Word Studies - Part 12

Hebrews 11:6 – But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
(NKJV)

Strong’s # 1567 ekzeteo (ek-zay-teh´-o)


Lexicons/Bible Dictionaries

Strong’s – to search out, to investigate, crave, demand, worship; to enquire, seek after (carefully, diligently)

Vine’s – to seek out or search for, to search diligently, to require or demand

Word Study (NT) – to seek out, or search diligently for anything that has been lost, to seek in order to obtain, to seek after God in a sincere desire to obtain His favor

Analytical Greek Lexicon – to seek out, to investigate diligently, to scrutinize, to ask for, to seek earnestly after

Thayer – to seek out, to search for, to investigate, to scrutinize

NASB Greek – seek out, demand, enquire

NIV Greek – seek out, seek earnestly

NIDNTT – seek, search for, seek after, strive for


Translations

KJV – But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

NASB95 – And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

ESV – And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

NLT – So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

AMP – But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].

NIV – And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

MSG – It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.

NRSV – And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Darby -- But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]. For he that draws near to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them who seek him out.

Young’s – and apart from faith it is impossible to please well, for it behoveth him who is coming to God to believe that He is, and to those seeking Him He becometh a rewarder.


Commentaries

Wesley – The Lord is sought through prayer, worship, and the study of scriptures. One must seek for the Lord in an attitude of trust and faith.

Barnes’ – Unless one believes that God will hear one’s prayers, and has faith that He exists there is no reason to seek out God or to call on Him. One cannot approach or seek deliberately what one does not believe exists.

Clarke – One truly seeking the Lord seeks out of faith, not for the recognition of any one else. This person is honest and transparent in worship to the Lord and understands that one can only please God through faith.

McGee – The honest heart seeking God finds the gift of His salvation.

Expositor’s – To earnestly seek God one must believe that God exists, and that He really does care. Also, there is an implication in this passage of seeking God through worship.

Life Application – To honestly seek God requires that one act in faith, and on the knowledge that God has revealed, all the knowledge regarding God that one possesses. When one finds God, one must devote oneself wholeheartedly to God, and continue seeking more of Him.

Barclay – In searching for God one must be completely convinced not only of God’s existence, but also that He cares for humanity and is actively involved in situations that humanity finds itself in. Jesus Christ Himself came to earth to reveal to humanity just how much He loves.

Pink – One cannot truly seek God until one is aware of one’s sinful condition, and the need for a Savior, and this knowledge comes as the Holy Spirit works in on one’s heart before salvation. To seek God one must seek Him in faith, with a firm belief of His existence and generosity, and that God has revealed Himself in His Word, in His interaction with Humanity, in His creation or His Works, and in Jesus Christ. Additionally, God must be sought for who He really is, and not who the seeker wants Him to be.


Word Application

One cannot find the Lord unless one diligently seeks Him. Unfortunately, many seek more diligently for a new holiday outfit than for the Lord. Anything or anyone else we seek other than the Lord only results in temporary pleasure and satisfaction. It is only the search for the Lord that provides a lasting satisfaction that results in eternal life, and a relationship with the Almighty God.
Searching for God can be compared to a detective searching for a solution to the case, or a doctor searching for a cure for the disease as both the detective and the doctor will search with focus, determination, and will not give up the search until the answer is found. A believer may follow this determined example by searching for the Lord through prayer, worship, and Bible study until He is found. The key difference between the detective, the doctor, and the believer is that while the detective and doctor will stop when the answer is found, the believer will continue to search for more of the Lord resulting in a life-long search.

Word Study - Bibliography

Here are all the references that I used directly for these Word Studies. While I did read many other commentaries, I only used the ones that brought a new light to my studies or reinforced an idea that I felt was important.

For those of you wondering, I did very well in the class.



BIBLIOGRAPHY




Achtemeier, Elizabeth. Minor Prophets 1. Edited by Robert L. Hubbard Jr. and Robert K. Johnston, New International Biblical Commentary. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1996.
Aitken, Kenneth T. Proverbs. Edited by John C.L. Gibson, The Daily Study Bible Series. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Westminster Press, 1986.
The Amplified Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1987.
Barclay, William. The Gospel of John. 2 vols. Vol. 2, The New Daily Study Bible. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001.
———. The Letter to the Galatians and Ephesians. Revised ed, The Daily Study Bible Series. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976.
———. The Letter to the Hebrews. Revised ed, The Daily Study Bible Series. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976.
———. The Letter to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. Revised ed, The Daily Study Bible Series. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1975.
———. The Letter to the Romans. Revised ed, The Daily Study Bible Series. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1975.
Barnes, William Emery. The Book of Chronicles with Maps, Notes, and Introduction. Edited by A. F. Kirkpatrick, The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Glasgow, Great Britain: Cambridge University Press, 1899.
Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament. Altamonte Springs, Florida: Oak Tree Software, Inc, 2004.
Barton, Bruce B., Philip W. Comfort, David R. Veerman, and Neil Wilson. John. Edited by Grant Osborne, Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1993.
Barton, Bruce B., Mark Fackler, Linda K. Taylor, and David R. Veerman. Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Edited by Grant Osborne, Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1995.
Barton, Bruce B., Linda K. Taylor, David R. Veerman, and Neil Wilson. Galatians. Edited by Grant Osborne, Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1994.
Barton, Bruce B., David R. Veerman, and Linda K. Taylor. Hebrews. Edited by Grant Osborne, Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1997.
Barton, Bruce B., David R. Veerman, and Neil Wilson. Romans. Edited by Grant Osborne, Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1992.
Boice, James Montgomery. The Minor Prophets. 2 vols. Vol. 2. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1986.
———. Psalms. 3 vols. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1994.
Bridges, Charles. An Exposition of Proverbs. Marshallton, Delaware: The National Foundation for Christian Education, 1846.
Brown, Colin, ed. New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing Company, 1986.
Brown, Francis, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2004.
Broyles, Craig C. Psalms. Edited by Robert L. Hubbard jr. and Robert K. Johnston, New International Bible Commentary. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1999.
Clarke, Adam. Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Whole Bible. Altamonte Springs, Florida: Oak Tree Software, Inc, 2004.
Cohen, A. Proverbs: Hebrew Text and English Translation with an Introduction and Commentary. revised ed. New York: The Soncino Press, 1985.
Craigie, Peter C. Twelve Prophets. Edited by John C. L. Gibson. 2 vols. Vol. 2, The Daily Study Bible. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Westminster Press, 1985.
Curtis, Edward Lewis, and Albert Alonzo Madsen. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Books of Chronicles, The International Critical Commentary. Edinburgh, Scotland: T. & T. Clark Ltd., 1976.
Darby, J. N., ed. The Holy Scriptures: A New Translation from the Original Languages. Altamonte Springs, Florida: Oak Tree Software, Inc., 2004.
Dillard, Raymond B. 2 Chronicles. Edited by David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker. Vol. 15, Word Biblical Commentary. Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1987.
Gaebelein, Frank E., ed. The Expositor's Bible Commentary. 12 vols. Vol. 4. Grand Rapids Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1988.
———, ed. The Expositor's Bible Commentary. 12 vols. Vol. 5. Grand Rapids Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991.
———, ed. The Expositor's Bible Commentary. 12 vols. Vol. 11. Grand Rapids Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978.
———, ed. The Expositor's Bible Commentary. 12 vols. Vol. 12. Grand Rapids Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981.
Goldingay, John. Isaiah. Edited by Robert L. Hubbard Jr. and Robert K. Johnston. Vol. 13, New International Biblical Commentary. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2001.
Goldingay, John E. Daniel. Edited by David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker. Vol. 30, Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas, Texas: Word Books, 1989.
Goodrick, Edward W., John R. Kohlenberger III, and James A. Swanson, eds. Greek to English Dictionary and Index to the NIV New Testament. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing Company, 1990.
———, eds. Hebrew/Aramaic to English Dictionary and Index to the NIV Old Testament. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1999.
Gray, George Buchanan. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Isaiah. Edited by Samuel Rolles Driver, Alfred Plummer and Charles Augustus Briggs. 2 vols. Vol. 1, The International Critical Commentary on the Holy Scriptures. Edinburgh, Scotland: T. & T. Clark, 1969.
Harris, R. Laird, ed. Theological Workbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press, 1980.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers, 2001.
The Holy Bible: King James Version. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1987.
The Holy Bible: New American Standard Version. 1995 Updated ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.
The Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.
The Holy Bible: New King James Version. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1982.
The Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers Inc., 1996.
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1999.
Knight, G. A. F. Psalms. Edited by John C.L. Gibson. 2 vols. Vol. 1, The Daily Study Bible Series. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Westminster Press, 1982.
Leupold, H. C. Exposition of Daniel. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1969.
———. Exposition of Isaiah. 2 vols. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1971.
Longenecker, Richard N. Galatians. Edited by David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker. Vol. 41, Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas, Texas: Word Books, 1990.
Longman, Tremper. Daniel. Edited by Terry Muck, The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1999.
McGee, J. Vernon. Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee. 6 vols. Vol. 2. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1982.
———. Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee. 6 vols. Vol. 3. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1982.
———. Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee. 6 vols. Vol. 4. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1982.
———. Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee. 6 vols. Vol. 5. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1982.
Miller, John. A Commentary on the Proverbs. New York: Anson D. F. Randolph & Company, 1872.
Montgomery, James A. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Daniel. Edited by S. R. Driver, A. Plummer and C. A. Briggs, The International Critical Commentary. Edinburgh, Scotland: T. & T. Clark, 1927.
Motyer, J. Alec. Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter Varsity Press, 1999.
Murphy, Roland E. Proverbs. Edited by Bruce M. Metzger, David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker. Vol. 22, Word Biblical Commentary Series. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1998.
Perschbacher, Wesley J., ed. The New Analytical Greek Lexicon. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1990.
Peterson, Eugene. The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Colorado Springs, Colorado: NavPress Publishing Group, 2002.
Pink, Arthur W. An Exposition of Hebrews. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 2003.
Russell, D. S. Daniel. Edited by John C. L. Gibson, The Daily Study Bible. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Westminster Press, 1981.
Sawyer, John F. A. Isaiah. Edited by John C. L. Gibson. 2 vols. Vol. 1, The Daily Study Bible. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Westminster Press, 1984.
Selman, Martin J. 2 Chronicles: A Commentary. Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.
Sproul, R.C. The Gospel of God: Exposition of Paul's Letter to the Romans. Fearn, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1999.
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. The Treasury of David (Psalms). Altamonte Springs, Florida: Oak Tree Software, Inc, 2004.
Stott, John R. W. The Message of Galatians: Only One Way. Edited by John R. W. Stott, The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press, 1968.
Strong, James, John R. Kohenberger III, and James A. Swanson. The Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 2001.
Tenney, Merrill C. Galatians: The Charter of Christian Liberty. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1989.
———. John: The Gospel of Belief: An Analytical Study of the Text. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdman's Publishing Company, 1997.
Thayer, Joseph Henry. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Altamonte Springs, Florida: OakTree Software, Inc., 2004.
Thomas, Robert L., ed. Greek Dictionary of the New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance. Altamonte Springs, Florida: OakTree Software, Inc., 1981.
———, ed. New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: Hebrew-Aramaic Dictionary. Altamonte Springs, Florida: OakTree Software, Inc., 1981.
VanGemeren, Willem A., ed. New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997.
Vine, W. E. Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1996.
Watts, John D. W. Isaiah 1-33. Edited by Bruce M. Metzger, David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker. Vol. 24, Word Biblical Commentary. Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1985.
Wesley, John. John Wesley’s Notes on the Whole Bible. Altamonte Springs, Florida: Oak Tree Software, Inc, 2004.
Wilcock, Michael. The Message of Psalms 1-72. Edited by J. A. Motyer, The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter Varsity Press, 2001.
Young's Literal Translation of the Holy Bible. Altamonte Springs, Florida: Oak Tree Software, Inc., 2004.
Zodhiates, Spiros. The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament, Word Study Series. Chattanooga, Tennessee: AMG Publishers, 1992.

Word Study - Conclusion

As I have been reviewing these studies I completed I feel challenged to work on this again! And once we are settled it will be possible for me to go to a seminary library on a Saturday morning once in a while! If I do solid prep work I can finish 12 word studies in a morning at a seminary as I mostly need commentaries. (I am not sure that doing 7 different lexicons actually helped that much in the words I chose!)

Let me know what you think - Did you like this? Would you like it if I occasionally posted items I completed for seminary? (Just the interesting ones, not the boring reviews of required readings or anything like that! And certainly not my Greek homework!)

And of course, I would also like to know what (if anything) you learned reading each word study!

Moving Week - Take 2

So here we are again, another Sunday night, another declaration that this will indeed be moving week!

For supper tonight we had Asian Beef Kabobs from Dream Dinners, rice and carrots - If you have the recipe for the Asian beef kabobs (marinade of hoisin sauce, ginger, garlic and a bunch of other stuff please, I beg you, share it with us - Miss Pear actually ate beef and asked for more, again and again and again! A miracle!

We took a cooler load of fridge and freezer stuff over to a friend who has an extra fridge in their garage this afternoon. She is actually going to deliver it to us next weekend! We are thrilled!

We organized stuff and had great intentions of doing lots of preparations, but we were tired. This big girl bed transition is not going as hoped. Miss Pear was up for two and a half hours off and on during the night (we put her back to bed, crawled into bed, just dozed off, and she was up again). Sigh. Her favorite words to greet me with at these times are either, "Mommy, I need you!" or "Mommy, I missed you." How am I supposed to resist all that cuteness!

So, getting back on track, our plan for the week. God willing of course!

Monday - herd open me first stuff to central locations, herd all Miss Pear's books and toys to her room, pray like crazy. And get times from movers.

Tuesday - Movers arrive to pack us up. Miss Pear and I go to friends house to play for some period of this organized chaos. Out for supper, and probably lunch too. Pray lots.

Wednesday - the BIG DAY! A big truck pulls up to our little town home and all our stuff gets packed into it. I anticipate Miss Pear standing on the front deck endlessly fascinated! And we move. The movers have promised that Miss Pear's room will be last on the truck and first off. We have excellent movers! Again, I anticipate out for lunch and supper (or ordering in pizza). Try to remember to not freak out, and pray instead.

Thursday - reality of our new home. Theoretically our cable will be hooked up this day. I unpack like a crazy woman and continue to pray like crazy.

Friday - I have to report to the DMV for my license renewal. They say that they want me to take a vision test (clearly they have not talked to my optometrist who will tell them that my eye site is annoyingly perfect). The truth of the matter is that when I got my driver's license I did not have a social security number because they refused to give me one because I did not have a driver's license, so I think the DMV would like to have that little tidbit of information. Remind me to tell you the saga of my social security number one day - it is kind of like Abbot and Costello.

So it is moving week.

I will be posting a special something on Monday (about 14 posts long) that I worked on for you - actually I just worked on getting it into blogger for you, I already had it in a Word document.

Then I anticipate a bloggy break until next week.

FIF - Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns

Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns
A delicious cheater method

20 frozen roll dough
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vanilla pudding powder
2 tbsp cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins (optional, or add more)
1/4 – 1/2 cup melted butter

Grease large bundt pan (can use angel food pan if need be) and add frozen rolls.

Sprinkle with brown sugar, pudding powder, cinnamon, and raisins. (I gently poke around at this point to get the flavors throughout). Pour melted butter over all.

Cover with greased plastic and clean damp cloth. Leave out at room temperature over night. (Rising time is about 8 hours, depending on the temperature of your house).

In the morning, preheat the oven to 350F. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes and turn onto serving plate.

Best served warm.

This is from one of the Best of Trump cookbooks, I cannot remember which, and I have made this for many a breakfast BSF leaders meeting!

I am trying to think how to make this without buying the frozen roll dough, so if you have some ideas, please let me know! Mrs. U has the answer to this question posted here.

Not so bad...

Without giving away all the gory details, our buyer was treated horribly by her mortgage broker and lender. Now that I have the whole story, I feel really bad for her! She did everything she could to babysit this, and it seems to me that they were less than upfront with her when they realized they had a problem. The lender was missing a piece of paper our HOA could supply in about 5 minutes, if they had bothered to ask. Our escrow person has a gal she works with over there all the time, had we know this on Monday when it seems like they did, or even Tuesday when it was confirmed to be a problem, we could have fixed it, and the dates would have stayed firm.

The only reason I am bringing this up once again, besides the fact I want to admit that even though the buyer was not in town when she should have been, I was wrong about her being part of the guilt in this and that our buyer is now in a tough situation.

When she called her movers to reschedule they said they could not reschedule, so they would have to cancel. She is now stuck moving herself. She is so stressed she was almost in tears today!

So she is in deep trouble.

We are just inconvenienced. Our movers happily rescheduled us, and even expressed sympathy that we had to move our dates as they know we are very anxious to move!

It is surprising the attitude adjustment that comes with a perspective check.

While I am less than thrilled that Mr. Pear has to do three extra 160 mile round trip commutes, it definitely seems better than having to suddenly be moving ourselves!

Why is it that I need a perspective check to have a good attitude about trials? Why can I not just tell myself it could be worse, trust God and go on?

So I have decided, there will be no more whining on this blog about moving fiascos, because as I reread my posts, it sounds like whining to me.

So I leave you with this parting question:

Did I tell you that the Lord has blessed us with a string of miracles that leads up to the big miracle of us actually buy a house (a house!) in Southern California???? This is a huge miracle! And did I mention that my family is all safe and healthy? The Lord has blessed us richly.

Oh good...

...further torture!

So it turns out that the piece of paper that the buyers loan people needed is something we have in our filing cabinet, that our fabulous escrow person could have gotten in 5 minutes, if they had just been honest with us.

If they had just been honest with us the dates would not have slipped...

...oh yes, they would have because our buyer was not even in town! She had not even flown in!

I was shocked and furious!

Apparently our escrow person read her the riot act!

So today she will be in town signing documents, but we are not closing until Monday because it messes us up. And actually cannot be done because of conditions our buyers lender has, so that works good for us.

However, to further inflict pain on us, she wants to do her walk through today, seeing she is in town and all....

I think we will be going for a walk and letting our agent handle things.

It is clear if you walk into our house that we are Christians, and I am not convinced that I can behave in a way that honors the Lord for a prolonged discussion, so rather than dishonor the Lord, we are going for a walk.

Please excuse me...

...while I bang my head on my desk.

We are not moving this week because the lender for the buyer of our town home made a mistake, which would have been caught if the buyer had been following up with her lender like we were.

Kind of toasted our anniversary celebrations....

But we are still going out tonight for supper to celebrate our 8th anniversary.

New moving plan:

Thursday (tomorrow) - all documentation for the buyer at escrow
Friday - buyer signs all documentation
Saturday and Sunday - continue t0 wait patiently
Monday - close on town home so that on
Tuesday - close on house and get packed up
Wednesday - take possession and move.

The part that stinks is that I had perfectly run down our fridge, so now I have to go buy groceries. I mean, we are out of cheese! This is a calamity in Miss Pear's world!

So the surprise I was going to post today will be delayed until Monday.

WFMW - Water Table Fun

I just discovered the best trick from a friend of mine who is the mom of three girls, so she has more experience at this than I do.

To keep smaller ones busy while you are outside, take your water table, or anything that will act like one (dishpan of water works well too), and add a bit of bubble mix! Long lasting bubbles to entertain water babies while they play!

Oh the bliss of water and bubbles....outside. Works for me

A bit of a day...

....so we are having a bit of a day around here - bonus points if you can tell cite the quote "... you are having a bit of a day"

The loan documents for the buyer of our town home have not been released yet, even though they were to be at the escrow office this morning. Basically, someone messed up, namely the loan officer. This pushes us back a day, but we should still be able to pull this off, Lord willing. Basically, nothing else can go wrong! We should still be able to move into our new home on Friday. If not, the weekend will be interesting. (Please pray that the timing would work for us to move on Friday!)

We are kind of annoyed about this. We worked closely with our lender, and as a result our loan documents were ready 4 days in advance, and our paperwork is all done.

But, the Wooden Porch is definitely seeking to cheer me up, she is having a contest for a $25 gift card to Joann's. And while I suspect that she is not hosting this contest just to cheer me up today, it is certainly working!

Creating Kitchen Counter Space

Our new home that we are moving to this week will be the first time that I will have more than enough counter space for all the cooking and baking I love to do. Before I was married I had a very small apartment kitchen. Once we were married we lived in a slightly larger apartment with a slightly larger kitchen, but still small, and as much as I loved our town home, it's kitchen is on the small side too.

Through this experience I learned to be creative with maximizing the space I had - all dishes go immediately into the sink or dishwasher once I am done with them, ingredients are used and immediately put away, and only one project at a time as much as possible!

But even these steps were not enough sometimes. So I found five things that have worked well to create extra counter space.

First, I tried very hard to keep our cupboards clutter-free and as clear as possible.

When I was baking I would put cooling racks, or items that needed to rise on top of our breakfast hutch and table, rather than taking up valuable space on the counters I was still using!

I would use the table like a staging area when I needed the extra space.

I would put my slow cooker across two stove elements as it was level enough, and when I was using the slow cooker I was not using those elements, but still needed my counters!

In dire circumstances, like when I made large batches of stuffed chicken for the freezer, I would put a large plastic cutting board over my sink so that I would have one long work station!

A sound mind - yes please!

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7

Well, we are down to the wire on this moving business, and we begin signing paperwork today. We are very excited, and a bit overwhelmed. I find myself thinking of all the things that could possibly go wrong!

Of course, lack of sleep is not helping. Miss Pear does not have the hang of her big girl bed at night yet, and keeps springing out of it, and we keep escorting her back, repeat ad nauseum. I am trying very hard to remain patient as she was already kind of off kilter before the bed switch with all the talk of moving and preparing, so this was the final straw for her, but we are tired!

We are using the big girl bed without rails as we did not have them yet, we have placed a pillow on the floor for a soft landing, and the bed is very low (special toddler setting). She has fallen out of bed twice, and both times we sprang out of bed and ran in there, and she was already snuggling into the pillow, asleep. So clearly she is fine.

Interestingly enough, we are having no trouble at nap time! I am thankful. I don't understand, but I am thankful.

I almost have my special surprise ready to post on Wednesday, just a little bit of tweaking to the introductory post and I am done. I do hope that you enjoy it!

Attention Book Lovers!

If you are searching for ideas for your summer reading, might I suggest heading over to Joyful Days??? She is hosting a week long book giveaway of 5 books! That should keep even the most voracious reader occupied for a week, and those of us with toddlers occupied all summer!

What a wonderful treat!

If you are interested, please go here for all the details and the start of the contest!

Menu Plan Monday - Moving week

Oh dear, apparently it has been a long time since I posted a menu plan!

I guess because we have been a bit busy with selling our town home, buying our house, and preparing to move 70 miles away! No, you are right, it was sheer laziness for not posting this :-)

So, here is our menu plan for moving week.


Sunday - BBQ chicken, carrots, and green beans

Monday - Meatballs with pineapple sauce and rice

Tuesday - BBQ burgers

Wednesday - Our 8th Anniversary - supper out to celebrate at our favorite Italian restaurant that we will miss dearly!

Thursday - movers are packing us up - Supper at a local hamburger joint that is actually a real sit down restaurant. (Plus I have a coupon!)

Friday - moving day - if there is a place to sit, we are ordering in Pizza, if not we will figure it out. (Treat from my parents).

Saturday - Dipping into the freezer meals if we are by ourselves, if friends are still there I am going to the grocery store to buy lasagna and salad.


It is not exactly gourmet, but it is what we will be eating this week....

Oh, but in a stroke of genius (okay, actually it was desperation to use up frozen bananas) I made 4 dozen chocolate chip banana muffins this past week, so we have quick, healthy-ish snacks and breakfasts! And no toddler can resist these!

Once we are a bit more settled I do plan on playing along more regularly as I like the accountability of having my menu ready to go!

One last question - if you are a bread baker, have you tried the Bosch mixer??? I have been using my Kitchenaid, which is great for one loaf, but now that I pretty much have to make our bread or spend a small fortune to buy bread that we can have because of Miss Pear's allergies, I need something a little bit more heavy duty. I have been eyeing up the Bosch, but would like to hear from someone who has one what they think....

FIF - Secret Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

Only in my dreams to I have a freezer this big! I have a handy dandy upright which allows me to lose less....theoretically of course! Keeping a list helps, and I have a plan to revise how I keep track of my freezer, but I will save that tip for when I see if it actually works!

For my first foray into Favorite Ingredient Friday, I am sharing with you my secret spaghetti sauce recipe - although I guess it will not be too secret after I blab it all over bloggityville!

I started making this sauce in Jr. High, and have modified it tremendously from the original, and then converted it to a slow cooker recipe. It makes a full 7 qt slow cooker full, and then I freeze meals of it using the freezer bag method (otherwise it takes forever to thaw!). This is also a key recipe in my method of using my freezer to help me manage my meals, and is a what I make when I want to take a meal to someone!

So, without further ado, here is my recipe!

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Mrs. Pear's Spaghetti Sauce

2 packages 1 and a 1/3 lb ground turkey
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
3-4 green peppers chopped (or more)
4x395mL can tomato sauce (medium size can)
3x156mL can tomato paste (small can)
1 tbsp sugar
1/8 – 1/4 cup dried oregano (depending on how strong the oregano is)
4 cloves crushed garlic
2 bay leaves
pepper

Brown turkey, (I usually do one package at a time with 3-4 grinds of pepper) place in slow cooker.

Saute onions and garlic in good olive oil (if possible, if not, whatever will work), place in slow cooker.

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on high for at least 4 hours, or on low for at least 8 hours.

I use this recipe to make Lasagna too!

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I also posted some other great freezer recipes:

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Ground Beef (multi-purpose recipe for Hamburgers, Meatballs, and Meatloaf)

Taco Chili