of quality socks for size 0-12 months. As with all the products from Baby Cheers you can buy for a boy or a girl...pink or blue.

Who could resist this super soft and cuddly Plush Pup? Not me! You don't have to be a baby to want to hug this little guy or gal. CUTE!!

Other items include picture frames, diaper bags...from mini on-the-go size to larger messenger bags, and the "Dipes and Wipes" Keeper.

Hopefully this line will do well at beachcats bargains. I would love to add some of the other Baby Cheers products in the near future! :)

My Very Special Grandmother...

I've been blessed with a loving family. My parents divorced when I was a senior in high school but for the most part I only remember happy times. Both my grandmothers were special but I was especially close to my dad's mother...one reason was because I was the only grandchild on that side of the family for many years. The other reason was because she was a VERY special lady and grandmother!

My grandparents owned a lake stocked with fish. They built a small cabin on a rise in the middle of a lovely wooded area...a beautiful setting. In the summers my grandmother opened the lake on Saturdays to anyone who wanted to pay $2 to fish. She would get up at the crack of dawn and travel from her home about 10 miles away. For several summers when I was young I loved to go with her, and did, most every Saturday. I would spend the night at her house which was also fun and help her pack the things we needed for the day. The "money box" with change; snacks & soft drinks, (which she also sold) and anything we might want... like games or special treats.

The fishermen/women started arriving early! She knew most by name. We never worried about the dangers a woman and young girl might encounter out in the middle of the woods alone...I don't think it ever occurred to her (or me) to be afraid. Even with the "money box" stuffed full we felt safe.

We wrote poetry, took walks, floated on rafts in the lake (out of the way of fishermen) and had tasty picnics. Some of the best childhood memories I have are of my grandmother at the lake. I wish there were pictures to share but unfortunately I don't have any, so just close you eyes and imagine...peace, love, and good times!

Yummy Yum-Yum Potato Casserole

2 lb. bag (Ore-Ida Southern style) hash brown potatoes
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. ctn. French onion dip
8 oz. ctn. sour cream
10 oz. grated cheddar cheese
1/4 c. melted butter
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper

Thaw potatoes. Mix everything together. Put in a greased 5 quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 mins.

Topping:

2 c. crushed corn flakes
1/2 stick melted butter

Sprinkle corn flakes over casserole and drizzle with butter. Bake additional 15 mins.
It also freezes well!

Certainly not healthy...just GOOD!

The stretch ring...a fun fashion craze!

Stretch Rings are very popular! Many are large with bold colors and unique styles...for instance in my store beachcats bargains I have an Octopus in hot pink or lime green, and adorable Birds with rhinestones for feathers. From Fish to Flowers...Hearts to Hamsa there's a stretch ring for everyone.

If you're looking for something a little less "fun" you might like a rhodium plated simulated Stone Ring...OR...a set of three Beaded Rings from Coldwater Creek.

No worries about getting the correct size, so gift giving is easy! Make a statement...do your own thing...wear a stretch ring!

Check out some of my newest stretch rings. I have many more on order for Christmas that I hope will be available soon!

The Thirties...Fashion and Costume Jewelry...Part 2

Hollywood the stars were wearing beads of all kinds on long strings, often with combinations of colorful rhinestones and pearls...a la Chanel. Black and white evening gowns matched with crystal and pearl sets...earrings were buttons and studs instead of long dangles and drops.

Every woman wanted an enameled flower pin for her jacket lapel. Clips were popular on hats, and at the point of the "V" on a V-neckline...usually clear or colored rhinestones in geometric designs.
The "chunky" look was popular. Forget the delicate designs of the twenties! Loretta Young wore jewelry in a new way...a four-strand pearl choker with the clasp in the front. Schiaparelli designed necklaces, bracelets, and earrings of "silver latticework studded with exotic dark woods" and jewelry with ivy leaves and pearls.

Costume jewelry made in the thirties is extraordinarily popular among collectors today.

See my collection at beachcats bargains eCrater