From Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, comes our newest reserve – the Ethiopia Kochere. Grown in Kochere near the district of Yirgacheffe in the Gedeo Zone, this selection is one of the highlights of our Ethiopian selections. We sourced this … Continue reading →
It seems strange to be writing this at the end of it all. I hope that this will bring some clarity of events (mostly for myself). The last week has been an adventure. It’s not all been great but it … Continue reading →
Many coffee drinkers roll out of bed and get their daily dose of Joe as soon as they can. Coffee affects our bodies in so many ways that there may actually be an ideal time to drink it. While all … Continue reading →
At The Roasterie we buy great coffee beans to brew great coffee. One of our many great brewing methods we use is the “pour-over.” Pour over brewing is a simple way to brew a crisp, clean coffee at home. Chemex, … Continue reading →
There’s been quite a bit of excitement here at The Roasterie the past few weeks and much of it has been due to the addition of a United States Latte Art Champion to our team! While Simeon Bricker has been … Continue reading →
Here at The Roasterie, iced coffee is an essential summer beverage. It’s cold, sweet, smooth, and so refreshing. There are a few things about cold-brew that are worthy to note. Cold-brewed coffee has a lower acidity level. The grounds never … Continue reading →
Posted in Our Coffee, Roasterie News	| Tagged caffeine, coffee, coffee 101, coffee knowledge, iced toddy, Roasterie coffee, toddy brewer	| Leave a comment
Over the past years, the Instagram community has grown to millions of people capturing and sharing moments all over the globe. As we have grown as a company, Instagram has developed not only in our community but also into a … Continue reading →
Posted in Field trips, Food, Kid crafts, Letter activities, Molly on February 28th, 2010 by jen – 6 Comments
There were so many 'D' things that I wanted to do this week but we ran out of time, so here is what we did get to.
We added a few feathers, an eye, and a beak and I thought we were done. Molly then said, "Mommy, he needs feet!" and she was so right. Here's our cute little duck. (Found at No Time for Flashcards)
Here's the finished art. Molly's coloring is a bit sporadic, so I helped a bit to uncover the doodles.
I introduced Do-A-Dot art this week. She loved it! I think she colored 8 pages. She kept asking for more.
I made Molly some Dora dominos. (I saw them as part of this Dora Tot Pack.) She had fun matching the characters. Daddy even played it with us for our first "Family Game Night" on Friday night.
On Saturday morning, Molly had an extra special treat at Dunkin Donuts. While waiting in line, she spotted the strawberry iced donuts and immediately wanted a pink one!
We also made a popsicle stick dragaonfly, but Molly was too busy flying it around for me to get a good picture of it! You can check out what other moms are doing with their tots at 1+1+1=1.
Posted in Food, Kid crafts, Leah, Letter activities, Molly on February 20th, 2010 by jen – 10 Comments
Our letter this week was 'K', however Leah decided to start the week with the letters 'E.R.' due to a dislocated elbow. You can read about it here.
To share my Louisiana roots and celebrate Mardi Gras, I hosted a Mardi Gras playdate. Molly helped me decorate one of the two king cakes that I made. She did a great job pouring the colored sugar only where she was told.
a kaleidoscope! Molly enjoyed the kaleidoscope for a few short minutes. She had more fun stamping the cover!
Leah wanted to try out the kaleidoscope too. Ok, so maybe she just wanted to chew on it, but she was looking through it by default!
Again this year, I hosted a Mardi Gras playdate. It was such a popular activity with my MOMS Club that it filled up in 12 hours and even had a wait-list! Next year, I might just have to host two!
I tried my hand at making a king cake from scratch this year. I even made it with yummy cream cheese filling like Chad prefers. I learned a few things that I know to do differently next year, but overall it was a success.
In addition to eating king cake, we listened to traditional Mardi Gras music, and had fun making jester hats.
Molly is her father's child when it comes to cake. She licked all the sugar and icing off the king cake, then asked for another piece. Clearly, she does not need to be able to see to do this!
I made sure that both girls were sporting their Mardi Gras fashions for the day. Here they are taking in a little reading after the party.
Leah beat out Molly for the prize of "First kid to the ER" yesterday. She was admitted for a dislocated elbow, also known as nursemaid's elbow.
It happened just after noon yesterday when Molly rolled Leah from her front to back, and Leah's arm got caught underneath her. She let out a cry of pain and it took over an hour to calm her down. By 3:00 PM Chad noticed that Leah was not moving her right arm, so I called the doctor and was told to come in. After the third attempt to reduce her elbow, we thought it was back in place, so Leah was given some Tylenol and we headed home. The pediatrician called at 7:30 PM to check on Leah, and was not satisfied that we had corrected the problem, so she sent us to the ER.
We were swiftly taken back to the pediatric ER and by the time Chad showed up (he had to put Molly to bed and wait on his mom to arrive) the doctor was walking in. X-rays were taken and showed that nothing was broken. So, the doctor attempted the fourth try at reducing Leah's elbow. This time it worked! She was laying in my arms and immediately reached up toward my face. But then it took another 10-15 minutes for her to move it again. It was like she didn't know she could move it (we enticed her with Molly's sunglasses as seen below). We were given the OK to go home and were out in less than 2.5 hours. Leah was in bed by 10:45 PM and the craziness was over.
It was the best ER experience we've ever had (not that you ever want to have that!), and Leah's doing better now. Her arm is not at 100%, but she is moving it more and more as the day progresses. I was reassured by both doctors that this is very common for infants and toddlers, but I sure hope that we don't have to go through that again!
Posted in Kid crafts, Letter activities, Molly, Playdates on February 14th, 2010 by jen – 12 Comments
While being snowbound due to record breaking snowfalls we had a lot of time for some 'H' activities. I loved my friend's idea for this week: "H for housebound, hot cocoa, and holy moly this is too much snow!!" Though very funny and so true, we stuck to our Valentine theme of "H is for hearts."
Molly practiced her counting with Valentine candy. She enjoyed some candies along the way, and Mommy may have had a few too!
I made these alphabet matching cards as another aid for learning lowercase letters. Molly quickly realized that the colors for the pairs matched, so next time we'll try something a little different.
Finally, in honor of the Vancouver olympics, a friend hosted a "Make a flag" playdate. Molly was so proud of her new flag.
As I talked about previously, we've been snowbound around here. In my last post, I left off Tuesday with an unplowed street and another approaching storm. Well, it indeed started snowing Tuesday afternoon and snowed throughout the night. The next morning, we had around 6 new inches on the ground and thought we'd never get out. Then, much to our surprise, we saw this in front of our house:
Yes, that's a front loader clearing our street. This first storm dumped so much snow that normal plows on trucks couldn't cut it, so they brought out front loaders to pick up the snow and move it around. We were very relieved, but it was still snowing and we were under a blizzard warning, so we still weren't getting out of the house.
That blizzard warning turned into a full fledged blizzard (if you're unfamiliar, blizzards have little to do with how much snow you have and more to do with high winds and reduced visibility). We had winds gusting to 50mph and at times we couldn't see houses at the end of our street. I didn't get a picture of the blizzard in full force, but here's a shot of what it looked like as it was winding down:
That lasted into Wednesday night, and we wondered when we might get plowed. It had taken 5 days for our street to be cleared last time, so we were really surprised when we looked out our window the next morning and saw this:
Yes, the front loader was back and clearing our street again. It was not snowing. Freedom was in sight. Of course, there was a little bit of snow to take care of first.
I never heard a number for Columbia, but Savage (not far away) got 18 inches in this second storm. Added to the 33 from the previous storm gives us 51 inches in under a week. That's a lot of snow. In fact, the official Baltimore total for this winter is now up to 79.9 inches, shattering the previous record from 1995-1996 of 62.5 inches (and winter's not over yet). And not only do we have crazy snow at our house, but crazy icicles as well. Yes, this big one reaches all the way to the ground:
So, I got to shoveling. Molly helped (well, sort of). She really enjoyed playing in the snow as well. She liked throwing snowballs a lot. We threw a few at each other, but she much preferred to throw them into the street.
Eventually, I got through shoveling. It took over 4 hours to shovel out (and that was with the help of some very nice neighbors), but both of our cars are now clear.
So, we're now free! We can leave our house, though we haven't done it yet. We don't have an urgent need to get out and the county government has asked everyone to stay off the roads since it's still quite windy and the snow is drifting a bit. That said, it feels like this craziness is over (or close to it).
I have been trying to wait to post this until the saga was complete, but I cannot wait any longer. As most of you know, Maryland and surrounding areas was hit by one of the biggest snow storms we've ever had this past weekend. It started snowing a little after noon on Friday and didn't let up until late Saturday afternoon. Here's what it looked like out of our back door Saturday:
The Bible is there for a little perspective. Out front, my car had disappeared and Jen's was barely still visible.
Molly and I played in the snow a bit (and shoveled a bit as well). While outside, we heard a loud snap. A neighbor's tree had buckled under the weight of the snow and snapped right in the middle of its trunk.
How much snow did we get? Officially, the news says 33.8 inches. I measured just under 32 in our front yard, but there was still and inch or two on the ground from the last snowfall. I generally measure a bit less than the official number, as some of the snow blows around.
The problem you can see here is that while I may clear my driveway, it does no good unless the snow plows come by to clear the streets in our neighborhood. They always come by within a day after a snow storm, so we thought they'd come by Sunday. They didn't. Howard County then assured us all streets would be plowed on Monday. Well, that didn't happen either.
It's now Tuesday. We've been snowbound since Friday and we're running low on certain supplies (like milk). According to the forecast, we're about to be hit by another snow storm dropping between 10 and 20 inches of snow. Consequently, the snow plows have been pulled off of plowing neighborhoods and have started preparing (salting) the main streets for the new storm. Because of our need of supplies and the imminent storm, we gave up on waiting. We got my mom (who was plowed Sunday) to come pick up Jen to take her to the grocery store. Jen walked through the snow to meet her on a bigger road that has been plowed. Here's our hero returning from the store with the needed supplies:
I'm not sure when our street will be cleared. Perhaps Thursday or Friday. We're all very ready to have the freedom to go where we want back. I'll update here when we manage to escape.
Leah's also started smooshing her face into the wall of the crib when she sleeps. While using the bumper to roll over, I think she gets too tired to make the effort, so she gives up and goes to sleep.
When I planned our letter weeks, I had not initially done the letters of Molly's name in a row. But, after we did 'M' and 'O', I got questioned whether we were doing 'L' and 'Y' next. And I thought, "Well, that would make sense!" So, as you can see, that's what we did.
As soon as I got out my scissors to cut out the shapes, Molly was no longer interested in coloring. All she wanted to do was cut, so I gave her some small strips to practice with.
We worked with various forms of yogurt. First Molly used yogurt-covered raisins to practice her counting skills with these Curious George cards from One Little, Two Little.
And after one failed attempt to actually freeze the yogurt, Molly finally got to enjoy the tasty treat.
We extended the story by making a yarn egg. Molly was not interested in getting her hands dirty with the glue, so it turned into a Mommy project.
It turned out really neat. Molly has loved playing with it, but it is now a bit squished. If you have the patience to do a few of these, they'd make a really pretty Easter decoration.
Lastly, Molly and her daddy went out for a little bit of playing in the snow. She couldn't really walk in the snow, since it was almost as tall as she is, but Molly was very helpful in using the yard stick to measuring how high the pile Daddy was shoveling was. Also, note the plastic bags taped onto her legs as makeshift snow boots (we learned that trick last snow storm).
Learn more about ActiveCollab - a project management tool for small to large businesses. Includes ActiveCollab pricing, reviews, key information, and FAQs.
Active Collab is a modern and simple project management tool used by a variety of organizations from small businesses to universities. ActiveCollab enables teams to organize their workload, track time, and improve efficiency.
ActiveCollab pricing starts at $25.00 per month and goes up to $999.00 for a self-hosted plan, depending on the number of employees you have and the storage space you require.
ActiveCollab is a cloud-based task management tool that is modern, clean, and simple to use. Employees have access to a dashboard on which you can create and manage tasks, keep track of updates and logged time, add reminders, and communicate with colleagues in real-time. ActiveCollab can also be installed on your company's server to give you full control over your data.
Features include time tracking, task filtering, collaborative note-taking, creating and sending invoices, keeping track of payments, drafting cost estimates, reporting, and a host of other functions to streamline your workflow.
A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart that enables users to create and edit a timeline of tasks or project schedule. Users are able to create an ActiveCollab Gantt on their dashboards.
You can integrate ActiveCollab with a range of plugins or apps for free, no matter which plan you're on. To see a list of ActiveCollab plugins, click "More" followed by "Add-Ons" on their website.
Send an email to support@activecollab.com or read through the ActiveCollab knowledge base under Help & Support on the homepage.
This system is the very bedrock of client collaboration in our company. We simply need it. It covers calendar integration, task management, expense and time tracking, client estimates and invoicing is integrated, discussions with clients are threaded and neatly organized at all times, file uploads that act as a mini-Dropbox for yourself and your clients.
I own and operate a company that specializes in creative strategy and marketing/PR services and this is a good fit for us. I spent many months and went through quite a few trials researching a software that had as many features combined that we were looking for. We settled on ActiveCollab and we're very happy with them. It's a great option without the price tag.
Solid options for organization and streamlining processes that even clients can be taught to use. As a creative agency selling our time it's important to communicate quickly and efficiently with our clients.
A sleek yet powerful project management software way above its competition. It's amazing how flexible ActiveCollab can be depending on a project's needs. It can serve as a simple reminder list with great speed and simplicity but also get fully blown up for projects involving production teams and clients at once.
In such a complex world, where the time and control factor in operations makes a difference, it is vital to have a platform that allows access to many tasks that otherwise would involve and coordinate many people. This type of tool allows us to save costs and reduce human errors.
ActiveCollab are great, we were previously using 3 different Basecamp accounts for our sister companies. ActiveCollab allows selecting the project and bulk updating the deadline on the tasks, or in a list view one-by-one which is quick and easy. Cons: Lack of built in customization. Email sending is limited in regards to daily reports etc.
A great project management tool for design studios. We've been using ActiveCollab since version 1. We needed more features and flexibility than other project management systems provided and we also were looking for an invoicing system. The mobile app isn't the best.
I can easily track time on each project. It also generates reports for time and budget. It's easy to see where we are on budget or if we're over budget. Some of our clients have difficulty using it or just refuse to communicate through this system. Sometimes there are so many people on the thread that it's difficult to determine who should be responding to the request.
It has the sophistication we need and remains very easy to use. I have tried nearly every other project management software out there, and this one makes the most sense to me.
Feature-rich, flexible project management with great support. You can easily manage milestones, tasks, files, discussions, time-tracking et al. Rich text could use some work as adding formatted content will sometimes yield awful results.
Here's yet another great tip: By consolidating all your bills into one big bill, you'll only have to dread ONE day a month to take a terrific beating by the big guys who show up to collect on it.
Grilling whole trout is one of the best ways to enjoy this fish, and trout that is grilled on a cedar plank is even better. A traditional way to cook a whole fish, originating with the fisherman of the Pacific Northwest, grilling on a piece of wood is a smart cooking a method, as you don't have to worry about flipping the fish or it falling apart on the grill.
This recipe will require a thin, clean, untreated cedar plank to set the fish on while they grill; you can find this at your supermarket or gourmet grocer. The smoke of the wood really enhances the flavor of the fish without overwhelming the delicate taste of the trout.
Lightly coat inside and outside of each trout with olive oil. Season inside with salt and pepper and stuff with lemon slices and dill.
Place soaked cedar plank on grill over direct medium heat. When cedar plank starts to smoke place fish on the plank. Grill for about 15 minutes or until the fish is done (reaching an internal temperature of 145 F). The flesh should be opaque and flake easily.
Before tackling this recipe, be sure to buy a cleaned and gutted whole fish, so that you don't have to do the messy work of removing the organs.
To debone a whole fish after it is cooked, make a slit under the tail and carefully lift it up, pulling towards the head, while using a spatula to hold down the body of the fish. The skeleton should stay intact and easily lift out of the trout. Once you reach the head, detach the bone structure—head intact—from the body.
Serve this trout as an appetizer by creating "smoked" trout crostinis topped with goat's cheese, pieces of trout, and a sprig of dill.
Turn this fish into a spread by breaking up the de-boned meat and mixing it with cream cheese, shallots, chives, ground pepper, and lemon juice until it reaches the desired consistency.
The Cardinals’ Yadier Molina, center, celebrates his solo home run off Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Tyler Mahle in the second inning of Friday night’s game in Cincinnati.
CINCINNATI — Yadier Molina homered and drove in three runs Friday night, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-3 victory that deepened the Cincinnati Reds’ worst season-opening slump since 1955.
St. Louis came into the series with a stagnant offense but broke out during two games against the worst pitching staff in the majors, piling up 18 runs and 25 hits. Molina — booed loudly in each plate appearance at Great American Ball Park — has homered in each game.
Luke Weaver (2-0) allowed Devin Mesoraco’s two-run homer while pitching into the seventh and beating the Reds for the third time in a row. Weaver is 9-1 in 12 starts since Aug. 2. Bud Norris allowed a hit and a walk in the ninth while getting his second save in two chances, fanning Tucker Barnhart for the final out.
MEET Charley Lintern, high achiever at Oxford University, art expert and newly recruited social worker in one of England’s most deprived areas.
Lintern is among a first wave of 225 trainees who have spurned the prospect of wealth or conventional high-status careers to join a profession that has been battered by scandal and dogged by low morale.
The starting salary for recruits is between £19,500 and £23,700, rising to between £24,000 and £30,000 when they qualify in the second year.
Their chosen career path follows concerted efforts by the former Labour minister Lord Adonis and others to guide some of Britain’s most talented graduates away from the City and into public service.
Students on tech courses can look forward to earning five times more than those with arts degrees from new universities
Just six months after finishing their degrees, Imperial College London’s computer science graduates are the winners, enjoying a median salary of £50,000.
The research, by The Sunday Times’s new Good University Guide, published next Sunday, lays bare the extent to which what young people choose to study, and where to study it, is critical to their earning potential afterwards.
Last year Improbable, the virtual reality company co-founded by Imperial computer science graduate Peter Lipka, was valued at more than $1bn (£770m).
Joy at signing Adam Johnson tempered by collapse of £7m transfer for Kenya midfield player from Parma due to work-permit issues
Manchester City’s delight at signing Adam Johnson, the England Under-21 winger, from Middlesbrough on Monday night was tempered by the collapse of a bid to buy McDonald Mariga from Parma.
City had agreed a £7 million fee last week with the Italian club for Mariga, the Kenya midfield player, but despite spending three days preparing their case for a work permit, the Premier League club’s appeal was rejected in less than ten minutes at a hearing in London yesterday, much to their dismay.
Mariga had also been tracked throughout the transfer window by Jos? Mourinho, the Inter Milan coach, and, with the City deal dead in the water, the Italian club moved swiftly to sign the player.
When devastating losses occur, unwanted change happens and the passion for living is often depleted. Holidays and special events can become a source of additional overwhelm withconflicted thoughts and feelings. In this meeting, you’ll learn about:
Eileen Joyce is a certified professional coach and grief recovery specialist. Her background includes 25 years of experience working with people dealing with devastating loss and changes resulting from death, divorce, or serious illness, along with any of over 40 major losses.
Eileen also organizes and leads public conversations about grief, loss, and quality-of-life issues; and facilitates a variety of support groups. She has been a hospice and palliative care volunteer, and has trained others in at-home palliative care.
I used to feel desperate and fearful when I was talking to prospects, as I was so eager to sign them up. Now it’s a completely different story….
The more desperate you are in sales meetings, the more you push your prospects away and the more desperate you feel, so it’s a vicious circle.
However, when you discover how to conduct yourself in a non-desperate manner, then you are available to serve your prospects, without expectation.
In the first session with a new client, he spontaneously told me that I hadn’t sold to him and there was no desperation, confirming that this works. Not only did he sign up quickly, he also paid me fully up front.
What this means is that I have a highly committed client who is keen. After just two sessions, all indications are that he will gain huge value from the coaching – way more than he has paid, in fact.
If you’re a lawyer, accountant or consultant who is not comfortable in sales meetings, particularly when it comes to charging, I offer a free, non-salesy consultation.
1) Plan your Christmas tasks so you have plenty of time and stick to them. It reminds me of that old age: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
2) Have a budget for what you’re spending on gifts, food, etc. and stick to it. What’s the point of over-spending if it means you spending the next 3 months catching up?
3) Programme in short bursts of “you time” so you can rest and recuperate. This is critical and, paradoxically, the busier you are, the more important it is for you to do this. When working with clients, I see the tendency to move from one task to another, like an automaton, and without giving themselves the time to think, acknowledge wins or rest.
4) Keep a positive mental attitude. Not much more to say on this one, except that it will be easier to achieve if you apply points 1-3 and 5-8.
6) When buying gifts, it’s not how much you spend, it’s how much thought goes into them and how you feel when you buy them that counts. If you’re feeling stressed and buy something expensive in a rush, then the receiver is receiving your stress. On the other hand, if you buy gifts when you’re feeling relaxed and happy, then the recipients will receive that energy.
7) When you notice the stress creeping in, stop, take a deep breath and feel grateful for everything and everyone in your life. This only takes a few minutes to do and yet the benefit can be proportionally much greater.
8) If you have lost loved ones, it’s normal to feel sad that they’re no longer with you. I can personally relate to that one! Then you can flip it around and be grateful that they were a part of your life. Then focus on what you’re grateful for now. You may not always choose the circumstances in which you find yourself, however, you are always at liberty to choose what you think about them. Understanding and realising that is true power.
When all the jobs are done, you can just relax and enjoy yourself. Then when you’re ready, reflect on the wins, challenges and insights that 2017 brought you and prepare for the coming year.
StrongMinds Uganda (SMU) is a national not-for-profit NGO affiliated to StrongMinds US. StrongMinds is a young dynamic rapidly growing organization whose focus is to “Treat Depression at Scale in Africa “one of the silent killers. Since inception about two and half years ago, SMU has treated well over 7,000 patients. In pursuit of its goal and 2017 annual objectives and impact, SMU is doubling the size of its Uganda based work-force.
Job Summary: The ICT/DIS Manager will take the lead in developing an electronic data handling systems within the organization, and capacity building of staff and partners on the use and management of electronic data system within StrongMinds Uganda. S/he will provide guidance on all ICT needs, develop, manage and maintain the ICT environment and infrastructure in line with the SMU strategy, policies and guidelines.
All candidatesshould send a sample of their technological portfolios, short cover letter and detailed CV to info@strongminds.org with the subject as ‘ICT/DIS Manager’.
Turkish designer Zeynep Tosun has wowed the crowd with her stunning autumn/winter 2014 collection. Dubbed “Oxidised”, the collection draws upon a sophisticated sport luxe look with neutral “oxidised” colour bases of beiges, browns and the occasional chic pastel blue.
No stranger to an overstatement, appeasing an eccentric clientele including Lady Gaga, Tosun’s new collection echoes silhouetting of the late 70s, namely exaggerated puffa-style aviator jackets, emphasised shoulders and high-waist overalls.
In keeping with an androgynous 70s theme, Tosun attributes a pronounced selection of detailing to her pieces. Industrially intrusive hooks and eyelets, skullcaps and vintage pom poms complete the otherwise simplistic designs. Chunky ankle boot heels and bold satchels complement the looks whilst also appealing to modern-day street style.
Employing an abundance of heavy fabrics from thick leathers and wool crepe to down and brocade, Tosun’s collection is perfect for beating the winter blues.
Some quotes make you want to change the world. Others get you up on your feet and encourage you to visit new places. Whether you are taking a voyage of discovery on the jagged peaks of Mt. Everest or marvelling at the dissipating waters of Angel falls,… here are the 50 best travel quotes to inspire you.
“A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving. A good artist lets his intuition lead him wherever it wants”
“Through travel, I first became aware of the outside world; it was through travel that I found my own introspective way into becoming a part of it.”
Adventure is allowing the unexpected to happen to you. Exploration is experiencing what you have not experienced before.”
“We wish to learn all the curious, outlandish ways of all the different countries, so that we can “show off” and astonish people when we get home”
“They say no land remains to be discovered, no continent is left unexplored. But the whole world is out there, waiting, just waiting for me.”
“Modern travelling is not travelling at all; it is merely being sent to a place, and very little different from becoming a parcel.”
“Own only what you can always carry with you: know languages, know countries, and know people. Let your memory be your travel”
The next time you’re on the road make sure to bring these inspirations with you. You’ll come back broad-minded, confident, relaxed, and knowledgeable. Be global
50 Best Travel Inspirations for the Modern Traveller was last modified: November 24th, 2017 by gregor