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Where Passion & Purpose Collide

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The ‘Muy Bien’ Fund : Fundraising Printable {and how YOU can help}

The ‘Muy Bien’ Fund : Fundraising Printable {and how YOU can help}

So this week’s printable is a bit of an odd ball.  It involves a leg, money and language barriers. Let me explain. When we first moved to the US, I was a freshman in high school and had absolutely no grasp of the “Spanish” language.  After all, isn’t that what they speak in Spain?  And why on earth should I… Read More

Faith, Family, Printables, Quotes and Scriptures

Happy 6th Birthday, Bean!

Happy 6th Birthday, Bean!

Happy birthday, precious girl! You’re 6 already…where has the time gone? It seems like just a little while ago that you were kicking on the inside as we folded little pink onesies and waited with baited breath for your arrival. Alathea Grace, you are so perfectly named. Truth and grace; two things that abound in your character. You are so… Read More

Family, Motherhood, The Kiddos

*UPDATED Family Rules Printable for LE Families

*UPDATED Family Rules Printable for LE Families

I’ve been amazed by the response to the Family Rules {Printable} I posted a while back.  It’s been repinned more than any other printable I’ve ever posted, and I continue to hear from wives whose hearts have been captured, or rather tugged, by it. Why?  Because it was designed specifically for Law Enforcement families and because, well…this is a unique… Read More

Designs, Faith, Family, Grace, Keepin' it Real, Printables

Of Chicken & Children

Of Chicken & Children

Firstly, congrats to Caitlin & Erica, winners of the Pumpkin & Parsnip giveaway.  Thanks to fumbly little fingers, there were two winners.  And a 25% off coupon for all those who participated.  Lucky you! Secondly, while we’ve discovered we’re not dog people, or cat people for that matter…we are now officially chicken people. I used to think this type of… Read More

Daily Life, Family, Food

My Big Sister is Cool {A Pumpkin & Parsnip Giveaway}

My Big Sister is Cool {A Pumpkin & Parsnip Giveaway}

If you know anything about me, you know that I’m surrounded by incredible women.  Wicked cool incredible women.  Women who know how to make stupid look cool. It’s a gift. Between my female family members, friends and neighbors…I am one lucky duck, people. While all 4 of us Douglas girls gained a hefty strand of creativity in our DNA, my… Read More

Crafts and Activities, Designs, Family, Giveaway

Because Parenting Isn’t For Sissies {Part 2}

Because Parenting Isn’t For Sissies {Part 2}

{If you missed part 1?  Check it out right here} If every human being has a driving need for security, significance and strength – including the little ones hanging onto our ankles – then we as parents have to be intentional about seeking out opportunities to instill and cultivate these qualities in their young lives. Here’s a list of 10… Read More

Faith, Family, Grace, Motherhood, The Kiddos

Because Parenting Isn’t For Sissies {Part 1}

Because Parenting Isn’t For Sissies {Part 1}

I’ve been waiting for the perfect occasion to use this photo I snapped at a mountain zoo in Colorado last summer.  I LOVE everything it represents…the detail it captures, and all the emotion it evokes. This little babe had been born just 6 days prior to our visit and it took everything in me to peel myself away from the… Read More

Family, Grace, Motherhood, Photography

A Rambling Post About Nothing Much

A Rambling Post About Nothing Much

It has only been a million years since I blogged anything deep or thought-provoking, and today’s post won’t do anything for the average depth of post {re: shallow}, because what lies below is a compilation of random, completely disconnected snippets to give you a nutshell glimpse, albeit a substantial nutshell, of what’s been going on in our crazy little world… Read More

Complete nonsense, Daily Life, Family, Friendship, The Kiddos

Riding the Chill

Riding the Chill

Our kidlets have been battling colds and coughs on and off for the past few weeks, so getting them out into the snow this past weekend was just what we they needed. As I sat facing backwards, behind my hubby on the ATV, soaking in the sun and basking in all the glory of their delighted shrieks as they slid,… Read More

Family, Photography, The Kiddos

Making Borax Crystals {& Other Such Nonsense}

Making Borax Crystals {& Other Such Nonsense}

It’s beginning to look hearty-farty around here, and while I have yet to become a wreath crafting, mantle decorating mad-woman {which I fully intend to be some day}, I’m trying my darndest to be more seasonally astute. And with this colorful display of VD prowess {that would be Valentines Day, not venereal disease, just to clarify}, I have officially graduated… Read More

Crafts and Activities, Cute Stuff, Family, The Kiddos, Tutorial

Growing {Colorful} Water Marbles

Growing {Colorful} Water Marbles

Remember these fabulous, squishy little things we ‘grew’ a while back? Well, we felt we could knock it up a notch by putting food coloring to good use {rather than, you know, adding neurotoxins to our food) and adding a pop of color to these little gems. Instead of soaking the water beads {I got ours on Amazon} in clear… Read More

Crafts and Activities, Family, The Kiddos, Tutorial

Thoughts on Identity, Parenting & Tortilla Chips

I’m tickled pink to be sharing my messy story of redemption with another group of women this weekend.  I love, love, LOVE sharing my heart…my brokenness…His goodness with others who ache to know their Creator hasn’t abandoned them, that He is intricately involved in the details of their lives – even if behind the scenes, that He is big enough… Read More

Daily Life, Faith, Family, Grace, Motherhood, Redemption, The Kiddos

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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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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

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