I am finally being productive and learning things to improve our home!

I am finally doing some things to make the home a little more organized. I am also learning to be a more creative wife and mother. I put together a shelfing unit for the spare bedroom. We have needed storage for things that tend to become clutter around the spare room so last week I bought a fun shelf that had nine squares where we could store baskets of things. I put the shelf together while Mark was out and about doing something with school. The spare room still isn't done though. There are still a couple boxes full of stuff and some more that need to be walked across the complex to the garbage. The last picture is how it turned out with the baskets.

I am trying to start an effort to coordinate the colors in the house. Our living room is a lot of neutrals and rich colors just like our bedroom and master bath. The guest bath is full of bright greens, yellows, reds, blues, and oranges so I am going to try to decorate the spare room in bright colors too. I don't know how it will work but I figure if I am going to be spending money on things they need to be things I will use for years. A little kids room can be bright so I hope it works.

Today was our stake Women's Day. There were a ton of classes to choose from, but since I am still having a tough time at school I chose the fun classes rather than the low key spiritual or intense physical classes. My first class was a floral centerpeice class. I always wanted to take the floral design class at BYU but rushed through all my classes so I could be eligible for an early internship. It was good to have a florist come and actually give me usable tips and tricks. This is the centerpiece we made in the class.

My second class taught me how to give simple haircuts. Mark doesn't know this yet but I think I am going to try my skills on him next time he needs a cut. I figure if he lets me practice on him then by the time we have a little boy I will a pro!

The third and last class was a cake decorating class. I have a sister that is amazing with cakes. She does 3D cakes and other really fantsy stuff, so I really wanted to at least get some basics under my belt. The class wasn't what I thought it would be, because I still don't know how to make icing flowers or anything like that. I did had a ton of fun in the class though, and I actually feel like I can put something that looks nice on the table for Mark's B-day in a couple of months!

Now it is time for an update about Mom. Yesterday she had her surgery. The doctor that they wanted was able to get her into his schedule, so that was really good! Once he got her in for the surgery he decided that he couldn't save her shoulder so she now has a metal ball in her rotator cuff (I think that is what it is called). They had to drive the metal spike 2/3 of the way down her arm because the break at the top of her arm didn't provide a place for the stake to be grounded. Right now she is in the hospital and they are still trying to figure out her pain meds. I talked to her just a bit ago and she said the meds they had her on at first weren't doing much. So now they are fiddling around with them to see what her body will react to the best. She will be in the hospital in Murray for another day or so and will be checked out sometime Sunday. It will still be a while before she can use her arm though. She has something like 8 weeks of no movement, then 6 weeks of small movements, and 6 weeks with more movement but no resistance. I am not sure when she will get back to normal but it sounds like it will be a while. The doctor said for sure no skiing this winter. :-(

She is staying as positive as can be expected, but needs a little more support as her recovery starts. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for Mom this past week, it means a lot to both of us. It helps to know that people all over care for our family!

PS: Congratualations to my sister Karissa Smallwood, she just publicly announced that she is 11 weeks pregnant with her first baby!!! We are very excited for you and Brady!