• Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

Simply Bloom Co.

Where Passion & Purpose Collide

  • About
    • FAQ
    • Media & Interviews
    • Blog
      • Everyday Blooms
      • Marriage
      • Motherhood
      • Recipes
        • Breakfasts & Snack Foods
        • Lunches & Main Meals
        • Desserts & Sweet Treats
  • Speaking
    • Topics
    • Schedule
    • Conferences
    • Enneagram
    • Reviews
    • Podcast
      • Episodes
    • Booking
  • Podcast
  • Books
    • SOZO Book
    • Penduka Book
      • Penduka Shop
    • XES Book
      • Book Reviews
      • Interviews & Podcasts
    • R:EVOLVE Journal
  • Design
    • Client Reviews
    • Investment
    • Book in Bloom
      • Book in Bloom Bundles
  • Shop

A Whole Lot of Nothing Much

We’ve been busy around here:

I have, for the second time in my short life {okay fine…for the 2nd time in 3 short months}, deleted everything on our DVR.  Every.single.thing.gone.  Just because I was trying to delete a single episode of Dinner: Impossible.  It’s a good thing my husband really loves me {and forgives quickly}.

But seeing this is a wildly practical and very mature blog {ahem}, here’s the good stuff…

We just installed a wood stove…tiles, rock wall and all.  We’re toasty warm, haven’t turned the heat on for over a week…and are in love!  Bug was a great help…

Christmas time 007Christmas time 008Christmas time 010 Christmas time 004Christmas time 045 Christmas time 051Random January 019 Bug in Nutella 017  

We’re planning, talking and dreaming about our family vacation to Florida next month {read: day trip to Disney World…”where there are lots of princesses, mommy!”}.  We are delirious with excitement!

I just bought my first thing of laundry soap since we moved into our house last May.  I forgot how much I love the smell of heavily perfumed detergent {don’t judge}.  As soon as I find another bar of Fels Naptha, I’ll make some more cheap goop.

Bug’s hair is finally growing out after I butchered it, leaving him with 2 almost-bald spots in the back.  Forgive me, son.

We’re working on letter recognition and…hmm, let’s call if “freedom of expression”, shall we…

Bug in Nutella 003 Bug in Nutella 006

I wrapped up the sadly-controversial-in-Christian-circles book, The Shack {for the 3rd time…it never fails to strip bare, rebuild and energize my relationship with God and break the bone of religiosity that so easily sets into the way I function}…and am starting a “steamy” new one called: Red Hot Monogamy.  Want to add a little more sizzle to your marriage {or completely re-ignite it, if need be}?  Click here to join us and read along with me and the Bloom crew?

I’m glad to report that the bible-left-open-on-my-dining-table trick is working well!

I’m enjoying my new pasta/fruit/anything bowl that a precious friend re-gifted to me {“I found this wedding present we never used and thought…that’s SO Joy.  I would never use it!”}.  And she was right…thanks sweet thing, I love it!

Random January 083 Random January 082

We’re starting our next marriage series at church next week; Sacred Marriage.  We so look forward to digging into this tremendous material.  Have I mentioned lately how much my hubby and I love marriage {ministry}?

I received a letter in the mail that set my heart a-flutter…but it was a false alarm.  The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was simply reminding me that I’ll need to bring ID to my interview in Detroit.  Whenever that may be.  They couldn’t tell me.  Citizenship awaits.  I remain an unlicensed alien.

Bug is still doing great.  No signs of SVT, thank you, Jesus!  He did, however, grab a tube of glue off my desk {he’s a climber} and, thinking it was chapstick, applied it lavishly to his little lips.  Yikes.

The worship team did ‘Trading My Sorrows’ for the first time on Sunday – a special request by Cricket.  She belted out every word.  So proud. 

And speaking of musical talent…ever since I stumbled upon this video, I cannot get the stinking thing out of my head and have inadvertently started practicing my cups routine.

We painted.  Played with play dough.  And Cricket’s extensive collection of froo-froo things…

  Random January 086Random January 084

Cricket and I made hair clips and rings…

Random January 041Random January 038Random January 080Random January 048

We ate more Nutella.  With a spoon.

I am being more intentional…about just being with the kids, soaking up this wild and hairy sweet time with them, rather than always ‘escaping’ to chip away at my to-do list.  Living life a little more…rather than just writing about it {ouch}.  Intentional about reading.  Intentional about playing/practicing keyboard.  Intentional about eating more of the right stuff, rather than just avoiding the wrong stuff.  Intentional about being encouraging, gracious and servant-hearted to my hubby.  About consulting the Lord before I speak…

“A closed mouth gathers no foot”

I dusted off the bread machine and put it to delicious use {recipes to come}…

Random January 059

Found my baggie of sprouts and started growing some…

Random January 088

In an attempt to boost my domestic prowess and creativity, and essentially bust out of my “boring food” routine, I tried a couple of amazing new recipes that will be up on here soon {along with a very popular South African dish, yum, yum!}…

Random January 055

Speaking of food, I’ve got a friend working on some meal planning info for us…SUPER EXCITED!  This is definitely a brilliant concept that I’m needing to work on.  I’m sure her wisdom and insight on this topic will rock your world too.

And last, but not least…we’re breaking out the ingredients to make homemade granola tonight {to go with the yummy never-ending yogurt supply we have in this house}.

Now…off to work I go!  When the kids sleepeth, I designeth!  And bloggeth.  {I’m designing invitations for a Mother’s Day Tea…aren’t they sweet?}

What to Wear 3 What to Wear

Oh, and I’ve also been frantically searching for Man vs. Wild episodes to record for my hubby to replenish the ones his wife so recklessly obliterated.  Peace offering, you know.

{over and out}

Related posts:

  1. The Battle Plan
  2. Through Thick and Thin, in Sickness and in Health…
  3. Just Look At These Faces…
  4. Life over Cheerios
«
»

Complete nonsense, Daily Life

Don’t miss a thing! Sign up for the monthly newsletter…

Simply Bloom exists to empower women to embrace their stories, live out their passion with purpose, and leave a legacy of love.
 photo Joy.jpg

Hello there! I'm Joy. Speaker, designer, author & coach, and creator of the #weROARproject. Welcome to Simply Bloom Co., where passion & purpose collide.

Subscribe for Updates

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
What if grace has been waiting for you where perfe What if grace has been waiting for you
where perfection never could take you?

This week on Oh, Good Grief, we wrap up our exploration of the 9 Enneagram types, and how each one engages grief, with Type One: The Reformer.

We'll explore the gift of integrity, the burden of the inner critic, and the freedom that comes when we stop striving to earn what God has already given.

The Enneagram may reveal the stories we've believed to survive.
But only grace tells us who we've been all along.

🎧 Episode 038 is available wherever you listen to podcasts.
From the front, our little apple tree is living he From the front, our little apple tree is living her best life: laden with fruit and bursting with life.

But that’s only half the story.

Take a walk around the backside and you’ll see something entirely different: a large branch, nearly a third of the tree, black and barren. Clearly diseased. Clearly dead. Clearly in need of pruning.

And yet, every time I walk past it on our evening loop around the campground behind our house, it catches me off guard. I forget it’s even there.

Maybe because I prefer to look at the fruitful side.

And isn’t that a little like us?

We’re pretty comfortable displaying the beautiful parts: the wins, the answered prayers, the accomplishments, the parts of life that look healthy and fruitful.

The broken parts? The grief. The struggling relationships. The things we’ve neglected. The places where we’re tired or hurting or simply not okay?

Those we tend to tuck around the backside, hoping no one notices.

But here’s the thing: what we hide still needs tending.

We don’t have to be ashamed of the barren branches. We don’t have to pretend they aren’t there. And we certainly don’t have to wait until everything looks beautiful before we allow ourselves to be honest.

Maybe growth does look like good fruit.

And maybe sometimes it looks like finally walking around back, taking an honest look, and saying, That needs to go.

Pruning isn’t failure.
It’s making room for what’s still alive.

And if you’ve got a few dead branches of your own right now, take heart. You are not the barren branch. You are the whole tree. 🌿

#SimplyBloomCo
If you are a Nine, my prayer is that you would nev If you are a Nine, my prayer is that you would never lose your gift of bringing calm, compassion, and steadiness into a fractured world.

Those are beautiful reflections of the heart of Christ.

But may you also discover that your voice is not an interruption, your needs are not an inconvenience, and your presence is not optional. May you become the kind of peacemaker who tells the truth with love, receives love without shrinking, and lives fully awake to the life God has entrusted to you.

May you know, deep in your soul, that you don't have to disappear to belong.
What if the peace you've been protecting has come What if the peace you've been protecting
has come at the cost of your own presence?

This week on Oh, Good Grief, we're exploring Enneagram Nine: The Peacemaker.

Nines have an incredible gift for helping others feel safe, seen, and understood.
But somewhere along the way, many learned that staying connected meant staying quiet.

What if healing isn't about becoming louder?
What if it's about believing your voice already belongs in the room?

🎧 Episode 037 is available wherever you listen to podcasts.
Permission Granted. In case you needed someone t Permission Granted. 

In case you needed someone to tell you: yes, you should absolutely make the impromptu stop at the roadside farm stand and buy the $5 bouquet of flowers.

No, you do not need a reason.

No, you do not need to be buying them for someone else (although that is a perfectly lovely thing to do, too).

Buy them for yourself.
Put them in your kitchen.
Smile every time you walk past them. 🌸

And support your local flower growers and farm stands while you’re at it.

That is all.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled scrolling.
If you are an Eight, my prayer is that you would n If you are an Eight, my prayer is that you would
never lose your fierce love for justice, your courage,
or your willingness to protect those who cannot protect themselves. 

Those are holy gifts.

But may you also discover the freedom of being protected yourself.
May you find people with whom you no longer need armor. And may you know, deep in your bones, that the God who fights for you is inviting you to rest...
not because you're weak, but because you were never meant to carry every battle alone.
The year we moved into this house, a peach tree sp The year we moved into this house, a peach tree spoiled us thoroughly. It produced more peaches than we knew what to do with—cobbler, galette, crumble, smoothies, fruit leathers, and basket loads given away.

Our expectations for peach season were high.

Turns out, that tree was throwing itself a retirement party.
It died the following year.

We’ve since planted two more. The one that has always been unproductive surprised us this summer with these gorgeous, generous peaches. The healthy, established tree that usually produces? One. Single. Peach.

Fruit-bearing is an interesting thing.
Unpredictable. Relatively unmanageable.
Sometimes delicious and sometimes disappointing.

And maybe that’s why I love the reminder it offers:
performance isn’t always a good indicator
of what’s happening beneath the surface.

Take heart, dear one.

Some seasons, you’ll crush the to-do list,
accomplish the goals and have plenty to show for yourself.

Other seasons, you’ll simply keep showing up.
Quietly. Consistently. Faithfully.

And that is enough, too. 🌱
What if your greatest strength was never meant to What if your greatest strength
was never meant to become a hiding place?

This week on Oh, Good Grief, we're continuing in our Summer Enneagram Series by exploring the Type Eight: The Challenger.

Many Eights learned early that strength was safer than vulnerability.
But what if healing isn't about becoming less strong?

What if it's about discovering that courage
and tenderness were never meant to compete?

God isn't asking you to lay down your strength.
He's inviting you to lay down the armor you no longer need.

🎧 Episode 036 is available wherever you listen to podcasts.
If you identify with the Enneagram 7, my prayer fo If you identify with the Enneagram 7, my prayer
for you is that you would never lose your capacity
for wonder, laughter, creativity, and hope.

Those are sacred gifts.

But may you also discover the freedom of staying present
when life feels heavy. May you trust that joy does not disappear
when sorrow arrives. May you find that God is not only present
in the moments of celebration, but also in the quiet,
painful places you once tried to avoid.

The One who created your joy can also hold your grief.

You are loved.
Follow @SimplyBloomJoy

Copyright © 2026 · Designed by Simply Bloom · Theme from Restored 316

Copyright © 2026 · Darling Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Unfortunately it does not contain chocolate chips, you cannot eat it and there is no special hidden jar.