November | 2025 | Amy Scott's Thoughts

What I’ve Been Reading – November 2025 November 30, 2025

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf — Amy Scott @ 12:23 pm

Bookish Thoughts for November

I could have named this post New Release November! It’s been such a treat to read so many long awaited new releases from my favorite authors. Only one book on my list is a re-read this month and that was The Bodyguard by Katherine Center. I was waiting for a library hold and the book takes place around Thanksgiving. It felt like a good seasonal read. You’ll notice a seasonal theme to my reading as well. I got a library copy of Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber at the very beginning of the month, so the Halloween timeline felt right. I’ve enjoy Garber’s other books and her main character in Alchemy is reminiscent of her previous heroines. While fantasy isn’t my favorite genre, I’m okay with a little magic now and again. Truthfully, I almost didn’t finish this one because I wasn’t sure about the direction it was going, but about halfway through it changed course. I enjoyed the latter half of the book much more. I didn’t love it, but I’m intrigued enough that I will continue reading when the next installment is released.

The new release I was looking forward to most this month was Through Each Tomorrow by Gabrielle Meyer. Her Timeless series has become one of my absolute favorites. I’m very impressed with the complex timeline Meyer has created. Six books into the series, there is a lot of overlapping of characters and times. It takes some thought to keep them all straight, but each addition adds insight into the whole series while still standing on its own. I love the many different historical eras she’s been able to cover in this series as well. It’s next level historical fiction, in my opinion. I devoured Through Each Tomorrow while we were at the coast at the beginning of the month. It was the perfect vacation read!

On to Kindle Unlimited!!! I have dozens of books on my Kindle Unlimited TBR. I’ve been stockpiling new releases through October and November. When I subscribed to KU, I barely knew where to begin! So many choices! I’ve been prioritizing the new Christmas novels, because seasonal reading makes me happy. Courtney Walsh, Kate Watson, Emma St. Clair, and Brittany Larson all released new books in series I’ve read before. Also, Kasey Stockton’s new release included characters from another one of her Christmas novels. I love reconnecting with friends and places in books. I’m only partially through my KU TBR, so prepare to hear more about my obsession with new releases next month as well!

Top Picks for November

I couldn’t pick a favorite this month! I loved a month full of new releases! So much fun!!!

**Books of the Month:** Owen is working on collecting all of the National Park Mystery Series and Graham has discovered a love for the InvestiGators series.

The Book List for November
1 Star = I did not like it. 2 stars = It was okay. 3 stars = I liked it. 4 stars = I really liked it. 5 stars = It was amazing.

Non-Fiction:

You Bet Your Stretch Marks: Finding Beauty and Worth in the Ways Motherhood Marks Our Bodies and Souls by Abbie Halberstadt – 4 stars

Fiction:

Through Each Tomorrow by Gabrielle Meyer – 4 stars
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center – 4 stars (Thanksgiving)
My Merry Mistake by Courtney Walsh – 4 stars (Christmas)
Acting Merry by Martha Keyes – 4 stars (Christmas)
Highland Holiday by Kasey Stockton – 4 stars (Christmas)
Planes, Reins, and Automobiles by Kate Watson – 4 stars (Christmas)
Fa-La-La-La Land by Brittany Larsen – 4 stars (Christmas)
The Wild Card by Emma St. Clair – 4 stars
The Dandelion Princess by Keira Dominguez – 4 stars
Tell Me True by Carina Taylor – 4 stars
The Friendship Variable by Marie Soleil – 3 stars
Sense and Suitability by Pepper Basham – 3 stars
Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber – 3 stars (Halloween)

Side Note: I’ve been extra free with the 4 star ratings this month. I guess it’s my seasonal, new release happiness giving me rose-colored reading glasses this month.

Holly Jolly Hip Hooray! November 20, 2025

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Tasty Treats — Amy Scott @ 1:52 pm

The title of my post is a line from our upcoming Christmas musical at church. We’ve been preparing for this production since September. I’m always a little ahead of the Christmas season thanks to kids choir. However, the season has finally caught up to the soundtrack of my life. Holly jolly hip hooray! Christmas time is here! Okay… I get that Thanksgiving hasn’t happened yet and there are strong feels by some about Christmas before Thanksgiving. I’m not one of those people, though. The stores and even the houses I drive by confirm this – the Christmas season has started! Hooray!

Reusable Red Cup Day at Starbucks was last Thursday. Jeremy was kind and picked up this year’s cups along with festive treats! He brought a snowman cookie home for Graham and a tray of cranberry bliss bars for me. He also got me a peppermint hot chocolate. Owen isn’t purposefully excluded… He just doesn’t like anything at Starbucks right now other than milk. Silly kid!

After we wrapped up school last Thursday, it was time to pack and get ready for another weekend away. We spent one November weekend at the beach and this last weekend was a kids leaders conference hosted by our Assemblies of God network. I’m not a huge fan to being gone two weekends in a row, but sometimes it happens. Thankfully, I’m done with packing suitcases for a while. The boys got a few days away with Nana and Papa. They always have a blast at their house. Jeremy and I enjoyed connecting with other kids leaders and hearing great content. We also loved plenty of kid-free time just being us! During our free time, we did some Christmas décor shopping, visited multiple Costcos, and ate at restaurants our kids wouldn’t like. Very fun times!

Sunday after church, we decked the halls and made the house merry and bright! Decorating for Christmas took a little more thought this year. With our new fireplace and an extra bookshelf, we had to add some new Christmas décor to fill in these spaces. I also had to rearrange a few items from their usual homes of years past. I love having our stockings hang on the fireplace. It might be a my favorite part of the house right now. I also love our advent candle wreath and I haven’t outgrown our Little People nativity set. It’s so cheerful to bring out these Christmas favorites with all the traditions they represent. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

Now, don’t worry! Thanksgiving has not been forgotten. Jeremy and I have had many conversations about what we’ll be making and taking to share next week. Jeremy’s aunt requested I bring sugar cookies to our Thanksgiving, so now I’m planning a few baking/decorating sessions next week. Jeremy is our family chef and he is covering the side dish offerings from our family. We are looking forward to celebrating with family and friends over good food! Bring on the turkey! Yum! We have so much to be thankful for this November!

Jeremy requested this photo! We couldn’t believe how tall these yard decorations are!

Graham’s Snoopy Drummer Boy Ornament 2025

Owen’s Violet Green Swallow Ornament 2025

Love having a mantel to hang our stockings on! Makes my heart so happy!

Nothing beats the light of the Christmas tree at night!

The boys have learned how to play multiple versions of The Game of Life this last week. The dark winter nights are perfect for board games!

Red Cups & King Tides November 12, 2025

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Tasty Treats,Travels — Amy Scott @ 6:50 pm

I should briefly explain how I view Red Cup Day. Originally, Red Cup Day was the day that Starbucks debuted their holiday cups. They also added free reusable red cups to that day many years ago. Then they separated the dates between the holiday cup launch and the reusable red cup giveaway day. Now Starbucks refers to Red Cup Day as the day they give reusable cups away, but I still view it as the day they decorate the store and start using holiday cups. Essentially, I celebrate two Red Cup Days. The first, I make the most fuss over. The second, I send Jeremy as a my acquisitions agent. In the past, we got reusable cups for our whole family and were quickly overrun with too many plastic cups. Now we just collect one reusable cup a year. Much more manageable. Reusable Red Cup Day is tomorrow. My version of the real Red Cup Day happened last Thursday. Make sense? Great!

Last Thursday our family was up and out of the house early. I was excited to make it to Starbucks for my first red cup of the season. I save my favorite peppermint hot chocolates for only when red cups are in stock. It’s a seasonal treat I savor – along with cranberry bliss bars. YUM! Starbucks sees a lot of business from me in November and December (the rest of the year, not so much). I’ve celebrated Red Cup Day for over a decade. It’s a tradition! It’s a holiday! It’s a big deal! I’ve passed that legacy on to my kids as well. We enjoyed our seasonal treats together as a family as a start to our weekend away. Red Cup Day 2025 did not disappoint!

We postponed a trip to the Long Beach Peninsula to this last weekend. We tried to go in October for the cranberry harvest, but wild weather and sniffles changed our plans. Thursday was a blustery, stormy day at the beach. There were also king tides happening which made the ocean rough and wild! It was an intense and impressive sight to see those huge waves exploding along the coastal cliffs. We studied king tides (also known as spring tides) in science this year. It’s one thing to read about them, but it’s a whole other thing to experience them in real life. We kept a safe distance and we were in awe of the power of the ocean! We observed the tides from Cape Disappointment State Park and the Oysterville approach. It was so crazy to see no beach, just waves up to the sand dunes. Eventually, we left the wind and waves behind to hunker down at my parent’s beach house. We were all snuggly warm with books and games while the wind whipped around the house! Stormy beach days were a new experience for us!

Friday the storm cleared out, but the waves were still super high. The boys were able to get a beach walk in during low tide, though. After a morning walk, we visited the Cranberry Museum. We learned about the local cranberry businesses, how they harvest cranberries, and the many health benefits of cranberries. The boys did a scavenger hunt and each received a pouch of craisins as a prize for completing it. We walked around the cranberry bogs by the museum and we sampled many cranberry treats. I loved the cranberry ice cream and Jeremy loved the cranberry fruitlets from Liberty Orchards. Owen, Jeremy, and I tried plain cranberries at the insistence of the museum employee. We all agreed that cranberries on their own are super tart. They also make a really cool popping sound when you bite down on them. I didn’t know that! I love learning new things alongside my kids! We hope to catch the cranberry harvest in action next October.

We went back to Cape Disappointment State Park Friday afternoon. There is so much to do there! We watched the king tides from the North Head Lighthouse. We explored Fort Canby and did a scavenger hunt at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. The kids got bookmarks for completing it. It was a scavenger hunt day! We went back to down to our spot from the day before at Waikiki Beach. This was the best place to watch the king tides. Such a neat experience! It’s been fun finding things to do around the Long Beach Peninsula with each visit. We hope to go clamming on a future trip. The high tides didn’t work in our favor for clamming this time. We also hope to explore Fort Columbia. We are making a to-do list for next time!

We wrapped up our adventures with a Friday night swim at Dunes Bible Camp and a stop at Scoopers Ice Cream on our way out town on Saturday! We had plenty of to adventure time together and we also enjoyed a lot of cozy, down time around the beach house. It was a great mix of activity and rest. After the stormy beginning of trip, the weather changed to sunny and almost 60 degrees. It almost felt like summer! We had a fantastic trip and our family is looking forward to making more beach memories with future visits.

Graham was jazzed they brought back snowman cookies! He missed them last year!

Wild weather watching the king tide at Cape Disappointment

Learning all about the local cranberry bogs

North Head Lighthouse at Cape Disappointment

Watching more king tide waves at Cape Disappointment

Final stop on our way out of town! Scoopers for ice cream is a must!

Comments (1)

Halloween Happenings November 3, 2025

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Tasty Treats — Amy Scott @ 2:14 pm

As I mentioned in my monthly book blog, the last weekend of October was a stormy one! We had already planned on a low-key weekend and the weather made me appreciated being hunkered down at home even more! To fully embrace the chill weekend, I wrote different “days” on the calendar. Friday was Turkey Day. We made a small turkey breast in our crockpot along with some traditional Thanksgiving fixings. I made a favorite pumpkin cake for dessert! Yum! Saturday was Cider Day. We simmered cider in the crockpot all day long. Sunday was Pumpkin Day (it was actually National Pumpkin Day according to my phone). We carved pumpkins as a family activity. To keep the crockpot theme going, I made chili and cornbread on Sunday. It was a good eats weekend! The wild fall weather paired well with the comfort food and cozy, restful moments! I loved all our travels and adventures in October, but I equally loved our weekend at home!

Other highlights to wrap up the month?

The kids both got parts in our Christmas musical. Owen is going to play one of the lead roles and he got the part he was hoping for. He was a pretty excited kid and we’ve already been diligently practicing. He has a month to memorize all his lines! Eek! Graham didn’t want a solo despite the many efforts of our choir director… They did find a compromise, though. Graham will be part of a quintet. Coming forward with a small group was much more his speed. This is his first time stepping out of the choir for a role. Maybe next year he’ll feel up to a solo. No worries if he doesn’t. We have tried not to pressure him (even though he is a great singer).

Soccer wrapped up last Tuesday! It was a great season and, thankfully, it didn’t rain at all when we were at the soccer fields. The last one looked like it might be wet, so I focused more on the potential for rain than on the temperature. Turns out it was a freezing and I should have dressed warmer… Okay, it wasn’t freezing, but it was 42 degrees and that felt like freezing to me! We celebrated with a round of Boo Buckets at McDonalds. The kids love collecting those things. Owen has plans of hoarding them until he is an adult and selling them. He is positive they will worth something someday. We’ll see…

Thursday, we helped Jeremy set up for Fall Fest, our church’s annual harvest event. It’s a warm and dry alternative to trick-or-treating on Halloween. It poured this year for Halloween, so I know an indoor event was appreciated by our community (and myself). The set-up was fun! The boys got to test everything out and enjoy the offerings before the crowds overtook the building the next day. They enjoyed the carnival style games, inflatable bounce houses, and sampling the candy for quality control.

On Friday, the Fall Fest highlights were the free snow cones, cotton candy, and meeting the Mariner Moose! We got the official Mariner Moose mascot to do a photo opportunity at our event! The theme was PNW (think forest, animals, Big Foot) and the moose fit right. Not to mention, the Mariners almost made it to the world series, so hype around the team is pretty high right now. For not being super sportsy, the boys had their hearts set on meeting the moose. Due to weather and traffic, the moose gave us quite the scare by being late. Thankfully, he stayed late and everyone who wanted a picture got one. Our family got multiple pictures with him. I’m sure it’s a memory the boys will take into adulthood.

Now it’s November! The weather looks like it and feels like it… The wind and rain have done a decent job of removing leaves from the trees. It looks like November outside. Now that the rain has settled in, I’m looking forward to more cozy time inside! This a great month for baking, reading, board games, puzzles, and visiting with family and friends around the table. I’m excited for all November has to offer! (Especially holiday red cup at Starbucks this Thursday!)