MrsDrPoe: My Home Away from Home

Once again Foto Friday is upon us!  This week I traveled to the wonderful town of Starkville to present my dissertation proposal.  Thankfully, I obtained my committee's approval for my presentation; then I spent the rest of this week researching, relaxing, and reminiscing.


Tuesday night I attended the weekly meeting of the Campus Bible Students

where we heard a great lesson on the beginning of James from Mr. Bethea.  If you're in the Starkville area on a Tuesday evening, be sure to stop by the Union:

at 7pm to hear a portion of God's word...all are welcome- college student or otherwise.  After the study, Ms. K. Davis and Ms. M. Davis walked with me over to the Chapel of Memories:

and allowed me to recount Mr. Poe's proposal oh so many years ago.

It has been so nice to get out of the city for a little while.  I mean look at this:

How beautiful is this place?  Coming back here to my "home away from home" to all my "family away from family" reminds me of Mark 10:29-30:

So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time-- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions-- and in the age to come, eternal life."


Amen.

MrsDrPoe: Causing Others to Stumble

Today is Theology Thursday, so as always, I'm inviting you to open up your Bibles as we look at some passages of God's word.

Last week I was in a ladies study where our friend Mr. Holley guided a us through Luke 17.  Since that study, I've been thinking a lot about the first four verses of the chapter:


Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, that that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him.


In this passage, Jesus acknowledges the fact that men are not perfect and that they will occasionally stumble; however, He also notes that if this offense or stumbling was caused by a person, it would've been better that person would be dead than that to cause this offense.  This may seem a bit odd and extreme, but it definitely shows us just how great our responsibility is to those around us.


We should always try to be aware of our brethren and their weaknesses so that we don't cause another to sin because of something we did.  This requires us to really get to know our brothers and sisters in Christ- on a much deeper level that we often do, but it also requires us to be willing to give up our 'rights.'  Paul shows us this in 1 Cor 8 where he declares in verse 13, "Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble."


If we continue in the Luke passage however, Jesus commands His disciples to rebuke those who stumble and forgive those who repent...essentially as many times as they come to us in repentance.  If we compare these commands to what Jesus said immediately before them, we can see that by not rebuking a brother and allowing him to continue in sin or by not forgiving a brother who has repented we are causing him to stumble!

We can see both sides of the coin by examining Paul's letters to the Corinthians.  In 1 Cor 5, Paul scolds the Christians there for allowing sin to continue in the church in regard to the man who was with his father's wife.  Many believe that in his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul is again scolding the church there for not forgiving this same man after they had rebuked him and he repented (2 Cor 2).  In both cases, the church at Corinth was causing the/a man to stumble instead of caring for his soul as they should have been; as do we when we fail to rebuke and forgive.

MrsDrPoe: Green Beans with Tomato and Onion

It's that time again folks- What's for Dinner Wednesday.  On tonight's menu is a side dish that uses up some of the last of the summer's bounty*: green beans with tomato and onion.


Ingredients: 1 medium tomato, 2 handfuls of green beans, 1/8th of a medium onion, 1-2 tablespoons olive oil (not pictured), salt and pepper (not pictured):

Pour oil in a skillet over med-high heat.  Cut the ends off the green beans, and thinly slice the tomato and onion.  Place the beans on onion in the oil and season.  Cook for 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally until they have almost reached your preferred softness; add in the tomato, and cook an additional 1-2 minutes to heat the tomato:

Serve alongside your favorite main dish.  

*You could also substitute canned beans for a healthier alternative to green bean casserole during the holidays.

What are you having for supper tonight? 

MrsDrPoe: Has God Spoken?

It's time for another Reading Review here at the blog.  For your entertainment, I present another book that I received free from BookSneeze, "Has God Spoken?: Proof of the Bible's Divine Inspiration" by Hank Hanegraaff:

This book was a relatively easy read, containing about 290 pages of text and an additional fifty pages of notes; in it Hanegraaff discusses various reasons why the Bible is truth and divinely inspired.  He mostly addresses issues brought up by opponents to his position through the use of acronyms: MAPS for the ‘big picture,’ COPIES, SPADE, STARS, and LIGHTS for the main ideas, and various others for minor points.  He also includes the Legacy Reading Plan introduction and chart to encourage daily Bible reading.

 I appreciated the overall intent of this work, as well as the use of mnemonic devices to aid in remembrance of the various points made.  There were several historical and geographical bits of information that I gleaned from the first three sections of the book; my favorite chapter (12) was on the “succession of nations.”  I do not agree with the summary on the back of the book jacket, however, as it seems that in this work divine inspiration is not defended with “gentleness and respect” but instead with pride and arrogance.  At times it seems like Hanegraaff has a person vendetta against those who oppose his view (particularly Bart Ehrman).  Not only is this the incorrect way to defend our belief in Christ and the written word of God, but it seems like the drive to be right also causes the author to choose defenses that are weak, if not altogether contrary to the scriptures (ex: flood arguments).  I would recommend this book to Christians interested in the subject; however, I would caution them to read it with an open Bible.

Have you read any good books lately?

MrsDrPoe: Potential Flow, Part II

Good morning, and welcome to another Thesis Tuesday on the blog!  Today we'll be continuing our discussion of potential flow, looking at some problems better examined in cylindrical coordinates.


Although cylindrical coordinates are useful, transforming equations from Cartesian to cylindrical coordinates often results in some 'hairy' expressions.  For our purposes today, we'll need the definitions for the velocity potential function and the streamfunction in this new coordinate system:


Velocity Potential: vr = d/dr(PHI), vtheta = d/dtheta(PHI/r), vz = d/dz(PHI)


Streamfunction: vr = d/dtheta(PSI/r), vtheta = -d/dr(PSI)


Next, we'll apply these relations to a few potential flow scenarios.


Source and Sink


A source/sink is a flow radially outward/inward from/to a point at some volumetric flowrate, m.  We'll define the velocity components for this type of flow as:

vr = m/(2*pi*r) and vtheta = 0

For a source type of flow, m > 0; for a sink, m < 0.  We should also note that at r = 0, the velocity becomes infinite, which is physically impossible.  "Wait," you may be asking yourself, "If this flow is physically impossible, why do we care?"  The answer to this question is that you'll have to wait till next week to find out.  (Don't you just love cliff-hangers?)  Let's figure out the velocity potential and stream functions that govern a source (realizing that if we simply make m negative, we'll also have the functions that govern a sink):

Velocity Potential:

d/dr(PHI) = m/(2*pi*r)

int(1)dPHI = int(m/(2*pi*r))dr

PHI = 0.5*(m/pi)*ln(r) + c

(We can see that if we take the derivative of this function with respect to theta, we get zero; therefore, this expression also matches the second constraint below.)

d/dtheta(PHI/r) = 0

Streamfunction:

d/dtheta(PSI/r) = m/(2*pi*r)

int(1)dPSI = int(m/(2*pi))dtheta

PSI = 0.5*(m/pi)*theta + c

(We can see that if we take the derivative of this function with respect to r, we get zero; therefore, this expression also matches the second constraint below.)

-d/dr(PSI) = 0

Vortex


It seems odd that we could consider a vortex to be irrotational; however, we must remember that rotation refers to the orientation of a fluid element and not the path followed by the element.  An irrotational vortex is called a free vortex, while a rotational vortex is called a forced vortex.  (Recall that the velocity potential function is only valid for irrotational flows.)  A combined vortex is one with a forced vortex at its core and a free vortex outside its core.


The property of circulation is often associated with vortex motion.  Circulation, GAMMA, is defined as the line integral of the tangential component of the velocity taken around a closed curve in the flow field.  The velocity potential and streamfunctions for free vortices are often written in terms of the circulation of the flow*.


For a free vortex, we will define the following velocity components:

vr = 0 and vtheta = K/r

where K is the magnitude of the velocity.


Velocity Potential:

d/dtheta(PHI/r) = K/r

int(1)dPHI = int(K)dtheta

PHI = K*theta + c

(Again the derivative of this function with respect to r matches the second matching condition.)

d/dr(PHI) = 0

Streamfunction:

d/dr(PSI) = K/r

int(1)dPSI = -int(K/r)dr

PSI = -K*ln(r) + c

(The derivative of this function with respect to theta matches the second matching condition.)

d/dtheta(PSI/r) = 0

Cool, huh? Remember that if we plot constant values of PHI and PSI, we will obtain a flow net that helps us visualize the flow.  Next week, we'll do some fun things with the results from today and last week. 

*PHI = (0.5*GAMMA*theta)/pi and PSI = -(0.5*GAMMA*ln(r))/pi

MrsDrPoe: A Homemade Holiday

This Money Monday we'll be continuing the series on "Giving Gifts without Going Broke."  Last week we exhibited some cost effective gifts ideas that could please our loved ones as well as our budgets; as I shared, I always have the hardest time purchasing gifts for my dad.  Because of this, I often put the most time and effort into his presents, which are typically homemade and sentimental.

One of my favorite examples is a poem I wrote Papa Wolgemuth many years ago titled 'Butterfly Kisses.'  I printed the poem in pretty colors and font on a small piece of paper that was credit card size when folded in half.  I laminated it with tape, and when I gave it to him, I shared my intention that he could carry it with him in his wallet and think of me.  I had a few minutes alone with my dad on my wedding day- he used that time to show me that he still keeps the poem in his wallet...

Based on the joy that I've had giving and that my dad's had receiving these gifts, I've always had the desire to try having a 100% homemade holiday where those involved make the gifts for everyone else, only purchasing supplies.  Upon hearing this, some folks automatically think either: "What a cheapskate!" or "I couldn't do that because I'm not good at anything that anyone would want!"  

In response to the first thought: since the theme of this series of posts is about trying to find ways to save on gift-giving, I will mainly be focusing on cheaper homemade gifts. But a homemade holiday does not have to be cheap!  One of our dear friends does carpentry in his spare time; his gift of an beautiful end table for our wedding took a lot of time and money to make, and we continue to appreciate it so much!

In response to the second: Everyone's good at something.  Part of what makes a homemade holiday difficult and meaningful is that you have to put extra effort into the gift...it's not as simple as buying the latest CD or this winter's must-have fashion items.  It takes time to think about the person and how you can help him/her.  In fact, I think homemade Christmases would greatly aid us in directing our focus to spiritual things and serving others.

While I'm not sure that either side of our family would go for it, I've never attempted to bring this desire to fruition because Mr. Poe is completely opposed to the idea.  There are probably lots of Mr. Poes out there who, for whatever reason, dislike the idea of making Christmas presents themselves, but even if your family has one or more of these folks, that shouldn't stop you from giving homemade gifts, especially if it's the best thing for your wallet.

For a Homemade Holiday 

1) List the things you're good at...and not just the usual suspects- list everything.

To get you started: knitting, crocheting, sewing, photography, cleaning, organization, poetry, painting, babysitting, cooking, woodworking , jewelry making, automotive repair/maintenance, accounting, math, engineering, your college degree in ___, couponing, grammar, landscaping, singing, playing an instrument, manual labor...



2) Think about your gift recipients and what they like, need, and want...and to help you think outside the box, answer the following questions:

What do they complain about: doing taxes, needing a night out without the kids, auto repair bill, mowing the yard, helping the kids with homework...

What do they compliment you on/ask for help with: decorating, clothes/jewelry, organization, couponing, photography, landscaping...


3) Match your recipients with an appropriate gift, plan, and save.

Your mom's garden is full of weeds, she always tells you that she wishes it looked like yours but she doesn't know where to start - a voucher for your landscaping service (you could pair this with some pots or small plants you find on sale)

Your sister just had her third child under the age of 5 - a few "coupons" for free babysitting (perhaps coupled with some popcorn from your couponing stash and Blockbuster express codes for a free movie or a Retaurant.com voucher)

Last time Uncle Jimmy took his car to get the oil changed, they charged him fifty bucks...he's had it - offer him "coupons" for your service free if he buys the oil (you could even spot him the first month's oil)


Your mother-in-law loves clothes - you sew like a champ...new skirt coming right up

Your brother loves cars and has empty wall space - you take great pictures and live in a huge metropolitan area where fancy sports cars run rampant...



You love your husband, and he loves chocolate - type of 365 reasons why you love him, buy 365 Hershey's kisses and replace the "Hershey's" tag in each one with a reason


Your niece just moved to NYC - get to work on a knit scarf, hat, and mittens set




While a homemade holiday takes more time and effort, it will definitely help you to think more about others while also helping you to give without going broke.


What types of homemade gifts do you give?

MrsDrPoe: The Week in Review

It's finally [Foto] Friday!  It's been a long week, and the Poe household is most definitely looking forward to the weekend, but in the meantime, I'd like to share with you some random moments from our week.

When I went to Kroger this week, I saw these wonderful Mums, and I was reminded that fall is right around the corner.  Whenever we are able to purchase a house, I plan to get lots of these (in Maroon of course) to adorn our yard:

Another day I came home from the library, and Sascha was so happy to see me that she started jumping and wriggling on the couch...'peasant Snoosh' was the end result:
 

Last night as the Bulldogs struggled to get it together against LSU, Layla came over to tell Mr. Poe that she was bored with our three-and-out offensive possessions and wanted to go to bed:

 

And finally, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the stores around town.  I love it!

How was your week?  Have any photos to share?

MrsDrPoe: The Importance of Context

Another Theology Thursday is upon us, and as always I invite you to open up your Bibles as we look at a portion of God's word. 

Several weeks ago I heard a parable about a man who attempted to have God speak to him by opening the Bible to random passages of scripture.  He first turned to a passage that said "Judas hanged himself."  Then he turned to one that said, "Go and do likewise," and the final passage he examined read, "What you must do, do quickly."  I was again reminded of this story while reading the account of Jesus' temptation in Matt 4:5-7:

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.  For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you.' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"

As we discover from the man in the story and from Satan's antics, taking random whole or partial verses from the Bible and piecing them together can cause us to 'see' false commands of God.  Jesus points out in the passage above that the whole of the scriptures must be taken into account when determining the meaning of any one verse; thus, context is crucial!

Think about the Old Testament phrase, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."  Just about everyone is familiar with that phrase, and it is often used in our culture to justify vigilantes.  We can pick out verses in Ex 21:24, Lev 24:20, and Deut 19:21 that contain this phrase, so we can affirm that it is 'scriptural.'  If we further examine the context in Deut 19:15-21 however, we can see that if a man poked out another man's eye, the first man would by law loose an eye...but only AFTER two or three witnesses of the incident had presented their testimony to the priests and judges and they had determined that the witnesses were telling the truth.  Regardless of whether or not we are subject to the OT laws, this verse is so often misused because we fail to examine it in context.

In Mark 1:38 Jesus tells the disciples, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."  This point- that Jesus came to teach and preach- should dictate our actions.  If we consider ourselves to be followers of Christ, and we are not reading, learning, and examining His teachings, we're fooling ourselves.  But in order to know the truth that He presents in the scriptures, we cannot pick out random verses; instead, we must read the Bible in its entirety...we must read verses in context to gain full understanding of the teaching of Jesus!

No matter our age, walk of life, etc., Christians should be a people who engulf themselves in God's word.  I hope that you see the importance of context and that you will choose to join us in reading your Bible daily today! (annual schedules, 90 day schedules)

MrsDrPoe: Lemon Pepper Chicken Pasta

It's that time again, folks: What's for Dinner Wednesday! Today we'll look at a very lite pasta dish for two that we absolutely love: Lemon Pepper Chicken Pasta.

Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil (lemon infused is fantastic), 1 tomato (diced), 6-8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast (chopped), 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning, pasta (cooked), 1 teaspoon salt (not pictured), 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (not pictured).

Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a medium skillet on medium-high. Add the chicken, garlic powder, lemon pepper seasoning, Italian seasoning, and salt. Cook until the chicken is done (approximately 15 minutes), stirring occasionally. Turn the heat down to low-medium, and add the tomato and the remaining olive oil; allow the mixture to cook for 2-5 more minutes until the tomato softens a bit:

Add cooked, drained noodles to the skillet, and toss in the mixture, coating the noodles in the oil and mixing in the chicken and tomatoes. Then enjoy!

MrsDrPoe: The Granthams

Welcome to another edition of Poes' Pals here on the blog!  Today I'd like to share with you some new friends of ours, the Granthams:

If you're a frequent reader, these faces may look familiar to you- Mr. Poe and I attended a Braves game with these folks several weeks ago.  While we did know the Granthams before the game, we had only met them for the first time a few short months ago when we moved.  They are one of many young married couples that are members at Embry Hills as well as avid University of Kentucky fans, which, though perhaps not ideal, is much more tolerable than being a fan of Ole Miss or Auburn (we're not hatin'...just keepin' it real).

Originally from Tennessee, Mrs. Grantham now works in the metro-Atlanta area as a dental hygienist.  She is a fantastic cook who makes one killer cheesecake.  Mr. Grantham LOVES cheesecake and works at CNN.  He also knows every sport stat in existence (it seems like it at least), and he gets great pleasure from scaring his wife.  As Mrs. Grantham and I frequently joke about, we are very quiet and shy when compared with our husbands.  Like Mr. Poe, Mr. Grantham never finds himself short on conversation material; he is very animated and employs fantastically hilarious impressions sprinkled throughout.  When the menfolk get going, the four of us often find ourselves closing down the church building.

Joking aside, the Granthams are a great encouragement to us in their devotion to the Lord and service to the church.  Both try very hard to be good examples, particularly in the areas of teaching and hospitality.  Each works to do his/her part to serve the congregation, helping where, when, and in whatever way is needed and ensuring that all are included.

This post wouldn't be complete without at least mentioning the Granthams' two furry babies- Penny (a cat) and Lou (a dog)- both of which are exceptionally cute and have very funny personalities. 

MrsDrPoe: Potential Flow, Part I

It's Thesis Tuesday on the blog, and today we'll be going down a bit of a rabbit trail involving Potential Flow.  

If we make the assumption that a flow field is irrotational, rotation (and vorticity) in the field is equal to zero and d/dx(v) = d/dy(u), d/dy(w) = d/dz(v), and d/dz(u) = d/dx(w).  Irrotational flow occurrs in regions far from surfaces (inviscid flow); the Bernoulli Equation holds true between any two points in the flow field, not just in two points along a streamline.

We will define some scalar function PHI as the velocity potential function: V = Grad(PHI) or u = d/dx(PHI), v = d/dy(PHI), w = d/dz(PHI).  Applying these definitions for velocity to our relations for irrotational velocity fields (i.e. d/dx(d/dy(PHI)) = d/dx(d/dy(PHI))), we can see that this function does describe irrotational flow.  If we apply the velocity potential function to the continuity equation, we end up with: 

d/dx(d/dx(PHI)) + d/dy(d/dy(PHI)) + d/dz(d/dz(PHI)) = 0

This expression is known as the Laplace Equation.  Inviscid, incompressible, irrotational flow governed by the Laplace Equation is often called potential flow.  Lines of constant PHI are called equipotential lines.


The streamfunction, PSI, is another special two-dimensional function defined as: u = d/dy(PSI), v = d/dx(PSI).  The value of PSI is constant along streamlines.  Applying this to the continuity equation gives:

d/dx(d/dx(PSI)) + d/dy(d/dy(PSI)) = 0

which is the 2D Laplace Equation.  It should be apparent that the streamfunction and the velocity potential function are related.  Streamlines and equipotential lines are actually perpendicular to each other; they form a flow net that can be used to help visualize the flowfield.


Let's look at a two basic potential flows:


Uniform Flow


For uniform flow with constant velocity (U) in the x-direction:


To determine the potential function for this flow, we must examine our relationships between PHI, u, and v.  Integration will be necessary, and it is crucial that the results from integration both parts of the definition must match.

d/dx(PHI) = U

int(1)dPHI = int(U)dx

PHI = Ux + c 

 (If we take the derivative of this function with respect to y, we obtain zero; thus this function holds true for this flow.)

d/dy(PHI) = 0 

To determine the streamfunction we examine the relationships between PSI, u, and v.  Again integration and obtaining matching results are necessary.

d/dy(PSI) = U

int(1)dPSI = int(U)dy

PSI = Uy+c 

(Again this function matches the additional constraint below.)

d/dx(PSI) = 0

For uniform flow with constant velocity alpha degrees from the horizon:


Potential function:

d/dx(PHI) = U*cos(alpha)

int(1)dPHI = int(U*cos(alpha))dx

PHI = U*cos(alpha)*x + c 

d/dy(PHI) = U*sin(alpha)

int(1)dPHI = int(U*sin(alpha))dy

PHI = U*sin(alpha)*y + c

PHI = U*cos(alpha)*x + U*sin(alpha)*y 
(This function matches both constraints placed on the flow.)

Stream function:

d/dx(PSI) = U*sin(alpha)

int(1)dPSI = int(U*sin(alpha))dx

PSI = U*sin(alpha)*x + c 

d/dy(PSI) = U*cos(alpha)

int(1)dPSI = int(U*cos(alpha))dy

PSI = U*cos(alpha)*y + c

PSI = U*sin(alpha)*x + U*cos(alpha)*y
(This function also matches both constraints placed on the flow.)

Now that we've determined the velocity potential function and the streamfunction for these flows, we can use this knowledge to examine any potential flow.  Next week, we'll look at a couple of flow examples in cylindrical coordinates, but until then, happy studying!

MrsDrPoe: CVS and Kroger Deals 9/11

To continue with Money Monday, I'd like to share some deals going on this week at CVS and Kroger.

CVS

I bought: 1 pack of Reeses, 1 5ct CVS Allergy Relief, and 1 box RepHresh tampons (coupon).

Total Regular Price: $14.53
Total Sale and Coupons: $3.30
ECBs Used: $10.00
Total OOP: $1.23
ECBs Back: $10.48

Kroger

There's a Mega Event going on this week; along with the things I needed, I bought: 2 boxes Honey Nut Chex, 2 boxes Reese's Puffs, 2 boxes Nature Valley granola bars, 2 boxes Fiber One bars, 1 box Lucky Charms bars, 11 Easy Mac containers.

Total Regular Price: $90.81
Total Sale and Coupons: $40.34
Total OOP: $50.47

MrsDrPoe: Lavish Gifts on a Budget

It's Money Monday once again, and today we'll be continuing the series about how to give without going broke.  Last week we discussed the necessity of having a gift budget and planning to ensure that you can stay within that budget while still giving gifts that your loved ones would like.  While your brainstorming sessions have probably given you some great ideas for the people on your list, this post will hopefully give you some more...or at least some suggestions as to where to look for some fantastic deals/sales.  As you're perusing, remember...when you're on a tight budget, it's okay to be cheap!

Ladies

There are several ladies that I buy for during the holidays.  It's always relatively easy to think of something they'd love to have, but sometimes hard to follow through with the more expensive items (without coupons and black Friday, that is).

Food Baskets -  My family loves food, so baskets overflowing with it are definitely a great gift idea for them.  Through couponing, I obtain all types of goodies that would make the perfect basket for any member of the family.  If the member doesn't cook- a basket of his/her favorite snacks and just-add-water foods is perfect; if the member does cook- a basket of noodles, staple items, and exotic ingredients works wonderfully. 

Bath Baskets - As I've mentioned before, couponing allows me to purchase name-brand toiletries for less than store brands.  Through playing the drug store game, I've also had the opportunity to purchase items such as lip balms, nail polishes, etc. for free.  By combining my couponing bounty in a lovely basket (check the Dollar Tree for cute, cheap ones), I've got a lovely gift that any woman would love to pamper herself with! 

Spa Treatment - If the ladies on your list prefer to be pampered by someone else, you can look for deals on massages, manicures, pedicures, and the like.  Perhaps one of the most obvious resources to use is a deal website such as Groupon, LivingSocial, or HalfOffDepot.  Another option is to check the phone book for local beautician schools; since students are performing the service, you get a discounted rate- in case you're wary of this suggestion, I haven't had a bad experience with this yet. 

Framed Pictures - This is one of my favorite gift ideas for moms and grandmothers...I mean, really, who doesn't like pictures of their kids/dogs or grandkids/granddogs?  Department stores (Khols, Sears, JCPenny) and craft stores (Michaels, Hobby Lobby) often sell frames at greatly discounted prices, especially around black Friday (don't forget to check the clearance section!!).  And drug stores (CVS, Wags, Rite Aid) frequently offer fantastic deals on photos that you can order online and pick up in store to save you time in line and shipping costs.

Clothes - As you may know, I have zero fashion sense...so I typically don't give clothes as gifts (especially to women).  But for those of you who are fashion savvy, this is always a budget friendly gift option if you look at the right times and places.  Many department stores now offer store rewards: Khols sometimes gives $10 Khols Cash for every $50 spent, JCP Rewards always gives $10 for every $250 spent, and around Father's Day, Sears often gives a $50 gift card for men's clothing for a $50 purchase of qualifying men's clothing.  These stores also give out coupons in the paper, in the mail, and online.  One way to ensure you're getting the best deals no matter where you shop is to shop in the off-season...now is the perfect time to start stocking up on summer clothes.  (Clothing makes a great gift for kids and guys too!)

Kitchen Gadgets - I love to cook, and all the ladies on my list get some level of enjoyment out of it as well.  In the past, JCPenny has been my go-to place for kitchen appliances- on black Friday I've found slow cookers, panini presses, waffle irons, fondue pots, etc. for $10-$15.  Williams Sonoma outlet stores also have great deals like 50% (or more) off All-Clad or Apilco.

Gents
 
As the family's grown we've added a lot more guys to the mix.  I find it much harder to figure out a suitable gift for them than I do for the girls, especially my dad (more on that next week).

Restaurant Voucher - All the guys we get gifts for enjoy eating.  While restaurant gift cards are great for more common restaurants, vouchers from Groupon or Restaurant.com are good for more local fare.  Often (like now for instance) Restaurant.com has amazing 80% off sales where you can get $10 vouchers for $1 and $25 for $2-$3.  These vouchers typically require you to buy more than their worth, like $20 and $35 respectively, but they still make a nice gift for both the giver's wallet and the receiver's.

Tools - Mr. Poe and Papa Poe especially love opening tools on Christmas morning.  Of course, this gift can be particularly expensive if you just go buy some; however, if you're patient, you'll very likely find some great prices.  Harbor Freight sells cheaper, decent quality tools; Sears often has fantastic deals on Craftsman tools on black Friday.

Oil - If the guys that you're buying for are automotively inclined (yes, I just made up that word), oil changing materials are a practical gift that you can often find at a decent price at any standard auto parts store (Advanced Auto, Auto Zone).

Sporting Equipment - Another idea for the guy on your list is some type of sporting equipment.  Even if he doesn't play on a team with a uniform, that doesn't mean he doesn't play something- Mr. Poe played intramural water polo, softball, football, Frisbee, etc. at MSU; more than once he needed receiver's gloves.  You can find decent deals on sports items on Craig's List, as well as at sporting goods stores (Academy, Dicks) on black Friday and immediately after that sport's season ends.  (Of course, this is a great idea for athletes in any of these groups.)

Kiddies

This is one area that our family hasn't breached yet, but we will in the next few years, Lord willing.  I'd be particularly interested in your comments related to this category!

Games - If you know a child that loves games, there are almost always coupons on coupon sites (and at store sites) that can help you get some great deals on games at big box stores (Walmart, Target).  Thrift stores and yard sales often have a few gently-used games that are almost as good as new.

Movies/Video Games - What kid doesn't like digital entertainment these days?  I'll tell you right now that the best deal you'll ever get on movies is waiting until black Friday when BestBuy has tons of movies ranging in price from $3-$10.  If I still haven't convinced you that you need to be up way before dawn November 25 this year, I've seen some blue ray coupons online as well, and Amazon usually has good prices on used, like-new media.  Please check the parental advisory ratings before making your purchases.

Books - It seems as though the gift of books is not as popular as it once was; however, if there's a kid (or guy or gal) on your list who loves to read, these make a perfect, low-cost gift.  Often thrift stores have little used books ranging in price from $0.50-$3.00; Amazon is another option for both new, used, and digital books.  Crystal comes across free digital books (typically for adults/older kids) quite frequently, and if you blog, Booksneeze is a nice way to get free books (digital or hard copies) in exchange for a review.    

Candy - If you're not the one dealing with the resulting sugar rush, candy is another idea for children of all ages.  Again with the drug store game, I've been able to purchase all different types of candy and gum very cheaply.  If you feel too cheap giving just candy, this pairs nicely with a movie or Netflix gift subscription.

Trips - An nontraditional gift for a child is a trip to a local theme park, zoo, museum, etc.  Deal sites like Groupon, LivingSocial, and HalfOffDepot often offer vouchers for these types of excursions at a greatly reduced price.  If you're considering purchasing this for a child on your list, you may also get one for his/her parent or guardian.

Gift Cards -   For the kid that has everything (or the kid who's hard to buy for), just about every store has gift cards these days.  Sometimes restaurants have deals on their gift cards (buy one and get a free drink, buy a $40 card and get an extra $10 card, etc.).  We've also seen great deals on itunes gift cards through CVS* and Coinstar in previous years (buy $40 get a card for $10).  AND if you use Swagbucks, you could always donate some of your Amazon gift card codes as a gift (to pretty it up a bit, make up a certificate with the digital code on it).  Gift cards a fantastic idea...for kids and adults; I would advise that before you purchase one, however, that you double check to make sure a fee won't be charged to the card for a period of inactivity.  

*This very week, CVS has a deal going where, if you purchase $50 in itunes gift cards, you can get $10 back in ECBs.

Pets

Dogs are one thing we have tons of...on Mr. Poe's side there are two others and on my side there are three others in addition to our two.  Whether we get these 'kids' something or not depends on how the budget is looking as we draw closer to Christmas...but we have definitely found some great deals on pet gifts in the past.

Stuffed Animals - Mr. Fargus (Mrs. Luke's "son") LOVES stuffed animals, but if you try to purchase one at a pet store, you could pay up to ten dollars for a toy that he'll have un-stuffed in a week.  To stretch my dollar, I check out thrift stores and yard sales for stuffed animals.  I can typically find some for $0.50-$1.00, which makes Mr. Fargus and I both happy.  Do be sure to wash any animals you bring home. 

Rope Toys - Monster (aka Layla) loves to play tug of war with anything- particularly pieces of rope.  Just like with the stuffed animals, though, these toys are usually not cheap entertainment when purchased at a pet store.  Instead, try picking up a piece of rope from a hardware store (Home Dept, Lowes).  They sell whatever length you want from big spools of different types of rope...just make sure you get softer rope not made of plastic or your furry friend might hurt himself/herself.

Food or Treats - If you're a more practical gift-giver (or if your gift recipient is like Sascha and doesn't particularly care for toys), food and treats are always an option.  Pet stores typically have better sales on these 'every day' items than the toys, and you can typically find coupons for them as well.  We love our local PetSmart- it seems like they always have some type of dog food sale or promotion going on.  Before purchasing these gifts, however, check with the owner to see what brand(s) the pet usually eats and if he/she is allergic to anything.




What nice (cheap-er) gifts have you bought in the past?  Where/when do you find your best gift deals?

MrsDrPoe: The Joys of Football Season

It's Foto Friday once again, and today I'd like to share some pictures with you from the start of football season!

Last Thursday, Mississippi State played our season opener against the Memphis tigers.  Mr. Poe and I had to go to out to watch it, but it's just not the same watching on TV as it is in person.  See:

(If we look younger, it's because this picture was taken at an MSU game right after we started dating...6 years ago.)  State put the hurt on Memphis, in case you didn't see the score- 59-14, with Vick Ballard racking up 3 touchdowns and 166 yards in 10 carries.

Saturday Penn State dominated Indiana State (41-7); although, we didn't watch the game because we were busy helping Ms. Bobbitt put on a tailgate for the Bama-Kent State game.  There was a wonderfully delicious spread of goodies:

...that accompanied the 48-7 creaming of Kent State.  Ah yes, it was a great start to the season!  I must say, however, that I am only partially looking forward to tomorrow's matches- State has a tough match-up against Auburn, which should make for a good game, but Bama and Penn State face-off, which means Mr. Poe and I will be a house divided.


To all my readers who are football fans: what games are you looking forward to this weekend?

MrsDrPoe: Reading the Bible in a Year

Another Theology Thursday is upon us!  A few weeks ago, I challenged you (and myself) to adopt a Bible book.  As I shared, my plan of attack is to read the gospels several times and then pick one to adopt.  A brief update on my own headway in this challenge: I've decided to attempt to read all four gospels once a week from October - December; then I will make my choice and read my adopted gospel once a week during 2012.  I suggested when I first presented the challenge that we couple this weekly reading with the reading of commentaries, etc. on our chosen book AND with the reading through of the Bible in a year.  Today I'd like to share with you a few example schedules for reading the Bible in an entire year, in hopes that, even if you choose not to adopt a book at this time, you'll find the task of reading all of God's word in a relatively short amount of time a bit less daunting.

The Full-Speed-Ahead Approach

This approach to reading the Bible in a year is the simplest by far:

All you do is read straight through the Bible, 3-4 chapters a day if you want to read 7 days of the week OR 4-5 chapters a day if you want to read 5 days of the week.  Only one bookmark is required.

The Little-Bit-of-Everything Approach

This approach is an extension of the Summer Bible Reading Challenge chart I borrowed from Mr. Ellis:

Using this plan, you will read a little from the Law/History, Wisdom/Prophets, and the New Testament each week.  The average number of chapters you read each day are the same as with the first approach; however, reading from different sections of the Bible may help you 1) focus more on what you're reading and 2) make more connections between different Bible books.

The Legacy-Reading Approach

This approach was actually developed by Hank Hanegraaff in order to encourage daily Bible reading:

 

The title of the program is actually an acronym for Hanegraaff's Bible reading suggestions:

Location - reading in a private, quiet place

Essence - comprehension of God's communication by reading whole books

Genre - better understanding through realization of types of literature

Author - grouping books written by the same person

Context - grouping books next to related books (Rev next to OT prophecy, etc.)

Year - reading once a year, every year, for the rest of your life

Using this plan you'll read 3 or 5 chapters per day depending on whether you're reading 7 or 5 days a week, respectively, in addition to 3 Psalms/week (you'll read this book once per year) and 1 chapter of Proverbs/day (you'll read this book 12 times per year).


Personally, I think I'll try the third approach in 2012; it looks interesting, and it's a method I haven't tried before.  Whether you use one of these schedules or not, I hope that this challenge helps inspire you to become a daily Bible reader!  

As another form of encouragement, feel free to comment about your progress and/or struggles.  I'll do the same periodically, and together we'll hold ourselves accountable.  Sound like a plan?