Amy Scott's Thoughts

Sharing the thoughts that bounce around in my brain!

Pre-Birthday Contemplations January 8, 2013

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 4:56 pm

I don’t know if you ever have this inner tension when your birthday comes around. I feel torn in two directions. Part of me is like a little school kid. I want to have a giant party and invite the whole class. I want the whole day to be a celebration of me. The other part of me (probably the adult side) wants to just forget about the whole date. I don’t want attention or fanfare. No big deal. Fly under the radar. I guess I’m young enough to want the big hoopla and old enough to understand why adults are less excited to celebrate birthdays.

I think 25 was the last birthday I was really excited to celebrate. It meant I was in my mid-twenties. I was still young, but I was old enough to have some since of authority (or so I assumed). 25 felt like a right of passage, like I was really an adult. However that glory didn’t last long. I still don’t feel like an adult. I’m learning that there are no magic numbers where everything clicks.

I always thought that I would want to celebrate my birthdays in a big, fun loving way. I didn’t think I was going to be the person that freaks out the closer I get to 30. While I’m not too concerned about 30 (yet), turning 27 next week hasn’t sat well with me. I wish it wasn’t the case. But I figure I should be honest. Birthdays can remind you have how far you’ve come and where you’re going – much like a new year. It’s a time to reflect and it’s time to hope and dream for the future.

I want to preface that I love my life and I am very blessed. I remind myself of that when my mind wonders and it has been wondering a bit lately. I keep comparing myself to who I thought I would be at 27 and what I thought my life would look like. In so many ways the plans I made when I was younger have not panned out the way I expected and that is not a bad thing. God has been so good. He is redirected and steered me in ways I never expected and for that I am grateful. The trouble is in comparing. Nothing good comes from comparing.

For some reason this upcoming birthday has tried to derail me a bit and I’ve decided to not let it. I’ve decided to let my birthday off the hook. I’m not going to give it the power it seems to want to have my life. While there will be no big party like the kindergarten days, I will also not pretend like it’s  just another day. I will celebrate with family. Even though my plans will not be glamorous, they will be homey and cozy and fun. I realize that the older I get I will have to intentionally make birthdays special and keep them in perspective. I don’t want to be the kind of a adult that hides from aging. I don’t want to stay forever at a certain age. I want to embrace each new year that the Lord gives me. I don’t want to compare it with old hopes and dreams and plans. They are shadows and assumptions and hold no place in my current life.

So yes, in away turning 27 is no big deal. Nothing to be upset about and nothing to bring on worry or even sadness. I will keep walking forward knowing that God holds the pen and I am excited to see what Chapter 27 holds. It’s his story, not mine. I don’t want to help him “edit” it. I just want to be along for the journey – fully invested in every twist and turn. After too much thinking on the topic, I’ve decided at that age only has so much power over my life. It has as much power as I give it. And I’ve decided that age doesn’t really matter. Not when I’ve been following in the footsteps of the Lord. This a good place. I might have to remind myself of this from time to time, but that’s okay. I’m only human. Good thing the author is supernatural and so much more creative than me. I can trust him.

 

New Year’s Cleaning & Organizing! January 7, 2013

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 4:39 pm

This last week has been a good one as I get the house in shape for the new year. Last Wednesday I did a deep clean since our house was really lived in from vacation. I did tidy things from time to time over our break, but not like I usually do. It was vacation after all. On Friday I used my new steam vacuum for the first time. I love pouring out brown water and knowing that dirt in no longer in my carpet. It’s one of the most satisfying feelings on this planet, I’m sure of it. Today I went through the house did some organizing. Jeremy and I have been making some extra “fun” money by selling things we no longer use or need on eBay. While our home office really looks like we’re running a business due to large piles sitting here and there, the absence of those items in our house led me to do some rearranging. Our bookshelves were the most obviously hit. I spent some time sorting books and evening the two shelves out. I even divided my personal bookshelf into fiction and non-fiction – like the library. For some reason that fact makes me chuckle and feel happy. The only instance where this does pan out is with C.S. Lewis. His books fall under both categories and I just couldn’t separate them Weird, I know.

After the bookshelves, I attacked the pantry, fridge and freezer! I don’t do it very often, but from time to time it’s good to go over everything and throw away expired food. I usually do this task when my hubby isn’t home since he can argue any expired food should have the right to live just a little while longer. Me, on the other hand, I take those numbers seriously. A day over the expiration date and I’m pretty sure food poisoning is a possibility. With the food items taken care of – I moved on to Jeremy’s junk drawer. I didn’t really throw anything away from this drawer, but I did reorganize it and put a few things away that don’t really belong in there.

Another fun activity I did today was replace some of the photos around my house. It seems every 3-6 months I want to update the photos with our recent travels and gatherings. I like looking at something new when I walk around my house. The only problem is there are so many good pictures to choose from and many of the ones I take down I still dearly enjoy. I try to keep it all in balance though. I can only afford so many picture frames and really I only have so much space for them.

I enjoy this time of deep cleaning and organizing. It makes my house feel fresh. I would say I clean like this with the seasons. Spring cleaning one time a year is just not enough. I know I’m a bit OCD, but even I have the habit of letting things slide and soon before you know it a well organized space is sloppy. Because of eBay, we’re going through our stuff and that is a good thing. I love sorting through my stuff and getting rid of things. I’m not sure why I’m wired this way, but I enjoy it!

However, I did move one or two things today that I probably shouldn’t have… and my back is a tiny bit sore. I think the couch and I will become good friends this evening! I need to balance all this productivity with some rest!

 

Adventures with Cake Pops January 3, 2013

Filed under: Cooking Experiments — Amy Scott @ 4:43 pm

I find that baking reminds me that I am human. The kitchen seems to bring out my flaws like no other. I mentioned yesterday that I was going to experiment with cake pops today, but I guess you should have the whole story. It only seems fair. Tuesday night had the brilliant idea to make red velvet mini bundt cakes with cream cheese frosting glaze. I’ve used my mini bundt pan a couple of times with no incident so I didn’t expect what happened. Despite my best efforts, the red velvet cake mix wanted to stick to the pan. Once I was finish with this baking project, I decided that they weren’t fit for serving my girls on Wednesday night.

The reason I decided to make cake pops was I had saved the remains of the red velvet cake. It was in the perfect condition to be turned into a cake pops. Everything started off great today. I added my cream cheese frosting to the cake crumbles and it combined well. The next step is where my problem lies… I used too big of a baking scoop to form my cake balls. It’s so hard to judge in my hand if they were too big, but yes, they were. Probably two sizes too big. In the end I ended up making giant cake pops. This choice was no without its cake pop tragedy.  About 8 of them didn’t make it. They fell a part while dipping. The ones that did survive turned out well. I think that if I did it again, I would know what to do and what not to do. So yes, I will admit that these aren’t perfect… but neither am I! And that’s okay!

Giant Red Velvet Cake Pops

Giant Red Velvet Cake Pops

 

Kicking Off 2013 January 2, 2013

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 3:24 pm
Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

It’s here! 2013! So far it’s been a good year despite the fact that it is an odd number and I’m not fond of odd numbers. December 31st 2012 left us with a blanket of white snow and due to temperatures staying below freezing we still  have some on the ground. Snow always changes the lighting and makes my house feel different. It’s not often that we see a White Christmas and White New Year.

One of my highlights of New Year’s Day is watching the HGTV Dream House. Anyone else planning on winning it this year? I do too. Every year. Each house seems amazing and perfect and every year I dare to dream that I might someday be it’s owner. Of course, I don’t have plans to move to South Carolina, but if I won this stunning dream home, I would for sure take a nice long vacation there!

It’s time to get back to routine. I’ve been on a long vacation and today I’m trying to get back on track with what a normal Wednesday in the day in the life of Amy Scott would look like. This means cleaning the entire house, doing all the household laundry and baking for my class tonight at church.

I also had enough time to get in a quick workout on Just Dance. I feel so silly while I dance, but it gets my heart rate up and it sure makes me sweat. I figure that is a sign of a good workout. I need to burn those calories to get off those extra holiday goodies that left me a few pounds heavier over the last month. While I’m not the type who usually makes resolutions, but I do hope to get my eating back on track now that the celebration season is behind me. I also hope to do this dance workout at least 2-3 times a week. Here’s hoping!

I finished my whole Bible reading plan for 2012 on December 24th, so yesterday I kicked off the new plan for 2013. I’m really enjoying it so far and I’ve even gotten a bit ahead already. I like creating buffers in my reading so if I miss a day it’s not a big deal. The great thing about this plan is it is set up to be a 6 day plan, so there is already a built in day off. Along with Bible reading, I’ve took a break from Christmas to New Year’s with my regular reading. I have many books that I plan on getting in January and I can’t wait to crack their covers and see what they have for me! (Check out the 2013 Bible Reading Plan here)

Wednesday is a great day to “officially” get back on track. It’s an at home day for me, so it’s not like jumping right into the craziness of life. I do have church tonight, but after a nice break, I’m ready to be back in the classroom and with my girls again. I always appreciate how much this break around Christmas gives me space to breathe. It was the perfect combination of going out and doing things and seeing people mixed with down time at home. Now that I’ve had this space, I’m ready to head back to my routine, to my classroom and even the office tomorrow.

The rest of this week holds making cake pops for the first time. I can’t wait to tell you how it goes – good or bad! I think I will also start 2013 off with clean carpets. I’m excited to pull out my new steam vacuum that I got for Christmas and give it a test run on my floors. Lots of fun stuff to do! 2013 is off a great start! I hope it for you as well!

 

My High School Musical January 1, 2013

Filed under: Recollections — Amy Scott @ 6:48 pm

Yesterday was my sister’s birthday and for her requested activity of the day she asked me to go see Les Miserables with her. We’ve been anxiously awaiting Les Mis coming to the theaters and it was super hard to wait until the 31st to see it, but it was worth the wait. I really enjoyed the movie and tried my best not to sing out load while watching it! There were times when I was mouthing the words right along with the actors. I knew it would be an emotional movie, but I didn’t expect to find myself sobbing at the end of it. I didn’t bring any kleenex, so I was really trying to hold it together. I asked my sister to wait for the theater to clear out a bit before we left. I needed to regain my composure. It was a great movie that brought back so many memories for me.

Les Mis has always held a special place in my heart because it was my high school musical. My senior year I decided that I wanted to do an extra curricular activity. I had been in choir all four years of high school, but most of my time outside of school was dedicated to church. I wanted to break that trend and do something different. It was my last year, so why not! I will admit that I might be biased, but I think for a group of teenagers, we did a pretty good job pulling off this complicated production. My sister fell in love with the music because I had a practice CD that I had to listen to over and over again. We would belt it at the top of our lungs and let the emotion of the music over take us. It was so much fun! The whole production and experience is one that I’ll never forget. I was only a chorus girl, but I had a couple of solos and I got to play a nun which had no speaking parts, but a really cool outfit! Most of my choir friends were in the production and had major parts, so it was a fun environment to take part in. I will always remember fondly my senior year high school musical. It gave me a deep love for the story and for the music. Below are some pictures from the archives of my computer! It wouldn’t be a complete Les Mis blog if I didn’t show off my nun outfit!

One of my childhood best friends who played Fantine and myself who played a towns person

One of my childhood best friends who played Fantine and myself who played a towns person

The two nuns that attended to Fantine as she died (best costumes ever!)

 

Best of 2012 December 30, 2012

Filed under: Recollections — Amy Scott @ 11:37 am

After yesterday’s blog on the closing of 2012, I couldn’t help but think about my blogging highlights as I posted links to past entries. It’s really hard to pick which ones are my favorites or which ones stood out to me the most. I’ve sorted them by month, so you get a sampling of Amy Scott’s Thoughts throughout 2012! Enjoy!

January

February

  • Do It For The Kids – Thoughts on being silly for the sake of children’s ministry
  • Leaving A Legacy – Thoughts on high school Spanish and leaving my mark on the school

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

 

Closing 2012 December 29, 2012

Filed under: Recollections — Amy Scott @ 10:24 am

Just a couple days left to 2012… Like everyone else, I can get contemplative and reflective at the end of any year. I think this is magnified by the fact that my birthday is so close to the beginning of the year. It seems like another calender year and another age is just around the corner. So what has 2012 and age 26 meant to me? Far more than I expected. Through out this blog there are links to different posts which capture the moments I am about to share. Feel free to read them and relive the memories with me.

There were a lot of great and exciting highlights to 2012. Jeremy and I went on a road trip, just for fun, to California. I got to see San Francisco and the redwood forests for the first time and it was an amazing adventure. I got to team preach for the first time ever. It was an honor to speak alongside two ladies I deeply admire. I also to got to speak at our local MOPS group. It’s been a year of stretching myself in front of people.  My sister moved home from Kansas in 2012. I can’t tell you what a blessing it is to have her close by again. We are both very busy so we don’t see each other as much as we would like, but it’s still comforting knowing she’s just a half hour away instead of days. I got my very first niece in 2012! The joy of having both a niece and a nephew is really unmatched!

In a lot of ways, I feel like 2012 and 26 were a growing up year for me. I guess my opinion in subjective, but more than ever, I feel like I’ve changed through 26. It was a harder year in ways. Things happened that totally caught me off guard and forced me to my knees. I learned a lot in the themes of humility, letting go, and trusting God. These lessons were born out of heart ache and hard decisions. However, I wouldn’t trade any of them. The depth of relationship that comes when the Lord is your only source of strength is overwhelming. I feel like I’ve let go of a lot of hopes, dreams and my own plans this year. I learned that I’m not really in control of any of them, so I just have to trust God. I know that he has placed desires in my heart and if he wishes to see them be then they will. If not, I have to be okay. While it feels like a lot of my “plans” where shattered in 2012, I walk into 2013 feeling more confident. I know that God is in control and that my plans may or may not pan out. I don’t need them to really. If they don’t, I know that God has something else in mind and I have to trust that his plan is good and just as life giving. More than ever, I believe that my God is good and that he has good things for me. I can rest in his assurance that they will happen in his time, not my own. I am thankful for the peace that comes when I stopped struggling for my own way. It’s so good. This year, God has showed up big. I am blown away and deeply in awe of how he cares for me.

Last year I really didn’t set any resolutions for 2012. I did a write a blog about being better at my relationships. I’m not sure I’m the fairest judge, but the great thing about God rocking my world is that my eyes have shifted from myself. When I’m not so worried about making my life happen, I can focus on others more freely. I feel in my heart that in some way, I did accomplish my goal in 2012. As for 2013, I don’t have traditional resolutions. My biggest hope and prayer is that I will continue to go deeper in learning humility, trust, gratitude, content and resolve. I know who God has called me to be and I know what he has called me to do. I pray I can walk forward completely trusting him. I’m not trying to do it in my own strength. Not any more. 2012 has been a year of surrender and I am so hopeful for what 2013 will bring.

 

A Slightly White Christmas and Other Holiday Memories! December 27, 2012

Filed under: Family Time,Recollections — Amy Scott @ 7:04 pm
Tags: , ,
Jeremy's snowman!

Jeremy’s snowman!

It’s been a good Christmas holiday! I hope that you had a great time with your family and friends! I know did! This will be the wrap up of all the Christmas blogs. I know that there have been many, but it’s been such a great season to celebrate. I was thinking this week how Christmas really seems silly without Jesus. The hype of shopping and cooking and gift giving just doesn’t make sense without the greatest gift on earth at the center of it all. I can’t imagine celebrating Christmas without Jesus. I am deeply thankful for my Savior. I know that his birth was just one of the steps towards his death and resurrection. Christmas and Easter are so closely linked because without the other each would really lose it’s meaning.

Last Saturday, Jeremy came home from hunting with a giant ball of snow in his truck. He quickly unloaded the snow into our front yard and promptly made a small snowman. My hubby is a very creative and extremely odd at times. Bringing home snow to play with was sweet, but different. I decided that evening that it wouldn’t really be Christmas without cut-out cookies, so I set off my make a batch to share with company the following day. I kept the decorating simple and they turned out quite nicely.

It wouldn't be Christmas without cookies!

It wouldn’t be Christmas without cookies!

Sunday after church, I had the pleasure of going to lunch with my dear friend, Kaly. She was down spending the holiday with her family and I was glad to catch her while she was in the area. We had a yummy lunch of warm soup and bread at a local favorite. We stopped by Starbucks to see my sister at work and to get yet another of the favored red cups! There are only so many left to be had in 2012! Sunday evening, we shared pizza and cookies with my sister and her husband. After our meal, we danced and played card games. It was such a fun social day!

Monday morning, I was up bright and early to head to my dad’s office for a company breakfast. They did a big meal for all the employees and families were invited. It was tasty and they sure had a huge spread of food. My sister stole the scratch tickets out of my dad’s stocking from the company and ended up winning $5. It was very exciting. Since Monday was Christmas Eve, there were lots of festivities still to look forward to. Jeremy and I attended a candlelight service at our church. I love when I get to play with fire in the sanctuary and sing Christmas carols with the congregation I hold so dear. After that we were off to Jeremy’s family gift exchange. We were doing something new this year – gift cards only! I walked away with a Starbucks card which was actually $5 over the limit, so I felt pretty good about that!

Christmas morning!

Christmas morning!

Tuesday was what we called a Slightly White Christmas! It had snowed early  that morning and some parts had more snow than others. I was able to sleep in a bit and then head off to my grandma’s house for the main event. It wouldn’t be Christmas morning without a stop at Starbucks. I enjoyed my peppermint hot chocolate very much! I think peppermint tastes better on Christmas. Jeremy and I arrive before the gathering had officially begun. Usually we come in on the middle of the hoopla so it was nice to see it from the start. Watching the kids open their presents is always a highlight for me. There is so much wonder, excitement and thanks! After a family meal, it was time to head back to my parent’s house to exchange presents as an immediate family. We ended the night by watching the latest Bourne movie – festive right?

December 26th has become a bit of a holiday for Jeremy and I. We took off early for Portland, OR to do our post-Christmas shopping. We don’t exchange presents anymore. We buy our gifts in each others company the day after Christmas. We get great deals and it allows to get the things we wanted on our list. Yesterday was a perfect day! We got to spend time together, get new items, and eat an amazing meal at P.F. Chang’s. Sooo good!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Toby!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Toby!

It’s hard to believe the New Year is right around the corner! The week will continue to bring more family time as we celebrate two family birthdays. These are special times and I am so thankful to each person who made the month of December so wonderful for me. I am blessed to be surrounded by loving and encouraging people. My heart is full and I hope that your Christmas season afforded you the same amount of joy as it did me.

PS –  I know you’re probably sick of me “celebrating” this and that all the time, but one more thing! Today is my Toby’s 3rd birthday! He has been a great addition to our family and I can’t imagine our lives without his sweet puppy love and adoration! Happy Birthday, Toby!

 

December 23rd December 23, 2012

Filed under: Recollections — Amy Scott @ 11:17 am
Christmas Break 2004

Christmas Break 2004

December 23rd has always been a special day for me. Eight years ago, I was riding home with Jeremy after spending the evening together. I have admit I don’t remember the exact activity. We had been talking since October and had seen each a couple times through November and December. I considered these outings to be “dates” but we had yet to have the DTR – define the relationship. Jeremy had ask me to spend Christmas Eve with his family and my roommate was all in a tizzy. She thought it was inappropriate for a non-committed couple to spend the holidays together and meet the family. I wasn’t too concerned about it, but the holiday did lend itself to giving titles and making things official. I sensed the DTR was on the horizon, but I didn’t want to be the one to bring it about. That was the man’s job. On this drive to my house Jeremy asks me how I would like to be introduced to his family the next evening. Of course being unsure of myself, I asked him how he wanted to introduce to his family. He told me he would like to introduce me as his girlfriend and I said that would be fine with me. Thus, an official relationship was started. This was my first time being a “girlfriend” and I was beyond excited! I do remember running to my sister’s room when I got home to share the news. My mom said she guessed something like that had happened because I wasn’t too quiet in sharing my excitement.  Now I know it might seem a little silly, but I do remember this day fondly. To me this day marks eight years of Jeremy and Amy. I knew I was dating a great guy at the time and let me tell you, my love and respect for this man has only deepened with time. Jeremy balances me out so well and I don’t know what I would do without his laid back influence in my life. He might have shot my five year to plan to pieces with that simple question, but I’m okay with that. Life has been an adventure and God has been so good to us! So, Jeremy, happy eight years of being us – I love you!

 

Short Days, Shortbread and Dance Parties! December 22, 2012

Filed under: Cooking Experiments,Family Time — Amy Scott @ 2:07 pm

Oh, vacation days! How they seem to fly by! This week has been a fun one and a very relaxing one as well. That is the perfect combination in my book. Yesterday was the shortest day of the year (light wise). I have many childhood memories of my mom talking about this day. It was her least favorite. She must be solar powered! My hubby was out hunting for part of the day, so for a while it was just Toby dog and myself around the house. I felt the need to explain to Toby that it was the shortest day of the year and the first official day of winter. The news didn’t seem to excite him too much. I decided to move on to bigger news. I told him that it was also supposed to be the day world ended. I wasn’t sure what time the big “ending” was going to happen, so I told him we should make the most of the time we had! I’m happy to say that the world didn’t end, at least not to my knowledge. However, I think it would have been okay it had, I mean I would be with Jesus and that’s pretty okay with me. I’m not sure how I would felt about the Mayan’s getting it right… but they didn’t. So we can all move on!

Chocolate Chip Shortbread

Chocolate Chip Shortbread

Yesterday evening we had Jeremy’s parents over for dinner and some games on the new Xbox. Jeremy had the whole meal planned out and if you haven’t figured out by now, he is the cook in this family. I’m not a stranger to the kitchen though, if Jeremy is the family cook then I am the family baker. I took it upon myself to make dessert. I went immediately to my Food Network Magazine to find a Christmas cookie recipe. I settled on a chocolate chip shortbread cookie. I’ve never made shortbread before, so I was happy to see it turned out all right and tasted great. The only thing I would change was my chocolate drizzle. It wasn’t thin enough in my opinion, so presentation wise, I think I could have done better. Oh well. Taste beats presentation in my mind.

After the meal, we played a bunch of sports games on the Xbox. It was a lot of fun to watch us all being silly as we ran in place and jumped over hurdles or what not. To end the evening we put in Just Dance 4 and had a short dance session. Jeremy’s dad just watched… I don’t blame him – watching us dance was probably the most entertaining part of the evening! Once they left, Jeremy and I kept dancing. Jeremy left after a bit to go clean up and I kept dancing… I’m not sure that was smart – getting out of bed was a little hard this morning! 90 minutes of dancing really does take it toll. It’s been a fun new game. It really is a workout! I guess it means I can keep eating Christmas goodies if I can keep dancing off the calories!

So that is what the life of vacationer has been like. I’m not sure you’ll notice, but today we will have slightly more light than yesterday! Just a few days until Christmas and we’re officially into the winter season. Time keeps flying by, but as along as it’s filled with people I love and fun activities, I guess I don’t mind too much.