DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

     Gawai Day or Gawai Dayak  is a festival celebrated in Sarawak on June 1st every year. It is both a religious and social occasion. The word Gawai means a ritual or festival whereas Dayak is a collective name for the native ethnic groups of Sarawak (and neighboring Indonesian Kalimantan): the Iban, also known as Sea Dayak and the Bidayuh people, also known as Land Dayak. Thus, Gawai Dayak literally means  "Dayak Festival".  Dayak would visit their friends and relatives on this day. Such visit is more commonly known as  "ngabang"  in the Iban language. Those too far away to visit would receive greeting cards.     It started back in 1957 in a radio forum held by Mr Ian Kingsley, a radio programme organiser. This generated a lot of interest among the Dayak community.     The mode of celebration varies from place to place. Preparation starts early.  Tuak  (rice wine) is brewed (at least one month before the celebration) and traditional delicacies lik

Halloween Window Silhouettes Our Halloween Silhouettes lit up and shot from outside.  You can see another close up view of these silhouettes  here  and  here .   You can also see our large "Witch on Broom" and "Fading Ghost" silhouettes  here .    **See below for updates & a brief "How To". **Update  - Several people have asked me where we purchased these Halloween silhouettes & if the were vinyl.  All of our silhouettes were painted on cheap white fabric. For these silhouettes -  We cut cheap white fabric into long panels. We traced the design onto fabric. We painted the silhouettes using "dark gray paint" (Martha Stewart tip). The gray paint will appear black when lit.  Make sure you paint the silhouette  on  the side of the fabric that faces towards the outside. Also, make sure you protect the surface that you are painting on, since the paint can bleed through the fabri

The sour cream adds a subtle tanginess to this moist, chocolate-y cake. I made this for Justin’s birthday and loved it! While you’re at it, click  here  to see how we used this recipe in our Owl Cake. Shown with  this  chocolate frosting. SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE CAKE Ingredients: 1 cup baking cocoa 1 cup boiling water 1 cup butter, softened 2 1/2 cups sugar 4 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup sour cream Directions: Preheat oven to 350 °F. Dissolve cocoa in the boiling water; let stand until cool. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating well. Add cocoa mixture; beat well. Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes o