A NIGHT OF THE LIVING AND THE DEAD ON THE QUEEN MARY

Saturday night I met up with a group of paranormal investigators and we went to the Queen Mary. This was going to be a fun night because we were allowed to go where we wanted and stay as long as we wanted. No tour guide or Queen Mary "psychic" to take us around.

We met up at midnight. We did have a security guard walking around with us to unlock the doors we wanted but he sat outside and waited for us. He didn't tell us to go anywhere or stay away from any place. He was just the keeper of the keys.

We all wanted to go to the Isolation rooms where they kept the sick and dying when the ship was active.

So we walked down a long hall. Yes there is an orb there! In fact, there are two. If you look on the floor area you see a smaller lighter one.

This is interesting because we felt we had two spirits in there with us. Could these orbs be the two we felt?

Up on the wall was an old rescue stretcher. It was in this area that I got a very odd feeling. I felt like a younger man around 25-30 years old was trying to contact us.

I had a strong feeling he was trying to tell us how he died. I got a heavy feeling in my chest, like he had a hard time breathing. I got warm as if I had a fever. I felt like he died from suffocation. Like he had fluid build up in his lungs. Perhaps pneumonia.

Then, one of the girls in our group, who I had not met before and claimed she was a medium, came over. She had not been around when I told a few of the people near me what I had felt.

She said she had the same feelings. I asked her if she felt it was a young man and she said "No, he seems older to me". I asked her how old and she said "late 20's to early 30's". I had to laugh because to her that was older. She is only 18.

To me, that was a younger man because I'm 52.

Well, we got enough interest in this area that everyone wanted to do an EVP session. This is where we try to "talk" to the dead. Sometimes voices can be captured on recorders. Sometimes we use a KII devise which picks up on the electric magnetic fields and they say a spirit can make the lights flicker from green up to red by getting near it. Thereby being able to answer our questions.

We ended up having about a 10 minute conversation. We asked questions like "are you a man" the KII flickered to red. We asked "did you die on the ship". Again it flickered to answer yes. We asked if he worked on the ship. Nothing. We asked if he was in the Military when he was on the ship. The KII showed us that yes he was.

We also asked questions like "Are you a woman" right after we get a yes to the question "are you a man". We want to be sure that the KII is not just malfunctioning.

It was very interesting and exciting that we started to get something right away in our investigation.

After about 10 minutes we stopped getting any activity so we moved on.

We came across a list of some of the people who died on the ship. The picture is not great because I had to use my flash to get a good photo and there is a glare.

Not all the military men were listed on here.

We then went to the actual rooms where the sick and dying were kept. They had it set up in one room to be just like how it was. I'm not sure if these beds were the actual ones or not.

They had some display cases set up too. When I saw this it gave me chills.

You can read what it is better here.

There was a whole area about how they handled Death at Sea. How they buried some in the sea, some were cremated. Some carried home.

It was when we sat down in the actual rooms that I got a very very strong feeling of sadness. So strong that I felt like I was going to start to cry. I have never had that happen before.

We did another EVP session and I asked the questions. We didn't get any actually KII hits but at one point I asked "How long have you been here" one of the other guys who had his recorder taping heard "7 years". He played it back and we could all hear it.

I really got chills when I heard that.

Many in the group wanted to go down to the Engine and Boiler rooms. So we went behind the doors marked EMPLOYEES ONLY.

Down several flights of stairs and through some dark hallways.

We were 50 feet below water level.

Soon, the only thing we could see was darkness and our flashlight beamed in rooms of endless blackness.

We finally made our way to the Engine room. If you have seen the movie The Poseidon Adventure, you have seen this room before as that movie was filmed in here.

I have to admit, I felt and saw nothing in this area at all. Though they claim this is one of the most haunted areas on the ship.

We were by the famous water tight door 13 which they say is where two young men were killed. One tried to run through the closing door when a fire broke out but was to late to make it and it shut on him, cut him in half, killing him instantly.

Another young man was playing "Chicken" during a drill to see how close he could get to running through before the door shut. Sadly he was to slow and ended up getting killed by the door he thought he could beat.

After spending about 1/2 hour in this area, all of a sudden, the loud sounds of the machines filled the air. We didn't really think anything of it until we left the area and was talking to the security guard who told us that these machines no longer work and have not worked for years.

He looked at us like were making up the story of them being turned on. They did stay on for about 8 minutes and then turned off. However, by the time we spoke to the guard, they had already shut off.

Was this one of the workers who died showing us how he did job while alive? I have no way of knowing but it is odd that after 30 years of not working they would all of a sudden turn on.

We walked even further down and our flashlights dimly lit the darkness of spaces deep in the bowels of the ship in rooms all but forgotten by most people.

These are the spaces sought after by paranormal groups around the world.

In these sort of spaces it is a bit creepy and you get the feeling you would have as you are watching a scary movie. Your senses are heightened. You wait for something to jump out of the darkness. You have to watch your step to make sure it is safe to move forward.

Yet, when I came across these little wet footprints I was happy.

No, these are not the prints of some ghost animal on board. They were made by a little raccoon that some how made his way on the ship. He was very cute.

I tried to get a photo of him but my camera wouldn't take a picture. It went off and the flash brightened the room, yet there was no picture. These sort of strange phenomenons happen often. Batteries drain quickly, cameras, recorders and other things stop working. Yet, when you leave the area, they seem to work again.

As I moved away from the area I was in, my camera started to work again. You can see how this part of the ship is not kept up at all.

We were in one of the boiler rooms. It was in here that a few men were killed by steam that shot out and killed them.

Again, another area that is said to be very haunted.

You can see some orbs in this photo. Yes, this area was dusty and dirty. However, none of the other photos had orbs. Are these orbs just dust? Could be. Maybe not. I can't really say for sure.

We did another EVP session in this little room which is also in the boiler room. There were no hits on the KII at all.

However, at three different times I heard heavy breathing and what almost sounded like a growl.

I didn't say a word. Then two other people said they heard it too. Then the third time I heard it at least five other members heard it too.

As we were walking to the swimming pool area I turned my light down a hallway and saw this.

Looking at it now I laugh because it is so clearly a dummy that is used as a prop. However, when strange things are going on around you and you are walking in complete darkness, coming across this is a bit startling for a moment.

As we were walking around from room to room I did think it was a lot like going into a haunted house. You expect something to pop out at you with every turn you make.

However, that is not what really happens. It's rare to see anything and when you do, it's not like at a haunted house where a monster jumps in front of you.

When something does happen, the first thing you do is wonder if anyone else saw or head the same thing. Then you try to explain it away. It's only when it can't be explained away that you start to wonder if you really just had some type of contact from a spirit.

This is the famous pool area where a little girl named Jackie has been heard by many people. A small orb is in this photo but I don't really think it's anything more then dust or a bit of moisture in the air.

I'm not as sure about this photo though. This orb seems to be pretty big and this photo was taken while we were calling out to Jackie to show herself.

I personally love being in this area of the ship. Not just because it is where Jackie has been seen and heard. But, because it is really a glimpse back into the art deco time. I can picture the people in 1st class in here swimming around and enjoying themselves.

One thing I noticed is the pool is very deep. There really isn't a shallow end. There is deep and deeper.

The slide is very short and at a step angle too.

This is a sign showing some of the treatments that could be purchased by the passengers to be pampered. You can click on the photo and it will get bigger so you can read it better.

The night we were there, nothing happened in the pool area. There wasn't anything more then some distinct knocks and high pitched sounds. Though they could have come from almost anywhere on the ship.

This area seems to be a room that picks up on sounds from all over the ship.

Little Jackie, who is a girl who they say drowned in the pool and still roams around looking for her mommy, never made a peep while we were there. In fact, in all the times I've been on the Queen Mary I've never seen or heard Jackie.

How many men and woman stepped on these scales and moaned when they saw the weight gain from all the good food on board the ship? Oh, it seems some things in life never change.

The women's dressing rooms are said to be where a vortex to the "other side" can be found. To be honest I have a hard time believing in a vortex.

For those of you who don't know what a vortex is, some believe there are certain areas where the spirits can pass through to our world in these areas that are a thin veil from our world and that of the hereafter.

While we were in the dressing area, we did an EVP session. I found it odd that right at the time this photo was taken, this guy said he felt like his clothes was being tugged on.

If you look on his arm you can see an orb. Could that be a spirit tugging on him?

I like to take photos when someone says they feel someone is near them. If an orb shows up at that time it's almost like proof something really was there at the time.

One of the girls said she felt like there was a spirit in the dressing room with us.

Now let me tell you, while we are in here all lights are off. You can't even see your hand in front of your face. The only reason you see anything in these photos is because of the flash of the camera.

On the way out, we passed the shower area. I clicked a quick photo. Can you see the orb? Perhaps that was the spirit the girl felt that was with us.

So, we didn't see any actual ghosts appear in front of us, we did seem to have a lot of activity taking place on the ship.

It was really a lot of fun having full run of the ship. I would love to go back and see other places I've not been to before. We all agreed we will be back here soon.

I hope you enjoyed being able to go along on our investigation. I'll let you know if any of the recorders picked up anything once all of them have been reviewed.

So tell me, do you believe in ghosts? If you have ever had anything happen to you I would love to hear your story.

SUCCULENTS

I've never been a big succulent fan. Yes, I know they are unique and some have beautiful flowers and they come in many shapes and sizes. Yes, they are interesting. But, they have never been my "thing".

Until, my last trip to Rogers Gardens and I saw this wreath. I fell in love and now I want to make one myself.

I love the different shades of color and the way each little plant looks almost like a rose.


I also love them displayed like this. A hanging ball of plants. Very cool.

This little turtle is darling too.

OK, I must admit, I may now be a fan of succulents. I think I just like the displayed in different ways.

HEIRLOOM TOMATOES

Growing up, the only tomatoes I had ever seen, or hear of, was the grocery store red tomatoes.

It wasn't all that long ago I started to learn about all the different "new" kinds of tomatoes out there. Though they were not really "new" varieties, they were actually from seeds passed down from many generations ago and they were called Heirloom tomatoes.

They came in many colors and they didn't look like the "normal" tomatoes I was used to. They were sort of ugly.

They were hard to find and when you were lucky enough to find them they were very pricey.

Now, Heirloom tomatoes are all the rage. Most stores carry them and most people have heard of them.

I love tomatoes and when I came across this picture of these beautiful heirloom tomatoes in a rainbow of color, I knew I wanted to try my hand at growing them myself one day.

Did you know there are hundreds of different kinds of tomatoes? Well there are. I had no idea which ones would do good in my area and which ones was best for the soil I had.

So, when Rogers Gardens offered a free class on growing tomatoes I knew I was going to be there.

We had a man who is known as a "Tomato expert" tell us everything we always wanted to know about tomatoes and then some.

We learned how the best way to grow tomatoes is the Organic way. Use good potting soil.

Feed it and amend the soil with organic items. Use no bug sprays. Just pick off those ugly tomato worms.

If you plant your tomatoes in a pot, make sure it's no smaller then what he is showing us here. Tomatoes need a lot of room for their roots.

He showed us that it's ok to buy the long and sad looking plant. You don't have to always get the pretty one with flowers already on them.

If you look closely at a tomato plant you will notice that the main stem has little hairy things growing off of it.

If you pull the leaves off or, in a case like this plant, there are no leaves on it, then plant it deep in the soil, those hairy things turn into roots.

He is showing us how deep to plant this type of plant. By doing this, the plant will have a nice big root system and the plant will grow big and strong like all the other pretty plants would.

Be sure you stake the plant, keep it properly watered and in a few months you will have your very own Heirloom tomato salads.

I was excited because, at the end of the class I won a raffle drawing and won the big black pot and the "ugly" tomato plant.

Everyone also got a free tomato plant for attending the class. We got to pick from several different heirloom plants.

I ended up getting several. I'm now all set to plant them and start tending to them. I've grown tomatoes for years but never Heirloom ones.

It will be fun to try the different types of tomatoes and see which ones I like the best.

Have you ever grown Heirloom tomatoes before?

BAKING CUPCAKES WITH GIRL SCOUT COOKIES

The past few weeks I've been very busy with Girl Scout Cookie sales. Since I'm a Girl Scout leader I am the one who orders the cookies, picks up the cookies, keep tract of the sale of the cookies, sets up and attends all cookie booth sales and anything else that has to do with cookies.

With all these cookies I thought it would be fun to try to make some cupcakes and use Girl Scout Cookies in the recipes.


I went to my girl friends house and we spent the day trying different cookies to make different kinds of cupcakes.

The first one we made was more like a mini cheese cake with cherries on top. The crust was a Shortbread cookie. These came out great!

To make these you will need:

2 8oz packages of softened cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
12 Girl Scout Shortbread cookies
1 can cherry (or any other fruit) pie filling.


First line the pan with a cupcake liner. Then add a Girl Scout Shortbread cookie to each cup.

Mix all the other ingredients with a hand mixer. Spoon mixture over the Girl Scout Cookies. Bake for about 20 mins in a preheated 350 degrees oven.

When they first come out of the oven they will be puffy like a big muffin.

But then, as they cool, they sink down in the center. This is normal and what you want. Allow them to cool completely.

Then add the cherry (or other fruit) pie filling.

This will make 12 servings. Be sure to eat one quickly because before you know it they will all be gone! Everyone loves these.

The other cupcakes we made were Thin Mint cupcakes.

For this one, we just did a semi homemade cupcake.

We used a chocolate cake mix. Mixed as directed on the box. Then we crushed up Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies and added it to the batter. We also added a little bit of Mint extract to the batter.

We cooked the cupcakes per the directions on the package.

We then iced them with a whipped cream type topping. It is called Pastry Pride.

To that we added a bit of the mint extract and then topped with crumbled Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies and added a whole Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie to the top.

It was fun trying different ideas to use the Girl Scout Cookies but it was more fun to eat what we made. YUM!

You should try these. I think you will like them too.

WASHING DISHES HAS NEVER BEEN SO FUN!

Do you hate to do dishes? Well, fear no more. There is a way to put a smile on your face as you tackle those pots and pans.

Put a pair of these darling gloves on your hands and you will find that even the dreadful chore of washing dishes is something you will look forward to.

Really ladies, who among us could don a pair of these gloves that give us a bit of wild animal and bling love at the same time?

Or how about some funky lime green with mod circles to make you feel like have taken a step back to the 1960's?

Everyone would feel a bit more cheerful with these darling cherry gloves on.

For all you pink lovers, you could be the proud owner of these darling pink gloves topped with a bow so you feel chic while doing the dishes.

These beauties would make most women feel like it was a treat to do the dishes.

Why the crafty ones could even dress up your dish washing soap to match your gloves. Double the fun. Or at least make it attractive for your children to want to do the dishes.

Yes, you can feel sexy while doing the dishes in these.

Are you a girly girl? Well, there is no need to not feel that way while doing chores too. These will help you keep that girly girl feeling no matter what you are doing.

No matter who you are, there is sure to be a style or pattern you are bound to fall in love with.

No, I'm not getting paid for this post and I'm not getting any free gloves. But, if I were, I think I would go with these cute cupcake ones.

Cupcakes my heart go pitter patter.

The only down fall about these is I think I would end up taking them off in the middle of doing the dishes to go eat a cupcake.

Oh who am I fooling? No matter what you do, dishes are not going to be fun. But, since it is something we all have to do if we don't want to live with paper plates forever, we may as well have a pair of gloves to make us smile a little bit inside.