Amy Scott's Thoughts

Sharing the thoughts that bounce around in my brain!

Good Bye 1st Trimester, Hello 2nd! April 13, 2013

Filed under: Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 7:05 am

My first trimester is now finished! Can I get an “amen” or a “hallelujah”? I’m really hoping that with the end of this trimester I will start to feel more like myself. I’m praying for energy to return and morning sickness to leave. We’ll see. I think it’s starting to fade, but time will tell.

We had our third doctor’s appointment at the beginning of the month. It was exciting to hear the baby’s heartbeat and to know that all is going well there.  At our next doctor’s appointment we’ll be right at the mark where you can find out the gender. Usually they wait closer to 20 weeks, but our doctor has agreed to give us a sneak peek. Hopefully we’ll know if we’re having a girl or a boy in less than a month. If the baby is shy then it will most likely be our next appointment in June that we find out.

The 1st Baby Item!

The 1st Baby Item!

We’ve started to get the house ready. Our guestroom will become the nursery so we have a few things to clear out before we can start moving stuff in. I have emptied the closet in the guestroom. I rearranged everything into different closets or into under the bed storage in our room. It feels good to have at least one part of the room cleared. We’ll be selling most of the furniture on Craig’s list. We probably won’t do any shopping before Hawaii since we’ll want some funds on that trip. Right now pre-Hawaii is clear the room and post-Hawaii is refill the room.

A small collection of baby related items has started around our house. We have already received a bib and a couple of  baby books.  We purchased a baby name book and it’s been entertaining to see all the options out there. I’ve gone through it with a highlighter and marked the names I like. I’m sure once we know the gender our discussions on baby names will become a little more serious. I also purchased “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”. It’s been interesting to flip through as well.  So far no purchases have been made by Jeremy and me for the actual little one. Now that I’m in the second trimester, I’m sure that will change quickly!

That’s about it in the baby news department. I can tell that the little one is growing and I’m sure that soon it will be more than obvious that I am expecting. I did go shopping this month for some looser tops and I have started using the belly bands that allow you to wear your pre-pregnancy pants unbuttoned. It’s taking some getting used to, but I want to make my wardrobe stretch as much as possible before I start buying actual maternity clothes.

I’ll keep you posted as we know more. Especially the extra special gender news! Hopefully that announcement is right around the corner!

 

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain April 12, 2013

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf — Amy Scott @ 2:19 pm
Good Reads!

Good Reads!

I was really excited to get my hands on this book. I tried to place a hold on it at the library and I discovered that I was 45th in line. What a wait! Lucky for me, I have a friend and mentor who allowed me to borrow her copy. Thanks, Vicki!

Wow, let me tell you after all the hype surrounding this book, I found it a lot harder to read than I expected. It’s really good, don’t get me wrong. It’s just so full of research and data that at times it can feel a bit like reading a textbook. Nothing wrong with that! It’s just not a book you fly through. Each page has some serious weight behind it.

I’ve long known that I am an introvert and I do love reading books that validate my wiring. Especially in church culture, there is a strong emphasis of extrovertism being the “ideal” leader. It’s been freeing, the more I read and the more I get comfortable in my own skin, to know God made me this way and he will use me this way. I don’t have to be something I’m not. Yes, at church I can tend to put on an extroverted mindset, especially in a classroom environment. However, if you were to watch me in the office throughout the week, you would see my introverted tendencies. Also my schedule screams that I’m an introvert. I have lots of down time in my life and I need it in order to be with people. When I am constantly on the go and always up front, I get really burnt out, really fast.

I think my favorite paragraph in the book was  in the conclusion. Let me share some of Cain’s closing words with you:

“Love is essential; gregariousness is optional. Cherish your nearest and dearest. Work with colleagues you like and respect. Scan new acquaintances for those who might fall into the former categories or whose company you might enjoy for its own sake. And don’t worry about socializing with everyone else. Relationship make everyone happier, introverts included, but think quality over quantity.”

I love that paragraph because most people assume that introverts don’t like people or avoid people. This is not true. I love people very much. The relationships I have in my life are extremely important to me. My friendships run deep. I may only have a handful of close friends on this planet, but that doesn’t matter to me because I agree that quality matters over quantity. Overall this books a good read and very insightful. I understand why introverts have really raised the banner over this book and made it so well known.

As a side note, my copy of Shauna Niequist’s newest book, Bread & Wine, arrived today just as I was finishing Quiet. Shauna’s writing has moved me so much in the last year. She has become an instant favorite for me.  I am so excited that this book arrived early! Originally I thought it would arrive right before I left on a week of ministry conferences. I would rather be alone with a good book than social in a crowd any day so I was worried about the tension of wanting to be with my book when I should really be with people. Now I can totally devour this book before leaving and not worry a bit about looking anti-social! Hurray! Happy dance!

 

A Chocolate Kind of Day April 11, 2013

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 4:26 pm
Kit Kat to the rescue!

Kit Kat to the rescue!

It’s been a few days since I’ve been on here posting. Honestly, I don’t have anything too exciting to share with world.  I have some posts in mind for this weekend, but for right now… all I can say is… today has been one of those days. A day were chocolate is a must. I stopped by the store and got myself a Kit-Kat bar while picking up a few supplies for a movie night tomorrow. We all have these days. It’s been hard, not all moments have been “bad” but I’ve been on a bit of a roller coaster emotionally and now I’m tired and in need of chocolate. So I guess this blog is just to say I’m human. Some days are rougher than others and sometimes the emotions ride a little closer to the surface. I’m trying extremely hard to not come across as a crazy pregnant lady, but maybe in my trying not to become that, I really am. I don’t know. Pray for me. I think the name of the game this evening will be count blessings and be chill. Right now is the time when counting my blessings really makes a difference and can turn a day and a mood around. I just have to do it. I need the discipline. Hopefully, gratitude wins. I also think comfort foods might help gratitude to win. We’ll see. Today is just one of those days. They happen.

 

Doughnut Day! April 7, 2013

Filed under: Children's Ministry — Amy Scott @ 3:31 pm

This weekend we celebrated with doughnuts! The kids had been doing an offering challenge through the month of March. The first challenge was to raise 30lbs of change and they blew through that in 3 weeks which lead them to having ice cream sundaes. Because there was still time in the month, we told them if they could reach 50lbs of change then we would give them doughnuts at the beginning of April. Last week they weighed in at 51lbs and so doughnuts were on the docket for this weekend! The kids had a blast and enjoyed their special treat while watching a movie. Normally we don’t watch too many movies in Children’s Church, so it was a double whammy of goodies. I’m really proud of their giving hearts. It was fun to not have this be about a dollar amount. I think that made the challenge even better because they gave over $300 without even being aware of it. We gave them dollar totals every week and every week they were floored by the numbers. It’s surprising how much a “buddy barrel” can hold and it’s amazing how the pennies add up! One week we had over $19 in pennies given. That’s a whole lots of pennies and I counted them all. I will admit that I’m ready for a break when it comes to counting large sums of change. It was a good month and I’m so happy we got to celebrate in such a fun and tasty way. Even better than our goodies is the good that this money will do in the hands of missionaries! It’s exciting all around!

A nice selection!

A nice selection!

Enjoying doughnuts and a video!

Enjoying doughnuts and a video!

 

An Anniversary Kind of Day April 6, 2013

Filed under: Recollections,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 12:29 pm

Today is a special day for me for two very important reasons! The first would be this is my two year anniversary of blogging! Hurray! Two years of Amy Scott’s Thoughts and sharing the thoughts that bounce around in my head. This blog has been a great pleasure and joy to me. It’s been an outlet for me to speak my mind and speak up about what’s important to me. It’s also been a place where I can express myself and who I am. I am so grateful for this space. It’s a part of me in a way that is hard to explain. While it’s nothing glamorous and no book deals have come of it, it’s a sacred place. It’s allows me to write and that is how I best process and best convey myself. I love it! I was so scared to start a blog. I didn’t want to put myself out there. I wasn’t sure if I could really do what I wanted on this site. While, I have learned that not all aspect of my life are blog appropriate, there are great deal of things that I can write about without crossing lines. I had contemplated starting an anonymous blog where I might be able to “vent” a bit about life, but I decided that most anonymous things don’t say anonymous forever and truthfully, I don’t need to foster that side of my personality. I have people that are close to me in my life that make better places to vent then publicly on the internet. Seems smart, huh? So I write here about the things that I love and the things that I do, the things that I bake and the things that I read and the people that color my world. It’s been two really good years and I’ve enjoyed how this blog has stretched me. It’s been a good exercise for me and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon! 352 posts done and endless more to be created! Happy two years to me!

Home Sweet Home!

Home Sweet Home!

The next exciting anniversary of the day is today marks four years of being homeowners! I remember the excitement of getting the keys and the crazy rush of moving our stuff and cleaning the house to make it livable. Those where exciting times! This home has been a sanctuary to me and a blessing beyond all belief. Since I tend to be a homebody, I think I bonded with this house in a special way. It’s not huge and it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, but that’s okay. It’s been exciting to see how Jeremy and I have added to it over the years and made it our own. We’ve put up cabinets in the laundry room, added extra shelves to closets, we have put up a back-splash in the kitchen, changed many fixtures and recently tore up half the floors and replaced them. All of these projects have been do-it-yourself and have really given us a sense of pride in our ownership. I love this house. When I leave the house, I tell it good-bye and that I’ll be back soon. It’s more than walls, it’s our home.  As we start to make room for another family member, I can tell the house will someday be too small. We’ll run out of space eventually, but I don’t want to think about that. Right now, we are content and we are happy right where we are at. Who knows how many more years we have here (maybe even decades), I’m going to enjoy each one as the come because this home is a blessing from the Lord and I am grateful! Happy four year, house! We love you!

 

5,000 and Beyond April 4, 2013

Filed under: One Thousand Gifts Challenge — Amy Scott @ 9:49 am

Who knew when I read One Thousand Gifts for the first time in August of 2011 that it would become a lifestyle for me. Off and on I have counted gifts. Whenever I stop, I seem to start again. I can’t help it. I’m better when I’m counting. This challenge has been eye opening. Count all the ways that God loves me. See all the small things and be thankful. Live a lifestyle of gratitude. There is a real change that happens when I sit down to the count gifts. I try to do it daily, but it doesn’t always happen. When I get that pen in my hand and I start recalling all the good things of the day, I am changed. I am lightened. The burdens that I have been carrying are lifted. I remember that God is good and I am always loved. I am brought low and humbled. Who am I that I should have such blessings poured out on me day after day? Isn’t one enough? And yet, they are countless. My mind honestly can’t perceive them all and my mind cannot remember them all. It’s too overwhelming. Good is so good. It’s amazing the high the comes from this kind of a love. I wonder why I don’t live with my eyes open more. I wonder why I don’t slow down and take it all in. I only have today. Why rush through it? Why scramble and why blur and why hurry? It makes no sense to choose to stress and fear over joy and trust. Gift counting brings joy and builds trust. If God has been good everyday before, why would he stop? Could his love, his gifts really run out? I know the answer is no and yet, I live like it might happen. I wake up and live in fear as if my God isn’t all powerful and able to handle to my life, my problems, my mess. Counting gifts has counteracted this natural desire within me be ungrateful. Who am I to make demands? Why raise my fist and complain when I can give thanks and receive joy. Counting gifts is far better than holding on to my festering bitterness. So again, I continue the count. I reached 5,000 this weekend and I didn’t even blink, I flipped the page and started numbering again. 6000, it’s not that many in the grand scheme of things. I will miss thousands of them daily, but I will look and try to see them all. I will try to name them and give thanks for them. I never thought I would keep going. One thousand seemed so radical at the beginning and now, well, I must be crazy. I think that is what love does to a person. It makes them a little crazy, but in a good way. I will chase after these gifts and count them despite how odd it might seem. The lesson is never learned and easily forgotten, so I keep retraining my heart to live with eyes wide open. I’m retraining my mind to let go and refuse to take on the burden of stress and fear for it leads no where good. I have all that I need in each day to be thankful. Will I choose to see it? Will you?

 

Spring Has Sprung! April 3, 2013

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 10:50 am

This year I’ve been really enjoying the transition to spring. Maybe because we didn’t get a lot of snow this winter, which is really the only highlight of winter so without it, I’m ready to move on. Spring is usually a season I breeze through in a hurried like fashion. I don’t pay much attention to it. Fall would be my favorite season followed by summer and then followed by winter (because I get presents in the winter). But spring… it’s never got much attention from me.Until now!

I’m enjoying spring immensely so far! It’s been sunny and I love the sun. My hubby has some lovely and colorful flowers around the yard. The tree in our front yard is in full bloom and I have a vase of tulips on the dining table. I removed the snowflake gel clings on our office window yesterday and I replaced them with a sun and some clouds and birds! Sounds like spring to me!

Jeremy and I have been in recovery mode from our big Easter weekend so we decided to treat ourselves to lunch yesterday at our favorite Chinese restaurant. My fortune cookie told me it’s okay to slow down and smell the roses and that is exactly what I plan on doing… except I have no “roses” to actually smell (minor detail). After a busy couple of weeks with my life feeling like a blur, I’m ready to slow down and take it all in! I’m ready to admire the flowers and I’m ready to enjoy the sunshine and I’m ready for spring! Hurray!

 

Presentation1

 

Easter Eggstravaganza 2013 Recap! April 2, 2013

Filed under: Children's Ministry — Amy Scott @ 9:11 pm

I figured I better write about the big weekend before I completely forget the details. Even now in the tired aftermath, the weekend is starting to blur. First off, let me start by saying it was a BEAUTIFUL day! We couldn’t have asked for better weather considering it was the end of March. I got slightly sunburned, so you know the sun was out and glorious! The weather is a big factor in our attendance and just like years past this day was epic. We added extra parking in our fields so we’re fairly positive we beat last year’s numbers. The guesstimate was that 8,000 people visited the church between both hunts. The number of kids would be around 3,000. It’s not an exact science though… just like we don’t really know that there were 70,000 eggs – could have been plus or minus a couple thousand. No biggie.

The day starts off early for Jeremy and I. We’re the first ones to the church after a stop at McDonald’s. This is the one day a year that I get breakfast there and let me tell you, I love McGriddles. I know that in concept they are gross and terrible for you, but that usually means it’s a food I’ll adore. I enjoyed my special breakfast treat and surprisingly it all settled well on my stomach. I had packed a lunch that ate about 11:30am, but the McGriddle kept me good until then. I guess I could consider that another miracle of the day. It’s nice to be the church before all the crowds and craziness starts. The calm before the storm. I put up a few last minute signs and made sure lights were on and doors unlocked. At 8:00am, we start hiding eggs and by 9:00am we had people arriving. It always amazes me how early people show up for these events. Now that our Easter Eggstravaganza has grown so big, people feel the need to arrive early to get in the lines first and to  get the better parking spots.

The first hunt was the busiest this year. I’m sure it has to do with the weather. Even though last year was nice, the fog was still starting to wear off at our first hunt which made the second one better attended. This year it was the opposite. The day was clear and the sun was out and the people showed up for the first hunt. The second one was the smaller hunt. It’s funny to me how unpredictable things like that can be. I would have sworn the pattern would hold true and we’d have a small first and a big second. Now I’ll be curious to see what happens next year. Is there any pattern? We’ll find out.

As always the petting zoo was a hit! We had a two week old piglet there that was very vocal and very loved. We had calves that were literally days old. We had chicks and ducks and turkeys. We had goats and lambs. It was a good a showing of cute and cuddly barnyard animals. The pony rides as always had a major line. The poor ponies can’t give rides fast enough. If I was one of those ponies, I would twitch if I saw another kids for a while. They were troopers! Applebees had a table where they did face-painting and they gave away free meal coupons to kids. They also brought the Applebee’s Bee and the Easter Bunny (full size costumes). The bee was especially popular. Oh and we can’t forget the four inflatables! We had a giant slide, two obstacle course and a jungle tunnel. Our coffee cart did great in sales and we sold a ton of cotton candy! We have some cotton candy pros now at our church after doing this for two years. They know their stuff! Walking past that booth always smells so good!

It was a big weekend. I was at the church for about 14 hours that day. We ran home for less than 25 minutes to change and show back up for our evening service. We had a ton of kids at both our children’s church hours. It was great to see many visitors and people who came back because of the egg hunts. After two egg hunts, three weekend services and two family dinners, I will admit that Easter weekend almost did me in! I’m still not really recovered. I took a nice long nap yesterday and today was a quiet day in the office to reclaim our space and clear out the remnants of the weekend. It feels good to have the details in place and behind us. This is a great event and truly a fun weekend. I’m not sure I have the energy to keep up with it, but somehow it works out every year – God’s grace!  Below are a few photos from the big day!

Petting Zoo

Petting Zoo

A beautiful day in the neighborhood!

A beautiful day in the neighborhood!

Going for it!

Going for it!

The hunt!

The hunt!

 

It’s official! April 1, 2013

Filed under: Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 1:05 pm
Seeing Double!

Seeing Double!

There are so many things I would love to blog about right now. It seems that once I got the biggest event of our calendar year over with my brain has come back to life with many topics worth writing about. In fact, one of those topics will be a recap of Easter Eggstravaganza and how our ministry filled weekend went. However, I have something else I would like to share with you. Something that I’ve been waiting to share in space for a long time. Blogging is therapy for me and it helps me wrap my mind around my world. Not blogging about this topic for the last two months has been hard, but it’s official – our news is out in the open! Jeremy and I are expecting our first child in October.

We found out on February 1st. I had taken an early results pregnancy test a few days before and it had been negative. I took this next test with a “what the heck” kind of attitude and completely expected it to be negative as well. We had been trying for a while and I was very familiar with sticks with one line. I was totally taken by surprise to find two lines waiting for me. Of course that lead to taking multiple tests over the next couple of days and all of them having the same result with the line getting darker as the days went by. We told our parents right away for prayer support and we’ve spent the last month slowly filling in siblings and close friends. The culmination was this weekend when we told both of our extended families at Easter dinner and finally made the big Facebook post letting the world know. It’s out there now. No longer a secret.

Baby Scott @ 8 weeks!

Baby Scott @ 8 weeks!

Here are some answers to commonly asked questions. I am 12 weeks along. I have had two doctors appointments and we had an ultrasound. The baby looked healthy and was active. It had a good strong heartbeat. The due date is October 12th and yes, we will find out if we are having a boy or a girl. We might be able to find out as early as our May appointment, but most likely it will be our June appointment. I have less than two weeks left in my 1st trimester and I’m praying that I start to feel better around that time. I’ve been plagued with “morning” sickness that really happens any time of day – mostly morning or evening. I have to pee about 3 times a night and I’m not getting very solid sleep. I guess my body is training me now for what it will be like to get up multiple times a night with the newborn. The combination of sickness and tired has made me wonder why women rave about being pregnant. So far it hasn’t been that great, but I’m hoping things improve soon.

As with all new adventures I’m cautiously optimistic. I feel slightly guilty that I’m not more “excited”. I guess I’m just taking things one day at a time and trying to figure out all the details as they come. Apart from symptoms, I think my brain is still trying to process that this is really happening. Even after the ultrasound I told Jeremy it didn’t seem real. I’m sure it will sink in eventually. It might be once I know the gender and can start buying things and decorating a nursery. We’ll have to wait and see.

Now don’t worry, this will not become a pregnancy blog. There will be an occasional post now and then, because this is a big part of my life right now, but it’s not the only part of my life. There is still so much to write about and so many thoughts bouncing around in my head. While I am pleased to share this news with you, the baby will not take over my blog, just like I don’t plan on letting it take over my Facebook or anything else. The hardest part of sharing this news with the world is letting people into my private life. There are some things that are just more precious when they are treasured quietly, so don’t expect every detail. I know you are relieved and so am I!

So yes, it’s official. It’s on the internet so it must be true (don’t let this blog being posted on April Fool’s Day throw you off, it is real). We are going to be parents! October is my favorite month of the year, so why not add a little something extra to it? Parenthood, here we come!

 

Sundaes, Birthdays and Eggciting Times! March 29, 2013

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time — Amy Scott @ 2:07 pm

It’s been a whirlwind kind of week! Lots to do in preparation for our giant community egg hunt tomorrow. Lucky for me, I have a sister who loves me dearly and came into help me twice this week in the office. I’m deeming her my Easter Eggstravaganza Lifesaver! Not only did she come to help, but she also brought Starbucks both times! What’s not to love about that? After some long and busy days at work, I think we’re in an amazing spot for the hunts tomorrow. Everything is ready. Now it’s just time to hide the eggs and have some fun!

Sundae Sunday!

Sundae Sunday!

This last weekend was a special one for our Children’s Ministry. We’ve been in the middle of an offering challenge in the month of March. The kids were given the goal to raise 30lbs of change and they did it in record time! The reward for this challenge was ice cream sundaes. Since they reached their goal early, they got their reward early as well. It was fun to see the kids all excited about giving and the ice cream! Turns out we had just enough ice cream to go around for our kids, but not for our leaders. Since I couldn’t leave the leaders hanging, I ran over to McDonald’s and picked up 7 hot fudge sundaes. Let me tell you, that felt weird to order. I had the strong urge to explain that they weren’t all for me. I don’t really think the McDonald’s employees cared. With their goal met, we have given the kids a new challenge. The goal is to reach 50lbs by the end of the month and they are 6lbs away right now. It’s totally doable, but we’ll see if the Easter weekend throws them off of their game. If they can reach this new goal, we’ll have doughnuts next weekend for them. This BGMC experience has been a sweet deal! I’m so proud of our giving kiddos!

Jeremy's Birthday Cake!

Jeremy’s Birthday Cake!

In the midst of the children’s ministry mania, my hubby had his birthday. I will admit that we didn’t do a great job of celebrating just him. His actual birthday kind of got taken over by the egg hunt. We did go out to dinner at Olive Garden and get Blizzards for dessert at Dairy Queen. We celebrated with food. The great thing is that the day before his birthday, we spent most of the day with his family celebrating. At least one day was focused truly on him. Jeremy got to choose the meal of meatloaf and mashed potatoes. We had Funfetti cake for dessert and then we played sports on the Kinect. We ended the family time with a dance party. Good times and fun memories! I’m so blessed by hubby and the wonderful man that he is. He is so stable and good and calm and steady. He really is the rock in my crazy life. I’m grateful for each year I get to celebrate with him. He is truly worth making a big deal about!

That’s the update for this week! I’ll keep you posted on how the 2 giant egg hunts with 70,000 candy-filled eggs goes. The weather looks like it’s going to be sunny and warm. I’ll be honest – that is all God! What are the odds that we would get such a nice day at the end of March?!?! The answer is God’s grace and goodness! Amen! I can’t wait share the highlights from our Easter weekend! I have a feeling it’s going to be a BIG weekend all the way around!