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Simply Bloom Co.

Where Passion & Purpose Collide

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Cupcake Face

We recently met “new” neighbors who moved into this town at roughly the same time as we did.  Turns out…we adore them and are tickled pink to have such a fabulous family living just down the road from us!   The fact that the lovely mama makes killer cupcakes could further solidify our relationship. {knuckle bumps} Here’s to the cupcake… Read More

Friendship, The Kiddos

Baby Smooches

I’m home.  The retreat was fabulous {or at least I thought it was…and I didn’t put anyone to sleep}. Our 1st annual church harvest party was a blast…we broke in our new fire pit, took 17 people on a hayride behind my hubby’s sexy tractor, taste tested 8 different pots of chili, sipped hot cider with entirely too much whipped… Read More

Complete nonsense, Friendship, Motherhood, Photography

Swinging September Sun

As the temperature drops and the playful hours of the day get shorter, these little ones simply kick off their shoes and throw off their sweaters at the slightest hint of warmth and soak up every last minute of outdoor play. And do these babies know how to swing! {Bean, Bug, and their beloved cousin, ”Pumpkin”} Notice their African flavored… Read More

Family, Friendship

Blog Hopping {Hostess Gift Edition}

  Miranda Walker {from Narrating Life} invited me to participate in her blog hop.  It’s my first.  So I hopped right in. And here we go! The theme is…drum roll, please…hostess gift ideas! Due to my love affair with fresh herbs, I chose a potted fennel plant as my gift {partly because it’s what my big sister just gave me… Read More

Crafts and Activities, Friendship, Garden

Inner Fulfillment: Ek-Spek-Tey-Shuhn

Revisit a previous post of mine {one of my favorite 25, in fact} right here at Inner Fulfillment today! “A Godly woman is one who possesses inner peace and tranquility: she doesn’t have to prove herself to anyone. Neither does she depend on recognition from others. Hers is an inner contentment and satisfaction based not on accomplishments, position, or authority;… Read More

Friendship, Guest Post, Keepin' it Real

My Girls

To say I am surrounded by some of the most amazing women in the world, would be an understatement. Since becoming a mom, my girlfriends have become even more precious to my heart.  They have moved from simply being a blessing and delight in my life to being an enormous part of daily survival.   My heart swells at the… Read More

Friendship

How I Know God Loves Me, Reason# 3,257

Because I have ridiculously wonderful friends who love on me so thoroughly and extravagantly {and who are wildly fluent at speaking my love language}, and who – just this afternoon, over a playdate at McDonalds – celebrated my upcoming citizenship transition. Gorgeously aromatic blooms, in red, white and blue…handmade red and blue bracelets…an American flag…and a handmade card reading: “Welcome… Read More

Friendship

A Cider Mill Morning

We spent Saturday morning with a few of our favorite people, soaking up the sunshine at Uncle John’s Cider Mill. Where better to spend these final few days of gorgeous late-Summer-early-Autumn weather than here, sipping cider and eating donuts, playing, having a wagon ride and picking up pumpkins {not to mention my new, sweet little niece}? When I told Cricket… Read More

Friendship, The Kiddos, Travels

The Wild, The Wacky, The Wonderful

…we got to experience it all at the Saginaw Zoo. Well, not all.  But you know, we worked through our disappointment {over no lions, or tigers, or bears…oh my}. What we did score out of the deal was a delicious morning of adventure with our new friends, a yummy picnic lunch, and 4 {relatively} well-behaved toddlers enjoying the gloriously warm,… Read More

Friendship, Motherhood, The Kiddos, Travels

Fall{ing} 4 Friendship

I love watching my daughter’s friendships blossom.  The older they get, the more it seems they appreciate those sweet bonds that have formed with other little people their age.  And the more sweetly and intimately they connect.  And – sweet relief – the less they pout, shriek and hoard. It seems they truly start to love each other, miss each… Read More

Friendship, The Kiddos

Toes & Giggles

    We had friends over yesterday and loved every minute of it! Their delightful daughter confirmed something I’ve suspected for some time now. I think 3 is my favorite age yet! Yes, the sassiness has the ability to drive me absolutely batty, and the drama makes me want stick my fingers in my ears, close my eyes and sing… Read More

Friendship, The Kiddos

Girlfriends

Never before have the friends in my life been as dear to me as they are now. Friends have always been fun.  Vital, if you wish. But today, as a young woman fumbling my way through this crazy season of motherhood, the connectedness I share with the precious girlfriends in my life is such a source of delight to me… Read More

Friendship

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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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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.
What if the thing you've been running from is actu What if the thing you've been running from
is actually the doorway to healing?

This week on Oh, Good Grief, as we continue in our Summer Enneagram series, we’re exploring Type 7: The Enthusiast - their gift of joy, the longing for freedom, and the ways we sometimes run from pain because it feels too heavy to carry.

Sevens remind us that hope matters.
That beauty still exists.
That tomorrow can hold something good.

But joy was never meant to require us to avoid sorrow.
The invitation isn't to become less joyful.
It's to discover a joy deep enough to hold the whole story.

🎧 Episode 035 is available wherever you listen to podcasts.

#OhGoodGriefPodcast #SimplyBloomCo
If you identify with the Enneagram 6, my prayer fo If you identify with the Enneagram 6, my prayer for you
is that you would discover the freedom of loosening
your grip on certainty and opening your hands to trust.

May you never lose your ability to notice, prepare,
protect, and care deeply. Those are beautiful gifts.
But may fear no longer be the voice that leads you.

May you discover that courage has never meant the absence
of fear, it has meant knowing Who is with you in the middle of it.

The God who holds tomorrow is already present today.
What if the voice you've trusted most...has been f What if the voice you've trusted most...has been fear?

This week on Oh, Good Grief, we're exploring the Enneagram 6: The Loyalist, their gift of preparation, the weight of uncertainty, and the journey from fear to trust.

Sixes are often the ones who ask the important "what if" questions,
notice the details, protect what matters, and stay when things get hard.

But sometimes the same voice that helps us prepare can keep us trapped.

Fear is a wonderful informant.
It makes a terrible leader.

The invitation isn't to become fearless.
It's to discover the One who walks with us through every unknown.

🎧 Episode 034 is available wherever you listen to podcasts.

#SimplyBloomCo #OhGoodGriefPodcast
If you identify with the Enneagram 5, my prayer fo If you identify with the Enneagram 5, my prayer for you
is that you would discover the freedom of stepping out
from behind the walls you've built for protection.

May you never lose your curiosity,
your wisdom, or your love of learning.

May you discover that your needs do not
make you a burden, and your presence 
s more valuable than your productivity.

May you trust that God is not asking you to have
all the answers before He invites you closer.
The One who created your mind also created
your heart—and He delights in all of you.

You are loved.
Follow @SimplyBloomJoy

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