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Psoriases, Puke & Pretty Girls {and Other Bedtime Stories}

Mercy, it’s been a wild week.  Wild and fabulous.

Dish: My hubby and I recorded a little video interview of ourselves for something ridiculously cool that we’re applying for.  It was fun.  And awkward.  And sweet.  I’d tell you about it, but then I’d have to kill you.

Deadly: I poisoned my entire family the day before Easter.  Just doing my part to drive home the magnitude of the Easter theme.  Note to self: to not serve week old roasted squash even if it looks/smells/tastes perfectly fine.  Three of us hurled our guts up – mostly across the beautifully green grass outside – and the other 3 simply slept it off.  It was pitiful.  And I was banned from the kitchen for an entire day.  Sweet!

Date: My hubby and I got to escape for a night away to our favorite little Inn on the west side of the State.  And because we’re boring consistent, we pretty much did our “usual”…we hit up a whole food store, purchased something unusual {this time it was a soy/rice/almond milk maker}, ate at our favorite little Lebanese bistro, rummaged through the racks at Goodwill in search of some killer deals, and plopped our heinies down in the comfy seats of the local theatre.  Among other delightfully fantastic things that married couples do when they get to go away – alone – together for an entire day.  Ahem. 

Dermatologist: Before we ran away together, we stopped by the dermatologist to get the results of my biopsy.  Apparently, since turning 30 – along with a tattoo and a waistline – I have acquired psoriases.  While I’m not thrilled about this, I am so thankful it’s not anything more drastic.  All the more reason to eat coconut oil by the spoonful.

Dinner: We just finished cleaning up after a most delicious dinner {Bobotie, in case you were wondering} with some of the college gals from my mom’s bible study.  My hubby and I had visited the group a couple of times to answer {candidly, of course} some questions about relationships, sex and working through ‘baggage’, and just fell in love with them.  They’re truly lovely – inside and out!

Alma Girls (2 of 1)

Delivery: I was invited to speak to 170+ gals at a women’s event tomorrow morning.  At this point, my topic is ‘Cultivating True Joy Amidst the Storms of Life’.  But God has a whole 10 hours to completely reconfigure my plans, so who knows what I’ll talk about.  Excited!  I love to talk {but you’d never guess that, would you?}

Deadlines: I’ve been busy, busy designing 6 foot banners and logos and wedding invitations and movie tickets, and dreaming of the day I can actually have set ‘office hours’.  Only 16 years to go, folks.  Hang in there.

Dreaming: it would seem Spring is in full swing around here and plans for our vegetable garden are brewing.  To grow potatoes {again}…or not to?  This is the question.  Mad amounts of butternut, acorn, zucchini and summer squash, but of course!  Corn, not so much.  Tomatoes and herbs and peppers galore!  Amen.  Planning and dreaming.  And thankful to have little loin-fruit another year older for weeding assistance.  Score.

Doting: I will leave you with these precious pics I stumbled upon yesterday…would you just look at those eyes!

Aiden as baby (1 of 1)

Bug was just a few months old and still requiring 6 doses of beta blockers daily to keep his little heart in check.  He’s a little rockstar and has been med-free for over 15 months.  Whoot whoot.

My babies (1 of 1)

And sweet Bean, who daily delights the socks off my very feet, is still as edible as ever!

Little Bean (1 of 1)

Done: Ciao bella!

Related posts:

  1. My Girls
  2. Our Girls Ghana Wild
  3. A Rambling Post About Nothing Much
  4. Excuses, Updates and an ATW Guest Post
«
»

Complete nonsense, Daily Life

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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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Before the empty tomb, there was a basin. Before Before the empty tomb,
there was a basin.

Before glory,
there was grief.

The Jesus Way is not dominance.
It’s downward mobility.
It’s loving in the face of betrayal.
Serving in the face of misunderstanding.
Choosing humility when pride would be easier.

If loving like Jesus feels costly, you’re not doing it wrong.
It has always cost something.

🎧 Episode 017 | The Jesus Way is now streaming.

#OhGoodGriefPodcast #SimplyBloomCo #TheJesusWay
How's your internal monologue? Be brutally honest How's your internal monologue?
Be brutally honest here.

Are you actually kind to yourself?
Do you practice curiosity + compassion
when your emotions + responses catch you
off guard and feel oversized for the occasion?

Are you patient and gracious with your soul's
long + messy journey of growth and healing?

Are you gentle with your heart when you mess up?
Or, do you instantly shift to shaming + blaming?

Is self-loathing a constant (albeit unwanted)
companion who lingers in the corner just
waiting for an invitation to show up with
cruel words, gasoline and a match?

For many of us, if we talked to our dearest
friends the way we talk to ourselves...
well, we wouldn't have many.

Go ahead and read that again.
Let it sink in.

/ / /

Consider this a gentle reminder
to be tender with yourself.
Speak life to your own soul.
Always, always, always be kind.

We are never more like the enemy of our souls than
when we assume the role of accuser + condemner.

Catch every negative, shaming thought you have
and see if it aligns with how God sees you (and others).

If it isn't good, kind, hopeful, constructive, grace-laced and restorative, then it doesn't belong in your head + heart.

You are, after all, allowed to be both a mess and
a masterpiece...all at the very same time.

You are so loved.
Easter reminds us that the tomb is empty. But befo Easter reminds us that the tomb is empty.
But before the resurrection, there was a towel.

In John 13, just hours before the cross,
Jesus doesn’t assert power, He kneels.
He washes the feet of Peter.
He washes the feet of Judas.
He loves them to the end.

🎙️ Episode 017 | The Jesus Way is live.

What does it look like to choose love in the middle
of betrayal, grief, disagreement, and struggle?
The way of Jesus isn’t flashy.
 It’s faithful.

🎧 Listen wherever you stream podcasts.

#OhGoodGrief #TheJesusWay  #KnownByLove
Instagram post 17956039791092382 Instagram post 17956039791092382
So very thankful for the life that came from his d So very thankful for the life
that came from his death.

May you know how wildly, wholly
and wonderfully you are loved…

“This is how much God loved the world:
He gave his Son, his one and only Son.
And this is why: so that no one need be
destroyed; by believing in him, anyone
can have a whole and lasting life.
God didn’t go to all the trouble of
sending his Son merely to point an
accusing finger, telling the world
how bad it was. He came to help,
to put the world right again.”

John 3:16-17 | The Message

#GoodFriday #ItIsFinished

📷 Levi Lusko
Boundaries are not the opposite of love. They are Boundaries are not the opposite of love.
They are often the evidence of it.

Jesus touched lepers.
He wept with friends.
He restored the broken.

But He also corrected boldly.
He withdrew intentionally.
He did not entrust Himself to everyone.

You can forgive someone
without restoring immediate proximity.
You can love someone
without giving them full access to your life.

Episode 016 | Grace + Guardrails is available now.

#OhGoodGriefPodcast #BoundariesMatter
Instagram post 18396581398148716 Instagram post 18396581398148716
Love does not require unlimited access. In Episod Love does not require unlimited access.

In Episode 016 of Oh, Good Grief, we explore what Jesus
actually modeled when it comes to boundaries.

He loved everyone.
He did not entrust Himself to everyone.
He was full of grace and truth.
He welcomed the crowds, but confided in the few.

In a world that demands access to our time, energy, and heart, this episode unpacks what it looks like to forgive without naivety, love without losing discernment, and practice grace with guardrails.

🎧 Grace + Guardrails | How Jesus Modeled Boundaries in a World
  That Demands Access is live wherever you listen to podcasts

#OhGoodGrief #GraceAndTruth #BiblicalBoundaries #FaithInRealLife
Sometimes the most honest thing we can say is: thi Sometimes the most honest thing we can say is:
this is where I am today…
but it isn’t where my story ends.

#OhGoodGriefPodcast #GodIsFaithful
Follow @SimplyBloomJoy

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