DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

    The  RMS Queen Mary  is reputed to be one of the most haunted objects in the world. The ghost stories and haunted tales told about the ship are so popular that it has inspired countless investigators to climb aboard. Whether you believe the ship is haunted or not, there is no discounting its long history.     The Queen Mary was built as a fabulous ocean liner that could cross the Atlantic in just two weeks. She was built for the Cunard White Star Line, the same company that built the ill fated Titanic. Construction started on the ship in 1930, but took nearly four years to complete.     Though the ship operated for over thirty years, there were a few problems associates with it. During its maiden trip just after it had been officially named, the ship lost control. She came close to hitting another ship, before managing to stop. During World War II, the Queen Mary became one of several ocean liners to be used as ...

   Naadam  (Mongolian:  Наадам ,  lit. "games" ) is a traditional type of festival in Mongolia. The festival is also locally termed "eriin gurvan naadam" ( эрийн гурван наадам ) "the three games of men". The games are Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery and are held throughout the country during the midsummer holidays. Women have started participating in the archery and girls in the horse-racing games, but not in Mongolian wrestling.    The biggest festival (Naadam of the Country) is held in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar during the National Holiday from July 11 – 13, in the National Sports Stadium. Other cities and towns across Mongolia and those with significant Mongolian populations in China, have their own, smaller scale Naadam celebrations. It begins with an elaborate introduction ceremony featuring dancers, athletes, horse riders, and musicians. After the ceremony, the competitions begin.    Naadam is ...

This creamy no-bake Snickers cake is stacked with creamy layers of homemade chocolate and peanut butter pudding along with some graham crackers softened to a cake like texture. Draping the mad goodness of the creamy layers is a heavy pouring of caramel and chocolate ganache sauce. Of course I can never just stop at good enough, I had to take it over the top and chop up some Snickers for added authenticity and then finish that off with some caramel and chocolate drizzle. It’s cakery for the lazy. I love icebox cakes because they require no baking and always seem so much easier. But you know what is not easier, making nice even layers. I just don’t have that cake carving skill nailed down yet. These days I don’t have time to practice that. I’m sure you’ve noticed the spotty posting. Life is just getting in the way and I’m not sure how to get the multiplying-to-do list to chill the freak out before I have a freak out. I should stop now – I’m being a whiner ...

   This diy comes from  www.shelterness.com  .  Another little one you can make at home instead of spending a lot of money buying the real thing. If you’re into home decor then you probably know, that chalkboard paint is quite expensive and usually comes only in black and green colors. Although that isn’t the problem anymore. You can make such paint by yourself. You just need some Non-Sanded Tile Grout and latex paint of any color you want. If you mix a cup of this paint and two tablespoons of tile grout you’ll get a perfect chalkboard paint you can apply right away. Isn’t that cool? There are so many DIY projects you can do with it.

    Ancient or just simply old castles are some of the most interesting man-made places on Earth. They are often grand structures that are rich in history, but sometimes their history is dark and violent. This causes some people to look at these great historical sites in a different light. You can almost guarantee that if a person has been tortured, killed, or died of old age in a castle, that someone will claim it is haunted.     European castles have been the home to ruling monarchs, both bad and good. They have seen the hardship, pain, tragedy and triumph of mankind. They have also served as prisons and torture chambers and in some instances, even tombs.     Many believe this is why castles are so closely associated with ghosts and haunting's. With so much agony being born within, it makes sense that some of that might permeate into the very structure itself. Tower of London     Perhaps no castle known to man h...

Did you know that the fruit this summer is supposed to be the best it has been in years? Apparently, fruit loves hot weather. I personally have eaten more peaches and cherries this summer than I have in about five years just for that reason.  As I have been a little overzealous lately buying peaches and cherries I found myself with a few peaches that were going to be too ripe for me to eat on the same day. That is unless I wanted to have them for every meal plus a few snacks. So I decided to make this recipe for Vanilla Peach Coffee Cake.  Vanilla Peach Coffee Cake Adapted from  Allrecipes.com Batter: 2 eggs 1 C milk 1/2 C oil 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 C  sour cream 3 C flour 1 C sugar 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda Topping: 5 or 6 large peaches, diced. 3 Tbsp. butter, melted 11/4 C brown sugar 1Tbsp. cinnamon 2 tsp. nutmeg 4 Tbsp. flour Vanilla Icing: 1 T...

Rakhi: The Thread of Love     In India, festivals are the celebration of togetherness, of being one of the family. Raksha Bandhan is one such festival that is all about affection, fraternity and sublime sentiments. It is also known as Raksha Bandhan which means a 'bond of protection'. This is an occasion to flourish love, care, affection and sacred feeling of brotherhood. Not a single festival in India is complete without the typical Indian festivities, the gatherings, celebrations, exchange of sweets and gifts, lots of noise, singing and dancing. Raksha Bandhan is a regional celebration to celebrate the sacred relation between brothers and sisters. Primarily, this festival belongs to north and western region of India but soon the world has started celebrating this festival with the same verse and spirit. Rakhi has become an integral part of those customs. An insight of Rakhi Rituals     On the day of Rakhi, sisters prepares the pooja thali...