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!