driftwood horses. beautiful.

a while back a friend of mine (thanks jane!) emailed this to me. this artist, Heather Jansch, creates these life size horses out of collected driftwood. amazing! more pics here.

i miss you mom.

i miss you mom, today would have been your birthday and it has been a long lonely year without you. i was not ready for a world without you in it. i can still hear you laugh and that brings a smile to my face. i love you and cannot wait to feel your hugs again someday...

m'biz

save the date(s)...

okay so here i am shamelessly promoting my daughter's ballet school's 2008 NUTCRACKER performance! Please NOTE: the above postcard highlights the dates for the Petite Sweets (what Gabrielle is in) and the below is press release lists dates for the pre-professional Nutcracker performance (and let me tell you it is TOP notch), hope you can join us! (Gabrielle's fall class set to be Chinese fortune cookies in treats from around the world scene!) tickets go on sale online at www.classicalballet.net
----------------------------------------------
CLASSICAL BALLET ACADEMY brings the Nutcracker to life for family audiences in a full-scale production. Holiday Tradition Continues with Aspiring Ballet Professionals:

With Sugar Plum Fairy, Candy Canes and Arabian Princesses, the highly acclaimed Classical Ballet Academy's 2008 production of The Nutcracker is back for the forth consecutive year to delight family audiences. Danced by pre-professional CBA students from throughout the greater Portland metro area, the sell-out production includes professional costumes, exravagant sets, fresh choreography and a few surprises.

FRIDAY, DEC 5
6pm Petite Sweets (Gabrielle)

SATURDAY, DEC 6
11am Petite Sweets (Gabrielle)
2:30pm Pre-Professionals matinee & 7pm evening performance
SUNDAY, DEC 7th
2:30 pm Pre-Professional matinee

St. Mary's Academy Theatre
1615 SW 5th Avenue
Portland, OR (downtown, near PSU)

Tickets are available online at www.classicalballet.net Prices are $10 for seniors 65+ and children under 9; and $15 for youth & adults. Tickets will also be available at Classical Ballet Academy, 7970 SE Milwaukie Ave, located in the Sellwood neighborhood of Portland, OR. See website for times. Remaining tickets will be available at the theater the day of the performance, but may be (and usually is) sold out before-hand.

Unlike other Nutcracker productions, CBA's performance showcases over 175 student dancers and is a training ground for aspiring ballet professionals. For more information about The Nutcracker and ballet classes (age 3-adult) at Classical Ballet Academy, visit www.classicalballet.net , email Sarah Rigles director@classicalballet.net or call (503)890.6101

Christian Vote

two shall become one...

i am loving this new line of T's from "From Me Tees". the front simply says "two shall become one" with a graphic orchid. on the back is the appropriate scripture: Mark 10:6-9 From the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; and they shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

they also sell a t-shirt that reads "my wife rocks" but that's a whole different story, ba ha ha!

Arg!

Earlier this month I attempted a Pirate Ship Cake for Zachary's 1st birthday, it was a hit and here is how it turned out! :) Yum.

all we need is...

paper pregnant!

I love this saying! "Paper Pregnant". I found this at Adoption Mama. At Adoption Mamas get to be pregnant too... on paper! All the waiting sure gave me morning sickness and weight gain! This shirt will tell the world you are "pregnant" too, and when they ask you, "What is paper pregnant?"....aaahhh, you will get practice handling the art of "adoption information presentation."

life is too short to drink bad coffee...

mmmmmmmmmm.

remembering 911

loving these T's.

We're all looking to live a little more green and the best places to start is with the products we purchase and use with our children. One of the hot new Organic T-Shirt brands for babies and kids is Eco Ike, found at at ecoike.com! 100% Organic Cotton t-shirts are so soft (I want one for myself) and are even printed with water-based inks. I especially like the "I'm Organic" & "bee green"

great shirt.

i just ran across this shirt on McCainBlogette.com (as blogged by daughter Meghan McCain).

early foreign language & fun...

Early foreign language is no longer a luxury. Little Pim is the leading producer of award-winning, language immersion DVDs for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Their mission is to make foreign language learning easy, fun and accessible for children everywhere. We currently offer three theme-based DVDs that use animation and images of real kids playing to introduce words and phrases for everyday activities. Each program is available individually or in a discounted three-disc set in Spanish, French, Chinese or English (ESL). 11 more languages are planned for release within the next two years. These include Japanese, Portuguese, Italian, German, Hindi, Arabic, Hebrew, Russian, Greek, Farsi, Korean, and Swahili.

new favorite go-to mom site.

momlogic.com

1st day preschool

my how time flies. mommy's so proud of you gabrielle!!!

great find.

i love jewelry almost as much as i like shoes. (although i seem to wear my favorites of both over and over, ha!) at the moment i am currently liking this sterling silver circle charm by It's Meant To Be you can personalize, say with your children's name(s)?!!!

grace based parenting

The way I see it is I can always use a little more Grace in my life and certainly in my parenting! The primary word that describes how God deals with His children is grace. Grace does not exclude obedience, respect, boundaries and discipline, but it does determine the climate in which these important parts of parenting are carried out. [Can i just say how excited i am to read this book?!!!] Dr. Tim Kimmel explains how fear-based parenting is a guaranteed method to set children up for failure. Learn how to meet your child's three driving inner needs for security, significance and strength with the invaluable gifts of love, purpose and hope.

Here is a LINK to many reviews for our new FALL book we're studying GRACE BASED PARENTING, by Tim Kimmel. Here are the dates / times of this 2-month study, Tuesdays 9:30-11:30, Hillcrest Church of The Nazarene, Vancouver, WA 98685:

September 23 and 30

October 7, 14, 21, 28

November 4 and 11

please contact myself or Jane Scott ASAP
lisadunnavant@yahoo.com
if you want to participate in Hillcrest Women's Ministries Fall Book Club*!
*rememeber there are 3-4 other book studies that day!

[exerpt:] "As a parent you have been singled out to do a favor for God. He is asking you to be His representative to a small but vital part of the next generation. He needs someone to be His voice, His arms, and His heart. He chose YOU... 'Now go, and give these precious lives meaning'... The answer is actually not that difficult. You simply need to treat your children the way GOD treats YOU. He does it in His grace."

help keep funding for ART in our schools.

Advocacy
Americans for the Arts urges Congress and the president to appropriate annual funding for arts education, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Humanities for the Arts. SAAN enables arts advocates to lobby for appropriations in their home states by identifying issues of concern and helping to motivate state arts advocates to take action.

10 ways to get ART into your kids' lives

Ten Simple Ways Parents Can Get More Art in Their Kids’ Lives

1. Enjoy the arts together. Sing, play music, read a book, dance, or draw with your child at home.
2. Encourage your child to participate in the arts and celebrate their participation in or out of school.
3. Explore your community’s library and read “the classics” together—from Mother Goose to Walt Whitman.
4. Read your local newspaper to find out about attending local arts events like museum exhibits, local plays, festivals, or outdoor concerts.
5. Tell your child’s teacher, principal, and school leadership that the arts are vital to your child’s success and an important part of a quality education. Find out if your school has sufficient resources for arts education, including qualified teachers and materials. If not, offer to help.
6. Contact your local arts organizations to inquire about the arts education programs they offer either during school hours or after school. Volunteer to donate time, supplies, or help with their advocacy efforts and connect these services to your child’s school.
7. Attend a school board or PTA meeting and voice your support for the arts to show them you care and make sure the arts are adequately funded as part of the core curriculum in the school budget.
8. Explore your child’s dream to sing, to dance, to draw, to act—and encourage them to become the best they can be through the arts.
9. Be an arts supporter! Contact your elected officials—lawmakers and school board members—to ask them for more arts education funding from the local, state, and federal levels. Visit our Online Resource Center.
10. Sign up to become an activist on the Americans for the Arts website, just a click away! Through our e-activist list, you will get news updates and alerts about arts education. Visit our E-Advocacy Center.

true.

"The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it."

[W.M. Lewis]

cute. cute. cute.

ok. so mommy loves shoes. cute new outdoor (& 1 indoor) shoes for gabrielle's preschool :)

Zappos.com

New Book for Fall '08 Book Club

Attenion Ladies!!! Here a sneak-peek at the new book Kristen & I will once again be studying/facilitating for our part of this Fall's 2008 line-up. Hillcrest's Women's Ministries' Tuesday Morning Ladies Book Club, Tuesdays 9:30am-11am. (free child care age 0-5 + bible curriculum for age 2-5) Grace Based Parenting, By Tim Kimmel We invite you all to partake in fellowship & join us once again as we delve deeper into our Christian Parenting focus. (Other bible studies & book studies available that morning as well with various Christian topics, stay tunded!) Please let myself & Jane know if we can count you in! Study begins Mid September (16th or 23rd), stay tuned, we would LOVE to see you & bring your friends & neighbors ---- the more the merrier! God's blessings to you all, Lisa

peu de ballerines...

"Little Ballerinas"
gabrielle & her little friends waiting for ballet class to begin.

Gabrielle and her summer ballet instructor, Miss Katrina

finally on the other side...

finally on the other side of our move to our new house.
still disheveled but in a good way!

pint-sized picasso ...

well, we are still busy packing for our big move to our new house August 3. i have to admit it has been challenging packing while parenting but gabrielle loves to color so we put our little artist to work on ALL the big boxes & bought mommy loads of time!!! :)

meet MOSES!

Here is Gabrielle's new kitten, MOSES. (ha ha, when asked, that is what she named him...yay VBS!) at the moment she has him swaddled in a blanket like a newborn. what a great kid-kitten?!!

Cinderella ballet recital ...

What a fun week! Here are photos of Gabrielle's Cinderella Ballet Camp Recital. Thank you Miss Sarah, Miss Katrina, Miss Ariella & Libby for all your love, patience, kindness, amazing TALENT and professionalism. Enjoy the photos and we will see you next week to begin her summer lessons ... :)

our tiny dancer

**ALL PHOTOS UPLOADED NOW*** here's our Gabrielle's very first week of ballet class at Miss Sarah Rigles' Classical Ballet Academy "Cinderella Ballet Camp" :) my next post today will have photo slideshow of our dancers in costume at the end-of-camp Cinderella Ballet Recital!

just tell me what to say ...

I wanted to share an amazing review of Just Tell Me What to Say from a reader who posted on epinions.com. Her comprehensive review can be found at epinions.com. Here is a small excerpt: If you have young children and plan on buying only one parenting book this year, buy this one. Just Tell Me What To Say by Betsy Brown Braun will literally tell you some of the things you can say in several situations as well as give you GOOD advice. I haven’t always enjoyed all the parenting books I’ve read but I can say this one is worth is weight in gold. I will be outlining several of the suggestions I read and checking back on it often. As parents, we strive to be the best that you can be but sometimes we just need a little help. This book will give you some of the extra help you may need. Just Tell Me What To Say is an essential book which provides hands-on, just give-it-to-me-straight guidance so that parents gain the skills and confidence they need to handle the sometimes challenging situations that inevitably accompany raising children ages 2-6 and beyond.