2 More Places to Enjoy in Midland

I convinced my husband and sister-in-law on an outing this weekend. The kids are off in Florida with my family. So why not? We stopped at two other places that were on my list to check out. 

First off, we have a beautiful antique store called The Rustic Windmill. It is located at 2032 W Cuthbert Ave. Not everything inside is an antique or vintage. Some of it is inspired! Which made everything interesting. You could find bundles of Pokemon cards up front, milk glass, vintage photos and postcards, dolls and so much more.

On this visit, we found 6 boxes of RIT dye in a bag for $2 as well as a bag of NASA themed patches for my husbands future jacket for $6.99. 

My take away on this one

This place is so much fun! There is plenty to find. We saw a great amount of unique items as well as older ones that aren't so easy to come across. I would gladly stop by this shop every once in a while to see what new things they might have to offer.  

Time for lunch!

We decided to go out for lunch and wanted to try some Italian. That is where we landed Ray's Italian Bistro. Besides Olive Garden, it was the only listing for Italian that was open for lunch. The outside is unassuming with it being part of a strip mall. Inside was cool, inviting and giving off an authentic Italian vibe. The menu had so many different options to cover all bases.

We had the mozzarella sticks appetizer with the fresh bread rolls they serve. I thought the vinaigrette dipping sauce was a good one. It was like a mix between balsamic and Italian. The cheese sticks had a thicker breading, were so fresh that they were hot to the last bite and came with a thinner marinara sauce.

For the food, I chose the fettuccine primavera with fresh veggies. I was sad to realize that meant a lot of "sharp" olives (as my sister-in-law called them), as well as mushrooms. I'm not a fan of either. I did enjoy the artichoke hearts, bell peppers, squash, and onions. My sister-in-law got the spinach ravioli, which looked amazing. I dipped a piece of the bread into the sauce. It was creamy and so cheesy! I loved it. My husband ordered the large (16") meat lovers pizza. He said he was craving pizza and it would give us some to take home for dinner.

                             My take away

The food was amazing! The atmosphere was calm and relaxing. I loved how they packed away our leftovers for us. The servers are highly attentive and so friendly. You have a homey feeling while dining. Almost one of family. 

The drawback for us would be the prices. A single plate was averaging about $14. While this is decent for the amount of food and the quality, it means that eating here (for us at least) is more for date night and special occasions.

These are the most recent finds in our town! What do you think? Are either of them up your alley for places you would want to go? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time!

Exploring Midland: Part 2

We finally took some time to go check out more places in this beautiful town we call home. We also wanted to show some favorite places to my sister-in-law. I have to say, we were not disappointed! 

The Cat's Meow:

My sister-in-law had seen this while driving by and asked if we would want to go in. I, of course, said yes! It was quite the antique store. They had vintage postcards, clothing, hats, shoes, even Barbies! Jewelry crowded in cases, furniture was everywhere, books. Most things were out of my price range, though all of it was in excellent condition. I did consider getting some of the vintage doll clothes. Like a suit for a Ken doll that was only $5. Maybe next time. They had a great book that was right up my alley, however, way out my budget. It was costumes from Star Wars, signed by the author! The photos were stunning. The book was mint. And all for a whopping $200! My 6 year old love the mink wrap. Even after she learned that it was a real animal before it became a women's wrap. My sister-in-law lamented at not finding one of the vintage night gowns in her size. What was with women having tiny wrists?? My oldest son wished he could afford a robe that was embroidered with a colorful dragon on the back. So, something to hit every individuals interests. There was even a customer visiting from New York who found goodies to take home. 

The Cracker Barrel:

My husband and I visited this one for our anniversary dinner. He had gotten a gift card for his birthday and it just seemed perfect for the two of us to steal away for a little bit. We laugh every time we go as we remember Tim Hawkins' jokes about southerners and the 'Barrel. 

While this visit was pleasant enough, I was a little disappointed. The server might have been new, as she had to ask about things I questioned on the menu. And then even after saying yes, didn't get the order right. Food was good, albeit a bit more rich than my husband and I were used to. His order was the Steak n'Egg Hashbrown Casserole.

It wasn't anything like what we expected. No tomato, not colby cheese - they had cheddar on it, no green onion, and didn't give us the buttermilk biscuits either. It was a bit on the greasy side too. The beef tips were cooked to perfection, the hashbrowns were lightly seasoned with garlic. They should have crisped the fried onion a little more. Instead they were limp, mushy and greasy.
My food was about the same. I ordered the Cheesy Bacon Homestyle Fried Chicken. No biscuits, I asked for the cheese to be swapped, but was still served the cheddar. Limp and greasy onions. Even the bacon was limp. And no green onion or tomato was brought. And I don't recommend the dumplings. Maybe I'm spoiled from the ones my grandmother made, but these just didn't cut it for me. The dumplings were in a huge clump together and the soupy gravy was almost without taste.

I think we agreed on two things this go around. Firstly, the drinks were the best part. We had the Southern Half'n'half tea and lemonade. Wasn't expecting the strong flavor. Not too sweet, but not sour either. Perfect blend. We also tried a Jack Daniels Watermelon Punch. Delicious! Loved the flavor. The second thing we agreed on, was that the fried pickles (which arrived after the main course), were the best food part of the meal.

Centennial Park was amazing!

This place takes up about a full city block. There is a splash pad, field and grassy hill for kicking a ball around, and a small playground for climbers to enjoy. There was also a large selection of books for all ages to chill with. Tables are shaded for snacking in between play. Benches are placed around the splash pad for parents wanting to watch as the kids play. I was pretty impressed by this place. Parking was easier to find than I expected as well. 

Centennial Library

I told you last time that there were two libraries here. Well, we finally got around to visiting that second library. It is the Centennial Branch. I think this one was built more with kids in mind. Open floor plan with a lot of sensory teasers. There were a lot of faux trees inside that showed kids various trees native to Texas.

The girls and I set up the dolls in one of them. I believe this was the Live Oak tree. 

SK Arms

My husband has been wanting to check this place out since the first time we drove by it. It was a lot cooler than I expected! The guys that work there aren't overly salemen-ish. They are there to help, but not to push. There are so many guns to check out, something they encourage you to do, by the way. They have emergency kits you can get for your shooting outings as well as parts and accessories. I have my eye on one of their bags... The ammo wall was pretty nicely stocked, though I think shortages are still going on for some types. 

Mural City

Midland has murals all over the place. Sides of businesses, on electrical boxes - you never know what you will see. This one was along a highway in town. Not sure what business it was on, but we loved it all the same. 

That is all for this round. Don't worry though! There are still more places on our list. The more we see and visit, the more we want to go out and find new places. Haven't been too disappointed yet. Really love living here! Which place would you want to see? Leave me a comment below. I'd love to hear from you!

Exploring Midland, Texas With the Nerdy Unicorn!

Midland, Texas was nothing like I'd expect it to be. While being a decent-sized town, and perhaps comparable to Waco, it has a different topography and style. We have been exploring little by little, when we can.  I thought that I'd share some of our favorite places around this town. Whether you are just visiting or if you are considering moving, here is a little insight.

Readers need books!

Since first coming to Midland, we started to explore around it. As a home schooling family, there were certain places we needed to establish ourselves with. The library is my favorite place to go to and was the first place we got hooked up for our book needs. While there are two locations, we have preferred the Downtown Plaza location for its distance from our home. The building itself is a work of art. Murals are painted on each side. One side has a metal art installation that looks reminiscent of a steampunk hot air balloon.  My daughters and I love bringing the dolls out to get some new photos. Inside this one, there are also screen walls that sometimes play movies or just have cool changing images. There are historical displays inside too. We even found the old map section in the back of the adult side. Those are so cool! To make things easy, I often just put in hold requests. They hold things for up to 3 days. If we are in a hurry, this makes it easier for us to grab and go. I love our librarians. They are always friendly! And when I have asked for recommendations on books, donut shops or even where to find a park, they were more than happy to share!

Taking time to play

We have also been to the Dennis the Menace Park. This is a large park with multiple sections for various sizes in kids to all play on. I think that is what we love most about this park -  the various sizes in the equipment. They have something for all kids. Even my teenage boys can fit as they chase around their sisters! And they aren't just the run of the mill slides and swings. They are themed to give kids more imaginative play!

Sparking the Urban Explorers in us

Across from the park, however, is some place we have been wishing we could urban explore.

I've had difficulty finding out what it was meant to be. Ever since we arrived, there has been no progress in the build. Sad really. It takes up an entire city block. The only thing I found was that it possibly was started as a housing project of some sort that has faulted on their payments and not done anything since 2019. It may have been recently sold, though. So maybe work will finally resume. It definitely makes us wish we could explore other places like it around town.

This town is in between transitions. From a booming oil town to a shift towards a tech town. They are tearing down old businesses and some new ones have moved in. That is just since we made the move.

Donuts! 

We started going to the local Shipley Donuts when my kids won free donut tickets from the library for a reading program. We were going every Saturday morning while we could. I love how they had a mural painted on the side that incorporated Midland's oil history.

They are not the only donut shop in town, however, and to be fair we had to give other places a try. We went to Jack n' Jill's, but we had gone after 10am so they had hardly any selection left. Despite that, they were the fluffiest donuts I had ever tried! I'm really hoping we can go back, earlier, to try other ones. My husbands favorites were the cinnamon rolls and long johns.  

Wall Street Antiques

I love looking for deals. And this one place has so many! I've found things for the dolls, relatives, husband and even my sons! This place is bigger than you'd expect when you look from outside. So many booths filled with antiques, vintage pieces and even some new items. You could go every week and still find new things that weren't there last week.

This vintage find was from the 90's. Remember the Sleeping Beauty dolls back then? For the entire outfit, brand new in the pack was only .99. Even better was that the corset comes separate so I can mix it with my Steampunk outfit for the dolls. But that is just one thing I've found there! And the employees are always helpful. Don't hesitate to ask questions!

Where's the meat? 

My husband and I gave up eating most meats you get at the regular grocery stores. We can't seem to handle whatever they are adding in, be it the dyes or the gases. So we had turned to farm stores or farmers markets when we could. My husbands coworker suggested Midland Meat Co. for our needs.

He swore their meat selection was not only amazing, but the best quality that could be found around here. After getting some, we are hooked! We have tried their ground beef, hamburgers, Texas antelope steak, lamb and Wagyu hotdogs so far. I would say that the hotdogs received the lowest score among our family members. But the burgers have become a family favorite. We get the ground beef in a larger pack and I split it up for shepherds pie, chili, and even taco night.

Meat isn't all they have though. They sells seasonings, produce, Volleman's milks and side fixings for your next cookout. We liked their local made cheeses too. So many flavors to choose from! 

Steak Express

Okay, so here's one I'd not have thought worthy of trying. However, we had family visit and decided to order out. After checking options and dietary needs, we all settled on Steak Express. What is it? A steak delivery company! No, seriously, they cook and deliver fully decked steak meals. They offer lots of variety in meats and sides. I wouldn't say this is my favorite place, but for the food being so good, I'm adding it the list. We definitely can't afford it often. A little too pricey for our family.

Having it delivered is a pretty cool bonus too. After all, food like this cooked to perfection after a long day is tiresome.

This is all I have for now. There are so many other places we hope to check out. (I'm keeping a list now!) And as I do, I promise I'll share my results. But I'm curious, so indulge me, if you have time. What is the first thing you would look for in a new town? Let me know and maybe that will be the next place I try to go to.

Keva Structures game review from MindWare Toys

I'm a home schooling mom of three. While my two boys are still preschool level, I use every opportunity I can to teach and enrich their knowledge. Children learn more from birth to five years old than they learn their entire life after. They have minds like sponges, soaking up concepts that we as adults might not understand. For my boys' learning, the best way to teach is through hands on activities. They are hyper active and don't like sitting still for long without some kind of stimulating exercises. MindWare sent me the Keva Structures game for a review.

It comes with 200 pine wood planks and a guide book with ideas for building. There is no messy glue, no connector pieces. Just wood and imagination!

I love these. Growing up, my dad had a wood shop. When he had small pieces of wood left over from a project he would let us play with them. In our minds it was more fun than any multi-gadget toys and noise makers. These planks smell like fresh pine. They are smoothly cut so as not to give little fingers splinters. They provide hours of quiet fun.

They actually used Keva planks to construct the worlds tallest Keva Structure in the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.. It was 51 feet, 8 inches tall! They used 5,123 planks and took 13 hours to build it.

Even my baby girl wanted to join the fun!

When the fun is all done, the kids get a chance to pick them up and practice their packing skills to fit everything into the box neatly. This game requires concentration and helps to refine motor skills as they design and build amazing structures.

As an added bonus, they also sent a sampler book of their MindWare Brain Teasers.

Extreme Dot-to-Dot anyone??

Highly detailed coloring pages.

And Venn Perplexors to really boggle the mind.

Everything at MindWare is based on learning and exploration. You can check out their website, Facebook or their Twitter to keep up with specials and news.