Amy Scott's Thoughts

Spring Breaks: Part 1 April 7, 2025

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Children's Ministry,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 1:54 pm

The bonus of being a homeschool family is we have lots of flexibility with our calendar. We don’t take a traditional week long “spring break” like most schools. Before you feel too sorry for my kiddos, we do take breaks throughout the spring season. It’s fun to add some extra adventures in alongside our normal schooling schedule.

The first mini-break we took was for Jeremy’s birthday. He took the day off of work so we could celebrate the day with him as a family. Our adventure day found us down south in Oregon. Our morning was spent at the Woodburn Premium Outlets shopping for a few clothing items. Shopping can be an educational experience if you make it so. We talked with the kids about what makes factory outlets cheaper than other shopping options. We also talked about the math involved with sales and discounts. I love highlighting these economic elements while our kiddos tagalong on errands. After a tasty lunch at Red Robin (where Graham ate his weight in bottomless fries), we took off for Bullwinkle’s Family Fun Center for a round of mini-golf (which the birthday boy was the winner). We took a drive to admire Willamette Falls, Multnomah Falls, and Horsetail Falls. The weather was in the 80’s and beautifully sunny. It felt like a summer day, not spring! We couldn’t have asked for a better day to celebrate Jeremy!

Our second spring break was with the whole Scott family. All 16 of us Scotts met up at the beach for a vacation together. The house was the perfect size for our large family. The boys loved the game room and the media room. The house was also right on the beach! The view was stunning and you can’t beat a minute walk to the ocean! Family games, beach adventures, and chilling around the house were all highlights of our time together. Again, the weather was beautiful for this adventure – dry and sunny! You couldn’t have asked for better beach weather at the beginning April! Our family came down through Tillamook so we could stop at our favorite place – the Tillamook Creamery! It was a great way to kick-off our vacation time. We also stopped at another favorite, Pig’N Pancake, on the way home. The boys are definitely going through cousin withdrawals now that we’re home. We are so blessed for the genuine friendships with our family. We packed this beach vacation with family memories that our kiddos will take into adulthood. I can’t what to hear what they remember of these wacky and wonderful times we spent together!

We have more spring “breaks” planned in the coming month! Yay! I look forward to sharing these adventures with you soon.

What happens when the parents go out for dinner… Papa and Nana said they could handle all the kids… that seems debatable!

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

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Homeschool Adventures — Amy Scott @ 8:15 am

Bookish Thoughts for March

My bookish thoughts continue to center around adding books to our home library! I promise the monthly book hauls will come to a close soon, but… This month featured some fantastic book purchases! Let’s start with the “pretty” books I used to decorate our new fireplace mantel. I started out with Puffin in Bloom versions of Anne of Green Gables and a boxed set of Jane Austen books. I quickly realized those books were a little too girly for our very boy dominated house. This led to me adding Wordsworth Collector’s Editions of The Railway Children, The Wind in the Willows, and The Jungle Book. They perfectly balance with the Puffin in Bloom books both in color and content. I love how they look on the fireplace!

I was thrilled to receive my pre-ordered copy of Sunrise on the Reaping on it’s release day. As a Hunger Games fanatic, I’ve been waiting for what feels like forever for this book. It was bittersweet and oh-so-good! It definitely won it’s place as my top pick this month! Other home library additions include all of Melissa Ferguson’s books (I was given a gift to use alongside a free book reward on ThriftBooks.com). We added another used Audubon Field Guide (rocks and minerals) to our resource shelf. We love collecting these field guides. I was also invited to go thrift shopping with a friend. I got 6 books for $5, so I felt good about that! This month has been a good mix of pretty, new books and thrifty, used books!

**The March Book Haul**
(Minus the Audubon field guide…I forgot it! Oops! Just imagine a extra field guide by the National Parks guide.)

I’ve had books on the brain a lot this month! Aside from my own personal reading, I’ve been preparing for our upcoming homeschool year. Our school year is June-May, which means we are about to wrap up one year and begin a new one! I made my curriculum plan at the beginning of March (which is the earliest I’ve ever done that). Now I plan to spread out my purchases over the next few months, so we’re ready to start summer school in June. I love selecting my kiddos curriculum and it’s so fun to pour over the new school books once they arrive! I can’t wait!

**Owen’s March Pick:** *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*
**Graham’s March Pick:** *The Mystery of the Missing Pop Idol* (The Boxcar Children)

Top Picks for March

**Non-Fiction:** *A Million Little Miracles* captured my attention and held it! Mark’s focus on how awe-inspiring our world is definitely hit home with me. The focus on science, nature, and wonder clicked with the joy I get homeschooling my boys. I love that I get to share a million little miracles with them that point to an amazing Creator!
**Fiction:** *Sunrise on the Reaping* was a long awaited new release for me. I knew Haymitch’s story wouldn’t have a happy ending, but I greatly enjoyed revisiting recognizable characters and seeing a depth to Haymitch’s games that was previously unknown. This book did a great job of connecting *The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes* to the rest of of the Hunger Games series.

The Book List for March

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

Non-Fiction:

Lasting Ever: Faith, Music, Family, and Being Found by True Love by Rebecca St. James and Cubbie Fink – 4 stars
A Million Little Miracles: Rediscover the God Who Is Bigger Than Big, Closer Than Close, and Gooder Than Good by Mark Batterson – 4 stars
Everybody, Always for Kids by Bob Goff & Lindsey Goff Viducich – 4 stars

Fiction:

Love Finds You in Lonesome Prairie, Montana by Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss – 3 stars
The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson – 4 stars
Snowy Serendipity by Melissa Ferguson – 3 stars
The Serendipity by Emma St. Clair – 3 stars
The Cupid Chronicles by Courtney Walsh – 4 stars
My Phony Valentine by Courtney Walsh – 4 stars
My Lucky Charm by Courtney Walsh – 4 stars
Petals and Plot Twists by Jenny Proctor – 3 stars
Driving Maisie Crazy by Deborah M. Hathaway – 4 stars
All Over the Map by Lanie Jacobs – 3 stars
Secret or Shutout by Leah Brunner – 3 stars
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins – 4.5 stars
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey – 3 stars
The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey – 3 stars
The Last Star by Rick Yancey – 3 stars

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Marching into Spring! March 20, 2025

Filed under: Family Time — Amy Scott @ 1:00 pm

Spring is officially here! Hooray! The weather in the PNW has definitely been on the spring-y side the last few weeks. It seems like the days are a mix of sun, rain, hail, and clouds. Very interesting weather, especially if I chance a walk to the mailbox. Will it stay dry for 10 whole minutes? Will it hail? Will it snow? I don’t know! The boys current favorite pastime is scootering. They’ll run outside when the suns out and then run inside as it start to shower. Back and forth they go!

There are quite a few signs of season in March. The lead up to spring isn’t subtle. Apart from the wild weather, there is springing forward with daylight savings time. Blah! This is one of my least favorite days of the year. It leaves me feeling crummy for days afterward. I’m not a fan… On the bright side, there is Pi Day – a favorite “holiday” of mine – on March 14th! For Pi Day (which I read as Pi(e) Day), Jeremy and I got key lime pies from Crumbl Cookies. Yum! Then there is St. Patrick’s Day… Jeremy decided to make bangers and mash for the first time. Not my favorite meal, but it was exciting to try something new. I personally celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by dying food green. It’s not St. Patty’s Day without food coloring in my book. This year I dyed a vanilla cake green… because… it was festive! If Chicago can dye a river green, I can dye a cake green! Same concept. And finally, March Madness has hit our household. Brackets have been made, printed, and displayed on the fridge. Wins and losses have already been recorded! It’s a whole thing.

A big highlight of March for me was going to see Hamilton in Portland, OR with my sisters-in-law. I’ve always dreamed of seeing Hamilton live, but it felt out of reach, so I let the idea go. This fall my sister-in-law started to put the wheels in motion for a girls outing and unexpectedly Hamilton became feasible! Yay! We met up for lunch before attending the Sunday afternoon matinee on the 16th. The experience of seeing Hamilton in-person was amazing!!! The whole day was such a special treat. I appreciated not only the outing, but the company I got to spend the day with. I’m so grateful for the opportunity!

My next favorite highlight of March is right around the corner – Jeremy’s birthday! We make birthdays a big deal in our family. It’s such a joy to celebrate birthdays together. Jeremy has been formulating his plan for the day. He’s taking the day off from work and we’ll skip a day of school! It will be a fun family day. Adventure awaits!

**March Moments:** Key lime pie for Pi Day, March Madness brackets on the fridge, bangers and mash, and green cake for St. Patrick’s Day!

Hamilton with the Scott Sisters! Definitely an unforgettable experience!

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Making Changes Around the House March 8, 2025

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Getting Creative,Home Improvement,Homeschool Adventures — Amy Scott @ 12:49 pm

We’ve been making some changes around our house this last month. I don’t claim to have home design skills. Jeremy jokes that my décor style is “library” – just add a bookcase (or bookcases) to any open wall and fill with books. It’s worked well for me so far. We did veer off the bookcase plan a bit this last month, though. Here’s how…

At the beginning of the year, Jeremy and I started researching living room furniture. We thought about adding a few new pieces to our space. We can be picky and furniture is expensive. We won’t buy something that we don’t love just to fill a space. We patiently waited and our plans finally came together. I mentioned a few posts ago that we purchased a new IKEA bookcase in February. It matched the bookcase we already had in our living room. We set these two bookcases up on either side of our television. I’ve been loving this change to our space. We have more room for board games and puzzles. I love displaying our everyday values like reading and playing together. The living room has a much more homey vibe now.

By moving the bookcase to a new spot, we created a very empty wall. It was a blank slate for a new project. Originally, we planned to put an IKEA cabinet on the wall, but the cabinet we liked (that matched our living room furniture) was out of stock. This allowed us to daydream about what other options might fit on the wall. One of our brainstorming sessions led to the idea of an electric fireplace. I’m drawn to practicality, so it was hard to give up the cabinet idea (since a cabinet meant storage and storage is practical). Once the fireplace idea took hold of our boys, it was hard to let go of the idea. It would offer another cozy element to our space. Also, we covered up our Christmas stocking wall with a bookcase, so I loved the idea of the Christmas stockings being by a fireplace in the future… In the end, I came around to the idea of a fireplace.

Once we decided on the fireplace, we had to find one that was the right color, the right size, and the right price. It took a little while for “that” fireplace to be found. We also decided to paint three of the smaller walls in our living room a shade darker than the rest of the space. This new accent color made the fireplace stand out more. After the walls were painted and the fireplace was put into place, I had the project of styling the mantel. The first item to move over was a house plant that was too tall for our living room space. Then, I added some framed school picture of the boys (which I paired with their preschool graduation pictures to showcase their growth). After pictures, I added some pretty books because I can’t not decorate with books. To finish off the look, I added a couple of fake greens from Hobby Lobby and my signature pinecones (I have pinecones all over the house, for some reason they make me happy and they are one of my favorite ways to bring nature inside). We had a mirror in a closest from our last home that finally found a spot in this house over the fireplace (it only took 7 years of waiting for the right place). Now that the look is complete, I’m thrilled with how it turned out!

The final big project took place in our backyard. Jeremy decided it was time to tear down our rickety play structure. The kids will miss the swings, but the whole structure felt like it might collapse with enough force. Our boys have outgrown the slide and play area. It was time to see it go, but it was still bittersweet – a sign that our boys aren’t tiny anymore. The boys even helped with the deconstruction project. Now Jeremy has plans for a firepit to take over that portion of the yard. His grand vision includes red Adirondack chairs surrounding a fire structure of some sort. While red is not a color we decorate with, the chairs are a nod to our travels to many Canadian national parks. In the parks, they have red Adirondack chairs set up in scenic locations. We made it our goal to find as many as we could when we visited Canada in 2023. It’s a sweet way to honor our family memories and to make some new memories in our own backyard. I can’t wait to see what he creates in this new space.

When we haven’t been in project mode, we’ve been keeping up with our normal life stuff – book club, school, piano practice, chess club, well check doctor appointments… The nice weather has meant walks, bike rides, and plenty of time on the trampoline for the boys. We had a field trip to the Oregon Zoo yesterday. It was so sweet to see their new baby elephant, Tula-Tu. The animals were active and the weather was prefect. It was great to get outside and adventure together as a family!

I’ve never had a mantel to decorate before! It was such a fun novelty!

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What I’ve Been Reading – February 2025 February 28, 2025

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf — Amy Scott @ 5:55 pm

Bookish Thoughts for February

I had some fun finds this February!!! A friend of mine recommended The Host by Stephanie Meyer and she gave me a free copy from Goodwill. I was super skeptical of this sci-fi romance… She had recommended it a few a times before, but without handing me the actual book, I probably would have never read it. Turns out, I LOVED it. It’s now one of my new favorite books and I’m currently re-reading it, because once was not enough. I even watched the movie version to do a comparison. It’s no surprise the book was better, but I still enjoyed the movie (it felt like a Cliff Notes version of the book).

I also discovered a new author this month – Melissa Ferguson. She was a recommendation from another author I follow. You might notice I have a thing about books that are about books. Melissa’s Meet Me in the Margins and The Perfect Rom-Com were books about the publishing world and aspiring authors. Her other books were also delightful. I feel like I have made a new friend in the bookish world. Inkheart and Jenny Colgan’s books were also books about books. It’s seems to a theme with me!

Other highlights of the month included adding a few more books to our home library! I went Amazon route for a few (including a pre-order of the new Hunger Games novel coming out next month). I had a Goodwill shopping outing with a friend this month as well. I found a couple of good books for myself, but I love Goodwill for adding to the boys’ library. I grabbed a couple favorites from my childhood as well some from their favorite authors. To wrap up this bookish month, I hunkered down with my home library to work on a parenting resource list for my church. It was a joy to pull favorite books off my shelves and share them with others.

Jeremy and I taught a parenting workshop at our church. Not only did I type up a book list of every parenting book I would recommend, I also raided my bookshelf and brought as many as I could to share! Books are my favorite way to research, learn, and grow. It was a joy to share these resources with other parents.

The Goodwill Haul – the copy of *The Fault in Our Stars* is a signed hardback in fabulous condition! Also, *The Host* is one of new favorite books of all time!

Owen’s pick of the month – *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire*. Graham’s pick – *Hardy Boys Adventures: Deception on the Set*.

Top Picks for February

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

Fiction:

People Pleaser: Breaking Free from the Burden of Imaginary Expectations by Jinger Duggar Vuolo with Juile Lyles Carr – 3 stars
Life Without Lack: Living in the Fullness of Psalm 23 by Dallas Willard – 4 stars

Non-Fiction:

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan – 3 stars
Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan – 2 stars
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke – 3 stars
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez – 2.5 stars
Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson – 4 stars
Famous for a Living by Melissa Ferguson – 4 stars
How to Plot a Payback by Melissa Ferguson – 4 stars
The Cul-de-Sac War by Melissa Ferguson – 4 stars
The Perfect Rom-Com by Melissa Ferguson – 5 stars
The Host by Stephanie Meyer – 5 stars

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These February Days are Flying By… February 21, 2025

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 10:51 am

I’m truly shocked to see the end of February creeping up on us! After a quiet start to our month, our calendar picked up pace and now it seems like we’re flying through the month! How is it almost done? There is so much to share today so here we go!

Our homeschool co-op had a field trip to Kalama Sourdough Bakery last week. Best smelling (and tasting) field trip ever!!! We learned how a homeschool student started this company by selling loaves at a farmers market as a young teenager and now as and adult he has grown it into a full time business with 30 employees. It was neat to see how something so small grew into something quite large. The bakery tour was fun and informative. We all received a giant sourdough roll to sample at the end of the tour. So yummy!

We finally got our “snow” day last week! Around 11:00am on Thursday, it started to snow and it was clear that it wasn’t going to let up. Jeremy came home for lunch and decided to stay home due to the condition of the roads. With Jeremy home, we were able to go sledding by pulling the boys behind the minivan on the driveway. Jeremy also passed on his skills for making a “snow bear” (instead of a snowman) to the boys. The kids even made snow angels in their swimsuits when they got into the hot tub that evening. Craziness! It was an afternoon for chilly snow play and warming up with hot cocoa. I got my “grass-fully-covered” snow accumulation that signifies a true snow day in my mind!

The snow day put our Valentine’s Day plans in jeopardy, but thankfully, we were able to keep them despite the winter weather. We try to make Valentine’s Day a little special, but it’s not a big deal in our household. This year we had dinner plans with friends that helped us to up our Valentine’s Day vibes. I decorated with paper hearts on the wall, tablecloths on the tables, flowers and chocolates on the tables, sparkling cider, and HeartBaker pizzas from Papa Murphy’s. Our friends brought all the fixings for chocolate fondue and we used our fondue pot for the first time in many years! It felt decadent and it was the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert. It was fun to share this holiday with friends.

After Valentine’s Day, our long weekend of adventures continued! On Saturday, we joined my parents in a visit up north to see our sweet GG. We enjoyed chatting, eating Chipotle, and hanging out at GG’s house for a few hours. Sunday, our family ran errands down in Portland. We were on a mission to find a bookcase at IKEA and we grabbed the last one before they were officially out of stock. It felt like a miracle! Monday, we rearranged our living room after Jeremy built the new bookcase. I spent quite a bit of time moving things around on the shelves, trying to find the right arrangement of items. I love how it turned out! I’m not great at interior design, so I’ll let bookcases display books and games as a form of lifestyle décor. I’m all for displaying what we value. Monday wrapped up with a book shopping outing to Goodwill with a friend. It was good, good day!

I realize that February is a short month, but it always catches me by surprised! The days are flying by so quickly! I’ll see you back here at the end of the month for my monthly reading recap and we’ll see what adventures are right around the corner for our family as the calendar moves away from winter and toward spring.

Our rearranged living room! I love how the bookcases look beside the television.

We moved the bookcase that was on this wall into the living room. Now we get to reimagined this space… I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!

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Winter Chill February 10, 2025

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures — Amy Scott @ 1:57 pm

The title of this blog is two-fold. First, it’s been super chilly here in the PNW. Ice, snow, winter weather and what not. Second, we’ve been fairly low-key due to a flu/cold bug that kept the boys down for almost a week. Snow is fun, sickness is not. The highs and lows of life this winter. Here are a few highlights before sickness grounded us…

Our family took a walk around Carlisle Lake on a sunny Sunday afternoon after church. Jeremy had heard reports that part of the lake was frozen and that river otters had been spotted in the lake. The boys found the frozen lake a novelty. They tried to break the ice by throwing rocks. One very shaded part of the lake had thick enough ice that they would stand on the frozen lake. It was a very exciting experience for them. On the sunny, unfrozen side of the lake, we encountered four river otters. They were so neat! We had a blast watching them in their natural habitat and not a zoo enclosure. It was a chilly walk, but the sunny, fresh air and the exercise along with the ice and otters made for a fun adventure!

The kids enjoyed learning about natural disasters at co-op. They made houses out of dough and toothpicks to see how their structure held up to an earthquake. They loved this project! They also learned about wild fires and volcanoes. Owen loved sharing his volcano experiences with the teacher. We’ve enjoyed visiting Mt. St. Helen’s and the volcanic areas around Bend, OR. He had lots to contribute to the conversation. It’s been dry on co-op Tuesdays and as a result there has been plenty of time to play on the playground before and after class with friends.

We had a lot of time around the house while the boys were down with the flu/cold bug. The weather kept us entertained with lots of snow flurries each day. The ground was white occasionally, but it was never much snow. I have a thing about the grass being completely covered and we never reached my ideal mark. Oh well. I’m not sure the boys would have had the energy for an actual snow day, so the snow flurries were perfect to watch from couch without them feeling like they were missing out on fun.

We watched church online a week ago so the kiddos could see themselves in the Genesis recap video. They did so well! Thankfully, we made it to church yesterday so the boys could watch Jeremy (and I) be honored for 20 years as children’s pastor at Bethel Church! We are so proud of Jeremy and his faithfulness to the Lord and the families in our church. On our very first date, Jeremy shared with me how he had accepted the position of children’s pastor. While we haven’t been married those entire 20 years, I’ve definitely been along for the ride the entire time. There is no one else I would want to do life and ministry with! Jeremy is the best!!!

The boys are feeling better now and we are thankful to be back in the real world. We have a fun week ahead with a field trip, a holiday, and plans with friends and family. Back to the fun stuff! Yay! We are doing our best to stay warm during the continued chilly weather and praying that the only time we need to “chill” at home is to balance all the fun we’re having (not because of illness). We’ll see how the rest of February pans out!

Building a house to see how it holds up to an Earthquake

Their house made it to about 8 on the Richter scale

Watching the boys recap the seven days of creation for the adults at church. Such a fun opportunity!

Beautiful flowers as a thank you from our church! They sure brightened up all the extra time at home with their cheerfulness.

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

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf — Amy Scott @ 2:12 pm

Bookish Thoughts for January

January was another good month for adding to my home library! It’s always an exciting project going over my book lists and deciding what books will win a place on my bookshelves. I’m still vacillating on how to spend my last few birthday dollars. You might see yet another book haul next month. Possibly… We’ll see. Book shopping is one of my favorite things and curating my home library is a delight!

With the addition of a new bookcase after Christmas, the boys have wiggle room to add more books to their personal libraries again. We’ve restarted having them add a book a month to their collection. Graham is into The Boxcar Children at the moment, especially the mysteries involving food. The Doughnut Whodunit was Graham’s choice for January and I have feeling The Pizza Mystery might his selection for February. Stay tuned! Owen is in a massive Harry Potter phase at the moment. He has read the entire series and he continues to re-read his favorites over and over again. He discovered the Minalima editions with their illustrated and interactive pages and he now owns books 1-3 in this fancy edition. He loves that he has “pretty” books on his shelf. My love of pretty books has spread to the next generation. I’ll take that as a parenting win!

When it comes to my actual reading, January has been a diverse month! I’ve continue to binge read Kasey Stockton and her regency romances. Many of my favorite Kindle Unlimited authors had new releases this month. I enjoyed Marie Soleil’s retelling of Beauty and the Beast and Kasey Stockton’s newest rom-com. Carina Taylor and Jenny Proctor also had new releases. Angela Ruth Strong’s Fiancé Finale was a well written ending to her three book series. Robin Jones Gunn is one of my favorite authors and it was thrilling to read a new release from her. It’s been a while since she’s released a book. I’ve missed her! Authors definitely feel like friends to me.

When it comes to non-fiction, I’m reading Mom Heart Moments: Daily Devotions for Lifegiving Motherhood by Sally Clarkson and Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day!: Daily Meditations for the Ups, Downs & In-Betweens by Kate Bowler during my quiet time. I finished reading the New Testament this week and I started Psalms for this coming month. I read Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis and I hope to start Life Without Lack by Dallas Willard (a book about Psalm 23) soon. Add in the beauty of Fields of Joy and the suspense of God’s Smuggler and I’ve had a good non-fiction month. I’m so thankful for books that encourage my faith and spiritual growth.

**January’s Book** **Haul:** Audubon Society Field Guides, New Testament Filament Bible Journals, Madeline Martin’s WWII novels, Angela Ruth Strong’s Resorting to Love series, Ann Voskamp’s devotional journals, and Bob Goff’s new devotional.

**Boys’ January Picks:** Graham selected *The Doughnut Whodunit* and Owen chose *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone* (Minalima Edition)

Top Picks for January

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

Non-Fiction:

Fields of Joy by Ruth Chou Simons – 4 stars
God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew with John & Elizabeth Sherrill – 4 stars
Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis – 4 stars

Fiction:

The Booklover’s Library by Madeline Martin – 4 stars
Fiancé Finale by Angela Ruth Strong – 4 stars
Tea with Elephants by Robin Jones Gunn – 4 stars
Winning Winnie’s Hand by Deborah M. Hathaway – 3 stars
Isebelle and the Beast by Marie Soleil – 3 stars
Hail Marry by Martha Keyes – 3 stars
When Alec Met Evie by Jenny Proctor – 4 stars
Charlie Takes a Chance by Carina Taylor – 3 stars
Recipe for Rivals by Kasey Stockton – 4 stars
The Jewels of Halstead Manor by Kasey Stockton – 4 stars
The Lady of Larkspur Vale by Kasey Stockton – 3 stars
The Widow of Falbrooke Court by Kasey Stockton – 3 stars
The Recluse of Wolfeton House by Kasey Stockton – 3 stars
The Smuggler of Camden Cove by Kasey Stockton – 3 stars
A Forgiving Heart by Kasey Stockton – 3 stars
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon – 3 stars
The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan – 3 stars

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January Adventures January 25, 2025

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Travels — Amy Scott @ 2:04 pm

January in the PNW tends to be wet and I often find myself indoors wondering when I’ll be inspired to go outside again. January 2025 has been surprisingly dry and as a result, our family has been a little more adventurous. Outings are much more enjoyable when it’s dry… However, the trade off for dry is the cold… I guess I’ll take freezing sunshine over rain. At least for now. You know I appreciate a good rainy day as well.

This last weekend was filled with activity. I met with my monthly book club on Friday night. Book time with mom friends is a winning combination. Even though book club keeps me out past my bedtime, I look forward to it every month. We had dinner/game night fun with friends and family. We’ve enjoyed teaching Organ Attack to anyone interested. We even had a blast from the past moment this weekend when we took the boys to The Great Train Show in Puyallup. Owen went when he was tiny and Graham was too young, so we decided to go again with our older kiddos. The LEGO train layout was the highlight, but all the model train layouts were appreciated. We haven’t dabbled in model trains for years now, but they still hold a soft spot in our hearts. We also did a little more window shopping for potential living room furniture at the Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse. It’s a quirky place and the boys were thrilled to have free popcorn while we looked around.

This week, our adventures included the start of chess club with our homeschool co-op. The boys learned chess at co-op a few years ago. It was fun to brush up on their chess skills and compete with friends again. After a couple rounds of chess, the boys and their friends switched to a game of Organ Attack (I’m sure you’re not surprised to hear that). It’s been sunny the last few Tuesdays which means playground time after co-op to run out extra energy. The boys also worked on a project for church this week. Our lead pastor requested that kids make a recap video for the book of Genesis. Our boys selected the creation story. They worked together to create a picture depicting the seven days of creation and they explained the picture on camera Wednesday night. I’m looking forward to seeing how the video turns out in a week!

The final adventure I have to share is our family trip to the beach yesterday. We had errands to run and the weather was so nice, we thought why not run our errands out at the ocean! It was a beautiful day for a drive out to the coast. We had breakfast our favorite spot, Pig ‘N Pancake. We took a chilly walk on the beach at Cannon Beach and then explored a few spots in town (the toy store, candy store, and bakery). We hit Costco and Walmart before having “linner” at Mo’s (Yay! Clam chowder in a bread bowl!). We were home in time for sunset which was very important to Owen. With all these clear nights, Owen’s hobby of stargazing has picked up again. He is quite passionate about searching the skies in the evenings.

We’ve had a bit more activity this January then previous years, but it’s been balanced with time at home. Today as been an around-the-house day and it’s been a good balance of productivity and downtime. The sunshine coming through the window certainly inspires me to be more active. My family jokes that I’m solar powered. When the sun goes down, I’m ready for bed! I have take advantage of all this sunshine-inspired energy while I have it. On that note, I’m off for a walk!

Furniture shopping is more fun with free popcorn!

The hardest part of visiting the coast in the winter is keeping the kids out of the water! So cold!!!

When walking back with the wind in your face… these kids are creative problem solvers! Ha!

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Happy New Year & Happy Birthday! January 15, 2025

Filed under: Family Time,Homeschool Adventures,Tasty Treats — Amy Scott @ 2:12 pm

Not only am I welcoming 2025, but also 39. January is a month for change! It also tends to be a quieter month after the hubbub of the fall and the holiday seasons. The second half of our Christmas holiday was spent at home with Graham feeling under the weather. The first week back to school was intentionally mellow as we adjusted back to our normal schedule. Quietly welcoming the New Year has some merit. We had lots of time together a family. Jeremy and I took care of projects around the house. The boys watched some new movies while being restful. We played new games and read new books. Now that Graham is feeling better and we are back to the school groove, we’ve had a few more outings and celebrations.

To wrap up our Christmas break, we took the kids to see Sonic 3. The boys watched Sonic 1 & 2 after Christmas while resting. The boys jump at the chance for ICEEs and a movie on the big screen. We promised the kids we would go ice skating in January, so we made that happen last Friday. I haven’t ice skated in years. I was super nervous how it would go and how sore we would all be afterwards. I was positive I would hold on to the wall the entire time. I’m thankful to report that by the end of our skate, we were all skating independently without the wall!! We weren’t graceful or stylish skaters, but we did better than I expected and we had fun. It was definitely a family adventure!

The other highlight of the month so far has been celebrating my 39th birthday (last year in my 30s, wow). I love the excuse to gather with friends and family and eat all sorts of yummy treats. In fact, birthdays are often about the food for me! I enjoyed some of my favorite meals and favorite desserts. Lots of cake, donuts, and cookies! I took advantage of birthday freebies at Starbucks, Chipotle, and Crumbl Cookies. My family humored me and let me explore IKEA as my birthday outing. We didn’t purchase anything. It was more of a daydreaming visit, but still super fun. I love that place!

Now that January is here, we are back to school, church, co-op, piano lessons, play dates, and family dinners. Our monthly calendar has more margin and I’m enjoying the extra wiggle room to rest and recover from the holidays. I love making a big deal out of birthdays, but I’m also okay that the celebrations are in the rearview mirror. Time to settle into the cozy, winter, stay-at-home vibes that call to me in January.