Amy Scott's Thoughts

Sharing the thoughts that bounce around in my brain!

Flying Through August August 17, 2014

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 4:37 pm

Here we are over half way through the month of August! I’m not sure how, but time keeps zipping past me. This last week was a full one for the Scott Family. On Monday, Jeremy took some of our graduating 5th graders to the Mariner’s game. I didn’t stay up to wait for his arrival home, but I did ask Siri on my iPhone who won the game before I turned out the lights. Siri informed me that Seattle crushed Toronto. I found it humorous that she used the word crushed, not something like the Mariner’s won or what not.

On Tuesday, Owen had his 9 month well-check appointment at 10 months old. Since this appointment had no shots, I’m guessing it didn’t matter that it was a little off schedule. I was grateful to not have to deal with a cranky baby who doesn’t like shots. They did have to do a finger prick, but Owen didn’t even cry. The nurse said that they don’t often cry at this age because they are so used to getting banged up through exploring the world. It’s true. Owen’s exploration and mobility have left him a bunch of bruises. I’m about to wrap him in bubble wrap! Of course, it’s always fun to see the stats. Owen is 19% in weight, 30% in height and 73% in head circumference. To my surprise, Owen weighed in at 19lbs. 6 oz. He has yet to break the 20lbs. mark! I’m okay with him being on the smaller side because he is healthy and happy. Our doctor was really encouraging and said Owen is doing great.

The latter part of my week was spent the good old Southwest Washington Fair. Our MOPS group has a booth at the fair and each of the leadership team members took two shifts.  The shifts were four hours each and they dragged on a bit because our booth wasn’t really hopping. We offered a diaper changing station and a private nursing room. I was a little disappointed more people didn’t take advantage of it. On Thursday, I was paired at the booth one of our mentor moms, Kate. It was fun to chat with her and get to know her story more. On Friday, Jeremy and Owen joined me. Once my shift was up, we met up with my sister and brother-in-law to have dinner and explore the fair. It had been years since I’d gone to the fair, so I was super excited for the fair food! I had my all-time elephant ear and I was a happy camper! Yum!

Fun @ the SWW Fair

Fun @ the SWW Fair

After some busy days, we had a day around the house yesterday. When Owen napped, I laid in bed and read. True luxury! I’m currently rereading the Anne of Green Gables series. I’m very happy to loose myself in the world of Avonlea and Prince Edward Island. Jeremy picked some apples off our trees. We have a great crop of apples coming in this year! I spent part of my afternoon making a homemade apple pie with home grown apples. You can’t beat that!

Around the house on Saturday! Toby needed to make a blog appearance since it's been awhile!

Around the house on Saturday! Toby needed to make a blog appearance since it’s been awhile!

That’s what the Scotts have been up as of late! We have family coming into town this week and we are looking forward to being reunited with some of our South Dakota family members. This will be there first time to meet Owen and we can’t wait to make the introductions! I know that the month will be over in a blink and the new school year will be starting. I’m trying to enjoy these last few summer days before the fall schedule picks up again. I love the seasons and the cycle of time. It’s been a good summer and more fun is still to be had. However, there is lots to look forward to just around the bend! We are blessed!

 

Baby Containment August 11, 2014

Filed under: Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 12:19 pm

After a few weeks of chasing Owen around the house, Jeremy and I broke down and got a baby containment system. Owen will not happily play with his toys if he knows there is big world to explore. So for now, it’s baby prison for all. On the bright side, if you’re in baby prison with him, Owen doesn’t seem to mind it all that much. Despite the eye sore, it’s working for us. I’m grateful to not be running around the house trying to keep Owen out of trouble.

Make-shift containment

Make-shift containment

Here is a reason why containment is necessary!

Here is a reason why containment is necessary!

A new look for the family room

A new look for the family room

 

Berry Season August 10, 2014

Filed under: Cooking Experiments — Amy Scott @ 1:25 pm

I’ve been working on the art of perfecting my berry crisp recipe this season. It started in June with a strawberry/blueberry crisp and we’ve moved on to triple berry crisps as of late. I’ve been using blueberries, raspberries and marionberries that are home grown from Jeremy’s garden and my father-in-law’s garden! Bill has us well stocked with raspberries and blueberries! I love baking with fruit! The colors are so pretty and the taste is so tart and sweet. Jeremy and I were watching an episode of Pioneer Woman together when we discovered the crust recipe I’ve been using all summer. Jeremy made a comment about how he thought he would like that crust because it doesn’t have oatmeal in it. I happen to love oatmeal in crisps and I never knew that Jeremy didn’t prefer it. The crust turns out perfect each time. The biggest thing I’m needing to master is how make the berries less watery. I’ve tried adding different thickeners to the recipe. The crisp I made this weekend turned out less watery than the last, but it still wasn’t as thick as I had hoped. Oh well. It’s a learning process and I’m happy to keep experimenting!

I love berry season!

I love berry season!

Yum!

Yum!

 

Thankful August 9, 2014

Filed under: Children's Ministry,One Thousand Gifts Challenge — Amy Scott @ 9:39 pm

I used to be the thankful guru. After reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp and starting my own gratitude journal, I was sold on thankfulness being the key to joyfulness. It was a very eye opening season for me and one that I hope to not forget. So, in the spirit of remembrance, I’ve trying to recapture the flame of thankfulness in my life. It started with a short Bible reading plan that focused on thankfulness and I’ve moved on to re-watching the One Thousand Gifts DVD study. I’ve been viewing my week in light of thankfulness and here are a few thoughts that I’ve been pondering.

It’s been a good week. One for the record books – in big and small ways. This last week we had Family VBA at our church. For four nights families came together to talk about God, pray together and have a lot of fun. It’s a great opportunity for parents to lead their children in matters of faith. I truly love the format we use and it’s been such a joy to watch the fruit of this ministry. On top of a great week at church, we also dinners offered before the evening event started so I didn’t have to make dinner all week long. That’s a true blessing!

This week my father had surgery to help correct a condition that has been bothering his heart. His surgery went textbook and I got to visit him shortly after he got out. He had great color and seemed in good spirits. Dad was released from the hospital with a good report and has jumped back into his everyday life. I’m so thankful! God has been good and I’m excited to see my father’s health improve.

I’ve gotten to spend time with my hubby and Owen this week and time with some out-of-town family. I’ve gone shopping and purchased some much needed items (and somethings just for fun). Things are good. Really good. However… discontentment finds a way to slip in. In so many small ways, I found myself being derailed this week. It’s so easy to complain, even if it’s just in my mind. It’s amazing how easy it is to grumble. There is always a tension between thankfulness and discontentment. I unintentionally look at my life and say yes, it’s good, but here are all the ways it could be better.

When I found myself being thrown off track this week, I started my own mental gratitude journal. It’s a mental list I go over as a reminder of how good things really are it. This list helps to right my train of thought. It usually goes like this:

I have a roof over my head. I have food in my pantry. I have clothes on my back and in my closet. I have warm blankets on my bed. I have a husband and son that I love and who love me. We are all relatively healthy. We have all we need and way more. We have vehicles and baby toys and a great job that provides for our family. We are surrounded by family and friends who love us and want us to succeed, etc.

This list continues until I’ve talked myself off my discontentment ledge. It’s annoying how easily my thoughts turn negative. I’m trying my best to take these those captive and send them way. I want to replace them with thankfulness. God is good. I am beyond blessed. I am thankful!

 

Double Digits – 10 months! August 8, 2014

Filed under: Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 11:59 am
10 months!

10 months!

Wow, here we are 10 months of Mr. Owen. How did that happen? 10 months is a long time! Almost a year! Crazy! This last month has been a full one with baby development. Owen has started crawling. He is into EVERYTHING! Our house is fairly safe for children, but Owen finds all the spots that he shouldn’t play in. We are having to put latches on our cabinet doors to keep him from any harmful chemicals. Keeping Owen alive got more interesting with the addition of crawling. Owen can also pull himself up on furniture now. He thinks he is the coolest, but he doesn’t like how he can’t get around once he is up. Our church nursery has a toy that you can push to stabilize for walking, so Owen now pushes that around and walks around the nursery. As much as he enjoys crawling, he still would prefer to hold onto your fingers and walk around like a big boy. Mobility is a very big deal these days.

Owen continues to be loud. As I’ve had to “redirect” him lately, he has developed a blood curdling mad scream. It’s practically ultrasonic. On car rides, Owen loudly yells almost the entire time. It’s not an unhappy yell. It certainly is intense though. Jeremy and I really want to know what he is thinking! Owen doesn’t have any words yet. He is still sputtering out syllables, but nothing that makes much sense to us. He has started pointing at everything. He especially likes to point at things outside while looking through the window. He loves to give kisses. He kisses certain pictures in his books. It’s super cute. He loves to read books while sitting in my lap. It’s one of the ways I can keep him in one spot! Owen is also mastering waving good-bye. He usually does it after we walk away from the person. It’s a delayed wave. This week he learned how to clap! Now when he hears music or gets super excited, he claps. It’s adorable!!!

Just yesterday, we bought Owen a new car seat. He was getting too long for his infant car seat. It makes me kind of sad that he won’t be using an “infant” car seat anymore. He keeps growing up and becoming a big boy. In true Amy fashion, I’m already thinking and planning for the big 1st birthday! It will be here in a blink! I also went shopping yesterday for more 12 months clothes. Owen is right in between 9 months and 12 months when it comes to clothes. We also picked up a new toy that made Jeremy and I little nostalgic. Being a parent is fun because you can share the things you loved as a kid with your kid. Owen’s 9 month doctor’s appointment will be happening this next week (we know, a little late). We’ll have the current stats on Tuesday. I thinking Owen might have broken the 20lbs mark! We’ll soon find out! Keeping up with this kid is crazy, fun and wonderful!

Stopping to get a weenie whistle!

Stopping to get a weenie whistle!

Exploring

Exploring

First time to Ikea!

First time to Ikea!

Playing with his Little People farm. Jeremy and I loved this toy as kids!

Playing with his Little People farm. Jeremy and I loved this toy as kids!

 

Time for a New Plan August 7, 2014

Filed under: Bible,One Thousand Gifts Challenge — Amy Scott @ 1:01 pm
Completing plans

Completing plans – I love getting this congratulations screen! Makes me feel good!

I finished my Bible reading plan in July. It was great to read the whole Bible in a year again.  I love reading the Bible yearly because it has really helped me familiarize myself with God’s word. Repetition has been good for me. The plan that I’ve used the last two years has been perfect for me. It’s a 6-day a week plan so you get one off built into it. It’s called OwnIt365 and it covers the whole Bible in one year. The readings are about 20 minutes each, so it’s not too demanding. I’ve loved it! But… I’ve been playing around with new plans now that I’ve completed another year long commitment. I’m thinking I’ll go to back another one year plan maybe in January, but right now I’m doing some exploring of other plans that are shorter and more focused on specific things. The first plan that I went through was one based on Thanksgiving. It was a two week plan and it literally took 5 minutes or less to get through the readings. Then I did a devotional plan about motherhood. It was encouraging and had just a couple of verses attached to each reading. I’m finding it interesting to do readings that are shorter and not full chapters. There is a lot to be said for covering a lot of ground in the Bible. I’m learning that there is also value in short readings too. I find that I remember the short readings more through out the day because they are to the point. The mom devotional especially kept me thinking throughout the day. I even wrote one of the verses on my new white board as a daily reminder. Today, I started to re-watch my study DVD of Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts. Owen loves the music in the video and it was a nice 20 minutes to look back on a study that meant so much to me a few years ago. I’m really enjoying this season of tweaking and exploring new plans. It’s a nice break from the routine. The YouVersion App on my phone and iPad also makes it super easy to discover new plans and keep track of where I am at. I’ll keep you posted on where I end up next!

 

New About Me August 3, 2014

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 4:02 pm

I updated my “About Me” section today. It’s been a few years since I’ve tweaked it and I figured now that I’m a stay-at-home mom, I needed to go in and change my work status. Instead of just reworking one part, I did an entire overhaul. It like a fresh coat of paint. Keeping things real and what not. It’s always an interesting task writing about one’s self. I’m never sure what people really want to know. I don’t want things to sound too perfect or too horrible. I just want to be honest. I think that my bottom line hope for this blog. I want to be honest. I want to share my thoughts and the happenings of my life. I long ago gave up the idea that my blog was going to be “discovered” and that I was going to become the next great blogging sensation (I’m not sure that was ever my goal, but it might have been neat). These days I’m keeping thing simple. Updates on the family, books I’m reading, something I baked, a focus on the family members and friends I adore. These are the things that matter to me.

So check out my new “About Me”

 

Going Gray and Other House Projects July 29, 2014

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Getting Creative,Home Improvement — Amy Scott @ 7:36 pm

I mentioned in my book blog that I just finished a book called The Nesting Place by Myguillyn Smith. It’s a book all about how home decorating doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. I’ve never super interested in home decor. I don’t have a Pinterest account or anything like that. My decorating style is practical, functional and not a lot of frill. I like clean lines for the most part. I’m also partial to the colors blue, brown, cream, gray. And that about sums me as a decorator. However, this book got me thinking about my home. I decided to read it based on the recommendation of some of my favorite authors, but also because I’m spending a lot more time at home these days. It seems like now is the time to take some risks and do projects that I’d been contemplating. Here is what Jeremy and I have been up this last week.

It all started with a trip to Home Depot to pick up some paint swatches to put on the walls. For a long time Jeremy and I have been waiting to change the color of our living space. Back in the day when we had cream carpet, the brown wall in our kitchen/dining space worked for us. But… we added a back splash with blues and grays and the brown didn’t quite go as well. Then we changed our carpets out for laminate floors that are brown and suddenly the space at a lot of dark brown in it. When we first painted our house, we painted everything in the front room Toasted Cashew. It was a tan/cream color, but I’ve always wondered if it had too much yellow it in. I’m not a huge fan of yellow. The tan/cream neutral was marvelous when we had all dark brown furniture. But then… we got cream colored furniture that blended with the wall. We also got a set of cube bookshelves that came with cream colored bins. The cost of replacing the bins with a different color was too much, so the cream bins stayed and added more cream to the room.  Thus, you now understand our decision to repaint. We wanted to paint the walls all one color again and get rid of the two tone we had going with the brown and cream. We also wanted a color that wouldn’t blend with the floors and furniture. This led us to Gray Mist – the new color of walls. After having the samples up on the wall for a week, Jeremy decided to go for it. I didn’t expect to paint this last weekend, it just happened… Jeremy tackled all the painting while I kept Owen out of everything and alive.

The Samples

The Samples

Gray Mist

Gray Mist

Gray Mist

Gray Mist

You’d think painting was enough, but we also did other projects around the house this last weekend. We have started to childproof our cabinets now that Owen is on the move. We added safety latches to the bathrooms because of the chemicals that we store under the sinks. Next will be the kitchen, but because of the hassle, we are waiting just a little while longer. Right now Owen doesn’t know how to open cabinet doors, but we know it’s only a matter of time.

Baby proofing

Baby proofing

I also had a few design changes I wanted to make to our front room. First, the bins I was talking about earlier have a plastic covered pouch on the front of them. I’m assuming it’s so you can label the bin with the contents inside of it. I, however, didn’t want to label my bins. I like to keep the insides a mystery to my guests. I wanted to add some visual interest so inside of using the pouches for labeling, I just filled them with scrapbook paper that matched our walls and rug. I really like the pop of color the bins now add to the room while still maintaining their warm, creamy color.

Making the bins pop

Making the bins pop

We also removed a piece of artwork that has been on a random small wall. We had a picture of the ocean which we loved in our small apartment, but really didn’t have a place in our home.  In it’s place is now a framed white board that is also magnetic. I think we’ll use this board a lot in the future and it gives the wall a sense of purpose.

Our new white board

Our new white board

And for an added cuteness factor, here is a picture of Owen “helping” during the painting project. There was lot of gunk to get off the floor after we moved the furniture around. The Swiffer was Owen’s best friend. He might be like is mama in that regard! Swiffer love!

Helpful boy!

 

Getting Around July 28, 2014

Filed under: Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 11:54 am

It’s amazing the changes that can happen in a span of a week. Owen has grasped on to the concept of mobility and he is getting around! Owen went from being able to inch his way here or there to full on scooting this last week. It’s not a true crawl because he can’t get both legs under him. It’s a scoot and it’s working for him. He is now into everything. With this new found mobility, Owen is learning to hear a new word a lot – no! No, you can’t put the door stopper in your mouth. No, you can’t push the buttons on Daddy’s Xbox. No, you can’t climb on the hearth. No, you can’t pull the books off Mommy’s bookshelf. I certainly have to keep my eyes on him now. Gone are the days of leaving him for a minute knowing that he will be in the same spot when I return. My life has taken a drastic change. I know someday this will be normal, but for now I’m in major adjustment mode.

He started in the family room with me in the center of the rug.

He started in the family room with me in the center of the rug… Someone is getting around!

Owen didn’t know how to get from laying down to sitting position until this last week.  He quickly grasped that concept as well. I walked into Owen’s room a couple of times to find him sitting up in crib. Then I saw him sit up while playing and I realized that it was time to lower the crib. Jeremy and I debated lowering it just one setting, but we figured we would go all the way down. At this rate, he’ll be standing and running marathons in a month. Okay, maybe not, but it seemed the best use of time just to lower it all the way. The changes just kept coming as we decided that Owen is done with the penguin bathtub. He has loved it so much that we didn’t want to miss with the bath time happiness, but… after seeing him play well in the pool, we figured he would play well in the tub too.  We were right. So now Owen takes big boy baths.

He's got the whole tub to play in now!

He’s got the whole tub to play in now!

When I bend all the way down to pick Owen up out of crib, I am reminded just how big he is getting. He is heavy and long and feels less like a baby in my arms. When he started scooting, Jeremy said it’s like he is not a baby anymore. I exclaimed that he is for sure a baby because is not toddling and if he is not a toddler than he is a baby. This is my mommy logic. While, he is still a baby, he is certainly becoming more a big boy each day. This last week of milestones has grown him up in our eyes.  It’s hard to believe how much can happen in one little life in such a short amount of time. He continues to amaze us (and keep us on our toes)!

 

Welcome Summer! July 26, 2014

Filed under: Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 1:00 pm

This week I got the chance to drive up north with my mom and Owen to meet Miss Summer Taylor Boone. My forever friend, Maggie, is a now mom! I’m so beyond excited for her and her husband, Chris. There are a lot of little boys in my circle of friends and family (and I love them dearly). This last weekend at my one and only niece’s birthday party, I was reminded again just how precious little girls are. Brinley’s sweet exclamations as she opened her presents melted me. I love little girls! All this to say, I am SO happy to have another little girl in my life. As an unofficial auntie, I now have another reason to buy something pink. This gets me really excited. As I held Summer, I remembered how small newborns are and how quickly they grow and change. She is beautiful and tiny and loved! I can’t wait to see who this little girl grows up to be. Being on this road of motherhood is more fun with friends. I’m sure Maggie and I’s relationship will only deepen as we love on our kiddos and do our best to be the moms they need us to be. The road ahead is full of adventure and a lot of love. Can’t wait! Welcome Summer! 

We prayed for these babies and here they are! We are moms! Crazy and amazing!

We prayed for these babies and here they are! We are moms! Crazy and amazing!