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Things I Love – #26
What’s In My Beach Bag
Beach Bag: Find a collapsible straw bag that can lay flat in the bottom of your suitcase, or use it as your carry-on bag. (Click on the blue words for more information or to purchase.)
Straw Beach Bag Sun hat: You definitely want an inexpensive straw sun hat that can fold up in your suitcase and get wet in the pool.
Straw Sun Hat Sunscreen: Sun Bum 30 for body, Sun Bum Lip Balm and Elta MD for face. If you are spending time in the ocean, Sun Bum is also reef friendly.
Waterproof Bag: I always have at least one waterproof bag inside my beach bag for things I want to keep dry, like my phone and Kindle. (Note: I own several of these and use them for my bathroom products inside my suitcase, instead of disposable baggies.)
Waterproof Zippered Bag Kindle or magazines: I don’t like to take a real book to the beach because I don’t like to get the pages wet or sandy. I also like that I can adjust the amount of background light on the Kindle, which makes it easier to read in the sun.
Wide Tooth comb and a deep conditioner: While I’m sitting by the pool I figure I might as well deep condition my hair, I just put a handful on my hair and comb it back under my hat. The wide tooth comb is also helpful for untangling hair without damaging it when you come out of the water. (Note: If you have any sample packets of conditioner, use those.)
Snacks: I usually have a bag or two of nuts in my beach bag.
Yeti: Sometimes it’s filled with ice water and sometimes it’s filled with a cocktail. I like the closeable lids to keep the sand and bugs out. If you have an older Yeti without the MagSlider lid, you can buy the lids separately.
Sunglasses: My favorites right now are the polarized Wedge ($69) and the Rebel ($59) from eyebobs.
Havaianas flip flops: I love these for the pool and beach. I don’t want to ruin my nice leather sandals with sand or water and these are so easy and light to pack.
Havaianas flip flops Do you carry anything in your beach bag that I missed? If so, leave it in the comments below.
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Click on the three lines to the left of the word “lifestyle” at the top of this page and enter your email address to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Also, follow me on Instagram at cocktailsandgratitude for photos of cocktails, flowers, my pets and, eventually, more travel.
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Things I Love – #16
Here’s another Amazon list, but this one is focused on household items. Since I am still limiting the number of stores I go to, we have weekly Amazon deliveries. Click on the photos below or the blue text for an Amazon link to the products listed.
La Creuset Wine Cooler Sleeve If you want to chill down a bottle of wine quickly or just keep your open bottle of patio wine nice and cold, order this La Creuset wine cooler sleeve. When it’s empty, it folds flat so it doesn’t take up much room in your freezer.
Nest Island Rain & Sea Salt Candle 
Nest Ocean Mist & Sea Salt 3-Wick Candle You know I love Nest candles since they’ve been on my blog several times in Things I Love – #8 , Things I Love – #2 and the Nordstrom Sale. These two candles smell so fresh and they are in beautiful containers that can be repurposed after the candle is gone. I bought these for birthday gifts but I like them so much I might need to order more for myself. The Ocean Mist candle is more expensive, but note it is a larger 3-wick candle.
Lucia Candles These Lucia candles were on my Things I Love – #1 post. I first discovered Lucia candles at a vineyard in Napa. I didn’t want to pack a glass candle holder in my suitcase so I found them online and ordered them before we even left Napa. Amazon offers different scents at different times; so if these scents don’t appeal to you, check back in a few weeks to see if there is a new scent in stock. The scents are very mild, so they’re best used in a smaller room like a bathroom or bedroom.
EltaMD SPF 40 Facial Sunscreen – Clear 
EltaMD SPF 46 Sensitive or Acne Prone Skin – Tinterd EltaMD Face Sunscreen was in Things I Love – #4. The EltaMD sunscreen line is recommended by dermatologists because it doesn’t leave an oily residue behind which might cause breakouts or reactions with sensitive skin. There are multiple variations of this sunscreen, so look around for the correct one to fit your skin needs. I personally prefer the clear sunscreen over the tinted.
Yahtzee 
Leather Felt-lined Yahtzee Cup with 5 dice 
Yahtzee Score Pads Early in the quarantine process, I sent my daughter a Yahtzee game. Then we had a Zoom call where we played Yahtzee as a family. The game I bought her had a plastic cup and was really loud when shaking the dice, so I bought her the leather felt-lined Yahtzee cup. I also discovered I was running low on score sheets, but guess where I found them… on Amazon, of course!
Play Nine – Golf Card Game Are you getting tired of all of your games? We love Play Nine. Even though it’s called a golf game, it really has nothing to do with golf except using golf terminology on the cards like Hole-In-One, Out-of-Bounds, Par, etc. It’s a fun game for 2 – 6 players and you can easily visit and play. My Mom has a regular Play Nine ladies group and they set up two tables with a set of cards for each table.
Homech Tower Fan We don’t have central air in our house, so in the summer we always have a fan in our kitchen. Our old fan stopped working, so I ordered this streamlined Homech tower fan and we love it. It doesn’t take up much space but it really moves the air around the room and it’s quieter than a regular fan.
Olly Sleep Gummies I’ve been using Olly Sleep gummies to help me go to sleep for over a year. What I like about these is I haven’t built up a tolerance to them like you can with plain Melatonin. I chew two gummies as I’m going to bed most nights and I’m able to read for 15 – 30 minutes before I start falling asleep.
Silicone Baking Cups I bought these silicone baking cups in both standard and large. They’re great for making cupcakes, muffins or individual egg bakes and you can use them in the microwave. They also add a fun pop of color to a cheese board when filled with olives, fig jam, nuts, etc. I can only assume they would make a great snack cup for kids filled with goldfish or other small treat.
Since I’m shopping on Amazon weekly, sometimes even daily, I’m going to post regular list of things I’m buying on Amazon. So please share this post with others who might enjoy regular Amazon suggestions and comment below with some of your favorite things to buy on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Click on the three lines to the left of the word “lifestyle” at the top of this page and enter your email address to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Also, follow me on Instagram at cocktailsandgratitude for photos of cocktails, flowers, my pets and, eventually, more travel.
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Things I Love – #4
It’s time for spring break. Here are a few essentials to pack in your bag.
Intelligent Nutrients antibacterial spray: this is always in my carry-on bag. 
Intelligent Nutrients Destress Express: I use this to freshen up our hotel room and mist my pillow at night. 
Illesteva Women’s Leonard Sunglasses: This style and color looks good on just about everyone. 
Sunbum sunscreen: I prefer spray sunscreen and this smells like summer. 
Elta MD Skincare UV Clean Boad-Spectrum SPF 46: this face sunscreen is light but has a strong SPF. 
Seafolly Cover-ups: I usually buy a couple of these every spring. 
Tory Burch Miller Sandal: This sandal will go with your swimsuit during the day and your dress at dinner. 
Yeti mug: This keeps my beverage cold by the pool / ocean. It also keeps hot beverages hot, if that’s your thing. 