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Donna's 10 Layer Cake
2 boxes plus pudding cake mix (any flavor you like-my sister uses yellow, I used 1 yellow and 1 devil's food since that's what I happened to have on hand)
8 eggs
2C water
2/3 C veggie oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix above ingredients together. If using 2 different cake mixes, mix separate of course and just half the rest of the ingredients per cake mix). Grease and flour cake pans (I used 9in round-I have 4 of them and kept them in rotation). Pour enough of the batter to cover the bottom (about 3 serving spoons full). The layers will be thin. Place 2 pans at a time in oven and bake about 8 minutes. Cool completely and keep going until you have all the layers. Sometimes you'll get more layers and sometimes you make get less. Just depends on how heavy your pour is when adding batter to the pans. The more layers, the more dramatic a presentation.
While layers are cooling make frosting (if you want it to completely cover the cake you'll need to double this):
3C sugar
2/3C baking cocoa
pinch salt
1 1/2C evaporated milk
4 tbsp margarine
1 tsp vanilla
Place sugar and coca and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Add milk gradually, stirring so the mixture won't become lumpy. Keep at medium heat until the chocolate begins to boil. Add margarine and vanilla. Mix will. Keep on low until all the layers are baked, stirring occasionally as you ice the cake.
once caked is completely stacked pour the rest of the frosting over the cake (the frosting will harden slightly-so don't eat it right away), let it drip down the sides. I did not double the frosting recipe so it didn't completely cover the cake. You can choose the double it or keep it as is.


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Sir Norman Foster, the British starchitect behind London's iconic Gherkin tower and the master plan of Abu Dhabi's mega-green Masdar City, reportedly has been selected to design Apple's new campus in Cupertino.
That's according to El Economista. Citing anonymous sources, the Mexican newspaper reports that Apple and Foster + Partners "have spent months working closely in the design of future U.S. giant city." Details are murky, but El Economista paints a picture of a sprawling eco-utopia, with renewable-energy resources, green materials, and a tunnel-bound transportation network. They're calling it "City of Apple."
The story comes less than a month after news broke that Apple purchased a 98-acre property about a mile from its existing main offices at 1 Infinite Loop. The site is directly across the street from 50 acres the company bought a few years ago and announced as the location of a second campus.
Clearly, Apple is moving at a mad clip to expand, which should surprise precisely no one; in the past year alone, the company has fattened its roster by more than 12,000 employees.
If the latest news is true, Foster is a good match for Apple. Foster built his celebrity by marrying big gestures to technological wizardry. And, unlike some starchitects, he has glommed onto the environmental revolution — something Apple has made a point of embracing, too. The Gherkin consumes half the energy of a comparable building, making it something of a decorous corporate tower with a hippie's soul. Masdar City goes a a few steps further; the place is designed to be both carbon neutral and car-free. (City of Apple apparently will incorporate features from Masdar.)
Which is a long way of saying that hiring Foster is a smart move. Not only will Apple get sexy, magazine-ready architecture out of it, the company will also create a massive billboard for its green ambitions.
Foster spokeswoman Katy Harris declined to comment; Apple didn't respond to a request for comment.
[Images via Foster + Partners]

subset: commoncrawl


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Ancient Egyptian bestiary: Pigs
For best results save the whole webpage (pictures included) onto your hard disk, open the page with Word 97 or higher, edit if necessary and print.
Printing using the browser's print function is not recommended.
Look, maidservants [... ...] are offering pigs;On the other hand according to the Book of the Dead pigs were among the sacrificial animals, at least before they became abhorrent to Horus:
When Horus was still in his childhood, the animals for sacrifice to the gods consisted of his cattle, his small livestock and his pigs.The pigs fertility and its omnivorousness were two of this animal's characteristics most often referred to. Ammut was sometimes depicted as a pig personifying Nut, the sky. By swallowing the deceased and giving birth to him once more she granted him eternal reincarnation. Sows were also sacred to Osiris.
Seth was occasionally given the form of a pig. Given the ambiguous role Seth played in the order of things, knowing the correct formula to ban pigs may have been of some importance to the deceased trying to win his way through the Underworld:
Another charm to repel the pig:
The Greek Herodotus had quite a bit to say about the Egyptians and their pigs, how the peasants drove them over the threshing floor so that their hard little hooves would separate the grain from the husks, but he was especially interested in the taboos surrounding the sacrifice of these animals:
Each man sows his own field and turns into it swine, and when he has trodden the seed into the ground by means of the swine, after that he waits for the harvest, and when he has threshed the corn by means of the swine, then he gathers it in.The Middle Kingdom tale of Horus and the Pig attempts to explain why some Egyptians did not eat pork.
O Batit of the evening, you swamp-dwellers, you of Mendes, ye of Buto, you of the shade of Re which knows not praise, you who brew stoppered beer - do you know why Rekhyt (i.e. Lower Egypt) was given to Horus? It was Re who gave it to him in recompense for the injury in his eye. It was Re - he said to Horus: "Pray, let me see your eye since this has happened to it" (i.e. since it was injured in the fight with Seth).
Offsite links
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|Isis auf der Sau by Jan Bergman (Isis on the sow).


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just a brief warning, i'v blurred out the "nudity" in these photos for you squares.
i witnessed the most beautiful and breathtaking moment of my life on june 23rd, 2013. i find it difficult to write this post, as i have read so many birth stories and all of them from the mothers point of view. i still cannot process what i have experienced, and if i could i don't think i would be able to recount it perfectly and with words on a computer screen. so instead, i have chosen to write to the sun and warmth in our lives like she has always been here for us to dote over.
it is now the 4th of july and i grow so in love with this precious small thing more for every minute of every day you are here and i am there. i find myself weeping when i stare at you for too long murmuring, "you're so tiny" and "you're so lovely" and have to look away, only to be drawn back to you moments later like a leaf caught in the strongest current. we wrap our arms around your fragile body (too much or not enough?) and you sink into our veins like the roots of the deepest trees in an unkept and wild forest. i sometimes mistaken your cries for my lone-wolf as his and your howls are both filled with such anguish and sadness that i find myself clutching at my chest, willing you to stop and be content in our arms once more. our sweet sun child, we are taken aback by your grace and ever growing kind heart and will only ever wish for you to flourish.
what's this? a personal birth video? that's madness! enjoy. warning: non-sexual nudity
the password is - the young sun
the natural hospital birth of evangeline r. from leah giselle on Vimeo.


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cardigan, bag, shoes - Primark
shirt - Jack Wills
dress - American Apparel
The weather certainly has a more bitter chill in the air and I even had to dig out my coat yesterday to brave a trip to costa. The clocks thankfully went back an hour today which apparently means mornings will be lighter although the skies are unfortunately remaining pretty grey (extra hour asleep was pleasant however).
I realise this outfit probably isn't sensible when taking the temperature into account, but I thought the colours looked pretty autumnal. Can't get enough of the knee high socks either, apologies for them being a constant feature of outfit posts.
Sixth form restarts tomorrow which I am trying to remain positive about and hastily skimming through some text books to get my mind back into some form of working order (I near enough forget how to write when I'm not at school). I am then cheerily off to London on Wednesday to see some people who managed to gain a place at university for Halloween, I am imagining myself being abandoned on the tube donning some ridiculous outfit (advanced warning as I imagine pictures will appear in a future post).
Until then, some inspiration from tumblr and weheartit:
Finally, some fabulous Halloween costumes c/o Lookbook:


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Welcome back! Today was our first day back from Winter Break and boy did we miss our friends! We had a great time talking about all the things we did over break. Some of us traveled, some of us played in the snow, and some of us even relaxed a little bit.
After we talked as a group about all of the things we did over our Winter Break we did a fun activity in answering questions and then we made our own snowman to go along with our answers.
Later we had to officially ring in the new year and celebrate 2014. Check out our silly photo booth pictures!


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Gone for Good?
That was the subject line of an email I just received about three hours ago, the last in a long line of emails I've received over the past almost six months; and man, do I feel terrible.
I work in a very content-focused business, and I often assume that no one wants to hear from me unless I have…well, content. So I haven't been reading or answering email or much of anything, because I was focused on creating content, both for the day job and for the 50 Loving States series.
So do I apologize for the lack of response and updates as of late? Profusely.
And, am I gone for good? No way!
But did I have a baby earlier in the year? Yep, I did.
And, did I insanely overestimate what I could get done during my maternity leave? That would be another yep.
I thought I'd be able to knock out one, maybe even two books and finally clean out my inbox.
As it turned out, the only thing I managed to do on my list was keep our new baby alive. And that was about it.
But now I'm back at work with its lovely attendant "side project lunch hour," and the little one is rocking the daycare scene. Also, I've learned to read with one hand on my iPhone and to take advantage of the hours after the baby falls asleep for the night. So the tornado is finally settling down into a manageable windstorm.
But enough about me. Here are the important details:
Next Review coming: This week!
Next Book coming: July 1st!
Is it the Viking Wolf sequel? No [shields face and ducks thrown items]
When is WOLF & PREJUDICE coming out? No official date, but it's going to be my next book after this upcoming one. I promise!
Meanwhile here's the cover reveal for HIS ONE AND ONLY. Hot damn, Alabam!
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LMAO. This is about the only good excuse for not writing that I can forgive… not to mention that it transformed you into one of your characters because having a baby can be so romantic. That is until the crying, the lack of sleep, and the baby feeling like an extra appendage brings reality crashing in. U don't know how your mother did it but u wouldn't trade the opportunity to do it yourself. My house looked like someeone picked it up and shook it after we brought our baby home. With that being said, congrats. Now, good feeling gone since ur excuse would have been valid if the next book were the Wolf sequel but it's not. Don't make us abuse u Lady! Stop this sadistic toying with my emotions! Use this as an incentive and get to writing. I guess I have to thank you for throwing us a bone with new book. BTW the cover and title are tantalizing! If my harrassing you seems bipolar, then u only have yourself to blame cuz u did this to me :). Reply to this or don't but get to writing……the Wolf book that is! U talented tease you :0).
Thank God, bless you and congratulations on the new baby!
Excited about your future work! Congrats on the baby!!!
Okay I guess I can give you a pass. Having a new baby is pretty consuming, I'm just happy you've come back to us. I look forward to reading your work. Your stories have good plots and character development. But they are maturing as you grow in your writing style. I can't wait to see where you take us next.
Glad to hear you aren't gone for good! I would be heartbroken. There are so many great stories I'm sure you have to tell and I can't wait to read them. July 1! Can't you give us a taste before then?


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Garden Coach on Growing Your Own Tomatoes All WinterJanuary 15, 2008
Wonder if growing tomatoes indoors in winter really is possible?
So can we all agree that the tomatoes from the grocery store, especially in winter, just don't live up to our expectation of what a tomato should be? If you agree, read on.
I've always wondered if it were possible to keep annual vegetables going indoors, in the dreary, sunless Seattle winter. This fall I met a gardener at my local farmer's market who promised me his tomatoes would grow and produce fruit all winter if cared for properly. So, the gardening experimenter in me had to give it a try. I bought one of his sand-mix planted determinant tomato plants for less than $20. When I bought the tomato plant in September, it was already blooming and had small fruit forming on it. Honestly, I figured I'd get a few tomatoes and end up with a leggy mess if my cat didn't eat the plant. Well, I was wrong.
Twinky the cat left the plant alone. He didn't even try to taste it. And, the plant produced and ripened fruit nicely all winter. During the shortest, darkest days, the internodes became quite long (read: it got leggy), but it kept blooming and fruiting. Some of the fruit was tiny, smaller than an M&M. But, some was quite robust.
The grower said I needed to use his special worm tea to keep the plant going, but I declined to purchase it. I'm not a fan of bottled compost teas, but that's another topic for another post sometime. The grower also suggested that after the plant stopped flowering and fruiting that I cut it back hard, down to the last couple of nodes. He expected that would happen by early winter. Well, it hasn't happened, and it doesn't look like it will happen.
Truly, this is a spectacular cultivar. All I have given it is water and lots of sunlight and a few trims to clean off dead foliage, which opened the plant up to more air and light circulation. It is receives sunlight from sunrise until sunset in a south facing window. It gets some indirect bottom heat from a nearby furnace vent. I have given it no fertilizer at all.
Unfortunately, I don't know the name of the cultivar, but I will find out next time I see the grower. As well, I'm thinking of taking cuttings to see if I can root this plant to create starts, which is a novel way for me to get my tomato plants going. Next winter I may purchase several. Although this plant has produced fruit, it doesn't create a lot of fruit, so more plants would be a good idea. Also, the plant retained its distinctive summery foliage scent for months. Now that scent is waning. However, the fruit tastes just like you'd hope — like a little bit of summer sunshine!
And yes, the photo above is of my tomato plant with ripening fruit. The photo, as you may be able to tell, was taken on a snowy mid-January day. Now that I have the picture, I may eat the fruit!
7 Comments
[…] About the Garden Mentor Growing Your Own Tomatoes All Winter […]
[…] and one last note…my 'Red Robin' cherry that I grew indoors last winter continues to fruit and flower in the greenhouse. I cut it back hard and fed it bone meal, which […]
[…] my on-going quest to produce a homegrown tomato for winter, I grew indoor Red Robin cherry tomatoes in my dining room in 2008, with mixed success. And, in 2009 I decided to try Irish Eyes' Long […]
[…] my on-going quest to produce a homegrown tomato for winter, I grew indoor Red Robin cherry tomatoes in my dining room in 2008, with mixed success. And, in 2009 I decided to try Irish Eyes' Long […]
[…] A Tomato to Grow in Winter, Indoors, in a Window […]
[…] sheet on the tomato that I've grown indoors this winter and about which I wrote in an earlier post. The cultivar is called 'Red Robin', and it is designed to handle low light conditions. […]
I use Minibell every year. I saw it in the end of August and I have it on Christmas table.


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The Catalyst For Overdue Price Reductions
It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Khaki is turning the Moore County real estate market red-hot right now. Buyers who can tap into the home-loan program offered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs are fueling a construction and buying binge the likes of which have never been seen. What is happening in this area is right on trend with what is going on nationally. Last year, the VA loan program guaranteed 707,107 home mortgages — setting a new all-time high — representing a 12 percent uptick from the previous year. Significantly, last year's volume was nearly double the number of home mortgages the agency handled five years ago, and is nearly four times the volume from a decade ago. VA loans are so attractive that many military families end up owning multiple homes, said Angie Medlin, a mortgage specialist with New Penn Financial. 'I've always done a lot of VA loans but I have seen an explosion in Moore,' said Medlinl."
"'The VA offers the best rate out there. If you qualify for it, you can't beat it,' Medlin said. 'In essence, they are encouraging them to purchase instead of rent. It is a great way to acquire property and they can purchase a home as an investment.'"
"Four consecutive years of rising home prices in Anchorage came to an end in 2016 as a weakened economy caused prices to stall out, according to the Multiple Listing Service. And what does the small decline in prices say about the market as a whole? 'Certainly a decline of only a quarter-percent is not in itself any proof of a real estate calamity. But it very well could signal the beginning of a trend that promises better shopping opportunities in 2017 and beyond,' said Niel Thomas, a realtor who provided the MLS data to Alaska Dispatch News."
"Developer Mark Hunt's $35 million acquisition of two downtown Aspen buildings has collapsed. Some tenants at the building once poised for demolition previously expressed concerns about the project at public hearings. One of them, Frank Heger, who has owned the Aspen Goldsmith jewelry and watch store for more than two decades, said he was relieved the transaction didn't materialize. 'If people keep tearing down these buildings and building new ones, at today's costs of labor, who's going to rent these places?' he said. 'You're talking about $300 a square foot. Maybe if you're selling reefer or heroin you can make it, but if you're selling regular stuff, you won't be able to make money.'"
"A coal mine in Grande Cache is bankrupt, delivering another setback to the town northwest of Edmonton that once relied heavily on the steelmaking coal producer as its economic engine. 'We've seen some people move out of the community; housing prices have declined,' said town councillor Yvonne Rempel, adding she expects the total value of real estate is sliding, putting a major dent in the town's budget. 'We also have some businesses closing.'"
"Home values in the Bayswater district fell 14 percent in the 12 months through January, the biggest drop in central London's best neighborhoods, as sellers cut their asking prices in the wake of the Brexit vote. Values dropped by an average of 6.7 percent across the capital's best districts as successive sales-tax increases damped demand, Knight Frank LLP said in a report. The Chelsea neighborhood saw a price drop of 13.3 percent, the second most among the districts Knight Frank defines as prime central London. Kensington was next with a drop of 11.9 percent."
"More owners are accepting the need for discount to make up for the higher transaction costs that buyers face, narrowing the gap with what purchasers are willing to pay, Tom Bill, head of London residential research at Knight Frank, wrote in the report. 'In some instances the EU referendum was the catalyst for overdue price reductions.'"
"While tenants in some parts of New Zealand scramble for housing, Christchurch is a tenant's market, local property managers say. Ray White Shelleys Property Management director Shelley Scott said she had to teach several property owners about realistic weekly rents over the last year. Scott, a landlord herself, said there was an over-saturation of fully-furnished properties in particular. 'In some cases I have had to reduce a couple of my furnished ones by $100 a week, which is quite a lot.'"
"The Central Bank yesterday said it remains vigilant over a possible creation of a construction bubble due to the runaway credit growth. Total private credit extended had reached an all-time high in 2016 exceeding Rs.750 billion. 'The biggest, in terms of sectoral distribution of credit, is construction. That is something we're looking into whether there's a possibility of a bubble. We're studying that very carefully,' Central Bank Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy said."
"The real estate sector experts too have recently said that there is a real estate bubble in Colombo, which would remain until the apartment trend subsides and have blamed the government for warping prices by selling land in Colombo for high prices to foreign developers. There are some concerns that luxury apartments are not being sold, creating a glut in the market."
"If solitude and silence are part of high living, then some Sentosa Cove residents are getting more than they bargained for. When The Sunday Times visited the Cove, many units of the private estates there were dark. At The Residences at W, a 228-unit development completed about five years ago, an online search shows 209 units are up for rent. Sentosa Cove had a poor 2016 - 15 out of the 21 resale transactions last year ended up in the red, with the 15 transactions making an average loss of $1.35 million, according to data from property portal SRX."
"A unit at Sentosa Cove condo Turquoise went for $3.8 million last year. The seller had bought it at $7.16 million in 2007. Another apartment at Seascape was resold at $6.35 million last October. That owner had paid $11 million in 2011."
"Mastering the art of riding a camel through the Gobi Desert while presenting a television show wasn't exactly something Grace Brown imagined she would do in her lifetime. 'My friends thought (moving to Mongolia) was crazy, but I've convinced a few to visit,' the freelance video journalist said. Housing, though, is expensive. Brown said two-bedroom apartments with western-style finishes in downtown Ulaanbaatar were generally about $US2000 a month to rent, but supply far outstrips demand. 'There are many luxury apartment blocks standing empty or half finished, while affordable apartments remain scant; you could say there's a property bubble here.'"
"Beijing's focus on deflating China's asset bubbles and eliminating financial risks is hurting one of its key growth drivers, the property sector, analysts said. Property attracts nearly one fifth of China's fixed-asset investment and directly contributed to 6.5 per cent of last year's gross domestic product, and is seen as one of the key drivers of last year's economic stabilisation. However, it could also become a victim of the central bank's 10 basis-point increase in interbank money rates on Friday."
"'Mortgage rates face the risk of a large increase,' Jiang Chao, the chief macro analyst at Shanghai-based Haitong Securities, wrote in a research report. 'It, together with purchase restrictions in tier 1 and tier 2 cities, may lead to a continuous fall in property sales and a winter [for the] property market.'"
"Price chops in the city's ultra-luxury market are showing no signs of slowing down. In total, 15 properties in the over-$10 million market saw a discount of more than 5 percent in the period between Jan. 31 and Feb 6, according to StreetEasy. The biggest reduction was at One Madison Park where a two-floor condominium had its asking price slashed by a whopping $5.5 million, or 17 percent."
"151 East 58th Street, 47A: The owner of this One Beacon Court condo is Scott Kurnit. But if this recent discount is anything to go by, he may be keeping this 3,000-square-foot home. Kurnit put the pad up for sale last November with a $13.9 million asking price. Last week, $2 million, or 14 percent, was lopped off the asking price. The Vornado Realty Trust-developed building is also home to another notable price reduction. Billionaire hedge funder Steven Cohen has been trying to find a buyer for his apartment there since 2013. Its asking price has been dropped from $115 million down to $72 million over the years."


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Such a pretty little sun dress, I can recommend this pattern the instructions are well written, easy to understand and the dress makes up in no time, I managed to make this in just one evening.
I made this one in Aran weight yarn and went up a hook size to 5.50 mm to obtain the correct gauge.
Underarm width 7.5 inches, length 12 inches.
Remember these
Pretty in Purple
This one took a little longer, I used a strand of each of the 4 ply cotton yarn above and a 7 mm hook to make a larger size. The pattern is very versatile as it's easy to change hook size and yarn to make it the size you want.
This one measures 9 inches underarm and is 13 inches from top to bottom.
The pattern for this cute little dress is by RAKJ patterns and can be found here here
Weight of yarn used
Cream dress = 100g
Purple dress = 270g
Just goes to show how heavy cotton yarn is, I haven't even made a dent in the cones above, it does say 4ply on the label but it's a very fine yarn and it will certainly be a challenge to use it all up, it's going back in the box for now. :)
Back to pale baby shades for next project :)
Happy Valentines Day everyone! I hope you are all spoilt with beautiful flowers and chocolates, because I have no one to spoil me ...sigh :( I will be spoiling myself even if it's just with a bar of chocolate..well I think I'm worth it haha have a lovely day :)


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Call in with questions 1-866-472-5792


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Waiting for spring in Cologne
Last month we started seeding and this month we can see the first results. Some, like the Indian Cress, amazed us with it's growing power and this means transplanting into bigger pots. With all this green beauty we are really get a spring feeling and ready for some more sunny days outside.
Transplant from seed to potting soil
Poor-quality soil, or ordinary earth, often leads to disappointing results. So a big tip is to not compromise on the quality of soil. In our search for the right soil we bought this one at Oerwoud Den Bosch. Also available at De Balkonie in Amsterdam. It's a mix of potting soil with compost.
Compost is a natural matter that consists of digested plant remains. Compost contains minerals and has the property to retain water and nutrients longer. The Bio Kultura mixed soil is therefore ideal for the next stage of the already strong plants.
Tip: when repotting, pay attention to the fact that you lift the young plants by the leaves and not the stems. The stems are delicate and snap quickly.
Don't sow too early
Due to insufficient sunlight in February and March seeds that have been planted too early can turn into elongated plants that are too weak. Every crop has its specific seeding moment, so always read the instructions to avoid disappointments. Therefore it's good to create a vegetable garden plan in February.
Our first results
All the tomato seeds have been germinated and can become even stronger in the seed trays. These plants need a total of about 8 weeks to grow into plant-ready specimens. So we will let them continue to grow inside for another month.
The Chili Peppers, Peppers and Eggplants are already transferred into bigger pots. Because we did not feel like buying new ones, we made the pots from paper bags which we get at the supermarket. Check this tutorial video, it's super easy and you will get nice and firm pots.
Power juice
To give plants nutrients later on, we have a Bokashi / EM system in our apartment. The first bin is now completely full of organic waste of the last month and has given us two bottles of powerjuice. This we have to mix with water to not overdose the plants. When the first ones go outside we will start to use it, as for now it's too powerful for the young plants.
Looking for people that want to grow with us
Starting next month, we will post more updates from others who grow with us. If you are interested, let us know and we have a starter pack ready for you.
We grow 🍅🍆🌱ourselves but lack space in our apartment in Cologne. Therefore we create smart solutions made from wood.


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When you hire an estate planner, you give yourself the protection you need after your passing. Many homeowners consider this type of expense too great and they often choose to do their own estate planning to save money. However, one mistake might cause you to lose something important, invalidate a will, or worse. Some people even assume estate planning is not necessary to them because they do not own "estates." However, the simple truth is that anything and everything you bought for yourself and that you own is considered your estate. For this reason and more, you cannot fail to hire a professional the moment that you consider planning for your estate in the future.
Family Ties
If you choose to forego estate planning and pass on, you run the risk of leaving your family with debts and other expenses that might cause more stress than they deserve. In addition, you might make a serious mistake drafting a will on your own, which can lead to the same complication. One of the most important aspects of estate planning is to create a will or a trust. When you seek for professional advice on estate planning in Singapore, you get the legal help needed to handle even the most complex of problems.
By ignoring the problem and doing it on your own, you might improperly file a piece of paperwork, fail to meet some standard, or otherwise invalidate your will. An estate planner can help you express your exact wishes for your death and have these legally honoured after your passing. These professionals understand what should be done, how to do it, and when to file it to ensure that all is well. While they cannot stop an eligible person from contesting your will, they can ensure that they file it correctly and make it official.
Good Health
It may not seem as if you need to consider health in your estate, but an estate planning consultation with a professional may help you work out these details. There might be a time where you are unable to speak for yourself and make your health care decisions. For this reason, you need someone whom you can trust to take care of your affairs and life after you find yourself incapacitated. Consulting early should ensure that the person chosen can handle the pressure, and that you want to appoint this individual to have authority over medical decisions on your behalf. For these reasons alone, you stand to benefit from hiring a professional.
Avoid Higher Taxes
Not many people realise this, but if you do not meet with an attorney to discuss your estate planning needs, you can actually end up paying more taxes than necessary. Estate exemptions can exist for estate affairs. If you wish to give some of your money to a charity, for example, then your money has a chance to be exempted and therefore maximised. Therefore, you have a tax incentive to consider this option, even if you might need pay a cost-effective fee in the process. In the end, the small price of hiring a professional should quickly return itself completely.


text: Warehouse Simulator Find out how the Yale Warehouse Simulator can help increase productivity in your warehouse. With the current economic environment making planning nearly impossible, the task of designing or reconfiguring a warehouse is a monumental challenge. One of the world's leading forklift manufacturers, Yale has developed a warehouse simulator that is an extremely accurate software program designed to provide operators of medium to large warehouses with a sophisticated consultancy solution. It can show how a particular forklift fleet in a particular warehouse scenario will perform and provides a platform for trying out different approaches and strategies for a warehouse operation. Yale's consultative approach is by the company's warehouse equipment specialists in determining the optimum warehouse design and equipment specification. The program uses the same simulation 'engine' used by major European airports, leading rail infrastructure companies and other blue-chip organisations. The input interface breaks down the sections of the largest warehouse into atomic parts including marshalling, parking and staging areas, the exact type of racking, storage and the fleet to be used. Over 100 different models of Yale® forklifts are used so the customer can see the impact of different forklift types and performance issues such as forklift speed. Racking and storage variables include; selective, double-deep, block-stack, drive-in and staging/marshalling, while goods flow scenarios include in/out-bound flow and frequency, order-picking and replenishment, and wave and batch picking. Simulate it. Before you decide on it Customers can experiment with different layouts, racking configurations and timings and overlay with different forklift options like reach trucks. They can they see a visual representation of all scenarios in 2D and 3D as well as analyse data using graphical results and charts. It will also provide indicative cost information. The simulation won't provide the ultimate answer, but the results can be used to make informed business decisions. The results obtained from running a simulation include: Time spent handling loads Idle/utilisation times Utilisation of staging areas, racking and doors/docks Hourly flow rates into and out of racking, staging areas and docks/doors Visual indication of bottlenecks Energy consumption and indication of battery charging and changing High Commendation Award in "Storage & Materials Handling" categoryAustralian Supply Chain & Logistics Awards 2012 Finalist in "Logistics & Materials Handling" categoryMercury Awards 2012


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A place for your kiddos to play and a space for you to get some work done, uninterrupted.
Author Archives: nikkiricksport
CrossTown Fitness & Collide Coworking!
Charlie at CrossTown Fitness was nice enough to invite Collide Coworking to come try out their class before we have our event there next week on September 10th.
The space is so gorgeous and modern. They have a great food bar, the staff is really friendly, and checking in was a breeze.
Sloane got a quick work out in before she headed to the kids space which had a ton of toys and books. She didn't even cry when I dropped her off, which these days, is huge.
And here we are mid work out. Sorry for the shaky pictures. It was hard to hold my phone because I was, dying? It was tough, in a good way. It definitely was a full body workout, I feel like every muscle in my body was worked, including my wrists, is that a possible? There was a great energy in the room, and everyone going at their own pace, yet feeling very motivated to work hard.
They have a beautiful cafe where we'll be hosting the coworking from 9:50-11:50 on September 10th. Crosstown Fitness is offering $10 off their $25 class for their classes at 9 and 12 (which includes childcare). The idea for the day is to get a work out in before or after your two hours of coworking. I'm personally really excited about the day and hope we can partner with CTF on a regular basis.
You can try a class out with the coworking, or just the coworking, or just the class – you choose!
Go to CrossTown Fitness to register for your class at 9 or 12, using the code "collide".
Then go to Collide Coworking events page to register for your coworking – $30 for two hours.
Hope to see you on September 10th!
Meet Your Future Coworker – Mo!
Mo Fritz is a beautifully talented photographer, St. Bens resident (a neighborhood inside of Northcenter), and mom to 3 boys Asher (7), Soren (4), Harrison (2). She loves Collide because it helps her feel like she can work on her own schedule, and allows her to marry the worlds of work and mommy life. Mo is looking to collaborate with other artistic women and feels so empowered in creating beautiful images.
Check out Mo here!
Connect with more members in our Collide LinkedIn group!
We want to feature you! Email us at firstname.lastname@example.com!
Meet Your Future Coworker – Shannon!
Shannon is a Little Italy resident, and has a 1.5 year old baby boy with a fierce love of ducks and balls. She's a freelance brand strategist who works with several large agencies in Chicago and gets a high from landing on the right communications strategy for an organization. Shannon is also constantly looking for other freelancers interested in collaborating or participating in projects she's working on (specifically designers, videographers and other freelancers in the advertising world). She loves co-working spaces because she works best surrounded by creativity, while she gets down to business and can focus. Like a lot of moms, Shannon constantly feel torn between doing what's best for her and doing what's best for her little pumpkin. The current environment in the US makes it hard to feel like you are growing in your career and still nurturing your family, but she feels Collide has proven that it's possible to do both.
Connect with more members in our Collide LinkedIn group!
We want to feature you! Email us at firstname.lastname@example.com!
Meet Your Future Coworker – Alicia!
Alicia Barney is a freelance writer and editor and mom of 1-and-a-half year old Rosemary. A Lincoln Park resident for six years, Alicia has worked for travel websites, news magazines and in public radio as a journalist and content producer. Now a freelancer, she likes the flexibility of coworking, which allows her to scale back—or ramp things up—according to her irregular schedule. And she appreciates the benefits of working nearby while her daughter plays, but in a space where she can focus on getting down to business (not putting in a load of laundry).
Connect with more members in our Collide LinkedIn group!
We want to feature you! Email us at email@example.com!
Meet Your Future Coworker! – Kiley!
Kiley Merrill is West Loop resident of 4 years and has two kids, Hunter (2), and Hannah (3 months). Kiley works at Executive Networks, the premiere networking company for HR Executives, as a Network Director for the last 5 years. She is interested in coworking to give her the ability to focus on work and also be close to her children. With a young baby, Kiley finds it especially helpful to know that her kids are in good hands and that she's there to breastfeed or soothe when needed. Kiley also values the flexible hours as schedules can change on a day-to-day basis. Coworking is the perfect option for Kiley in her professional and personal life.
Connect with more members in our Collide LinkedIn group!
We want to feature you! Email us at email@example.com!
10 Coworking Essentials
So, with school starting and supply lists being checked off, we thought coworking deserved a list too.
1. Laptop charger – essential. Unless you have a crazy amazing laptop that I have never heard of in my life.
2. Phone charger – you may be using your phone more than you think. Just bring it.
3. Headphones – for music, phone calls, or a little privacy.
4. Phone – because there's just work that you can't get done on your laptop.
5. Notepad – sometimes it's just nice to have one. Especially when you're meeting with people or attending a lunch and learn, it's nice to show that you're focused on them and not actually checking your email.
6. Pen – full stop.
7. Water bottle – there will probably be cups at the coworking space you're working at, but it's also nice to leave as little clean-up as possible. However, the water cooler moments are great breaks and ways to talk casually to your fellow coworkers. So bring your water bottle empty, fill up frequently
8. Snack – this is absolutely essential, for obvious reasons. I try to live by the "never eat lunch alone" motto – always look for reasons to connect with people. That's what coworking is all about!
9. Business cards – just do it. In some ways it seems old school but it's still a nice gesture.
10. Flash drive – for those large files that are hard to transfer, the day you have to go to kinkos, or for the moment when you need to look especially 2003 nerdy, wear it with a lanyard.
What other coworking essentials am I missing?


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Many homeowners remodel their bathroom in the hope of adding equity to their home. In the current market adding value to a home can be beneficial in a number of ways. So is it possible to add value to your home with a bathroom remodel? It all depends on a number of things but the first two factors are if you are trying to add market value or trying to add to your appraised home value.
The appraised value is determined by an appraiser's opinion of the home compared to other real estate in your region. The market value of your home is what you are willing to accept when selling your house and what your buyer is willing to pay. Remodeling a bathroom may not add to the appraised value of your home as the appraisal value is looking at the square footage of the home, the number of rooms and the prices of comparable homes in the area. To increase your appraisal value an addition of square footage to the home would yield results and not just a remodel of your current space. Remodeling your bathroom however can add to the market value of your home and can add as much as 80% of the cost of the remodel. It is not very often that a remodel recoups 100% of the costs so bear that in mind.
Remodeling for One BathroomIf you currently only have one bathroom in your house then a remodel could give you an 80% to 130% return on the cost of the remodel. This estimate came from the HGTV channel which most homeowners find to be a trusted source of information for home remodels, additions and makeovers. Remodeling the bathroom for many home owners usually means making it bigger. When you are looking for extra space you may be thinking of going into a bedroom and using spaces that are not used much. You can also benefit from using up closet space as well as spaces under the stairs.
Bathroom size specificationsFor a half bath you will need a minimum of 18 square feet and for a full bath with a stand up shower you will need a minimum of 30 square feet. Looking to add a regular tub? –Look upwards of 35 square feet. Regardless of the size the cost of any bathroom remodel is dependent on the types of accessories you intended to use and what these cost to purchase as well as to install. (One way to save on fixtures is to choose floor models from your local hardware store just ensure you inspect them properly).
Too Much Remodeling?If you are going to be remodeling your bathroom keep in mind that there is such a thing as too much remodeling. This can cause you to lose as it will not increase the market value of your home even the slightest bit. Ensure you don't overspend; you don't want to have the most lavish bathroom in the neighborhood especially if you are looking to sell. The style you choose should be comparable with the other homes in the neighborhood and should fit in well with the current style of your home. So for example if your home is in an area where the average buyer cannot afford a home with granite countertops in the bathroom then you should add granite countertops when you are remodeling. Not only will you not get a return on this but you may also cause your house to be sitting on the market for much longer than it would had you not gone overboard with your remodeling.
A simple remodel can change an outdated bathroom into a welcoming and modern space that will be inviting for persons interested in buying your home. The simple removal of wall paper and adding tiles can add to your home's market value and can be a more affordable option for you in the first place.


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Crude Oil Prices Continue to Rise
The price of crude oil has risen about 15% since the start of the year, fuelled by rising tension over Iran and the prospect of improved global growth. Dow Jones's Sarah Kent and Benoit Faucon explain the forces behind the price spike. Photo: Reuters
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
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Iran is threatening to close out what will this mean in terms of production and in terms of the siblings got into production should meant that it would be difficult ... a lot of alone history that that really gets it and need to transform it ... we would see big highs I'd that happened ... in the same time the consensus seems to be that Assurant its head straight home is they wouldn't be able to keep it shot up ... as the last American naval presence that ... and they would ... leave if they did such that if you'd only be that the pipeline so we did so to pick up work up for a fifty percent of them of what I can say is that and that he and I think the pipeline's wouldn't ... be able to get through ... that would be this data sources that wasn't the real concern that we would actually less dusty rise to the buzzword yet ... fascinating to me to tears by ... the new types of issues put in place of refuge swiftly ... TPP wrote a lot of that was what what it was the son of a prolonged conflict ... of the upto emoticon pleated that involves judicial that maybe just outside the US ... it's a different at ... different paces when did the interesting thing is the original and I mention it's true I mean even if you don't know the stripper was all ... right don't ... what I was sorties PPP ... he ran a front friends Chris and can say ... can you sold the Syrian situation could ever ... and yet there was a Euben resume a new creation within the Hamoui people call the door to attack is well out the opposite happened which is to run things that we aren't deferring Syria ... and decides that the country custody region with the Azasite so ... it's a much wider picture as Douglas to just see it so that looks that this


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It appears Gamesa's Business Plan 2013-2015, which helped the company return to profit last year, is still in full force. The company has announced it ended the first half of this year (1H'14) with EUR 42 million in net profit, almost twice the 1H'13 figure of EUR 22 million.
The company says revenues rose 13.1% year-over-year to EUR 1.262 billion, thanks to a rise in revenues in the wind turbine division (+12%) and in operations and maintenance (O&M) services (+18%). According to Gamesa, wind turbines sales rose 25% during the first half of the year with respect to 1H'13, reaching 1,187 MW.
The company signed orders for an additional 801 MW in the second quarter of this year, bringing the total order book to 1.913 GW at the end of June – a 24% year-over-year increase. Orders for an additional 393 MW signed in the first weeks of July help improve future growth prospects, Gamesa adds.
The U.S. accounted for 20% of revenues, while emerging markets such as India and Latin America continue to play a leading role, accounting for 30% and 36%, respectively. Gamesa says Europe and Rest of World accounted for 13%, with prospects for an increase in their share in the second half of the year.
According to Gamesa, the positive order book performance, strong sales positioning, steady improvement in product costs and greater regulatory visibility in key countries provide the assurance of profitable growth in the short, medium and long term. Furthermore, the company says the entry into the offshore segment via the joint venture with Areva provides Gamesa with an opportunity for complementary growth.


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We wrote about I Need Nice Things a little while ago because it's a great way to get prints for decorating your walls. I recently came across a great find for our Thursday Tea Time in their set called "Object Art:"
A "This is a teapot" print would look great and a little cheeky displayed with a teapot collection or alongside the other prints in the series. You have to buy them all as a set, so I think I'd put this one with my teapots and spread the rest out around the house to tie together the decor. You know the grey works great with my walls and I love bright colors.
What about you? Would you want to keep the series together or add a touch of its playfulness to many rooms in your house?


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In J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, Bard the Bowman achieves the amazing feat of killing Smaug, the dragon, by shooting an arrow into the one unarmored place on the dragon's underside. Similarly pro-life people throughout our country have shot an arrow into Planned Parenthood's one vulnerable spot. This spot is the revelation of the truth of what this nefarious organization is really all about. As more and more people become aware of this truth we will eventually see the ugly dragon Planned Parenthood fall.
Abby Johnson, former director of a Planned Parenthood clinic, became aware of this truth on the day she was exposed "face –to-face with the mangled brutality of the ultrasound guided abortion, so I could see the destruction of life with my own eyes."
The truth of the horrible grief of so many post-abortive mothers and fathers is also coming to light. As one of Planned Parenthood's surviving victims wrote, "Now over 40 years later, I wish someone had shown me there were alternatives to abortion and that there were consequences, too. I wish I'd been asked what I wanted to do. I wish I'd known the death I would feel inside most of my life from the choices that I made."
As the largest provider of abortion in the United States, Planned Parenthood must acknowledge the piercing truth that under its influence we are slowly committing national suicide. Since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion in the United States the equivalent of 18% of the national population has died by abortion. This truth cuts much deeper for minority populations which Planned Parenthood has targeted from its inception. African American women are estimated to have had 16 million abortions since 1973—the equivalent of 44% of the current African American population. (www.blackgenocide.org) Planned Parenthood is achieving the goal of Margaret Sanger, its racist eugenicist foundress, who once wrote, "We don't want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population."
Let the truth of what Planned Parenthood is really doing go out and bring about its demise.
The opinions expressed by the DPS blog authors and those providing comments are theirs alone; they are not necessarily the expressions or beliefs of either the Dead Philosophers Society or Holy Apostles College & Seminary.