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Where Passion & Purpose Collide

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Guess What Today Was…?

And she was as ready as can be.  Happy dance ready!  And loved every minute of it.

Motherhood, Photography, The Kiddos

What Really Matters

“I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible, to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise.” “I choose to risk my significance; to live so… Read More

Family, Marriage, Motherhood

Happy Birthday, {Big Boy} Bug!

I was examining the fine, downy swirls of peach fuzz on your neck and arms the other day when it hit me.  One day this stuff is going to be courser.  And darker.  And most likely, spread across your face in some sort of suave goatee fashion.  And I’m not quite sure how I feel about all this. I now… Read More

Daily Life, Family, Motherhood, The Kiddos

Lettuce Be Real

It came up in conversation with a precious friend the other day…the difference between how cool and confident we may appear on the outside, and how insecure and fearful we may be on the inside. And, as it often does when I process ‘life’, my garden came to mind. I’ve never grown lettuce before, and was quite delighted at the… Read More

Daily Life, Faith, Home, Keepin' it Real, Motherhood

Ramblings of a Sappy Mom

Maybe it’s because I’ve got Jim Brickman playing softly on Pandora while I frittle away, but I’m feeling awfully nostalgic this evening. No, I’m not pregnant.  {I peed on a stick to prove it.  One line, folks.} But today, my mommy heart is full.  content. in love. My heart swells at the mere thought of my sleeping babies, and for… Read More

Family, Motherhood, The Kiddos

Mother’s Day Thoughts & May Desktop Wallpaper

I love being a mum! On most days, that is. One of the greatest gifts I’ve been given in life, is the example my own mother fleshed out. In her extravagant love for my father, her unconditional love for their 4 crazy girls, and her authentic love for her God. In thinking about this day, set apart for honoring and… Read More

Designs, Desktop Wallpaper, Motherhood

Hormones, Crafts & Snow {this week, in no particular order)

Firstly, the blah: I’ve been having hot flashes lately {ugh!}.  And then I left the house in my slippers {yikes}.  For 6 hours {gasp}.  I think I’m getting old. I haven’t written anything of substance for the past few weeks.  There only seems time and mental energy for drivel.  Forgive me.  Contemplative and encouraging text will return soon, I promise…. Read More

Complete nonsense, Crafts and Activities, Daily Life, Keepin' it Real, Motherhood, The Kiddos

The Battle Plan

Every neurotic, type-A, control-freakish, list-loving smart woman has a battle plan for when she turns 30, right? {Just humor me here} I thought so. For as long as I can recall, I have loved the idea of being “in my thirties”.  It’s a stage of life when one has enough years under their belt to have some experiential knowledge to… Read More

Daily Life, Goals, Health, Home, Keepin' it Real, Motherhood

The Birds and The Bees…and Some Little Apple Seeds

While my hubby and I love talking to couples about the {regrettably under-talked about, within-the-context-of-the-Christian-community} topic of sex, and the undeniably crucial role it plays within a healthy marriage…we really didn’t know how – or when – to broach the subject with our kids.     We actually look forward to having “the talk” with them when they’re older, to… Read More

Faith, Keepin' it Real, Marriage, Motherhood, The Kiddos

Confessions of a {Crabby} Mom

There are days that I would much rather hide under the covers than emerge, and most certainly not as a friendly, perky mom.  Or even a semi alert one. I’d rather stay in bed.  Maybe sleep for 3 days.  And get back with ya later, kid. Sometimes the thought of another day, especially if it even mildly resembles the one… Read More

Daily Life, Grace, Keepin' it Real, Motherhood

Coming Up For Air

In this house we do dishes, yes…   But we also do wild.  Unorthodox. We do mistakes. We do second chances. And third. And four hundred and seventy-ninth. *thankfully* We do silly. We do laughter. We do real. We do tomfoolery. {and plenty more mistakes} We do “I’m sorry’s”. {A lot of “I’m sorry’s”} We do loud. We do long… Read More

Grace, Keepin' it Real, Motherhood

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

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 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.

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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 the 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 the “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 Aid 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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