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Simply Bloom Co.

Where Passion & Purpose Collide

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When You Feel Like A Train Wreck {Hope For The Weary Mom}

When You Feel Like A Train Wreck {Hope For The Weary Mom}

To the mom who is weary and overwhelmed, painfully aware of her short fuse and tired of the sound of her own voice… I get it. I’ve become really good at saying, “I’m sorry” since becoming a mom. Learn to embrace grace.  This is one of the most important things you can model for your children.   To the mom… Read More

Daily Life, Family, Grace, Keepin' it Real, Motherhood, Printables, Quotes and Scriptures, The Kiddos

4 Ways to Love Your Husband {When He’s Being Unlovable}…plus Printable

4 Ways to Love Your Husband {When He’s Being Unlovable}…plus Printable

This post is alternately entitled:  “You’re Being A Punk…But I Still Love You”. A sweet friend of mine texted me a couple of months ago with a plea that read something like this…”please write a post on loving our husbands when they’re being unlovable.  I need it and know a few women who could really use the encouragement right now”,… Read More

Designs, Grace, Keepin' it Real, Marriage, Printables, Quotes and Scriptures

*UPDATED Family Rules Printable for LE Families

*UPDATED Family Rules Printable for LE Families

I’ve been amazed by the response to the Family Rules {Printable} I posted a while back.  It’s been repinned more than any other printable I’ve ever posted, and I continue to hear from wives whose hearts have been captured, or rather tugged, by it. Why?  Because it was designed specifically for Law Enforcement families and because, well…this is a unique… Read More

Designs, Faith, Family, Grace, Keepin' it Real, Printables

5 Things You Should Know About Spanx

5 Things You Should Know About Spanx

We attended our very first Policeman’s Ball a couple of weeks ago, and while the exquisite $14.60 thrift-store dress was a highlight of my night, what loomed beneath was not… 5 Things You Should Know About Spanx 1.     While you may anticipate spanx becoming your new best friend, it will not.  It can rather be likened to the fickle friend… Read More

Complete nonsense, Keepin' it Real

The Evolution of {an unwanted} Design

The Evolution of {an unwanted} Design

While you may find this hard to believe, what with my mad design skills and all {cough cough}, I occasionally design something for a client that doesn’t inspire shrieks of joy and spontaneous outbursts of the Harlem Shake. Sometimes they hate it, but graciously say, “I’m…just…not feelin’ it, sorry”. And then there are those times that I design something that… Read More

Complete nonsense, Designs, Keepin' it Real

2013 : The Lost Art of Sacrifice

2013 : The Lost Art of Sacrifice

I realize this renders me a freak of nature, but I really like Mondays.  Less freakish is my adoration of the new year. You see, I love new beginnings. I live for fresh starts. Do-overs rock my socks off. And my muffin-top, if done correctly. My hubby thinks I am a dork {albeit a “cute” one} and is not a… Read More

Faith, Goals, Grace, Home, Keepin' it Real

How to be a Royally Obnoxious Christian in 15 Easy Steps

How to be a Royally Obnoxious Christian in 15 Easy Steps

A Tongue-in-Cheek Message to {Churchy} Church Folk 1. Talk the Talk : Speak in King James lingo with awkward familiarity, boasting a heavy dose of “Christianese”. Be sure to mention “being washed in the blood of the Lamb”, while dropping words like “sanctified”, “righteousness” and “cleansing” like cheerios in the hands on toddlers. Throw in a few “amen”s and “bless… Read More

Faith, Grace, Keepin' it Real

To the Scrumptious One

…whom my heart adores! 9 years ago today, I stood before you in white – adorned with miniscule pearls, an annoyingly poufy veil, and a tan so dark it appeared my head couldn’t possibly belong to the same body – excited beyond belief to become Mrs. McMillan. And the sound of those two words together…”Joy”, followed by a sing-songy “McMillan”…still… Read More

Faith, Keepin' it Real, Love, Marriage

12 Things I Have Learned While Potty Training A Boy

1.  Do not crouch down beside the gunslinger, no matter how much encouragement and assistance you feel it necessary to deliver.  High velocity urine ricochets off open toilet seats.  And burns eyeballs. 2.  The perimeter outside which half-read magazines could lay open beside the loo, in wait for the next 2 second bathroom break, has increased by 3 feet. 3. … Read More

Complete nonsense, Keepin' it Real, The Kiddos

Fabulousness {in Human Form}

Meet my girls.  For almost 10 years now, the gorgeous gal on the left has been my best friend.  We have walked through newlywed awkwardness, new-mama sleeplessness, thick {waistlines} and thin {wallets}, blissful friendship and miserable disappointment {in each other}, and the sweet friendship we revel in today couldn’t be stronger, because of our rich history together. And then 5… Read More

Food, Friendship, Keepin' it Real, Motherhood

{Smile}

…because your teeth can’t possibly be more rebellious than his.

Complete nonsense, Keepin' it Real, Photography

My Children Are Going To Need Therapy

It occurred to me, while sending my hubby a desperate “pray for me…and while you’re at it, pray harder for your children” text earlier this week, that our little loin-fruit are going to require an exorbitant amount of therapy as they age.  Compliments of their mother. I have no idea what the state of your relationship with your hormones is,… Read More

Keepin' it Real, Marriage, Motherhood

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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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