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Balch Springs Thrift

admin — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:29:46 +0000

Balch Springs Thrift

635 & Elam Rd

Balch Springs, TX. 75180

I shop often at this thrift store because it is so close. I have gotten some really great items at this store, including a fabulous fancy dress for $13 and a high-end purse for $4. I have gotten so many compliments on both.

The prices at this store are pretty reasonable. There are two big down-sides of this store. There are no dressing rooms. That is a huge downer. They do have a full-size mirror on each end of the store which occasionally does the trick, if you are just trying on a sweater over your clothes or something like that.

There is a plus side to this fact, though. I think the prices are a little cheaper than some others since you can’t try them on. For example, most of the pants are under $4 and most of the shirts are under $3. The other downer is that they bag too many of their books and toys. So you have to buy things you don’t want to get what you do want, and sometimes you can’t even hardly see what you are getting.

I like the employees. They are friendly and are generally as helpful and polite as they should be. As with most thrift stores, there are no returns, so think twice before you buy.

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The Home Depot

admin — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 17:53:39 +0000

The Home Depot

12005 Elam Rd.

Balch Springs, TX. 75180

(972) 913-9491

Well, it’s that time of year again. The weather is cold and our hearts are warm. Jingle bells are jingling and nerves are jangling. So, I packed the family into our mini-van and headed out to pick up this years Christmas tree.

When I was a kid growing up in Wisconsin we would head out to a Christmas tree farm and wander around in the snow and the cold until we found a satisfactory tree. Dad would saw it down and we’d drag it back to pay for it. If we were lucky the Christmas tree farm would offer us some complimentary hot chocolate or steaming apple cider.

Weill it’s not as cold in Texas as in Wisconsin and there’s no snow. Also, I’ve noticed that a lot of the Christmas tree farms here look more like miniature amusement parks. They look like a lot of fun but we decided to go simple this year.

Instead of Santa’s Six Flags Tree Emporium we went to Home Depot. They have a variety of kinds of trees to choose from and a variety of sizes. Prices range from about twenty bucks to about one hundred dollars. We ended up picking out a six foot Douglas Fir $24.98, well actually $27.04 with tax. Actually four out of five of us picked out our Christmas tree. Our oldest son was not to thrilled with our choice. I don’t know why it’s a nice full tree with no bald spots. The size and the shape is fine. I think he just wanted to be the one calling the shots.

Anyway, the tree guy at Home Depot got our tree all ready to go by lopping an inch off the trunk (so it can soak up the water better) and a few of the lower branches so the tree would fit in our tree stand better. I had to tell him to do that last part. I hate getting a tree home and finding out I have to saw off a bunch of branches to make the darn thing fit in our tree stand. Then the guy wrapped the tree up nice and tight in that plastic mesh so that it would fit into our car better. He also gave us some extra pine boughs they had in a shopping cart off to the side. My wife likes to use these to decorate the house. She does a great job and the house smells awesome with that fresh pine scent wafting through it.

Maybe it would have been more fun to go out to a Christmas tree farm. Maybe we would have made more memories that way. But I have to say that Home Depot was much less stressful and a headache free Christmas is always a good thing. Right?Similar Posts:

Paula Sue’s Diner

admin — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 14:28:42 +0000

Paula Sue’s Diner

11915 Lake June Rd.

Balch Springs, TX. 75180

(972) 329-7932

This was originally going to be a review of Pizza Inn on Elam Rd. in Balch Springs. Our boys had some coupons for a free kids’ buffet so we headed out to cash in on them. But when we arrived at about quarter to noon, we discovered that the joint was closed. The open sign was turned off. The door was locked. I got the point. What I didn’t understand was why they don’t have their hours posted on the door so we would know when and if they would open again. So instead of having the buffet at Pizza Inn we decided to eat out at Paula Sue’s Diner. My wife had a coupon for the place from the Entertainment Passport book of coupons for the Dallas area.

Paula Sue’s Diner is just what it sounds like – country to the core. Ninety percent of their clientele was over the age of fifty. I was actually encouraged to see all the elderly folks dribbling into Paula Sue’s from their various churches. I took it as a good omen that my family and I would be able to get some really good country and southern fried food. The inside of Paula Sue’s is a somewhat ramshackle affair, where you seat yourself.

The largest room, the one you enter, is the smoking section. The smaller room, the one without the TV, is the non-smoking section. Here’s a little word to the wise, though. It’s all the smoking section, because there is no place to escape the smell of it in there. At least, not on a busy Sunday afternoon. I don’t have a particularly keen sense of smell but the smell of smoke was very heavy. My wife is very sensitive to that smell and it gives her a headache. My oldest boy has asthma so I wasn’t real happy about that part of our experience. That ends my rant on that subject.

There are booths and tables and one TV in the smoking section. In the “non-smoking” section there are several long tables with red table cloths that seat six to eight people. Sorry, nothing cozy over there, if you’ve brought a date. But that’s OK, there is nothing remotely romantic about the whole place. When I took my sons to the bathroom I noticed their was a pulpit set off to one side which makes me wonder if they also use the place for a church. It wouldn’t surprise me.

Anyway, let’s talk about the food. The people around us were ordering things like pickled beets and turnip greens. The waitress said the turnip greens were really good. I passed on those and ordered one of the daily specials. No, not the spaghetti and meatballs (actually that was the other daily special). I ordered the chicken fried steak for $6.75. I also got to order three vegetables with the chicken fried steak, so I got the classic mashed potatoes side, fried okra, and fried squash. I had never had fried squash before so I was interested to see how it was. My wife got the fried catfish filets with buttered squash and fried okra. Our boys all got children’s meals for $3.99 each. The oldest got a grilled cheese sandwich with French fries. Our middle boy ordered a hamburger with French Fries. I liked the fact that the waitress asked him what he wanted on his hamburger. I would like to be asked things like that more often instead of just getting what ever they see fit to give you. Our youngest son got fish sticks with French fries. Oh, by the way, a drink is included in the price of each kids meal. The two youngest got pink lemonade, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

I had fried squash, fried okra, and chicken fried steak. But not one of these items’ breading/batter was crispy. If anything, they were a little soggy or chewy. So that was disappointing. Besides my own meal, I also tried a bite of my son’s hamburger, a couple of fries and a big piece of a filet of catfish. Oh yeah, I also had a cornbread muffin. After all of that sampling I came away with the impression that everything was OK, you know, so-so, nothing was awful, but nothing to write home about. Except for one thing. The catfish which my wife had ordered. That was excellent- crispy, fresh-tasting, quality fish. Our waitress told us it was the best thing on the menu and I whole-heartedly believe her. For $8.99 you get five filets of catfish and two sides. It would be cool if you could order another piece of catfish for a side. Make a statement you know. Give us more food like this!

We had some trouble paying our ticket. The lady told me that she had used the coupon, but she hadn’t. My wife went back and showed her the problem and they paid us back, so it was OK, but still annoying.

So, I was disappointed by our visit to Paula Sue’s Diner. I didn’t get the stellar chicken fried steak I wanted, etc. If I ever do go back, it will be alone. My wife doesn’t want to eat there again because of the smoke. And I will only order one thing off the menu – the delicious catfish. I can highly recommend that dish. So does my wife. I’ll leave it up to you if you want to give Paula Sue’s Diner a shot. Hey, if you are a smoker in your sixties and up, with no high culinary expectations, you will be in hog heaven.Similar Posts:

McDonalds Restaurant in Balch Springs

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:37:39 +0000

McDonald’s Restaurant
3535 Elam Rd.
Balch Springs, TX. 75180
(972) 286-9056

My three boys treated me to lunch the other day. It was getting close to lunch. I was about to whip up some peanut butter sandwiches when my sons asked if we could go out to eat at a restaurant. I told them that was fine if they were willing to pay for it.

You find out really quick how serious your kids are about something when their own money is involved. Well, on this particular day my boys were quite willing to pay. All three broke into their piggy-banks and dug out their treasure from birthdays past, tooth-fairy payments, chores and whatever other occasion their grandmother has found to spoil them.

We collected the necessary funds and headed out to eat. Where to? Where all children like to go to eat – Mickey D’s. I had to be sure to keep the cost of our order low since we were dining on the kids’ dime. That meant no happy meals. Sorry kids, no Shrek 4 toys this time.

I ordered a McDouble from the dollar menu for each of them and I ordered the double cheeseburger value meal (Super-sized!) so we could all share the large fries and drink. The burgers were fine. The fries were hot and fresh.

I know that’s not always the case. It really stinks when you’re expecting to get some crispy, piping-hot fries fresh out of the grease and you get these limp, barely warm look-alikes that have been sitting out too long.

I don’t know why, but I love ketchup from the pump in those little white paper containers. Is it really better than ketchup squeezed from the packet? I think so. I let my sons take turns choosing our beverage every time we got a refill. We started out with Strawberry Fanta, I think.

Then we got some Sprite. And finally we ended with a bright orange concoction with a cool name like orange lava or something. After we finished our meal we had to find some way to get rid of all that sugar-energy. And what better way than to let the kids run wild on the McDonald’s playground equipment.

This is a bittersweet experience for me. I love to watch my boys have fun, but I cringe at the shrill cries of delight which constantly emanate from the play area.

Oh well, it’s all part of the McDonald’s experience. I also think it is funny how my kids seem to make a new friend every time they enter one of these fast food playgrounds. Maybe there is some social bonding agent used in the manufacturing of all those playground tunnels, slides, etc.

Perhaps the United Nations should hold negotiations inside a giant playground. Just a thought. Well, I had a great time with my kids and no one found a finger in their burger or got scalded by coffee so, yeah, I’m lovin’ it.Similar Posts: