MrsDrPoe: Visit to Pennsylvania

Last week after my visit to Raleigh, I continued northward to the great state of Pennsylvania to see more family. It was the first time that Mama and Papa Wolgemuth, Mr. Wolgemuth, Mrs. Luke and I made the trip together in five years:


Our first stop in the state was a grocery store- Stauffers of Kissel Hill. As soon as we walked in the store, we saw Pellman's cheesecakes, which is a company started by some of our extended family. We picked up an Apple Bavarian Cheesecake (it was fabulous!) and a bag of Gibbles chips (Papa Wolgemuth's favorite brand):


During our trek, we got a flat. After Papa Wolgemuth and Mr. Wolgemuth put on the doughnut, we traveled to Mr. Tire to get new rear tires. The service and price were excellent, and we would highly recommend them:


After that hiccup, we visited the (approximate) former homes of two sets of my great grandparents:


We ended up at my aunt and uncle's house (Mr. T. Wolgemuth and Mrs. R. Wolgemuth). They fed us some fantastic subs, and we had some great conversation, which ended with plans to go to a small diner early the next morning based on a two-year-old tip that a cousin of theirs frequented the restaurant for breakfast. We didn't find the cousin, but we ate some tasty food:


Following breakfast, we bid the Wolgemuths farewell and headed to Grandmama and Grandpapa Wolgemuth's house. We have several traditional activities we partake in every time we visit. The first is a grand hike in the woods. This year we saw several trees that had been attacked by woodpeckers. We also passed by the shale pit, beautiful views, a field full of black eyed susans, and some apples growing in the orchard that Grandmama Wolgemuth makes apple sauce with:




Sometimes we get a little crazy when we get out in the fresh mountain air:


We also enjoy swinging in their South American hammock and playing ping pong:



We read Calvin and Hobbs and The Monster Stick, look at some Magic Eye puzzles, and listen to some CW McCall too:


We Wolgemuths like our food; therefore, it only makes sense that we have PA culinary traditions as well. While we were shopping with one of my aunts, Ms. Lowry, we stopped at Gardners' candy store in the Nittany Mall to pick up some of their famous peanut butter meltaways. We always stop by the Penn State creamery on campus for a cone, and we try to pick up a grilled sticky too:


This year we were only able to visit two of our cousins and their families, but it was a very enjoyable visit over dinner and basketball. One of my second cousins, Ms. Veit, is a pretty fantastic player:


At the end of our trip, Mrs. Luke and I flew home to our hubbys:


It was a great mini vacation, and I'm so glad that we were able to go!

MrsDrPoe: Seeing Isn't Always Believing

Good morning everyone! It's Theology Thursday on the blog, so I'd like to once again invite you to open up your Bibles as we examine some passages in Mark.

Today we'll be looking at comments that some folks make like, "If I had lived in Jesus' day and had seen all those miracles for myself, I'd have no trouble believing in Him and obeying the gospel." Based on Biblical accounts, I think those of us who would make this statement may be fooling ourselves...

In Mark 6:1-6, we see Jesus return to His hometown of Nazareth. On the Sabbath, He went to teach in the synagogue as was His custom, and "many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him that such mighty works are performed by His hands?" So the people clearly acknowledged Jesus' wisdom and His works (v. 5 tells us that He did heal sick there). They SAW, but v. 3 and 6 tell us they were offended by Him and did not believe.

Furthermore, on a multitude of different occasions in the gospels, we see the Sadducees, Pharisees, Herodians, and scribes listening to His teachings and observing His miracles, yet they do not turn to follow, surrendering their lives to Him, the Christ, the Holy One of God. Another example that is greatly emphasized in Mark is that of the 'great unnamed character' in the book: the crowd. We see that Jesus is constantly around a huge number of people; however, the majority of this group is referred to as "the crowd" or "the multitude," which is not synonymous with "the disciples." The people who are part of the crowd HEAR His teaching and SEE His miracles, but they still walk away. They don't SEEK after the meaning of the parables like the disciples do; they are content to participate in social religion but not to FOLLOW the Savior.

One opposite example can be found in Mark 10:46-52. In this passage, Jesus comes to the town of Jericho, and, as He is leaving, blind Bartimaeus (meaning "the son of Timaeus") cries out to Jesus for mercy. He calls Jesus "Son of David," acknowledging his belief that Jesus is the Christ. Jesus calls Bartimaeus to Him, and Bartimaeus tosses aside his garment, comes to Jesus, and asks Him to give him his sight. This miracle of healing the blind is a messianic prophecy- no one else in the Bible performed this task- and asking it of Jesus again points to the man's faith that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus heals him and tells him to go his way; Bartimaeus then "followed Jesus on the road." We can see that others' testimony of the works of Christ was enough for this blind man to know who He was and to instill in him the faith to follow.

Seeing isn't always believing. We are given the written Word- eyewitness accounts of Christ, His teaching, and His miracles- and various other evidences of God and His plan of salvation. Just like Bartimaeus, we don't have to see the miracles with our own physical eyes to have the faith that Christ is "the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him." (Heb 5:9)

MrsDrPoe: Red Beans and Rice

What could be for your dinner tonight is a fantastic dish from the kitchen of Mr. Luke: Red Beans and Rice.

Ingredients: 1 medium green pepper (diced), 1 medium onion (diced), 3 large stalks of celery (diced), 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 cans red kidney beans (undrained), 1 package Polish sausage (diced), 1-2 tablespoons Tony Chachere's seasoning, cooked rice, and Tabasco sauce.

Saute veggies with the olive oil in a skillet at med-high heat until the onions are transparent; saute the sausage in another large skillet at med-high until browned:


Add the veggies to the sausage along with the beans and the Tony's. Pour additional water into the skillet until liquid almost covers the meat and veggies:


Simmer at low-med heat until the liquid has almost cooked out and the mixture still looks wet. Serve with rice and Tabasco:

MrsDrPoe: Total Money Makeover

The next reading review is on...Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness"


This was given to us by a very good friend as a wedding present; since we're considering making some major financial decisions in the near future, I figured that now would be a great time to read it.

This book was a fairly easy read; as I read I felt like Mr. Ramsey was sitting there talking to me. I learned a great deal about leasing, mortgages, life insurance, and investing (among other things) on a basic level that even someone without any type of business background (like me) could understand. Whereas I would say we are not/will not be following the Total Money Makeover plan with "gazelle intensity," this book has definitely provided us with some valuable knowledge and suggestions. I would recommend this book to anyone who uses money, especially those with any amount of debt in their name.

There were a few things I did not like about this book, however. For instance, I (personally) do not respond well to Mr. Ramsey's type of military-type motivation, i.e. calling people stupid (when I have a poor workout or spend more money that I should, etc. I am very hard on myself, and positive encouragement from others helps a great deal in doing better next time). Also, the book had a very prideful, materialistic air to it (in my opinion).

MrsDrPoe: Fluid Kinematics

It's another Thesis Tuesday on the blog, which means a fun filled day of fluid mechanics! (Well, I'm having fun anyway...) Today we'll be investigating Fluid Kinematics, or the ways a fluid particle can move or deform in flow field. Check out the images here as you read.

Linear Motion/Deformation
The easiest type of motion or deformation to visualize is pure linear motion (called translation) or pure linear deformation. If a particle is translated, it is simply moved from point A to point B without rotating or changing shape. If a particle undergoes linear deformation, it is squished or stretched, changing the volume of the fluid particle. The rate at which a particle is linearly deformed is called the volumetric dilatation rate. Note that for incompressible fluids, the volume of a particle cannot be changed; therefore, linear deformation is impossible (since the density is constant), and the volumetric dilatation rate is equal to zero. Note that at any given time, a particle can be just translated or translated while being linearly deformed.

Angular Motion/Deformation
The second category of motion or deformation undergone by a fluid particle is angular motion (called rotation) or angular deformation. Rotation is simply the revolving of a fluid particle around an axis while the particle maintains its shape; a flow field that does not cause a particle to rotate is called an irrotational field. Note that vorticity is defined mathematically as twice the rotation rate. If a particle is angularly deformed, the angles of a the particle are changed. If we picture a fluid particle as a square, it would become more diamond shaped through angular deformation. Again, at any time a particle can be undergoing one or both of these (angular motion or deformation).

The Underlying Math
If we are given a 3D velocity field, that means we know the x-velocity (denoted u), y-velocity (denoted v), and z-velocity (denoted w) components. Each component can be a constant or a function of position (x, y, and/or z), and derivatives with respect to each direction (x, y, and z) my be taken for each component. This gives us a strain rate matrix of nine total derivatives:

du/dx, du/dy, du/dz
dv/dx, dv/dy, dv/dz
dw/dx, dw/dy, dw/dz

These velocity field derivatives (or strain rates) provide us with information about the forces placed on a particle due to normal stress and strain in the flow field. Linear deformation can be determined from examining du/dx, dv/dy, and dw/dx; angular deformation can be determined from examining the cross derivatives, i.e. the remaining six. Translation in any direction is occurring if any of the velocity components are non-zero; rotation occurs if the curl of the velocity field is non-zero.

Example
Given a velocity field, V = (5 , 2x+y, 0):

u = 5, v = 2x+y, and w = 0 ...thus a fluid particle in this field is undergoing translation; it has both x- and y-velocity components

du/dx = 0, dv/dy = 1, and dw/dz = 0 ...the volumetric dilatation rate = du/dx + dv/dy + dw/dz = 1; therefore, the particle is being linearly deformed. Since dy/dv is the only non-zero component, it is easy to see that the particle is actually being stretched in the y-direction as it moves. (Note: if dv/dy = -1, the particle would be compressed in the y-direction.)

dv/dx = 2, du/dy = dw/dy = dv/dz = du/dz = dw/dx = 0 ...the rotation rate about the x-axis = 0.5(dw/dy - dv/dz) = 0, about the y-axis = 0.5(du/dz - dw/dz) = 0, and about the z-axis = 0.5(dv/dx - du/dy) = 1; thus, the particle is rotating. The vorticity is twice the rotation rate, or 2*1 = 2. Furthermore, the shear strain rate = dv/dx + du/dy = 2 for this case, so the particle is also undergoing angular deformation.

MrsDrPoe: Drug Store Deals 7/11

Next, I'd like to share with your some drug store deals available this week:

CVS:


Total Regular Price: $22.53
Sale/Coupon Savings: $9.30
ECBs used: $12.49
Total OOP: $0.79

Wags:


Transaction 1- Teething gel, Transaction 2- Toothbrushes, Airwick
Total Regular Price: $6.84, $19.68
Sale/Coupon Savings: $2.49, $12.99
RRs used: $0.00, $5.00
Total OOP: $4.35, $1.69

Check here and here for the exact coupon matchups. The Balance bar and toothbrushes are free this week; the teething gel is a money maker!


What great deals are you looking forward to this week?

MrsDrPoe: Kroger Deal 7/11

Good morning all, and happy Money Monday! I'd like to share with you some fantastic deals I got at Kroger today:


Total Regular Price: $87.96
Sale/Couponing Savings: $45.50
Total OOP: $42.46

Check here for the specific coupon matchups for PopSecret, Pringles, Kraft dressing, Speed Stick...each of these items were less than $1 each!