Voting time is here, or at least the advanced poll is open. Fill in this form to vote on what our baby’s name will be, how much she will weigh at birth, and who she will look most like.
If you don’t see a form below, click on this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1CAJSrblN73X5WL84rkdwMbIXulFShGhTFlsE2RNQZRM/viewform
Have fun, but only one vote per person!
Update: if you already voted, you can make a new vote with our updated form.
Everyone has been busy the past few days cleaning, finishing miscellaneous jobs, working outside, and of course cooking. The kitchen has been very busy today, getting ready for the upcoming wedding – especially this afternoon. In under 4 hours, 1146 cookies were rolled and baked. Here is the 1000th cookie:
the 1000th cookie
mopping the floor
installing the railing
raising a makeshift tent in case of rain
This is our 100th blog post, so I thought it would be good to put something important in it. And I really couldn’t think of anything more important that has been happening around here than a certain upcoming event.
David
Erica
Looking forward to August 4th, in the same location.
Both couples are looking forward to this event.
Nathanael
Samantha
Also looking forward to the same date
For those who hadn’t heard yet, the wedding date is August 4th, (You will notice there is even a countdown on the right side of the page.) and it will be a double wedding. I imagine someone will be putting a post on shortly after the wedding, but I don’t know how many posts will be made before, as we will be quite busy.
I had no idea what a pounding was before yesterday. And I certainly didn’t expect one! If you had told me I was going to have one, I probably would have ducked.
Ok, I had better start at the beginning. Yesterday afternoon was the day we celebrated my birthday. (We often celebrate not quite on the date, due to Daddy’s irregular schedule.) I was glad Erica could be there, though I certainly had no idea what my family had planned. Well, after the normal celebration, they told me and Erica to go sit on the couch and close our eyes. While our eyes were shut, they brought up a whole pile of gifts, mostly wrapped in grocery flyers and shopping bags. I was told I needed help opening these gifts.
In each package were dozens of useful items – non-perishable groceries, cleaning supplies, tape, stamps, and so much more. I could see that a lot of thought and effort had been put into this special time. We were given so many things that are so important and yet so easy to overlook. I am very grateful for all that was done for us!
Chocolate chip cookies are a favourite of mine – that is why there is such a large bag of chocolate chips.
That bag was not really full of popcorn, though that is the size of bag our family normally buys – we have gone through a lot of popcorn the past few years, especially because at our regular Bible studies we would invariably make popcorn for anywhere from 12 to 40 people. And that is where Erica and I got to know each other. So, the last gift was quite appropriate …
The Lord has indeed been good to us. How glad I am, and grateful, that He gave us the families that He did, who care for us and love us!
Psalm 135:3 “Praise the Lord; for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.”
I know that some of you have been looking forward to this post for some time, myself most certainly included. It was a about year ago that I posted about our courtship, and now Erica and I have some more exciting news…
our engagement (February 13th)! And yes, we do have a date for the wedding: Sunday, September 1st, 2013.
The past year has been a time of great blessing and joy as we have gotten to know each other better and I know that the next six months will also be a time of relationship growth, both toward each other and our Lord. Our hope is that in this area, where a relationship like ours is virtually unheard of, the Lord would open people’s eyes to what He can do in people who are willing to work in His ways. I pray that what we have gone through would be a blessing and example to those around us and cause them to desire a closer walk with Him first of all.
It has been a long wait, with yet more time to go, but as it says in Isaiah 40:31, “they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
We have had plenty happening around our place in the past few weeks, and there seems not to have been much posted on our blog. I think the most notable and the most important news is what I chose to write about in this post. This truly is some news worth sharing.
Last Sunday, Sarah publicly demonstrated her desire to serve the Lord and be completely dedicated to Him by being baptised.
The baptism took place in a lake at a local Christian camp. It was really nice weather and a really nice location. Many thanks to the photographers who graciously allowed us to use their pictures on our blog.
Romans 6:3-6 “so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
Last Saturday we had the opportunity of visiting Grandma and Grandpa at their home. We were really excited when, after finishing a few things around their house (turning their garden, cutting up branches, weed-eating, etc.), Grandpa went to the old charcoal barbecue and lit it. Grandpa’s barbecuing is famous among all his grandchildren.
Once it was running nicely, he put the sausages on.
Everyone stood around to watch the barbecue. Well, I guess it really didn’t take that many people, but we had a great time talking and listening to Grandpa tell stories about when our father was a child. Meanwhile, Mommy and Grandma were inside doing the other preparations.
Before long, the sausages were done and we took them inside to eat.
We had a great time around the supper table and afterwards we talked in the living room while a few of us did the cleanup. It is always a privilege to go to our grandparents’ place and enjoy their company and hear stories from past years.
Proverbs 16:31 “The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.”
“I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.” – Psalm 13:6
How I have longed for and awaited this day! Ten years ago, the Lord worked in my heart to give Him my desires and aspirations and to start praying daily for my future life partner. Five years ago the Lord brought someone into my life who would, in time, become more dear to me than anyone I have yet known.
In the years I have spent among groups of godly young people, I have met thousands who are seeking God and His ways. One internationally renowned preacher described these groups as “the Godliest of the Godly young people” he has ever met. Nevertheless, I have not found even in these circles anyone I can look in the eye and see that their heart is truly and fully dedicated to the Lord and His ways. To see the fear of God exemplified in the same life, to discover an unshakable faith and a godly love that overflows onto all those around, to find responsibility, determination and endurance has been far above my expectations. To know and be known of such a person is a privilege and an honour beyond my merit. I believe that only God could have worked such a wonder.
It is my immense pleasure and honour to announce that I have now been officially granted by Mr. Taylor a courtship with his daughter, Erica Ashley Taylor.
This has been long in coming, and we have already spent much time with each other’s families. Perhaps I will make another post soon with more details.
Some noteable posts from our blog: be sure to read between the lines; you may find some interesting statements and/or pictures. 
http://www.createdinchrist.com/Blog/post/More-concerts.aspx
http://www.createdinchrist.com/Blog/post/Friends-and-Fellowship.aspx
http://www.createdinchrist.com/Blog/post/Bicycling.aspx
http://www.createdinchrist.com/Blog/post/Hiking-the-White-Mountains.aspx
http://www.createdinchrist.com/Blog/post/Friends-Photographs-Valentines-Day.aspx
Erica, I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for you, I always pray with joy because of your fellowship from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right for me to feel this way about you, since I have you in my heart and you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
March around here generally means time to tap trees. I hadn’t really expected to do so so soon, though. It wasn’t much more than a week before that we took these winter bird pictures.
oh, and some non-bird pictures.
Almost every spring, we get outside to tap a few trees. Last Saturday I did 16, I think. I tend to lose track of how many I have actually done, as I generally skip any trees that still have more than one unclosed hole, resulting in most trees being tapped about every other year.
I guess it is more of a hobby than anything; we generally turn about half of the sap we get into syrup and the other half into maple sugar on snow. Yum! 
I am very grateful to Elizabeth for assisting me by carrying all the buckets. She also carried a large pair of pruning shears – something I always mean to do, but never actually end up doing.
We tapped a couple of trees inside the cow’s fence, so we shall see what the inspector thinks.
Psalm 119:103-104 “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.”
We haven’t had much in the winter this year. Up until recently, we probably had a total of about a foot or two of snow. But although there hadn’t been much snow to shovel most of us do like to have at least one or two big snowfalls. We finally did get some snow last Thursday, and it was just the right consistency to roll into large snowballs…
So, we made two large snowmen. We had to get creative to lift the snow balls (they were quite heavy), but we did finally do it with just our own muscle power – and some old pallets that happened to be not far away.
The taller of the two snowmen stood 10 1/2 feet tall including his hat.
The snow melted a little after that, so they both tumbled. All we have now is one big ball and two smaller balls stacked beside it. But it was a lot of exercise.
Isaiah 55:9-11 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”