Amy Scott's Thoughts

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

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 3:00 pm

Bookish Thoughts for September

It’s hard to believe September is almost over! Between back to school, hunting season, launching multiple programs at church, women’s conference, staff retreat, sports, and weekly field trips, it’s been a full month! But… Hunting season means my menfolk are out in the woods for two weeks looking for elk and that gave me a few extra evenings at home to read. Also, I try to balance our weekends so there is one quieter day for rest (and of course, reading). Overall, September turned out to be quite the profitable reading month, despite my full calendar.

Non-fiction highlights this month focus on Sally Clarkson. She’s the best homeschool-mom encourager out there! Reading her books is like having a wise mentor come alongside you and cheer you on in the good work you are doing. She’s always uplifting and inspiring. The Mission of Motherhood is an older book and it was fun to compare it with Well Lived ,which is a newer book and focused on her legacy. Well Lived had lovely pictures of her time in Oxford, England. It was sweet to see photos of Sally’s friends and family alongside reflections of her lifetime of faith. I have a few more books by Sally and her husband, Clay, that I hope to read this coming month. Their books always give my spirit a boost!

My binge reading of Denise Hunter continued. I finally got two long await books from the library. They were quite enjoyable! After watching the Anne movies in August, I felt compelled to read Anne of Green Gables. Anne is always good for the soul! The boys and I finished Little House in the Big Woods as our school real-aloud. These fictional little girls are so sweet to visit (just like old friends)! The English Masterpiece was another much anticipated library hold! Katherine Reay’s newest novel thoroughly held my attention. Set in the glamorous 1970s art world in London, it was a bit of a mystery and a different vibe than her last few historical fiction books. I found the variety refreshing.

Now I’m currently making my way through Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. One of my good friends LOVES this book and she requested I read it. She would like me to see the movie version in the theaters with her in March. I shared that I was reading this book on my Instagram stories last week and I received couple a responses from other readers who also enjoyed it. I hope it can live up to the hype! I’ll let you know what I think about it next month.

Top Picks for September

Owen: *Quest in Yosemite National Park*
Graham: *The Mystery at Snowflake Inn*

The Book List for September
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

The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child’s Heart for Eternity by Sally Clarkson – 4 stars
Well Lived: Shaping a Legacy of Gratitude and Grace by Sally Clarkson – 4 stars
Culture Wins: The Road Map to an Irresistible Workplace by William Vanderbloemen – 3 stars

Fiction

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery – 5 stars
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder – 5 stars
The Summer of Me and You by Denise Hunter – 4 stars
Wildflower Falls by Denise Hunter – 4 stars
The English Masterpiece by Katherine Reay – 4 stars
One More Made Up Love Song by Jenny Proctor – 4 stars
All’s Fair in Love and Blackmail by Gracie Ruth Mitchell – 4 stars
All’s Well that Friends Well by Gracie Ruth Mitchel – 3 stars
The Aviator’s Lady by Gabrielle Meyer – 3 stars
True to You by Becky Wade – 3 stars
Falling for You by Becky Wade – 3 stars
Sweet on You by Becky Wade – 3 stars
Then Came You by Becky Wade – 3 stars

Comments (5)

September Sports and Adventures! September 18, 2025

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Tasty Treats,Travels — Amy Scott @ 6:10 pm

I used to believe that September was a chill month where we’d fall back into our school year routine and everything settled down. Haha! It’s been years since I’ve held those false assumptions. Going back-to-school certainly does change our calendar, but September is not calm or quiet. Expectations and assumptions can be tricky little things. Now that I have more realistic understanding of September, I enjoy it so much more! Funny how that works.

We tried something new this September. We did a week of swimming lessons with our local homeschool sports group. It had been a few years since we’d done swimming lessons. Graham had just learned to swim when we stopped taking them and Owen loves to improve his strokes and diving techniques. We figured a little more practice and skill improvement couldn’t hurt. This was our first time doing swimming lessons with this group and it was a new location for us. The boys were nervous about the unknown, but once they got into the water, they were all smiles!

Since we aren’t apart of a co-op this year, we plan to lean into the offerings of our homeschool sports group. After a week of swimming, the boys kicked off soccer season this week. They’ll have six weeks at the soccer fields building skills, running out energy, and playing with friends. Graham even scored the first goal of the game on Tuesday! I’m grateful that this homeschool group allows us to experience team sports with a very manageable weekly commitment.

A few of our friends moved to a new co-op this year. While we aren’t able to join that group on a weekly basis, we’ve been invited to tagalong for field trips. Our first field trip with them was on Friday to the Oregon Zoo. This is one of our favorite places to visit and the group discount was amazing! Our boys enjoyed going around the zoo with friends. The weather was perfect and we saw so many of our favorite animals, including baby elephant, Tula-Tu! We made it to a keeper presentation for a South American porcupine that was also pretty neat. The zoo is always a wonderful field trip!

September is also hunting season. Jeremy and the boys have been out looking for elk to fill the freezer. The elk have been elusive this year, but the list of critters they come home seeing is pretty long. The highlight is all the different kinds of owls they’ve seen this month. Owen loves the hiking and the critters. He is very motivated by the idea of meat in the freezer. Graham enjoys the animals and time with family, but he is less interested in the hunting aspect. It’s a great nature walk and father/son bonding experience.

I’ve kept busy this month with school, the house, and coordinating the calendar. While the boys were out hunting on Saturday, I attended a women’s conference at our church. The worship and speaker were encouraging and it was nice be with other women (since I’m usually with the kids ministry). I attended a holiday themed workshop filled with tasty treats to sample. Yum! I led a crafting and conversations workshop in the afternoon. It was a good day. We also kicked off our Christmas musical practice on Sundays at church. I’m back to clicking through lyric slides and learning the music alongside the kids. It’s a fun season in children’s church!

As you can see, September is not a low-key month! But… at this moment, my menfolk are in the woods for the final hunt of the month. Rosie, the Roomba, is vacuuming my house. I have a few more steps to reach my daily goal. I hope to nibble on a slice of pumpkin bundt cake and start a new book. Not a bad way to spend a September evening, if you ask me. There are a few chill moments to be found in September!

Friday field trips are a family favorite!

Last week it was Krispy Kreme and now Nothing Bundt Cakes. Give me all the pumpkin spice treats, please!

New fall décor for the fireplace! So fun to have a new space to decorate!

Loving this new wooden book stack! Give me all the bookish décor and add a pumpkin! Perfect!

The mighty hunters off for a nature walk!

Leave a Comment

That Fall Feeling! September 6, 2025

Filed under: Homeschool Adventures,Tasty Treats,Travels — Amy Scott @ 11:07 am

September is here and with it all the fall feels! This is my favorite time of year. The sights, sounds, and smells of fall just can’t be beat. I tried to wait to decorate the house until September, but I could hear the siren song coming from my autumn tote in the garage! I started with a gradual transition to fall in the house. Because we hosted a dinner with friends on August 30th, I simply switched some household items out for orange ones – orange throw pillows in the living room, an orange hand towel in the kitchen, a tissue box with orange highlights. I figured with no pumpkins in sight, this was an acceptable start to my fall decorating in August. Fall color was already outside my window, so it didn’t feel too early to bring it inside.

The next day, I pulled down my tote and got to work. Decorating for autumn this year is happening in stages. I don’t love the delay, but I’m trying to be patient. We added a new bookcase and fireplace to our living room last winter and now I have more places to spread seasonal cheer. Our current décor didn’t fill in the space as well as I had hoped. I was able to pick up a few more decorations at Hobby Lobby yesterday and I ordered my final pieces online. I’m hoping in the next week or so, I’ll have our living space settled. I can’t wait!

Decorating for fall is a huge part of my mental shift for the new school year. When my house feels like fall I transition back to school to better. It’s a visual cue that summer is over and with it the summer schedule. Time to get back to our school year routine! The boys started 4th and 6th grade on Tuesday. We are continuing to homeschool and our first week of school went well. If they can continue with this momentum, I see an excellent school year ahead of us!

We had our first field trip of the school year yesterday. Fort Vancouver has been on my field trip list for years and I was determined to make it happen this year. I’m glad I did, because it was such a fantastic outing. The boys were given clipboards to answer questions around the fort. Each building was set up authentically with staff in costume ready to explain how the space was used in the 1800’s. When the boys turned their clipboards in with the park ranger, they were awarded Junior Ranger badges. If you’ve been around this blog for a while, you know our family loves the National Park Junior Ranger program. We also got Graham’s 4th grade national parks pass through the Every Kid Outdoors program. We are ready for more national park adventures this year!

It’s a dark and stormy day here in our little corner of the PNW. I woke up to lightning and thunder. My hubby is out in the woods elk hunting at the moment. Now that the storms have moved through, I feel better about him being outdoors. The boys and I are enjoying some downtime and Owen hopes to head out with Jeremy this evening for his own nature walk with Jeremy. I enjoyed a tasty pumpkin spice doughnut from Krispy Kreme for breakfast and I may have a Costco pumpkin pie in my fridge. My obsession with pumpkin strong! My recent Scentsy order arrived yesterday with pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, and vanilla scented bars. Curating the fall feels involves all the senses. I’m here for it! All of it!

Our September schedule will be full this month. Back to school, a week of swim lessons, soccer kick-off, church commitments, adventures with friends, and appointments are filling the calendar. I used to think September would slow down with back to school, but I now realize we don’t “chill” until November when the rains move in. But no matter the pace, our home will be an autumn haven of good things! I’m embracing September and all the fall feels. Time cozy up with a good book and a slice of pie.

Bethel Staff Ping Pong Tournament: Jeremy made it to the final four. I participated, but was out right away. No shock there.

Triple Berry Crisp with homegrown raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Yum!

Bought just a few pumpkin things yesterday!

Leave a Comment

What I’ve Been Reading – August 2025 August 31, 2025

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf — Amy Scott @ 11:30 am

Bookish Thoughts for August

My total books read in August was quite an increase from previous months! I have summer camp to thank for that. Not only did a have extra free time while my menfolk were away, but they came home with the summer camp sniffles. It was a slow trickle that started with Owen and then spread to Graham and then to Jeremy. Needless to say, we had extra down days at home in recovery mode. Thus, more books read this month. It’s been a enjoyable way to wrap up my summer and fill the days at home. The pace in September will pick up and I’m positive my list will be much smaller next month. There is an ebb and flow even in a reading life. After exhausting my library TBR, I subscribed to Kindle Unlimited and started working on a stockpile of new releases there! I’m so grateful for access to an abundance of reading material. It seems like there is always a new book waiting for me around the corner!

Highlights of the month include At Your Best and The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. These have become annual August reads for me. They are perfect reminders before the school year starts that I can chose what pace I live at. Living intentionally slower and giving my best energy to what matters most is important. These books give me the encouragement I need to start our school year off well and keep a sustainable pace year round. Such a good resources! Good reads!

My summer of Denise Hunter continues. I’ve now read enough of her works to know I prefer her books about books. Her others are good, but I love books about authors or bookshop owners. They make my heart extra happy! I re-read some of my favorites by Jenny B. Jones. They feel like visiting old friends. I re-read I Heard the Owl Call My Name. It was a high school summer reading book from obviously a long time again. I remembered liking it and I wanted to see Adult Me liked it as much as Teen Me. I am happy to report I liked even more as an adult. It’s a short book that takes place in the Canadian wilderness. I read it on a dark, wet day that fit the mood of the book perfectly. I finished the book with tears in my eyes and I’ve thought back on it often this month.

With Kindle Unlimited, I was able to read new releases from some of my favorite indie authors. My favorites were the ones by Emma St. Clair, Annah Conwell, Kate Watson, and Kasey Stockton. I enjoy a good series and all of these reconnected me characters I’ve read before. Again, like visiting friends! Don’t worry, I do have “in real life” friends, not just book friends. I was just keeping our germs away from them this month! I have a few more KU books on my TBR and I feel the strong pull to revisit the Anne of Green Gables books after watching the mini-series this month. The world is full of some many wonderful books to read! Happy Reading!

Top Picks for August

**Owen’s Pick:** (National Park Mystery Series) *Discovery in Great Sand Dunes National Park*
**Graham’s Pick:** (Hardy Boys Adventures) *A Treacherous Tide*

The Book List for August
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:

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer – 5 stars
At Your Best: How to Get Time, Energy, and Priorities Working in Your Favor by Carey Nieuwhof – 5 stars
The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkle – 3 stars

Fiction:

Love, Unscripted by Denise Hunter – 4 stars
The Bookshop by the Sea by Denise Hunter – 3 stars
Sweetwater Gap by Denise Hunter – 3 stars
Lake Season by Denise Hunter – 4 stars
Carolina Breeze by Denise Hunter – 3 stars
Autumn Skies by Denise Hunter – 4 stars
Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones – 4 stars
There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones – 5 stars
His Mistletoe Miracle by Jenny B. Jones – 4 stars
I’ll Be Yours by Jenny B. Jones – 4 stars
An Overdue Match by Sarah Monzon – 4 stars
If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair – 4 stars
I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven – 4 stars
The Lady of the Red River Valley by Gabrielle Meyer – 3 stars
The Confidentiality Clause by Annah Conwell – 4 stars
A Secret Correspondence by Kasey Stockton – 4 stars
Terms of Un-Endearment by Brittany Larsen – 3 stars
Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend by Kate Watson – 4 stars
Rookie Season by Leah Brunner & Katie Bailey – 3 stars

Leave a Comment

Summer Beach Getaway! August 25, 2025

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Tasty Treats,Travels — Amy Scott @ 2:10 pm

Just one week until we head back to our regular school year schedule! We enjoyed the slower pace of summer school in June and July. We really enjoyed taking the month off in August. But alas, the school year is quickly approaching! It’s crazy how fast summer goes. I remember feeling that way as a kid and now as a parent it seems magnified. I’m trying my best to make the most of those 18 childhood summers!

We had one final “hurrah” of summer last week. We took off to the Washington coast for a few days. Grandpa and Grandma now have a beach place. A new spot to make family memories together. We enjoyed our time there for the 4th of July and we were eagerly anticipating more time in August. Our days at the beach were a good mix of activity and rest. Our crew was getting over the summer camp sniffles, so stamina wasn’t quite 100%, but that didn’t keep us down. We were at the beach every evening. The boys playing the waves, getting all sandy and wet. Jeremy and the boys took morning walks each day while I got ready at a slower pace.

On Monday, we went mini-golfing in Long Beach. This was one of Graham’s summer bucket list items. We got there right when it opened and had the whole place to ourselves! We grabbed some lunch in town and then explored the kite festival happenings down at the beach. The kites were super cool to watch and Graham was thrilled to see a vendor selling churros as we walked down to the beach. Monday was really his day. After the kite festival, Jeremy surprised us all by suggesting we go to the arcade. The kids had a blast! I even played a couple of games. We got home mid-afternoon and crashed at the beach house for some rest. We enjoyed an evening trip to the beach and then a Scoopers run for ice cream. It was a great day in Long Beach.

Monday was our town day and Tuesday was our nature day! We hiked a couple trails at the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. Visiting the refuge was on Owen’s bucket list. While he didn’t see as many birds as he hoped, we did enjoy time on the trails. The only downside of the morning was Graham got stung by a wasp. The best way to recover from a bee sting was cookies as the local bakery! After our time at the wildlife refuge, we went to Cape Disappointment State Park. We have visited the North Head Lighthouse before and this time the trail to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse was open (it’s been closed in the past). We decided to explore a new trail and lighthouse. The view from the lighthouse was fantastic and the boys enjoyed our stop at Dead Man’s Cove. Not a pretty name, but a very pretty beach! Once our legs were done with hiking, we did a repeat of Monday – back to the house to rest for part of the afternoon, dinner, and then a trip to the beach. We wrapped up Tuesday with backyard smores and a beautiful sunset!

Wednesday was our final day at the beach. We spent the morning tidying up the house and packing. We had lunch at Chico’s, the local pizza place. Our kids love pizza so it was a must to find good pizza on the peninsula. Thankfully, Chico’s was kid-approved! I’m sure we’ll be back. We made one last stop at the kite festival on the way out of town. The event had filled in more since our Monday visit. After we left Long Beach, we took off for Fort Stevens on the Oregon Coast. The kids hadn’t visited Shipwreck Beach in years and they wanted to see it again. We also explored the ruins of Fort Stevens. I have such good childhood memories running around the batteries at Fort Stevens. It made my heart so happy to see my boys enjoying it just as much as I did. We’ve taken them before, but it had been years, so it was all fresh and new to them. We learned a bit of WWI and WWII history, but the coolest part was visiting the Earthworks which was built during the Civil War. I’ve always assumed the west coast doesn’t have much civil war history, so it was fascinating to discover a piece of it so close by. I love when adventures can also be educational. Yes, I’m such a homeschool mom!

The kiddos weren’t ready to come home. They could have stayed at the beach house for the rest of the summer and very happily lived off smores and ice cream! Like I mentioned earlier, we are now home and in the last week of summer vacation. It’s been so good. We’ll take many fun memories into the school year with us. One last beach getaway was the perfect way to wrap up our summer break!

Sprawling out at the beach house! They took great delight in having their own queen beds.

They are happiest when they are wet and sandy!

Cooling down with a sweet treat after exploring the fort

Leave a Comment

Summer Camp 2025 August 13, 2025

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Tasty Treats,Travels — Amy Scott @ 1:54 pm

A week ago, the boys loaded up for summer camp! I was so excited to send them off on a great adventure, but I also knew I would miss them deeply! All the feels! Jeremy directs two weeks of summer camp for our network. Week one runs from Sunday to Wednesday and week two from Wednesday to Saturday. The boys are such good pals while Jeremy is a way for the first half of the week. The second half of the week is such a novelty because I am home alone. This is my second year of having “Mom Camp” and I enjoyed it immensely. But, I’m always very ready to have all my boys (hubby included) home and under the same roof again. Life is truly better together!

The kiddos were super jazzed to head off to camp this year. There was a bit on rain on Wednesday that threatened to “dampen” their spirits, but once they connected with their cousins and friends, they were ready for a good time. I enjoyed hearing about their summer camp escapades from Jeremy. The lake at camp is a huge draw for both swimming and boating. The kids had a blast with field games and free time activities. Jeremy shared about chapel moments and praying with the boys. They came home with all the camp songs stuck in their heads. It’s been so sweet to hear them singing the worship songs to themselves throughout the day. Being a year older, Graham had a better year at camp. He was homesick less and he engaged more fully than the year before. He is definitely maturing and it shows! Owen is glad he gets one more year as a camper and hopes to come back as an intern when he ages out.

I filled my days at home with good things. I took long walks everyday, often chatting with my mom in the fresh air and sunshine. I did a lot of baking and reading. I worked on house projects. I get a thrill out of productivity without interruption. Such a treat! I also watched the old Anne of Green Gables movies. My family doesn’t appreciate them so no one complained when I took over the TV with seven hours of Anne. I had some social plans as well. I wasn’t a complete hermit. I went out to dinner with a friend on Wednesday. I had another friend over on Friday for a movie night. I’ve been dying to see what is so terrible about the new Snow White and my friend indulged me. Overall, it was the perfect balance of social and solitude. I was able to be productive and restful. Such a good time. I look forward to Mom Camp 2026!

Being reunited with my family meant a fair amount of laundry. I think my washer and dryer sighed on Saturday night after 8 loads of laundry. I get some serious satisfaction from cleaning up all the luggage and getting everything back into its rightful place. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday involved a lot of rest and recovery. We made it to church for VBA on Sunday. I made cinnamon rolls on Monday for our cozy home day. Tuesday, we adventured to Mt. Rainier for a family outing. It’s been a few years since we visited the mountain in wildflower season. They were so pretty! We saw marmots, ptarmigans, squirrels, and chipmunks. Owen is all about the mountain birds while Graham is all about the mountain rodents.

Now I’m strategizing on how to fit the rest of summer plans into the next two and a half weeks. I’m praying the weather will cooperate! This weekend has an atmosphere river moving in that definitely has me rearranging premade plans. The summer is winding down and yet I feel like there is so much left to do! We’ll see how it all pans out. I’ll just keep doing my best to savor the summer.

Ran to Staples for the last of the school supplies and stopped by McDonald’s for lunch. We treat ourselves a lot when Jeremy is away. It’s how we cope!

We also play lots of games while Jeremy is gone. Keeps us busy and distracted from how much we miss him!

Dinner out with my forever friend, Christa!

So much baking! From scratch raspberry crisp with raspberries from our garden, gluten-free coffee cake for movie night, vanilla “welcome home” cake, and cozy cinnamon rolls for our rest day.

Comments (2)

The Summer Rundown August 4, 2025

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Tasty Treats — Amy Scott @ 1:27 pm

July tends to be a super social month of us. Somehow most of our social engagements landed in a two week span of July. It was a bit of a whirlwind, but also incredibly fun! Jeremy had jury duty in July which added a unique vibe to the month. He never had to report, but he did have to check often. We didn’t make any out of town plans, due to jury duty, so our days were spent locally. We often hosted company at our house or met up with friends at parks. We also had some extra time with family this month while Jeremy’s aunt visited from out of state. Our big outing was a trip to the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. It was a cool and cloudy morning which made for great animal viewing. The red wolves are our favorites! Our library summer reading program provided tickets for both kids and adults this year. What a treat!

True to life, not all summer moments are fun and games. The boys had their first dental work this month (beside their biannual cleanings). Graham had a tiny cavity that needed a small filling. No numbing was necessary and the entire appointment took about 20 minutes. Easy peasy! Owen had two baby teeth that were getting in the way. Despite a month of wiggling, they didn’t come loose so the dentist had to assist. This was Owen’s first time getting numb at the dentist. He was nervous, but handled it like a champ. A few days after the dental work, Graham had his first consultation with the orthodontist. It looks like a palette expander and braces are in his future! Oh goody! I’m glad those appointments are behind us. We can give thoughts about teeth a short break.

August comes with it’s own set of adventures! On Sundays, our church runs our Vacation Bible Adventure program for the month. We kicked off True North VBA this Sunday. Week one was a hit! Our kids love VBA! Jeremy and his team do a great job of decorating and making the theme come to life each year. We can’t wait to for the next four Sundays!

An annual August tradition is summer camp. Jeremy co-directs two camps for our Assemblies of God network. The first camp started yesterday so the boys and I are on our own for a few days. We taught the kids Boggle on Saturday before Jeremy left for camp and they loved it! We played again yesterday and another game has been requested for today. I picked up a few Dominos pizzas yesterday as a treat and we’ll live off the leftovers for a few days. My meal planning skills are strong when I’m the only adult in the house. Haha! Graham baked himself cinnamon rolls for breakfast this morning. Our days are filled with games, books, baking, playing outside, and yes, some screen time, too. I try to keep the boys and myself busy while Jeremy is away. We sure do miss him!

I’ve been using the quieter days to work on some projects. My biggest project has been back-to-school planning. I have our first homeschool semester all planned and written down in my official planner. I even have first-day-of-school signs ready to go. It feels good to have the fall prepped. It will allow me to truly savor this final month of summer. We are starting a new state history curriculum this year and I need to pick up to two binders for it. Then I’ll be officially, officially ready for school to start! We usually start school the last week of August, but we’re waiting until after Labor Day this year. It feels nice to know we the full month of August to enjoy the last days of summer break. We making the most of our summer days before they disappear!

Red wolves at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

Lunch out with family! The boys love cousin time.

So grateful for lots of time with Aunt Sandy!

Living off of pizza while Jeremy is away

My cinnamon kid! Have to pass along the skills to pop a Pillsbury can on to the next generation!

Leave a Comment

What I’ve Been Reading – July 2025 July 31, 2025

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf — Amy Scott @ 9:02 am

Bookish Thoughts for July

I’ve let myself have a fictional July (aka a month of fiction-only reading)! Summer feels like the perfect time to dive into fiction and to leave the non-fiction on the shelf for a while. I promise I will return to non-fiction reading in August, but July was the mental break I needed. I had so much fun this month discovering new authors. Angela Bell, Becky Wade, and Denise Hunter were all new authors for me. Pepper Basham was also a new author from last month that I read more of in July. Essentially, my July reading was mostly Hallmark movies, but in book form. It was perfect!

Highlights of the month were A Novel Proposal, The Island Bookshop, and The Collector of Burned Books. I love books about books and the first two I mentioned also had summer, beachy vibes. The Island Bookshop was the first time I’d read contemporary fiction from Roseanna M. White. The Collector of Burned Book was WWII historical fiction, which isn’t her usual time period. Roseanna M. White also released a fantasy novel recently and I read it last month. I’ve been impressed with her ability to write across genres and challenge herself with new things.

Another fun treat this month was listening to the audiobook version of The Host by Stephanie Meyer. I’ve read the book twice and watched the movie. I was told the audiobook was well done and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see (well, listen) for myself. The Host is a thick book – over 600 pages. It made the audiobook 23 hours along. It was a commitment! It was neat to hear the story in a new way and it’s a book that I will definitely re-read again (but maybe not listen to… that might have been a one and done experience due to the length). I read much faster than I listen!

I have a stack of library books to work through in August as well was some annual re-reads I want to revisit. I’m watching new releases by some of my favorite Indie authors stack up in Kindle Unlimited. I’ll have a long TBR when I subscribe again (probably this fall). Thankfully, my local library, the Libby app, and my home library have kept me plenty busy this summer and they will continue to do so. I’m a happy bookworm!

Signed books from RMW make my heart happy!

Perfect summer, beachy reads for booklovers!

Top Picks for July

Owen’s July Pick: Birds of Washington
Graham’s July Pick: The Gray Hunter’s Revenge (The Hardy Boys Adventures)

The Book List for July
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.

Memory Lane by Becky Wade – 4 stars
Rocky Road by Becky Wade – 4 stars
Uneasy Street by Becky Wade – 4 stars
Positively, Penelope by Pepper Basham – 3 stars
Loyally, Luke by Pepper Basham – 3 stars
Some Like It Scot by Pepper Basham – 4 stars
A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure by Angela Bell – 3 stars
Before We Were Us by Denise Hunter – 4 stars
A Novel Proposal by Denise Hunter – 4 stars
Riverbend Gap by Denise Hunter – 3 stars
Mulberry Hollow by Denise Hunter – 4 stars
Harvest Moon by Denise Hunter – 4 stars
Sweetbriar Cottage by Denise Hunter – 3 stars
The Island Bookshop by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars
The Collector of Burned Books by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars
The Host by Stephanie Meyers – 5 stars

Leave a Comment

Swimming Through Summer July 21, 2025

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Tasty Treats — Amy Scott @ 11:31 am

We are swimming through summer here in the PNW. Our days have been filled with so many good things – family, friends, pool time, park dates, barbeque, pizza, and ice cream treats. These summer days are flying by in a blur! We have been blessed to share our home with family and friends. We love watching kiddos run amok in the yard or splash around in the pool. We’ve played board games, enjoyed tasty food, and have had wonderful conversations. We’ve been thankful for air-conditioning and ice cream on 90 degree days. We’ve also reveled in cool, cloudy days that hint at the coming fall. It’s been a good mix! We’ll just keep swimming and see where the summer adventures take us!

Scootering and biking with friends at a new park

Making a splash! We had to add water to the pool after this swimming adventure!

It has been a while since I’d made sugar cookies and I was feeling inspired by the thriving bunny community in my yard this summer!

Just out for a float! The pool can be chill!

Family BBQ to celebrate of Aunt Sandy’s visit

The Triplets! These cousins are just a few months apart. The left is before they started kindergarten. The right is before they start middle school. We’ll need to snap another picture in three years to document high school!

Leave a Comment

So Much to Celebrate! July 9, 2025

Filed under: Family Time,Travels — Amy Scott @ 11:46 am

Hold on tight! We’ve had so many summer celebrations over the last few weeks. I’ll do my best to highlight them all. I’ll have to back track to June for a little bit to get you all caught up. Here we go!

We welcomed the first day of summer with a visit to GG and a baby shower! It was a week before GG’s 92nd birthday so we showed up with flowers and a birthday card. I figured a week was in the acceptable window of time to celebrate with the birthday girl. Visits to GG are always a precious time! I’m so glad we got to celebrate with her.

The baby shower was for a friend who grew up locally in Lewis County. Aimee was my faithful, right-hand women when I taught my Wednesday night girls class. Once she graduated from kids ministry, she volunteered all the way through high school. She now lives out of state, but she was home for a family baby shower and I was honored to join. I’m so excited for her and her husband to become parents!

We completed some major projects in June. We made Jeremy’s vision of a National Park travel wall become a reality in his office! I loved sorting through the maps and pictures to create something special. It definitely highlights our family’s love for exploring new places. Jeremy has one more wall to complete before his new office is finalized. He is so close to being fully settled in his new space!

The other big project in June was a family garage sale. Jeremy’s parents hosted a multi-family sale and Jeremy and the boys went all in to assist. This was an excellent opportunity for the boys to practice hands-on math and people skills. They learned so much and were so helpful! After cleaning out Jeremy’s office and going through the house, we had quite a bit to contribute to the sale. It always feels good to clear things out, make space, and tidy up!

Now for July! We were able to celebrate the 4th of July and my dad’s birthday at the Washington coast. My parents recently purchased a beach house and this was the first time our whole family spent a few nights there together. We took a few walks, introduced the boys to the National Treasure movies, made smores around the fire pit, and watched the free fireworks show from the deck. It was great to celebrate both America’s birthday and Grandpa’s birthday with a family weekend away!

To keep the holiday weekend vibes going, Jeremy had Monday and Tuesday off this week. On Monday, we went for a birding walk at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. We got out early to beat the heat and Owen was rewarded with spotting two new birds to add to his birding list. This is one of favorite local nature walks!

Yesterday, Jeremy and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary! Jeremy took the day off. I love that we got to spend the whole day together. We took the kids to see How to Train Your Dragon. They love the animated movies, so this movie was highly anticipated. They both enjoyed the live action version and now have been singing the theme music to themselves as they go about their day. While the boys did piano lessons with Nana, Jeremy and I went to dinner and got ice cream together. It was a simple day, but very sweet. I love adventuring through life alongside Jeremy. I’m so grateful to celebrate another year together!