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Excuses, Updates and an ATW Guest Post

Contrary to what a lack of posts for almost a week may depict, I’m alive and semi-well.  Emphasis on semi.

Our wee babes and I are all fighting colds, a sinus infection and an ear infection {nicely distributed between the three of us}.  Life is peachy! 

Speaking of peaches…our little tree is dropping gorgeous, juicy peaches daily and I’ve been freezing, drying and baking the heck out of them.  ‘Tis glorious, indeed.  Who knew tree-ripened, free peaches tasted this much better?!  Recipes to come.

I’ve been designing my heine off…hallelujah!  Sadly, it remains the same size.  Don’t laugh.  I’m thrilled to say I adore my clients and am blessed beyond belief to get to do what I love, in my pajamas, with wads of tissue stuck up my nostrils, in the wee hours of the morning, while trying to meet deadlines…and still be considered semi-professional.  Emphasis, once again, on the semi.

Our sweet Bean decided this week that preschool is not in face as cool as she had originally thought, and threatened to run all the way home while I was trying to pry her scissor-gripped legs from my body.  She cried.  And then I balled all the way home.  She was, however, all smiles when I picked her up both days she attended.  Here’s to hoping next week is better.  Oh please!

My precious man heads out on Monday morning for a week away in the boonies with his dad and two brothers.  I’m tickled pink navy blue for him.  Or army green.  Which ever seems more manly.  While we’ll miss him ridiculously much here at home, knowing he’s really connecting – for the first time ever – with the men in his family, over ATVs, camping and hiking, delights me no end! 

I, after all, got an entire day to myself this week…meeting up with my younger sister, drooling over the gorgeousness that is Hobby Lobby, having lunch with an old friend, bargain shopping and spending time in a book store, and wrapping up my fantabulous day with two of my favorite women in the whole world.  It was a delicious day, to say the least!

I got home to discover this delightful post by a sweet blogger friend I met while speaking at a woman’s event recently.  She’s delirious, by the way.  I’m really not that funny.  Or cute.  But I was barefoot.

Speaking of speaking {how’s that for a segue?}…this week I was invited to speak at two different women’s events coming up soon!  I’m thrilled!  One of them…drum roll, please…about sex!  I’m serious!  Well, marital intimacy, to be exact.  But dude, I’m so excited!  {and yes, I’m still working on my juicy, va va voom, Song of Solomon post.  This conference may squeeze it out of me sooner than expected.  So keep your peepers open!}.

On another completely irrelevant note, I finally tracked down a book series my granny read to my mom when she was younger, and that my mom read to my sisters and I as kids.  It’s our all time favorite children’s book: The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton.  It arrived on Thursday, and in spite of my tragic lack-of-pictures discovery, and the 7+ age recommendation on the back, my precious 4 year old and I are well onto chapter 13.  Oh, the memories!  What a delight to share this with her.

I have so many fabulous recipes to share with you…and no time to play with photos and type up recipes.  Peach muffins, zucchini coins, meatballs & spaghetti (inspired by Bean’s rediscovery of our Lady and The Tramp book}, honey oat bread and more.  Soon, my hungry friends! 

So besides wiping snotty noses, designing in my jammies, cooking up a storm and reading magical stories {okay, and crying all the way home from the preschool}…this week is a blur.  A benadryl induced blur.  Thank you, God, for benedryl.  What would a snot-nosed mother do without benedryl?  I mean, seriously.

I digress.

My At The Well guest post this week features a photo I took of 10 month old lion cubs in South Africa, 5 years ago.  I can’t help but smile when I look at it.  So I had to share it with you!

With that being said…you’ll find the deep stuff right over here…At The Well!

ATW September 1

Over and out.

Related posts:

  1. ATW Guest Post & Conference
  2. At The Well: Guest Post
  3. At The Well: Guest Post {2 Ears, 1 Mouth}
  4. At The Well, Guest Post {Filled With His Glory}
«
»

Complete nonsense, Daily Life, Family, Guest Post, Photography, Quotes and Scriptures

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