STARS: How I make my version of Sweetie Pie's Mac n Cheese

Reunion and church homecoming season is in full swing. Also, cookout season is still ongoing.  Being able to make a good mac n cheese is not a bad skill to have. 

And here's how I make mine

First I buy all of the necessary ingredients: a 9×12 pan, PAM butter spray, Land O Lakes butter, a block of Velveeta pure cheddar cheese, elbow noodles, a bag of blended cheeses, a bag of shredded cheddar cheese, 3 eggs, a glass of milk, a small container of sour cream. 

I boil the noodles at medium heat while I spray the pan and cut the cheddar block into small squares. I also combine the liquids and sour cream into a bowl and mix to blend. 

I then preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then drain the water out of the noodles. I then transfer the noodles from the strainer to the pan. The liquid is then poured over the noodles. 

I then proceed to put a couple of blocks of butter atop the noodles, along with the blocks of cheese. I then wait for the oven to reach 350 while I spread both bags of cheese atop the entire casserole. 

I then insert the pan into the oven for 35-40 minutes. Once the time has elapsed, I take out the mac and cheese and allow it to sit for five minutes. 

I then get a spatula and prepare to serve and eat my dish. Enjoy! 

STARS: Changing Headlight Bulbs on a 2017 Hyundai sedan

I have had my Hyundai for nearly three years now. My low beam (yes there are separate bulbs for high and low beam lights) recently blew out on me. Therefore I went to the auto parts store and bought two sets of bulbs, high and low beams. 

Now it was time for me to try and install them. 

I'm not a mechanical person by trade so I consulted my resident car guy and had him on standby just in case I needed his assistance. I consulted three YouTube videos to get the expertise I needed. 

I unlocked my car, popped the hood off my car up, then fastened it into place.  I also engaged the parking brake and did it in the evening since it was much cooler. 

Taking off the high beams lights and replacing them are fairly simple as I just had to pop the top off the front of the center lights under the hood. I then carefully grabbed the plug from the back of the light and unfastened it. I then replaced the new bulb and snapped it into place and carefully placed it into the slot. You then close the cap on the high beam interface. 

The low beam light is a bit difficult. You have to turn the inside caps on the ends in the direction they are in. I had to turn left for the left side, right for the right side. I also had a butter knife handy to pop the cap when it was loose. Once the cap was off, I unplugged the fastener on the light. I then turned it in the direction of its position (left=left, right=right). 

I then replaced the bulb just as with the low beam and fastened it securely into place. Once engaged, I placed it back into its place, turning it in the opposite direction to tighten. I placed the cap back onto the opening tight. 

I then turned on the ignition of my vehicle to ensure all of the lights were working and BINGO they were. I was this successful.

Actual maintenance time can be 10-30 minutes depending upon how well you do with unfastening the caps. Replacing the actual lights may be as easy as I have seen in any automobile. 

Well there you have it! Now you can replace your bulbs, which is recommended about every two years or so. 

STARS: Creating a Group Chat and it's advantages

It appears some people still use mass texting.  Often it can result in people and numbers you may not know, being very interpersonal, messy, and impossible to get out of. 

Enter group chats. I realize they sound like trouble but they are easy to get out of, edit, you see people's names rather than numbers and you only need one generalized group. 

Here's how I set up mine. 

You find an app that the majority can agree on. GroupMe is one of the more popular ones.  

I simply came up with a name and an avatar for my group chat.  This can be a group name or something to identify the group by. If you are doing one for a cruise, it could be March Cruise 2020. 

I then proceeded to add the necessary numbers. I had to manually do name and number for those that didn't already have GroupMe installed. 

The reservations that were brought to me included being too hard and long to set up, not being able to edit out certain people in case of a suprise or omission. Well a group chat is built to handle all that. All you need is the single setup, which takes around 15-20 minutes, you can add/delete at anytime, and it's cleaner on your phone. You would eliminate the clutter of one mass text and then another and so on. 

I then finish the group chat and modify accordingly. It is then ready to go. 

There are way more advantages, especially if you wish to stay in the loop with a certain group of people. 

STARS: How I plan for a getaway

I love to travel, or at least go places for a few days out of town. It could be the beach, mountains, Atlanta or Charleston. Either way, I have a plan and I allow flexibility and plan for other instances. 

I look at my budget first and adjust it accordingly.  I then book my hotel/housing arrangements. Then I look at the best route to take and when to take one route versus the other. 

I book and even plan my meals, events and anything that requires advance notice.  Anything else is budgeted. 

I allow for downtime, traffic, extra sleep, Uber/Lyft fares, late checkouts, and even random gas and food stops.

Finally I take my trip, adjust to situations accordingly and have fun. Leisure trips are good with structure but better with some spontaneity. 

Therefore make the best of your time off and what remains of this summer season.