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Simply Bloom Co.

Where Passion & Purpose Collide

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March Desktop Wallpaper {and a subtle announcement}

March Desktop Wallpaper {and a subtle announcement}

I opened my laptop last night, after getting my kidlets settled into their respective beds, to write. Just write. Not edit.  Not criticize.  Not overanalyze every.single.word I type. Not sigh and slam close my laptop feeling discouraged and defeated.  Just write.  And drink lots of tea.  This always helps. I tend to be an overanalyzing perfectionistic freak when it comes… Read More

Designs, Desktop Wallpaper, Faith, Goals, Quotes and Scriptures, Writing

February Desktop Wallpaper

February Desktop Wallpaper

One of my absolute favorite things about my husband is that he not only tolerates my quirky, tea-chugging, creatively-scattered, easily-delighted self…but he celebrates all that makes me different.  He makes me tea every day, without being asked…because he knows it makes me smile.  Okay, function. He fills my pellet stove at 1 in the morning, before going to bed, so… Read More

Designs, Desktop Wallpaper, Love, Photography, Quotes and Scriptures

January 2014 Desktop Wallpaper

January 2014 Desktop Wallpaper

We’re just days away from a brand spankin’ new year, friends, and it’s good to be alive! And warm. It’s been über chilly up in these parts – a record high, I hear – and the snow and ice have been relentless in their coating of branches, roofs and small creatures who care not for numb toes and frozen noses…. Read More

Desktop Wallpaper, Photography

Happy June {Desktop} Wallpaper

Happy June {Desktop} Wallpaper

While my daughter may be way off a little off on her knowledge of my weight and age – for Mother’s Day, we were presented with a form filled out by the teacher, answered by our kids…according to Bean, I am 25 years old, 5 feet tall and 20 pounds – she’ll nail my favorite colors any day of the… Read More

Designs, Desktop Wallpaper, Photography

Thoughts on Motherhood & November {Desktop} Wallpaper

How on earth is it possible that it’s November 2012 already? Next month is Christmas, ya’ll! Yay and… yikes. I realize I may be a little slow on the uptake here, but weren’t we just getting all giddy {and awkwardly terrified} by the notion of a new millennium around the corner? Has it really been 13 years already? Gosh, it’s… Read More

Daily Life, Designs, Desktop Wallpaper, Grace, Motherhood

Family Rules {Printable & Desktop Wallpaper}

Family Rules {Printable & Desktop Wallpaper}

I’ve always been inspired by crisp, creative, colorful design…with a message!  It’s like a triple layered cake…with cream cheese frosting. And chocolate shavings. I’ve been mulling over the idea of ‘family rules’ for some time now and have been drooling over all the pallet-painted gorgeousness on Pinterest lately, in search of ‘the one’.  So when a precious friend sent me… Read More

Cute Stuff, Designs, Desktop Wallpaper, Faith, Family, Printables

She Breathes! {plus September Desktop Wallpaper}

Contrary to popular belief, further enhanced by the distinct stagnancy of this little blog, I am still alive. {knuckle bumps} Which is incredibly convenient seeing my husband is in desperate need of some clean underwear. 2 weeks, 10 states, and 70 hours later, our summer extravaganza has come to an end.  And it was wicked cool to the last drop. … Read More

Designs, Desktop Wallpaper, Family, Travels

August {Desktop} Wallpaper

Apparently I still don’t know how to post things to my blog properly – I was trying to be more prepared and threw together a rough draft of this post a week days ago {seeing I tend to only think about desktop wallpaper half way through the month, after a reader or two have asked where it is}…and then, feeling… Read More

Designs, Desktop Wallpaper, Photography

July {Desktop} Wallpaper

I’m in desperate need of a date with my camera.  In fact I’m hoping to squeeze one in tomorrow – with my kiddos – out on the railroad track near our house.  With a trunk.  At sunset.  woah, mama. I’ve never pulled off a “shoot” like this – perfect lighting, delicious loin-fruit {if I do say so myself}, surreal backdrop… Read More

Designs, Desktop Wallpaper, Photography, Quotes and Scriptures

Peonies & Aperture {& your June Desktop Wallpaper}

This is what happens when you put fuschia, aqua and avocado green in the same square foot. It creates beauty of epic proportion. When we were house hunting 3 years ago, anticipating my disappointment at the arrival of a new Spring without the 100+ tulips that I had grown accustomed to {and waited with baited breath for} that spilled out… Read More

Designs, Desktop Wallpaper, Garden, Photography, Quotes and Scriptures

Sunflower Love (Recipe & October Wallpaper)

Welcome to October!  Here’s a delightfully unusual sunflower from my sister’s garden for you. You’re welcome. For large {1680 x 1050 pixels}, click here For small {1280 x 800 pixels}, click here {just right click and save the image, and then save it as your desktop wallpaper} I just love the sunny disposition of the sunflower! I can’t help but… Read More

Desktop Wallpaper, Food, Garden

{Proud as a Peacock} July Desktop Wallpaper

I’ve always loved fireworks {especially when my family flew over them on our way home to South Africa one year}, but the actual significance of July fourth never really hit home to me.  Until now. You see, this will be my very first Independence Day as a US citizen. Thank you.  Thank you very much. And I must say, it’s… Read More

Designs, Desktop Wallpaper, Photography

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

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I am regularly overwhelmed by the kindness of God I am regularly overwhelmed by the 
kindness of God in the small + simple.

Things like twinkle lights + Christmas jazz,
scraping out the peanut butter fudge pot
all by myself while sitting on the counter,
and walking around the corner to find my
loin fruit snuggled up together over tea.

They may fight like cats + dogs at times,
but their bond is deep and true and sweet.
Happy release day, @dralisoncook 💛 Written at Happy release day, @dralisoncook 💛

Written at the intersection 
of faith and psychology, 
this book is yet another 
soul-nourishing,
heart-healing, 
boundary-fortifying 
gift from Alison Cook
(if you’ve had a heart-to-heart
with me in the past two years,
you know how much I loved 
‘Boundaries for the Soul’). 

As an enneagram 2 who was raised 
in the church, this book was a timely
and liberating read. Pure balm for the 
weary, recovering-people-pleaser soul. 

I am beyond grateful for the wisdom, 
compassion + experience that Alison 
brings to all she shares (and it was
such an honor to be on her launch 
team for this beautiful new book).

Need a survival guide for your growth
and healing journey? Here you go! ✌🏼

#thebestofyou #thebestofyoubook #womenoffaith #healthyboundaries #healthyyou #healingjourney
Find yourself a tribe of people who will, togethe Find yourself a tribe of people who will, 
together, spend a beautiful Saturday
morning pulling this workout off:

• 20 mile run
• 340 tire flips
• 2,000 air squats
• 1,000 pull ups
• 1,500 box jumps
• 2,200 pull ups
• 600 devil press
• 3,300 sit ups

Brutal. Amazing. 
Exhausted.
So grateful for these two - their friendship, enco So grateful for these two - their friendship,
encouragement and wise counsel over the
past decade of being our pastoral couple
has been such a gift to our family 💛

Congrats on your retirement, dear friends!!
“Over the years, I have come to realize that t “Over the years, 
I have come to realize that 
the greatest trap in our life is not 
success, popularity, or power, 
but self-rejection.”
 :: Henri Nouwen

Somewhere along the journey of 
life, we start to believe the lie that - 
despite being made in the very image 
of a good and beautiful God - who we 
are is inherently bad and broken, and 
we learn to cover that deep sense 
of inadequacy (and the shame that 
accompanies it) with performance.

Because our visceral 
human response to 
‘bad + broken’ is 
‘reject + conceal’.

We think it’s the rejection of others
that cuts us to the core, but the truth
is…most of us walk around wounded 
by a constant and unrelenting sense 
of self-rejection and self-loathing.

Want to know why we feverishly seek 
out the approval and validation of others?
Why we desperately want others to like us?

Because we’re out of touch with our
inherent value and worth, and we’re
not sure that we even like ourselves.

We resent our weakness,
and abandon ourselves.

/ / /

But this good + beautiful God of ours…
He is drawn to our weakness like a
moth to a flame, swooping in to
bring strength and grace.

Paul writes in Corinthians 12:9 that 
he learned to delight in his weakness 
because it was when he was week that
“His strength is perfected in me”. 

Or, as the Passion Translation so 
stunningly puts it, “my weakness 
becomes a portal to God’s power”.

Precious ones, we can shun our tender
still-in-process places, pretend to have 
it all together, and hustle for our worth…
OR we can drop the masks, offer kindness 
and curiosity to our hurting, broken parts,
and learn to live fully seen and known.

But we can’t have both.

And yes, it’s scary.

Today may we choose
…grace over perfectionism
…curiosity over shame
…acceptance over rejection
…gentleness over judgement
…wholeness over pretense

You are loved.
And they’re off! Alathea is in 10th grade and A And they’re off!

Alathea is in 10th grade and
Aiden is heading into 8th grade.

Here’s to a year full of grace,
discovery, friendship + growth 🙌🏼
"Faith isn't the ability to believe long + far i "Faith isn't the ability 
to believe long + far 
into the misty future. 
It's simply taking God 
at His Word + taking 
the next step."

:: Joni Eareckson Tada
Day 15 | Beach Day + Travel Prep We fly out late Day 15 | Beach Day + Travel Prep

We fly out late tomorrow evening so today
has been a lazy day of laundry, laying in the
sun, a petshop visit (where Aiden fell in love 
with a cute rat + I discovered zebra finches), 
an impromptu stop for bubble tea + stuffed crepes [oh my word, were these delicious!!],
shopping [I found the best, comfiest - Joe
would argue ‘ugliest’ - romper at the thrift
store that I can’t wait to wear on our long
journey home], and Aiden is currently off
doing his thing: fishing right from the pier.
Our view from the lodge last night ✨ Our view from the lodge last night ✨
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