MrsDrPoe: Psalm 100

Welcome to the Thanksgiving Day edition of Theology Thursday on the blog.  I thought it fitting for today's post to be a simple expression of thanks to God using His inspired word, Psalm 100.

A Psalm of Thanksgiving

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.  Be thankful to Him and bless His name.

For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.

Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

MrsDrPoe: Empanadas

Since it's the night before Thanksgiving, many of you are probably busy preparing for your holiday meal and don't want to put much thought or effort into tonight's meal.  So What's for Dinner this Wednesday?  Empanadas- a quick and easy dish that can be altered to use with whatever meats and veggies you have on hand.

Ingredients: 1 can of biscuits, 1-2 cups chicken (cooked and shredded), 1 small tomato, 1/4 cup jalapeno, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1 tsp cumin, and salt and pepper (not pictured).

Finely dice the veggies and combine with chicken, cheese and spices:

Roll out the biscuits (I use my fingers) until they're approximately 1/4 inch thick, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Put a heaping 1-2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on half of the biscuit:

Fold the other half of the biscuit over the filling (to form a half-circle), and seal the empanada by pressing a fork gently along the curved edge of the biscuit:

Cook according to the biscuit package directions.  Serve with salsa and sour cream, and enjoy!

MrsDrPoe: The Bullingtons

Good morning to you all, and welcome to another edition of Poes' Pals here on the blog!  This week we're featuring another family from Starkville, the Bullingtons:

We have known this family for many years, and they have been such an inspiration and encouragement to us!  Dr. Bullington (yes, this Dr. Bullington) is a professor in the Industrial Engineering department at Mississippi State.  While neither Mr. Poe nor I have ever had him for a secular class, we have both been in several of his Bible classes and can attest to the fact that he is an amazing teacher with a multitude of knowledge and wisdom.  Mrs. Bullington is pretty fabulous as well- successfully home-schooled all of her children, possessing so much Bible knowledge (paired with a desire to teach others...especially children), and being the couponing QUEEN.

Mr. W. Bullington and Mr. A Bullington are some fantastic guys, who are also some of the most spiritually-minded (particularly for their ages) that I have ever met.  They are very capable song leaders too.  Ms. S. Bullington is sweet and hilarious with a great work-ethic.  She loves to read, is an amazing Bible student, and will make a wonderful doctor one day.  The oldest, Ms. A. Bullington*:

is another dear friend of ours.  We almost always sat with her during Bible classes, and she was such a great help to me when I first started singing alto.  She graduated in 2010 with a double major in Music and Industrial Engineering- she is one smart, hard-working cookie!  She's currently working on a masters in IE at UAH.

As you've heard me say before, we love and miss our Starkville family very much.  And If you ever get a chance to get to know the Bullingtons, take it!

*Photo Credit

MrsDrPoe: Dimensional Analysis, Part II

Happy Thesis Tuesday!  Today we'll resume our discussion on dimensional analysis by further investigating the Buckingham Pi Theorem.

This theorem is applied to a problem through several simple steps:

Step 1: List all the variables that are involved in the problem.  This step is crucial- without properly identifying all the necessary variables, we will not be able to obtain the correct dimensionless groups.  Each of the properties should be independent.  For example, if density and specific weight are important, we could use rho and gamma, rho and g, or gamma and g, but to use all three would be redundant (since gamma = rho*g).

Step 2: Express each of the variables in terms of basic dimensions.  We will be looking at these quantities in terms of length (L), time (T), mass (M), and temperature (theta), since these are the basic dimensions for SI and BG unit systems.

Step 3: Determine the required number of pi terms.  This number is equal to k-r where k is the number of variables in the problem (from Step 1), and r is the number of reference dimensions required to describe these variables (from Step 2).  Note: if k-r = 1, skip to Step 5.

Step 4: Select a number of repeating variables, where the number required is equal to the number of reference dimensions.  Here we should choose r number of variables from our list of independent variables; there are our "repeating variables."  It is best to choose ones with the simplest representation in basic dimensions (for instance: choose a distance, L, instead of a velocity, L/T).

Step 5: Form a pi term by multiplying one of the non-repeating variables by the product of the repeating variables, each raised to an exponent that will make the combination dimensionless.  For example: Pii = ui*u1^(ai)*u2^(bi)*u3^(ci), where ui is a non-repeating variable, u1, u2, and u3 are repeating variables, and a, b, and c are exponents.  Note: it is acceptable for a, b, or c to equal zero as long as at least one is non-zero.

Step 6: Repeat Step 5 for each of the remaining non-repeating variables.

Step 7: Check all resulting pi terms to make sure they are dimensionless.  It's easy to make mistakes through this process; check your work by writing each of the variables in terms of their basic dimensions (or even units) to see if all the basic dimensions cancel out.

Step 8: Express the final form as a relationship among the pi terms, and think about what it means.  For example: Pi1 = f(Pi2, Pi3, ..., Pik-r), where Pi1 is the pi term containing the dependent variable.


While at this point you may not believe what I said about this process being simple, next week, I'll prove it to you with an example problem.  We'll also look at some common pi terms/dimensionless number in fluid mechanics.  Happy studying!

MrsDrPoe: Black Friday Tips

Happy Money Monday to all!  We are so very close to "the most wonderful shopping day of the year," and I can't wait!  As promised here are some tips to help you have a productive, safe, and stress-less Black Friday experience...

Plan Ahead

As with any shopping adventure where saving money is the goal, planning before you go out on Black Friday is crucial.  Make a list of the people left on your Christmas-gift list and their interests, hobbies, and/or needs, and make a list of some items you've been looking for (clothing, furniture, decor, etc.).  If clothing is something you're looking for, make sure you note everyone's sizes.  Then scour through sales fliers, trying to match great deals with people/items on your list.  Stores have already started putting out ads online; hard copies will come out in your local paper later this week.  

Once you've found some deals you'd like to take advantage of, group the deals by store, and list the stores in order of importance (i.e. deals that will likely sell out fastest).  Also check your coupon stash and email for any additional coupons that can be coupled with store sales (for instance: if you've bought anything from JCPenny in the last week, find your receipt and take the store survey to get a 15% off coupon to use) and enroll in any available rewards programs.

If you're going with a buddy (or several), compare your store list with his/hers, and plan your group's route keeping in mind store opening times and deal limits per person.  You may also have a tentative meal-plan in place so you don't end up at a store far away from any affordable food options at lunch-time.

Don't let your Thanksgiving day turkey's tryptophan get the best of you- forgo your after-turkey nap and try to hit the sack (for good) extra early.  If your first stop opens at 4, you'll probably plan to get there around 3 to get a good spot in line, which doesn't allow much time to sleep if you keep your normal bed time on Thursday.  And speaking of standing in line- even in the deep south the temperature on Black Friday are around freezing before the sun comes up, so dress appropriately and in layers.

Stay Focused

When there are monster deals to be had and you've planned your trip well, it's often easier to get in and out of a store purchasing only what you planned to; however, more and more stores are filling up the aisles where you'll be standing in line with outrageously priced stocking stuffers and nick-knacks.  Keep your eye on the prize and stick to your list or the $20 bucks you just saved on the crock-pot for your mother could be quickly blown on something actually worth $1.50.  And always remember, just because something is "on sale" during Black Friday doesn't mean it's the best deal you can get...or even that it's a good deal at all. 

Have Fun

This is perhaps the most important Black Friday tip.  Chances are (especially if you're list is huge) you're not going to be able to take advantage of all the deals that you wanted to.  Instead of stressing out or going crazy (people have literally died because of over-zealous Black Friday shoppers), be polite and enjoy the time with your friends/family, holiday decor and music.

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!

How was your week?

*Taken by my friend, Ms. Long.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

MrsDrPoe: Sisters

Another week has come to a close, which means it's Foto Friday here on the blog!  Today I'd like to share with you some more pictures of our girls- last night Sascha actually laid down with Layla.  We were amazed that after almost three years, they're finally beginning to act a little more like sisters:

 

   

Did anything unexpected happen for you this week?

MrsDrPoe: When Is It Right to Do Wrong?

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

Today we'll be looking at Mark 1:39-45.  In this passage, we see that as Jesus is going about the countryside teaching in synagogues, a leper comes to Him begging to be cleansed.  He realizes as we see in v. 40 that Jesus has the power to heal and if He is only willing, his disease will be cleansed.

Jesus reaches out and touches the man before cleansing him, showing His compassion through something that the leper hadn't experienced in a long time.  Then He speaks, and the man is healed.  Before He sends the man away, Jesus commands that the man not tell anyone.  Instead of listening to Jesus, the man "proclaims" the matter "freely" and "spreads" it.

It's been suggested that Jesus is using reverse psychology here, but there is no evidence for this conclusion- throughout scripture, God and Christ 'say what They mean and mean what They say.'  Thus, this man blatantly disobeyed the Lord.  We may think, "he was just tyring to spread the good news about Jesus."  Well, maybe, but he was doing it in a way that was in direct contrast to the command Jesus gave him.  This begs the question:

When is it EVER right to do wrong?

The answer, of course is never.  Not 'when it's in my best interest,' or 'when I don't understand why it's wrong' (Prov 14:12), or 'when I disagree' - NEVER.

So what does this mean for us?  First, we should strive to study the Bible in its entirety without bias, examining what God has given and not given authority for.  Then we must apply His teaching to our lives, even if it's difficult.

MrsDrPoe: Pasta Salad

It's time for our What's for Dinner Wednesday post.  Tonight's dish works well cold, hot, or room temperature...as a side or the main course: Pasta Salad.

Ingredients: 1 box of hearty pasta noodles (Rotini, Penne, etc.), 2 Roma tomatoes,  1/4 of a medium onion, 1 green bell pepper, 1-2 cups of Italian dressing.

Chop the tomatoes, pepper, and onion up finely and place in a gallon-sized zipper storage bag with 1/2 - 3/4 cup of the dressing.  Seal the bag and shake it up to coat the veggies with the dressing.  Place the bag in the fridge while you make the pasta (or longer; I let mine marinade overnight):

Cook the pasta and allow to cool.  Put the pasta in the bag with the veggies and add the remaining desired amount of dressing (1/2 to 1 1/2 cups).  Seal the bag again and gently shake/massage to evenly distribute the veggies and coat the pasta with dressing.  Refrigerate, serve, or reheats as desired.  Enjoy!

 

The colors in this dish make it a great candidate for a holiday side-dish!

MrsDrPoe: The Rudes

It's time for another edition of Poes' Pals here on the blog!  This morning, I'd like to introduce you to another wonderful family from Starkville...the Rudes:

We've known the Rudes for approximately seven years, and we can attest to the fact that, contrary to what their last name might suggest, they are some of the most caring and friendly folks we know!

Dr. Rude is a professor in the Animal and Dairy Science at Mississippi State University (Mrs. Luke actually had him for a class; she and others have told us that Dr. Rude is a great teacher and his classes were enjoyable and informative).  He is also a great Bible teacher, presenting material in a way that encourages participation.   

Mrs. Rude often teaches French at East Mississippi Community College (we've heard great things about her and her teaching from friends too).  She is one of the most selfless people I've ever met, constantly being aware of the needs and desires of others and striving to help out in whatever way she can.

Ms. Rude may come across as shy when you first meet her, but she is a very spirited, fun-loving, and spiritually minded young woman.  One of my very fondest memories of her is when she went with Ms. K. Davis, Ms. M. Davis, and me to a ladies Bible study in Birmingham- oh what a great time we had!

As you're probably tired of hearing me say, we miss our Starkville family very much, and we hope that if you're ever in the area you'll have an opportunity to meet some of the fine people there!