Forget Not His Benefits

All the babies (and some of the not-so-little babies anymore) are down for their rest time, and the house is nice and quiet. It's so quiet that, when I left this little clodhopper asleep...

... I walked out to our birds intent on taking advantage of it themselves 😉.

We recently got Mango and Misty a new, huge, wonderful cage, and I'm seriously so happy about it. Seeing Mango flying around thrills my heart! A second cage was a must for me when we got him, in case they ever need temporarily separated, but after we saw how he loves to play and be busy (much more than the girls ever did), we decided it had to be bigger if we were going to bother. 

I thought, since it was quiet and I had some time, I'd write a blog post, and pulled out my laptop. But we've been having ridiculous internet issues lately, so of course it's out right now. I'm typing this on my phone instead, and I hate doing that... Which is why I originally quit blogging a couple years ago. So I'll decide if this is a permanent rediscovered hobby or not after I learn if that is going to stay an issue, lol...

Philip is becoming more and more interactive, and his rare giggle is so much fun ❤️. Mama and I are positive he said "I love you" last week, which was just about the cutest thing, even though it was probably an accident 😉. He has also started to roll over!

Life has been full and pleasant lately. Christmas is officially over, even for us (we had a lot of "Christmas" left to enjoy after the holidays were over, because December was not long enough, especially with Daddy working such long hours right now). We're ready to get back into the swing of things, maybe find a new normal. Mama has been reorganizing and finalizing the house so much, now that we've been here long enough to troubleshoot problem spots in the home.... Like the high cabinets that not even Andrew can reach without a stool. Or the fact that hardwood floors + four small boys = furniture traveling all over the house on accident 😶.

I'm trying to get back into the things I used to do all the time and have let slip over the past few hard years. One is reading! I want to use this time at home that I have right  now in some useful way, and I truly believe reading is one of those ways I can both grow in understanding and wisdom, plus get some more redeeming, truly relaxing down time than scrolling through Instagram (although Isaac and I still do that often enough, talking about all the little foster kitties and trained parakeets on my page 😉). I'm planning (barring the internet being permanently out, of course...) sharing my monthly reads, but if I don't get to it, or if you just want a sneak peak, THIS book is one I wish I could lend to everyone, honestly. So. Good.

Being in the kitchen was the one thing I didn't stop doing while I worked at Chick-fil-A, but I've been doing even more of it since the move. My baking stone is one of my favorite Christmas gifts ever, and I made cheese balls last week 😄!

I'm also trying to either do something creative/crafty or spend extra time writing (outside of my journal) each day. I have a crochet project I really want to finish, but I'm having trouble finding the last bit of the pattern I need 😕. So here's a picture of some recent artwork instead, haha. 

I've had a hard time deciding how to come back to blogging. The truth is, a LOT has happened in the last year. I kind of want to do a big update post... I kind of want to pretend that a lot of what happened didn't happen... I don't feel like I can, because so much of what happened has had such a big impact on my day-to-day life, and I feel like that needs acknowledged. But I'm at a spot where I'm ready to be where God has brought me and move forward. The lessons, the timing of things, yes, they've been good, even when they have been hard, because I see how they've all played into each other and it's obvious God is in control. But I feel like looking back too much, I'm not growing from it, but become anxious about it. Maybe, sometime, those things will come up, and that will be okay. But for now... If anyone wants to know what's happened the past year, you are free to check out my Instagram (rejoicing_in_hope) which is what I did the most updating on. And I'm just going to jump in where I'm at, at this point. I do have so many friends who aren't on instagram/social media at all, and I actually prefer to be able to ramble when I share updates, anyway... quite a bit, if any of you remember that from back in the day when I was pretending I was in control of my life and kept up with this space 😉. I think I just want the simplicity and personalization of blogging back, and I don't want to wait until everything is "perfect" to come back. Remember my lesson from 2020? Haha. 

If you're still around (or just joining me, doesn't matter!), what have you been up to 😃?! Also, would anyone be interested in me starting a page just to link to recipes I've tried online? Because it's something I'm thinking about, if only so I don't lose them and make something good only once 😉.

Rejoicing in hope,

Ambrielle