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Simply Bloom Co.

Where Passion & Purpose Collide

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Insalata Tuscana: Our Blend

We love us some balsamic vinegar; be it in dressing form {my hubby makes a mean homemade version} or glaze consistency. And it just so happens that I am on a bean kick right now {in an effort to eat better, on a budget, and consume less meat in the process}. The marriage of the two {beans and balsamic} is… Read More

Food

Just a Bread and Butter Post

Really. It’s about bread.  And butter. And only slightly about pretzels.  As hinted at a while back, I dug my bread machine out and have been baking up a storm throwing ingredients in it ever since.  And, as promised a while back, here are our 3 favorite recipes {so far}: * with all 3 recipes, follow your bread machine instructions…which… Read More

Food

Garam Masala & Indian Apricot Chicken

I may have become disenchanted with eating meat, but I have fallen in love with spice{s}.  And spices with quality meat equals one happy girl! First it was cumin.  Then coriander.  And I’ve always loved curry {but hey, I’m South African…it comes with the territory}.  Now…it’s Garam Masala. We purchased a little bag of this magic while away for our… Read More

Food

{Homemade} Granola

I’m addicted to granola.  Absolutely. and completely.  hooked. But I’m not a fan of the price. The solution?  I make my own.  And then eat ungodly healthy amounts of it with our homemade yogurt.  Bliss! {Divine} Granola                 Ingredients: 12 cups of old fashioned oats 1 1/2 cups of wheat bran 1/2 cup of flax seeds 1 cup of sunflower… Read More

Food

Pretty Pops for Valentine’s Day

Pretty Pops for Valentine’s Day

It’s true.  Cake pops make me happy. What’s not to love about decadent cake, all jazzed up, on a stick? Revisit my initial cake pop tutorial here…or simply get a little refresher below {while taking in all the deliciousness of my little helper who happened to turn 3 1/2 on the day we made these bad boys – she was… Read More

Food

Bobotie {Say That 3 Times, Fast}

This dish {take a deep breath}…is going to change your life. I teased it almost two weeks ago.  Remember this shot of my little garlic-peeling helper..? Finally, I’m on the ball, folks…she’s here: one of my absolute favorite South African dishes. It’s called Bobotie.  Pronounced {something to the effect} of ‘buh-boo-uh-tee’.  And it’s decadent. With it’s rich East Indian and… Read More

Food

White Lightning {& Homemade Chicken Stock}

I got this crazy good recipe from a friend many moons ago.  I have since lost the recipe {twice, in fact}…and this is what I recall of it. It has fast become a family favorite and a yummy staple during the chilly months of Winter. As is well depicted below, the little ones promptly empty their own bowl…and then go… Read More

Food

Scrumptious Roast Pork Loin {Rub Recipe}

The best pork loin in the world starts with a great rub {as do many other great things, ahem}. A rub is like a dry marinade that can be applied as little a 20 minutes before roasting, or as long as overnight.  The longer the infusion, the more intense the flavor. And aren’t the herbs and spices just so pretty?… Read More

Food

Chicken {Squashed} Nuggets

We have this cook book that inspires us to, while our innocent children’s heads are turned, sneak veggies into the most unlikely of places. Garbanzo beans into chocolate chip cookies, spinach into brownies, cabbage into armpits. Well, not really.  That last one was simply to make sure you were paying attention. It’s a stealthy health attack on standard, less-than-healthy kid’s… Read More

Food

If Santa Had A Picky Palate

…even he would like these cookies.  They’re fantasmigorical. We consider these babies ‘Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies’, but their stage name is in fact, “Everything Cookies”.  Because, as the name implies, you can put literally everything into them.  Except, maybe, the kitchen sink.  And ground beef. Or something. Thanks to the sweet momma of this little babe for sharing the recipe… Read More

Christmas, Food

Coconana Spiced Crumb Muffins

I haven’t a clue what to call these babies.  It’s complicated. “Divine” would be fitting. They have a heavy dose of smashed banana and shredded coconut, a kick of cinnamon and allspice…all topped off with a delectable crumb topping. So here you have it… Coconana Spiced Crumb Muffins {oooh aaaaah} Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour (or go… Read More

Food

Wintery Morning Motivation: Baked Oatmeal

When flakes of white start to cloak the ground, our breath fogs up the window pane, and the warmth of our bed threatens to hold us hostage until the final thaw of Spring, there’s nothing like a scrumptious, warm breakfast to woo us out from underneath our covers. Need a little wintery morning motivation? Try this deliciously simply, surprisingly decadent…… Read More

Food

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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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