Amy Scott's Thoughts

Sharing the thoughts that bounce around in my brain!

What I’ve Been Reading – March 2024 March 31, 2024

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf — Amy Scott @ 7:00 pm

Bookish Thoughts for March

You’ll notice some themes or common groupings amongst the books I read this month. The first centering on C.S. Lewis. I finished Surprised by Joy last month and wrapped up my book club for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe at the beginning on March. I picked up a copy of Once Upon a Wardrobe from the library and it was the perfect book to follow-up the previous two I mentioned. It was a work of fiction that summarized Surprised by Joy beautifully and the focus of a young boy on the inspiration for Narnia was enchanting. Spoiler Alert: The book is sad, but also beautiful. I hope to add it to my home library someday! It’s one I can see myself reading again.

The next group revolves around Jane Austen. I have a confession to make… I like Jane Austen things much more than I like reading Jane Austen books. A movie based off her books? Sign me up. A book based off of her books? Yes, please. I feel guilty I didn’t actually read any Austen this month, but I loved reading books inspired by her work. Both The Austen Escape and Austenland feature destination vacations where the characters are immersed in the world of Austen. Curiosity got the best of me and I watched the movie version of Austenland. Of course, the book was much better. I also watched Persuasion (2022) on Netflix.

Both Katherine Reay and Roseanna M. White had new releases this month. (The Berlin Letters for Reay and A Noble Scheme for White.) This inspired me to reread some favorites by these authors. I read Yesterday’s Tides by White last month and I decided to find her main character’s minor role in The Codebreakers series. I love it when authors overlap their worlds and I find familiar characters making appearances. Reay and White are go-to authors for me. If they write it, I will read. It was a treat to have new releases from both of them this month!

The final bookish highlight of my month was a Goodwill book haul! A friend invited me on a kid-free shopping adventure to look for books at Goodwill. So many friends share their Goodwill finds and I’m always envious. I tried to book shop there once, but I had my whole family in tow and I just couldn’t focus. It was a total bust. Apparently, going kid-free was what I needed to succeed. The funny thing is I only purchased kids books. So even without my kids, it was still all about them. It’s always satisfying to get a good deal on a huge stack of books!

The Goodwill Book Haul

Top Picks for March

I went with two fiction books this month! Once Upon a Wardrobe was a 5 star read for me. Those don’t come around very often, so it made the top picks. The Austen Escape was a reread for me, but I found that I really enjoyed it the second time more than the first. It deserved a place to shine to this month.

The Book List for March
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:

  • Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith by Sarah Bessey – 2 stars
  • The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction by Meghan Cox Gurdon – 4 stars

Fiction:

  • The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis – 5 stars
  • Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan – 5 stars
  • The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh – 4 stars
  • Austenland by Shannon Hale – 4 stars
  • The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown – 3 stars
  • A Groom of One’s Own by Emma St. Clair – 3 stars
  • The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay – 4 stars
  • The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay – 4 stars
  • The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay – 4 stars
  • A Noble Scheme by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars
  • The Number of Love by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars
  • On Wings of Devotion by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars
  • A Portrait of Loyalty by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars

P.S. Happy Easter! He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

 

Welcome Spring! March 20, 2024

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 2:18 pm

It’s officially spring! It’s actually felt like summer here in the PNW this last week. We’ve had sunny days and temps into the mid-70’s. It’s been lovely! However, today is back to the usual – clouds and drizzle. Spring is like that… Sunny one day, rainy the next. While I’ve loved the sunshine, the trees are waking up and seasonal allergies were definitely a thing over the weekend. My hubby sneezed dozens of times over the weekend! I’m hoping the drizzle today will wash the pollen out of the air. There is a price to pay for sunshine.

Life has been full since my last post. My cautious optimism panned out and we’ve been able to see many people and do fun things. No more sickness keeping our friends at home. Hooray! Last week, we started new classes with our homeschool co-op. The kids are enjoying botany and American government this spring. Owen, especially, has been inspired with how the botany class as lined up with our own science at home. He has had his microscope out multiple times this week examining plant life.

I had a first this last week. I was asked if I could share some tips about home organization (especially, kid storage) with a mom from our church. I love home organization so it was fun to share this interest with another mom. I got to wax poetic about storage bins, labels, and my enjoyment of The Home Edit. Such a good time! Okay, I realize keeping a tidy house doesn’t make everyone want to do jazz hands, but it certainly gets me excited!

A special highlight of the last week was a visit with my forever friend, Maggie. She moved across the country at the end of 2023, but she was in the PNW for a few weeks assisting her parents. She came to visit me on the last leg of her trip. She arrived Thursday afternoon and we got to walk/talk while the kids played at a local park then we were able to go out to dinner together. She spent the night at our house and we were her shuttle to the airport the next day. It was so good to spend hours chatting and just being on the same side of the country. The countdown is on until her next visit!

Friday, after dropping Maggie at the airport, we went south to Oregon City. We had an appointment to get our van serviced. Luckily, the dealership is right by the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Visitor Center. This historical museum has been on my field trip wish list for a few years, so this was the perfect place to wait while our vehicle was looked at. The kids had a lot of fun making candles, fabric toys, and petting their collection of fur pelts. The last month has been full of awesome field trips. We love adventuring as a family and learning together! The boys did a presentation at our co-op yesterday about our visit to the museum on Friday. They shared Oregon Trail facts and their highlights of the experience. It was neat to see them take something they learned and share it with others.

Other highlights include having friends over on Saturday and celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on Sunday. My kiddos know I’m a pincher, so they made a big deal of wearing green this year. We made green mini-waffles for dinner with shamrocks on them. On Monday, we prepared our March Madness brackets. We have our brackets printed and on the fridge ready to highlight wins and scratch out losses. Yesterday was a beautiful first day of spring! The kids got to play on the playground with friends at co-op, enjoy their classes, and then spend the evening at piano lessons with Nana. I slipped away with a friend last night to shop for books at Goodwill. I’ll share all about my book haul in my book blog at the end of the month.

And there you have it! All the big and little things of the last week. It’s been a good stretch of sunny weather, time with friends, and lots of fun.

Dissecting mushrooms at co-op
Wrapping up our book club for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with paper crowns in honor of the kings and queens of Narnia.
Reunited with my forever friend!
End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
Green foods are healthy, right?
Botany class at co-op
 

Welcome March! March 11, 2024

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 2:19 pm

March is here! It’s been a bit of mix. Some big days and some very quiet days. A major theme of March so far has been rescheduling. Our co-op crew has been sick and it has greatly altered our plans this last week. We had plans on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday all be cancelled and/or rescheduled. Last week looked like a very full week, until it wasn’t. It’s all good, though. We don’t mind the extra time around the house. We love being home just as much as we love being out and about.

What is there to share if all we’ve done is reschedule life? Well, at the beginning of the month we purchased a new-to-us minivan! We’ve had a silver Dodge Caravan for the last 8 years and it’s been a good vehicle for us. As we started to talk about replacing it, we decided to look into another Dodge Caravan because we like them so much. We were able to purchase a newer model with fewer miles. Our new van is black and has been named Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon. We are marveling at new-to-us features like doors that open automatically, seat warmers, and a back-up camera. Our old van was low-tech, so there has been much to learn about this newer model. I hope Toothless will be a beloved addition to our family for many years to come. Now I need to relearn what vehicle to look for in the parking lot!

The other big adventure we had this month was a trip OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry). We’ve attempted to visited multiple times and it felt like it was impossible to make it actually happen. We were thrilled to finally have this family field trip! Highlights of our visit were the main exhibits about tyrannosaurs and animal survival skills. The physics lab was one of Owen’s favorite places and Graham thanked me over and over for the planetarium show we watched. Super fun, super educational. I know I’ve said it before, but I love field trips! They are my favorite!

That’s the update for the first half of the month! The latter half will be full of all the things… reschedule plans, St. Patrick’s Day, Jeremy’s birthday, Easter – so many fun times to look forward to with family and friends! However, the quiet start to the month does have me wondering… Will it be as full as I expect? Probably not… But I will be thankful for the opportunities that come and be grateful for pauses to rest when things don’t pan out. Spring is just around the corner and I am cautiously optimistic for what’s ahead!

Meet Toothless
First selfie in Toothless!
Making bunny mini-waffles
Owen’s final diorama in this science curriculum! Graham will start the diorama fun next fall.
OMSI
OMSI
OMSI
OMSI
OMSI
OMSI
OMSI
Chasing away the daylight savings yawns with laughter at Kung Fu Panda 4!
 

What I’ve Been Reading – February 2024 February 29, 2024

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf — Amy Scott @ 2:00 pm

First off, Happy Leap Day! Or Happy Leap Year Day!? I’m not sure what the proper title for this extra day is, but I hope you’re enjoying a little extra time this month. February was an exciting book month for me, so let’s dive right in!

I mentioned in a previous blog that I got to visit Powell’s (a Portland, OR bookstore chain) on February 1st. This visit was the catalyst for spending the last of my Christmas/Birthday gift funds on books. I was so happy to pick up a few titles in-person and then I hopped online to finish my shopping expedition. I was able to add a grand total of 12 books to my home library this month. Combine that with January’s 14 books and Decemeber’s 7, my shelves have seen quite a bit of rearranging to make space for new books. The joy of having a birthday so near to Christmas is that I get a lot of goodies all at one time… The downside of having a birthday so near to Christmas is I get a lot of goodies all at one time… and then nothing for a long time. Haha! It’s all good. I won’t be bragging about my book haul next month, but that’s okay. It was fun while it lasted!

The February Book Haul

My Kindle Unlimited subscription is finished for the time being. Some KU favorites this month were Heidi Lucy Loses Her Mind and Wish You Weren’t Here by Gracie Ruth Mitchell. Both were rom-coms, but with a twist that made them unique. I enjoyed Country Walsh’s new release, My Lucky Charm. Her Holidays with Hart series has been a fun one with more sister to go in the saga. Cinder Luna by Marie Soleil was a creative fairy tale retelling of Cinderella. I’m a sucker for fairy tale retellings and can’t wait to read the rest of this new series as it’s released. Waiting for the next book is always so hard!

I finished the Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson this month. I really enjoyed how the novella series with Janci Patterson gave a look at what was happening “back home” while Spensa was off on her own intergalactic adventures. The novellas also deepened the side characters stories so you felt more connected with them in the final book, Defiant. I was gifted the first book of the series and decided to buy the rest of the series this month. This YA Sci-Fi series is one I could see my boys enjoying down the road. I love sharing books with them when the time is right!

A few other honorable mentions… I finally read Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis. I picked up a used copy at Powell’s years ago and I’ve felt bad about how long it’s sat on my shelf. There were parts of his story that I didn’t love (boarding school sounded awful!), but parts I really enjoyed. While I am nowhere near as well read as Lewis (understatement), I appreciated how books featured so prominently in his life story. I re-read A Beautiful Disguise by Roseanna M. White to refresh myself before her new release, A Noble Scheme, is out. My copy of the book is in the mail and I can’t wait to read it before it’s actual release date. I did a little book scouting and read Adventures with Waffles and Lena, the Sea, and Me by Maria Parr. I enjoyed the tales of childhood in Norway and could see my boys reading them when they are ready for new books. Right now Owen is in a Hardy Boys phase and Graham is obsessed with Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins. We are a household of happy readers!

Top Picks for February

Non-Fiction: Intentional Parenting: Autopilot Is for Planes is a wonderful parenting resource and one I highly recommend after reading it. Fiction: I really enjoyed the Skyward Flight novella series and the conclusion of the Skyward series, Defiant.

The Book List for February
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:

  • Intentional Parenting: Autopilot Is for Planes by Sissy Goff, David Thomas, & Melissa Trevathan – 4
  • Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life by C.S. Lewis – 3 stars

Fiction:

  • Skyward Flight: Sunreach, ReDawn, Evershore by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson – 4 stars
  • Defiant by Brandon Sanderson – 4 stars
  • Adventures with Waffles by Maria Parr – 3 stars
  • Lena, the Sea, and Me by Maria Parr – 4 stars
  • But He’s My One Regret by Annah Conwell – 4 stars
  • The Love Audit by Annah Conwell – 3 stars
  • One More Song by Annah Conwell – 3 stars
  • Out of Office by Annah Conwell – 3 stars
  • The Last Taste by Annah Conwell – 3 stars
  • One Last Play by Annah Conwell – 4 stars
  • The Golden Goal by Annah Conwell – 3 stars
  • Heidi Lucy Loses Her Mind by Gracie Ruth Mitchell – 3 stars
  • Wish You Weren’t Here by Gracie Ruth Mitchell – 3 stars
  • Cinder Luna by Marie Soleil – 3 stars
  • My Lucky Charm by Courtney Walsh – 3.75 stars
  • A Beautiful Disguise by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars
  • Yesterday’s Tides by Roseanna M. White – 5 stars
 

February Field Trips February 21, 2024

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 12:37 pm

February has been a full month. After a super quiet January, our pace of life has picked up! Our calendar this month is a mix of playdates, family dinners, church commitments, dental appointments, well checks, and my personal favorite – field trips! Oh, also add in low-key celebrations like the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day. It seems there has been something going on every day!!!

Let’s chat about our field trips! I love field trips. They are one of my favorite parts of homeschooling. Life is a full of learning opportunities and so many adventures can be classified as a field trip. On Friday, we took off for the Tillamook Creamery. This is an annual adventure for us! We love watching the cheese being packaged and processed. We tried the cheese samples, had lunch, and got ice cream. The boys enjoyed racing to see how fast they can milk a cow (a display cow, not a real cow). The Tillamook Creamery is always a good time!

After Tillamook, we made our way up the Oregon Coast. We stopped in Cannon Beach to visit Haystack Rock. The tide was out so the tide pools around the rock were exposed. We saw some small fish and sea anemones. It was a cold and windy walk to Haystack Rock, but our kids come alive at the beach. They didn’t mind the chilly weather and had fun exploring around the tide pools.

Our last stop on the way home was to see a dead fin whale that washed up on Sunset Beach. I didn’t know much about fin whales until this last week. They are the second largest whale and they rarely wash ashore because they stay out in deeper waters. Owen recently wrapped up a whale unit in science, so this seemed like a good chance to see a whale up close. The boys got to see the baleen and see the size of the large whale. The sight was a bit more gruesome than I expected as the whale had been cut open and certain parts had been harvested. It was kind of gross, but still educational!

Yesterday, we joined our homeschool co-op for a field trip to the Washington State Capitol. Jeremy took the day off to join us. His presence was so appreciated! It was our family’s first visit to the Capitol and it didn’t disappoint. Through a co-op connection, we were able to explore parts of the building that usually aren’t open to the public. We even got to go on to the senate floor and take a picture (the senate obviously wasn’t in session at the moment). We had a short class on what is a bill and the process of getting a bill to become a law. After our time with the senate staff, we went on a guided tour which showed us the rest of the building. One of the highlights of our visit was the fact that it was Potato Day. Washington potato farmers set up a baked potato bar and offer baked potatoes to anyone who would like one. They also gave away reusable bags and potato recipe cards. Jeremy did a little research and they say about 1,600 potatoes are given out on Potato Day. It made for a crowded visit, but it was also a fun bonus to the experience!

We have some more field trips planned this spring and I am so excited for them! Getting to experience learning outside in the world is so valuable. We are making memories as a family and I love that we get to explore the world alongside our kids. We’ve had so many conversations as a family about what we learned this last week, what we enjoyed the most, and clarifying what we experienced. I’m so thankful for these opportunities. Field trips are one of the best parts of homeschooling!

Co-Op Book Club: Making Christmas snow globes for the chapter in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe where Father Christmas visits.
Co-Op Book Club: Christmas one week and Easter the next! Talking about how Aslan’s sacrifice on the Stone Table is an allegory for Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
Heart-shaped mini-waffles for Valentine’s Day!
Mini-tulips and more mini-waffles! Loving the spring vibes!
Tillamook Creamery Field Trip
Tillamook Creamery Field Trip
Tillamook Creamery Field Trip
Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach
Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach
Whale Tail at Sunset Beach
Washington State Capitol Field Trip
Washington State Capitol Field Trip – the WA State Seal
Washington State Capitol Field Trip – learning about the doors and the history on them
Washington State Capitol Field Trip – the Senate Reception Room which is original to it’s 1928 completion
Washington State Capitol Field Trip – Potato Day!
Potato SWAG!
 

Books, Board Games, and Life at Home February 5, 2024

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Tasty Treats — Amy Scott @ 11:33 am

January turned out to be a much quieter month than we anticipated. Between the winter weather and Graham coming down with a cold, we had a lot of time at home in January. As a homebody, the extra time at home was no hardship. A majority of our free time in January was spent playing board games and reading books (well, books for Owen and I – he is flying through The Hardy Boys right now and I’m making the most of Kindle Unlimited and the Skyward series). Our family has an obsession with The Quest for Eldorado board game at the moment. The game says it’s 10+, but our 8 year-old, Graham, has picked it up fairly easily. I would even say that Graham has probably won more times than me at this point. And yes, I am a little bitter about that. Just kidding, but kind of, not really. Ha!

Life has picked up with the calendar turning to February. On February 1st, Jeremy took the day off as comp-time for working at a conference in January. We wrapped up our school day quickly while Jeremy was at a morning dentist appointment. When Jeremy arrived home, we set off for a spur-of-the-moment trip to Portland, OR. (Yay for a flexible homeschool schedule!) We planned 3 different visits to Portland in January, but each time we had to cancel (twice due to weather, once for illness). The original Portland plan was to visit OMSI – Oregon Museum of Science and Industry – but we are now waiting for March when their next exhibit opens. The other part of our Portland plan was to visit a few bookstores and we were able to make that happen on Thursday! I loved wondering Powell’s Books and spent the last of my Birthday money. I’m already looking forward to my February book blog. So many new books to share!

This weekend, I was able to reconnect with a friend over coffee. Our family was also able to have dinner with friends we haven’t seen in a while. It was a good weekend to catch up with friends! Our February calendar is filled with dinners, playdates, field trips, and a marriage conference. The month is booked with just enough margin to hopefully stay sane. I would like to believe that March will be the month it all balances out, but Easter is in March this year. Between Easter prep, making sure Jeremy’s birthday doesn’t get lost in the Easter prep, and Easter itself, I have a feeling March might be a bit full as well. But since March is still a ways away, I will choose to focus in on this month, this week, this day. When I look at the big picture, the calendar can seem daunting, but then I remind myself that I can only in live in this moment. One day at a time!

These guys found Squishmallows on sale while we were running errands. They couldn’t resist! The love of Squishmallows is strong in our house.
Art History at Co-Op
Attempting to make a beaver dam out of pretzel sticks and chocolate frosting for co-op book club.
Jeremy and Owen picked up my free birthday Crumbl cookie for me while I stayed home with a sick Graham.
Tillamook frozen pizza taste test! It was a hit with 3/4 Scotts. Our family is very fond of Tillamook!
A lovely way to start the day last Monday!
After years of talking about it, I got Corelle Winter Frost White dishes. I love that they are a simple white and thin for easy storage.
We got the pasta bowls in addition to the regular set. Our snowflake dishes have pasta bowls that we now can’t live without, so I needed to make sure we had a non-seasonal version.
Adding a little sabotage to Eldorado. Jeremy wins too often! The boys and I made these joke cards for a good laugh.
One of my favorite places with my favorite people!
An arm full of books and a happy heart!
 

What I’ve Been Reading – January 2024 January 31, 2024

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf — Amy Scott @ 1:00 pm

Bookish Thoughts for January

The biggest highlight of January was adding to my home library thanks to many thoughtful birthday gifts. Through a combination of birthday money, gift cards, and gifting, I added 14 books to my collection this month. I also pre-ordered a March new release. Woo hoo! When I realized that my birthday was going to be very quiet, I went to the internet started my online book shopping. I had hoped to visit a couple of bookstores in-person, but the weather didn’t accommodate. Oh well! I got my books, one way or another!

When adding to my home library this month, I went back through my Goodreads ratings for the last few years. If a book rated 4 or 5 stars, I added to my wish list. I also went through my Kindle and selected books that I’ve re-read digitally more than once. Since you can’t let friends borrow Kindle books, I wanted to add physical copies to my shelves so can share my favorites with others. Adding to my home library isn’t just about me. I love sharing books amongst family and friends.

Also this month, I did a little research reading for Owen. I remember reading Hatchet and The Twenty-One Balloons in elementary school and I wanted to refresh my memory on the stories. I believe Owen will enjoy these stories in the next few years, so I’ll look to add them to our home library in the near future. I’m also currently reading the Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson. I was gifted the first book and there is a good chance I will pick up the complete series at some point. It’s been a solid 3 star series for me, but I could see my boys enjoying this YA Sci-Fi series in the future as well. Because a friend gave me the first book and is now letting me borrow the rest of the series, it’s been fun to connect with her and her daughter over this shared reading experience. I love when books bring people closer together!

I’m still enjoying my discounted subscription to Kindle Unlimited thanks to a Black Friday deal in November. The price will increase later in February, so I’m doing my best to get as my KU books read as possible in the next few weeks. I’m “on again, off again” with KU. I can’t justify the price monthly, but I enjoy the strategy of waiting for a decent about of new books to become available and then I re-subscribe for a short period of time. For the times when I don’t have KU, I’m thankful for the library, the Libby app, reading from my home library, and borrowing from friends. I’m never without access to a good book! What a wonderful thing!

A few new-to-me books! Yay birthday month!

Top Picks for January

Practicing the Way – John Mark Comer is one of my favorite authors and his new release didn’t disappoint! Tuesdays Like That -This one has scheming grandmas and a fake marriage that turns out to be real! So much fun!

The Book List for January
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:

  • Modern Miss Mason: Discover How Charlotte Mason’s Revolutionary Ideas on Home Education Can Change How You and Your Children Learn and Grow Together by Leah Boden – 4 stars
  • Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did. by John Mark Comer – 5 stars

Fiction:

  • Hatchet by Gary Paulsen – 3 stars
  • The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois – 3 stars
  • Starsight by Brandon Sanderson – 3 stars
  • Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson – 3 stars
  • The Good Part by Sophie Cousens – 3 stars
  • Landin’ in Trouble by Brittany Larson – 3 stars
  • Just One Look (novella) by Brittany Larson – 3 stars
  • That Fine Line by Cindy Steel – 3 stars
  • Double or Nothing by Cindy Steel – 3 stars
  • Stranded Ranch (novella) by Cindy Steel – 3 stars
  • Falling in Line by Kasey Stockton – 3 stars
  • Sadie and the Bad Boy Billionaire by Emma St. Clair and Jenny Proctor – 3 stars
  • Play Me Once by Carina Taylor – 4 stars
  • Tuesdays Like That by Carina Taylor – 4 stars
  • A Fish Out of Water by Savannah Scott – 3 stars
  • He is So Not My Valentine (novella) by Savannah Scott – 3 stars
  • But He’s My Grumpy Neighbor by Annah Conwell – 4 stars
  • Selling Out by Martha Keyes – 4 stars
 

A Chill(y) Birthday January 18, 2024

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Tasty Treats — Amy Scott @ 2:07 pm

Well, we didn’t get as much snow as I had hoped for this last weekend, but we did experience quite the deep freeze. Our snow from last week stuck around thanks to the cold temps, but we only had a few inches. Those inches just camped out for the weekend since it was too cold for them to melt off. It was a wild weather week, but thankfully, yesterday was the end of our wintery conditions.

This last weekend was my birthday weekend. My actual birthday was Sunday, but I’m all about making birthdays bigger than a single day. We had a family outing planned on Friday and a family meal planned on Saturday. Both were cancelled due to the weather. It’s good thing I’m an introverted homebody. While I was sad to see those plans go, I was also very okay with a quiet weekend at home.

Things really started to freeze on Friday, so Jeremy pulled the boys on sleds up and down the driveway behind our minivan (until the sleds cracked due to too much gravel poking through – oops!). Saturday, we took a freezing walk to our local beaver dam only to come home to no power! With the high that day being 21F, we were a little nervous about being without power. Jeremy fired up our generator and we were able to make a hot dinner using our Instant Pot and electric kettle. After we got dinner cleaned up as best we could, the power came back on! Thankfully, it was only out for a couple hours so the house didn’t have time to get too cold.

I’m not a confident winter weather driver. The little bit of snow that came in on Saturday evening was enough for me to stay put come Sunday morning. I didn’t want a white-knuckle drive to church on my birthday. Instead, I had a lovely day around the house. I made snowflake waffles in our mini-waffle maker. I enjoyed plenty of time to read and walk. We played multiple board games together as a family. Our newest board game is The Quest for Eldorado and it’s the current family favorite. Jeremy picked up a Costco mac and cheese and chocolate cake before the weather moved in on Thursday. I was able to have my favorite foods for dinner on my birthday! Food is always a big highlight of my celebrating process! It was a pretty chill way to kick off being 38, but that’s okay. It was cozy and wonderful!

On Monday, we were able to get out of the house for a little bit. We had dinner with Jeremy’s parents and introduced them The Quest for Eldorado. We improvised to make the game work for 5 players. It was a little silly with Jeremy’s token being a giant hiker from our national park board game, but it worked! The big conversation on Monday was the freezing rain coming in on Tuesday. With most of our homeschool co-op being concerned about freezing temps and road conditions, we ended up cancelling co-op this week. The freezing rain did come in Tuesday evening, so Jeremy had a late start to work yesterday while we waited for the ice on the roads to melt.

What wild, winter weather we’ve had this last week! Even now, we still have snow on the ground. The rain is doing it’s best to make it disappear and I’m feeling torn. I’m always sad to see the snow go. I’m also ready for things to warm up. It’s been so cold!!! We even reached a new record low for our house on the hill – 12F! It was a very chill(y) birthday weekend, but it was perfect for me! Now I look forward to rejoining the world this coming weekend!

Snow day shenanigans
Always following these guys down trails! Friday’s adventure was looking for animal tracks and identifying birds.
Warming up after a walk with our new game.
While we didn’t get a lot of snow, I am thankful it lasted so long!
Our walk to the beaver dam
No power! As you can see, Graham was in shorts, so we didn’t freeze!
Such pretty birthday waffles! They fit the theme of the weekend so well!
It’s not truly a birthday celebration without chocolate cake!
I introduced Jeremy to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes after the boys went to bed on my birthday. Now we’re re-watching the whole Hunger Games saga.
One of these things is not like the other! Haha! We had to improvise to make The Quest for Eldorado a 5 player game!
Even though we didn’t have book club with our co-op yesterday, we still read the chapter and sampled Turkish Delight!
Graham is studying the solar system in his science right now. Love being alongside him for these hands-on activities.
 

Hello 2024! January 10, 2024

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 4:28 pm

Hello! Welcome to the first post of 2024! It’s been a pretty quiet start to the new year, but I still have plenty to updates to share. We rang in the new year asleep in our beds. It’s been years since we’ve attempted to stay up to midnight. Our neighbors set off loud fireworks that sometimes wake us up at midnight, but this year we slept through them (or they set them off early this year because we definitely heard them earlier in the evening).

We spent the first day of 2024 taking down our Christmas decoration. It’s always a bit sad. The house feels bare after all the festive décor is packed away. After taking down Christmas, I did a quick tidy of all the drawers and cabinets in the house. Unseen spaces need to be maintained so they don’t get out of hand. I am good at keeping tabs on my spaces, but it felt good to make sure everything was neatly in place. I was also able to purge a few unnecessary items. Jeremy spent quite a few hours over Christmas break organizing the garage and sorting through his closet. Our combined efforts gave our whole house a fresh feeling for the new year.

Soon it was back to school and everyday life commitments. We fell back into our routine fairly well. We had a great first week back at school. Our weekend was spent running errands and enjoying down time around the house as a family. We got quite a few new games in December and we played them all together. We also pulled out a family favorite, Wingspan, and played it a couple times over the weekend.

Our homeschool co-op met for the first time this week. I’m teaching a class this session, so Monday afternoon was a prep day for my Tuesday afternoon class. I’m leading a book club for the elementary school students. We’re reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis as a class. For our first class, we read chapter one together. We watched a short movie clip of Lucy finding Narnia and discussed the start of the story together. Our hands-on activity was decorating snowflake sugar cookies together. So much fun! Now the students will read a couple chapters at home and come back next week ready to dive into chapter four with me.

The exciting news of the day is we have snow on the ground this very moment! Our first snow of the season! We live on a hill so our snow totals are a bit more than the rest of the area. I was surprised our local school district didn’t even have a late start today. Our yard totally looks like a snow day; complete with a small snowman that the boys created before daylight! It’s been fun to watch the kids go in and out throughout the day. We’re optimistic that the forecast will bring more snow our way over the next couple of days. I’m 100% on board with being snowed in! Here’s hoping!!!

Back to school and back to science projects!
Family game night
The new December games
Wingspan
Prepping for co-op
Jeremy created this clock in stages over Christmas break. It’s now complete and operational. He’s so crafty!
Owen got a new camera for Christmas. He wanted his first picture to be of him and his brother in matching Pokémon shirts.
Out in the snow before daylight!
Documenting the tiny snowman
This photo is now proudly hanging on Owen’s wall.
 

What I’ve Been Reading – December 2023 December 31, 2023

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 10:00 am

Bookish Thoughts for December

It’s the end of 2023 and time to analyze this year’s reading. The stats I’ll share came from my Goodreads “My Year in Books” review. According to Goodreads (and my own note-taking), I’m wrapping up 2023 with 228 books read. That is less than 2022 (265), but more than 2021 (179). The goal I loosely held for 2023 was 200 books and I made it. According to Goodreads, I read 67,535 pages which averages about 296 pages a book. I find stats like this super fun… and kind of nerdy (I’m good with that).

Do you ever unintentionally fall into habits that become routines which become strict “must-do” items on your to-do list? Okay, maybe just me. I unintentionally started the habit of sharing what book I’m reading on my Instagram stories every Wednesday for 2023. It was fun to share 52 books in 2023, but I’m pondering if I will continue this into 2024. I never intended to make it a goal for year and somehow it become one. Since I’m a creature of habit, I have a feeling I’ll be posting my current read this Wednesday.

Another book goal of the year was to get my kids one book month to deliberately pace my book shopping. While they started the year super enthusiastic to pick a book each month, the energy has diminished some. If I bought them exclusively Pokémon books, they would probably be more excited, but I tend to push for diversity. Also, there are new Christmas books to be read, so I might pause on book purchases (for them) until new material is needed. We’ll see how long I last…

The December Book Picks

I added seven new books to my home library this month and I added quite a few titles to my Amazon Book Wish List. I went through my Goodreads and selected many 4 stars books that I’ve enjoyed and added them to my wish list. I also took note of books I’ve read on my Kindle multiple times and I now wish to give shelf space to these titles. I love reading on my Kindle and it gives me access to so many books, but I’m still in love with the printed page. I hope to add more to my home library after my January birthday. I try to pace myself when it comes to book shopping.

December Home Library Additions – These were all lovely gifts this month!

I don’t quite know what 2024 holds when it comes to reading goals. I counted pages for the first time in 2023 and that was interesting. I’ll probably continue to do so in 2024. I’ll most likely keep posting my current read on Wednesday in Instagram. I will set my Goodreads book goal at 100 again and see where the reading takes me. I have hopes to increase my read-aloud time with my boys. I’m also leading a book club with the elementary class at our homeschool co-op this winter. I’ll spend six weeks going through The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Owen is thrilled for my class and Graham is skeptical I can make a book club fun. I’m hopeful that my mix of reading, visuals (aka short movie clips), and hand-on activities will engage a wide range of readers (and non-readers). Finger crossed and prayers appreciated!

As you can see, I’m going into 2024 with books being top priority, no surprise. A reading life is a good life. May good books and great stories find you (and me) in 2024!

Top Picks for December

Due to space, I’ll keep my Top Picks brief. The Home Edit Stay Organized because of the pictures! If I had endless dollars, I would use all their products and labels! The One with Kiss Cam was the most un-put-downable book I read this month. I don’t usually give half points, but this was a 4.5 book. Almost perfect!

The Book List for December
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:

  • Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar – 3 stars
  • The Home Edit: Stay Organized: The Ultimate Guide to Making Systems Stick by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin – 5 stars
  • Jim Trelease’s Read-Aloud Handbook: Eighth Edition by by Jim Trelease and Cyndi Giorgis – 4 stars

Fiction:

  • Christmas in Paradise by Brittany Larsen – 4 stars
  • The Grumpy Side of Paradise by Brittany Larsen – 3 stars
  • (Not So) Famous in Paradise by Brittany Larsen – 3 stars
  • Second Chance Springs (novella) in Paradise by Brittany Larsen – 3 stars
  • Dizzy in Love (novella) by Brittany Larsen – 3 stars
  • The Royal’s Enemy (novella) by Brittany Larsen – 3 stars
  • One Small Secret (novella) by Esther Hatch – 3 stars
  • Jingle Bell Jilt (novella) by Mindy Burbidge Strunk – 3 stars
  • Merry Kismet (novella) by Anneka Walker – 3 stars
  • A Sugar Creek Christmas (novella) by Jenny B. Jones – 4 stars
  • His Mistletoe Miracle (novella) by Jenny B. Jones – 4 stars
  • The Holiday Husband by Jenny B. Jones – 4 stars
  • The One with the Kiss Cam by Cindy Steel – 4 stars (really 4.5 if I divert from Goodreads ratings)
  • Just Friends Forever by Martha Keyes – 3 stars
  • Season’s Schemings by Katie Bailey – 3 stars
  • Love on Deck by Kasey Stockton – 3 stars
  • Falling for Your Brother’s Best Friend (novella) by Emma St. Clair – 3 stars
  • Rent Yourself an Elf (novella) by Savannah Scott – 3 stars
  • Single All the Way (novella) by Kate Watson – 3 stars
  • New York, New Year, New You (novella) by Rachael Bloome – 3 stars
  • Skyward by Brandon Sanderson – 3 stars

Side Note: While the authors may not have advertised the books as such, I have labeled any book under 250 pages as a novella this month. It seems this title can be fluid, especially with independently published books. Even I vacillate on what I view as a novella. My opinion tends to be under 200-250 pages, a book should be called a novella.