GOSSIP FROM THE GIRLFRIEND GATHERINGS

Learning from YOU to empower ME !

H-Town Happenings – Houston Ballet Guild Nutcracker Market

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On this past Saturday, I was able to mark “Done” on my H-Town bucket list next to the entry about attending the annual Houston Ballet Guild Nutcracker Market.     Since 1981, the Nutcracker Market has raised money for the academy and scholarship programs of the Houston Ballet Foundation.   As a native Houstonian, I had been a subscriber of the Houston Ballet and attended the performance of the Nutcracker several times as a Christmas tradition but I had never attended the Nutcracker Market.   So, I called up a few girlfriends and we decided to have a field trip.

The venue for the Nutcracker Market is the Reliant Center which is on the same complex as Reliant Stadium – home of the Houston Texans football team.   As usual, there was adequate parking and a shuttle service to/from the Reliant Center.   We arrived early, a few minutes after the opening for the day, and there were already a considerable amount of shoppers in the booths.   I was expecting handmade beautiful Christmas decorations and merchandise for sale but there were all sorts of other merchandise from jewelry to furniture to back massagers and even cowgirl boots  ( I guess the latter should not have been a surprise in Texas!)   There were approximately 300 national and international merchants.

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My girlfriend and I were not interested in jewelry so we focused on the non-jewelry booths.    The booths with Christmas decorations were wonderful and the most amazing to me was the “Linda Jeanes Original Santas, L.L.C” booth with beautifully detailed Santas of all sizes.   The designer is Linda Jeanes at http://www.lindajdesigns.com.   There were many other booths with Christmas decorations and here are some of the pictures.

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Another booth that caught my eye was one that had elaborate handmade birdcages and the prices were just as high as they stood.

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We traveled up and down the aisles tasting some of the culinary fare from cherry salsa to toffee to rum cake (that would have made me drunk had I eaten an entire slice!).   We had only planned to peruse the market with no intent to shop but I succumbed to the test drive of the back massager by Casada.   Every person that sat in that massage chair did not want to leave it.   It is a wonderful item in that I can put it on any chair and even use it in my car.    My girlfriend succumbed to the call of the Old Gringo booth and ended the day by buying two pairs of beautiful cowgirl boots.

Overall, we enjoyed our visit to the Nutcracker Market.   It was very well-attended and I now understand how the Nutcracker Market has contributed $22 million to Houston Ballet Foundation since 1981.  If you are a jewelry lover, you could attend all three days and not visit every booth but, for everything else, a one-day visit should suffice.

NaBloPoMo #6 After 1 Week of Daily Blogging, I’ve Learned…….

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NaBloPoMo November 2013Women Having Coffee

Before my friend and fellow writer/blogger asked me to join her in BlogHer NaBloPoMo for November 2013, I never considered daily blogging because I thought it would be difficult.    Now, I am glad I did not hesitate because I have learned some things about myself while writing the first 5 blog posts.   What I have learned is presented as follows in order of importance:

  1.  I have learned there are people interested in my writing because I have acquired many new followers here and on Twitter in the last 5 days.  I want to say THANK YOU to all of them for dropping by and reading my thoughts.
  1. I have learned if I am presented a topic I can write about it pretty quickly.   (Now, what that really means is I have an opinion about everything!)   This month the topics are being provided by BlogHer and that is helpful.  So, I realize that, with some pre-planning, I can determine some topics and increase the frequency of my blog posts in the upcoming months.
  1. Daily blogging engages the writer more with the blog readers because of the frequency of new content.    It is more interactive.
  1. With some discipline, time management and the use of scheduling tools, I can do this!

NaBloPoMo #5– If I Had to Change My First Name, I Would Choose…….

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NaBloPoMo November 2013Women Having Coffee

If I was mandated to change my first name, I would rebel.    I would rise up and use all the power I could muster to retain my first name of Elaine.     You see I love my given names – Elaine Rouchelle.     I fell in love with my name as a child when my mother told me how my name was chosen.    My mother told me she allowed my beautiful Aunt Rae who lived in far away (when you have to drive across Texas to get there it’s far away!), mysterious California  to choose my name.   Over the years, when Aunt Rae would come to visit us she would always tell me how the beautiful name she gave me was fitting for the beautiful girl I was growing up to be.

Throughout my life I have not met very many women with the first name of Elaine.   Usually it is the second name.   I like this – having a common name that is sort of uncommon as a first name.   I love the meaning of my name – which is “Light”.     Here is a poem about my name and I think it is accurate for me.

You’re quick to solve puzzles

Without hints or clues

And shed light on situations

Known to confuse.

The inner glow you have

Because of your name

Makes your life a lighthearted,

Whimsical game.

You’ll always know happiness,

Love and delight,

For you follow a lifelong path

Cheerful and bright.

Also, last but not least, the greatest love of my life was Latino and the way he said my name makes it a keeper.    So, I am Elaine and Elaine is me.

NaBloPoMo #4– The One Thing I Wish I Could Change About Me Is…….

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NaBloPoMo November 2013Women Having Coffee
I am a person that performs an annual self-evaluation usually around my birthday.   Normally, I review my “things-to-improve” list from the year before and attempt to give myself an objective status.    I must admit that there are some items that have remained on that list.    When I consider why these items remain I can relate them to one personality trait that is persistent in my life and the root cause.   The one thing I wish I could change.  I am a perfectionist.

This trait has positive and negative aspects.   The positive aspects of a high level of persistence and meticulous attention to detail have allowed me to overcome insurmountable obstacles in my life and obtain skills that make it possible to enjoy the life that I have now.     However, the negative aspects of procrastination, self-deprecation, and the “all-or-nothing” attitude are also a part of my life when I cannot reach one of my goals.   This behavior manifest into the symptoms of writer’s block, unhealthy eating habits, and sedentary lifestyle which causes a vicious cycle that is hard to stop.

At the worst case, perfectionism can cause anxiety, eating disorders, depression, and low self-esteem.

It has taken me years to understand the personality trait within me and accept that I cannot change it.   However, since I am cognizant, I am proactive about self-monitoring and avoiding negative thinking.   I am improving on my eating habits, increasing my physical activity, and using transcendental meditation techniques to maintain a balanced productive lifestyle.

NaBloPoMo #3– The Place Where I Create…..My Writing Space

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NaBloPoMo November 2013Women Having Coffee
I have a nice large writing space in my home.   It is actually a home office that is open and bright.  The walls of my office are a beige color and I have dark mahogany wood blinds on the window to block the evening sunset.   The floor is mahogany hardwood with a large blue multi-colored Persian rug.   On one wall is a large white built-in bookcase and it is home to hard copies of my favorite books and some of my writing books that pre-date Kindle.   Also, on my bookcase is a television with cable/DVR hookup (which I really need to remove) and an IHOME to dock my IPOD to listen to Native American flute music or smooth jazz while I am writing.

In one corner of the office, I have a medium-sized computer stand with a desktop computer/printer setup and pullout keyboard.   This computer is used for all of my non-writing life needs.   My office desk is glass-topped on a wrought-iron base with a wrought iron/leather chair.   I love this desk and purchased it before I started on my writer’s journey but now I realize it is no longer functional.  I desperately need storage and my beautiful desk does not have drawers.    Also, the desk is too high ergonomically for me to use my designated writing laptop so I have to use it on a plastic tablemate stand which I keep near my desk.    I know at some point I will need to replace this desk as the only purpose it serves now is to hold all of my notebooks and writing class notes.

Overall, I am content with my writing space but it is in need of some mission organization and a makeover.   Sometimes when I take a short break from my writing sessions I jot down ideas so I do have the start of plans for a makeover.   However, at the moment, I am productive in my writing space and working to a self-imposed deadline to finish my novel.    Perhaps when that is done I will take a break and enhance my writing space.

I would love to share a picture of my writing space but today it is just a little too cluttered to show.