• JOIN THE TRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

Simply Bloom Co.

Where Passion & Purpose Collide

  • About
    • FAQ
    • Media & Interviews
    • Blog
      • Everyday Blooms
      • Marriage
      • Motherhood
      • Recipes
        • Breakfasts & Snack Foods
        • Lunches & Main Meals
        • Desserts & Sweet Treats
  • Speaking
    • Topics
    • Schedule
    • Conferences
    • Enneagram
    • Reviews
    • Podcast
      • Episodes
    • Booking
  • Books
    • SOZO Book
    • Penduka Book
      • Penduka Shop
    • XES Book
      • Book Reviews
      • Interviews & Podcasts
    • Launch Manual
    • R:EVOLVE Journal
  • Coaching
    • Client Contact
    • Resources
      • Coaching Agreement
      • Client Questionnaire
      • Favorite Books
  • Design
    • Client Reviews
    • Investment
    • Book in Bloom
      • Book in Bloom Bundles
  • Shop

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.

I picked apart my husband and said things that did not have to be said, or pointed out, and then grieved when his spirit was clearly crushed.  Oh, me and my big mouth!

I’ve become incredibly good an sincere apologies since getting married and having children.

To add to my stellar list of accomplishments, I had two intense, and completely unexpected, super-poopy mom days this past week.  I was big on impatience, accomplished in the yelling department, and short on grace.  It was heart-breaking and exhausting.  They weren’t too partial to it either.  My husband kindly suggested that maybe my hormones were raging.  Thank you, dear.

I snuck a tiny piece of totally-not-worth-it cherry pie in my mouth when no one was looking, despite my insane commitment to boycott sugar until I turn 30 in June.  And the smell of coffee makes me want to cry.  Not pray.

{deep breath}

But enough of all that misery…life is good, God is faithful, and I’m a work in progress!

Here’s the fun stuff that’s been going on around here.

On Monday, I become a US Citizen and spent a glorious morning celebrating in Detroit with my precious man {and eating entirely too much}.

I was asked to speak at Youth Haven Ranch again for their Ladies Day, at the end of April.  It’ll be something along the lines of what I shared last time: Temple Care 101.  Have I told you how much I love public speaking?!?  So tickled.

On the loin-fruit front…

In spite of our eager anticipation of Spring, the entirely unexpected dumping of snow provided perfect body parts for our snow-child:

Snow kid Bean and snow kid

We had fun with toothpicks…and marshmallows!

007009017 marshmallow girl

And more toothpicks…with play dough and wiggly eyes…

Playdough peepsPlaydough bug & tulips 3-6 005Playdough bug & tulips 3-6 009Playdough bug & tulips 3-6 008Playdough bug & tulips 3-6 012      bug and playdoughPlaydough bug & tulips 3-6 010      Playdough bug & tulips 3-6 022

We broke out the egg-carton craft paraphernalia, made the customary caterpillar, and affectionately named it, “Spring-a-piller”…

springapiller

We made forts too large to capture on camera through the doorway, but just large enough to have a blast in…

Springapiller and Bean faces 018 Springapiller and Bean faces 004

…and adorned ourselves with other family-member’s accessories.

We also just signed our little lady up for preschool next Fall – talk about a whirlwind of emotions: delighted, terrified, guarded, reflective, excited, anxious.

Springapiller and Bean faces 014Springapiller and Bean faces 008Springapiller and Bean faces 016    

Apart from the days that so distinctly spotlighted my less redeeming qualities and squeezed many a tear from my eyeballs…a good time was had by all.

Moving along…we had a full band for the first time ever last night at worship practice and rocked out the gymnasium.  Who knew this terrified-to-play-in-public, can barely-carry-a-tune-in-a-bucket girl would so love being a part of a band!  I love my team!!

Oh, and I cooked up a storm this week {notice: I didn’t say “baked”}, making all sorts of favorites; homemade granola with my hubby, bobotie for my mum & dad, butter chicken for friends, and texas caviar just for the heck of it.  Tonight, we made magic in the kitchen…{sheesh, not that kind}…and tried something new: Thai Coconut Curry Chicken.  Recipe coming soon.  Allow me to just say this, “Holy Yum”!

Aaah, yes, LIFE. 

The good, the bad, the ugly…and the Redeemer.

It is well with my soul!

Related posts:

  1. All in a Week’s Whirl
  2. {My} Snow Babies
  3. The Week in ‘P’s
  4. Week One, Done
«
»

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

Don’t miss a thing! Sign up for the monthly newsletter…

Simply Bloom exists to empower women to embrace their stories, live out their passion with purpose, and leave a legacy of love.
 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.

Subscribe for Updates

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
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 ✨
Follow @SimplyBloomJoy

Copyright © 2025 · Designed by Simply Bloom · Theme from Restored 316

Copyright © 2025 · Darling Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in