Brighten Your Corner of the World

Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do,
Do not wait to shed your light afar,
To the many duties ever near you now be true,
Brighten the corner where you are.
Just above are clouded skies you may help to clear,
Let not narrow self your way debar;
Though into one heart alone may fall your song of cheer,
Brighten the corner where you are.
Here for all your talent you may surely find a need,
Here reflect the bright and Morning Star;
Even from your humble hand the Bread of Life may feed,
Brighten the corner where you are.
~ By Ina Ogdon

Some "Bright" Ideas

1. Clear off your kitchen table and put a fresh bouquet of flowers on it
2. Let in the outside air; open all the windows and dust with lemon spray
3. Wash your sheets and let them air dry outside
4. Put a roast in the crock pot
5. Put on some good uplifting gospel music or sing!
6. Light a sweet smelling candle
7. Bake some cookies or bread
8. Write a love letter to your spouse; tell him three things you appreciate about him
9. Write a special scripture down and put it somewhere you will read it often
10. Plan a good character building Bible lesson to bring your children
11. SMILE

Too Beautiful For Earth

"An angel in the book of life
wrote down my baby's birth,
and whispered as she closed the book
Too Beautiful For Earth."
Unknown Author

To My Baby

A little life, a precious pearl
growing within my womb
Maybe a son?
Maybe a daughter?
Can't wait till I see it bloom-
I have a name for you little one
I picked it with thought and care
I saw you with love and tenderness
and saw that you were so fair
I knew you would be a special child
and I had special plans in view
if you were a girl, a sweet one you'd be
if a son you'd be strong and true
I held you and kissed your soft little face
in daydreams I'd rock you and sing
of angels in heaven, and Jesus love
and all of earths sweetest things
I bought you some little items you'd need
and planned you a cozy room
And oh the joy to think of the years
I had to watch you bloom
I could hardly wait till I felt you flutter
and turning with a swirl
And day by day my heart filled with love
for my little precious pearl
But God chose to have you blooming for him
in the beauty of heavens land
And your mother is holding you, in her heart
as though she were holding your hand!
~By Elizabeth Ann

God's Way is Perfect!

I believe I have come to terms with my loss and have peace about it. I had to remember that it is not about me, but about God and glorifying HIM and letting HIM have his way no matter what that means. I cannot let my emotions get in the way of that purpose. I gave me heart and life to God and I have never regretted that and will never regret that. He is such a good and righteous Father and though I may not understand, I can trust him- FAITH, HOPE and LOVE- not faith in this world but in GOD, Not hope for the things of this world, but for RIGHTEOUSNESS and PURITY and HEAVEN! Not love for just anything but the LOVE of GOD shed abroad in our hearts. I wouldn't take my baby back even if I could because I KNOW he is in the loving beautiful arms of Jesus and is much better off than with me. And if God saw fit to form in me a little soul for just a few weeks, then praise God forever! I was BEAUTIFULLY pregnant and I would never change that for anything!
I LOVE GOD so very much and know that His way IS perfect!!!

Ten Things to Give Thanks For

"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thess. 5:18

Ten things I can give God thanks for-

1. The four weeks I had to feel beautifully pregnant
2. That I am a JOYFUL mother of three beautiful, saved and sanctified children
3. My sweet and gentle husband
4. Ultra sounds that can give you a picture of your baby to cherish forever
5. My daughter Felecia driving me to the doctors, making dinner, cleaning etc..
6. A quiet home in the country to rest in
7. The cooling of the weather- the whispering winds
8. Chelsea telling me I am her hero and that she feels like she lost a member of her own family
9. Blogging that helps me get my mind off the terrible cramping I am having right now
10. All the love poured out for our family

Thank you everyone for all the love, prayers, concern and sympathy that you have poured out on our family. We feel so very blessed!

The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away!

"the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." Job 1:21

My little pearl sprouted wings and flew into the arms of Jesus. What a glorious life-from the womb to the arms of Jesus- to never have to know the sorrows, sin, and heartache of this world. What a blessing!

First Picture of Baby

The Baby is in the middle in the black center. The yoke sack is the round black tinier circle and the baby is the white area attached to it.

I had my initial OBG appointment today and the baby looks good so far. Praise God! When they first looked for it they couldn't get a picture. I thought, "I knew it. FALSE pregnancy! She's gonna tell me there is no baby and you are having a false pregnancy syndrome. But they altered the procedure and got a picture. And OH FOR JOY. Its little heart was beating!!! I will go in two weeks for another picture because it is so early right now.

Saturday afternoon I grabbed a cheap pregnancy test while I was out shopping. It couldn't possibly be that I was pregnant at 41 after nine years of thinking I was no longer able to conceive. But, I had not had a period in almost two months and didn't feel one coming on, so maybe I should just make sure.
I hid the test in my purse and when all was clear I crept quietly into the back bathroom to run the test. As I fumbled to open the box I said to myself, "this is so stupid. You are not pregnant." But I had bought the test. I might as well take it.
I had an instant positive result. I didn't believe it. I rechecked what the positive result should look like. It was true. I was pregnant!
I began to tremble and hit my knees right there beside the bathroom sink. "O my Lord," I prayed, "O My Lord, could it be? Could it really be? O, thank you my God, thank you! Thank you! That you would look upon me in such a way. That you would see fit to bless me so at this age in my life. O My God..."
I was beside myself. It was as if a husband loved his wife so much that he thought and thought of the most beautiful gift he could give her and came and presented it to her as a surprise. It was like the Lord said, "Here is a present, just for you! Just because I love you!"
I thanked Him over and over throughout the day, and I am still praising him and thanking him. Sometimes I cry for the joy of it all, that he could be so good to me. I am in awe and wonder!

Who's That Baby?

When Children Smile

by Mary Evelyn Notgrass

when children smile

the world looks brighter

and hearts, unburdened,

aren't so heavy

when children laugh

the world seems nicer

and problems tend to float away

when children sing

the world sounds better

and eternal things are easier to see

when we become like children

the world looks brighter

the world seems nicer

the world sounds better

and eternal things are easier to see

Notgrass Company; Teaching the Heart, Soul, and Mind

Autumn Give-Away!

I have posted my first official give away. I am giving away 1 lb of pumpkin fudge to one lucky winner. Click here for more details: Autumn Give-Away!

Have fun!!!

Happy 16th Birthday Shane!

16 things about Shane you may or may not know-

1. He is quiet because his name starts with 'Sh", but he does love to socialize

2. He loves to read books that feed the intellect and fire the American passion

3. He has great faith, courage and determination

4. He doesn't want to get married because he says it will take up too much of his time

5. He sets his clock and gets up and at 'em every morning all on his own

6. At birth, his head was so big that the OBGYN cried out "Holy COW! Look at the size of that kid" when he crowned.

7. He fell off his bike when he first learned to ride and had to get stitches in his forehead.

8. He fractured his arm while staying at Donner and continued fishing the whole weakened in spite of the pain (we didn't know it was fractured) He never cried even when the doctor broke it and reset it.

9. He has a lot of love and respect for his grandpa Van Cleve

10. He is currently taking Ear training and Music Theory at Sierra College

11. He plans on graduating in 2009. He has earned all his credits

12. He loves Chemistry, and other academics

13. He loves classical music and plays it beautifully

14. He loves to tease his little sister Priscilla

15. He is a natural teacher, observed by his mom. He's patiently worked with Priscilla many times teaching her many new things.

16. He has very high values and lofty goals for a 16 year old boy!

Check out his blogs: Let Freedom Ring, Music Man, Welcome to the Farm, Whats Growin' On?

"The formative period for building character for eternity is in the nursery. The mother is queen of that realm and sways a scepter more potent than that of kings or priests." ~Author Unknown

Happy 13th Birthday Priscilla

The due date for my third child was set for September 22, 1995. With my previous two pregnancies I had to be induced because my body refused to go into labor on its own. So I wasn't surprised when on October 2 the doctor said there was still no signs of delivery. I walked around and around the back yard impatient and irritated. I was more than ready to have this baby. I went to the health food store and purchased a natural herb that was meant to help induce labor. It worked! and for the first time I went into labor on my own.

I was estatic when at 7:00 pm. I arrived at the hospital and found out that I had dialated to a 6. But from that point everything came to a stand still and at 12:00 a.m. October 3 I had not gone any further. The past five hours had been an agonizing nightmare that had only just begun. My blood pressure was really high and the baby was stressing. At one point it's heart beat had completely stopped. The nurse kept telling me she thought the cord was wrapped around it's neck which caused me alot of extra stress and worry. Then, they tried to induce me and I had contraction upon contraction with no relief inbetween.

Finally a head nurse came in and forced open my uterus. It was so horribly painful I litterally screamed. But it worked and at 1:30 a.m. out came a beautiful baby girl. They laid her on my stomach and I remember stroking her soft little head and saying, "So your the sweet thing that was causing all this."

I was estatic to have a new little girl. They took her over to a corner of the room and I waited for them to clean her up and hand her to me like they had done with my first two babies. Everyone was uncannily quiet and I began to feel ill at ease.

"Is she o.k.? When can I hold her?"

"She's fine shhh, she's just not breathing yet, but they are working and she will be fine in a minute."

"Troy, are you praying?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm praying."

Then I heard them say to call in Dr.- the pediatrician on duty. They lifted her up and said to me, "look at your baby" then took her out. I waited believing that soon they would bring her back and lay her in my arms and everything would be o.k. Troy called our pastor and asked him to pray. It wasn't long after that the whole church was praying for us.

The pediatrician came in and told us that our baby had breathed maconium into her lungs meaning that because of the stress, she had a bowl movement in the uterus and on the way out had inhaled this. This first bowel is a very sticky substance called maconium and is like tar in the lungs. It coats the inside of the lungs so oxygen cannot penetrate. This was a few days old, meaning I should have been induced earlier on, so that made it even worse.

I asked if she was going to be alright and he said he did not know.

"When can I hold her?"

"Probably not for a few days."

"Can't I nurse her?"

"Not, now, we are trying to get oxygen into her."

A few minutes later another nurse came in from Mercy San Juan and told us they were going to transfer her because she needed more intensive care than what this hospital could offer. She also said that she was on a venhilator...

Another wait, then another visit, "we've found air outside the baby's lungs. She will have to have a chest tube put in."

"Is that bad?"

"Well, yes, they have to cut into her chest..."

A few minutes later, "Your baby has just had a seizure."

It was at that point hope diminished and I believed she was going to die. I was in shock and very frightened. Next they informed me that with our insurance they would have to transfer her to Sutter Memorial in down-town Sacramento.

At 5:30 a.m. they wheeled her in for us to see her before they transported her. She was all hooked up and looked dead to me and I broke down and started crying. Everything had turned into a nightmare.

But a dear saint of God called me and encouraged me "Your baby is going to be just fine. I know God will take care of her.

And God did. I was released from the hospital at 10:30 a.m. that morning so I could go be with her. Later we found out that Sutter Memorial had the top child care facility in the nation and had she gone to Mercy, she probably wouldn't have survived. God was moving before we even realized it.

October 4- they paralyzed her because she was fighting the venhilator, a new type that was a high jet venhilator that spiral jets the air into the lungs. At this time the doctor informed me she might or might not live. He wasn't sure how things would turn out and that she would be in the hospital a minimum of 30 days.

My pastor came in and prayed over her.

October 5 -they found another air bubble and had to cut another whole into her chest. She had tubes in everywhere; in her hands, feet, head, belly button, chest.... I was also informed they were probably going to give her a blood transfusion. I requester prayer explicitly for this because I did not want her to have one.

October 6- They took her off the paralyzing medicine. She was moving and holding our fingers.

October 7- Her eyes were opened and they were bringing her down on the oxygen level and the pressure on the venhilator. She would cry whenever I left her. I stayed with her as much as possible.

October 8 -She was sucking on a pacifier with the venhilator in her mouth. Started on tube feeding. Coloring looks good.

October 9 -She came down to a low frequency venhilator

October 10 -I held her for the first time I also bottle fed her.

October 11- They let me breast feed her. "Don't be discouraged if she doesn't latch on right away", they warned, "When a baby doesn't nurse the first few days after birth the lose their natural instinct." She latched on quicker that my other two children. I knew this could only be the hand of my heavenly father.

October 12- She came home.

What a miracle! When the respiratory therapist was escorting us to our car to leave the facilities, she asked the nurse, "What baby is this?"

"Priscilla Van Cleve."

"Your Kidding!? Did you know she was supposed to have a procedure done where they make an incision in her neck and drain all her blood and oxygenate it and then put it back in. It is a horrible procedure and there is only a 50/50 chance for survival. You consider that a good omen" said the respiratory therapist.

But I knew in my heart that an omen had nothing to do with it. My God had healed her. Great and marvelous are his ways!!!

"When a home is ruled according to God's Word,
angels might be asked to stay with us,
and they would not find themselves out of their element."
~Charles Spurgeon

A Little Child Shall Lead Them...

The following excerpt is taken from the book, "Created to be His Help Meet". Although it is written to wives, there is a flip side to this coin that addresses husbands. Both wives and husbands are commanded of God to love each other. This love is the basis of any happy family. Without true biblical love, every other effort in raising our children is undermined. Loving our spouse is not contingent upon their performance, but rather our obedience to Christ and His word. The fruits of the Spirit; love, joy, happiness, gentleness, meekness... always begin with our spouse. If we cultivate them there, they will be rooted within.

The enemy of our soul knows this and will do all he can to get a wedge in between this most sacred union. We must die to self and fight this foe to the bitter end. Eternity is worth it and the spiritual health of our children depends upon it.

Let the Little Children Lead Them Written By Debbie Pearl

"The most important thing a mother will do for her children is to create an atmosphere of peace and joy by deeply loving their Daddy and being satisfied with life. Several years ago, my husband did a Family Life seminar for homeschooling families at a large, very conservative church. The people were given age-appropriate questionnaires before we got there. Each homeschooled child (from every child who could write, up to single adults still living at home) was asked two questions:

1. Is your home happy?


2. What one thing would you like to see changed in your home that would make you a happier person?

We were not expecting profound answers. We thought the children would say that they wanted name-brand clothes, or more freedom, or maybe more access to video games. We hoped we would get a few serious answers, like some kids saying they wanted to spend more time with their parents or they wanted to be trusted. Their responses shocked and saddened us.

Out of about 75 responses, only two or three kids considered their home happy. Nearly all 75 answers of the second question were basically the same. Ten-year-olds (who could barely spell) to single college-age adults had the same hopes and anguishes. They all said something to the effect of, "I wish Mama and Daddy would love each other." The younger kids wrote answers like these: "Our home would be happier if Mama and Daddy would not fight," "I would make my Mama and Daddy like each other," "we would have a happy home if Mama would not talk bad about Daddy" and " I wish Mama would not talk back and make Daddy get all mad and yell." The older ones wrote along these lines, "our house would be more peaceful if Mom would not walk around with this frozen bitterness. I feel as if we live in a war zone."

How do you love your children? Let these 75 homeschooled kids lead you to this important truth: Love their Daddy. Honor their Daddy. Obey their Daddy. Forgive their Daddy."

"Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock!"

When I was a little girl, a neighbor lady often had me and my little brother over to teach us a Bible lesson. She used all sorts of interesting manipulatives to try and explain the Bible and it's teahings to us. I remember her taking two toy cars and drawing a very large road and a very small road on some paper, and driving them around. All of it went right over my head. I enjoyed my time there and the cookies she often shared, but I didn't understand anything she was trying to teach me.

One day she presented us with the picture of Jesus knocking at a door. I was instantly taken in by its beauty and the sweet man called Jesus. She told us how he was knocking at the door, but no one was opening it for him. I felt so sorry for him and a very deep deep longing stirred inside my young heart and I thought, "if I were there, I would let him in." Oh how I wished I could be there with that sweet man in the picture. Somehow I knew deep in the dark corners of my heart, that he would make everything alright.

Unfortunately, at the time, I never got the message that I COULD let him in; that he was knocking at my heart's door. I spent too many years not knowing. But thank God, later in life, someone told me the truth about Jesus and how he can come to live in my heart. I opened the door one day, and my life has been so blessed ever since!!!

If you have never heard how you can open your heart to Jesus, I welcome you to read more. Click on "Is Jesus Knocking at Your Door" and begin a BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL, BRAND NEW life in Him!!!

One of the greatest gift you can give your children

is a happy childhood!

YOUR LIFE is Jesus to someone,

though tattered and torn it may be.

Though often times weak and unstable,

you're all of God someone will see.

YOUR TONGUE is Jesus to someone.

That idle, insensitive word

reflects to at least one searching heart

an idle, insensitive Lord.

YOUR GOALS are Jesus to someone.

What you put first, they believe,

are the goals of God for the Christian.

Your life is all they receive.

YOUR FAITHFULNESS that's Jesus to someone.

Their judgment of how God is true,

rests unquestionably in the faithfulness

they see day by day in you.

YOUR LOVE is Jesus to someone -

that someone who is seeking to know

that Jesus will follow, guide and befriend

wherever in life they might go.

SO BEWARE lest others blaspheme God

by what you say or do,

for the only Jesus that someone knows

is the Jesus they see in you.

Author Unknown

"Your children need your presence more than your presents."

~Jesse Jackson~

HAPPY 17th BIRTHDAY FELECIA!

At 11;57 p.m. this evening, exaclty 17 years ago, I became a mother. The most wonderful thing that God ever did for me besides saving me from sin. They laid a healthy, beautiful baby girl in my arms. She was very upset about the whole ordeal, but I would stroke her soft cheek with my forefinger and talk with her and she would stop bellowing and look up at me. I was mesmerized. A gift from heaven. There are no words to tell of the joy, the beauty, the wonder of becoming a mother. So today, 17 years later, is Felecia Genevieve's birthday. The name Felecia means happines or great joy.

When she was about five years old, I had salmon steaks in the oven. They usually come in a U shape. She could smell something different cooking and came in and asked me what we were having for dinner. When I told her we were having Salmon steaks she peered in the oven at them and said, "ohhhh, were having fish legs for dinner." Fancy that!

Another time around the same age, she was taking a bath and I went to clip her finger and toe nails. I started with her fingernails, but noticed that they were very short. "Felecia Genevieve, you need to quit biting your nails!" She listened with a slight guilty expression. "Give me your foot", I said. She lifted her foot up and triumphantly announced, "Now these I DON"T bite!" Hmmm...

The years are running by

onward...out of sight;

My children aren't so tiny

as just a fore' night

They're thinking, planning, yearning

Their wings to stretch and fly;

It won't be long when they will take

their wing and say goodbye

Oh Lord help me prepare them

that they would trust your ways;

And let your Holy spirit

guide them all their days

So in their flight of joy

mindful they would be;

that life is full of sorrows

and they have need of thee

And when their sun is darkend

and storm clouds dim their view;

they'll find a welcomed shelter

In snuggling close to you

Oh Lord please over shadow

and keep them in thy care;

That they would know you personally

Will always be my prayer!

By EVC