I certainly hope next week is much less stress-filled (and much more turkey-filled) than this one!
How was your week?
*Taken by my friend, Ms. Long.
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, November 18, 2011
MrsDrPoe: This Week is OVER!
Good afternoon, and a happy Foto Friday to you all. I don't know about you, but I am very thankful that this week is over! I thought this bewildered picture* of Layla could describe the last few days best:
I certainly hope next week is much less stress-filled (and much more turkey-filled) than this one!
I certainly hope next week is much less stress-filled (and much more turkey-filled) than this one!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
MrsDrPoe: "To Live is Christ"
Good morning to you all, and welcome to Theology Thursday on the blog! As I do every week, I invite you to open your Bibles with me as we look at portion of God's word.
During this month's elections, I heard someone say, "I hate when people let religion get in the way of politics!" I found this statement to be particularly ironic since this person would identify herself as a Christian. This got me to thinking about how we often try to compartmentalize our lives, dividing our focus much like this pie graph:
We spend, say, 33.3% of our time at work or school, 22.2% of our time sleeping, 22.2% of our time with family, 11.1% of our time doing chores or running errands, and 11.1% serving God. While this seems like a nice, neat way to organize our lives, we are missing the point of being a Christian.
In Philippians 1:21, Paul says, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." He goes on to explain his statement in the following verses: "But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you." Thus, through death, Paul would "gain" by being able to be with Christ, and continuing in this life is "Christ" as he would spend his time teaching others about Him and continuing to pattern his actions as after the Lord's.
As we "imitate [Paul] as [he] also imitates Christ," (1 Cor 11:1), we too must strive to make living Christ in our lives. Our focus pie chart should look more like this:
Not that our service to God has been removed, but that it's like a third dimension, permeating every aspect of our lives. That means that when we're at work/school our actions reflect our Lord- we help others, we don't gossip, we don't lie or cheat, etc. When we're with our family, running errands, or doing chores, we again make choices that would be pleasing to God- curbing our anger at 'stupid drivers,' examining the media we listen to/watch/read, etc. Of course, in order to implement this lifestyle, we must know what is pleasing to Him- knowledge that we gain through intensive Bible study and fervent prayer, attempting to conform our will to His.
"To live is Christ," and we should strive to point to Him in every action we take and decision we make- even political ones.
During this month's elections, I heard someone say, "I hate when people let religion get in the way of politics!" I found this statement to be particularly ironic since this person would identify herself as a Christian. This got me to thinking about how we often try to compartmentalize our lives, dividing our focus much like this pie graph:
We spend, say, 33.3% of our time at work or school, 22.2% of our time sleeping, 22.2% of our time with family, 11.1% of our time doing chores or running errands, and 11.1% serving God. While this seems like a nice, neat way to organize our lives, we are missing the point of being a Christian.
In Philippians 1:21, Paul says, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." He goes on to explain his statement in the following verses: "But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you." Thus, through death, Paul would "gain" by being able to be with Christ, and continuing in this life is "Christ" as he would spend his time teaching others about Him and continuing to pattern his actions as after the Lord's.
As we "imitate [Paul] as [he] also imitates Christ," (1 Cor 11:1), we too must strive to make living Christ in our lives. Our focus pie chart should look more like this:
Not that our service to God has been removed, but that it's like a third dimension, permeating every aspect of our lives. That means that when we're at work/school our actions reflect our Lord- we help others, we don't gossip, we don't lie or cheat, etc. When we're with our family, running errands, or doing chores, we again make choices that would be pleasing to God- curbing our anger at 'stupid drivers,' examining the media we listen to/watch/read, etc. Of course, in order to implement this lifestyle, we must know what is pleasing to Him- knowledge that we gain through intensive Bible study and fervent prayer, attempting to conform our will to His.
"To live is Christ," and we should strive to point to Him in every action we take and decision we make- even political ones.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
MrsDrPoe: The Ultimate Hot Cocoa
Another week has reached its midpoint, which means it's time for What's for Dinner Wednesday. Tonight, I'd like to share with you a family recipe that might be useful to you as we forge through the chilly nights ahead...hot cocoa.
Ingredients: 1 cup milk, 1.5 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 tsp sugar (or sugar substitute).
Combine cocoa and sweetener in the bottom of a microwave safe mug with a spoon:
Add about 2 tablespoons of the milk to the cup; combine to form a liquid-y paste. Pour in the rest of the milk and stir to combine. Microwave for 1 minute on high, then remove, stir, and microwave for another minute to minute and a half. Enjoy!
I love this recipe for several reasons:
1) It's simple and preservative free.
2) It's easily dressed up- top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings and maybe a peppermint stir-stick and you've got a fancy, festive treat!
3) It fits any diet- if you're watching your weight, use skim milk and Splenda for a happy ending to your day with 100 calories or less!
4) It makes a great gift- if you're looking for homemade gifts or party favors, combine cocoa, sweetener, and 1/3 cup powdered milk in ziplock bags (for individual packets...or multiply the recipe and put in mason jars). Give as gift along with instructions to add 1 cup water and the contents of the packet (about 1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon of mix from a larger container) to a mug and microwave.
Ingredients: 1 cup milk, 1.5 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 tsp sugar (or sugar substitute).
Combine cocoa and sweetener in the bottom of a microwave safe mug with a spoon:
Add about 2 tablespoons of the milk to the cup; combine to form a liquid-y paste. Pour in the rest of the milk and stir to combine. Microwave for 1 minute on high, then remove, stir, and microwave for another minute to minute and a half. Enjoy!
I love this recipe for several reasons:
1) It's simple and preservative free.
2) It's easily dressed up- top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings and maybe a peppermint stir-stick and you've got a fancy, festive treat!
3) It fits any diet- if you're watching your weight, use skim milk and Splenda for a happy ending to your day with 100 calories or less!
4) It makes a great gift- if you're looking for homemade gifts or party favors, combine cocoa, sweetener, and 1/3 cup powdered milk in ziplock bags (for individual packets...or multiply the recipe and put in mason jars). Give as gift along with instructions to add 1 cup water and the contents of the packet (about 1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon of mix from a larger container) to a mug and microwave.
MrsDrPoe: Mortgages 101
For this week's Reading Review, I have another book on mortgages for you, "Mortgages 101: Quick Answers to Over 250 Critical Questions About Your Home Loan" by David Reed:
This book is fantastic, and as a testament to that fact, we are planning to purchase a copy (this one's from the library) to keep as a reference. Unlike "All About Mortgages," "Mortgages 101" has a multitude of basic information about mortgages for the every-man. It's written in question and answer format, and Mr. Reed has a writing style that makes it feel like he is sitting across the desk from the reader answering his/her questions in person.
In the work, Mr. Reed not only sheds light on mortgages in general, but he also gives tips on what loans are best for those with good credit and with bad credit, questions to test the knowledge and ability of your potential loan officers, advice on how to choose the right lender, and suggestions for cutting closing costs. I have made several notes from this book, and I think it has given me the confidence I needed to speak to lenders without feeling like I'm being taken advantage of. Most refreshing of all is that this information is also given with an air of caution; Mr. Reed encourages readers throughout the text to seriously consider their financial comfort when choosing a mortgage payment plan.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who's considering buying a house- especially if it's your first home purchase- building a house, or refinancing their current home loan.
This book is fantastic, and as a testament to that fact, we are planning to purchase a copy (this one's from the library) to keep as a reference. Unlike "All About Mortgages," "Mortgages 101" has a multitude of basic information about mortgages for the every-man. It's written in question and answer format, and Mr. Reed has a writing style that makes it feel like he is sitting across the desk from the reader answering his/her questions in person.
In the work, Mr. Reed not only sheds light on mortgages in general, but he also gives tips on what loans are best for those with good credit and with bad credit, questions to test the knowledge and ability of your potential loan officers, advice on how to choose the right lender, and suggestions for cutting closing costs. I have made several notes from this book, and I think it has given me the confidence I needed to speak to lenders without feeling like I'm being taken advantage of. Most refreshing of all is that this information is also given with an air of caution; Mr. Reed encourages readers throughout the text to seriously consider their financial comfort when choosing a mortgage payment plan.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who's considering buying a house- especially if it's your first home purchase- building a house, or refinancing their current home loan.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
MrsDrPoe: Dimensional Analysis, Part I
Happy Thesis Tuesday on the blog! Today we'll look at a brief introduction to the interesting topic of dimensional analysis.
As with any type of experimentation, fluid flow experiments should be performed in a meaningful and systematic manner. If we consider, for instance, the pressure change across a section of pipe in Poiselle flow, we can see that this change in pressure is affected by fluid properties (density, rho; and viscosity, mu), pipe diameter, and fluid velocity. By running countless numbers of measurement experiments, each time varying a single parameter, we could determine how the pressure change is affected by each of these items; however, these relationships would only be valid for this pipe with this fluid and this experimental setup.
In order to improve the quality, applicability, and repeatability of our experimental results, we use dimensionless products or dimensionless groups. These terms are combinations of variables necessary for a problem and often employ basic dimensions (mass, M; length, L; and time, T) or units (pounds, feet, and seconds, etc.).
The method we use to find these dimensionless terms is called the Buckingham Pi Theorem - "If an equation involving k variables is dimensionally homogeneous, it can be reduced to a relationship among k-r independent dimensionless products, where r is the minimum number of reference dimensions required to describe the variables."
Next week, we'll look at an application of this theorem, which is much simpler than it may sound!
As with any type of experimentation, fluid flow experiments should be performed in a meaningful and systematic manner. If we consider, for instance, the pressure change across a section of pipe in Poiselle flow, we can see that this change in pressure is affected by fluid properties (density, rho; and viscosity, mu), pipe diameter, and fluid velocity. By running countless numbers of measurement experiments, each time varying a single parameter, we could determine how the pressure change is affected by each of these items; however, these relationships would only be valid for this pipe with this fluid and this experimental setup.
WHEW!
In order to improve the quality, applicability, and repeatability of our experimental results, we use dimensionless products or dimensionless groups. These terms are combinations of variables necessary for a problem and often employ basic dimensions (mass, M; length, L; and time, T) or units (pounds, feet, and seconds, etc.).
The method we use to find these dimensionless terms is called the Buckingham Pi Theorem - "If an equation involving k variables is dimensionally homogeneous, it can be reduced to a relationship among k-r independent dimensionless products, where r is the minimum number of reference dimensions required to describe the variables."
Next week, we'll look at an application of this theorem, which is much simpler than it may sound!
Monday, November 14, 2011
MrsDrPoe: Deals Near and Far
It's Money Monday once again! There are some great deals out there this week...
Wags - some freebees, good sales on products for around the house
CVS - some freebees, another week of their gift card promotion (buy $30, get a $10 gift card)
Autozone and Advanced Auto - buy 5 quarts of oil + an oil filter, get $7 back (mail in rebate)...there are several brands of oil participating in this promotion between the two stores!
If I'm able to get out today, I'll let you know what I end up with...
Also stores are also sharing some of their Black Friday deals super early this year! Check here for details as they emerge, and visit back next Monday for tips on successful Black Friday shopping. Happy saving!
Wags - some freebees, good sales on products for around the house
CVS - some freebees, another week of their gift card promotion (buy $30, get a $10 gift card)
Autozone and Advanced Auto - buy 5 quarts of oil + an oil filter, get $7 back (mail in rebate)...there are several brands of oil participating in this promotion between the two stores!
If I'm able to get out today, I'll let you know what I end up with...
Also stores are also sharing some of their Black Friday deals super early this year! Check here for details as they emerge, and visit back next Monday for tips on successful Black Friday shopping. Happy saving!
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