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newtreefarm · 1 year
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Well, I've done it. I now have a website of my own. I'm scared. I just spent a lot of money (well, it's a lot to me anyways) and I don't understand why little ol' me needs a website. But, the Holy Spirit wouldn't stop "nagging" me about it, so I finally waved the white flag & took the plunge. I have no idea what I'm doing as I'm trying to set the while thing up (especially the mobile view), but it's up & I've published my first post. Head out there & take a look if you'd like at newtreefarm.com. Please be patient with me as this novice tries to build a website without much instruction. I'll be adding features (I hope) little by little in the coming weeks.
God bless.
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newtreefarm · 2 years
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Homesteading. As I searched for the official definition of the word, I discovered that there isn't one. So, I came up with one myself: working one's land for the sustenance, survival, and future of one's family.
I've had a phrase floating around in my head for the past few months. My intent is to start my own website, but since the process is slow-going due to my lack of computer prowess, I decided to write it here.
Homesteading the Heart.
I don't have land. I don't have a house. Actually, I don't even have a car (I drive mom's 18 year old hand-me-down, but it's a good car and has working air conditioning, so I'm very thankful to drive it). Anyway, what does someone without all of the above homestead? The heart.
I have been single again now for over nine years and I homeschool my only child. His heart needs to be cultivated and cared for. So does mine.
Can one person homestead all by himself? No. In my case, since I do not homestead the physical, my help is not physical either. The Lord is my partner above all, and he brings others into our lives to help too.
Homesteading the Heart is a phrase I haven't totally fleshed-out yet. However, what I do know is that the Lord tills the soil of our hearts, fertilizes and amends, and then begins to plant. We do our part by weeding (partnering with Him to get rid of past "baggage"), protecting from scorching sun (guarding our hearts against our surroundings), and watering what He has planted (relationship with Him and reading His Word).
I have been trying to do these things since my divorce. Sometimes I'm better at it than other times. I've lost some plants along the way but He's always been there to re-sow. He's mainly been building my "soil." Adding nutrients, tilling, turning-over, preparing. Now is the time for the seeds to grow. Soon is the time for harvest.
Like physical homesteaders, I pray that His work will manifest something that can sustain my family, help my family survive, and provide for our (and their) future as well.
This transition I'm in is touching every area of my life. So much has changed this summer, and yet I am still on the cusp of what He wants to reveal. Stay tuned. I will shout His praises as it all unfolds.
God bless.
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newtreefarm · 2 years
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Praise His name! She came through the procedure well and they are saying it was a success. Now to continue to pray that the success remains and she is restored swiftly. Thank You Lord!
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newtreefarm · 2 years
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As I shut everything down at the end of my 13th mother's day, I feel blessed and yet a little flustered. Tomorrow morning my mom will be checking into the hospital for a cardiac ablasion. This will hopefully fix the source of the stroke she had in December of 2020. I have hope, and yet I am powerless and clueless as to what will happen. The hope feels good but the others do not.
Lord, she remains in Your hands. I pray You keep her safe and make this procedure "take" on the first try. You have brought us here, now we ask You to bring us through on a path to resolution. Lord I love You and I do trust You. Please give me Your peace. Amen.
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newtreefarm · 2 years
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The seeds I planted last year finally bloomed. I love the english/cottage garden look.
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newtreefarm · 2 years
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Behave wisely. It's what David did when he was first brought into Saul's life. He behaved wisely. Solomon had wisdom. The Bible says he was given more wisdom than anyone before him or since (except, of course, Jesus). However, his downfall was due to foolish actions. What good is wisdom if we don't follow through on it? Wisdom without obedience is folly. Obedience is the key to and the springboard of wisdom.
Lord, give me wisdom and the strength to obey what You've told me. Obedience has rarely been easy, in my experience, but has always been worth it. Thank You Lord. I love You.
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newtreefarm · 2 years
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I had a clutch of panda corydora eggs hatch a couple of weeks ago and have seen only one baby one time since then.  I have continued faithfully putting brine shrimp hatchlings in the baby panda tank hoping there were live babies in there.  Tonight, we are able to see about eight little tiny panda fry swimming around at gravel level gobbling up their shrimp!  That means there are probably twice that number in there.  I’m so excited!  Hopefully we’ll have at least half of them survive long-term.  Another clutch of 28 hatched last night, so we may be having baby panda parties here next month.  This is so fun (and a welcome joy after a week rushing to get grading done).
We have next week off of school for Easter, so I’m going to practice some self-care now that I have time to.  I’m going away to a local hotel for a night (I was able to use my hotel points to get it free) so I can have some time alone with the Lord without interruption.  I need to refocus and make sure I am still on the right path forward.  So many things have been happening and changing lately that my head is spinning a bit.  I have needed time away by myself for a long time and am happy to finally be getting it.  Hopefully the Lord and I will set up a plan for the year ahead.  I will feel better about the swiftness of my days if I’m sure I’m going in the right direction.
God bless you as you approach Resurrection Sunday!
“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know who holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.”
Because He Lives, by William J. Gaither
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newtreefarm · 2 years
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Thirteen years ago today, my life changed forever.  I was wheeled into surgery during a tornado warning to deliver my first, and only, child via c-section.  It was a bumpy afternoon in Alabama.  About half an hour after coming back to my room, they had to move my bed away from the windows and go hide because a tornado was in the vicinity of the hospital.  
Little did I know then what being a mother would mean for me.  I had always wanted a child, but I had had no idea (nobody really does) what it would be like.  I love my son more than I thought I could.  It has not been an easy road, but I wouldn’t change any of it.
My kiddo is now officially a teenager.  He is capable of quasi-adult conversation now and is a delightful young man.  I will always be so very thankful to the Lord for giving me such a wonderful gift. 
Tonight, we are going to our first MercyMe concert.  It happened to be on his actual birthday.  He’s so excited, especially because we are taking his best friend with us.  This will be the “last hoorah” for them because he is moving out of state on Tuesday.  So, this is a huge blessing, both to me and my son, and to him and his friend.  
Happy birthday, son.  I love you to the moon and back.
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newtreefarm · 2 years
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I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.
Psalms 40:1‭-‬2
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newtreefarm · 2 years
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So, I'm a total nerd, but can I just say how excited I am to finally have some of my panda cory eggs survive?! They're so cute! There's one more that's about half the size of these bigger babies in my big tank. It still only rarely comes out, but I've seen it twice now. I could watch them all day. 😊🥰
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newtreefarm · 2 years
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Tonight I've been thinking about my family history. My maternal grandmother was depressed and shut down for most of her life. My mom cooked for her family and took care of the house because when my grandma got home from work, she was immobilized.
My maternal grandfather was absent. He was a dairy farmer, so he was physically out of the house working on the farm most of the time. When he was in the house, he was emotionally distant and didn't connect much with his kids; well, at least not with my mom. Their marriage ended in divorce, and he went on to remarry and have a marriage that lasted 25 years. My grandma gave up, did not take necessary medications, and died at at 63 after numerous small strokes and a slow deterioration.
My paternal grandmother was a "dry alcoholic." She had learned the behavior patterns from her father, but had removed the alcohol.
My paternal grandfather was the mild-mannered enabler of his wife. He was a telephone lineman by trade and was a normal father at home to their eight kids.
My father was the second of the eight kids. He was the strong-willed brother of the compliant firstborn son. My father is the one who would go with his dad to find my grandmother when she would run away in one of her rages. They would have to go find her and talk her into coming home. She'd eventually come home and the cycle would continue. They both lived into their nineties, still married.
When my mom went to college, she met my dad. They were married, I believe, the week after she graduated. The first few years of their marriage were happy, but eventually, he too was absent much of the time. He chose to become a workaholic in his attempt to be successful. It worked. He was a very good provider. However, the more time he was away from home, the more isolated from the family he felt. The more isolated he felt, the angrier he got, which led to verbal abuse and being absent more. Eventually, his relationship with my brother was absent, yet still cordial, but his relationship with mom and me was verbally abusive. I grew to want him to be gone as much as possible. Their marriage ended after 30 years when he ended his life.
Then, there's my marriage. I was older when I got married. I was desperate. I thought I was doing the right thing & marrying the right person, but I was deceived and wrong. Things changed for me on the honeymoon, but I was able to feel like we had a mostly-happy marriage for the first few years. As time progressed, he became more and more emotionally abusive. I didn't finally identify it until coming home from the hospitalization with meningitis. We tried to work and put the marriage back together for over a year, but ultimately split.
It has been nine years since my divorce. I hope I have carved a new path by removing my son from an abusive marriage at a young age. I hope protecting him from an abusive home was the best choice for him. I know it was the only choice I had in which I survived. I think it was the best choice for him too. Even though it means that there's no dad in the home, his mom is present and active in his life. He will be able to see the Lord restore and redeem her life in all areas. I pray that he is able to recognize the hand of the Lord.
My hope is to be aware enough to follow the Lord down the right path for the rest of my life. I pray He enables discernment when needed to protect against deception, to say no to the wrong things, and to say yes to the right things. I earnestly pray to teach my son these things along the way so he will be able to exercise wisdom from the start and be able to be on the Lord's path all the way through his life. Last, I hope I can be an encouragement to people throughout the remainder of my life. I want to be a shining example of the goodness, faithfulness, and mercy of the Lord.
Amen.
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newtreefarm · 2 years
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This year I want to be real and genuine. I don't want to be "shiny" & lofty, but approachable and a testament to the Lord's faithfulness and grace.
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newtreefarm · 2 years
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“Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:18‭-‬19 NKJV
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newtreefarm · 2 years
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Happy New Year🎉
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newtreefarm · 2 years
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May the Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you!
Deuteronomy 1:11 NKJV
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newtreefarm · 2 years
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Tonight was fun. We went to the Christmas Eve service at my brother's church & back to their house for dinner afterwards. The Lord blessed us tonight & I'm so thankful. Merry Christmas!
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newtreefarm · 2 years
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I have been struggling more than usual this year with not having a home of my own. It's been over nine years since I moved in with mom, and while I am so very thankful for her generosity and the Lord's provision, it has been hard to go from having a home of my own to having only a bedroom of my own. I have my things in bins in the garage waiting for the day I get to use them again.
Since the Lord hasn't changed my circumstances yet, I asked Him to make where He has me now feel more like my home. So, this summer I found a small artificial Christmas tree for next to nothing. It's about as tall as I am (without the angel) and fits perfectly right next to my door. I am so excited just to be able to use some of my own Christmas ornaments this year!!! I will make tweaks for next year, but I am really enjoying my little tree. My son put a few of his ornaments on it and mom found a tree skirt for it with the gnomes I like (the ones that are all beard, nose, and hat). I love Christmas and I REALLY enjoy my tree. Sometimes the little things make a huge difference. Merry Christmas! 😊🎄
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