Amy Scott's Thoughts

Sharing the thoughts that bounce around in my brain!

Christmas Weekend! December 16, 2012

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 3:12 pm
Long Time Friends!

Long Time Friends!

Now I realize that you’re aware of the calender – it’s not really Christmas weekend… in fact, Christmas doesn’t even fall on a weekend this year. But – this weekend was totally Christmas all the way for me! The great thing is that even though I celebrated Christmas like crazy this weekend, there is still plenty more Christmas festivities to come.

Like I mentioned in my previous blog, Friday night was dinner with two of my closest friends from high school. I graduated in 2004 with these wonderful ladies and I’m so happy that in 2012 we’re still having Christmas dinner together. It was a great night to catch up. The three of us hadn’t been together in over a year, so it was truly a special time.  I’m so blessed by the friendship these two women have given me through the years. God has been so good to each of us and I can see his fingerprints all over our lives.

Learning a new game!

Learning a new game!

Yesterday was the big Scott family Christmas celebration. It’s not often that we get to hang out as the whole family since we don’t live in the same area. These times of all being together are so much fun! I love being an aunt and seeing the joy that kids bring to the holidays. My nephew was so much fun to watch play with his new toys. I couldn’t help but laugh when he put gift bows on his feet! What a silly boy! We played some games, opened some gifts and ate a lot of good food. At one point, I remembered that it wasn’t actually Christmas day. It just felt so much like Christmas, I had forgotten the date. This just proves my theory – it doesn’t matter what day you celebrate, as long as you’re with loved ones it feels like Christmas.

Today completed the Christmas weekend with our annual Children’s Church gift exchange. It’s so much fun to see the kids open gifts and “steal” presents from their friends. As you can imagine, it gets loud! Everyone has an opinion on what gift should be stolen or opened. I had three gifts stolen from me. Oh well… I tried. We ended the party with a group picture, candy canes for all and a Christmas trivia game. It was a great morning and a lot of fun!

I will admit that I’m a bit tired after a big weekend of partying! I think it might just be time for me to snuggle up on the couch and watch a Hallmark movie while eating leftover dinner rolls! Sounds a like a good plan to me!

 

Time to Party!!! December 13, 2012

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time — Amy Scott @ 7:14 pm

I love this time of year! It seems just around every turn there is a Christmas celebration! I get to see so many people and spend time celebrating Christmas in many different ways. This week is all about partying it up! It’s been fun so far and it’s going to keep getting better!

My mouse & Aimee's mouse!

My mouse & Aimee’s mouse!

The first of the parties started last night with my class of 5th/6th grade girls! We did a gift exchange and surprisingly there was very little “stealing” in the game even though it was legal. I have a very considerate class or something like that… Silly girls! We did two holiday crafts – one was a mouse ornament made out of candy canes and the other was decorating their own gift bags. We got into the Christmas spirit by doing some worksheets to see how many could put the 12 days of Christmas in order and how other languages say Merry Christmas. I had more planned, but sadly, the adult class got done early, so we had to call it a night! I love my class Christmas party! It’s always one of the greatest nights.

Today, Jeremy and I finished our Christmas shopping! Just in time for all the celebrating this weekend! Tomorrow I have my annual Christmas dinner with two of my closest friends from high school. It’s such a good time to catch up. It’s not often that all of us get together so this is a very special treat. Spending time with these ladies really makes it feel like I’m a kid on Christmas break, just like the good ol’ days.  Saturday we are celebrating Christmas with Jeremy’s family. I have a huge pile of presents and food sitting in my office waiting to loaded into the car for our early morning trek. I can’t wait to pack up all the goodies and spend a quality day with family. In the continued theme of celebrating, Sunday is our Children Church Christmas Party! We do another gift exchanged and sing Christmas songs. It’s a lot of fun and a little chaotic doing a gift exchange with close to 50 people. Never a dull moment though, that’s for sure!

I don’t know how you’re spending your Christmas season, but I hope it includes lots of celebrating with family and friends! Enjoy those yummy goodies and gift exchanges. It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

 

12-12-12 December 12, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 12:12 pm

For some reason I’m really tickled by the date 12-12-12. I’ve actually been looking forward to it! Weird, I know. Usually these things don’t make a big difference to me. I don’t really remember getting too excited for 11-11-11 or 10-10-10, but yeah, 12-12-12 is very exciting to me! I hope you’re enjoying it as much as I am! I thought on this 12-12-12 kind of a day, I would show you 12 glimpses into my Christmas season. Sort of a random take on the 12 days of Christmas.

1 - A Veggie Tales Nativity for the office

1 – A Veggie Tales Nativity for the office

2 - Snowflake gel clings for the office door

2 – Snowflake gel clings for the office door

3 - A Christmas bow on Toby's collar!

3 – A Christmas bow on Toby’s collar!

4 - Cupcakes for my class party!

4 – Cupcakes for my class party!

5 - Yep, I'm a sucker for a band fundraiser!

5 – Yep, I’m a sucker for a band fundraiser!

6 - A sweet gift for helping with the Christmas musical!

6 – A sweet gift for helping with the Christmas musical!

7 - Presents ready for a party this weekend!

7 – Presents ready for a party this weekend!

8 - My favorite holiday warmer!

8 – My favorite holiday warmer!

9 - Counting down to Christmas with Candy Cane Kisses

9 – Counting down to Christmas with Candy Cane Kisses

10 - Christmas Lights on the house!

10 – Christmas Lights on the house!

11 - Little People Nativity

11 – Little People Nativity

12 - Blow Fish Buddies!

12 – Blow Fish Buddies!

 

 

Keeping Secrets December 11, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 5:34 am

I was catching up on some blog posts from favorite blogger and I stumbled across a portion of her blog that really spoke to me today. I’ve often struggled with just how much of my life to share in the blogosphere. Part of my deeply wants to tell you everything, so the world will know my side of the story, so I can be seen for who I truly am. However, some things I don’t want to share, because they are painful or even shameful. Who wants to admit their own humanity? Not I… or maybe I do. I just don’t know sometimes.  It’s a tough balance.

———-  ———- ———- ———- ———- ———-

Here is an excerpt from Sarah Bessey’s blog (click here to read the whole post):

I keep secrets.

Sometimes, I keep secrets because not enough time has passed for me to be able to really write about something. I keep secrets because it’s not yet time to tell that part of my life. I keep some secrets because it would hurt others to have it aired publicly. I keep secrets because only one part of the story can be told but really there is so much more going on behind the scenes.

I keep some secrets because I’m embarrassed or ashamed, others are because they are too dear and too precious for mass-consumption. I keep secrets because my appetite for truth and transparency doesn’t supersede my responsibility to care for the emotional well-being and hearts of others, and because most of our lives don’t occur in a vacuum.

I keep secrets because my family and my friends didn’t sign up to have their lives aired publicly.

I keep secrets because I like having my own life, tucked away, just for me, or just for my husband, or just for my tinies.

I keep secrets because it’s good for me, for my family, for my spirituality, for my sanity, for my soul, for me to keep secrets.

So I feel a bit tender-hearted towards Madeleine L’Engle today. I write through my life, and I write about my life, and I hope I’m true enough.

I hope I’m true enough.

———- ———- ———- ———- ———- ———-

All I can do is agree. I hope that I am true enough. I love to write. I love to sort out my thoughts through the written word. You have no idea how much therapy this blog supplies me. Sometimes I think writing is the only way I can get through my day, the only way to be me. This will be my 302nd blog post and I am so thankful for this outlet.

I strive to be honest and real. I want to share my life the best way possible. I do it a lot for myself, but also with the hope that someone will be able to relate. Maybe someone will be encouraged to know that they are not alone. I struggle just like them. I mess up. Despite my perfectionist nature, I am coming to grips with my own limitations and it’s a good place to be. God shows up.

So thank you for walking this journey with me.  I will continue to keep secrets from you, but I will also continue to be honest. It’s a strange tension, but the two can exist together. Honesty and secrets – I will live by both.

 

Remembering… December 10, 2012

Filed under: Recollections — Amy Scott @ 3:47 pm
My beautiful grandparents!

My beautiful grandparents!

Today has been a day of remembering. I knew it was coming, however, it wasn’t the first thing I thought of today. I remembered in the middle of my morning routine – today is the day. Two years ago today my grandpa passed away. I will admit that the time leading up to this anniversary last year was a lot harder than I expected and I was surprised that this year I was doing much better. My guess was that time really was doing some healing. However, today it caught me off guard. It hasn’t been easy. I have a lot of weighing on my mind and when it wanders, I remember… I remember that today is the day.

My grandpa was really sick towards the end of his life and I am grateful to know that he is with his Savior and he is totally healed and happy. I know that he would want us to celebrate his life and not be sad, but I just don’t feel like skipping or doing a happy dance. I guess that is okay, right? I miss him. I still feel weird when I sit in his spot on the loveseat. Sometimes I notice his laugh and voice missing from the chaos of a family event.

He lived a good life and he was well loved. He was a great grandpa. I have many happy memories with him in them and for that I am blessed. I was lucky enough to really tell him how much he meant to me before he passed away. I didn’t expect today to be so hard, but I do know that God is good. I do know that no matter what, I have comfort in the arms of Christ. So today I turn my burden over to him. I know that my grandpa is in a good place and while I miss him, I know I’ll see him again. That is enough to get me through the day.

 

 

The Secret of Snowflake County December 9, 2012

Filed under: Children's Ministry — Amy Scott @ 2:29 pm
The Secret of Snowflake County!

The Secret of Snowflake County!

This weekend our Bethel Church All Star Kidz Choir performed their annual Christmas musical! The kids did an awesome job and I think everyone had a very good time both on stage and in the audience. I’m not going to lie, my favorite part was when my hubby got up on stage and tap danced with our other associate pastors! You can’t beat tap dancing wise men – or wise guys as they called themselves!

The kids practiced for three months leading up this weekend’s three performances. Our team of choir directors did an amazing job leading our kiddos! I love this weekend because the kids get to take over the adult services. They get to share the Christmas message with friends and family in their own special way.  There is nothing sweeter then a child doing a solo or rocking out with full motions to a Christmas song. They really gave it their all and it shows. Yet again, another big production comes to an end. I’m sure all the kids will be good and tired tonight after all the effort they put in. I just can’t help but be in the Christmas spirit after such a great experience. I love our kids at Bethel Church and I am so honored to be a part of their lives. What a special time!

Check on my Facebook page for a video of the tap-dancing wise men!

 

Pajama Day December 7, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 8:09 pm

Today is a day that I’ve been looking forward to for some time! It’s one of the those blessed days where I have no plans and I don’t leave my house. In fact, I declared today a pajama day (Christa – I did this in honor of you and our conversation yesterday). I had nothing really planned for the day, but it filled itself quite nicely. I got sleep in. My hubby and I made an apple pie while watching all the Christmas episodes of The Office. Jeremy, sadly, had to be an adult and go to work this evening, so that left me at home with a book, my little dog, and twinkling lights on our Christmas tree. I must say, it doesn’t get better than that! I just finished by book and now I’m thinking it might be time for a bubble bath… Or maybe off to my next book? Who knows? This has been an amazingly relaxing day! Days at home like this don’t happen often, but I like to take for all their worth when they come! I think this one was successful! While I do have serious, pondering blog topics in my head, I think I save them for another day. Because today is pajama day and it is meant to be a day of rest! Amen!

This is what a day of rest looks like!

This is what a day of rest looks like!

 

Friendly Competition! December 6, 2012

Filed under: Children's Ministry — Amy Scott @ 1:45 pm

I teach a class of 5th/6th grade girls every Wednesday night at my church. For a special treat, I decided to do something that I’ve never done before. I’ve been teaching the class for years, so it can be easy for me to fall into a routine. Last night we had a gingerbread house decorating contest. It was a lot of fun to watch the girls. They were very loud and had a bad case of the giggles as they went to work. The overall result was a great even though at times I was worried what the state of the houses, their hands, the floor and the tables would be when it was finished.

I found these gingerbread house as at Costco and they were pre-built so all the girls had to do was decorate. I figured the biggest meltdowns would happen if the girls were assembling the houses and they couldn’t get them to stay up. This removed that worry. This set also included a gingerbread cookie tree, so it allowed for another piece to create. More pieces means more girls can get involve and all have a part. This kit was perfect for what I needed.

The girls had a lot of assembling them. We divided the class up into two teams – so five girls per team. There was a definite winner once the decorating was over. The girls were judged by my co-teacher and myself on many elements. The first was how well they did as a team. It’s important that they shared the roles and that everyone got a chance to be a part. The next element was how much candy did they use. One team used all their supplies, the other team didn’t. We also judged based on focus and volume level. One team was a little out of control and made me very nervous a couple of times. Both teams did a great job. They had a lot of fun and the room was remarkably clean once it was all said and done. The only moment of true worry came when my co-teacher, Aimee, was trying to get the houses to fit in the garbage can. She was using the stomp-the-trash-down approach when the trash can came out from under her and she was down flat on the hard floor in the blink of an eye. I was very concerned that she was injured… possibly a concussion or a broken tailbone, but she insisted that she’s okay. Hopefully she’s not feeling the effects of the fall today! Poor thing!

I had a 4th grader ask me, when she saw the boxes of gingerbread houses waiting in my office, if we would be doing this next year when she was in my class.  I told her this was an experiment and we’d see how the class tonight did. If it was too scary or messy, I told her probably not, but if it all went well, possibly yes. After trying it last night, I would say that this will definitely be something I bring back next year. The girls had too much fun not to do it again! Here are some pictures from the wild and crazy night!

The Giggly Team!

The Giggly Team!

 

The Winning Team!

The Winning Team!

 

What I’m Up To These Days December 5, 2012

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Children's Ministry,Cooking Experiments — Amy Scott @ 3:55 pm
One Thousand Gifts Study - Super excited!!!!

One Thousand Gifts Study – Super excited!!!!

Last week I was battling a bad head cold, so I’ve had a little more down time lately. Now that I’m starting to get my spunk back, here are few of the things that have filling up my time.

As always, reading is top on my list! I finished Girl Meets God by Lauren Winner at the end of November. It was a good book, but I don’t think Lauren would like me very much. She’s very ivy league and I can tell by the way she writes, she’s very smart. The book was her journey to Christianity. She was raised Jewish and converted to Orthodox Judaism before meeting Jesus. It was very interested to see how she reconciled her Jewish history with her new relationship with the triune God.  I’m glad I read it, but it took a little more brain power than I had expected. After finishing this book, I decided I wasn’t done with my “fluffy” reading phase, so I started The Hunger Games series again. It takes me no time to get through those books, so now I’m on to the Love Comes Softly series. I know I’ve read all these books before, but there is something comforting about a familiar story. So I think I might make December a month of novels as well. Nothing wrong with that right?

This last week, I had a long waited item arrive in the mail – my One Thousand Gifts DVD study! I’m so excited! I’ve watched 4 out of the 5 sessions and they are so good! Ann Voskamp has a way of bringing me to tears. I can tell this is going to be a great study. I hope to lead a Growth Group (our church’s small group format) in February to go through this material. It’s changed my life so much that I can’t help but want to share it’s goodness with those around me! A good book or study is life giving! I am thankful for the life that it has given me.

It’s now December so at church things turn their focus to the nativity and baby Jesus. I’m excited to do a Christmas lesson tonight and then move into a Gingerbread house decorating contest. It’s going to be great. I bought two pre-built houses so they girls will just have to add their creative decorating skills! I’ve never done this before with my class, so it’s nice to break out of the mold and do something new. I promise to have pictures tomorrow!  As a snack for tonight, I made a gingerbread cake to go with theme. The cake is buried under a thick layer of frosting and green and red sugar crystals! I love getting into the holiday spirit!

With my head cold fading, I’ve been able to be out and about a bit more. This week as been a social week as I’ve had dinner or lunch plans almost everyday of the week! I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with some of my favorite mentors who love me and who are a great encouragement to me. My sister came over for lunch today and we just sat around talking. Tonight is dinner with a student and tomorrow will be a dinner with our Bethel seniors groups. All this socialness is starting to tire this little introvert out, so I’m looking forward a low-key Friday spent at home!

So that’s how I’ve been filling my time. Good stuff! I can’t wait to fill you in the gingerbread house contest and the fun weekend ahead with our All Star Kidz choir performance. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

 

It’s a Season, Not Just a Day! December 3, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 8:51 pm
Time to Decorate!

Time to Decorate!

I love this time of year! I love that Christmas isn’t just December 25th, but it’s the time leading up to that day. Christmas for me starts with Christmas music sometime in November and decorating my house after Thanksgiving. It’s getting a Christmas tree and decorating it with my hubby. It’s about special dinners out with friends and red cups and shopping! It’s about days spent with family. About giving that gifts that makes their eyes light up. The biggest thing I love about Christmas is the fact that it’s not just a day. It’s a whole season! It doesn’t matter to me what day I’m celebrating. Christmas is in all the magical moments that December holds. I love the Christmas musical that our kiddos at Bethel Church perform every year and the Christmas parties we have in Children’s Church and during my Wednesday night class. This is one of my favorite times of year!

Christmas Lights!

Christmas Lights!

I also can’t help but get lost on the Big God Story that leaves me in awe. The Son of God becoming one of us. Coming to save us, coming to die. I can only imagine that first Christmas and how holy it must have been. I can’t imagine how Mary felt – holding Immanuel – God with us! I don’t know about you, but raising the Son of God seems a bit intimidating. Even within the Christmas story, I am reminded it’s not just a day. The Christmas story is our story every day of the week. It’s our need for a Savior and how God comes to us and bridges the gap. It’s more than a day. A day couldn’t hold it all.

I am thankful! I know I say it all the time here, but it’s so true. When I start to write about these amazing blessing, I just can’t help but say thank you! I’m blessed with amazing friends and family who truly make the season worth celebrating. I am thankful for the time I get to spend with the children of Bethel Church talking about the Christmas story and what it means for us. I am thankful for salvation – for a God who was willing to come to me and give me a chance. When I look at all the lights and ornaments, I smile because everything feels cozier and warmer than usual. I so glad that all this joy in fun isn’t limited to one day. It’s much better to celebrate over a whole season!