The Patchwork Chronicles

The Best Renovation Home!!

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 00:35:00 +0000

Have you seen the Blog Cabin 2011 Renovation? This has got to be the best makeover I have ever seen!! I can’t even fathom all of the work it took on this home to make it this stunning!!!

Click on the pic to go to the website to see all the before and afters!! You’ll be amazed :)

Tomorrow

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 02:54:00 +0000

A local artist put this piece together for Kylee and I think it is phenomenal! So fitting for her life. Click the link below and enjoy!!

Tomorrow (Kylee Nicole)

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!

Firework Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 04:32:00 +0000

This past weekend we had an event in town called Tongie Days. There are craft booths, vendors, food, kids’ games, car shows, BBQ cook-offs, and lots of fun. At the end of the night there were fireworks!

We got some ice cream at Sonic for the kids to eat before the fireworks started.

It was a very busy, fun-filled day that I will remember for a long time! Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pics at Tongie Days because I was crazy busy running my booth.

Here is a pic of James’ lovely black eye :( Along with the blue hair extension that he got at Tongie Days!

{he keeps catching the baseball with his face instead of his glove.}

Forgive me for my clothes. I was dressed up all day for my booth and the only way I was going to see fireworks was if I was in some comfy clothes!

Notice anything different on me? My hubby bought me a hot pink hair extension too. Not sure what I think of it yet but he likes it…

Parker looks like this EVERY time he eats ice cream. It ended up between his eyes!

I LOVE MY KIDDOS!!

When you have a teenager, you usually have some extra kids around. At least in my house. I would rather them hang out at my home rather than me not knowing where they are.

I had a GREAT weekend!!

How did you spend your’s?

Hijacked!

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 03:34:00 +0000

Looks like someone got ahold of my camera.

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!!

Is It Really That Hard?

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Mon, 23 May 2011 16:34:00 +0000

Getting my hubby to take a nice picture with me is seriously impossible! He makes the dumbest faces and then since he knows it aggravates me, he continues!

He is one of those guys that makes you so mad but then makes you laugh at him! How in the world can I get so irritated at someone yet they can make me laugh? That makes me ever madder, I tell ya!! I want to stay mad at him because he can irritate me to no end sometimes, and yet it’s impossible!

So it was Mother’s Day and I wanted a “nice” pic with him.

This one he was being too serious and I was “yelling” at him and accidentally snapped the picture.

This one “looked” like a good shot but I zoomed in WAAAAYYYY to much! Darnit!!!

After the zoom fail, I handed the camera over and thought for sure since Brian halfway smiled in the previous one, then I was for sure going to get a good pic. Not so much. He kept moving and being silly! What is wrong with this man?!?!

Ugh – I give up! Do all men make dumb faces like that or just mine?! I guess, I’ll take what I can get :)

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 :)

Laptop Personality

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Thu, 19 May 2011 01:45:00 +0000

This vinyl stuff could very well become a dangerous addiction for me.

I’ve seen laptop designs before so I thought I would whip some of my own up.

Actually, I have a confession to make. This isn’t my laptop. It’s my hubby’s. I don’t think he’s going to be to happy to see that I was playing around and decorated it. He’s going to argue that it doesn’t match his style ;)

If the boys in my life were old enough for laptops, I’m thinking they would love the sports one. James is playing baseball right now and would LOVE the “Play Ball” one.

Sip in Style

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Eaton) — Wed, 18 May 2011 03:18:00 +0000

Since getting my new Silhouette machine I have been itching to try out some new things to show off.

It’s no mystery that I like to drink wine in occasion. I enjoy the flavor of it and have come to appreciate the unique flavors that each wine boasts. Therefore, I thought my wine glasses needed a little makeover!

Boring, plain wine glasses no more – no you can Sip in Style!

“Will Trade Husband for Wine” with two flower decals and embellished with Swarovski crystals.

Grape decals embellished with Swarovski crystals. I think this is one of my fav’s!

“Make Me Wine” with three pink flower decals embellished with Swarovski crystals.

“It’s Wine O-Clock Somewhere” with burst design on back embellished with pearls.

“Wine-O” with pink flower decal and embellished with Swarovski crystals.

“You Had Me At Merlot” with pink grapes embellished with Swarovski crystals.

“Wines Constantly” in pink with a black flower embellished with Swarovski crystals.

“Mommy’s Sippy Cup” and “Grandma’s Sippy Cup” embellished with Swarovski crystals.

Grapevines embellished in Swarovski crystals and pearls.

“Drinks well with others” with a pink burst design embellished with Swarovski crystals.

I like them so much that I am going to try to get them into some local wineries and boutiques. I opted for Swarovski crystals because of the high quality and beauty that comes with each crystal.

I have to admit these are stunning! I hope you think so too!

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!