Friday, January 13, 2012

MrsDrPoe: House Progress, Week 2

As promised last Foto Friday, here's our house progress after the second week:

Kitchen** - walls finished, bead board finished, outlet covers put back, fan painted*, curtains received, curtain rods painted
Sunroom - fan painted*
Living Room** - fan painted*
Entry - walls finished, outlet covers put back on
Dining Room** - walls finished, outlet covers put back on, curtains received, curtain rods painted
1/2 Bath - walls finished, hardware painted, light fixture painted

We still have the floor and a few small things to do downstairs (**in these rooms), so I won't show you any finished pictures of these areas until the remodeling is complete...but the 1/2 bath is finished for now with it's tan walls and new grey hardware (though in the years to come we hope to tile and revamp the vanity):


*As Mama Poe can attest, when our house was built, brass was the thing to have...everywhere.  It is literally on every light fixture, door knob, etc. in our house, and I strongly dislike it.  After successfully defeating the brass in the 1/2 bath with a trusty can of spray paint, I decided to wage war on our ceiling fans:



While perhaps not the ideal solution, this idea was definitely an inexpensive fix until we can afford something a little more modern.  I love that the all-white fan against the white ceiling is much less obtrusive than the shiny brass.


Do It Yourself Tips: 
-First clean and dust the fan parts, and sand shiny surfaces with a fine grit sand paper (320ish).  
-If possible, remove the fan from the ceiling and disassemble before painting; however, painting the fixture while it's intact is do-able.
-Have mineral spirits or paint thinner on hand for cleanup.
-Apply paint in several thin coats to avoid drips. 

Thursday, January 12, 2012

MrsDrPoe: The Cost of Discipleship, Part II

Welcome to this Theology Thursday on the blog!  As always, I invite you to open your Bibles with me as we look at another passage on the cost of discipleship.

In Mark 6:7-34, the gospel writer employs one of his favorite literary techniques to emphasize what it means to be a disciple of Christ.  In this 'sandwich' or story-within-a-story, Mark tells us about the sending out and return of the 12 apostles and the beheading of John the Baptist.

While the two stories in this sandwich are connected by the idea of teaching everyone- the apostles are going out to the surrounding country to proclaim repentance, and John is killed because he taught King Herod that his marriage was unlawful in God's eyes- they also emphasize that the cost of discipleship is everything.  

Throughout John's ministry, it is obviously that he has given his life for the Lord (dwelling in the wilderness, teaching the Word, dressed in camels' hair, eating locusts and wild honey, etc.), and at the end of his life on this earth, his martyrdom reiterates that he had indeed put to death his old man daily.

The apostles are just beginning their ministry when they are sent out two by two with nothing but the gospel and their trust and faith in the Lord to aid them in their journey.  As they return at the end of this passage to tell Jesus of their travels, Christ again shows them by forfeiting His own rest to show compassion on those in the multitude who are like sheep without a shepherd that being like the Lord means daily self sacrifice to His work!

As we saw in Luke passage last week, Christianity only leads to daily death on the cross, and we must be willing to pay this price to truly follow the Lord.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

MrsDrPoe: Holiday Coffee

It's another What's for Dinner Wednesday where 'dinner' isn't so much dinner but a drink.  As you all know, I love the Christmas season with all it's sights and scents, and this year, I experimented with creating a coffee that encapsulated all of it.

Ingredients: 1 cup coffee beans (OR ground coffee), 2 tablespoons mulling spices (OR approximately 2 tablespoons combined of orange rind, cinnamon sticks, fresh nutmeg, and allspice OR 2 tablespoons combined of orange zest, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground allspice).

If you have a coffee grinder- place the beans and mulling spices (or first substitute) in your machine, and grind the mixture to your desired constancy.

If you don't have a coffee grinder- place the grounds and second substitute for mulling spices in a small bowl or coffee filter, and stir to combine.



Brew the seasoned grounds as normal, and serve up your cup of Joe with sugar and creamer if desired.  Enjoy!

MrsDrPoe: The Bronze Bow

Today I present to you another work of fiction, "The Bronze Bow" by Elizabeth George Speare:


This book is about a young Jewish man during the time of Christ who is actively looking for the prophesied Messiah to bring His Kingdom and end Roman rule in Israel.  As he hears of Jesus, his view slowly changes from one of a hateful rebel sworn to vengeance to one of peace, love, and acceptance.

The Bronze Bow as a quick read but well-written and with a good plot.  Though it took a few chapters to meet and get to know the main characters, I quickly found myself engrossed in the story and urging them to go listen to Jesus' teachings and apply them.  The book made me wonder more about what I would've thought and done if I were a Jew or a Gentile during the time of Jesus and if I would've had faith to follow Him or if I would've just listened to His 'interesting stories.'

The work is fiction of course, but a few things bothered me about the story.  One thing was the fact that Simon the Zealot in the story seems to know nothing of Jesus or the teachings of John the Baptist who 'paved the way' for Jesus when in Acts 1:22, it appears that one of the qualifications for apostleship is that a man was there "from the baptism of John."  What could possibly be called 'artistic license' aside, I didn't have any negative comments about the book, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

MrsDrPoe: Momentum Integral Example

As promised last week, we'll look at an example problem using the momentum integral boundary layer equation.

Example: If the boundary layer velocity profile is approximated at u = U*y/delta in the boundary layer and u = U in the free stream, and the displacement thickness is measured at 6.7 cm, determine the boundary layer and momentum thicknesses.

Given: u(y) = U*y/delta, u(y) = U if y > delta, delta* = 6.7 cm

Find: boundary layer thickness, momentum thickness
Solution:

Choose some Y in the free stream:

delta* = int(1 - (u(y)/Uinfinity))dy|0,Y 
= int(1 - (u(y)/Uinfinity))dy|0,delta + int(1 - (u(y)/Uinfinity))dy|delta,Y 
= int(1 - (U*y/delta)/Uinfinity)dy|0,delta + int(0)dy|delta,Y 
= int(1 - (y/delta))dy|0,delta 
= (delta - (delta*delta)/(2*delta)) 
= delta - delta/2 = delta/2

delta = 2*delta* = 13.4 cm
Theta = int((u(y)/Uinfinity)*(1 - u(y)/Uinfinity))dy|0,Y
= int((u(y)/Uinfinity)*(1 - u(y)/Uinfinity))dy|0,delta + int((u(y)/Uinfinity)*(1 - u(y)/Uinfinity))dy|delta,Y
= int((u(y)/Uinfinity)*(1 - u(y)/Uinfinity))dy|0,delta + int(0)dy|delta,Y
=int((y/delta)*(1 - y/delta))dy|0,delta
= (delta*delta)/(2*delta) - (delta*delta*delta)/(3*delta*delta)
= delta/6

Theta = delta/6 = 2.233 cm

Not too bad, huh?  Until next week, happy studying!

Monday, January 9, 2012

MrsDrPoe: Drugstore Deals, 1/8

It's another Money Monday on the blog!  There are some nice freebies out there this week, so be sure to check out your local stores.

CVS
Kodak DVD ($4.99) - get $4.99 back in ECBs
Mars Singles ($0.75) - get $0.75 back in ECBs
CVS Vitamin D, 100 ct. ($3.49) - get $3.49 back in ECBs
Maxwell House Coffee, 34.5 oz ($8.99) - get $1 back in ECBs

Wags
Tylenol Precise Cream or Patches ($5.99) - get $3 back in RRs, $2/1 in SS 9/11
Syntha 6 Bar ($1.89) - get $1.89 back in RRs

Let me know what other deals you're looking forward to this week, and happy saving!