and one green pepper slowly developing!
This is most definitely the best Poe garden yet. The plants are loving this GA sunshine- I can't imagine what next year's will look like when we get a bigger space (Lord willing)!
As a Christian, wife, mother of a little girl and two fur-babies, Mississippi State Bulldog, and PhD, I lead a very busy life. If you add on top of that my obsession for organization and loves for couponing, sewing, knitting, cooking, reading, gardening, and a host of other random hobbies, you've got the recipe for...well...variety. And variety is the spice of life!
Friday, May 27, 2011
MrsDrPoe: More Good News from the Garden
We now have 18 tomatoes on our two plants...
and one green pepper slowly developing!
This is most definitely the best Poe garden yet. The plants are loving this GA sunshine- I can't imagine what next year's will look like when we get a bigger space (Lord willing)!
and one green pepper slowly developing!This is most definitely the best Poe garden yet. The plants are loving this GA sunshine- I can't imagine what next year's will look like when we get a bigger space (Lord willing)!
MrsDrPoe: The Benefits of Swagbucks
Good morning all! For the first post on this Foto Friday, I decided to change things up a bit...instead of a picture, I'm posting a video. The subject of said video is the use and benefit of Swagbucks. You may be asking yourself:
What is Swagbucks?
Swagbucks is a search engine, like Google, that randomly awards you digital currency (called swagbucks) for your searches.
So what?
You can cash in the swagbucks that you earn for cool prizes. Our favorite is a $5 Amazon gift card, which costs 450 swagbucks. Last year we were able to get over $200 in FREE Amazon gift cards from our use of the Swagbucks website...which meant it was a very cheap Christmas, and we were able to get a few extra things for ourselves.
Oh wow! How do I join?
First, you have to create an account*. While you're in the process of doing that today, I believe you can enter the code: MEMORIALDAY to start off with an extra 50 swagbucks (plus the 30 you would normally get). Then, you can watch these videos** that I've made to learn how to maximize your earnings. And of course, you can ask me any questions you have if you need help!
*This is my referral link; if you prefer not to use it you could just sign up at swagbucks.com.
**Part 2 can be found here on YouTube.
If you already use Swagbucks, please share your success stories below! If you're new, let us know what you'd love to spend your swagbucks on!
What is Swagbucks?
Swagbucks is a search engine, like Google, that randomly awards you digital currency (called swagbucks) for your searches.
So what?
You can cash in the swagbucks that you earn for cool prizes. Our favorite is a $5 Amazon gift card, which costs 450 swagbucks. Last year we were able to get over $200 in FREE Amazon gift cards from our use of the Swagbucks website...which meant it was a very cheap Christmas, and we were able to get a few extra things for ourselves.
Oh wow! How do I join?
First, you have to create an account*. While you're in the process of doing that today, I believe you can enter the code: MEMORIALDAY to start off with an extra 50 swagbucks (plus the 30 you would normally get). Then, you can watch these videos** that I've made to learn how to maximize your earnings. And of course, you can ask me any questions you have if you need help!
*This is my referral link; if you prefer not to use it you could just sign up at swagbucks.com.
**Part 2 can be found here on YouTube.
If you already use Swagbucks, please share your success stories below! If you're new, let us know what you'd love to spend your swagbucks on!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
MrsDrPoe: Family Mission Statement
This Theology Thursday, I keep throwing down the gauntlet. You guessed it- I have another challenge for you! But first, a riddle:
He could not see, but he knew what he would be...what did he have though he didn't?
...vision! Goals are what drive us all to do what we do. The apostle Paul had one: "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" Phil 3:14, and it was this goal that caused him to serve and teach others while giving up personal freedoms and enduring persecutions. Last night was the final class on the fruit of the spirit in marriage, and in class we discussed the benefits of creating a vision for our marriage, a vision for our families and/or a vision for ourselves and how we could create this vision through a family mission statement.
Mr. Maxson states that, "A personal or a family mission statement gives you a map, a compass, and a rudder. Like a map, it lets you know where you want to go. Like a compass, it gives you a sense of where due north is. Like a rudder, it gives you a sense of control over where your life is heading." Basically, we make a statement that defines who we want to be and how we want to relate to God and our neighbors, and even though we may not always be the person in our statement, we have a tool to help us get back on course to being that person.
The process of developing this statement involves brainstorming about various considerations (principles that govern our behavior, how will we serve others, our ultimate goal, etc.), and summarizing these ideas into a general "statement of purpose." One example from Stephen Covey's book, "Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families," is:
Mr. Poe and I are still working on our current "Family Mission Statement," and I think that if the Lord blesses us with children, we will have them help us write a revised version so that the kids have a sense of ownership in it. Do you have a personal or family mission statement? If not, my second challenge for you is to develop one. Are you up for it?
He could not see, but he knew what he would be...what did he have though he didn't?
...vision! Goals are what drive us all to do what we do. The apostle Paul had one: "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" Phil 3:14, and it was this goal that caused him to serve and teach others while giving up personal freedoms and enduring persecutions. Last night was the final class on the fruit of the spirit in marriage, and in class we discussed the benefits of creating a vision for our marriage, a vision for our families and/or a vision for ourselves and how we could create this vision through a family mission statement.
Mr. Maxson states that, "A personal or a family mission statement gives you a map, a compass, and a rudder. Like a map, it lets you know where you want to go. Like a compass, it gives you a sense of where due north is. Like a rudder, it gives you a sense of control over where your life is heading." Basically, we make a statement that defines who we want to be and how we want to relate to God and our neighbors, and even though we may not always be the person in our statement, we have a tool to help us get back on course to being that person.
The process of developing this statement involves brainstorming about various considerations (principles that govern our behavior, how will we serve others, our ultimate goal, etc.), and summarizing these ideas into a general "statement of purpose." One example from Stephen Covey's book, "Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families," is:
Our family mission:
To love each other... To help each other... To believe in each other... To wisely use our time, talents, and resources to bless others... To worship together... Forever.
To love each other... To help each other... To believe in each other... To wisely use our time, talents, and resources to bless others... To worship together... Forever.
Mr. Poe and I are still working on our current "Family Mission Statement," and I think that if the Lord blesses us with children, we will have them help us write a revised version so that the kids have a sense of ownership in it. Do you have a personal or family mission statement? If not, my second challenge for you is to develop one. Are you up for it?
MrsDrPoe: Summer Bible Reading Challenge
I'd like to start this Theology Thursday off with a challenge that was presented to us by a friend of ours, Mr. Ellis (more on him later). Daily Bible reading is very important to our faith as Christians...after all, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" Rom 10:17. In an effort to help us to develop this habit, here are three different challenges:
The Gospels Challenge - by just reading a single chapter a day, you can read through all four gospels this summer. Here is a chart to help you track your progress*:
The New Testament Challenge - by reading three chapters a day, you can read the entire New Testament this summer. Here is the progress chart for this challenge*:
The Whole Bible Challenge - by reading thirteen chapters a day (on average), you can read through the entire Bible this summer! Here is the chart to help you keep up with your progress*:
*Click on the charts to enlarge them. The last one in particular is difficult to read as-is.
Mr. Ellis encourages readers to find three things in every day's reading: something new, your favorite part, and a practical application. He also suggests that readers journal, underline, and/or highlight as we read.
The thought is that each of us should choose a plan that challenges us without overwhelming us. If you're just starting to read your Bible daily, choose the first plan; if you're already reading daily, challenge yourself by increasing the amount you read through the second or third plans. I hope that this challenge can help encourage and strengthen you this summer!
The Gospels Challenge - by just reading a single chapter a day, you can read through all four gospels this summer. Here is a chart to help you track your progress*:
The New Testament Challenge - by reading three chapters a day, you can read the entire New Testament this summer. Here is the progress chart for this challenge*:
The Whole Bible Challenge - by reading thirteen chapters a day (on average), you can read through the entire Bible this summer! Here is the chart to help you keep up with your progress*:
*Click on the charts to enlarge them. The last one in particular is difficult to read as-is.
Mr. Ellis encourages readers to find three things in every day's reading: something new, your favorite part, and a practical application. He also suggests that readers journal, underline, and/or highlight as we read.
The thought is that each of us should choose a plan that challenges us without overwhelming us. If you're just starting to read your Bible daily, choose the first plan; if you're already reading daily, challenge yourself by increasing the amount you read through the second or third plans. I hope that this challenge can help encourage and strengthen you this summer!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
MrsDrPoe: Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs
Another interesting piece of information about Ms. Bobbitt is that she doesn't eat red meat. So to go along with this morning's post, "What's for Dinner Wednesday" will be about the meal I made when she visited us last weekend: spaghetti and turkey meatballs.
For the Meatballs:
Ingredients: 1 pound ground turkey, 2 large eggs, 2 tsp garlic powder, 3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs, 1 tsp salt (not shown), and 1 tsp pepper (not shown).
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl with your hands. Then, roll the mixture into 1 1/2 inch diameter balls and place in an ungreased oven-safe dish. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400 degrees until the center/largest meatball is fully cooked (approximately 40 minutes).
Note: These balls can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen until you're ready to cook.
For the Sauce:
Ingredients: 2 cans diced tomatoes, 2 cans tomato sauce, 1 Tbs garlic powder, 2 tsp dried Italian seasoning, 1 tsp salt (not shown), 2 tsp pepper (not shown), 2 tsp fresh oregano and basil (optional, not shown)
Stir all ingredients in a 2 quart saucepan. Bring the mixture up to a boil; then turn the heat down to low-med so the sauce can simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.
Serve the turkey meatballs and sauce over your choice of noodle - we used whole wheat thin spaghetti - and enjoy!
For the Meatballs:
Ingredients: 1 pound ground turkey, 2 large eggs, 2 tsp garlic powder, 3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs, 1 tsp salt (not shown), and 1 tsp pepper (not shown).
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl with your hands. Then, roll the mixture into 1 1/2 inch diameter balls and place in an ungreased oven-safe dish. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400 degrees until the center/largest meatball is fully cooked (approximately 40 minutes).
Note: These balls can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen until you're ready to cook.
For the Sauce:
Ingredients: 2 cans diced tomatoes, 2 cans tomato sauce, 1 Tbs garlic powder, 2 tsp dried Italian seasoning, 1 tsp salt (not shown), 2 tsp pepper (not shown), 2 tsp fresh oregano and basil (optional, not shown)
Stir all ingredients in a 2 quart saucepan. Bring the mixture up to a boil; then turn the heat down to low-med so the sauce can simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.
Serve the turkey meatballs and sauce over your choice of noodle - we used whole wheat thin spaghetti - and enjoy!
MrsDrPoe: Ms. Bobbitt
Good morning, and welcome to the latest installment of "Poes' Pals"! Today I present to you...Ms. Bobbitt:
We have known Ms. Bobbitt for several years; in fact, members of her extended family have been friends of the Poe family for longer than Mr. Poe and I have been together. She has two furry "babies," Sophie and her daughter Sally - some of the cutest and sweetest black labs you ever did see.
Ms. Bobbitt has been another very helpful friend since we moved to "the big city." She has provided encouragement, companionship and wheels as our "Rapid Transit" driver to and from services during the week. And she makes a mean bowl of turkey-vegetable soup!
I would say that Ms. Bobbitt embodies the well-quoted line from A Midsummer Night's Dream - "and though she be but little, she is fierce." Although smaller in stature, she is a giant in heart. She does everything with impressive intensity and fervor - from work to Bible study. She is extremely successful both as one "of the world" and one "in the world" would count success. In her can be seen a shining example of patience, meekness, and agape love that I appreciate and admire.
We have known Ms. Bobbitt for several years; in fact, members of her extended family have been friends of the Poe family for longer than Mr. Poe and I have been together. She has two furry "babies," Sophie and her daughter Sally - some of the cutest and sweetest black labs you ever did see.
Ms. Bobbitt has been another very helpful friend since we moved to "the big city." She has provided encouragement, companionship and wheels as our "Rapid Transit" driver to and from services during the week. And she makes a mean bowl of turkey-vegetable soup!
I would say that Ms. Bobbitt embodies the well-quoted line from A Midsummer Night's Dream - "and though she be but little, she is fierce." Although smaller in stature, she is a giant in heart. She does everything with impressive intensity and fervor - from work to Bible study. She is extremely successful both as one "of the world" and one "in the world" would count success. In her can be seen a shining example of patience, meekness, and agape love that I appreciate and admire.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
MrsDrPoe: Pressure Variation in Fluids
Good morning and welcome to "Thesis Tuesday" on the blog! Today we're going to be investigating pressure variation in a static (or motionless) body of fluid with as little math as possible. If you do happen to be interested though, this relation can be derived by examining Newton's Second Law, which states that the sum of all the forces acting on an object is equal to the object's mass times its acceleration.
In a static fluid, pressure is a function of depth ONLY. This means that if we look at two points in a body of fluid (such as the ocean) that are right beside each other like this:
the pressure at each point is the same as that at the other point because they are at the same depth. But, if we look at two points like this:
_______________*_________________________________*
_______________________________or this:
_______________*___________________________________________*
the pressure at each point is NOT the same as the one above or below it, respectively.
We also know that pressure is not just a function of depth, but that it actually INCREASES with increasing depth. If we think about our experiences, this physical reality should make sense to us. Why was it so much trouble to fix the Deepwater Horizon oil spill? "Every day" tools and equipment could not be used in this instance because the water pressure at the leak depth was SO great!
The pressure at a given depth in a given (incompressible) fluid can be calculated by multiplying the specific weight of a fluid by the depth. For instance, the specific weight of salt water is 64 pounds/cubic foot, and the depth of the oil leak was 5,000 feet, so the pressure at the leak was 320,000 pounds/square foot. The average surface area of a human is 18.6 square feet, which means that a person located at the oil spill would experience a force of 5,952,000 pounds on his/her body. The 2010 Mississippi State Football team weighed 25,357 pounds collectively...this means that the pressure force that a person located at the leak would feel is equivalent to taking this entire team:
cloning them approximately 233 times and setting ALL of these guys on top of him/her. Pretty crazy huh?
In a static fluid, pressure is a function of depth ONLY. This means that if we look at two points in a body of fluid (such as the ocean) that are right beside each other like this:
* *
the pressure at each point is the same as that at the other point because they are at the same depth. But, if we look at two points like this:
_______________*_________________________________*
_______________________________or this:
_______________*___________________________________________*
the pressure at each point is NOT the same as the one above or below it, respectively.
We also know that pressure is not just a function of depth, but that it actually INCREASES with increasing depth. If we think about our experiences, this physical reality should make sense to us. Why was it so much trouble to fix the Deepwater Horizon oil spill? "Every day" tools and equipment could not be used in this instance because the water pressure at the leak depth was SO great!
The pressure at a given depth in a given (incompressible) fluid can be calculated by multiplying the specific weight of a fluid by the depth. For instance, the specific weight of salt water is 64 pounds/cubic foot, and the depth of the oil leak was 5,000 feet, so the pressure at the leak was 320,000 pounds/square foot. The average surface area of a human is 18.6 square feet, which means that a person located at the oil spill would experience a force of 5,952,000 pounds on his/her body. The 2010 Mississippi State Football team weighed 25,357 pounds collectively...this means that the pressure force that a person located at the leak would feel is equivalent to taking this entire team:
cloning them approximately 233 times and setting ALL of these guys on top of him/her. Pretty crazy huh?
Monday, May 23, 2011
MrsDrPoe: CVS and Walgreens Deals, 5/23
To conclude Money Monday, I'd like to share with you some great deals available at CVS and Walgreens this week!
From CVS:
Revlon nail polish: $4.99, get $4 ECB (limit 6)...$1/1 coupon from SS 4/10 makes it FREE
Green bag tag: FREE with coupon printed at price check kiosk
Stride gum: $0.99, get $0.99 ECB (limit 1)...$1/3 coupon from SS 5/15 makes it $0.33/pack
From Walgreens:
Scunci elastic hair bands: $2, get $2 RR...makes it FREE
Sugar free raspberry drink mix: $0.59
*If you're unfamiliar with some of these abbreviations, make sure to read next Monday's post. See you tomorrow!
From CVS:
Revlon nail polish: $4.99, get $4 ECB (limit 6)...$1/1 coupon from SS 4/10 makes it FREE
Green bag tag: FREE with coupon printed at price check kiosk
Stride gum: $0.99, get $0.99 ECB (limit 1)...$1/3 coupon from SS 5/15 makes it $0.33/pack
From Walgreens:
Scunci elastic hair bands: $2, get $2 RR...makes it FREE
Sugar free raspberry drink mix: $0.59
*If you're unfamiliar with some of these abbreviations, make sure to read next Monday's post. See you tomorrow!
MrsDrPoe: A Beginners Guide to Couponing, Part I
As I posted earlier today, Mr. Poe and I just became debt free. One of the ways we have been able to eliminate the small about of debt that we had accrued is by couponing. While I am by no means "the" expert on couponing, I am very excited to share with you what I have learned in the past year and a half.
In essence, "couponing" is learning how to match coupons with sales at your local store(s) to get items that you need for the lowest possible price. You can make the transition to savings easier and quicker by laying some ground work before you get started; here are a few things to consider:
In essence, "couponing" is learning how to match coupons with sales at your local store(s) to get items that you need for the lowest possible price. You can make the transition to savings easier and quicker by laying some ground work before you get started; here are a few things to consider:
- Goals - Why do you want to save money? Are you saving for something big? Something small? Trying to get out of debt? If you take some time to consider your financial goals, it's much easier to stick to your decision to save money (and avoid "impulse buys"). With our debt settled we are now saving for a down payment on a house and for a newer family car.
- Coupons - Where will you get your coupons? There are websites where you can add digital coupons to store savings cards, websites that allow you to print out paper coupons, and Sunday newspaper inserts with coupons. If you decided to purchase newspapers, which paper in your area contains the best coupons? How many will you get? (Several gurus suggest 1 paper per person in your household.) We purchase two papers on Sunday mornings and supplement those with coupons we find online.
- Organization - How will you organize your coupons? How much time can you spare to coupon? Where will you keep your couponing "stash"? We keep the inserts from each Sunday in a single slot of an expandable file folder; loose coupons are kept in a small index card organizer (more on this later). We typically go to 1-3 stores a week, typically on our way to other places, and we keep a very small stash of items in our spare closet.
- Base Price List - What is a "good price" on items? How much are you paying for items that you buy now? By taking the time to make a list of the items you frequently purchase and the prices you regularly buy them at, you'll better recognize when a sale or a coupon or both is actually benefiting you.
- Brand Loyalty - Why do you buy the brands that you buy? Do they really work/taste better? The fewer items you are brand loyal to, the greater savings you can have. Note: Just because you have to use a specific brand of one or more items does not mean that couponing will be no use to you. We will buy the cheapest just about anything.
MrsDrPoe: A Fantastic Way to Start the Week
Happy Money Monday all! I would like to start today with some news...we wrote our last college loan check this weekend.
Mr. Poe and I are DEBT FREE!
Praise the Lord! He has so greatly blessed us!
Mr. Poe and I are DEBT FREE!
Praise the Lord! He has so greatly blessed us!
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