Monday Musings // Time for Allll the Updates

Hello friends! Long time no post. I hope you are all doing well and had a great summer!

Life has been full. I finished my sophomore year of college early May and celebrated with a three-day trip to Virginia Beach with my mom. We got to hang out on the beach, enjoy the sunshine, go book shopping and antiquing, and visit the Regent University campus for the first time! It was all so much fun. 

Photo Dump // Life Update

Hello to everyone who might still read this blog! I have not forgotten about this little corner of the internet, and while I miss having all the time I once did to jump on here and post, I would not change a thing about the season of life God currently has me in. I have been learning so much! The fall semester of my freshman year went super well, and I am now in my second semester with spring break looming just around the corner (one week off at the beginning of March - woohoo!) My classes have been challenging yet rewarding, and I am giving them my all! Plus working Tuesday and Saturday afternoons and Thursday evenings 😅 When I am not doing school or working, I am reading, trying to get back into jogging regularly, adding driving hours to my permit, or writing (with God's grace and help, I am determined to shape my latest idea into a novel - currently I am 20,000+ words in). So, yep, life has been busy, but good. 

2023 started off a little rough for my family. We spent the last week or so of December attempting to keep an intense stomach bug from spreading in the family after one of my siblings came down with it. Many of our plans for the holidays were cancelled, but God stayed faithful and He brought us through it - also (VERY thankful for this), my sibling recovered well and no one else ended up catching the bug. Then January rolled in, bringing with it another illness and a couple emergency room visits. Yet through it all, God was working, and He sustained and strengthened us. So grateful 💗

And so now, without any further ado, some photos from the past few months:

DECEMBER:

for Christmas, my supervisors at work treated me to my first Starbucks coffee 😊

making peppermint chex mix!

Mom and me <3

trip to the antique store with my mom and sisters!

found some gently used Christian fiction books at said antique store selling for a little over $1 apiece *heart eyes*

JANUARY:

good start to the spring semester :)

did the March for Life for the first time!

FEBRUARY:

bookstore visit!

I do not think I will ever outgrow my love for fake food xD 

writing!

my amazing blogger friend, Lilly, whom I have known/followed for the past four+ years, was published in an anthology! I downloaded Seize the Love onto my Kindle/phone the other day and look forward to diving into all the stories. (that cover is gorgeous, by the way, and went perfectly with my Valentine's Day nail polish :D)

Valentine's Day tea party with my sisters (in our pajamas) :D

currently reading ^_^

Did you enjoy this life update/photo dump? What are you currently reading? How has your 2023 been thus far?

ALSO: if you would like to see more from me, feel free to check out my brand-new Instagram page, where I try to get on occasionally with fun photos, devotions, and brief snippets from my life. 😄

Until next time!

Not just surviving,

Ellen S.

Honoring Christ in the way I dress (Repost)

I originally published this post in November of 2021, and I recently felt led to repost it. I pray it can be an encouragement to someone today <3

Since day one, I've been Sadie's "Mama Ellie." My little sister is younger than me by almost 14 years (Mom found out she was pregnant with her two weeks before my 13th birthday) and we look alike to an unbelievable extent. She has big, brown eyes like mine and she knows how to make the best use of them at her age. Mom complied to a request from her one time simply because Sadie's pleading spilled over into her eyes, and later on Sadie decided to take advantage of that. Sitting in the "timeout chair" after doing something wrong, she focused on Mom and said, "Look at my eyes! Can I get down?" (It was adorable, but no, the strategy didn't work.) 

As a big sister to her as well as six other siblings (four of whom are also girls), I have a wide range of influence on them in my dress, speech, and actions. The other day Sadie and I got into a discussion about my clothes. I told her God gave girls skirts and wants us to look feminine, which was why I was putting a skirt on that day, and she answered in all seriousness, "Jesus gave me pants!" I wasn't expecting that response and tried to hide my smile as I thought of how best to explain to a three-year-old that yes, God allows us to wear pants, but at the same time He created us as girls and He wants us to look like girls and protect our purity. 

Our conversation soon backfired on me when, the next morning, I came downstairs for breakfast still wearing my pajamas: flannel "fuzzy" pants and a T-shirt. "Ellie," Sadie said, "did God make you a girl?"

Scrounging around in the fridge for the milk, I answered, "Yes, of course He did." I thought we cleared this up yesterday. Where is she going with this?

"But you're wearing pants."

Uh oh.

Let it be known now that I wear pants to bed; I wear them when I go jogging; I wear them especially during the winter, when it's cold, or when I'm biking; I don't think there's anything wrong with wearing pants, provided my heart motives are in the right place. I'm at the age where, led by the Spirit, I can make these decisions for myself. But I have sisters who are thirteen, eleven, seven, three, and one years old, and I want to be a role model for them now in this area.

In a day and age where girls are told to "be who they want to be" and let every curve of their body be exposed, it's vitally important that my sisters know the truth. It needs to be reestablished to them (and every young woman) that they're beautiful, they were created by God as girls, they're worth waiting for, and the only ones who should see and know everything about them are God and their future husband. No item of clothing (pants, skirts, dresses, shirts, etc.) should be worn to draw attention. If it's practical, then by all means, yes, wear it. 

The pastor from a church we attended this past year thought Mom and Dad had raised us according to some kind of cult based off our views on modesty and family, which is so not true! I want others to see a difference in me because of Christ. I want to honor Him with my body and with my clothes. That doesn't mean I don't struggle with temptation, because I do. There are times I want to "fit in" and feel tired of trying to stay modest when it seems no one else, not even other believers, hold the same convictions I do. 

I don't condemn those who are different than me. I was once turned off from someone's blog when it felt like the blogger slammed me for being okay with wearing pants, and that is not what I'm trying to do in this post.

Clothes don't make the Christian; the heart does.

"Do not let your adorning be external--the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear--but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." 1 Peter 3:3-4

Christian young ladies, we need to be confident in who we are in Christ. Our bodies are His temple; we're called to honor that. Today, let's examine our hearts and make Spirit-led decisions regarding every area of our life, including our clothing, to bring Him glory.

What're your thoughts on modesty? Do you have sisters for whom you need to set the example? Comment below!

Blessings,

Ellen S.

Monday Musings // I Walked 22 Miles

What is this?? A Monday Musings post?? I just checked, and I haven't done one of these posts since September of last year. *gasps*

Last week was busy, busy, busy. I had my first literary analysis to write on top of all my other usual assignments for my two college courses, and I made it my mission to get all my work written and submitted by 6:30 PM on Friday because I had big plans for the weekend.

First, my brother, Luke, and I saw the Kendrick brothers' new film Lifemark at the theater from 7:00 to 9:00 Friday evening. The movie was good, although not my favorite of theirs (Overcomer will probably forever hold that title). 

The movie was not political, but it was inspiring and very pro-life. It had a lot of sentimental moments (more so than any other of the Kendrick brothers' films), but also some humor (thanks to Nate, LOL). If you enjoy movies that are clean, Christian, based on real life events, carry a strong moral message, and will quite possibly make you cry, check out Lifemark. 

The timing of this movie night was perfect, as Luke and I had committed to walking 22 miles to raise funds for our local CareNet pregnancy center the very next day (Saturday). I will be honest - that was a long, hard walk, especially the last 4 miles, when we were running dangerously low on water (I had only a few sips left in my bottle) and our legs and feet were on fire. Brutal is the only word I can think of to describe it. We were not even sure if we could make it . . . at times I thought my body would give out on me. We had no intentions of giving up, however. We watched for benches, and when those seemed few and far in between, we sat on the ground until we had caught at least a smidgen of our second wind. Then we climbed back to our feet and resumed walking, cheering at every mile marker we passed. 4, 3, 2 . . .

I had read during my devotions that morning that God delights in the person "who keeps an oath even when it hurts" (Ps. 15.4, NIV). I had told all my sponsors I was doing 22 miles; when I signed up for the walk, I said I would do 22; and so, I planned to keep my word . . . even though it hurt. 

Partway through our last mile, Mom, Dad, and the kids (oh, and Fern) met up with us. Seeing them gave me a renewed sense of purpose and energy, and I jogged a short distance before ending. As I write this post, my feet are blistered and sore and my legs and lower back are achy and stiff, but boy! it was worth it. We raised a lot of money (more than I had counted on), and it was all for a very good cause. Some pictures from Saturday . . . 

We walked the entire trail (11 miles), then walked back (another 11 miles). Here I am at mile 16.

With 5 miles left to go, Luke ran out of water.

4 miles left to go, and I was emotionally and physically exhausted. Every muscle in my body that could hurt, did.

Finishing strong!

And here we are at the end, almost 7 hours after we started walking, feeling tired and sore . . . but so accomplished!

Did you enjoy reading this post? Have you missed my Monday Musings? Do you want to watch Lifemark? Have you walked 22 miles in one day before? Comment below!

Blessings,

Ellen

The End of July // Time to Catch Up

The past couple of months have been busy ones for my family. I turned 18 in May (yay!), we were sick for all of June (a nasty, nasty bug from which I am still recovering), Connor and I did 30 hrs. of virtual classroom time for driver's ed, then we got our permits . . . 

(we've practiced driving for approx. two hours now, and I continue to feel quite terrified behind the wheel of a car. but I have found that listening to music greatly increases my focus while on the road.)

. . . Mom and I enjoyed a short vacation in Lancaster, PA, where we spent hours perusing the antique and book stores, saw DAVID at Sight & Sound Theater, and just enjoyed some down time in good ol' Amish/Mennonite country.

. . . my parents celebrated 22 years of marriage (*happy dance*), and I surprised them with a batch of homemade pineapple upside down cupcakes that ended up turning out really, really good (*more happy dancing*). I made the cupcakes again later on in the month for the fellowship period at our church.

to begin, I layered melted butter, dollops of brown sugar, and sliced pineapple pieces in a cupcake tin . . .

next, I stirred up the batter, poured it into the tin, and stuck the tin in the oven, then munched pretzels and exchanged a thumbs-up with my little kitchen buddy, Ruby. 😍

finally, after pulling the cupcakes out of the oven and letting them sit in the tin for an additional five minutes, I flipped the pan over and plop! plop! plop! out they all fell, looking golden, moist, and delicious. bon appetit! 
(okay, moment of honesty . . . it was more like one missed the parchment and hit the floor, pineapple-and-buttery-sugar side down, and many of the rest that did land on the parchment landed upright, which meant I had to flip them over and press back on the pineapple pieces that had fallen off. still, the end result was the same . . . melt-in-your-mouth yumminess.)

. . . I am also working 11 hours a week now and I LOVE my job SO MUCH. I praise God often for bringing me to this point of my life. College classes start up again on August 22nd, so I will have to begin balancing school and work, but I am ready for the challenge. Trusting God to see me through 💗

Fern is continuing to grow. She weighs 11 pounds now and has learned a few commands (sit, lay, jump up, stay . . . we're still working on that last one). It feels as if now that we have a dog, we are suddenly connecting with almost everyone in the neighborhood where we've lived for fourteen years!

My friend, Emma, and I spent a morning out. It was a lot of fun. We browsed a local flea market, ate lunch, splurged on a purchase of macaroons (for my siblings) and a couple of the random, pretty, little knickknacks that made us smile.

My family and I visited the Museum of the Bible again (we went for the first time four years ago and enjoyed it then, but because the kids are older, it was even more enjoyable this time around).

And . . . I think that's it! Comment below and tell me what your favorite part/photo from this post was, and/or what you've been up to in my absence! I would love to hear.

Not just surviving,

Ellen S.

We Got a Dog?!

I never thought I would be writing these words . . . honestly, getting a cat last year seemed more believable than what has most recently transpired in the Senechal household.

And this means that yes, you read the post title correctly: we. got. a. dog. She's a sweet, 12-week-old Cavapoo puppy named Fern. We brought her home last Saturday and are working on potty/crate training her. So far there's been no accidents (there's always somebody available to hustle her outside when she starts showing signs of needing to go), so . . . yay!

Isn't she adorable?

Time to brush that beautiful, curly fur!

In a family as big as ours, she definitely gets plenty of exercise, snuggles, and playtime! Our walks/short jaunts with her are the best.

Next on the agenda is to teach her to obey basic commands ("no," "come," etc.). If you have any tips to share on raising/training a puppy, by all means feel free to drop a comment (or two!) below; I'd love to hear from you. 😄

Blessings,

Ellen

Thanksgiving Day, 2021 + Major Black Friday Sale on My Book!!

Around nine o'clock the night before Thanksgiving, my family experienced a very unexpected power outage. We were in the middle of watching an episode of Love It or List It on TV and popcorn was popping in the microwave when things went black. And eerily quiet. After we waited for a while and nothing happened, Dad found flashlights for everyone to take to their rooms, and we headed to bed. My bedroom is right next to the laundry, and usually I hear the delightful tumbling of the dryer or the swish, swish, swish of water in the washing machine, but not tonight. All was still. Not even my lovely, clackety bathroom fan was going. It was so silent, my ears literally hurt. Lying in my bed, I began to think of the things I easily took for granted . . . like the power, but, to be more specific, the lights, sound, and air conditioning/heating made possible through electricity. When was the last time I paused to even consider it? Shalom curled up on my feet and began to purr. Her purr had always been deep and rumbly, but especially tonight, when it competed with nothing except the hollow feeling in my eardrums. Closing my eyes, I determined to give thanks more often for the things that often go unnoticed, yet are unarguably significant. 

The power came back on around midnight (right as Dad was about to get the generator running . . . sorry, Dad). Early the following morning, my sister, brother, and I went jogging as planned, then came back to help finish up Thanksgiving Day preparations. Our relatives were due to arrive at any moment, and it was a marathon trying to get the house cleaned and the food cooked and served while simultaneously entertaining the littles and holding Ruby, who refused to be put down. It was one of our biggest (if not the biggest) Thanksgiving dinners my family has ever had, with dishes of turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn casserole, yeast rolls and honey butter, and a sweet potato casserole. For dessert, there was pumpkin pie, apple pie, ginger snaps, sugar cookies, and ice cream. Mom had to make enough for our whole family, plus two aunts, two uncles, and two cousins. And then for supper, of course, almost everybody had leftovers. Electricity fueled our gas stove, kept the ice cream cold in the freezer, ran the microwave, and allowed us to turn on the lights while we ate. Going without power wouldn't have been the end of the world, but it certainly would have been an inconvenience to us spoiled American people . . . especially during a holiday!

This Thanksgiving Day, I was given a reality check that made me especially thankful. In the midst of all this corona madness and political junk, we may feel we have a lot to complain about, but God commands us to praise Him and give thanks through every circumstance. He has a plan, He is working, and He has gifted us with oh, so much . . . more than we can ever, ever deserve.

I'm thankful for power (of course), a clean Christian series of books I recently found, laughter, my family, my salvation, the gift of being able to run/walk/jog, music, sunshine, my kitten, my computer, food, clothes, a house to live in . . . and the list goes on. What're some things you're thankful for? Drop them in the comments below, or simply say a quick prayer to God praising Him for these unmerited blessings!

A final note before I close this post: my book, The Whispers God Gives, is currently on sale at Amazon for only $4 per paperback copy (the original price is $7.99)!! This super deal lasts only till Tuesday, so hurry on over and snag your copy (or if you're looking for a Christmas gift for a tween/teenage friend, here's your opportunity)! CLICK ANYWHERE IN THIS SENTENCE.

Enjoy your weekend! Happy Thanksgiving! (okay, so I'm technically a day late, but hey, it's never too late, or too early, to be thankful.)

Blessings,

Ellen S.

An Update of Sorts

*ruefully counts how many impromptu, unannounced blogging breaks I've taken over the past few months* 

*grimaces* 

*wonders who even reads these random musings anymore*

Sooo, hello, all! I haven't forgotten about this little nook of the blogging world and hopefully you guys haven't, either. At some point, I'd love to get back into posting regularly w/ book reviews, devotions . . . anything other than updates. But for now, this is my season of life, and I still enjoy hopping on here occasionally to give you all a glimpse of what I've been doing. (Especially since my writing assignments for English class always have to be formal, formatted in MLA, and checked over thoroughly for typos/grammar flaws. Writing informal, life update blog posts is a breeze compared to that. 😉) And because you're reading this right now, I guess you're continuing to enjoy my (somewhat disorganized) musings. 😜

The past few weeks were BUSY, to say the least. With my final math exam and last writing assignment in sight (session A of my semester @ Regent ends Saturday), things are finally beginning to wind down. Then . . . guess what. As it turns out, Regent has a limit of 7 credit hours per semester for early college program students, and I've already used 6 of those hours. So, after Saturday . . . no more school until January, 2022! *confetti* 🥳🥳🥳 I hope to pour my free time into doing ministry activities, like volunteer work, facilitating a Bible study at our church, and babysitting for a family we know with 4 kids ages 4 and under. And, of course, I want to do plenty of helping out @ home w/ chores and school for my sibs. Maybe now would be the perfect chance for me to finally apply myself to learning how to cook something other than eggs or cookies. 😁

My family and I spent a weekend visiting Connor @ college (we couldn't wait for Thanksgiving break to see him again 😄). He gave us a thorough tour of campus. We walked 5 or 6 miles one day, and it was great. The weather was absolutely beautiful, we all went out to dinner, and the younger kids, especially, clung to Connor and were upset when we left for home. It really helped us mentally to get to see him and know where he lives and what he does on a day-in, day-out basis.

Then my sweet, dear Ethel Mae turned into a biting, scratching kitten who didn't like to be held and could be violent at night (she liked to pounce on my face) and when she played. So, we unfortunately had to take her back to the rescue center also. 😢 They let us swap cats again, and we came home with a 12-week-old tabby I named Shalom, which is the Hebrew word for "peace." As of right now, she seems to be very promising: gentle, sweet, playful, and she loves loves LOVES to cuddle. Third time is a charm, right?

Isn't she beautiful? 😍

I'd love to know: what have YOU been up to?

Blessings,

Ellen S.

Monday Musings // Kittens, Classes, and a Home Hair Cut

So, sadly, Heidi just wasn't fitting in well here. After we cracked through her shy persona, she became a little too aggressive with her biting and scratching to the point that I was scared to have one-year-old Ruby go near her for fear of what Heidi might do. Heidi also liked to run away when I went to pick her up, so she wasn't exactly the cuddle bug I'd envisioned. Plus, she and Juniper didn't get along together at all, which was a real bummer. Through the experience, my parents and I learned that there is a very valuable question to ask when adopting a pet from a rescue center: "How long was he/she out in the wild?" In Heidi's case, she'd been out in the wild for eight weeks . . . which explained her sometimes-shy, sometimes-belligerent personality. We had to take her back. 😢 Thankfully, we were allowed to swap her for another kitten: this one an eight-week-old with an absolutely endearing personality who'd been rescued by the center at ten days of age. She has a gorgeous brown/black coat and soft green-blue eyes. I named her Ethel Mae, after the character from the I Love Lucy television series. 😊

Ethel Mae and me 🥰
I LOVE her eyes. 😍

She's super playful and can provide hours of entertainment . . . 

. . . but she also loves to snuggle. 💗 I came back from my jog the other morning and didn't have time to freshen up before she was again at my feet, wanting to be held ⬇⬇⬇

Besides adopting a new kitten, my days have been filled with college classes (I'm LOVING the English, but the math . . . not so much 😂). Also, my hair was getting really long and straggly. I finally learned how to messy bun it using two rubber bands (bobby pins are too much work 🤣) but the length of my hair when it was loose could still get frustrating. So, my mom gave me another one of her famous home hair cuts (evidenced through the pictures in this post), and I love how light and fresh it feels!! 

So, tell me about you! How's school going? Are you excited for fall? It's just around the corner!

Blessings,

Ellen S.