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I stumbled on Pepper Square Cleaners when I was looking for some place to have my wedding gown dry cleaned. I'd worn it for portraits at the Dallas Arboreteum, and the hem got filthy. Can't go to...
I stumbled on Pepper Square Cleaners when I was looking for some place to have my wedding gown dry cleaned. I'd worn it for portraits at the Dallas Arboreteum, and the hem got filthy. Can't go to your wedding with a filthy hem!
Someone recommended *another cleaners* and I used them when I bought the dress, since it was a consignment dress. I won't mention the name but it rhymes with Fib&Tuckers. Shoot. The cleaning cost more than the dress did!! I was NOT happy, particularly since they didn't tell me how much it would be up front.
So when I was looking for a cleaners after the portrait, I found Pepper Square. Oh the joy! Oh the rapture! They were much less expensive, and did a *perfect* job. So much so that after the wedding I took the dress back there to be cleaned, and I also took my daughter's christening gown there to be cleaned and preserved.
And besides doing a great job, they are SO nice and SO professional.
If we lived closer, I'd use them for my routine cleaning, but they're pretty far from where we live. However, for my special stuff, I'm more than willing to make the drive. And I'd encourage you to try it too - I don't think you'll be sorry.
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Anonymously Yours is a bridal/special occasion resale store. Hidden away in the Tom Thumb shopping plaza on Abrams, it doesn't look like much from the outside. And it's sort of claustrophobic on...
Anonymously Yours is a bridal/special occasion resale store. Hidden away in the Tom Thumb shopping plaza on Abrams, it doesn't look like much from the outside. And it's sort of claustrophobic on the inside. But it's well worth your time if you're looking for a dress for your wedding or special occasion.
I was very impressed with the variety of dresses, the quality of the dresses, and the prices. I found the most beautiful dress that had been a sample and never worn down the aisle - and I got it for less than $250. It was the most amazing dress, and I was so happy I'd gone to AY.
I'd encourage anyone looking for a wedding or special occasion dress to start with AY.
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A friend suggested I have my 3 year old checked for vision. Being that my DH and I both need corrective lenses (mine are particularly bad) I thought it was not such a bad idea. In case she needed...
A friend suggested I have my 3 year old checked for vision. Being that my DH and I both need corrective lenses (mine are particularly bad) I thought it was not such a bad idea. In case she needed help, better to identify it early, right?
PLUS, I just changed jobs and I'm losing my vision insurance. So I thought I might as well get her in now rather than later.
So I looked on the insurance company's website and found the one pediatric ophthamologist they'd cover. I was pleasantly surprised, when I told them I had a timing issue, they were good about working us in.
And the office is definitely kid-friendly - big play stuff in the middle of the waiting room, books and bead structures in the actual consultation room, and they use a TV to broadcast the pictures to identify for the kids.
We had Dr. Wang, and she was very nice and calm. Perfect for a 3 year old who's new to this whole examination thing.
The only thing my daughter did NOT like was the after-effects of the dilation. She got quite upset that her near vision was shot for a couple of hours.
All in all, well worth my time. Oh, and my daughter has perfect vision. :)
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I found Dr Jibril almost by accident - I was reading the Plano Profile and saw an ad, and thought I'd give her a try. Well, lucky me! I've been with her now for over 5 years, and I plan to stay...
I found Dr Jibril almost by accident - I was reading the Plano Profile and saw an ad, and thought I'd give her a try. Well, lucky me! I've been with her now for over 5 years, and I plan to stay with her until I don't need a doctor any more. She's delivered both my children and seen me through both pregnancies and a couple minor illnesses.
Dr Jibril has a very no-nonsense, matter-of-fact demeanor, and that's incredibly reassuring to a pregnant woman. She's also not in a rush to judge or make snap prognoses, but takes the time to listen to your questions, fears, symptoms, etc, and make an informed decision from that. She doesn't immediately hand you a prescription, but is certainly willing to prescribe on an as-needed basis. She has an ultrasound machine in the office too, so the first pregnancy visit, you can probably get a look at the little blob. Dr Jibril delivers over 80 percent of her patients' babies herself, which says a lot about how much she makes herself available. When she is unable to deliver, she has several other women doctors with similar backgrounds and demeanors who cover for her. I have rarely had any appointments cancelled or significantly delayed due to her absence; the few times it did happen, I was kept in the loop and told not to come in until called, so I didn't waste my time driving over there.
Nursing staff is currently Cindy & Jackie, both of whom are very pleasant and calm. They take the time to get to know their patients personally and are efficient at getting the necessary tasks done in as pleasant a manner as possible.
Office manager is Sue, who is just fabulous. I don't think you can say enough good things about Sue.
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I had both of my children at Plano Presby - one before the new wing and one after. Both times, it was an experience I'd recommend to others.
All delivery rooms and recovery rooms are private. ...
I had both of my children at Plano Presby - one before the new wing and one after. Both times, it was an experience I'd recommend to others.
All delivery rooms and recovery rooms are private. This makes a huge difference in the experience, I'm sure. The nurses are highly efficient (for the most part) and good at doing what they need to do without causing you undue stress. They allow rooming in with the baby, but many of the nurses will actually encourage you to send the baby back to the nursery at night, so that you can get some rest. During the delivery and after the birth, baby nurses are present and assigned to your baby. Nurses for both mother & baby are good about letting you know who they are and how to reach them.
Pediatricians do their baby visits between 7 and 9am each morning, so expect your baby to be unavailable to you during that time frame.
Lactation consultants are available during normal working hours and I believe there's also a breastfeeding class available daily for new moms.
Food is available on a "room service" basis - you get a menu according to your dietary restrictions (ie, liquids only) and call down for it when you're ready. I found the food to be pretty good. And they took really good care of me the second time - I'd forget to eat and they'd send someone up personally to remind me and take my order.
The one thing I had a problem with was phone service. (Local calls are free, btw.) But people calling in had a terrible time getting connected to me, they were routed all over the hospital and about 1 time out of 3, never reached me at all. They really need to implement a full service switchboard and keep patient lists up to date.
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I was really excited to discover there's a Cafe Brazil in Carrollton! I'd been to several other locations and always loved the food, and the Carrollton location is pretty darn close to home. ...
I was really excited to discover there's a Cafe Brazil in Carrollton! I'd been to several other locations and always loved the food, and the Carrollton location is pretty darn close to home.
Cafe Brazil is located at George Bush and Josey (on the southeast corner.) I think of it as traditionally a breakfast foods place (you can get breakfast any time of the day) but it's really sort of a combination breakfast joint - coffee shop - exotic food - bakery place. The food does have a Brazilian twist but isn't so exotic that your ordinary meat & potatoes diner is going to panic, either. Favorites include the Brazilian breakfast done with the asiago cheese sauce and the pancakes. The pancrepes are really good too. Desserts - if you actually have room - are awesome.
Portion sizes are quite large so you get your money's worth. Peak traffic times seem to be Saturday and Sunday mornings (so clearly I'm not the only one who thinks of them for breakfast). The decor is not fancy but is serviceable.
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Portrait Innovations is located in the Target shopping plaza at Park & the Tollway in Plano.
As a proud mama of 2 children, I'm always interested in finding a good, reasonably priced photography...
Portrait Innovations is located in the Target shopping plaza at Park & the Tollway in Plano.
As a proud mama of 2 children, I'm always interested in finding a good, reasonably priced photography studio. With my daughter, we spent a lot of time at Kiddie Kandids. So much so that I got really burnt out on their pictures. They're good, and I love the pictures we got, but I was just ready for something different. I tried a private photographer, I tried JC Penneys, I looked at Picture People.... I just didn't find anything I loved.
Then my friend told me about Portrait Innovations. We took my daughter, her daughter, and another little girl to have pictures made there - and I fell in love.
Portrait Innovations has only 2 shooting studios at this location, and they're large and open. They have a number of backdrops and props, so they can give you a wide variety of shots. They use digital photography and the key difference to them is that they take a LOT of pictures - most of the other places I've seen take maybe 20 shots and dump most of them, keeping only 4 - 6 for you to choose from. Portrait Innovations took over 100 shots of the three little girls and we got to look at ALL of them to make our decisions.
Another thing I liked was that the photographers really seem professional and to like their jobs. That makes a huge difference. They take their time and really work with the subjects, which results in much more relaxed sessions and much better pictures. Which, naturally, results in more money for them, since you're inclined to buy more shots.
And how about that buying...... You'd think they'd be really pricey. Nope. Per sheet, I found them to be more reasonable and better quality than any other service around. They run specials as well, and are happy to tell you about them - again, figuring that if you're happy with them, they're going to get more of your business. Plus, if you buy a certain amount, you get a CD of all the pictures - that's EVERY SINGLE PICTURE TAKEN, regardless of whether you bought that picture or not - for free. Yes, free. So you can immediately go home and load them all onto Shutterfly and show everyone you know what great shots you just got.
I really can't say enough good things about Portrait Innovations. We'll definitely be returning. You should go too.
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My husband's been going to the original Dodie's for years and years and years. So he was thrilled that they opened one closer to us, since we live in Lewisville, and the original on Lower...
My husband's been going to the original Dodie's for years and years and years. So he was thrilled that they opened one closer to us, since we live in Lewisville, and the original on Lower Greenville is quite a haul, especially with 2 kids.
I can't quite decide if I like this one better or not. There are definitely some things I like better - the grilled chicken po' boy, for example, is much better in Carrollton because it's not burnt to a crisp. The atmosphere is a little more cozy. The waitresses are a little more attentive to my kids (always a selling point with me.) And they have key lime pie, and it's pretty good too. And as noted, it's much closer.
But the original one has Charlie, Amber, and Lisa. And my husband says the crawfish are MUCH better at the original location, and since that's the main reason he wants to go....... And overall, it just seems more original.
Either location has good Cajun food and a no-nonsense, casual atmosphere. If you're into serious crawfish, head for Greenville. If you want chicken po'boys, go to Carrollton. ;D
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When my daughter started walking, all the experts (my mother and my daughter's teachers) told me to get Stride Rite. So I set off on a quest to find our local Stride Rite. After one mis-fire, I...
When my daughter started walking, all the experts (my mother and my daughter's teachers) told me to get Stride Rite. So I set off on a quest to find our local Stride Rite. After one mis-fire, I did find it - in the same plaza with Dallas Shoe Warehouse and Half Price Books, on the Cotton Patch side, facing the mall.
Overall, I'm pleased with this store. They've recently moved up the row and are now right next to Cotton Patch. It's a bigger space and brighter, and they've got a hair salon in the back (not sure how that all works, we haven't tried that.) The staff, although young, seems to know what they are doing and are fairly helpful. They're a bit inclined to rush you along, but in fairness, they get a lot of traffic too - there's almost always a wait list to be helped.
I do wish they were open a bit later in the evening - they close at 6, and by the time I get off work and pick up the kids, 6 is wildly optimistic for me. However, they do have Sunday hours (it's just really, really crowded.)
The product, of course, is great. And I do like the fact that they don't try to push you into buying more than you need.
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My husband and I were searching for a family practice that we could use on an ongoing basis. We stumbled across Vista Ridge Family Physicians, specifically Dr. Pamela Cruz, and have been very...
My husband and I were searching for a family practice that we could use on an ongoing basis. We stumbled across Vista Ridge Family Physicians, specifically Dr. Pamela Cruz, and have been very pleased with them so far. My only quibble is that they shut down the phones for office lunch, which invariably coincides with the time I think to call them. But when I do finally get an appointment, I'm happy with the speed and quality of the service. Let's face it, nobody *likes* going to the doctor. But if you have to go, might as well go someplace tolerable.
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