Play Time with Peyton

I feel so lucky that I’ve been able to spend so much time with P this summer. Especially since this is an age where I feel like he can do something new every day. That was probably why I had a hard time saying goodbye to him last Friday when I had to go to work.

My Inner Tom-Boy

Playing with Peyton has brought my inner Tom-Boy back out. I loved bugs when I was a girl, but when I hit my pre-teen years they suddenly got really gross. Now here I am catching grasshoppers, ladybugs, rolly polly bugs, and even daddy long legs. I do it all for the pleasure and amazement for my little boy.  

P's New Red Brick House

Peyton is finally in a big boy carseat which is a big deal, but that's not the best part. . . The best part was the big  box it came in. Using all of my skills gained from cutting so much cardboard for our chair we made my junior year of college, I decided to put it to good use. I decided to make a simple playhouse. It probably took me three hours from start to finish, but the reward paid off. . . 

While I painted the exterior,
Peyton worked on the interior 

I should have taken pictures of building the house, but when I'm in the moment I have a hard time remembering to take pictures along the way. Everything used, were items I already had lying around the house. For the door knob I used a cork, and on the shutters I used a little bit of velcro to help them stay shut. The nice thing about this little house is that it is made of cardboard so if I feel like it is in the way or if it is just falling apart I can toss it without being too attached. For now I just store it in our unit out back and bring it out when he wants to play in it. 

I feel so lucky to be given the opportunity to be a mom. It really is the most rewarding job! 

Have an excellent day!

  

A Trip to the Zoo

That title sounds like a start to a children’s book, and I suddenly feel the need to rhyme every word together, but alas I will refrain.

I have wanted to take Peyton to the zoo all summer, since he absolutely adores every animal. But I knew it would be more fun if he could go with other kids. He really feeds off of older kid’s energy. So I was excited when Holly invited us to go with her and her kids. We also had two very special guests join us; P’s nana and aunt Megan.

I think his favorite part was feeding the goats. He must of enjoyed the feeling of their sand paper tongues or something J He also did get excited when nana was showing him the monkeys. We have been working hard on animal noises and so far we’ve got the Hulk, a Lion, and every once in a while an elephant, a pig and a monkey. When we came to the lions he roared his terrible roar, which was very entertaining.

I hate to even mention it, but there was a sad part to this day. . .

I don’t know if anyone else gets this way, but when I am trying to drive somewhere I have never been to before I get stressed out. Which can I say is d-u-m-b, Dumb. So I am following my navigation to get to the zoo and I am getting stressed out. The navigation tells me to turn right a little late, so I make a hard right, and apparently the blazer does not have good turning radius, cause I slid. We're talking skid marks and the squealing of tires. Next thing I know there’s a stop sign in front of me and unmentionables are coming out of my mouth. I broke the stop sign clean off. I got out and checked my fender, and I was surprised to see it wasn’t all that bad. Bad enough that I would have to tell Blake, but not horrible J. The police came and did all the filing and sent me on my way. I was a little in shock after it happened that I could not stop shaking, but more than anything I was just embarrassed. Let me just say that I am so thankful that nobody got hurt, that nobody else was involved, that I have car insurance, and that Blake took it so well.

Here are some pictures from the little incident and I’m mad at myself for not taking a picture of the stop sign, but I kind of had other things on my mind at the time. 

Not too bad for running right over a stop sign right? When I told Blake, he just kept laughing while saying

 "I can't believe you ran over a stop sign, man I wish I was there." 

It was kind of like the movies, except for they are better at NOT hitting things. :-)

Oh well it is what it is and all I can do now is make the best of the situation, thus why I share this ridiculous tale on my blog. For all of you to mock at my driving.

Besides that it was a very fun day. I am so thankful to Holly for making her schedule work around mine so we could go together, defiantly worth it.

Have a great day, and drive safely :-)

Tips and Tricks on Putting Together and Hanging a Wall Collage

Working at Inspired Living: Design and Home Décor has taught me many important skills in decorating that you just can’t learn in school. One of those skills I would have to say is putting together a wall collage. Here are some tips and tricks on how you can put together your own wall collage.

#1           Think about what you have and draw it out

I am personally a very visual person and (especially when I get excited about something) I prefer to draw it out. All of the items I drew I already had except for the letter D, which I figured would be easy to find.

#2           Lay it out on the ground

If you absolutely hate drawing you can skip the first step and go onto this one. Sometimes this is easier to really see sizes, texture, etc. It is important to have items of different depths or shapes to add visual interest.

#3           Trace your collage onto a large piece of paper

By so doing you can see how high you should go above the furniture piece and easily see/remember where each piece needs to go. For placement of the hanger; I just poked a pin where I felt the hole of the frame’s hanger. I also saw a great idea here where you use wax paper so you can see through and mark where the holes of the frame’s hanger is.

#4           Start Nailing away

It’s funny my sweet husband is a stickler about everything being level and even, so he insisted on hammering the nails into the wall, which I was more than happy to let him do.

#5           Accessorize and enjoy your new wall collage

I’m always changing my shelf with the seasons, and when I find something better to use. The Christmas picture was taken 2 years ago it has changed since then. I do want to eventually buy a large 18” apothecary jar for the longer shelf, but I need to make a special trip to Tia Pan for that. Everywhere else I’ve looked around here is too expensive for my budget. 

It might not look like much, but we have come to really like our little apartment. It helps when you make it your own through decorating and baby toys :-)

I hope this was useful, if you have any questions feel free to comment or email me at chelseamccoy1989@gmail.com

A Summer Full of Fun

This summer has been so much fun, and not to mention very busy. So, alas I’ve been lacking on the blogging. Anther excuse is; I’ve been trying to be so good to keep up with my scrap book, and because I have already journaled the events I forget all about the blogging scene. Thus I give you an overload of pictures J

 Megan & Colby's Wedding

Blake's youngest sister Megan was married to Colby Tidwell in the Idaho Falls temple.

Fourth of July Weekend

We went to the Huntsman Firework show in Driggs and it was the best fire work show I'd ever been to. Blake would probably be mad that I am putting this on the world wide web, but he admitted to even tearing up during it. If you are in eastern Idaho during the fourth I would defiantly recommend going to this show, trust me you will not regret it. 

Our friends Kevin and Kimmie spent their fourth of July break with us. It was so fun to have them stay with us. They were friends we made back when we were first married and have been great friends ever since. We love it any time we get to see them. It was especially fun, because this was our first time meeting their little Emerson.

Davis Family Trip to Bear Lake

We just love going to Bear Lake. Where we go is just perfect if you have little ones. It takes a while to get out very deep, the water is warm, and the sand is ideal for building sand castles. This was a very fun, family filled weekend. It was so wonderful that everyone was able to be there so we could grow a little closer as a family. 

Camping at Jackson with my Family

A couple of days after we got back from Bear Lake Blake left to go drive truck for his brother in North Dakota. So when my parents invited me to go (tent) camping with them I was very unsure. I knew Peyton would have fun, but camping with a toddler ALONE is daunting. But my parents were a big help, and we had lots of fun during the day (as you can probably tell from Peyton's extremely dirty face). Night time however was a different story. Between my Dad's earth rattling snoring and Peyton waking up and crying through the night, ooh buddy it was a little rough. I decided that only staying three days and two nights would give me my fill :-)

The cool thing about the spot we go to; Colter Bay, Wyoming is that is the spot my mom's family went to when she was eight years old and has been going to every year ever since. Now since a lot of grand kids are married and live all over, its just one of those things if you want to go great, if you can't make it that's okay to.

It has been busy, busy. busy. But it is as Marjorie Pay Hinkley said:

"The trick is to enjoy life. Don't wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead."