Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts

Saturday, July 8, 2023

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!

Thursday, July 14, 2022

Israel Favorites: Where to Shop!

Every time we go on a trip, we are bound to buy something, yes? Going to Israel was no different. I went with certain items in mind, and I left with other things I hadn't even thought of! 

Shkalim Fashions: We were recommended this shop as some friends in our group, who have been going for many years, had high praise for Uri. This guy is amazing! He is friendly, loves to make friends with his customers and goes beyond your average service to make people happy. We bought a shirt and jacket for my husband, as well as a jacket for me. When I had begun the packing process and checked the weather in Israel, it was saying it would be around 60 degrees. I packed for cooler weather, but didn't think I'd need a heavy coat or more than my sweater. I was incredibly wrong! So getting an IDF fleece jacket from Uri's shop was tremendously helpful to me. I wore it every day for the rest of the trip. His shop was within walking distance of the Dan Boutique where we were staying, just down Ben-Yehuda Street in Jerusalem, Israel. If you take a trip to Israel, you MUST stop in and see him. He has a wide variety of clothing, not just your average tourist-type clothing. Each time we stopped in, people were coming and going, always with a smile. I've included a website link for his shop. There are many things missing from the online store that he had in the shop. From Harley Davidson shirts, to funny sayings. One that I hope to get next is the Sababa shirt. It was something that our tour guide, Shraga, kept saying. My husband has the IDF Softshell Jacket. I have the IDF Fleece Jacket. Amazingly good quality. My husband also got the Jerusalem Coordinates T-shirt from there. That one is super soft and comfortable.

The Garden Tomb: At the end of the trip, we made a stop here. Sobering, yet joyful at the same time. The shop here had so many amazing things. They sell more of these olive wood communion cups that we had gotten as a part of taking our communion in the garden and little carved pendants.

This is where I also found a cross for my mother. It was carved from olive wood and each end reminded me of the fleur-de-lis shape.
My husband purchased this model to set up in our home. I could have stayed and shopped more, but we were getting low on our spending money and had to get back on the road. This is another place that I highly recommend. Especially for gifts to take home to family and friends.

Genesis Land: We had a wonderful lunch here, after riding a camel. Once all that fun was over, we were allowed some time to shop. They have a beautiful little shop there that focuses on local artists and products. This is where I purchased some date honey. I had no idea it was such a thing! They also gave me a recipe to make the date honey chicken that we had had for lunch. It was delicious and I have since made some back home! My husband and I are planning to order more later on from them. As well as perhaps more za'atar spice. We LOVE using it in our cooking here!

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Having a fun filled Saturday

It's already a long day. My sinus problem has become a bother. I was up early. But pressing on is what I'm doing. We took the boys to Lowes to build a Toothless dragon.
It's actually a fun kit to make and would have been cool for a displayable trinket. I wasn't impressed by the fact that my sons kit had a part split and they didn't have extra sets for just such a case.
So we had to keep building and just deal with the fact that he ended up with a defective dragon who can't flap it's wings. It was difficult for them to do without a large amount of parental help. Even I had difficulty attaching certain parts. I prefer taking them to Home Depot builds. Those were always more fun. Plus we had to sit on the cold concrete floor. So wear pants that you don't mind getting dusty in. 
Then it was over to Toys R Us for The Lego Movie Master Builder event. Again I was disappointed. They said there were no instructions and IF everyone at the front stuck to 30 pieces a person, there would be enough for those of us at the back of the line. It was to build a sort of mecha suit with a mini figure head.
Arrive early if you want to be first because when we got there about noon the line was pretty long already. I do like that it encourages kids to have creative minds. 
Then it was back to work clothes shopping! I have decided I can't shop with kids and husband in tow. It just doesn't work. I have also decided I hate being so long legged. It's not being tall. It's have your body be mostly legs that is such a pain. Couldn't find skirts anywhere (pants are nearly impossible). I finally found a pair of pants at American Eagle that fit perfectly in waist and length but it cost me $40.
And they only had one pair. It was that or a $30 short skirt from JCPenney. Target just had to pick red and khaki for their colors didn't they. I did manage to order my free 8x10 photo collage from CVS. Today is the last day, remember to get store pick up! Use code DADCOLLAGE at checkout. 
Forever 21 had $1.80 cami's and $3.80 leggings. Make sure you get the right size before hand though as you can't return, only exchange. 
Well, kids are having a blast at the Lego store. I'm looking forward to medicating and climbing back in bed as soon as we get home. Enjoy your Saturday!