The Patchwork Chronicles

Smile!

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 03:08:00 +0000

I’ve been gone for awhile. Maybe you didn’t notice. Keep reading and pretend you did though. It will give me the “feel goods”.

This has been a crazy month for my family. Of course the 4th of July always brings fun and happiness. Then on the 6th was my 9 year anniversary.

On the 7th was when our world was totally turned upside down. I got the worst phone call anyone could ever get.

My 16 year old niece was killed in a car accident. It was a very tragic situation and one that I hope no mother or father has to endure. Being my niece it was very hard on my immediate family but my heart just aches for my brother and sister-in-law.

Kylee Nicole was a very sweet, old soul and it was evidenced by the beautiful service that was given for her. Looking back at her life, many of us have seen that maybe somehow Kylee somehow inherently knew that her time here was limited. I know that no one ever knows for sure, but looking back at some circumstances, we wonder. She has a license plate on her bedroom door that reads “4-Ever 16” It’s strange how things work out sometimes.

“Smiley Kylee” was her nickname because she always wore a smile wherever she went. No matter her mood, she smiled. She was a follower of Christ who made it known to anyone that she met.

Life won’t be the same without Kylee around to boost everyone’s spirits. There are so many trivial “words” that can be said but none of them really seem to matter anymore. It’s simply too young for a girl to end her journey in this place we call home. She is forever home waiting for us now. While we struggle to understand why, she will be looking down on us and reminding us to “SMILE”.

So tonight before you go to bed, give your babies an extra hug and “smile” from Kylee. She is smiling down on us in joy that we are spreading the love that she was put her to give.

Our 4th of July in Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:18:00 +0000

We had a good 4th with the exception of Dad having to be at work on the actual holiday and Alysia being in Texas visiting her dad. We did hang out with some friends on Saturday while Dad was in town and then again on Monday. Unfortunately Dad didn’t get in town on Monday until about 10 pm. After all the hooplah pretty much over.

James learning how to shoot a gun! He was in heaven….me…not so much!

And what’s the 4th without a fire started by the boys… :/

This was the one and only sparkler that Parker tried. He didn’t like them so much.

There you have it! Better late then never, right?

Get Your Groove Back..

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:01:00 +0000

Tie dye is making a comeback and what better way to end summer and kick off a new school year than with an awesome Tie Dye Creation!

AND…who doesn’t LOVE sidewalk chalk? How about creating your own?!

If you’re local, then mark your calendars for August 6! It's going to be a Tie Dye/Chalk End Of Summer Party!!!

Bring the kids and come tie dye a shirt and make some chalk!!

Saturday, August 6

3:00-5:00 pm

Chieftain Park – Tonganoxie

$8 pre-registration/provides tie dye and chalk materials

You bring your own shirt/hat/socks/bag/scarf to dye.

I’m also trying to line up having some shaved ice there!

More details to come!! Hope to see everyone there!

How are you staying “COOL” this summer?

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 16:51:00 +0000

We finally broke down and got a pool pass this year. Therefore you’re going to be getting a lot of pics of the kiddos in the water.

Parker – he isn’t scared of the water, AT ALL!! He will walk into the big pool and keep walking no matter if it’s deeper than him at all.

James was never that brave. He loves the water but has always been a little more apprehensive. James is in swimming lessons this year and is LOVING IT!! He can now go under water without holding his nose! That’s a HUGE accomplishment for him :)

Summer fun at the pool! I love it!!

It reminds me of when I was a little girl and we would spend ALL day, EVERY day there.

So if you’re looking for us and can’t find us, that’s probably where we’ll be :)

How are you staying “cool” this summer?

Poppa’s Boy

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 03:57:00 +0000

This little boy LOVES his Poppa.

If anyone knows anything about Parker, they know how shy he is and how it takes him forever to warm up to people. Including family. No matter how many times you see him!

My brother-in-law calls him “Fifty First Dates”. If you know anything about the movie, you know that on every date, the guy has to start all over in wooing the girl to fall in love with him again. She does by the end of the date but the next time she sees him, it starts all over again.

That’s Parker. EXCEPT when it comes to his Poppa! There is something about my dad that this little boy loves and is so attracted to. He can spot him from a mile away!

I just know it makes him feel so special inside…and that is so special to me!

Our First Pick of the Season!

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 03:57:00 +0000

We have radishes!! And according to Parker, “They are Peppy”…meaning spicy!

Mmmmm…..oh so yummy in the salads I have had them in!

I can’t wait to start getting all the other goodies in our garden! It’s the best part of summer to me!

First of the Season!

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 03:29:00 +0000

There is not much else that speaks “summer” to me than SMORES!

Okay, okay….so it was to hot to have a campfire in 95 degree weather so we made them indoors.

BUT…I redeemed myself and we ate them outside :)

I must admit, the microwave SMORES are pretty good for those of you that have been wondering! And they’re WAY less messy than the campfire ones.

Want to entertain your kids one night? Make them in the microwave. 20 seconds MAX!

The marshmallows get REALLY BIG!

Your kiddos will love it :)

Kids + Summer + Heat + Water = FUN

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 04:07:00 +0000

If you like pics, then you’re going to love this post! I’ve got lots of them for ya!

It was a hot day at home so we pulled out the sprinkler and let the boys have fun…

I’d say by the looks on their faces, they had a BLAST!

What has the start of your summer looked like?

How Does Your Garden Grow?

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 02:30:00 +0000

Ours is slowly but surely coming along. I can’t get those pesky weeds to stay out though. If my life didn’t include taking care of kids and a husband, I’d be out there all day weeding and it STILL wouldn’t be done!

Out of 17 tomato plants, we have TWO fruits!! YEAH!!!

And look at those blooms just ready to burst with more fruit :) I can’t wait! There is nothing better about a garden than fresh, homegrown tomatoes!!

Zucchini is another favorite of mine and out plants are VERY healthy!! I see alot of zucchini bread, fried zucchini, and spaghetti sauce with zucchini, just to name a few, in our future!

Mmmm…mmmm…good!! I can’t wait to watch these blooms turn into veggies!

Our green bell pepper plants are so tiny, but they are all bearing LOTS of peppers! We’re still waiting for the red bell pepper – we have some tiny blooms but now pepper yet :)

Our green beans look a little sad. Ignore the weeds – it’s the one spot I haven’t gotten to in the entire garden. We have pesky bugs eating all over them >:( I’m going to spray some big killer on them tomorrow because they look so sad…

BUT…even though the leaves look puny, WE HAVE GREEN BEAN BUDS!

We do have onions and radishes too! The onions look like they are just a big mess of weeds and the radishes….well…they are going crazy too! There are even a few of them already popping through the ground that look big enough to pick!

Our second “little” garden on the south side of the house, isn’t so little anymore!! We simply took our pumpkins that we carved last Halloween and dumped them in this spot that we NEVER use. We thought it would be neat to see how it turned out and is nothing else, it would be fun to see what it did! Let me tell you….this “little” spot is about 5 feet long right now and about 3 feet deep. Not bad for something rotten pumpkins we just threw out!

Move all those big leaves….and we have literally “hundreds” of pumpkin blooms!! I better get to looking at some pumpkin recipes considering I’ve never cooked with real pumpkin. The closest thing I’ve done is pumpkin pie with canned pumpkin. If you’re local and want some pumpkins…we might have a lot…that you can have!! I’m anxious to see how big they grow!

It’s officially the start of summer here!! School is out and the garden is blooming! That means summer to me more than any calendar day…

PLAY BALL

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:29:00 +0000

James started baseball this year and so far I’m thinking it might just be “his” sport. In the past he has tried Tae Kwon Do, wrestling, and boy scouts, to name a few. He never ends up liking any of them. We’ll see how this one goes. He did GREAT for his first game :)

GO JAMES!!

Barnyard Babies

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 03:36:00 +0000

There was a Barnyard Babies event at the local Agricultural Hall. Unfortunately, it was a cool day. You never know in Kansas what weather you will get in Spring. Nonetheless, the kids had fun :)

Doesn’t look like a pretty Spring day with those clouds :(

I LOVE this pic!! They aren’t showing how much they “hate” each other :)

THIS is more like it :)

Field Day in Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Sun, 29 May 2011 13:14:00 +0000

Flower Goodness

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Sun, 29 May 2011 03:47:00 +0000

It’s been busy around here lately – and just like last time – I’m behind on blogging about my happenings around here.

The best thing that happened this week -

SCHOOL IS OUT which means IT’S SUMMER!!!

What’s summer without flowers… and playing in the water. For a two-year old, it is NEVER too cold for that.

I hope you are enjoying the start to your summer!!

Ladies Night!

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Fri, 27 May 2011 03:38:00 +0000

Tonight was Ladies Night at a local winery. H Avenue {a local clothing store in Tonganoxie} was having a fashion show there along with a booth. About a week ago, the owner asked me to model some of them fashions tonight and I graciously obliged. I was actually very excited to do it :)

It was a BLAST!! The other ladies there were close to my age so I didn’t feel like the “old” one. When you’re in your mid 30’s, you tend to feel like the “old” one really quick. My hubby has been calling me a “super model” all week! He’s so sweet!!

Thank Donna and Nick for letting me hang out with you tonight and showing off your fantabulous clothes!!

Green Thumb or Not?

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Sat, 21 May 2011 22:59:00 +0000

We shall see!

We decided to put a garden in this year. We planted it about a month ago and I am just that behind in blogging about it. The last time we had a garden was in 2003. I vowed to never have a garden again because they are soooo much work.

As you can see, the hubby broke me down and I agreed! Sure he’ll help me…just as he did when planting it. He LOVES supervising! It’s what he does best.

Me “really” making sure that I am planting right. Big Daddy kept telling me the plants weren’t lining up. I just don’t think it’s that big of a deal but apparantly, Big Daddy does.

This one – kept disappearing! I can tell he’s gonna help a lot when I need it!

Everytime Alysia’s “friend” comes over we put him to work it seems like. AND, he keeps coming back…

Neighbor girls giving us a hand. It got really boring, really quick for them though. I told one of them she could come back everyday and help me weed, etc. I haven’t seen her since :)

Mr. Parker was a big help digging holes – IN ALL THE WRONG SPOTS! My thoughts? “At least he’s entertained and not trampling our hard work.

Looky there – I have proof that he “supervised!”

Where’s Alysia ? Behind the camera. My kids never work…. I do have to admit that she did get dirty that day though. She dug right along with me. And she was in a pleasant unteenager like way! It was so very nice!!

Next, I’ll post some pics of how things are coming along. Our pumpkins are going CRAZY already! I’m excited to see how those turn out!

Icing Fail – Help!

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Fri, 20 May 2011 18:25:00 +0000

Technically, today isn’t James’ birthday. It’s on June 22. But, since it falls in the summer, he gets to celebrate at school today!

I’m thinking his party this year is going to Army themed and so I thought this would be a good time to attempt some camouflage cupcakes.

They’re “okay”. I think I need to work on the camo technique a little bit more. I just mixed some green icing together and then used chocolate for the brown. I folded them together very lightly and then dumped it all in my piping gun. They were so-so in the beginning {what you see} but towards the end the colors were mixing a little too much and it looked more like “poop”. I’m really hoping the kids don’t mind that resemblance :)

Any suggestions?

A Kid’s Favorite Toy

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Fri, 20 May 2011 03:47:00 +0000

BOXES!

You can spend a butt load of money on presents but when it comes down to it all the kids REALLY like are the boxes.

You’d think as parents we would learn this sooner rather than later.

Parker is no exception to that.

He LOVES when I get boxes in the mail. It’s not long before his entire bed is made around the “box fort”.

There seems to be an endless cycle of forts that are built in my front room. On any given day if you come to visit, you might just have to take cover in one :)

A rarity that has me baffled…

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Tue, 17 May 2011 03:58:00 +0000

This weekend has been a whirlwind. Not because we were overly busy but just because we didn’t really get much sleep.

Parker had his adenoids removed on Friday. All seemed to go well. He was pretty upset when I went to meet him in the recovery room but I’m assuming that’s to be expected when a 2-year old wakes up in a strange place and can’t find his mommy and daddy.

His attitude was pretty good the whole day and throughout the weekend. He’s a grouchy kid – that was nothing out of the ordinary.

It’s nighttime when things change up and become weird.

Parker has NEVER in his life been afraid to go to bed. Out of all my kids he has been one of my best sleepers. When it’s time for bed there are no tears and he does exactly what he needs to do.

Until now. He is deathly afraid to go to sleep for some reason! When we lay him down at night he has to be holding our hand or touching us in some way. Then when he does finally fall asleep it doesn’t last very long until he is in our bedroom crying.

Now let me tell you…I’m a momma and I know the different cry’s that my children have. It’s something that us momma’s learn somehow when we are pregnant. This cry is not something that he is using to just try to get into bed with us. It is a deathly afraid cry! Something that I have never heard from him before.

He then sleeps with us the rest of the night and the entire time, one of us has to be touching him. When we aren’t he is awake and crying again. He is seriously up ever hour on the hour all night long crying and freaking out. The only thing that I can come up with is that he was so traumatized when he was put under during surgery that he is scared to death to go to sleep for fear of where he will wake up. I feel so bad for him!

There is one other thing. ALL day long, Parker doesn’t complain of anything hurting him. The adenoid surgery in and of itself has virtually no pain associated with it after the fact. Therefore, there should be no pain that he is aware of.

Now only at night when he wakes up screaming scared to death, he says “OW”!! I ask him where it hurts and he opens his mouth and points to the inside of it. I can’t see anything of why there would be pain. And he doesn’t complain of any pain during waking hours. I even went to far as to alternate Motrin and Tylenol all night long to help alleviate any pain that he may have been having. It didn’t work.

Now, I know I may sound absolutely crazy when I say this, but I have read reports of rare cases in which individuals go under during surgery but yet can still feel everything and is aware of everything that is happening around them.

It just makes me wonder with my son. Why would he be suddenly scared to death to go to sleep? AND why would he act like he is in pain when all during the day he isn’t? Is he scared that something is going to hurt him when he sleeps??

I feel so bad for him as there is virtually nothing I can do for him other than be by his side right now. Any suggestions? I want my poor baby to sleep better at night knowing that I am and will always be here for him!

The Best Enchiladas You’ll EVER Eat!

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Tue, 10 May 2011 04:39:00 +0000

These really are the best enchiladas ever. My family LOVES them and looks forward to when I make them. I don’t know that I would call them true “Mexican” enchiladas, but I did learn how to make them from my ex-mother-in-law, who is Hispanic.

Brown 1 pound of ground hamburger {we use turkey because it’s healthier – I honestly can’t taste the difference}

Add one small onion and cook thoroughly.

Add one small can of cream of mushroom soup and one small can of tomato soup. This will be the innards of the enchiladas.

Total yumminess, I promise!

While the meat is cooking, very “quickly” cook corn tortillas in a small fry pan of oil. You are just wanting to get the tortillas soft and pliable. If you don’t cook them long enough, they’ll get mushy. If you cook them too long, they’ll be too crisp. You might ruin a few getting used to it, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll never forget. It’s somewhat of an art, but well worth it in the end.

Dip your tortilla in enchilada sauce of your choice. Today I used the traditional red sauce but we have used the “green” and it is totally yummy! Especially made with chicken :)

Top with cheese – LOTS OF CHEESE!

Layer in a baking dish. I usually make two layers.

Pour any remaining enchilada sauce over the top and top with all the cheese you can find in the house! You can never have too much cheese on them, in my opinion.

Pop in the oven at 375 degrees and bake for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is a melted gooey goodness!!

Mmmmmm….mmmmmmm……good!!

My First Vinyl Project

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Fri, 06 May 2011 13:22:00 +0000

Remember how I told you I finally got a Silhouette?! I have had it for about a week and a half now and last night I FINALLY did my first vinyl project.

It’s no secret that I like wine. I usually have a few glasses a week. I thought it would be cute to jazz up my wine glasses with some cut vinyl.

I’m still debating on whether the font is too big or not. What do you think? Overall, I think it turned out good!

I am participating in an event at a local winery in June and I think this is the perfect item to take with me. I’m going to work with some other sayings so that I have a wide variety for my customers.

It’s Friday!! I hope you have a great start to the weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Teacher Appreciation

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Thu, 05 May 2011 02:53:00 +0000

This week is Teacher Appreciation week at school. Each day has a special theme. Monday was “Wear Teacher’s Favorite Color Day”. Tuesday was “Sweet Day”. Today was “Flower Day”.

Tomorrow is “Office Supply Day”. You are encouraged to bring something that will enhance the teacher’s desk.

This is what I came up with. Actually, I copied the idea from Eighteen 25. {By the way, hers is so stinkin’ cute!}

Other than the fillers, I already had everything else. AND, the fillers were on clearance at Wal-Mart.

Total cost of this gift: $6.00

I think ALL teachers are worth a little something special!

What have you done for teacher appreciation week? I’d love to see!

Wrong Diagnosis

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Wed, 04 May 2011 16:39:00 +0000

Could it be? My son was diagnosed with poison ivy about a week and a half ago. He was put on an oral steroid for 7 days. He completed it and the rash wasn’t want better. I called the Dr. and she said that it can take up to 21 days for the rash to go away.

Personally, I would think that after being on an oral steroid for 7 days, the rash wouldn’t be as severe. To this day he itches like crazy!

Also, in my experience, poison ivy seems to follow a trailing nature when it breaks out on your skin. I have it on my arm right now and every time I get it, it looks the same. This just doesn’t look like the same thing to me. Now, I’m not sure what poison oak or poison sumac do to the body when you are allergic so it could be something like that.

The poor thing is just miserable. He itches himself raw when he is sleeping and then since he is so active, sweat and the rash don’t mix well.

What do you think?

I Spy – Time Gone By

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Tue, 03 May 2011 03:02:00 +0000

Memories of fun times on my hubby’s phone. I don’t sync his phone very often therefore I don’t really see what pics he takes in everyday life.

These are some shots that have reminded me how fast time flies by us…

James being an AWESOME big brother!

I can not sleep when there is ANY noise around me. In order to get a nap with Parker during the day, I had to wear ear plugs. They are VERY fashionable! And…seriously – the ladybug Branson shirt! What was I thinking?!?!

Ignoring the fact that I look like a ghost, this adorable pic shows how Parker lost all of his hair when he was little with the exception of a small come over in the front :)

I love seeing my boys together. I pray that they have a very close relationship as they get older.

This pic shows me just how much James has grown! To me he still have a baby look in this pic….he doesn’t anymore :(

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this pic!!

Another visit to the ER…hit in the head with a metal baseball bat.

Someone got a hold of Dad’s phone :)

Priceless…

First lost tooth…in second grade!

My boys hanging out at the “bar”!

Parker woke me up a bit too early so I was lounging on the couch with Parker. They both thought there was plenty of room to snuggle with me…

Alysia after she tried to jump a creek mushroom hunting. Yes…her pullover is on backwards and upside down. That’s how she rolls!

It’s Big Daddy going 69 miles an hour on a train. For some reason, I’m thinking there’s another reason he took this pic ;)

It’s bittersweet to look back at old pictures! I’m going to hug my babies one extra time tomorrow!

Tis The Season

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Mon, 02 May 2011 03:46:00 +0000

There was a time that I didn’t know about the secret hunting of Morel mushrooms. IT IS A BIG THING by so many people! My hubby has hunted morel mushrooms for more years than he can count.

Now as a family, we look forward to this time of the year…just for the morel mushrooms!

They’re pretty AND quite tasty! Coming from someone that HATES mushrooms…

CRAZY PIC – but I had never seem a mushroom so big!!

I SPY – Jelly Beans!

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 04:13:00 +0000

It’s a tradition in our family for the Easter Bunny to hide jelly beans around the house. My mom started it when I was a little girl and I have done it ever since. My hubby thought I was nuts the first year I did it when he was around.

The kids LOVE it though!

Unfortunately, at 11:00 at night, the pics aren’t the best.

On top of the gumball machine! I’m sure Parker will be the first to find these! Ever since I filled it with gumballs, that’s the first stop he makes in the morning. And if you’re wondering if I give him one as soon as he wakes up? Maybe…depends on my mood!

This is on the shelf above the gumball machine by the front door. I knew there was a reason I hadn’t put candles back in the votive holders.

These are in the corner of my photo frames.

I’m wondering how many of these will be in the same spot when we wake up? The cat may get a little curious tonight….

These are sure to be found. They’re on each bar stool…

I must say, I LOVE this tradition that my mother started no matter how “silly” my hubby thinks it is. Hopefully it will be something that is done with my grandchildren someday :)

What are some of your traditions?