Cheddar Mac & Ham Casserole

New recipe that I love. I have a large family so I triple the recipe to make 2 large pans. Kids love it and we had a lot of leftovers. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 Package of Kraft Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese
1 cup chopped ham
1 cup frozen peas, thawed, drained
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Insrtuctions

1. Heat oven to 400*F.

2. Prepare dinner in a large saucepan as directed on package. Stir in ham, peas, and milk.

3. Spoon into 1 1/2 qt. baking dish; top with cheddar.

4. Bake 15 min. or until heated through.

Things I've Been Up To!

I've had quite a few things going on lately so I figured I should share. I've been meaning to do a blog post for the last week, but have been busy getting a few things done. So, this is about the things I've been up to for the past few weeks.

Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day. It was the best day I had had in a very long time. Glenn and the kids bought me a rose bush and we planted it in the front yard. I also got some pics that the kids drew for me in school. I got a lot of hugs and kisses from them too. Best presents ever! Glenn let me sleep in that day and helped take care of the kiddos. We had a big cookout with lots of food too. Glenn took a pic of the kids and I together which turned out pretty good. The boys had a little dirt on their faces, but I didn't care. There aren't that many pics of me with my kids, because I'm usually behind the camera taking the pics, so it's nice to have a pic of me with the kids. That is going to change. My kiddos mean the world to me and they (and the hubby) made my Mother's Day this year the best one so far.

My Garden

This year I wanted to start a small garden. I wanted to plant a few fruits and veggies, and also plant some herbs and flowers that I use the most often. After seeing videos on youtube by Tip Toe Chick (Dee) showing how simple and inexpensive it is to sow seeds, I knew that I wanted to try it so that I could save some money on certain veggies, fruits, flowers, and herbs. I bought some peat moss pellets that were really cheap and various seeds. We are growing pumpkins, watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, cucumbers, lavender, chamomile, sage, lemon balm, spearmint, rosemary, and catnip. I checked to see how things were going last night and after just 4 days some of the plants are starting to sprout. Cucumbers, pumpkin, chamomile, and lavender are already starting to grow. Our yard is horrible and for some reason it's hard to get plants and even grass to grow in it, so we are going to build some raised garden beds to transplant our garden plants into. Hoping this works and we have some goodies in a few months.

My Health

My health is getting better. The Provera and iron supplements are helping control my hormonal imbalance and my anemia. I'm starting to feel halfway normal again. I've also been getting outside more often. I just need to remember to wear a thick layer of sunscreen and wear sunglasses due to my sensitivities to the sun. I've been trying to walk and exercise more which is really important for me right now. I need to lose weight, but because of how big I am now (due to my health problems, lack of exercise, and unhealthy eating) I'm taking it slow and steady and will increase my exercise as I go. I've also changed more things in my diet also. My meds make my stomach upset a lot, so I'm learning to eat smaller meals also. I have been considering Lap-band surgery, but I really don't want to have to go through another surgery. I'm going to bust my ass and try to lose the weight on my own and if that doesn't work I will consider other options. I know what I need to do and there are a lot of things about my lifestyle that I need to change. I think after the kids go to bed each night I will start taking nightly walks. Usually by that time most of my neighborhood is in bed and the weather is cooled. Working on eating less sweets, drinking less pop, and eating more healthier foods is a priority too. With 4 kids I tend to eat 2 meals a day most of the time and by doing that I usually over eat and it slows down my metabolism even more. So, I have to learn to eat smaller meals several times a day. I'm hoping this works. Sticking to it is going to be hard because I get bored easily.

Britney's Graduation

My niece Britney just graduated high school! A lot of teen moms drop out and don't graduate, but she did it and I knew she would. She put in a lot of work to keep caught up, on top of working and taking care of a newborn. She's an amazing person. She is still planning to go to college as well and I can't wait for that graduation. Anyway, we drove to Marysville and attended Britney's graduation. It was a good ceremony. 52 students in the graduating class. The dress and shoes Britney wore were cute and she looked so grown up and beautiful. After the graduation we all hung out at the park. Several hours of chatting and the kiddos playing. The guys wrestled around, chased each other, and had a water fight. The ladies just sat and chatted. Glenn and I bought some drinks, my sister and her husband bought food, and my mom made a cake. It was a good time. I also finally got to meet my great nephew Eli. He's such a cute little baby. I had planned to see him earlier, but the weekend I wanted to see him my husband was being an ass and then after that I was very sick, and then I was very broke. I got to meet him and hold him on Sunday, the day he turned 2 months old. I wish I would have been able to make it down there sooner. Overall, it was a great day and I can't wait to see them again.

Meeting Eli Marshall Huls

My adorable little great nephew Eli. He's such a cute baby and I'm so happy that I finally got to meet him. He looks like both his parents, but more like his daddy. Britney and Kyle are doing a great job taking care of him. My sister and her husband as well as other family and friends, are spoiling him. He is almost 10 pounds already. I was excited to finally get to hold him and I tried to feed him, but he fell asleep. Eli likes to try and eat his fists, he coos a lot, and he loves to smile. He is just so precious. I got to take some pics of him both asleep and awake. I think they turned out great. I can't wait to get back to Kansas to see him and the rest of the family again.

Pagan Blessing Water

This year I became an Ordained Minister and one of things that I have wanted to since then is to make Pagan Blessing water, some know it as holy water. Last night was the perfect time to make it because not only was it a full moon, but it was a super full moon, which is the largest full moon of the year. The energy outside was truly amazing last night, so I did my ritual outside. I live in the city and don't get out much, so I used bottled spring water instead of spring collected water. Before I started, I made sure that I had everything I needed which is the following:

Spring water

Glass canning jar

Sea salt

Gold coin

Silver coin

I also like to burn white candles, sage smudge sticks, and sandalwood or frankincense incense. I think it adds more energy and purification power to the ritual. Light your candles, smudges, and incense. Clear your mind and focus on your task at hand. Take the glass jar and pour in spring water until full. Add a gold coin and a silver coin. Gold represents the sun and silver represents the moon. Hold your hands over the water with palms open and say:

I exorcise thee, oh creature of water,

of all negativity both seen and unseen,

And bless thee in the name of the divine goddess.

Take 3 pinches of sea salt in you hand and say the following:

I exorcise thee, oh creature of salt,

of all negativity both seen and unseen,

And bless thee in the name of the divine goddess.

Add the sea salt to the spring water and stir 3 times. Then holding your hands open, over the water again say the following:

I cleanse and concentrate this water in the name of the divine goddess.

May this liquid enhance and purify all that it touches.

As I will it, so mote it be.

Add a lid to the jar and allow to sit outside in the full moon overnight to soak up the moon's energy. Leave outside until after the sun rises so the first rays of light from the sun can add it's energy to the blessing water as well. You can take and bottle your blessing water into smaller bottles or leave it in the jar you made it in. You can remove the coins from the water in the morning once the full ritual is done. Blessing water is used for cleansing altar tools, wiccanings, spells and other magical purposes, and etc. Blessing (Holy) water is used in a lot of different ways in Paganism. It's good to have some on hand at all times.



Witch Bottle & Mojo Bags

Witch Bottle

The witch bottle is a magical tool that has been reported in use for centuries. In early times, the bottle was designed as a way to protect oneself from malicious witchcraft and sorcery. Homeowners might create a witch bottle to keep evil spirits from entering the home. The general idea of a witch bottle is to not only to protect yourself, but to send back the negative energy to whoever or whatever is sending it your way.

Place sharp objects such as pins, needles, screws, tacks, nails, etc. into your witch bottle. Add protection herbs until bottle is 1/4 of the way full. Add bay leaf with a pentacle drawn on it to the bottle. Add 3 drops of Dragon's Blood oil.  Chant 3 times:

Sharp object and herbs combined

In this witch's bottle of mine;

Guard against harm and negativity

This is my will, so mote it be.

Add items from your house such as paint chips, dirt from floor, cobwebs, etc. if making a house protection witch bottle. If making a protection witch bottle for a person you can add hair, nails, blood, urine, etc. Fill the rest of the witch's bottle with sea salt and place cap on the bottle. Seal your witch's bottle with wax from a black candle. Add pentacle charm to the bottle, wrapping the twine with charm around bottle 3 times and knotting twine 3 times. Hang the witch bottle outside your front door, bury it under your porch, or at the far end of your property, or you can even bury it off your property. Place it in a spot where it will not be broken.

Mojo Bags

Mojo is a term commonly encountered in the African-American folk belief called hoodoo. A mojo is an amulet consisting of a flannel bag containing one or magical items. It is related to the West African word "mojuba", meaning a prayer of praise and homage. It is a "prayer in a bag", or a spell that can be carried or on the host's body. Alternative American names for the mojo bag include mojo hand, conjure hand, lucky hand, conjure bag, trick bag, root bag, toby, jomo, and gris-gris bag.

Add sea salts and protection herbs to your mojo bag. Then, add bay leaf with a pentacle drawn on it. Put in Tiger's eye stone and a amethyst crystal. Next add personal items hair, nails, blood, paper with your name and birth date, etc. Add 3 drops of Dragon's blood oil and tie bag shut. To add pentacle charm, wrap twine with charm around bag 3 times and knot 3 times. You can hang your mojo bag in your house, car, or carry it with you.

Mojo bags are a great way to cast spells. You can make them for various different reasons such as protection, love, money, healing, etc. It's all in the energy and items you add to your mojo bag that make the spell work for its intended purpose.