Waverly Hills Sanitarium...

Yes, I am one of those people who likes to watch any TV [haunting] show about Waverly. I am fascinated with Waverly Hills history and the many many stories behind that old building that stands in Louisville.

I am one of those "I have to see it to believe it" people. I would absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE to take a tour at Waverly, but I think I would be scared out of my mind if I were to ACTUALLY go. Maybe if I had some not so afraid friends to go with me [hint, hint] I would go.

So what do you think? Is Waverly really haunted? Some of the stories are so crazy they are hard to believe then there are some stories that have so many different versions that are again hard to believe.

Some urban legends claim that "63,000 deaths" occurred at the Sanatorium. According to Assistant Medical Director Dr. J. Frank W. Stewart, the highest number of deaths in a single year at Waverly Hills was 152. Stewart wrote that the worst time for deaths was at the end of the Second World War when troops were returning from overseas with very advanced tuberculosis cases. Some independent researchers suggest that since 162 people died at Waverly Hills in 1945, the highest total number of deaths possible over 50 years was approximately 8,212.

The most popular story at Waverly is Room 502.

Here are a few of the different stories...

1. (the most popular) The head nurse in Rm 502 was found dead hanging in rm 502. She had committed suicide by hanging herself from the light fixture. She was 29 years-old at the time of her death and allegedly, unmarried and pregnant. Her depression over the situation led her to take her own life. It's unknown how long she may have been hanging in this room before her body was discovered.

2. Another nurse who worked in Room 502 was said to have jumped from the roof patio and plunged several stories to her death. No one seems to know why she would have done this but many have speculated that she may have actually have been pushed over the edge. There are no records to indicate this but rumors continue to persist.

And my favorite...

3. A crazy patient murdered a nurse in Room 502 by stabbing her to death. People claim to see the patient's ghost running out of the hospital's front door in a white nightgown, screaming at the top of her lungs. 

Halloween is just around the corner, any takers to go to Waverly for a tour ???

You Are What You Eat...

We’ve all heard the old adage ‘you are what you eat’, but have you ever stopped to think exactly how true that is?  When I was pregnant with Isabella I gained 33 pounds. So that means all that extra weight I had was pre-Isabella - eeek! 

After Isabella was born I came upon some pictures that I had of me when I was in college....

And I thought I was FAT then! PUH-LEASSE! Anyway... after I started going through all of these pictures I really started feeling bad about myself. How could have I let myself get to where I was? Then it hit me. I have a family now. Not only does my husband depend on me, but my daughter depends on me as well. I've got to make a change, and I need to make it pronto. 

Since then I did the yo-yo diet... which didn't work. Then tried Zumba - didn't like it; of course I only did one class, it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I got frustrated and just gave up for a while.

Then I caught a great deal for BOOTCAMP on Groupon for 3 weeks. LOVED IT!! I had great motivators, good company to work out with, and saw some great results. I lost a total of 9 pounds and 18 inches. I would have loved to stay with it, but it was just too expensive for me, so I vowed to myself to keep it going at home.

No, I don't workout hard core like I did at bootcamp, but I do watch what I eat and make healthier choices and try to get out and walk or do some water aerobics (laugh if you must) atleast every day. Since the 1st of June I have lost a total of 32 pounds and couldn't be happier about it.

Am I boasting? YES! But I am also hoping to help those of you who need a little motivation to get out there and get at it as well.

So those of you who do exercise on a daily basis what do you do, to keep you going? Tips or advice? Inquiring minds wanna know! :)

 

Big Brother

You either hate the show, love the show or have NO clue what I'm talking about. BUT most of you know what I'm talking about. I'm a HUGE Big Brother Fan! And this is what this blog is about!

LOVE the show, hate the huge twist that has brought so much drama into the BB house. Okay, so not really - that's what draws me into the show - drama! What I don't like is Shelly's character. If you are team Jeff/Jordan, you know why......

However, fans of BB have taken the double eviction that sent Jeff home, a little too far. These so called "Big Brother fans" are actually sending death threats to Shelly's family and to Shelly's 8 year old daughter. Which is just down right wrong. I don't like her character as much as the next person and if you know me you know that I don't like liars, backstabbers, nor two-faced people. Those kinds of people I don't need/want in my life, but again BB is just a GAME. Yes, there needed to be a BIG move in the Big Brother house, but you could have been a heck of a lot nicer to my Jeff and Jordan! :)

Any who, In the few years that I have watched and become a fan of BB I certainly liked some houseguests more than others; but, no matter how intense things became in the house, I never hated a houseguest. The closest I ever came to “hating” a houseguest was Rachel. She was just an immature girl who only knew the words, "my man!" And "the only thing honest about her were the pimples on her chin.."  But sending death threats to someone for a game move is just wrong. It is just a game... life after BB will go on and Jeff and Jordan will be Jeff and Jordan once again afterwards....

 and Shelly will still have her adams-apple and "her dignity" (as she likes to say)..

So what's next?? Here are my thoughts...

Duo Rachel/Jordan need to win to POV to get themselves off the block then Porsche who likes to do everything that everybody else tells her to do will have to put up the only duo team of floaters that's left (besides them and since she can't put up Kalia and herself), Adam and Shelly and Shelly will be the next to go to the Jury House.  - - If this happens Rachel and Jordan just might have a shot of going to the final three, they will just need to win HOH this Thursday. Which means JORDAN, honey, you need to step it up "love!"  I'm going to say something I thought I would never say.... Let's go TEAM JORDAN and *GULP* Ra....Ra.....Rachel! (there I said it!!)



For Those Cinnamon Lovers…

Found a great recipe for my momma’s Cinnamon Bread as I was going through one of my cook books yesterday. I had completely forgotten about it and I’m hoping to make it this weekend.

I remember when I was little waking up to the smell of cinnamon bread on Saturday mornings.

YUMM!  Okay so here you go…

Cinnamon Bread

What you will need:

for the topping -
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons margarine, melted

batter -
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk (see my note)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan (yes you can use nonstick spray) and then just sit that aside.

Topping: In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon and melted margarine. Use a fork to mix together and set aside.

Batter: Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Using a mixer on low speed combine oil and eggs. Add in half of the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Add in 1/2 cup of buttermilk and mix until blended. Add the remaining dry ingredients and blend. Add the second half of the buttermilk and combine until just moistened. Add in the vanilla. Pour the batter evenly into the pan you prepared earlier.
Drizzle the prepared topping over batter. Insert a knife into the batter and use a light swirling motion to give a marbled effect.

Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean when you insert it in the middle. Let the bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
You can also make morning muffins!! Just remember to watch the baking times, it will be different from the loaf! Just check in on them and use the toothpick test! :)

** BUTTERMILK NOTE **
I found a nifty trick if you do not have buttermilk on hand… I have NEVER tried this… but if you don’t have buttermilk and do not want to venture out to the store this is something to try… Place a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup, and then fill to the one cup line with whole milk – sounds simple enough!

Hope you all enjoy this delicious recipe!