A little blurb I read about overcoming negativity

As I probably mentioned before, I have lots of little things written on paper that just clutter up our house, so I'd like to put these things (quotes, stories, information, etc...) online, note the source so it doesn't look like I'm trying to steal the writing as my own, and then I'm going to toss the paper. Actually, I'm going to use the other side of the paper for grocery lists or phone messages or whatever, then I'm going to recycle it, but you already knew that.

So this story is called "Negative? Who? Me?" and it's from Doreen Hatfield, CEAP, director of EAP, from Family Services of the Chautauqua Region.

"One cross word, gloomy mood, or sarcastic remark can escalate to a hostile, conflict-ridden work environment. Morale decreased and productivity suffers. Communication comes to a halt and employees stop working well together. The ramifications are far-reaching and too harmful to ignore.

"So what do you do when you recognize pessimistic attitudes spiraling through your workplace?

"PROTECT YOURSELF! It's always good practice to take some self-inventory. Ask yourself, "Am I a 'carrier'?", "How do I respond when negative people try to bring me down?", "Do I have the courage and conviction to confront a negative employee?", "What do I do?".

"We often speak of early intervention when dealing with children's problems. It is just as important to fight off negativity in the workplace by addressing it early on."

The rest of the paper just goes on to inform readers about what they should do if they want to attend a workshop on overcoming negativity. But I thought what they wrote about above was pretty brilliant. It's just a little reminder of a few things: 1) Are you making the work environment hostile? (I know a few people who should take that message to heart!), 2) Is someone else making the work environment hostile?, and 3) If someone you work with is making the work environment hostile, are you letting it drag you down? If so, maybe it's time to check your attitude. (I know it's time to check my attitude because I know I let the negativity around me get me down.)

(Side note: my computer is saying that the word "children's" is spelled wrong, but it is, in fact, correct. Children is the plural form of child, the "apostrophe S" denotes possession, so there is nothing grammatically wrong with that word!)

Those purple boxes hanging in trees

A couple years ago while driving in Pennsylvania (around the Erie area, I think we were on our way to Ohio) we started noticing some weird purple plastic three-dimensional triangle-shaped boxes hanging in trees. We had no idea what they were, but we steadily started seeing more and more of them. This spring I noticed that one had been put up on my way to work, and I think there are some along the thruway headed toward Buffalo, but I still didn't know what they were. I figured they were some type of environmental project and asked a few of my sciencey friends if they knew what the boxes were...but they didn't.

So in the conservation building at the fair this year I saw a little leaflet that described what they are! So now I know! And because I want to put this paper in the recycling bin so it's not cluttering up our house, but I don't want to lose the info, I'm posting it on my blog. I'd like to find a picture of one of the boxes but I'll probably just have to stop and take one myself. Here are the facts listed on the card:

Q: What's purple, sticky, and hangs in an ash tree?
A: It's a detection tool that's being used in your state and 46 other states across the country to survey for the emerald ash borer (EAB) beetle. For convenience, we call these detection tools "purple traps."

Q: Who is conducting the EAB survey?
A: The US Dept of Agriculture's Animal & Planet Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and State Depts of Agriculture or Natural Resources are cooperating partners in the survey effort.

Q: How do the purple traps work?
A: During EAB adult flight season, beetles fly around ash trees, nibbling on leaves & looking for a mate. If an EAB lands on the purple trap it will get stuck in the glue.

Q: Is the purple trap safe?
A: The purple traps pose no risk to humans, pets, or wildlife, however the non-toxic glue can be extremely sticky & messy if touched.

So now we know that the purple boxes are traps for the Emerald Ash Borer Beetles. I know they're "only bugs," but it seems a little inhumane to trap the bugs (and other flying creatures, like bats and birds?) in that manner.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/emerald_ash_b/index.shtml

Sunset at Lake Erie

We've seen sunsets all over the world, but still some of the prettiest ones I've seen have been right in Dunkirk. I took these today...

Agave Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

Instead of copying the entire recipe to my blog, I thought I'd post the link to the recipe I found, thus giving credit to the creator.

On second thought, maybe I should copy and paste the recipe anyway just in case the link ever stops working. This one looks so good and I don't want to lose it!

http://www.cookiemadness.net/?p=2761

Small Batch Agave Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

1/2 cup all purpose flour or white whole wheat flour (2 25 oz)
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg or egg substitute
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
6 tablespoons agave nectar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons quick cooking oats, divided**
1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 6 muffin tins with flour-added cooking spray or line them with paper liners.

Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

Using a fork, lightly beat the oil and egg together in a medium bowl. Beat in the vanilla, ricotta cheese and agave nectar. Mix in the oats, then slowly add the flour mixture. When flour mixture is almost but not quite mixed in, add the chocolate chips and stir until flour disappears.

Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes.

Cool on a rack and remove from pan.

**If you don’t have quick oats, you can pulse old fashioned oats in the blender and sue those instead. Also, if you are short on agave or don’t want to use it sparingly, you could try using 3 tablespoons agave & 3 tablespoons of maple syrup. It would change the flavor of the muffins, but I think it would still be good.

***I had to use whole fat ricotta, but next time I’d use low fat or part skim.

Chris' roller coaster obsession

A while back Chris and I were in the car and I started asking him if we could list all of the roller coasters he's been on. I wrote up a list but I want to get rid of it so that it's one less paper sitting on our counter (horizontal surfaces and I do not get along--they get cluttered fast!) and I don't want to lose it because I have plans for the list, so I'm going to type it up in my blog...

New York
Darien Lake
Superman
Predator
Mind Eraser
Viper
Boomerang

Coney Island
Cyclone

Great Escape
Steamin' Demon (was Ragin' Cajun)
Comet (was at Crystal Beach)

Massachusetts
Riverside
Cyclone
Black Widow
Jackrabbit

New Jersey
Great Adventure
El Toro
Superman
Nitro
Kingda Ka
Batman
Dark Knight
Great American Scream Machine
Rolling Thunder
Runaway Mine Train
Medusa
Viper
Skull Mountain

Virginia
Busch Gardens
Loch Ness Monster
Big Bad Wolf
Griffon
Alpengeist
Apollo's Chariot

Florida
Sea World
Kracken
Atlantis

Busch Gardens
Kumba
Montu
Shikra
Gwazi

Disney
Rockin Roller Coaster
Everest
Space Mountain
Big Thunder Mountain

Islands of Adventure
Hulk
Dueling Dragons

Ohio
Cedar Point
Top Thrill Dragster
Millennium Force
Mantis
Mean Streak
Iron Dragon
Blue Streak
Wildcat
Raptor
Wicked Twister
Disaster Transport
Gemini
Magnum
Maverick

Geagua Lake
Big Dipper
Villain
Dark Knight
Superman
Double Loop
X-Flight

King's Island
King Cobra
Top Gun
Son of Beast
Beast
Racer
Vortex
Italian Job
Outer Limits

Kentucky
Kentucky Kingdom
Chang
T2
Rolling Thunder

Nevada
Las Vegas
Speed

California
San Diego Boardwalk
Giant Dipper

California Adventure
California Screamin'

Magic Mountain
X2
Ninja
Goliath
Riddler's Revenge
Batman
Scream

England
Alton Towers
Nemesis
Air
Oblivion
Rita

I think the grand total is 83 coasters.

(Scallops) in Thai Sauce (Use tofu instead)

A friend of mine at work found a recipe in the Taste of Home magazine that she thought I'd like. She said that it could probably be done with tofu instead of the seafood it calls for. I haven't made it yet, but I thought I'd post it in case I decide to at some point. Deb noted that she found the Thai Chili Sauce in the international section at Wegman's (Asian section).

1T cornstarch
1 can (14.5oz) vegetable broth
2T creamy peanut butter
1 to 2T Thai chili sauce
1 lb cubed tofu (instead of sea scallops)
2 T vegetable oil, divided
1 small onion, sliced
1 large sweet red pepper, julienned
1/2 cup salted cashews
2 t minced garlic
1 can (8 3/4 oz) whole baby corn, drained

(hot cooked angel hair pasta, optional)

*In small bowl, combine cornstarch, broth, peanut butter, and chili sauce until smooth, set aside.
*In large skillet, saute tofu in 1 T oil for a few minutes on each side, remove from pan w/ a slotted spoon and keep warm. In the same pan, saute the onion, pepper, cashews, and garlic in remaining oil for 3-5 minutes or until veggies are crisp/tender.
*Stir peanut butter mixture and add to pan. Bring to boil, cook and stir for another 1-2 min or until thickened. Add tofu and corn, heat through, serve over pasta if desired.

Makes 5 servings

Remodeling our bathroom

We just remodeled our bathroom and I thought I'd post some pictures for everyone to enjoy. We have lots of pictures from the entire process, but it was so extensive that seeing the bathroom all torn up in those shots just stresses me out, so I'm posting pictures of the mostly-done bathroom in the process of being painted.

Here's the wall above the tub, primed and ready for paint...

And the wall next to the shower/above the toilet, also primed and ready for paint...
Our first glimpse of the blue paint we picked out, other than the little paint chip we used to choose the color. We thought the bluish-grey would bring out the blue/grey in the tiles we chose and would contrast nicely with the brown...
The first swipe of blue paint being applied to the wall above the tub...
Chris continuing to make his way around the bathroom, finished with the tub area and now painting over the window, working toward the shower...
The wall above the tub with the first coat of paint...
A little better view of the newly painted wall above the tub...
And finally, the first coat of blue above the shower...
I did some of the painting, too! We did the second coat this morning and we're waiting for that to dry. We have one wall that needs a lot of prep work before it's painted, and once that's done we'll get the paint on that. I'm anxious to get the tape off and see how it looks. We also need to work on the ceiling a bit, and we need to get some cabinets put up. We're getting there....