Monday Musings // Emojis, Photos, and a Surprise

Happy Monday, friends!! There's only week left till the Five Fall Favorites blog party, and I can hardly wait! (although . . . I'm afraid it means skipping a Monday Musings post for that week. 😮) 

I'm currently sitting in my bedroom, headphones on (with My Defender by Jeremy Camp playing). A pesky housefly is thrusting itself at my window in a desperate attempt to get outside. He's so interesting to watch! Ever since the quarantine, my family has been naming our houseflies (a true sign of COVID-19 craziness, I tell you). It started with Murdoch I, then came Murdoch I, II, III, IV . . . and so on. I'm not sure which number we're at now. 😂

Anyways . . . 

The past seven days have been busy ones for my family. Mom and I are finally beginning to venture out and do some of the regular grocery shopping. (yay!) We've also made stops @ Joann's, the post office, and Michael's. Sunday night, we brought a meal of meatballs and French bread to a friend who recently delivered her first baby. (a handsome little boy. 🥰) 

Swirled into that mix has been school, spending time in the autumn weather, and reaching one of my jogging goals: going a mile and a half along the shoulder of the road with my older brother and younger sister. 😀😀😀 

Over the weekend, I got caught up on science experiments, enjoyed a few rereads, and finished putting my mini book covers + chocolate bars together. Then, of course, there were the simply random moments of life, like reading outside with my sisters, discovering how to insert emojis on the computer, and having fun writing electronically on my photos. 😍😍😍

My glasses after an early-morning jog. (it was misty out.) 😂

To end this post, I have a little surprise for you guys. 😁 A blogging friend of mine, Mikayla @ Mikayla Holman, inspired me to search for and savor all the "kid quotes" in my life. Here's one of my most recent favorites: 

FIVE-YEAR-OLD-SISTER (peering into her yogurt cup with an expression of disgust): "Ewww! Dad, I got a piece of strawberry in my strawberry yogurt."
DAD (distracted and scrambling to help another kid): "I'm sorry, honey."

Hope this post made you smile! 😊 See y'all at the FFF Lodge next week, Lord willing!

Blessings,

Ellen S.

September 25, 2020

September 25, 2020, marks the one-year anniversary since discovering little Ruby's gender. I remember that day so clearly; being off school, hanging out at Grandma's from one to six as Mom had her ultrasound, and then Dad launching a cloud of pink powder in the air. (picture below!)

Now, a full year later, I have an adorable, blue-eyed baby girl to cuddle with, talk to, and assist me in completing what would otherwise be long, dull math lessons. And each time I press a kiss to Ruby's soft cheek, or feel her fingers curl around mine, I'm reminded of just how blessed I really am. <3 

Seven siblings younger than me, one older. Two amazing parents. And a God Who opened their eyes over fifteen years ago to the beauty of childbearing. 

I'm convinced that no other big/little sister could feel so loved! 

Aaaand now . . . a few photos. ;D

My journal entry from last year. ^_^

Do you have any siblings? If so, how many? Ever participated in a gender reveal celebration? Comment below! <3

Blessings,

Ellen S.

Monday Musings // We Got Out!

Friends, an earth-shattering event has occurred! 

THE SENECHALS LEFT THEIR HOUSE AND MINGLED WITH OTHER HUMANITY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER SEVEN MONTHS. 

After my bout of influenza in late 2019 + Ruby's birth at the end of January, my family decided to do what we've done with every winter baby: self-quarantine ourselves. Full corona lockdown hardly affected us as we were already nestled deep inside our "cave." Of course, a few changes took place eventually, like having livestream church services become the norm, and Dad doing all our grocery shopping. 

Even when things in our state commenced to open up again, my family stayed wary. Bringing a nasty bug into a home with eight kids and a sweet new baby was far from desirable.

So, in the times we needed to get away, Mom has taken a few of us with her on drives or possibly on an outing to the river. I also started walking, then jogging, on a regular basis. Connor (my awesome big bro) and I often biked to our neighborhood pool, circled the parking lot, and headed home without stepping a foot near the water. And perhaps it was insanity that drove me to picking wildflowers on the side of the road? ;D (to read about that adventure, click HERE.)

Meanwhile, the seasons slipped away. As the cold edge of autumn began to seep into the air, we started to lose hope of ever taking part in civilization again.

But finally, FINALLY, it happened. On Friday, September 18, Dad loaded the eight oldest kids (including me) in the van, and we broke from our secluded bubble to head in for our appointments at the dentist's office. I don't think it had ever been so exciting to go to the dentist before, and wearing masks for the very first time was certainly an experience! 

All you can see of this cutie are her big brown eyes. 😍😍😍

Social distancing in the waiting room. 😃

Later that same day, Mom, two of my younger sisters, and I made our first-of-2020 trip to Hobby Lobby. It was great! We ended up celebrating the occasion with Chick-fil-A milkshakes and warm sandwiches. *grins* 

So, yes, these trips were truly two amazing highlights from my week. :D Another would be finishing up and SCHEDULING my six Five Fall Favorites posts. (yaayyy!) 

Aaaaaand, there you go. Not the typical layout for a Monday Musings post, but it's good to switch things up once in a while. =)

What's been going on in your corner of the world? Do you enjoy shopping at Hobby Lobby? Comment below! <3

Blessings,

Ellen S.

Afternoon Homeschooling Adventure

There're so many joys to homeschooling, a few of which would be flexible schedules, opportunities to hold babies and listen to music while I work on my studies, and an AWESOME teacher (Mom) and principal (Dad) I can turn to whenever I might need questions answered or counsel given. 

And then there are the adventures of homeschooling . . . like stopping on the side of the road to pick wildflowers because my little brother needs them for a science project. This, my friends, has been my most recent Saturday afternoon activity. 

On the way home from Dunkin' Donuts, Mom and I spotted several patches of clustering, colorful wildflowers. She made a comment about picking them, but I didn't know she was serious until she passed me her cup of iced coffee and turned the car around. Then I realized my fate was sealed.

Mom pulled over into a clear spot alongside the road and parked, and I climbed out. With the sound of automobiles zipping behind me, I waded into the tall, unkempt grass and white-knuckled a number of thick flower stems, tugging until they came loose. Soon I had a nice bouquet, complete with blooms of varying colors - yellow, pink, white. (Quite honestly, though, the only flowers I recognized were the daisies. xD)

I brought them to the car, but unbeknownst to me, a small, eight-legged creature had decided to come along for the ride. No sooner had I buckled into my seat then Mom exclaimed, "Ugh! A spider!"  

Hoping to find something to kill it with, Mom opened the console. Too late we realized the spider had already attached its web to the lid. Up, up, up it went, swinging back and forth and causing both Mom and I to catch our breaths. Then smack! Mom popped the lid in place, trapping the spider inside. 

It was with much laughter that we drove back onto the road, arriving home and sending Dad out for the spider . . . which, uh, had actually escaped and is now nowhere to be found. (oops)

posing for a picture with the first few flowers. :D

Do you have a favorite homeschooling adventure? Ever picked wildflowers by the road before? Comment below! <3

Blessings,

Ellen S.

Monday Musings // Books, Books, Books!!

It's Monday already?! I don't know about you all, but the weeks seem to be running together for me. Having a full schedule certainly makes the time fly! 

Okay, sooooo, a few note-worthy occurrences from the past seven days . . . 

~receiving/reading new books, both in paperback and Kindle format

~we had our roof redone (which created a REALLY noisy atmosphere in our home from seven in the morning to eight in the evening *winces in remembrance*)

~lots of rain. on one particularly wet morning, Ruby Jane, my little brother, and I all squeezed under an umbrella to take a walk around the block. plenty of laughter and some slightly-soaked clothes ensued from this outing xD

~FFF organizing (again)

~I enjoyed my first-ever voice chat with Abby J. <3

~the arrival of a new piece of jewelry in the mail had me excited. September is national suicide prevention month, and I was inspired to order (and wear!) a semicolon ring as a reminder that the story is not over yet;

~two fun visits to Grandma's for PB&J sandwiches, pizza, snakes (!!!), and a variation of ball games 

~Ruby officially added two daily containers of Gerber baby food to her diet (she's growing way too fast!)

Aaaaaaand, time for everyone's favorite part . . . the pictures. Take a look at all these books + the cuties helping my photo shoots along. =)

How has your week been? What's on your currently-reading list? Let's talk in the comments below! <3

Blessings,

Ellen S.

Monday Musings // First Week of September

Happy Labor Day, friends! Hope you all are well. :) My family had a fun yet busy first week of September. Some of the things I've been been up to these past several days . . . 

~school (reading, writing, and arithmetic . . .)

~watching the "Queen Esther" LIVE show on Sight & Sound TV. :D

~brainstorming ideas for a new story (and only getting a total of 464 words written).

~fresh reads (Daddy Long Legs and Portrait of a Lady, to name a couple).

~receiving/replying to sweet emails from dear friends. <3

~with the help of a lovely younger brother, moving another shelf up to my room to stash schoolbooks in. then my dad hung a brand-new whiteboard above it for me to use whenever I'd like. (already I'm feeling more put-together.)

~getting my books/posts organized for the FFF party in October.

~going cycling with Mom after church on Sunday (which was GREAT).

Below are a few photos, the first of which was taken a couple weeks ago, but I never got around to sharing it. :D Enjoy!

This adorable little one wearing my headphones. *heart eyes*

When you need a reminder, just grab a pen and write His truth on your arm. <3

I seem to have a fascination with mushrooms . . .
(but, mind you, that does NOT mean I like to eat them. just use them as photo prompts.)

A peek at my school shelf + whiteboard.

 How was your week? Were you able to watch Queen Esther? Let's talk in the comments below! <3

Blessings,
Ellen S.

Announcement: Time to Book Your Stay at the Literary Lodge!

Ahh, exciting news, m'friends! *happy dance* For the first time EVER, I've signed up to participate in Rebekah Morris and Sarah Holman's amazing "Five Fall Favorites" blog party! The event starts in early October, so you'd best prepare yourselves to be drenched in a ton of posts, book recommendations, some reviews, aaaaaaand . . . a giveaway with a totally awesome grand prize basket. :D

Take a peek at the the beautiful invitation below for more details, and don't forget to book your stay! I'd love to see you at the Literary Lodge this year! <3