Love, Life, & Games of Chelsea & James: September 2015

September 1

I started babysitting for Katie's boys! Casey, Stephen, and Kevin are energetic at 6am! Haha. For Young Women we had a Personal Progress party with popcorn and pop (soda). "Pop on over for Personal Progress" was the theme. The girls worked on their Personal Progress goals.

September 2

James and I went over to Liv & Matt's apartment where the boys did their fantasy football draft and the girls talked and watched tv. We had pizza from Piezoni's which was really good and the closest thing to Town Spa pizza that is nearby. Ice cream for dessert. We also played Battle of the Sexes from 2004 so it was a little outdated but pretty funny. We ended up playing Taboo instead and it was way fun! Matt & Liv are awesome!

September 3

The boys I babysit were sick, so it was a rough morning for all of us! We didn't even realize they all had fevers until after I left. I thought, "if I can do this when they are all sick and feverish, then I can definitely do this when they aren't sick even if it is at 6am!" Poor guys!

September 4

I had the privilege of babysitting cute little Brooke Crapo who's in my ward and lives close by. She's almost 3 going on 30. So cute and smart!

September 5

James and I hit some garage sales and got some good deals. We went to the farmer's market at Casey Farm which is on the drive to our church building. We LOVE this farm because it is overlooking the ocean! We brunched at Suzie Q's eatery, then did some grocery shopping. I chatted with Nans & Gramps on the phone, then we headed to the Christmas Tree Shops but didn't have any luck there. This was our little day date. James sanded the floors and I prepared my lesson for Sunday. I made shrimp alfredo for dinner and we watched House, M.D. A good day overall!

September 6

Happy 57th Anniversary to Nana and Grandpa! P.S. I sent this video to Ixchel because I knew she would laugh! It's a video clip of funny things primary kids say back from like the 80s or 90s.

September 7

I went to the Boston temple in the morning with Bobbie Lehnhof and her kids to help out with the primary temple activity. Then at noon I went with the Young Women to do baptisms for the dead. I helped them with their towels. It was weird being a leader instead of being one of the young women! Today was Labor Day so we had a BBQ at Goddard Park with the Lehnhofs, Bergesons, and Levins.

Me, McKenna (Mia Maid) and Hannah (Beehive) at the Boston temple

Baby Livie Lehnhof

Little Eddie Levin

The kids playing with the guys

James teaching them to play soccer!

Levins, Lehnhofs, Bergesons, Chapmans

September 8

I babysat Brooke again. She loves doing the United States Map puzzle!

September 9

Another play day with Brooke! I love Brooke's mom Kristie. She's become a great friend.

Brooke, Kristie & Peter Crapo

September 10

James and I ate dinner at the hospital and we ran into the Lehnhofs there because they had the same thought we did! I left from there to babysit Reed!

Baby Reed

September 11

I attended Book Club at Tami Ferrell's house. The ladies in my ward are so much fun to hang out with. It was a "back to school" theme and I brought apple juice. We discussed what books we want to read this year. Attendance: me, Bobbie Lehnhof, Ashley Levin, Ashley Miller, Lindsay Mease, Trisha Freel, Megan Caswell, Alysa Smith, and Tami Ferrell at her gorgeous house. The food was so good and the company was fantastic!

Doctor James at work

September 12

James and I woke up early to make the 9am session at the Boston temple. I did a family initiatory and endowment and James did an endowment as well. It was great and we loved being in the celestial room. My first time since the dedication in 2000 with President Hinckley! We drove to Stoughton for Town Spa pizza after. Then Crescent Ridge for ice cream of course. Perfection. James had 3 scoops! Cookie dough, cake batter, and Heath bar. I had chocolate extreme and salted caramel chocolate pretzel. When we got home I picked up some free stuff at leftover garage sales :) I grocery shopped, cleaned the kitchen, swept the floors, cleaned our room and did a load of laundry while James sanded the floors all night.We were both exhausted by the end of the day!

Boston Temple date with my love

Cheesy goodness of Town Spa

Hugest ice cream scoops!

September 13

We had a great Sabbath day. I called Nana & Gramps for Grandparent's Day. They are both doing well, I miss them so!

September 14

I started the 21-Day Fix! We'll see how it goes...

September 15

We made temple time capsules at mutual with the young women in preparation for Young Women in Excellence!

Hannah and the young women working on their temple time capsules!

September 16

The 21-Day Fix is going strong!

My little orange container filled with raw peanuts for a snack!

September 17

Mom came to town to help me around the house! She and I did a bit of sanding along the edges and got the house ready for the cleaning people.

Thanks momma!

September 18

While the cleaning company erased all signs of sand and dust from our dusty house, mom and I went shopping at Providence Place. We bought plugins from Bath & Body Works, bedding from Marshalls, a tropical dress from H&M, and we lunched at the Nordstrom restaurant (it's SO good).The chef custom-made Mom her favorite BBQ chicken pizza to fulfill her 12 year craving. I had the 21-day fix portion of strawberry chicken salad and some of her pizza. It was to die for! Love my mom.

All the dust from sanding!

The shelves look yellow but it's all saw dust!

Glamming it up in the dressing room.

People say we look like sisters but we're mother & daughter!

Mom's gourmet bbq chicken pizza with fresh pineapple

My yummy strawberry chicken salad!

September 19

Mom left and Dad visited to help James stain the hardwood floors now that the house is dust-free! Thanks boys, it looks great!

Great work guys!

The stain against the sanded floors.

Looks awesome!

September 20

Great day at church. We had pork carnitas for dinner and I did a little yoga. Piper sent me this picture of her donated hair!

She looks so sophisticated with her new hair cut!

September 21

There was a nasty mouse scurrying around in the basement! (We are living in the basement until the floors upstairs are complete) I had to live with it running around for 3 hours before James came home from work and killed it with a broom. Eek!

Ew the mouse in the corner didn't stay there for very long!

September 22

I babysat the Carbone boys this morning. James and I went to a recruiting dinner by EMP in Providence at Siena restaurant. The food was really good but I limited myself because of the 21 Day Fix. We sat next to the Lehnhofs and Joe & Meaghan. We had fun chatting with them!

Fancy at Siena!

September 23

I babysat Brooke today. The cleaning crew came to our house to touch up the settled dust. Then the floors got the first coat of polyurethane on it! I did my visiting teaching and saw Alysa Smith today!

In love with how it turned out!

Panoramic of the living room and dining room.

September 24

I babysat the Carbone boys again. I went to Payless and picked up the shoes I ordered, then did some grocery shopping. I exercised then went to the Relief Society activity. We learned about canning. I won some peach/apricot jam!

The boys wrote this for me!

Homemade jam winnings

September 25

Hailee & Jake Oman had their baby girl Jaylie! She is a doll! My visiting teacher Sue Bentley came over today. I saw another mouse in the basement and I freaked out! I bought some sheer curtains for the dining room and ate my chocolate cake from the dessert at Siena and we watched House together.

Gorgeous baby girl Jaylie Oman!

Cute mouse in the window sill gives me gross goose bumps

September 26

Productive day today! James and I also went to a fundraiser dinner with the hospital people and RI congressman at Capital Grille in Providence as we watched WaterFire. We mostly had fun talking with Joe & Meaghan and enjoyed the fanciness of the evening. The view of WaterFire was exceptional.

Feeling fancy at WaterFire

September 27

Ward choir practice before church. We sang Render Thanks in preparation for Thanksgiving. The student who is rotating at Kent we found out is LDS. His name is Landon and he is staying with the Lehnhofs. I gave my lesson in Young Women's about why we fast and pay tithing. Then I visited Tracey Byrnes who I visit teach after church (I found out much later that Tracey and my dad are old friends from when they were teenagers. Crazy!). Then I went home teaching with James and we visited the Wall family. Then we went home to eat after fasting all day, then we went over to Love's house to get a small table from her since she is moving to Hawaii post residency! Then James and I went home teaching to the Ponce family. They have 7 dogs! It was a busy Sunday but wonderful.

September 28

I watched the General Women's Conference and enjoyed that. I babysat for a family that lives close by. Zoe is 3 and Logan is 1 and they are adorable. I picked up a 3-yr-old used air conditioner unit for $20. James and I watched House. Today was his first day of his surgery rotation so he was pretty tired!

General Women's Conference was just what I needed to hear!

Zoe loved when I started drowning her in the "ball pit"

Logan is such a happy boy!

September 29

I babysat the Carbone boys, then cleaned the bathroom and took a nap. The young women did a service activity for Vicki Joss in our ward. We took her a hot meal because her shoulder has been hurting. Bri made yummy pumpkin snickerdoodles for us. Poor James was so tired. We both had bad allergies. Sleeping in the basement on our mattress on the floor is sometimes bad. Especially when a centipede bites you in the middle of the night! Yes the centipede bit me and not James! I couldn't sleep after that. Plus it was so hot and humid that night!