Canny Confessions

My friend "B" posted a Saturday Confessions on her blog.  I loved it and today I felt like confessing some things!  I'm going to copy her!  Although mine may not be that interesting to read... mine may be dorky, boring, or just plain silly, but here goes in no specific order.....

*I do not want to work anymore.  And when I say "I don't want to work", I mean...I don't want to work for "the man" anymore.  I'm tired of being under someones direction.  I'm more tired of dealing with angry, rotten, no good, impatient, spoiled, rude, ignorant people.  It's turned me bitter towards people when I used to be such a people person.... I used to LOVE being around anyone, and I loved making people laugh and feel good.  Now I just simply have no patience, and I'm tired and ornery all the time.  I'm done working!!!!  I want to do facials, in a dark relaxing room, with candles, the smell of lavender, and soft relaxing music, and have people tell me "THANK YOU SO MUCH - YOU MADE ME FEEL SO GOOD, AND YOU MADE MY SKIN LOOK BEAUTIFUL"!  That's what I want.  And I want to play with kids all day and have fun. There!

*Sometimes when I need a pick me up, I'll look up funny videos on YouTube.

*I want to work out every day!  I want to be healthy, tone, and fit!  Although my intentions are strong, my will is weak.  When I get home from my 10-12 hour day of listening to angry, rotten, no good, impatient, spoiled, rude, ignorant people, I'm mentally tired, and I just want to veg at home, by myself or with Brandt, and just chill.  I don't want to work out or exert myself any more than I already mentally have.  My question is 'How can I find the strength and motivation to get out and go to the gym and work out hard?'  Even though I know while I'm working out, I think to myself 'YES...this is exactly what I needed.  I need this every day!!!'....then I have the cyclic struggle within.  What to do??

*I am addicted to Dove Dark Chocolates!  I don't eat them every day.... once in a great while, but I do love them.  They are the best!

*I thought a person walked into my room this morning and grabbed the back of my legs and rubbed my back.  I could hear them and feel them!  I swear it was real, but I was so tired, and couldn't move my body.  I think I was awake, but my body was still paralyzed from REM sleep.  It was the strangest thing ever!  This has happened to me twice in the past month.  The last time it happened, was the morning my Great Grandma passed, and I felt a person and a dog come into my room.  I heard the dog collar and tags jingling!  I felt it jump up on my bed and walk around on me for a little bit and then sniff my ear.  It was so real.  When I actually got out of bed, I couldn't believe that no one was in my apartment.  I live alone mind you. Am I going crazy or hallucinating?

*I can't wait for the new iPhone 5 to come out.  I want it.  Although I may not get it.  It's expensive.  Is having a regular cell phone and then getting the iPod Touch better?  We'll see.

Mmmmmm Yogurt

I seriously love this stuff. 

It makes my day every time I eat frozen yogurt! 

I love the live cultures in it too!  So YUM!!!

Great Grandma Passed Away Tuesday March 22, 2011

Cora Maxine Bailor

Cora M. Bailor Grand Ledge Cora Maxine Bailor, 95, passed peacefully at home on March 22, 2011. Born November 28, 1915 in Holt, MI, the seventh of eight children, to Ecford and Emma Hill. Cora lived most of her life in Lansing and Grand ledge and was a devoted homemaker, wife, and mother to her family. Her caring ways extended beyond her family to friends and neighbors as well, and her door was always open to others. She was a long time member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; was involved in several caring capacities of service, and was an avid reader. Cora is survived by her daughter, Joanne (Len) Hiatt; sons, Gary Bailor, and Gordon (Kay) Bailor; 7 grandchildren: Ron (Isabelle) Bailor, Sheri (Tim) Kappler, Bud (Jamie) Bailor, Julie (LeeJay) Nickels, Susan (David) Pierce, Angela Bryan, and Andrew Bailor; 11 great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews, and by her special, long time friends and pals, Lois Carroll and Thelma Black. She was preceded in death by her parents, 7 siblings, husband of 55 years, Everett "Chet" Bailor, eldest son, Paul Bailor, daughters-in-law, Judy and Barbara Bailor, an infant grandson, an infant grandaughter, and an infant great-grandson. Funeral services will be held at the Peters & Murray Funeral Home, Grand Ledge, Saturday, March 26th - 1:00 p.m., with President Travis Sabrosky of the Portland branch officiating. Entombment will follow at Deepdale Cemetery, Lansing, MI. The family will receive friends Friday 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at the funeral home. A special thanks to all the nurses and home health aides from Great Lakes Home and Hospice, who lovingly cared for our mother before, and during, home hospice care. Memorial contributions are welcome for the St Jude Children's Hospital. Online condolences may be made at www.petersandmurrayfuneralhome.com.

Published in Lansing State Journal on March 24, 2011

CAFFEINE

Ok- so I have to admit I have quite low blood pressure.  I always have.  For some reason caffeine makes me feel like I can actually function among the living.  If I don't drink caffeine, I drag through the day like a zombie! I admit some days are ok, when I've had 9 or 10 hours of sleep. I can actually function without it, but for the busiest days at work, and for days I know I'm going to need to get a lot done, or days I average 6-7 hours of sleep-which I normally do, I feel so much worth while if I have a tad bit of caffeine.  For many years now, I've resorted to Sugar Free RedBull.

Love it!!  I feel so motivated and focused.  No jitters here!  I know the acids, carbonation, and other ingredients are not the healthiest.  So...what are my options?  I just recently heard of a woman in my good friend Dena's ward who suffers from extremely low blood pressure.  Her doctor adamantly offered two choices.  He said you need to be on this prescription medication that will regulate your low blood pressure....OR you can have a cup or two of coffee every day.  Coffee he said is the healthiest of "energy drinks".  Here are some new found benefits of drinking coffee....

1. It protects your heart: Moderate coffee drinkers (1 to 3 cups/day) have lower rates of stroke than noncoffee drinkers, an effect linked to coffee’s antioxidants. Coffee has more antioxidants per serving than blueberries, making it the biggest source of antioxidants in American diets. All those antioxidants may help suppress the damaging effect of inflammation on arteries. Immediately after drinking it, coffee raises your blood pressure and heart rate, but over the long term, it actually may lower blood pressure as coffee’s antioxidants activate nitric acid, widening blood vessels.

2. It diverts diabetes: Those antioxidants (chlorogenic acid and quinides, specifically) play another role: boosting your cells’ sensitivity to insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar. In fact, people who drink 4 or more cups of coffee each day may have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to some studies. Other studies have shown that caffeine can blunt the insulin-sensitivity boost, so if you do drink several cups a day, try mixing in decaf occasionally.

3. Your liver loves it: OK, so the research here is limited, but it looks like the more coffee people drink, the lower their incidence of cirrhosis and other liver diseases. One analysis of nine studies found that every 2-cup increase in daily coffee intake reduced liver cancer risk by 43 percent. Again, it’s those antioxidants—chlorogenic and caffeic acids—and caffeine that might prevent liver inflammation and inhibit cancer cells.

4. It boosts your brain power: Drinking between 1 and 5 cups a day (admittedly a big range) may help reduce risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as Parkinson’s disease, studies suggest. Those antioxidants may ward off brain cell damage and help the neurotransmitters involved in cognitive function to work better.

5. It helps your headaches: And not just the withdrawal headaches caused by skipping your daily dose of caffeine! Studies show that 200 milligrams of caffeine—about the amount in 16 ounces of brewed coffee—provides relief from headaches, including migraines. Exactly how caffeine relieves headaches isn’t clear. But scientists do know that caffeine boosts the activity of brain cells, causing surrounding blood vessels to constrict. One theory is that this constriction helps to relieve the pressure that causes the pain, says Robert Shapiro, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of neurology and director of the Headache Clinic at the University of Vermont Medical School.

Now, that’s not to say that coffee doesn’t have any pitfalls—it does. Some people are super-sensitive to caffeine and get jittery or anxious after drinking coffee; habitual coffee drinkers usually develop a tolerance to caffeine that eliminates this problem (but they then need the caffeine to be alert and ward off withdrawal headaches). Coffee can also disturb sleep, especially as people age. Cutting some of the caffeine and drinking it earlier in the day can curb this effect. Lastly, unfiltered coffee (like that made with a French press) can raise LDL cholesterol, so use a filter for heart health.

Now I find myself speculating, if I were to chose the healthier of the two...energy drinks like Sugar Free Red Bull, or Sugar Free Monster, or 5 Hour Energy..... or a cup of coffee...I would dare to say that COFFEE is the healthier.  Now I have a dilemma because coffee is against the Word Of Wisdom that I so  diligently taught as a missionary and believe as a faithful LDS member.  The rest of story about the woman who's doctor gave her a choice of a prescription medication, or 2 cups of coffee daily....she is also an active LDS member who holds a temple recommend.  Upon receiving her Temple recommend, she explained the situation to her bishop, who in turn said it was fine if those were the options and gladly signed her recommend.

What do you think?  What are your views on coffee, caffeine, and health?  Please leave your comments!  I'm curious to know how you feel!  :) 

Cutest Little Stinkers

My nephews are both the cutest little stinkers!  I just hate being so far away!  I miss being able to squeeze their little cheeks and give them kisses and hugs!

Charmers!

Doesn't Jake look completely sacked out?  I love it!

Love Noah's smile!

Cute as a BUG!

Noah's turn to "sack out" with his best friend, Daisy!

How could you not love this little face?

I remember the days Noah HATED to touch the sand! Now its fun!

Love them so much!

Lately...

A lot has been going on lately, this 2011 year so far. Lots of good stuff with friends and family and I know I have a hard time keeping up and sharing the love, but I wanted to give an update.

First of all, Great Grandma is still hanging in there. She has such a strong will to live. Despite her suffering, she loves life and doesn't want to leave it behind. Hospice has been so good to her. They are making her feel comfortable even though she hasn't had any food for over a week. She sleeps about 22 hours a day. She hasn't complained once! What an example to me to be like. I complain every day about little things that don't matter. I want to be more like my Great Grandma!

Second of all...I went dark again!  :)

On January 8th, dad was re-baptized. He was really ready! It had been almost 2 years and he has softened his heart and made big strides to make better choices. Long roads lye ahead but he's more than ready to conquer with support from family and friends. Ryan, Michelle, Noah, and Jacob came from Temecula. I didn't get pictures at the ceremony. It was so quaint and simple. Only a few closest friends and us as a family, and the bishipric were present. It couldn't have been more sweet. The weekend was beautiful. We had so much fun together as a family. We celebrated Noah's 3rd birthday later that day with yummy food and Noah's special "Dirthday Cake". We missed Christmas with Ryan and Michelle this last year, so we celebrated Christmas with them too. Noah had so many presents it was crazy! He was so funny about opening all his gifts.

He was so excited about his Disney "Cars" cake!  Especially the BLUE frosting! 

He wanted to be a big boy and help get out the plate and the "parrdeee hats".

Ryan and Jacob-needing a nap.

After the nap...

Brother and sister.

Hungry Jacob and Grandpa.

He is so happy to have his birthday party hat, balloons and CAKE!

See Grandma... My "dirthday cake".

Ooh, HOTWHEELS big Monster trucks!

This was his favorite birthday card.  It farted at the end.

He couldn't stop opening it!

It SINGS!!!

But it's kinda scary too!!!  When he doesn't like loud noises, he plugs his ears.  The card was a little loud.  But still fun!!

Goofy Faces

Jacob having fun with Grandpa

It was a fun family weekend.  We all had fun playing with each other, eating good food, visiting, playing the wii, enjoying the warm weather, and just relaxing.

Lisa had her birthday on Wednesday February 9.  We celebrated her birthday at Trio Cafe.  It was soo good!  I love the butternut squash ravioli.  It was delectable.  We had a fun time! 
 

I haven't updated Christmas yet and wanted to touch on that.  It was a small quaint Christmas.  I went home to spend it with mom and dad.  We delivered gifts and stuff on Christmas Eve.  My Grandma Whittle had trouble with her diabetes and ended up in the emergency room.  They got her blood sugars straightened out and she was able to go home and enjoy the rest of the holiday with family.  We had dinner with the Nobles on Christmas Eve.  Linda, Mitch and the girls made an appearance.  It was so good to see everyone!  We had a soup night.  Chicken Tortilla, Potato, and Corn Chowder, lots of rolls, and baklava for deessert! Yum!  It was different from our usual prime rib, shrimp, Swedish meatballs, and all that other good stuff.  It was non-traditional, but still good!   We opened a Wii for Christmas and played a ton.  It was good times.

This was Mia on Christmas Morning.  Her hair is starting to grow out.  She's getting so cute!

And this was a little snow in our backyard!

Mia and I on Christmas day :)

This was the Virgin River after all the rain southern Utah was getting right before Christmas.  It was crazy!  Lots of flooding and lots of damage!

And this is cute Mia in her favorite pink sweater! 

Anyways...so far this 2011 year has been great.  I knew it would be a good year!  It's going to keep momentum!!

Gratitude for an Extraordinary Great Grandma

I've been feeling especially blue this past week or so.  Time to re-align my perspective and start to really recognize all that I'm blessed with. 

Right now one of the things I am most grateful for is my Great Grandma that I have been able to have a part of my life for 34 years. She has meant so much to me in and I feel a closeness to her that hasn't diminished over all this time, even though I have been so distant. Many miles have kept us apart but I also have not put forth adequate effort to make sure she really knows how special she is to me. She used to take care of Ryan and I a lot and we would sleep over with her in her little mobile home in Grand Ledge, Michigan. She had a special ability to make me feel so loved, protected, and comfortable. She would throw blankets in the dryer and warm them and wrap us up and set us on the couch all wrapped up with a tea-cup full of marshmallows while she watched Dallas, or Knots Landing, or whatever late night soap-opera she was into and after that she would give us warm milk before bed and I would insist on sleeping with her in her little 7x7 room in her twin size bed.

That little mobile home holds so many memories and so much comfort for me.  The owl picture on the wall and the wooden ticking clock.  The picture of her and Great Grandpa, her in her blue dress.  She hated pictures and especially smiling in pictures, but that picture of her and my Great Grandpa was beautiful.  The fake fireplace next to Great Grandpa's chair.  Moms toll-painting and hand made cards and pictures from Ryan and I on the fake fireplace.  The coffee table full of JC Penney catalogs and old toys we played with, and crayons and coloring books. 

Great Grandma sent me letters all the time with a special dollar bill on special occasions.  She always told me what her and Great Grandpa had been up to and always told me to be a good girl.  This was a special Valentines Day card she sent with a letter and a dollar bill that was un-spent.

I spent some good quality time with her a little over a year ago for Thanksgiving.  It was so neat to hear her stories of life when she was younger and stories about the relationships between our ancestors. Seeing all her old pictures she kept safe, pictures of her dating my Great Grandpa, friends and relatives.  She shared secrets with me and special things just for me.  She gave me some of her favorite old Avon jewelry.

This was my grandma on Thanksgiving November 2009.  She made it out to Buddy and Jaime's house for dinner.  She had a grand old time.  Ate a ton.  She didn't stay away from the desert table at all.  She loves her family so much.  All the children, grand children, great grandchildren, and even Great GREAT grandchildren.  She loved visiting with everyone!

Her life has been long, fruitful, successful, full of love, and sturdy through the ages. She is tired and worn down at 95 years old and scared to walk through that next door of life. I feel so selfish in wanting her to stay here so that I can visit her again, and talk to her about things happening in my life, hear her perspective and wisdom, and just hug her. I feel a great sense of thankfulness that she is my Great Grandma.