Amy Scott's Thoughts

Here We Go! May 7, 2017

Filed under: Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me,Usborne Books & More — Amy Scott @ 9:50 pm

Well, I’m officially official in the world of selling books. Almost. I had my launch party on Thursday and it went great. I am thankful for the positive experience. I am also thankful for all the help that my forever friend, Maggie, has offered me as I figure it out. I think I have things mostly figured out, but we’ll find out for sure on Thursday when I run my first party on my own. Eek!!! This is where it gets real! I’ve learned how to schedule my posts in the party. They are created in advance and then appear at a set time without me. All I have to do is keep up with the comments. My launch party had a lot of comments so this could prove to be a daunting task. I will do my best! I’m extremely surprised at the number of parties that I have booked and then hopefully I’ll get more parties from those parties. I could be very busy! I’m thinking it might slow down, but maybe not. Usborne has awesome incentives in the first 12 weeks so I’m trying hard to get all I can out of this period of time with extra rewards. We’ll see how the summer shakes out in the book biz. I’ll keep you posted as I work through my first parties! I’m learning so much and stretching myself. It’s been good. I’m thankful for what I have accomplished thus far. God is good!

Things with MOPS are improving! I’m only one team member away from my goal. I think ideally I could use three more ladies, but we will be good if we get one more. I’m excited to see the team come together and I am thrilled to start planning next year with them. I’m praying that as we close this chapter of MOPS, the last few meetings will be sweet and hope filled. I’m doing my best to connect and share with other moms so they keep the vision for MOPS alive and hope to join us in the fall. My coordinator kit came in the mail this week (the same day as my Usborne Consultant kit – talk about a conflict of interest). I had a chance to look the kit this weekend and my passion for next year continues to grow!

Let’s see… what else… I’m still “momming” as my main gig. We’ve spent lots of time outside thanks to the weather improving. The boys are loving that. We went to Home Depot on Saturday and did the kid craft for the first time. Owen really enjoyed it. Graham wasn’t quite old enough but he still had his time with the hammer to “create.” It was fun to do the craft as a family and then Jeremy wondered around the store doing research for building a well house later this month.

When it comes to house stuff, we are still waiting. Haha! Surprised? We haven’t heard back for the appraisal yet. That means we haven’t closed in the construction loan. So we can’t get started… Jeremy has plans for the well house and digging some trenches. He hopes to do this in the next month.

Something will happen, soonish.

I hope. With my new business and MOPS commitments, I’ve been slacking on my Pinterest day dreaming. It’s probably a good thing I’m distracted these days. Too much day dreaming isn’t good. You can only look at so many blue doors before it’s no longer productive.

And that’s the update for now! Can’t wait to share with you the steps in my grand adventure! This life is a rollercoaster!

Graham would swing all day long if you let him!

Graham’s creation

A little dude and a hammer!

Focus

He took his job seriously!

Reading “Nibbles” for the first time! The books in my consultant kit aren’t for my boys exactly, but I had to test out my new material and they loved it!

Meeting “Nibbles” for the first time!

The contents of my Usborne consultant kit! I’m in love!

Relaxing!

Hello Sunshine!

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Spinning Around May 1, 2017

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood,Usborne Books & More,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 6:49 pm

I might not be in the best place to be blogging at the moment. My mind is spinning. Totally swimming through a sea of 90 million thoughts and responsibilities. I feel a bit loopy and dizzy. But the kids are on a walk with Nana and Papa. Jeremy is running a quick errand. And I am sitting in silence, alone in the house (a truly rare experience). I process my world by writing things down. Welcome to my therapy session.

The last week has been spent out of town. I was at conference from Monday through Wednesday. I was home Thursday and Graham was a sick mess. I had planned to be very productive with my one at home in between trips, but Graham’s illness made that complicated. Friday through Sunday I was at our church ladies retreat.

This was the first trip for me to leave Graham at home and my first time being truly kid free in two years. I had a dumb grin on my face the whole time. During the first trip I got lots of good time with my hubby and it was a blessing. I am amazed how much easier traveling is when I’m not pregnant or taking care of a baby. It was bliss to feel good and be able to focus.

The only slight stress factor was being away for a week while trying to launch a new business. I worked on some Usborne stuff while I was away. I ordered my kit and went through as much of the official training information as I could on Thursday (but remember Graham was sick and this was difficult because I also needed to do laundry and repack for my next adventure). Things with Usborne are going well and I am excited for my launch this Thursday. It has taken some time to go through the welcome and training information. I’m learning a lot and processing a lot. I know things will get easier with time but right now it’s a whole new world I’m trying to master.

Part of my stress comes from MOPS, I’m still seeking team members for next year. I’m working on planning and preparing for next year. In a lot of ways even though I’m coordinating next year, I’ve taken on more leadership at the end of this year than I expected. Especially in the form of two fundraisers that surprisingly have landed on my shoulders. I’m discouraged by the lack of participation in the fundraisers, leaving me to carry the weight.

My hope is that by the time I’m actively leading MOPS over the summer, I will have enough Usborne experience to feel confident with these two big commitments. I am the type of person who believes in doing one thing well instead of multiple things only okay. For me this has looked like a scaled back schedule so I could make motherhood my top priority. I created a relatively simple life so I could give my best effort, energy and focus to mothering. Now I’m responding to texts, sending messages, learning new programs, recruiting leaders, asking questions, planning meetings… I would love to say this all happens when my kids are napping or sleeping at night, but it doesn’t. My focus is split. I am distracted. Even if I’m not actively working on Usborne or MOPS, I’m thinking about them.

I realize this is a season of growth for me. I am learning. Things are changing. But I also know that I will get into a routine and a flow with these new commitments. They won’t always be new. They won’t always take the same level of interest or intensity. At least, I hope not. I’m praying for firm footing and confidence as a I move forward. I definitely want to be present with my kids. Especially with Owen as we move toward summer. These next few months will be the last I have with him home all day, every day. I want to make those moments matter. Owen has appreciated that I am home from my many travels. When he got up from his nap today, he asked me for the all hugs and kisses I could give him. It was a super sweet moment as I showered him with goofy hugs and kisses. I listened those giggles and smelled his little boy smell and just loved on him. He was happy I was home and I was happy to be there with him too. Bliss!

Now Graham on the other hand has been super cranky lately. He is unhappy soul at the moment. I think the main issue is teething, but he is no fun to hang out with. I love him dearly, but he makes my days complicated. It’s hard to multi-task when he is crying at my feet. I often think I can accomplish a list of little things to do through out the day, but that list turns out to be way more challenging than I expect because Graham just isn’t happy. Poor kid. Poor me. Here’s hoping he grows out of this stage soon. He is the cutest thing and he loves his Mama, but he isn’t all that sweet at the moment. I’m a part of a moms’ group that calls kids like him “Sour Patch Kids”. I think that sums Graham up quite well.

Anyway, all that to say, I am spinning around in circles. Trying to keep it all straight. Trying to do the best that I can with what I’ve got. I’m really pushing myself to connect with others on a lot of different fronts. Conferences were about connecting with people, starting a business means I need people to get it off the ground, MOPS needs people to lead and attend. I have greatly valued pouring into my family and having my connection energy spent on a smaller circle. I am having some growing pains as my world expands. Life will just keep spinning. What overwhelms me today, hopefully won’t be as overwhelming tomorrow. Prayers appreciated!

Kid free time with my sweetheart!

Working while away

When we have free time, we look at appliances

Enjoying a movie

Look how happy I am without children!

Had a quick dinner on the ride home with the E-burg crew! Love them!

My book model! Helping Mommy get her business off the ground.

Retreat weekend!

The Three “A”-migas! Haha! Love my sis and mom!

Home with my cuddly, cranky pants.

Out for a one on one walk with Owen.

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Jumping into Usborne and Keeping Up with Life April 23, 2017

Filed under: Usborne Books & More — Amy Scott @ 3:34 pm

I’ve semi-officially started my Usborne Books and More business. Because of how the rewards and incentives work, you don’t want to sign up too soon before your launch party because you lose time waiting for things to kick off. I will officially sign up and order my consultant kit this week. I can hardly wait! The beginning of your Usborne business starts with a launch party. I get to be the “host” for this party. I get the host rewards and the consultant sales. Then from there I am responsible for any parties that get booked from my party. My forever friend, Maggie, is my team leader and she will attend my first few parties to assist if I need her. It’s like starting with training wheels, once I’ve done it a few times, I will be off on my own. My two friends who sell Usborne books have gotten to the point where they have two parties a night usually about 2-3 nights a week, so about 4-6 parties a week. My starting goal is to have one party a week. Once I get more familiar with the process, I will try two parties a week. I’m not sure I’ll ever push for 4 parties a week, but I know that diligence leads to good money and more connections.

Because the beginning of Usborne starts with me hosting a party, it means that I was responsible for inviting as many people as I possibly could to my Facebook launch party. As an introvert, messaging 80 people and responding to about half of them in less than 12 hours was a bit draining. Luckily, in the future, I will be working one on one with the host and then interacting with the host’s friends at the party, I won’t have to message my Facebook friends continually asking them to come to my party. That is a relief. In a perfect world, I will book parties from parties. I’ve been told it takes about 3-4 parties to get out of your social circle. I think selling to strangers will be easier than selling to people I know. I’ll be less nervous about what people think of me.

I’m very excited about my launch party. If you would like an invite, just let me know! It’s going to be on Thursday, May 4th at 8:00pm. You watch short videos about what Usborne has to offer, I answer questions and make suggestions and then you shop! It’s easy, quick and addicting. I want ALL the books!

I’ve also been working diligently on MOPS. Getting the new team in place for next year remains my top priority. Just like Usborne, I’m making a lot of asks and connecting with people. It’s good, but stretching. My other top priority is getting information out to the community about the changes to our group. I was so blessed to find out that there is a local baby fair coming up this weekend and our handouts will be placed in each grab bag they give out. This means everyone who attends the fair will get our information! We also have local doctor’s offices that are letting us display handouts. It’s thrilling to see the word getting out beyond our current MOPS circle. I’m hoping this is the promise of good things in store for next year.

This next week I will be traveling quite a bit. I’m off to Network Conference with the Bethel staff and then off to Ladies Retreat with our Bethel ladies. I will admit that I super excited to have a few nights away from the kids. I love them dearly, but Mama needs some space! Truthfully, I just want to wake up because a) I slept long enough or b) I set my own alarm and choose to wake up when I did. The freedom of not sleeping with a monitor by my bed and being woken up by tiny human alarm clocks is exciting!!!

We had a fun time at the zoo on Friday. It was a sunny day and it seems like all of Portland decided to go to the zoo. When we arrived in the morning, the parking lot was full. We had this happen last month too, but we thought that was because of spring break. I have no idea why it was busy this week. We didn’t want to break Owen’s heart by not going as promised. We left for a few hours and came back in the afternoon. Luckily the zoo had cleared out a bit and we were able to park. We enjoyed our time. Owen got to do his first zoo train ride, so that was a highlight. We even stopped by a park on the way home from the zoo. A very good day, indeed. And then it rained all weekend… You have to take advantage of the sun while it shines!

That’s the update for now! I’ll have more to share about my travels and my Usborne journey after next week. I can see how God is stretching me and growing me through these new commitments with Usborne and MOPS. I’m pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I feel brave. This takes courage. I won’t lie, I am also super nervous. New adventures could lead to failure, but I am choosing to believe with hope that good things are in store. I am constantly reminded just how much I need God through this whole process. When things seem beyond me, I rely on my faith to pull through. I know that God is meeting me beyond my comfort zone. This is scary and good all at the same time!

Shoe shopping with Daddy. Life is better with popcorn.

Graham is trying to figure out the bubble gun. Can you tell he is having fun?

Nana & Papa took a trip to Alaska this last week. We pulled out our Usborne atlas and explored where Alaska was and how far away it is from Washington.

Owen went to the airport for the first time to pick up Nana & Papa. Jeremy kept sending me pictures of the fun!

Gotta love Target!

Train ride at the zoo

Inches away from the sleeping cougars

Park time

Park time

Getting ready to start my Usborne invites! I love my new journal and planner! Feeling on top of things for the moment!

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New Adventures & Easter Weekend April 18, 2017

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Parenthood,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 5:15 pm

Keeping up with the Scott family is a wild ride these days. My brain is on serious overload right. All good things, but life feels likes it’s exploding. I’ve mentioned MOPS and I’ve talked about our preschool research. Both are taking up brain space. We took a tour of the local Christian school yesterday and it’s given us food for thought as we research where Owen will attend preschool. This is a totally new season of life for me. With that comes many questions as I try to wrap my mind around how our family schedule will change this fall.

Next week, I’ll be at a conference Monday through Wednesday and a retreat Friday through Sunday. These will be my first nights away from Graham because he is finally 100% weaned. It’s wonderful to have some freedom but I’m also a bit nervous leaving him for the first time. He can be a sensitive kid. I’m grateful that I’ll have a day at home in-between my travels to re-calibrate.

When I get back from my week of travels, I will be launching a new business venture. I’ve been pondering selling Usborne books for a while and I finally decided to go for it. I love these books and making money to supplement our income is an nice possibility. Even if the business totally fails, I will get 20 books out of the deal and who doesn’t love more books, right? I’m slightly concerned about joining the direct sales biz since I’m not a natural sales person. We’ll see how it goes. I’m jumping out in faith. Eek!!! My launch party is Thursday, May 4th at 8:30pm. Let me know if you want an invite! These books are so educational and an amazing quality. We have been very impressed with them and our kids love them. What I love about books is they make great presents for all the kiddos in my life. Books inspire creativity and reading grows with your child so families are always looking for new material. I think my dreams of having a home library might be starting to come true.

When you add MOPS, preschool research, upcoming travels, a new business and then daydreaming about building our new home, my brain is ping ponging all over the place. I love my quiet life and my intentionally slow pace. I know that things are changing and I have to assess how I plan to keep boundaries, order and balance. Life is always changing and I’m not the best at keeping up sometimes. This why I believe it’s important to give a good amount of thought and prayer before moving forward with new opportunities. So yes, lots to think and pray about these days.

Going backwards now, this last weekend was a fun one. Now that Easter Eggstravanganza is the week before Easter, I feel like I enjoy Easter weekend a lot more. It’s less stressful and more chill. On Saturday we did egg coloring and gave the boys their baskets. Our Easter Sunday is so full that we give them the baskets early so the kids actually have time to enjoy their new items. The baskets were smaller this year but the contents were very appreciated! The boys each got a small toy, a shirt, a book (from Usborne, of course) and a chocolate bunny. We went to lunch and then a local garden/nursery. After nap time, we did an egg hunt. Because the weather was so nice, we did our first BBQ of the year. It’s was a wonderful day. Sunday was our Easter celebration at church and off to spend the days with family. The whole weekend was full of family time and it made my heart happy. Easter is such a special time. I am thankful for the power of the cross in my life. Jesus is everything. I am thankful to share that love with my kids. I know they are young but I hope they catch the joy and celebration that comes with Easter Sunday (and truly everyday with Jesus).

As I look to the future, I am excited for the potential that I see before me. All these things line up with my goals and dreams. I am hopeful they will all be positive experiences for our family. And if things don’t work out or if things need to adjust, I’m okay with that. I am looking forward to the adventure. I’m definitely living outside of my comfort zone, but I know that God is good and he is in control. I am trusting him and leaning into him as I bravely walk into the unknown. Prayers appreciated!

On an adventure with my little man.

Graham woke up happy. Owen did not.

Owen finally got his hair cut at the salon again! Praise the Lord. Graham screamed the whole time and had to be bear hugged, so no pictures of him.

Watering their Easter apple trees from Grandpa & Grandma.

Egg coloring

Loving their new Usborne books!

Saturday’s egg hunt

How Graham hunts… then he started to collect gravel.

Enjoying a dry day!

My two little love bunnies!

Easter at GG’s house

Expressive!

Adding Peeps bunnies to the zoo that is Owen’s bed. Thanks, Grandma!

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MOPS, Eggstravaganza and Half Birthdays April 12, 2017

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Parenthood,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 2:43 pm

I would love to figure out a way to start this blog by saying something other than “the last two weeks have been busy.” I hate starting things off by saying that we are busy. I’m not a fan of the word busy. I don’t wear it as a badge of honor to show you how awesome I am. We’ve had lots going on and busy just seems to be the only way I can explain it…

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been diving deeper into the world of MOPS leadership. We had a member of our group lose her brother tragically and I coordinator an effort to assemble and deliver a gift basket to her. It was great to be part of a group of ladies that came to together to love on someone in their time of need. Our MOPS group also participated in a bake sale this weekend at Easter Eggstravaganaza. I made, decorated and individually packaged 7 dozen cupcakes. The bake sale was a huge success. I helped them set up the table and then I worked the booth from noon to 4pm. It was nice to chat with ladies I worked with as well as connect with moms in the community and let them know about the changes we’re making to MOPS next year. I’ve been meeting with ladies to recruit our leadership team for next year. I’ve been learning all I can from our current coordinator and I’m trying to wrap my head around all the things that will land on my shoulders in June. I am excited. I have tons of ideas, hopes and dreams. I’m still searching for about 5 more ladies to join my team and then I’ll be super jazzed moving forward.

As I mentioned, this weekend was Easter Eggstravaganza. Anyone who knows our family, knows that this event is the biggest event of the year for Jeremy. It’s huge. And true to tradition, each year seems to get bigger and better. I am so proud of the energy and effort my husband and his team give to making this community event such a blessing to families. Our boys participated in the morning hunts. Graham wasn’t too into it, but Owen was a pro. I tried to give Graham a trial hunt on Friday night to prepare him, but he was more interested in the buckets than the eggs. Nothing wrong with that. It’s nice that EE is now the weekend before Easter. It’s takes the level of busy down for Easter weekend and give us the chance to enjoy Easter on a smaller scale with our family. On Saturday the boys will get their baskets from Jeremy and I. We will do a small egg hunt with them and then dye eggs together. Sunday will be a celebration at church with our Bethel family and then off to spend the afternoon and evening with loved ones. I’ve been trying to share the true meaning of Easter with Owen this year. It’s challenging because I don’t think he fully grasps the concept of death (I’m okay with that). More than anything, I want Owen to know that we celebrate Jesus at Easter and his great love for us.

April is half birthday month for the boys. Owen was officially 3.5 on the 8th and Graham will be 18 months on the 19th, less than a week away. Because I’m a dork and didn’t call in time, Graham’s 18 month well check really be a 19 month well check in May. Oops. You’ll have to wait another month for Graham stats. Graham is a climber these days with no fear. I’m worried that he will need to start wearing a helmet 24/7 to protect his head from his daredevil ways. He can now climb the play structure in the backyard all on his own and that terrifies me. He needs to be watched like a hawk when he is outside. Nothing stops him. Graham loves to dance and listen to nursery rhyme songs. It’s what he is currently doing some I can blog. Graham just learned how to blow kisses this last week and it’s adorable. I feel guilty because I have more photos of Owen to share than of Graham. It’s not me playing favorites, trust me. If Graham knows you are taking his photo, he tries to grab the phone and turn it to selfie mode. Selfie mode equals pictures of the ceiling or Graham’s forehead. He is a tricky kid to get pictures of right now.

Owen continues to amaze me. He is such a smart kid. We just finished his alphabet sticker book today and continue to work on his tracing skills with his wipe clean books. We’ve been in massive preschool research mode. Owen will most likely attend the preschool that will be apart of the new learning center going in at Bethel this fall but we are looking into the local Christian school as well. We have a tour of the Christian school next week to check it out. Since Bethel Kids Learning Center is still in the development stages, I am anxiously waiting for more details so I can make a firm decision between the two preschools. It blows my mind that Owen will be gone a couple mornings a week next year. I realize for the first time now how quickly the years of just being us at home go by. I’m not used to having commitments multiple days of the week that need us to get out of the house by a certain time. I’m used to slow morning and days spent in our pajamas and sweats. Owen is so friendly. He makes friends wherever he goes and I know that preschool will be a joy for him. I can see how he is learning and growing daily. He is ready for structure and to be challenged. Because of his birthday being at the beginning of the school calendar, Owen will have 2 years of preschool before kindergarten. I have time to adjust to a few days a week schedule before all day, every day school happens.

There isn’t too much new news to share about the house. The nice thing is we get emails every other day or so with updates on where things are at. Things are moving along even if we haven’t broken ground yet at the property. I am thankful for a process where I can mark progress and I know that things are moving forward daily. It gives me hope. I have spent way too much time on Pinterest looking at bedroom decor for the boys and paint colors. One of the big things I’m researching right now is exterior paint colors. I like the idea of having a painted door that is a pop of color. In Winlock we had a white door, but I’m thinking I would like to have a blue door in our next house. Daydreaming is so much fun and now that things are moving along, day dreaming doesn’t seem painful anymore. Patience is hard, but I am thankful for where we are at and I am excited for future!

Time at the park on a sunny day

Sweetness

Trying to get them to come inside after church. It wasn’t happening easily.

Spring time

Waving at a train in Napavine

Another day, another park

Helping do the dishes

Peeps cake for my Wednesday night class. Thank you, Pinterest!

So many cupcakes for the MOPS bake sale

Thanks to Friday’s windstorm, our trampoline was relocated.

Graham’s practice hunt

Owen got all the eggs in the practice hunt

Easter Eggstravaganza 2017

Learning about Palm Sunday

Ready to ride

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It’s Such a Good Feeling! March 29, 2017

Filed under: Family Time,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 2:36 pm

It’s such a good feeling to have our house sold! It’s exciting to see the online status listed as SOLD! I am thankful and grateful that we are one step closer to being in our own home again. Yesterday, we visited the Adair office. We went over all the paperwork and signed on officially with them to build our house. It was the first step of the building process! Now I realize that building itself probably won’t happen for at least two months, but there are things to look forward as we move toward building. Building a house doesn’t happen overnight and there are lots of prep steps. Hopefully, once we start building, it will be in the summer months and things can move quickly because of the improved weather. There is lots of hope in my heart right now. I keep looking over my floor plan and daydreaming. This is were Pinterest now becomes a useful and dangerous tool in my hands!

Over the weekend, we celebrated Jeremy’s birthday. We had a busy day full of family visits and good food. Even though Jeremy had to work on his birthday for part of the day, I think the afternoon/evening of celebrating made up for it.

On Sunday, we went over to my parent’s house at the property. It was fun to explore their house now that their are exterior walls are up. We walked over to our property and talked about moving our house a little closer to the road. We are trying to save some extra dollars and being closer to the power will help with that. We are also reversing the floor plan to save money. The boys roamed around and enjoyed a break in the rain. Graham plopped down in a giant mud puddle. He was a mess and left a nice little impression in the puddle of his bottom. We had to load up the little dirt ball and take him home for a bath.

Monday, I had friend over to talk about MOPS leadership for next year. I am in the recruiting phase for the MOPS team. It was a great discussion and I am thrilled for this mom to be apart of the team next year. Please be praying for me and the whole team. We have more roles to fill and I am praying God brings the right ladies to the table. There are so many possibilities for next year. It’s been an exciting journey so far and I’m hopeful that it will continue to be a fun and positive experience as we move forward.

After signing the paperwork with Adair yesterday, I came home and had a long phone date with my forever friend, Maggie. Now that she lives in California we talk more than ever. It’s funny because we have grown closer with the distance. I do miss our in person lunch dates but I am really enjoying our frequent phone calls. We went from talking every other month or so to now talking about twice a month. I’m always blessed by time with Maggie even if it is on the phone.

My evening yesterday was spent at the movies with my mom and sister! My mom heard that I enjoyed Beauty and the Beast and suggested we do a girls’ movie night with April! I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see the movie again and spend time with my mom and sister! It was a win-win!

I’m sure there will be lots of things to check off the list as we move toward building. I’ll keep you informed through each stage! As the month of April is right around the corner, our family focus will be on Easter. Jeremy’s big egg hunt will take place on April 8th. I plan to attend with the boys at the first hunt and then work at a bake sale for MOPS. We hope to get the word out about the big changes to MOPS at this huge community event. This is the demographic that MOPS ministers to and we hope to get the information out so ladies can plan to join us next year.

Birthday morning picture! Happy birthday, Jeremy!

Owen and Nolan decorating Jeremy’s birthday cake. Owen had been waiting a long time to put those deer and trees on a cake!

A fun family day spent celebrating Jeremy!

Status: Sold

Exploring Grandpa & Grandma’s new house!

We’ve been very into blanket forts this week.

Reading the fort

Movie night with my mom and sister

The future is looking bright!

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The House is Officially Sold!!!!!!!!!!! March 25, 2017

Filed under: Family Time,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 11:47 am

There is no need for a witty title to this blog! Let’s just tell it as it is! Our house is officially sold! We got a call on Wednesday evening saying that we would need to sign papers on Thursday morning. We went over to the house after church that night and picked up a few of the things we had left for showings like floor mats, hand soap, hand towels, etc. We got one last chance to say good bye. This time for good. I remember heading over on a Sunday in October to clean the house and say good bye. Little did I know at that time that I would be back to the house many times, re-cleaning it and checking on it. What an unexpected ride. The process with the final buyer has gone smoothly. The inspection was waived, the appraisal came in right at our agreed upon price and we closed early. Praise the Lord!!! Such goodness and blessing! Thursday morning we signed our papers and dropped the keys off at the real estate office. Friday, we got the call the buyer had signed his documents and our check was ready to pick up. The transaction was complete! We are thankful, so thankful to have this part of the process of behind us. Now will be contacting Adair on Monday to get the ball rolling with them. These are exciting times!

Other than house news…

We were supposed to take an Amtrak ride from Centralia to Olympia yesterday as a fun family outing, but a mudslide cancelled the trains for the day. It was a bummer because Owen knew about the planned trip and was super sad when we told him we couldn’t go. We did visit the train station and exchanged our tickets for next week.

We got to see Aunt Andrea and cousins, Brinley and Colton the last couple of days. Owen got to stay up late two nights in a row watching Brinley’s favorite movies. They all played so sweet together and Graham loves hugs from Brinley. They are truly buddies!

Today is my amazing husband’s birthday! He has to work this morning and early afternoon, but I am looking forward to a family celebration with him this evening. Owen has big plans to help me decorate a cake. I’m sure that will be a great photo opportunity. Stay tuned!

And there you have it folks! I’m so happy to share this fantastic news with you! I’ll keep you posted as the property morphs from a wide open piece of land to our new home!

One last goofy selfie in Owen’s room.

Saying a final good bye to the Winlock house after 8 years of being its homeowners!

A tired teething toddler

When your plans derail, you go play on the BK play place.

Exploring the train station while Daddy exchanged the tickets for next week.

Watching a train go by

The last official paperwork for the completion of our transaction! The house is sold!!!

Cousin time!

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News & More News March 21, 2017

Filed under: Bible,Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 8:43 pm

Where to start? I promised you some news in my last post. Non-house related news. Here we go!

About a month ago, I agreed to be the MOPS coordinator for next year. Not only does this new role bring more responsibility in our MOPS group, but we are also shaking things up as we move forward. Our church will be opening a learning center in the fall and the classrooms we use for MOPS will soon be occupied during the day. We had to assess if MOPS was worth keeping and if it was, we had to find a new time to meet. This led to moving MOPS to the evening next year. We will meet now on the 2nd & 4th Mondays of the month. I’m excited to see the group continue and I think this new time and day opens up new opportunities. Right now we have a mens’ group that meets on Mondays so adding a moms’ group with childcare could be a good match for the whole family. If the evening hours are too late for little ones to be out, hopefully a father or grandparent could stay home to put the kiddos to bed. Right now working moms can’t attend our group because it meets in the day. We are hoping that working moms or single moms have better availability in the evenings. We also plan to move our outings to the weekends and promote them as family outings so whole families can make greater connections. We announced the change to the leadership team last week and to our group this morning. The next step is recruiting the team for next year and letting the community know about our upcoming changes for the fall. We have a bake sale booth at Easter Eggstravaganza and I hope this will give a good connection point to get the word out. I am nervous about leading the group next year, but I am blessed to the support of my friend and mentor, Pastor Jeannie. She is shouldering the weight with me so I don’t breathe into a paper bag. I’ve had many positive conversations about next year and it fills me with hope that we are moving forward in the right direction. I’m sure I’ll have many more updates on my MOPS adventures. It’s just beginning!!!

Now on to some house related news! Jeremy got word today from our real estate agent saying we are GO for closing. The buyer could sign his papers as soon as this Friday which means we could be closing next week. Praise the LORD! Our appraisal must have come in at asking price because we didn’t have to sign any papers to changed the agreed on price. This is thrilling news. My happy dance is seasoned with a bit of skepticism, but for the most part, I am hopeful this is the real deal this time. The true happy dance will happen once the papers are signed. I am ready for this next season of life. Bring on the building season and the moving season and the finally settling into our own space season. I realize that life moves slowly at times. This whole “selling” process has proven that. I’m hopeful and prayerful that the next phase of building has less hiccups and slow downs. This might be naive, but I’m a dreamer. I can’t help it… I’m just so excited.

That’s the update for now! I’ll keep you posted on the wild and crazy adventures of the Scott clan.

Brotherly love!

I’ve been keeping this verse close by me this week.

Cousin play date while the moms slip out to see a movie!

Peekaboo smiles

Free Cone Day at Dairy Queen

He kept telling me he didn’t need a nap. Yeah right, kid.

It took me a few seconds to realize that Owen let Graham out the backdoor. Oops!

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Ready for Spring March 18, 2017

Filed under: Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 10:52 am

The first official day of Spring is Monday and I am done with winter. I’m not usually the type of person to be “done” with winter. I like watching it rain. I like staying indoors. Personally for me, it doesn’t matter what season it is as long as I’m comfortable inside. However, the older my kids get, the more I understand the pull to warmer weather. We’ve had a few dry days over the last week and my boys have loved every chance they have had to be outside. I also want to get into the habit of walking again, so even I am ready for the weather to start changing.

I was waiting to write this post so I could share news from our appraisal, but sadly, we haven’t heard anything yet. I thought we would know by yesterday, but that didn’t happen. Oh well. Everything takes longer than expected. I know this and yet my heart is still hopeful that things will move forward quickly. Patience is hard. So hard. I keep wondering how long do I have to be patient. Haven’t I been patient enough? Apparently not. Anyway, I hope that in my next post I will have something to share. Praying it’s a positive something!

We’ve been busy, but nothing too exciting to report at the moment. I do have something big and non-house related to share next week (no, it’s not a baby announcement). I’ve been keeping something under wraps for the last month or so and after Tuesday, I’ll be able to fill you in! Gotta love suspense!

Now for pictures of my cute clan.

Owen is into the stain glass at church right now.

Happily playing with Play Doh

On to Lego Duplos

A special treat at McDonald’s

Tulips from my thoughtful and loving hubby. He is the best!

Jeremy got this picture of Owen while on a walk. Owen loves rainbows, so it was a perfect moment!

Staring contest with the neighbors

Watching Uncle Dave pour gravel. So much fun!

Jeremy watched Graham so I could be a part of a meeting at church and I got this picture of Graham passed out in Jeremy’s office. Sleepy baby!

Celebrating Pi Day (3.14) with a raspberry cream pie from the Pioneer Woman

Painting with q-tips

Puddle splashing on a sunny day

Playing quietly while Graham naps!

Adventuring with my boys at the Hands On Children’s Museum

Loving his new weather book that I won from an Usborne book party. Gotta love free stuff!

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And Just Like That It’s March March 8, 2017

Filed under: Selling, Building, Moving,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 4:13 pm

It’s been over two weeks since I’ve blogged. I don’t like getting behind because I feel like I have so much to tell you. I don’t want this go on forever, so I will be attempt to be brief. The main reason I haven’t been blogging is our household has been battling some major illness. I mentioned in my last post that both boys had colds. Owen got over his quickly and Graham made a recovery for about two days before getting slammed with a high fever that lasted for days and an ear infection. History has proven if my kids get sick, I am close to follow so I also came down with an inner ear issue. I was super dizzy for a couple of days and felt pretty rotten. I was so bummed because over the course of the last few weeks, I’ve had to cancel plans with friends and the boys and I didn’t get to go to our MOPS monthly outing to the trampoline park. Luckily for me, once we all got healthy, Jeremy and I took to the boys to the trampoline park and just like I expected, Owen had a blast. It was such a fun time together. I had also learned that my beloved Tillamook Cheese Factory was closing and going to be torn down. They will rebuild a bigger and better visitors center, so it’s not an entirely sad story. I spent a good part of my childhood vacations visiting the cheese factory. Owen loves it and remembers it. He loves the cheese bus. I have multiple Tillamook sweatshirts. Our family loves this place. For an adventure, my sister and brother-in-law joined us on Saturday to say good bye to the cheese factory. It was crazy busy and the production center where we would stand and watch the cheese being processed was already closed. There were long lines. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones saying so long. It wasn’t exactly the trip that I had hoped for, but I’m glad I went because I think I would have regretted not going one last time. I am excited to see what future brings for the Tillamook Cheese Factory. My family will happily be there once they open their doors again.

Before I go into the 90 million photos that have accumulated over 2 weeks, I did want to mention that our home appraisal happened yesterday. I am glad to have checked off the list and I am anxious to hear the results. We already know that the appraiser was concerned with the water in the storm retention pond. It’s been rainy here and the pond was doing it’s job. It will dry up when the rain stops, but I’m not sure what the opinion of the appraiser will be after a one time visit. While we know that our last appraisal went well and we can always share that number with the buyer if this appraisal comes in lower, but that doesn’t mean he has to accept the last appraisal price. Again, here we are close to being done and yet still wondering if things will come out in our favor. This has been a hard road to walk and it isn’t over yet. I know I say it often, but please pray for us. I am excited to see things moving forward. I am hopeful for positive results, but I have also seen two deals fall through on us. This could go either way. Nothing is certain.

Okay. Here are the photos from the last two weeks!

When you’re too sick to go outside and you have to watch your brother through the window.

We love our trampoline! Good thing it has a net for Graham’s sake.

Graham’s IKEA face

A snowy Friday and lunch with my sister

Saturday morning walk with my boys

Proof that I occasionally make food..

Home from church with a sick Graham. While Graham napped, Owen and I made crayons.

At the doctor with my fever baby

I asked my mom if she could pick up more Tylenol for Graham and she brought me tulips as well. So thoughtful!

I love watching him trace letters.

The valentine wall came down and up went spring! Owen requested the rainbow and the rain. Since this photo was taken, frogs have also been added by Jeremy.