March 28, 2012

AIRCAST

I hurt my left foot somehow. I am waiting for the x-ray results. Extreme pain has been my burden, but the new boot, an aircast helps so much. My doctor told me yesterday to get one right away. The boot keeps the foot bones in place and helps with healing.

March 22, 2012

Shepards Pie

1 Pound Hamburger Meat cooked and grease drained.
3-5 Pounds Potatoes. Peel, boil and then mash, or leave peelings on.
1 can of Corn or Green Beans
1/4 to 1/2 Cup Shredded Cheese
Optional 1/2 Cup Crushed Ritz Crackers or Crushed Corn Flakes

Spray cooking oil on 9 x 13 pan or casserole dish. Lay meat in bottom of dish. Spread corn or green beans on top of meat. Spread mashed potatoes on top. I add the cheese and then spread the crackers on top. Place in heated oven at 350 degree's.

As an option: You can add an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce onto the meat before adding the vegetables.

Snickerdoodles

1 cup softened butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp. cream of tarter
Mix and then add
2 eggs
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp.salt
Mix and roll into balls. Roll in colored sugar or cinnamon and sugar mix. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet on 400 degree's for 8 to 10 minutes.

This recipe my dad really enjoyed. I changed it from the original that called for shortening.

Poem: Dad and apple pie

Dad, dad our great
And awesome dad.
Oh, how we love
Our wonderful dad.

He’s kind, special
And wonderful too.
He was sent to earth
Just for me and you.

We are glad Heavenly Father
Has sent him to us.
Oh, how we love
Our dad so very much.

He is so sweet
Like an apple pie,
Or maybe chocolate milk
My, oh my.

We are thankful
For Father’s Day.
To honor our dad
In a very special way!

Wrote this in June 2000. I was asked to write a poem for Father's Day and each dad at church was going to get a slice of apple pie. So I was asked to add the words "apple pie" in the poem. Silly poem I know, but I had fun writing it.

Poem: Smiles

Smiles are better for you
Smiles are uplifting too
Smiles are flattering
Smiles are mesmerizing
Smiles are pretty
Smiles are easy
Smiles are contagious
Smiles are such a must

Written by Kristi Patterson
May 29, 2009

Poem: Twin Sisters

Twin sisters Kindsey and Kendree went to school
It was winter so they were wearing all wool
The snow was so pretty that they wanted to play
They wanted to stay outside all the long day
When the bell rang the girls headed for class
As soon as they saw their teacher they wanted a pass
A pass so they could play in the snow
Yet their teacher said to them, "no, no no!"
So they sat down and stared out the window
They looked out the window at the beautiful snow
When school was over they ran threw the door
The girls wanted to play more and more
Snow balls were thrown, angels were made, they had fun all day
Kindsey and Kendree did not want to stop their play

Kristi Patterson
Written October 2002

Poem: Cookies

Cookies come in many a variety
Different textures, some are pretty.

Cookies are fun to mix and bake
I know what I want to make.

Cookies with nuts a great too
Or leave them out, it is up to you.

Cookies make a wonderful gift
Just what one needs for a lift.

Cookies are welcome at gatherings
Why not? They are quite pleasing.

Cookies are mouthwatering food
Everyone loves them for they are plain good!

Kristi Patterson

Poem: Being a Mother

What is it like being a mother?
It is having joy like no other.
The popular expression may be…
Being a mom is not always easy!
If you are a mother you are blessed,
It may not seem that way with little rest.
Good days and bad days blend together,
Your emotions can change like the weather.
You can be tired, cranky and frustrated,
And looking forward to going to bed,
But to hear your little one say, “I love you”,
Makes it worthwhile everything you do.
It does help to continually remember,
You chose this role of being a mother.
Another common phrase you will hear,
It is worth it! Even with a shedding of a tear.
Perfection is not required but doing your best,
Your job is to prepare your child to leave the nest.
Be careful not to judge yourself too harshly,
You weren’t mean to be a mom faultlessly!
Love your children and always yourself,
Being a mother is worth more than any wealth!

Kristi Patterson
September 16, 2010

Poem: I'm So Mean

I’m so mean, I make you clean your room
I’m so mean, You have to use the broom
I’m so mean, You are served healthy meals
I’m so mean, A shower you have to take
I’m so mean, I share the cookies I will make
I’m so mean, I make you brush your teeth twice a day
I’m so mean, That when chores are done you get to play
I’m so mean, I make you go to bed
I'm so mean, Enough said

Kristi Patterson
Written July 27, 2011


Poem inspired by my kids. Not too long ago this summer one of my daughters told me I am a mean mom. This day my daughter was fighting me on taking a shower. Anyways I starting to sing a song using similar words. I decided to make the words into a poem.

Poem: My Daughter Hillary

A wonderful thought I would like to share
Is a message that is dear to my heart
It is a part of my love for a beautiful child
Of a daughter of mine, a daughter of God
Not another thing can quite compare

What a blessing it is to see such a gift
A gift from Heavenly Father
A father who loves me as Hillary’s mother
A mother who has been given a special assignment
To teach her babe and to give her a lift

Through the coming of my daughter, my special little girl
I have learned a glorious lesson of what selfless love is
The love I have for her is very great
As I look at her my heart is exceedingly full
Her marvelous beauty conquers that of a pearl

I wish with all that is in me for her to succeed in life
And to also have success in heaven
I want to share an eternity with her
I want to share in the joys as her mother and as her friend
I look forward to watching her to someday become a wife

She is here for me to learn and to grow
To learn what it is like to be a mother
I am blessed to have her here with me
I am fortunate to be able to teach her
To teach her I love her and I hope she will always know

I know she will have dealings with strife
Her life will be full of learning and growth
I want her to be strong and fight for good
I want her to make the right choices
My goal for her is to have a wonderful life

She I do hope will learn to love those around her
To share her gifts that she has been given
She helps me in ways I hold dear to my heart
I know she will help others in need
I am thankful she was chosen to be sent to earth

I love her and I adore my little Hillary
She has been a special blessing to me
I am grateful for God for sending her to me
She’s in my thoughts and always in my heart
I shall forever love my sweet daughter Hillary

Kristi Patterson
Written August 27, 1995

Poem: Your Eyes

Your eyes so enthrall me
I get weak in the knees
It moves me like thunder
I feel I’d fall and plunder
I love them at the same moment
They look so beautiful and evident
Of the power that is within you
To make you exquisite and true
As I gaze into your eyes
I either see wreckage or paradise
I wonder what you think of
Maybe you look at me with love
For that is what I think of you
The love I feel for you each day grows new
I shall remember you forever
For your eyes work like a lure
A link between heaven and earth
I know your soul is filled with worth
Compassion and love I have for you
Do you not know what for you I would do
Your eyes are shining and are bright
I see goodness in you with all your might
When I read you this think of me
For your eyes so enthrall me


Kristi Patterson
February 15, 2004

Poem: In Memory of our Grandmother

Because of our Savior's love
Our Grandmother will be,
With all those
Who love her in eternity.
She will be embraced
With welcoming love,
By those who have been
Waiting for her from above.
Yes she is missed by,
So many that are here today.
She was indeed loved
In so many ways.
She is a daughter, a sister,
An eternal wife, a mother,
A grandmother, a cousin,
a niece, and aunt,
A friend, an example,
A daughter of God!
Because of our Father in Heaven,
She came to earth.
To learn His plan, to grow in faith,
And endure holding onto the rod.
This poem is written in love,
For our Grandmother...
Rosetta Belle Hardy
And for all those who love her so.
Especially her Savior, He loves her
Because of Him there is hope.
For all of us here comes the
Promised blessings of eternity.
I mourn at her passing,
Like so many of you,
Yet we know that someday
We will see her again,
If we endure to the end like,
Our Grandmother holding onto the rod.


Kristi Patterson
Written November 1997


I was blessed with the great opportunity to know my Grandma Hardy and love her very much. I was asked to write a poem for her funeral. After prayer and much thought these words came to mind. I hope to see her again someday and my other relatives who were here before me.

March 21, 2012

Sugar Cookies

1 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 Eggs
4 cups flour
2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 c milk
1 tsp. salt
Mix thoroughly. Roll and cut out shapes.
Bake at 350 degrees for 9 to 10 minutes.
Makes 25 large cookies or lots of small ones.

This was a recipe from my Grandma Eva Harmon.I changed it from her recipe that called for shortening. I now use butter.

BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES


1 Cup Softened Butter
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla 
3 Cups Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Teaspoons Hot Water
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Cups Chocolate Chips
Optional 1 Cup chopped Walnuts


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Beat eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

Potato Casserole

3-5 Pounds Potatoes
2 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup
½ cup Butter
16 oz. Sour Cream
1 ½ Cups Grated Cheddar Cheese
Optional ½ Cup Chopped Onions
½ cup Crushed Ritz Crackers or Crushed Corn Flakes

In medium saucepan warm the 2 cans cream of chicken soup. 
Add butter, sour cream, cheese, onions. Mix well.

Wash potatoes or peel potatoes 
and cut into cubes and boil until they are soft 
but not quite enough to mash. 

Put potatoes in your casserole dish and spread contents of the saucepan casserole dish. Crush Ritz crackers or corn flakes and then sprinkle over potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Orange Julius

6 oz. orange juice
1 cup milk
1 cup water
¼ to ½ cup sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
1 tray ice
Blend in blender.

March 18, 2012

Homemade Fudge Frosting

1 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Butter
1/4 Cup Milk
6 oz. Semi-Sweet or Dark Chocolate Chips

Boil sugar, butter and milk for one minute while stirring continually. Take off heat and immediately add the chocolate chips. Stir fast until smooth and spread on cake right away. It cools fast.

As an option you can add 1/2 to 1 Cup chopped nuts of your choice.


No Bake Cookies

½ cup milk
½ cup butter
2 cup sugar
2 TBS. cocoa
3 cups instant oatmeal

Stir together milk, butter, sugar and cocoa. Bring to a boil. Boil for five minutes. In bowl have oatmeal ready and pour in mixture and stir. Place large spoonfuls on cookie sheet and place in fridge. Ready in about a half an hour or so.

March 8, 2012

Kallee wearing a new outfit and showing off her curly hair 
that her big sister Hillary curled for her this morning.



Kendree

Kindsey
 All of these clothes besides the long sleeve of Kallee's I bought at the thrift store, Savers. All of the items were $2.99 to $4.99. Can't beat that. Even the Levi brand jeans Kallee is wearing was only $2.99.
 My girls were very pleased with the new clothes (new to them anyways). I also bought Kallee a super pretty skirt for church and more shirts. It takes a while at a thrift store to find the perfect thing, but the time it takes is very worth it.

March 7, 2012

Sunflowers



These are a few that are soon to open all the way. I love the process and stages. The top sunflower is as tall as I am and has about twelve buds.

Refreshing

Yesterday I was hot and thirsty and needed to eat something. I ate this bowl of grapes. It was so nice to eat good grapes that were so refreshing.

March 6, 2012

Red Trellis

This was my craft project that I did today. I used an old vinyl tablecloth on my dining room table and painted it with a sponge brush. I know it would of been a lot faster to spray paint it, but I do have a ton of paint already. I turned out as good as I thought it would. 

The hard part was digging a huge hole to put my grape plant in. I dug the huge hole and filled it with miracle grow potting soil and put in the grape vine and then watered it. It sounds easy, but takes work. I hope it does well. It would be awesome to have fresh grapes growing in the backyard.

This is the before picture.

March 5, 2012

Zoe my parakeet

I have had this parakeet for over seven years. 

Poem: FOOD

Food, glorious food,
Appetizing to the taste,
Yummy, scrumptious,
Let it not go to waste!

Food nurtures our body,
For strength and to sustain
Eating gives us contentment,
It can also be our gain.

Check your cupboards,
Find what pleases you,
Look in your fridge,
You know what to do.

Find a good recipe,
Or use your imagination,
Have fun and be creative,
Make your hearts sensation!

Share with someone,
A feast or a simple meal,
Satisfying another’s hunger,
Is quite a good deal!

Food, glorious food,
To eat with much pleasure,
We do have to eat to live,
In any variety or measure

Kristi Patterson
April 6, 2010

Homemade Pizza and Pizza Sauce

Makes one large pizza or 2-3 personal size pizza's.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

1 Cup Warm Water                    
1 Tablespoon Yeast                                               
Tablespoon Sugar  
                                                             
Pour warm water in bowl. 
Add the yeast and sugar. 
Let stand for ten minutes. 

1 Teaspoon Salt        
2½ Cups Flour                                               
1-2 Tablespoons Oil             
(I like to use melted coconut oil)


Add salt, flour and oil in yeast solution. 
Mix well and lightly knead or beat with mixer.
Pat or roll onto floured surface into a round shape. 
Spray cookie sheet  or pizza pan with cooking spray. 
Bake at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes. 

You can easily double the recipe or triple.
You can add oregano or other spices to the dough for extra flavor.


Pizza Sauce
Place ingredients in sauce pan and warm. 
You can vary spices depending on taste.
                              
8 oz. can tomato sauce
½ tsp. oregano
½ tsp. basil
¼ tsp. garlic powder
1/8 black pepper
Add salt to taste

Spice Cake

1 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Beat butter, sugar and eggs together. Stir in milk and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Recipe from my Grandma Eva Harmon. 
I use butter rather than shortening that my grandma used.

March 2, 2012

The haircuts...


I wrote about Kendree getting her hair cut. The next day I took Kindsey to get her hair cut. Both girls love their new hair style. These were taken before school this morning.

Poem: THE TEMPLE

There is a special place
I enter in
To help bring celestial life
To all women and men
The place is beautiful,
Divine and sacred
While there I am being
Spiritually fed
I knew I would go there since
I was a small child
To be ready we must be
Humble, meek and mild
Repentant and worthy
With a prayerful mind
Answers to questions,
Personal revelations to find
I have gratitude for the blessings
To able to enter therein
To feel close to our Father
While in there the veil is thin


Written by Kristi Patterson
February 7, 2010

March 1, 2012

Potato Casserole


3-5 Pounds of Potatoes
1 Can Campbell’s Condensed Soup Cheddar Cheese
1 Can Milk
1/2 Cup Butter
1 Cup Water
Optional 1 package of Crushed Ritz Crackers 

Wash and slice potatoes. Lay in casserole dish.
(I leave the peelings on but you can peel them if you prefer).

Melt in medium saucepan the soup, milk, butter and water.
Pour liquid on top of potatoes and add crushed Ritz crackers over top.

Lay foil loosely on top of dish. 
Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour.
Remove foil about 15 minutes before done.



Another variation is I boil the liquid and potatoes and just add a bit more water, enough to cover the potatoes. It is faster and tastes great.

Poem: FAMILIES ARE FOREVER

Families are forever
God is very clever
He wants us to love our families
That includes everyone in the family tree
Families are not perfect
At times life can get hectic
But if we all stay together
So we can be a family forever
Families should love unselfishly
And be united as a We
We should respect our mother and father
And cherish our sister and our brother
Families were destined for eternity
So please live with peace and harmony


Kristi Patterson 
Written 1997

Poem: I WALK ALONE

I walk alone
On stepping stone 
On graceful meadow
Through winds that blow

Yet someone is there
To hear my prayer
Who does love me
So dear and free
It makes me cry
The spirit touches my eye
As I look at beauty
To enjoy and see
Beauty covers the land
Made by God’s hands
Near mountain or hill
I listen to His will
As I walk through forest
I feel so blessed
That God made this earth
With all of it’s worth

Kristi Harmon
February 15, 2004