Amy Scott's Thoughts

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

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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

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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.

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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!

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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

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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!

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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!

Visiting GG to celebrate her 92nd birthday!

A sweet way to celebrate Aimee’s baby boy!

Getting Jeremy’s new office put together has been such a fun family project!

Birding adventure at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge

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

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf — Amy Scott @ 11:13 am

Bookish Thoughts for June

June continues the trend of a slower reading life. However, as long as I have a good book to read close at hand, all is well! Showing up for my real-life people in June has been a priority over making fictional friends. Even with my relaxed pace, I’ve still managed a fairly diverse reading month!

After a long hold at the library, I was able to pick up The Pharisee’s Wife by Jannette Oke. I’m used to Oke’s books featuring the prairies and the Rockies, but this Biblical historical fiction was a breakaway from her usual genre. I was certainly intrigued. While I enjoyed the story, it was not what I’ve come to know and love in Oke’s books. It was still a good book, but I wanted a different ending.

Roseanna M. White released her first fantasy novel this month. She almost exclusively writes historical fiction. Again, I was intrigued by an author trying something new. I don’t spend much time in the fantasy genre, but I did enjoy her book, Awakened. It’s the first in a four book series. I’m looking forward to seeing how White expands her fantasy world in the next book. I’m also looking forward to more new releases from White next month. She’s been busy!

My favorite new release of the month was Everything’s Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh. Rosie is a struggling actress who unintentionally accepts a position directing a musical in a retirement community. It was a sweet and quirky tale. I love Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, so it was neat to envision it being performed by seniors in my mind. The book takes place over the course of the summer, so it had great summer reading vibes!

Last, but not least, non-fiction! I read The Liturgy of the Ordinary right after it’s release in 2016. I remember liking it, but I feel like I appreciated it even more now (almost a decade later). The focus on being with God in all the daily moments and how the mundane can be sacred is a message I can’t get enough of. As a stay-at-home, homeschool mom, I know the liturgy of ordinary days very well. There is such sweetness and goodness in these experiences, especially when you are a looking for God in them. Tish Harrison Warren does an excellent job of exploring God’s presence in our entire day, from sun up to sun down. Finally, Rich Villodas was a new author for me, but his book was recommended by John Mark Comer (another favorite author), so I decided to check it out. The Deeply Formed Life paired so well with The Liturgy of the Ordinary. I hope to read more from Villodas in the future!

My reading was all over the place this month! It was fun to pop in and out of all kinds of genres. Diversity keeps life interesting. About a week ago, I went on a spree of placing holds at the local library (since I don’t have Kindle Unlimited at the moment). I am looking forward to exploring some new authors and new stories this summer!

Owen’s June Pick: *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*
Graham’s June Pick: *The Great Greenfield Bake-Off*

Top Picks for June

The Book List for June
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:

Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life by Tish Harrison Warren – 4 stars
The Deeply Formed Life: Five Transformative Values to Root Us in the Way of Jesus by Rich Villodas – 4 stars

Fiction:

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery – 5 stars
The Pharisee’s Wife by Janette Oke – 3 stars
Awakened by Roseanna M. White – 4 stars
Everything’s Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh – 4 stars
Julia Monroe Begins Again by Rebekah Millet – 3 stars
Kate Landry Has a Plan by Rebekah Millet – 4 stars
Authentically, Izzy by Pepper Basham – 3 stars
My Friends by Fredrik Backman – 3 stars
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury – 3 stars

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The June Jumble June 18, 2025

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time — Amy Scott @ 2:00 pm

June has held a variety of activities for our family. We certainly haven’t had a quiet start to our summer vacation, but it’s been good, fun, and productive. We’ve been busy, which isn’t my favorite speed, but I’m hopeful that some slower summer days might be around the corner for us… I need to go back to putting a non-negotiable “X” on at least one of the week. Turns out God had the right idea when he created the Sabbath. My body, mind, and soul crave a day off after a period of “go, go, go!” I could wax poetic about the intentionally slow life, but let’s move on to the assortment of experiences we’ve had recently.

The backyard pool is up and running! Or swimming… Anyway, the warm weather last week super heated the pool and made for some delightful June swims. It’s been a bit of a project to re-inflate all the pool toys and to sort out which ones had leaks. We replaced a couple floaties and got the kiddos new googles. We are ready for the summer swim season! We’ve already had one pool playdate with friends. We also had our first park play date with friends and we have another on the books for next week. Pools, parks, and pals are a great way to spend our summer days!

Our family project has been moving Jeremy into a new office at work. We have new staff members joining our church team at the end of June/beginning of July. In order to make space for their arrival, a new office hub was built and Jeremy relocated to this space. We’ve been working in phases to make this transition happen. It’s been quite the project!

First, we spent an afternoon sorting his old office. We decided what would move to his new office, what needed to find a new home in the church, and what needed to be donated. Let’s just say a children’s pastor can collect some wacky stuff over 20 years of ministry! The second phase was moving the remaining items from Jeremy’s old office into his new office. After that, we did a shopping day to gather new organization and décor items for his new space.

Just yesterday, we put the organizational items into place and started arranging all his things. Today, he got a loveseat for additional seating. The final phase will be getting wall art up. It hasn’t been a speedy process, but it’s nice to see it all slowly coming together. Interior design isn’t my strongest skill, but I love organization and making things tidy. It’s been fun to work together on this project as a family. The boys have even lent a hand. It’s been a team effort!

Father’s Day was in the June mix. We celebrated a different dad each day. Friday was Jeremy’s day. He opted to head to Portland for an office shopping day. We treated Jeremy’s to Chick-Fil-A and Salt & Straw while we were in the big city. Saturday, we had pizza and cake with my parents and sister. We celebrated both my mom’s birthday and Father’s Day. Sunday, we had bomb pops after church as a way to honor all the “pops” in our congregation. We did a fun bomb pop themed craft with the kids and had a bomb pop photo op in our lobby. It was a super “sweet” way to celebrate! We had dinner at Nana and Papa’s house with family to celebrate another birthday and Father’s Day. So many festivities!

Add in an orthodontist check-in for Owen, dental cleanings for both boys, sorting/pricing items for an upcoming family garage sale… June has felt a bit like a jumble! Friends, family, celebrations, changes, projects, appointments on top of the everyday stuff like chores and summer school. It’s been a lot! We are tackling our to-do list while making time for family and friends. Now to just balance a little more rest into the mix. We’ll get there!

My ideal way to spend a summer afternoon!

It’s been a few years since I updated my profile picture. Plus, I needed a new photo for an event this fall, so this is what I came up with. Natural Amy – curly hair, sweatshirt, books. That’s as authentic as it gets!

Jeremy’s old office in the sorting process

True love is resurrecting all the floaties and finding the sinkies before a pool playdate.

Officially moved in to his new space! Jeremy still has more to do, but it’s a workable office.

Officially moved out! Kind of sad, but we are excited for a new team member to settle in here. It’s a good space!

P.S. Stephanie from Stephanie’s Ninth Suitcase tagged me in a fun summer blog tag. I had hoped to participate this week, but I’m running low on time. In case I don’t get to it, I wanted to highlight her post here. It’s such a fun idea and I’m honored that she thought of me. Thanks, Stephanie!

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Summer Has Begun! June 9, 2025

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 2:14 pm

With May endings comes summer beginnings! While the first day of summer isn’t officially until June 20th, we are officially in summer mode now that our regular school year wrapped up in May. Switching to our summer school schedule is a little bit of an adjustment period. I’m actually grateful for a lighter school load this month. June has filled in with all sorts of extra commitments. I’m glad that summer mode has given us the margin to show up in other ways this month.

Our first official day of summer vacation was spent visiting friends at the beach. My forever friend, Maggie, was staying at the Washington coast after the passing of her mother. It was a sad reason to be reunited, but time with Maggie’s family is always a blessing to our family. It’s so sweet that our families are friends. We visited the local bakery, got crafty making centerpieces for Jayne’s memorial, let the kids play at the McDonald’s play place, and then spent hours at the beach. Such a good way to jump into summer.

We wrapped up our final week of soccer last Tuesday. It was a beautiful sunny day and the boys played so well. It’s been neat to see their improvement from fall to spring. They’ve really advanced in their soccer skills. I’m proud of them. Graham wasn’t so sure about spring soccer, but he ended up enjoying much more than expected. I’m glad it was a win for our family!

Tuesday was also the beginning of the summer reading program at our local library. After soccer, we went to the library to pick up our free tote bag, books, and fair tickets. We picked up the paperwork for the program as well. We’ll be back in a couple weeks for another round of free books and coupons. The summer reading program is always a highlight of our summer.

We’re coming off of a few full days. Thursday, we met Maggie’s family in town at their hotel for a swim. We enjoyed pool time, pizza in the hotel lobby, and then play time at a local park. We just kept the fun going until it was time to wind down and prepare for Friday. Friday was Jayne’s graveside service and celebration of life. We got to the local grange early to help decorate. This was our kids first graveside experience. I’m thankful they were there to support Maggie’s kids and be pals on a difficult day. The graveside and celebration of life were a lovely testimony to Jayne’s well lived life. The grange was decorated in vibrant colors, beautiful flowers, and cute knickknacks. It felt like Jayne. All the treats were Oreo themed to honor her love of Oreos. It was such a cheerful celebration of Jayne’s life. Saying good to Maggie’s family on Friday was hard. We loved having them nearby, but we hope to see them again soon.

The pace of the weekend continued with a trip to the beach on Saturday. My parents recently acquired a beach house on the Washington coast. We spent Saturday doing projects around the house. The boys have loved exploring this new location and can’t wait for our first overnight stay later this summer. Sunday was church in the morning and a family birthday party in the afternoon. Unfornately, Graham ran out of steam before the weekend was over, so we sent Jeremy and Owen to the party as the family representatives. Graham and I rested and kept cool with AC and slushies from Grandpa’s new slushy maker (thanks for sharing, Grandpa)! We are in the middle of a heat wave at the moment and 90+ degree days call for cool treats.

The summer adventures have only just begun. We’ll see what the rest of June has in store for us!