Gish Picks: Weekend of January 4, 2013

WHAT'S YOUR PICK THIS WEEKEND?

Greetings and welcome to GISH PICKS: A GUIDE TO CULTURAL ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES, a free weekly e-newsletter/blog I created as a service to the Houston community in 2003. Please enjoy and please share. My business grows by word-of-mouth from people like YOU!

HAPPY 2013! Yes indeed – it’s a new year and that is a GOOD THING for many of us. I hope your holidays were merry and bright and that you got to spend some special time bonding with family (or, if needed, getting away from them). In my last edition of GISH PICKS for 2012, I held a contest for people to send me their funny kid photos – so I’m happy to announce the two winners – Sue Needle and Judy Miller. Congrats, mamas! You can see their funny kid photos at the top – what fun! Those lucky ducks got to go to the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center’s “Balloon Blast” on Christmas Day. If you’re jealous, don’t be! I have another ERJCC giveaway – this time, all you have to do is LIKE my GISH PICKS Facebook page and you’ll be eligible to win free tickets to their “Mixed Bag” dance show on Sunday, January 20 at 3pm. On your mark, get set, LIKE!!!

January often stirs up an urge in us to make changes and improve ourselves and I have two great ways for you to do that: yoga and a women’s group. My friend Laura Burns and I will be starting up our ongoing group next week that’s a wonderful community for women to learn, grow, and connect. I’ll be leading FOLLOW YOUR HEART: A TRANSFORMATION CIRCLE FOR WOMEN next Monday, January 7 from 6-8pm at Marti Ewing Yoga Therapy at 1128 W. Pierce in Montrose. Our group is a focused two-hour time just for women where either Laura or I present information on a specific topic in an interactive lively way. New for 2013, before each group starts, Marti will be teaching yoga for one hour – read all about her practice and get the class schedule below! FOLLOW YOUR HEART: A TRANSFORMATION CIRCLE FOR WOMEN will meet on the first Mondays from 6-8pm and third Saturdays from 10am-noon throughout the year and the cost is $10. Yoga will precede next Monday’s group from 4:30-5:30pm and the cost is $12.

Be sure to mark your calendar for Saturday, March 23, 11am-5pm, when I’ll be having a barrel of fun at the Children’s Museum of Houston celebrating the TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF Gish Picks and The Summer Book®: A Guide to Houston Day Camps and Classes for Kids and Teens. The Museum is helping me celebrate in a big way by opening their doors for a good-n-rowdy, DECADE-nt, kid-friendly party so join us for nonstop entertainment from the finest cultural orgs in the city, information for families, and lot of treats and news.

And, finally, I want to bid a sweet farewell to my friend Thia McKann, owner of Houston’s only organic tea supplier, The Path of Tea. The Path of Tea is a special place for many of us and Thia (Texas’ first and only certified Tea Master) will be missed by so many in so many different communities, especially the healing and green communities for which she taught classes and spread the good word of t-e-a. As Thia herself said: “If people are able to better understand what organic tea can do to heal the body and spirit, it can make a huge contribution in our world.” Her shop truly is a place of healing and I recommend you stop by to check it out and grab a spot of tea. If you’d like to attend the celebration of her life, it will be today (Thursday) at 3pm at Unity Church of Christianity. The family asks that you wear bright colors since Thia loved those.

Have a great week, be kind to others, and GO.FIND.FUN.

GET BOOKISH WITH HANDS-ON HOUSTON THIS MONTH.

Join the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft for the first HANDS-ON HOUSTON of 2013 this Saturday, January 5 from 11am-3pm – kids will get to make unique accordion mini books. This month, HCCC resident artist, Tarina Frank, will lead participants in a contemporary book-arts activity that explores some different and innovative ways a book can be made. Participants will create a mini-accordion book that can serve as a hanging piece of decorative art, a sketchbook, a necklace, or even a key chain that doubles as a notebook!

HANDS-ON HOUSTON is a free craft-activity open house on the first Saturday of every month. Each month, a teaching artist demonstrates a craft related to the current exhibitions. Families and children of all ages are welcome, and materials are provided. This program supports HCCC’s mission to advance education about the process, product and history of craft.

The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft is located at 4848 Main Street and is open Tuesdays-Saturdays from 10am-5pm and Sundays from noon-5pm. Admission is always free. (photo of accordion mini-books by HCCC.)

FARMERS MARKETS CROPPING UP HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE.

We’re all worried about how healthy our kids are so the best way to raise them to be good eaters is to make a pact to start choosing fresher food for and with your family. It might take more time, but it’s certainly worth it – not only for the quality of the produce but also for the environmental impact as well as your own stimulus to the economy. Shopping in season is how it used to be done – there’s no need to buy tomatoes that have been genetically engineered or traveled 1500 miles to get to us!

Here are some farmers’ markets I recommend; enjoy eating fresh and healthy!

Canino's Produce (713.862.8866)
Family-owned and operated for over 35 years, Canino's is a favorite of local chefs.
2520 Airline Drive
Open every day 6am-8:30pm

Central City Co-Op
Houston’s original co-op is self-serve and offers organic produce at reasonable prices.
2515 Waugh Street/Grace Lutheran Church
Wednesdays, 9am-6:30pm

Farmers Market at Imperial
Enjoy this year-round market which features an array of fresh-from-the-field fruits and vegetables, pasture raised meats, free range eggs, local cheeses, fresh baked goods, jams and honeys, spices, olive oils and more.
198 Kempner Street in front of the Imperial Sugar silos, Sugar Land
Saturdays, 9am-1pm

Farmers Market at La Centerra
Take advantage of this year-round market offering fresh, seasonal produce and handmade products from vendors in and around the greater Katy area. Note that hours change slightly with the seasons.
23501 Cinco Ranch Boulevard, Katy
Saturdays, 9am-1pm

Rice University Farmers Market
This is Houston's first Texas State Certified farmers market and it’s held on the Rice University campus.
Rice University, 2100 University Boulevard
Tuesdays 3:30-7pm

Rawfully Organic Co-Op
This co-op is based on the premise of buying organic produce at wholesale cost to save, to create community, and to support local farmers.
Pick up times and locations (you must order in advance!):
Tuesdays, 4-7pm, 4501 Woodway Drive (Houston Arboretum)
Thursdays, 4-7pm, 325 Kickerillo Drive (Nottingham Forest Club)
Saturdays, 10:30am-12:30pm, 3400 Bissonnet

Urban Harvest Farmers Market
Urban Harvest's farmers’ markets offers locally-produced vegetables, fruits and farm products once a week at five locations at various times. Check their website for details.

And if you’re interested in picking your own produce year-round, log onto www.pickyourown.org and go for it!

MUSICIANS PLAY EFFORTLESS INSTRUMENTS.

The “effortless” adjective caught my eye when looking for PICKS this week – and this seemed like a fun event for kids on a Sunday afternoon, so here you go: join the University of St. Thomas Music Department and Richard Nunemaker Studios this Sunday, January 6 at 2:30pm for the 7th Annual Effortless Clarinet & Saxophone Recital. This year’s performance is dedicated to Michael Perricone and features the world premiere of “Suite Nothings” by Houston Composer Arthur Gottschalk. The piece was commissioned by the Effortless Clarinet/Saxophone Ensemble. Performers and composers include Jennifer Siler, clarinet / Igor Stravinsky; Bill Stutsman, clarinet / Gioacchino Rossini; Stephen Incavo, clarinet / Johannes Brahms; Lisa Gregory, alto saxophone, alto clarinet / Henri Eccles; Jay Fischman, tenor saxophone / Johann Sesbastian Bach; David Schaider, clarinet / Carl Maria von Weber; Daryl Fowkes, clarinet / Johann Sesbastian Bach; Mae Gremillion, clarinet , Eb clarinet / Carl Maria von Weber; Nancy Angerstein, clarinet, tenor saxophone / Franz Schubert; Ronald Gaitz, clarinet / Carl Maria von Weber; Glenn Dobias, alto saxophone / Erwin Schulhoff; Steven Sands, clarinet / W.A. Mozart; and Richard Nunemaker, bass clarinet. Special guest artists are Scott Holshouser, Jennifer Key, piano and Reynaldo Ochoa, conductor.

The event is free and open to the public and takes place at Cullen Hall on the University of St. Thomas campus at 4001 Mt. Vernon. It’s probably best for kids 10 years old and up and I’m not sure why it’s EFFORTLESS but this concert will be a great way to introduce kids to those two instruments!


	EXPERIENCE MARTI EWING YOGA THERAPY AND YOUR BODY WILL THANK YOU. “The breath is your body’s internal medicine,” says my friend and yoga teacher Marti Ewing. Her practice is dedicated to teaching people to find their inner sources for healing through movement, breath, and self-connection. Marti teaches Hatha Yoga in the Recuperative Style, which is a gentle yet athletic yoga focusing on balance, alignment, breath, and posture. In her classes, you’ll experience a time of balance for your body, mind and spirit while working together to balance every joint in your skeletal structure. I leave the studio blissfully peaceful every time! Marti Ewing Yoga Therapy is tucked away in an historic Montrose building at 1128 W. Pierce. Classes are offered Tuesdays from 7:30-8:30pm; Wednesdays from 6-7pm; Fridays from 1:30-2:30pm and monthly on the first Monday from 4:30-5:30pm and the third Saturday from 8:30-9:30am. Walk-ins are $12 and six classes are $60. Private lessons are also available.

GISH PICKS is a free weekly email in which I highlight family-oriented cultural events, products or services. Please note that I "highlight" events, but I don't know if they are appropriate for your particular children, so choose wisely based on age, maturity and interests. I know many of you go to events based on GISH PICKS recommendations; PLEASE remember to tell the organization that you are there because of us. Word-of-mouth like yours helps our business to grow. In the same spirit, please also feel free to share GISH PICKS with friends and families.

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Sarah Gish GISH CREATIVE 1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116 Houston, Texas 77057 phone/fax: 713.482.7065 artist.mama.connector.changemaker. © 2013 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World