About

About Me

Hi there, my name is Marinda and I am an Appalachian Mountain Momma. I am an entrepreneur who owns a small business, provides farmstead nature experiences for kids, homesteads, homeschools, and is either going thissaway or thataway, dabbling in all sorts of things at any given time. Thanks for joining me on this journey!

My days are full of variety and change as I focus on living an authentic, meaningful life built on sharing God’s love, building relationships, and striving not to be part of the hustle and bustle culture.  

Those who know me will say I am passionate about everything I do. I love inspiring, encouraging, handing down generational wisdom, spending time with others, and being in nature

Some call me a “Jill of all trades”, but that phrase has never settled well with me. I do a variety of things because I enjoy diversity and have learned to be resourceful in life. Some of the trade names I’ve been given include gardener, hillbilly, visionary, chicken momma, property manager, Child Life Specialist, egg seller, Airbnb Superhost, fixer upper, Jesus lover, piggy parent, Mountain Momma, Marinda the baptizer, and more!

About Our Family

My husband Aaron and I have been married since October of 2013. We own what I call a small “patch”. A 2.5-acre urban farmstead called Glory Be Mini Farm in Nashville, TN that we have built since 2014.  I love being in God’s nature and sharing my way of life with others. Our farmstead is not off grid or completely able to provide for us, but it does offer us a place to raise healthy foods, animals, and happy children.  It provides plenty of space to make memories and share teaching opportunities with my sons and others.

I am basically a mountain woman making my “patch” in the city as country as possible. Those who know me may say I never slow down, but that is not true. Yes, to many folks I still seem busy, but to me, I am being purposeful and maybe my capacity is different than theirs.  The current culture offers a constant pull for time, attention, and the next thing to do. I strive to notice those things and then prioritize God first, family second, and the rest third while raising my two sons, Thompson and Lowery, with life skills and most importantly my presence. I love traveling in general, but especially for evangelism, missions, and sharing God with others. Often you will see me hauling around my farm rough to baptizing people in.

My wonderful husband Aaron co-owns a concrete construction company. God opened a that door for his business venture after much prayer as his working for others with an inflexible schedule for many years was stifling our family.  Now, he has the flexibility to support our family not only financially, but also with his presence and giftings.  He has always been supportive of me and my Appalachian heritage. He tells me he is now a ‘mountain man’ himself after being married to me so long, hehe!  He also helps me manage our properties and rentals for owners.  Titles he has been given include master builder, compost manager, coop designer, problem solver, fixer upper, homeschool dad, and RV technician.  

I have two sons.  My first son, Thompson, is a delight to many, including myself. He is full of joy, love, creativity, ingenuity, and has a silly sense of humor.  He is compassionate, empathetic, full of energy, and boldness! He loves sharing God’s love with others and what he knows from the Bible. I love being with him and seeing how he grows.  He is a mater eating, chicken raising, wild and free, adventurous youngun.  Plus, he has his momma’s mountain accent which I am not ashamed of one bit!  What a sweet gift from God he is.  My second son, Lowery, is a sweet toddler who is on the go, happy, playful, strong, and determined. He loves his big brother, daddy, animals, and being outside. His smiles and laughter bring joy to us all.  We praise God for him!

About Glory Be! That’s Me.

Many folks may wonder why I would start a webpage. I wondered the same thing when this journey began because I do not like to be connected to the computer or phone a lot. I also don’t like troubleshooting how to work certain technology. My big brother Nathanial can testify to that last statement.

Well, while doing what all I do, I started hearing my family, friends, and even strangers say to me “You should have your own channel”, “Do you have a tutorial on that?”, “I would watch you online just doing your everyday stuff”. I thought to myself, why would anyone want to know more about canning, don’t most people already can foods? I would get a resounding “No, they don’t!”. Ok so then I said, “Who wants to see a bunch of baby chicks and how I feed and water them?”. They would respond to me and say, “I do, and I know lots of other people do to!”. So, HERE I AM.    

I commented to those around me that I have no idea how to start a webpage, blog, social media networks, etc. Somebody else would have to help me do that part. I prayed and asked God if this was a direction I should go to help inspire, encourage, teach, and just love on others. I began to feel joy in my spirit and knew that this was the time to act. As my husband can testify, I say this to him often, “thinking’s one thing, and doing’s another”.  

So, I began to DO.  

My creativity sparked and I thought the page should be like my mini farm name, Glory Be Mini Farm, as it represents what I believe in.  I want to do “all things to the glory of God” as it says in 1 Corinthians 10:31. To honor who He created me to be, share the gifts He gave me, and thank Him for becoming a man in the form of Jesus Christ to give me salvation and forgive my sins. That is where the “Glory Be!” part of the name came from.  The “!” is to ensure that the power and focus are on God. The ‘That’s Me.” part is about being true to who God made you to be, your authentic self.  Psalms 139:14 says “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. I know that full well.”  Embracing our uniqueness is key to living authentically, recognizing that we are created with purpose and value in God’s eyes.  Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This means we allow God to shape our thoughts and actions, not others.  

Little did I know that God would use my platform to share not only our family shenanigans, but also my properties, hands-on homestead classes, and Farmstead Nature Play Program.  I hope that you will find encouragement, hope, joy, laughter, and the love of the Lord from our webpage and social media.  May they bless your life and inspire you in new ways!

Thanks for being part of my community. Have a great day and know that you are loved! Blessings, Marinda.