Glory B's in Nederland will decorate your home and fill your closet

 
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Glory B’s

Got $10 or $20 bucks? Walk out of Glory B’s with a new-to-you watch, or a pair of pants, or hey, some home décor.

Paula Leger and Anna Moreno are contacts for a fun consignment shopping experience Wednesdays through Saturdays at 3105 Nederland Avenue, Suite A. It’s those blue shops. You’ll love it. I certainly have my eye on a bracelet or two there.

In addition to purses, shoes and clothing attractively displayed, I spied a topiary, clock and things to hang on wallss

“We have a lot of stuff come in here with the tags still on them,” Moreno, store manager, said.

“We strive for beauty in our store. People say it is stylish. Some say it is the nicest consignment shop they’ve been to,” she said.

Give them a buzz at (409) 718-2720.

Misticoots

Your New Year’s Resolution could begin with Misticoots, American-made socks. I’m enjoying these well-made wicking, walking socks with a lip to keep them from sliding down in my shoes. They’re already inspiring me to walk more, and you’ll love this. They’re packaged in Austin, a city with a reputation of that “hippie” kind of doing good. So #GETGIVEEMPLOY explains about how your purchase helps puts socks on someone else, too. A note that came with mine reads “You Are Awesome,” (why, thanks) and also offers me “many thanks for doing more with your socks). You’re welcome. Put some on and get moving.

The Wright (spicy) stuff

I met Peggy G. Wright and she fed me some of her Wrights of Texas Fresh Salsa. Sometimes people say the hot version is hot, but it’s not. Peggy’s is. It was like we were in her kitchen, but we were in Whole Foods and she was giving samples. She works out of

Beau Reve has big plans for Small Business Day
Okay. I hid from Santa. Still do.
But having breakfast with the guy in the red suit at Beau Reve could change our relationship.
Shop for pretty stocking stuffers, stock up on sweets and have breakfast with Santa on Saturday, Nov. 29, which is Small Business Day. If you haven’t been to this beautiful home, now’s your chance. Visit the Artisan Marketé and have

breakfast with Santa.
Come in pajamas or fancy attire for breakfast from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Get your photo made.
From noon to 3 p.m., enjoy cookies and cocoa under the big canopy with free children’s activities, including thumbprint ornaments and coloring. Surprises come in the guise of Whoville, The Grinch and princesses.
Get shopping done with: Jeweled Treasures with jewelry, with gypsy-inspired designs; Francheska & Jacqueline with trendy clothing, including plus sizes, handmade cards and vanilla; Glass Dove with lighted wine bottles; Herbal Insanity with organic herbs and skin care; Pieces of Shady Oaks with CeCe Caldwell chalk paint; Sweet Serendipity with fresh baked cookies, cakes and pies; Southern Imprint Jewelry with stamped jewelry; Friends On Holiday with holiday décor; MeMe’s Buttons with embroidery; Repurposed metal signs and furniture; Big Momma’s Royal Dog Treats; Rustic Pallet Junkies; Smartmouth Yummies; The Traveling Vineyard; Thirty-One; Mary Kay Cosmetics; Origami Owl Lockets; Jamberry Nails; Avon; Scentsy; and Tupperware; Younique Product.
Tickets for the breakfast are $8 and are on sale now at Beau Réve, 4400 Atlantic Rd, Port Arthur, or at Animal Hospital of Mid-County at 1608 Nederland Ave, Nederland. For more information, call 409-962-2422 or 409-719-7511.

Luxurious Leather trays

I really connect to leather. It smells good, feels good and wears well. Our ancestors have used it for life and luxury and Four Robins has been having fun molding custom leather trays and bowls by hand. Vegatable-tanned cowhides make squared-off bowls like I’ve never seen, with nature-inspired stamps in the centers. It’s a conversation starter that preserves a bit of the industrial heritage of Pittsburgh, makers say. They make a Butterfly Leather Desk Tray and Distressed Brown Hand Sewn Leather Box that could fit in anywhere from a business desk to a deer lease cabin. Think Crystal Beach homes or grandpa’s desk. They look old and new at the same time. These bowls come with a tale. They’ve already been somewhere, holding something. The creative couple behind these natural, aromatic, unique leather pieces started in dog collars. What a back story.

For information, go to www.fourrobins.com 

Feeling squeezed?

There’s an adult and a children’s book about how to turn lemons into some successful juice.

That’s how a lump of coal becomes a diamond. “Squeezed… Lucky Am I,” is a child’s book telling how Lucky Lemon ventured into the place where bigger, sweeter fruits lived. They mocked him until a wise lemon made him realize he could relax and become more  juicy, and mix with his water and sugar friends to make something delicious. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. There’s also a lot of lemon facts in the book. I didn’t know that a massive fire in 1886 ruined lemon trees in 1886 and they were not commercially sold in the U.S. again until the 1950s. I’m so glad they’re back.

The adult version has real-life scenarios from Eric Benson with lessons on what the squeeze is and making the juice you want from it. It’s a simple, different way to look at life’s lemons. “Squeezed: Make Life’s Juice Worth the Squeeze” reminds us we can learn from everything, and that’s how we make life better.

For information, visit www.squeezed.us.

Scendero Outfitters and Big Bend dining

 
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Scendero Outfitters

Just in time for the nip of fall, Darrell and Sheila Hall have opened Scendero Outfitters on Englin Road in Winnie. Those out to hunt bobwhite quail, chukar partridge, ring-neck pheasant, dove, ducks, geese and whitetail deer can now bunk in lovely cabins and re-fuel with dinner at a spacious, rustic table.

Scendero is a cleared path in a straight line cut through brush country of South Texas and Mexico, according to Darrell and Sheila Hall. Sheila used to run Esther’s, the seafood house bearing her mother’s name.

Organize a retreat and an adventure. As for other details, patterned blankets could not be softer on beds where the women sleep. They men cover up in plaid. Look them up and ask them about their Llewellin Setters.  

And speaking of hunting and the great Texas outdoors, read on:

What do they eat in the Big Bend?

Creosote Salve is one concoction found in “The Big Bend Cookbook.” That and the Wild Texas Oregano Tincture are in the foraging for medicine section.

Big Bend is a part of Texas I’m planning to get to someday. It’s so mysterious to my Gulf Coast experience, but I know large segments of the world picture Texas as this wide-open, dry and rocky spread. Of course Tiffany Harelik has collected great recipes and stories from the heart of West Texas. Thanks for the photos and directives on chile rellenos, chicken sopa and Ranchland Dove. Turns out, our brethren in West Texas have that cowboy sweet tooth I’ve heard about.

Marfa Table Cinco Leches Cake includes a milk sauce with sweetened condensed milk and a can of evaporated goat’s milk. It also uses stale bread or cake. None of this sounds strange to me. I’d love some.

Here’s the easiest thing in the book, and I’m ready for it:

Coffee-Sprinkled Ice Cream

Courtesy Big Bend Coffee Roasters

Joe Williams says, “I can’t think of anything that gets you closer to heaven, and the preparation time is only two seconds.”

Coffee grounds to taste

Blue Bell vanilla ice cream, to taste

Sprinkle coffee grounds on a few scoops of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream and dive in.

Wrinkles

This is not about skin care. It’s about being rushed and wrinkled and having Downy Wrinkle Releaser to the rescue.

When there’s no time to iron, Downy invites you to “spray the fabrics, tug out the wrinkles, smooth and let dry for five minutes. Silicones in the spray allow fabric fibers to relax instead of being frozen in a wrinkle so you looked freshly pressed despite the morning chaos.” Some people love to iron. I think those people are getting harder to find. Downy has a Wrinkle Releaser Plus with odor eliminator, fabric refresher, static remove and ironing aid. Need a little extra help in the laundry room?

ddoiron@panews.com

Rooster Booster new flavor in town

 

Rooster Booster new flavor in town

Don’t get cocky about it. Just sprinkle it on your chicken. Our friends at TexJoy have a new flavor. Rooster Booster is meant to flavor chicken, gumbo, gator, hot wings and vegetables. I just heard about it and I’m going looking for it.

The Texas Coffee Company in Beaumont presents this flavor. Makers report: “This spice features the popular Sriracha flavor as well, making the intensity of taste – not heat - more pronounced. The new spice is free of fat, cholesterol, calories and gluten.”

Visit www.Texjoy.com for more information and for purchase of the product.

Go Veg

Don’t stress about going meatless. “The Smart Girl’s Guide to Going Vegetarian” will walk you through nutritional and flavor options and even help you deal with family and friends who think you’re going nuts. Mmmm. Nuts sound good on Chia Power Pudding.

It’s a lifestyle, not a rule, author Rachel Meltzer Warren writes, and shares examples of making a “vegexception,” like for mom’s chicken soup on holidays. Some vegans don’t have a problem wearing leather, she says. You can decide how deep to dip your toe into the veggie pool.

Kale chips, sweet potato fries and coconut spinach chickpeas sound good to me. Banana Joe’s Ice Cream is something I already do. Just blend a frozen banana and add temptations like toasted walnuts, chocolate chips, granola and fruit.

This book is easy to digest.

Cookina

One time my sister surprised me by cleaning my oven. That was years ago. I wish she’d come back.

You’re probably not supposed to line old ovens with foil, which gets crumbs stuck in there and then they burn and set off the fire alarm. So I’m so glad I got a sample of COOKINA Gard Oven Protector. It’s a flat mat that looks good and is easy to clean. Now I don’t dread opening that oven door. They also make a cooking sheet and I tried it with cookies and I’m very pleased. Visit www.cookina.co for the details. Here’s the scoop on the sheet:

COOKINA Cuisine Reusable Cooking Sheet is a multipurpose product that creates a non-stick, easy-clean and healthy cooking & baking experience – for all those holiday cookies, cakes and pies! Ideal for using as an alternative to aluminum foil, parchment and wax paper, users can place the cooking sheet on a baking tray to bake recipes without having to use oil or needing to clean the tray afterwards. This sheet is 100% non-stick and PFOA Free, reusable, reversible, easy to clean and easily cuts to size.

Zabada clean

Things must be clean in Austrai, where they make Zabada cloths. They’re clean in my kitchen, too, where the kitchen glove cleaned not only my stove top, but that grimy back wall, with just water. Since the cloth is supposed to last 2-3 years, that’s what I call going green with less chemicals. Makers say advanced cleaning fibers and microfiber cloths are deeper, thicker and superior in quality compared to your average microfiber cloth.”

Go ahead, try it in the bathroom, too, because they remove bacteria. Here’s what they make:

         Kitchen Glove - Removes even the most backed-on kitchen grease and grime from counters, cooktops, tiles and ovens.

Kitchen Extra Handy  - Outperforms disposable scourers in removing stubborn baked-on grime from ovens, barbecues, pots and pans. Uses water only - no chemical sprays needed!

Bathroom Glove - Safe on any surface, and removes calcium, lime, mold and soap with just using water.

Dust Glove - A duster that grabs and holds even the heaviest dust, hair and microdust, and removes the common triggers of asthma and allergies.

 I was amazed at how the kitchen glove took on the grime. Look it up at ZabadaClean.com

ddoiron@panews.com