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.

Monday Musings // Heidi May

Well, my family just adopted a second kitten, and the best part about it is that she's mine 💜 (yes, I can sense your shock through the screen, and yes, it's true I went from avoiding these four-legged creatures to loving them in the course of two months 😂) My Heidi May is soooo super sweet, very shy, and really tiny. She's currently sleeping in the crook of my right arm, but I'll have to move her to my lap in a moment as it's hard for me to type fast one-handedly 😄

Bringing her home 🥰

The story of how I got Heidi is an interesting one, which I'm sure you're all dying to hear (er, read) 😉

My younger sis and I tagged along with Grandma and Pop Pop over the weekend hoping to find a cat for Grandma, but in the end I was the one who came across a kitten I absolutely adored. Mom and Dad had already said I could have a cat, although we certainly didn't think it would be quite so soon! When I returned home, Mom took one look at my face and knew we had to get her. So, we drove back to the pet store that very afternoon (within the hour!) and signed the papers. Mom had said she envisioned me with a black cat, and she was right 😃

At the time, my new kitty had already been given the name Wendy, which I initially decided fit her perfectly. But then we brought her home, and, as I got to know her more, I reconsidered it. Her name didn't suit her meek, timid personality or the obsession she seems to have with hiding herself (especially behind doors or in my bookshelves). As I debated new names for her, Mom suggested Heidi. I jumped for it, and not just because it described my kitten well. When Mom was pregnant with me and went for an ultrasound, she couldn't see me. Everyone seemed to think something was wrong, but then, thankfully, they discovered I'd just been hiding. Mom later joked that she wanted to call me "Heidi" 😁 When pressed for a middle name for Heidi, I chose May, my birth month 😊

Mom, Dad, and I have a deal, and that is that I do four years of college online (starting next year) and don't court or get married until the end of that time. Now with a cat all my own to love on and take care of, I'm even happier with the arrangement 🙂

Doing schoolwork together 💗

Okay, while Heidi is continuing to sleep comfortably on my lap, I'll finish up this post by listing off a few other important events that have taken place in the last two weeks. 

We moved Connor into college, and he's doing really well, which we're glad for, although we all miss him a lot. He's been able to call us several times, however, and I chatted with him for almost an hour and a half one night (it was definitely worth staying up till a quarter to midnight 😊)

I commenced taking dual enrollment college classes through Regent University on Monday, August 23. It was a little hectic at the beginning, with orientation quizzes and deadlines I hadn't even been aware of, among other things, but I'm feeling better about it now. All my assignments for the week are turned in, right on time. (yay!)

So, how are you all? What have you been up to? Comment below, I'd love to hear!

Blessings,

Ellen S.

Can you spot the kitty in this picture? 😄

Thursday Thoughts // Colds & a Cat

Well, it's been a full week. A cold started in our family earlier this month, and slowly it made its way from person to person till finally everyone had it. Mom and I were the last to get sick. I had a sore throat over the weekend, and now I'm feeling congested and tired. Because of the quarantine last year, none of us really ever caught anything in a while until now. Ruby had never even had a cold before!

Thankfully, the worst seems to be behind us, and we're on the road to recovery. But I can't wait for this congestion to let up so I can go jogging again!

Those who were well enough helped lug up schoolbooks from the basement and organize them in the main level. We'll be "getting back in the groove of things" in a little over a month, Lord willing - Connor at college, dual enrollment classes for me, and the rest of the kids still in homeschool. There'll definitely be some adjustments, and I'm feeling both excited and nervous about that. 

Meanwhile, Juniper is continuing to grow and make herself at home! She found her way into another toilet (mine) and has gotten used to the loud noise of the vacuum. The other day she was sitting on the windowsill, and Ruby came up to touch her nose and rub her fur. It was the sweetest thing. 😍 I snapped a few pictures, of course. 😉

This naughty kitty seemed very intent on getting to our fish. 😂 We went ahead and moved the poor, unsuspecting victim to the top of a cabinet where Juniper can't reach it.

How has your week been? When does school start up again for your family?

Blessings,

Ellen S.

Thursday Thoughts // Kitten Adventures + Family Pictures

An update on our kitten:

As we underwent the process of adopting Juniper, Mom remarked that it felt like we were getting another kid. The rest of us laughed, thinking she was just referring to all the paperwork she had to do and the huge commitment we were making (i.e., that line "till death do you part"). But no. We brought Juniper home, and she quickly settled in so that she did become like "one of the kids." One-year-old Ruby loves to chase her (and take her toys 😂). Yesterday morning I found Juniper hanging over the open toilet (with her head in the bowl) and Ruby standing by, watching. My instant reaction was "Eww, gross!" Later, though, the scene entered my mind again, and I had to laugh. I think our toilet lids will stay down from now on.

We're currently teaching Juniper she has to stay off the counters (where we have our fish, Garrett). The spunky kitten likes to jump on our kitchen stools to reach this high, forbidden area. She also likes to climb into the pantry and curl up in the "snack drawer," away from little hands. 

We had a tornado warning late one night last week that wrenched us all from sleep and dragged us down to the basement for about a half hour. Juniper, of course, came with us. She found a comfy spot on the couch and dozed off, unaffected by the excitement. 

Our attachment to our sweet pet has definitely grown, and some of us are wondering why we didn't get a cat long before now. Mom bought Juniper a stuffed mouse that she carries everywhere (much to Mom's delight). There was a ball in the mouse at one point, but that fell out when Juniper ripped a hole in the mouse's back. 🤣 When she's not playing with her mouse, Juniper is either napping, chasing a laser, running after balls, wrestling for a string, being cuddled/petted by someone, or eating (she's already gained over two pounds!).

*ahem* In other news . . . 

We had family pictures taken a couple weeks ago (before we got Juniper) and just recently saw them for the first time. I thought I'd share a few with you all. 😊

From left to right: me (Ellen), Connor, Malachi, Mom, Sadie, Dad, Ruby, Luke, Hope, Marah, & Lucy
I love our big, crazy family!! 💗

Just us girls 😃

Did you enjoy seeing this update? Have any tips for caring for a kitten? Comment below!

Blessings,

Ellen S.

Thursday Thoughts // We Got a Cat?!

A few developments have taken place around the Senechal household . . . one of the biggest being that we adopted a super sweet 12-week-old kitten named Juniper. We love her a lot! She's cuddly and playful and tons of fun. As I type this post, she's wandering around the bedroom I'm in. Adorable. 😍

Juniper and me.
(Somehow my fear of all creatures on four legs dissipated when I saw this beautiful kitten. But that doesn't mean I'm an animal person. Yet.)

*heart melts*

Juniper is my sister Marah's early birthday present, which basically means she's Marah's responsibility but the rest of us benefit from her 😂

I also have two new "jobs" now, which I'm excited about. One is writing weekly devotions for our church website.  They're generally written, proofread, and posted by Wednesday. I don't feel comfortable with making the link to that website public here on my blog, but if you're interested in reading those devotions, email me and I'll send the link to you privately. 😄

My other "job" is a volunteer project I hope to do every Tuesday morning. PLUS, I just registered for dual enrollment college classes through Regent University starting Monday, August 23.  

So, yes, I'll be busy in the upcoming weeks, and I think I'll have to set aside doing Monday Musings posts again for the time being. But never fear! I have no intention of abandoning this blog entirely, and I'm still working on providing an alternative email system to Feedburner. As you can see by the title of this post, I missed Monday but may have just begun a new series of posts called "Thursday Thoughts" instead. We'll see. 😃 Stay tuned!

Blessings,

Ellen💗

Harriet

M'friends, we have a new member of the family. Her name is Harriet. She's warm, and fuzzy, and so, so small. Can you guess what she is? *all the smiles* 

Yep, a teddy bear hamster! For a (belated) birthday present for one of my sisters, our parents bought this new little pet. :-) My sister named her Harriet after Mrs. Oleson from Little House on the Prairie.

Welcome to the family, Harriet!

Is this exciting news or what?! Comment below and tell me if you have any tips or tricks for taking care of hamsters. :D

Blessings,

Ellen S.