Pyles of Clutter

Sunday Thoughts on Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of you out there!  

So now that I've said it, with a smile on my face, and a big hug, let me turn around and let you see the sad in my eyes, and the smile droop a little.  Because it's mother's day, and the women who had the biggest influence on me are all gone.  

You know, I had three women that were my teachers growing up... my mother, my grandmother, and my sister.  I knew that they all had my best interest at heart, that if I went to them with a question, that the answer was going to be what they genuinely thought was what I needed to know and that they loved me unconditionally.  So this mother's day, I was a little blue.  

Funny thing is, I didn't even know that I felt that way until I got to church, and we started our annual "mother's are great and my mom is better than your mom" stuff.  You all know what I'm talking about.  And then the melancholy hit.  And then I just didn't want to be there anymore.  I did not want to hear about it one more minute.  

Now that isn't to say that the talks in our sacrament meeting weren't awesome, because they were!  And Sunday School was truly inspiring!  And Relief Society was beautiful!  But in all, I was just a little like, enough already.  Enough.  

Putting my emotions out there today, in this blog, makes me feel miserly, like, okay, you're mom died, and we feel bad, but hey! My mom's still here and shouldn't I get to honor her?  Shouldn't I be able to love her, and gush over her, and so on, and so forth?  Yes, yes you should.  I'm just grumpy. 

And I guess that's just the way it's gonna have to be for today.  

Tessa on Tuesday-- Friday edition

As promised,  Tessa and Scott's ballroom routine...

http://youtu.be/nW-I4o1L0CY  

Great job guys!!

Hey! It's me!

Today's a good day to get back to blogging, right?  

I mean, I don't have to wait for some great event, or a Monday, or the first of the month, or anything like that, right?

And I don't have to have anything meaningful to say, right?  Like, I can just say anything, even though it's completely useless, right? 

Right?

Well, whatever.  All I know is that I've had a real problem with posting lately because, first, my life is in complete chaos, and second, I just haven't been able to put what HAS been happening into words.  

So I'm just letting it fly today.

Is anyone else just wanting to just pull their hair out with all the end of the year activities?  Ho. Ly. Cow.  Every day, I feel like I'm just keeping my head above water, and just when I think that I'm starting to get myself together, something else comes up.  Sheesh.  So, with dance stuff, and piano stuff, and choir stuff, and wedding stuff, and Young Women stuff, and other church stuff, and camp craft stuff, and graduation stuff, and talent show stuff, and family, I'm just a little, like, tired.  Of course, that could also be from the 5:30 morning runs.  Whatever.

Or whatevs, as they say.

Totes adorbs.

(that's an inside joke, sorry)

Speaking of inside jokes, Terry's new favorite thing is group texting.  Yes, texting the family all at the same time is his favorite thing of all time.  His thing is that when everyone gets going on it, it sounds like we are sitting around the kitchen table, flipping each other crap.  I love it too, except that part where my phone likes to save up all the texts for about 5 minutes and then let loose, sending me 10 texts in 10 minutes.  Seriously.  It drives me just a little crazy.  Poor Aly, (Tyson's girlfriend) has been added to the group text so she has to suffer with us.  I feel a little bad for her and hope we don't scare  her off.  It's a possibility.

Tonight, Tessa and Scott will be performing their whole ballroom routine at a relief society function! I'm pretty excited about seeing it, because it has been looking really awesome lately.  It was a little touch and go there for awhile, since our ballroom teacher moved away (sniff!  I miss her and her girls!) and the kids had just barely finished the routine.  But with some videos to help us, and a good regular dance teacher that can absolutely clean any routine, they are looking pretty decent.  I'll post a video later.  

Speaking of ballroom and Tess, she has the bug.  She absolutely loves ballroom dance!  She loves the moves and the different styles.  She watches DWTS with me and is mesmerized by the dances and dancers, especially the dances where both partners are professionals.  She saw that BYU has a ballroom camp during the summer and the pleading and cajoling commenced.  I had to say not this year, but perhaps next year.  This year we have some other events we have to go to...

Like Lilly's graduation!  Yep, I actually have a college graduate in the family! (almost)  Lilly will graduate in July with her bachelor's degree in public relations.  Or is it in communications?  Sorry Lilly, I can't remember which is the official title.  At any rate, I'm really excited for her.  We will go watch her walk, and Breck will get to walk with her, even though he still has a ways to go... Great job, you two!!

My new favorite candy is Twizzler Bites.  They are so, so, so yummy!! I have to really be careful or I could eat the whole bag in one sitting!  Serious!!

I will be doing a Netflix post here soon.  I'm going crazy on that queue!  I've watched some great movies, and some real stinkers.  And some nostalgic TV shows.  Just you wait....

Soooo, camp crafts.  Anybody got a great idea for under $2.00 a girl?  That takes about an hour to make?  Anybody at all?  

People, it is wedding season.  I have 6 invites on my fridge right now, and I know of 6 more that will be coming in the next month or so.  It's fun to see young love, and think back on your own young love, and then realize it doesn't even compare to old love.  I really like old love.  I love the comfortable ease that Terry and I have in our life right now.  I absolutely love to spend time with him, whether we are going on a trip together, or just driving to the store.  In fact, in our church, we sat in the same pew for the entire time we've lived here; back row left side.  But now, we sit in the middle pews, second row from the back.  Why?  Because I can't see Terry sitting on the stand from the side.  I need to at least be able to see him.  It's the very least that I have on Sundays.  

My house is covered in black glitter since I had to put elastic on some dance hats that are made of glitter.  It's a little nuts.

Well, I have more to say, but no time to say it, so I'll just leave it like this.  

Let's hope for more tomorrow!

Love,

me.

A post in letters

Dear God of Cars,

I'm not sure what kind of sacrifice we need to give you, but I'm more than willing to do it!!  I'm so tired of always having a problem with a car.  Right now, it is Zoey's truck, poor thing.  She's been the one having all the problems lately, as well as the jeep for AJ.  Thank goodness my dad is willing to let us borrow a car for awhile, because honestly, everyone needs their own car.  Our schedules are way too crazy!  What I want to know is, how in the world is the Neon still running??  

Just let me know what the sacrifice is!

me

Dear Grocery Store,

You big tease!  Trying to make us think it is summer, or at the least spring!  Putting out summery fruits like honeydew melons, when you know good darn well that those melons are not going to be very good.  So just put those away until it's really time to get them out.

Thanks in advance,

Me

Dear Poirot,

Thank you so much for getting me through so many horrible chores.  You'll never know how much it means to me.

Ever grateful,

Me

Dear Oven,

I know that you've been at it for a good long while, but if you could just last a few more months, just a few, I'd be ever so grateful.  I promise to retire you in style, maybe as a planter in the backyard?  It could work....  

Okay, maybe not, but I would still be so grateful if you could just hang in there!  

Forever baking, 

Me

Dear fish tank,

It is true that I'm getting a little tired of you.  So. Very. Tired.  It seems that you are always dirty, no matter how much I clean you, the rocks, the filter.  I'm not sure how much longer you will last in the house.  When the fish die, you may just really become a planter in the backyard.  Except we do now have that really fancy Petco store where I can get some fancy new fish.  Argh. What a conundrum!  Well, as for now, you've been granted a reprieve and I will just go and get you some new rocks.  Sheesh.

Forever cleaning,

Me

Dear Once there was a snowman song,

Please, please, please let Tessa play you the right way next week, or I swear I'm going to go deaf.  In self defense.  

Not a snowman lover anymore,

Me

Dear Easter,

You are so early this year!  Yikes!  I guess I better get ready for that....

It never slows down, does it?

Love,

Me

Dear Blog,

We are on a little role these days, aren't we?  But now I must get back to my Netflix movie watching.  I'm down to 208!  I will be doing another post soon on all those movies.  Man, I've had some dousy's.  

Your movie watching machine,

Me

A love letter...

Dear people, 

This is basically a love letter to my husband, but you are welcome to read if you want.  Normally, I wouldn't probably publish this, but at some future date, I want my posterity to know how I really felt.  I am not, and have never been, ashamed of my love, and gratitude, for him.  Therefore, I'm not afraid of putting it allllllll over the internet. ;)

ahem.

Dear Terry (nmi) Pyle,

We've made it.  We are officially old people that have been married for a really long time.  Twenty five years have gone by in the blink of an eye! We've made it through a move or two, and have added a kid or two (or five), and yet we still love each other.  That's good.

I still marvel at the fact that you stuck with me in the beginning.  My baggage was piled pretty high, and there were a lot of layers to peel through, but somehow, you saw the good, and waited for it to come back again.  I appreciate that so much.  We are so different, you and I.  In some respects, polar opposites; in others, just opposite enough for it to be annoying.  I'm not known for my order, you have a place for everything.  I tend to just leave things where I take them off, you always put them away.  I'm chronically late, you are always early.  I leave "creative" messes whenever I'm crafty, and you always put your stuff away when you are done using it. You like cold, I like hot.  You like Montana, I do not.  I could stay in bed all day, you have to get up and do something.  I subsist on candy, you like meat and potatoes.  I like to go places, you prefer to stay home.  

But we always agree on one thing.  We need each other. 

I'm grateful that you see my shortcomings, but pretend you don't.  I'm grateful that when I'm feeling discouraged, you are my biggest cheerleader.  I'm grateful you support me in anything that I want to do.  I'm grateful that you are always looking out for my needs, and even sometimes, my wants.  I'm grateful that you are gentle when you need to admonish me, and I'm grateful that you love me enough to care about admonishing me.  

I think that sometimes, you have every right to be angry with me.  When I'm getting after you, I can be pretty blunt.  Be instead of being offended that I'm being a little to...... me, you thank me for my "encouragement".  You are simply amazing.

You know I need you now and forever.  Thank heavens we have eternity.

All my love, 

Susan

Book Review--The Casual Vacancy

I decided that I really have to read a book every month for my own sanity.  It helps me get out of myself for awhile, and live some other life.  So I got myself on the library and request a couple of books thinking that I wouldn't get them all at once.  Nope, that's not how it worked.  Even though I was 8th on the request list, I still got the book in a week.  Argh.  I decided that I had to get to reading though, because there was no renewals in the checkout process. 

The book I got was "The Casual Vacancy" by J.K. Rowling.

The premise of the book is that Barry Fairbrother is on the city council of the town of Pagford, a small bedside community of a larger city.  He dies unexpectedly, leaving a vacancy on the council.  There are two factions on this council, and with the death, the campaigning begins to fill his seat in order to sway the vote on whether or not to keep a rundown development in the town limits, or make the city take care of it. 

I was expecting something completely different when I read the summary, and so when I got into it, holy cow! I was totally blindsided.  In a quest to make sure that no one thought this book was going to be anything like the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling goes overboard in making this book completely dark and depressing.  There is very little that is good in it, every character, (except the one that dies) has some huge problem, some great character flaw that makes them so disfunctional that the society as a whole, is dark and depressing.

I can't decide if I like it or not, but I can't recommend it at all.  The f-word is so prevalent that it's almost just a distraction to the story.  It just wasn't necessary.

The story really revolves around the teenagers in the story.  Some are trying to survive in a world that is harsh, and unfair.  Others are so selfcentered and callous, that they can see no one's needs but their own.  On top of the adult disfunction, it just seems to keep pushing you down.  I wanted something that was redeeming in someone's life, anyone's!  

And that's what I think of this story.   

Just a thought for Thursday

Sunday I had to talk in another ward with our high councilman over the Young Women's organization.  I talked about our theme for the year which is, "Stand ye in holy places and be not moved until the day of the Lord come, for behold, it cometh quickly saith the Lord." (D&C 87:8) At first glance this sounds like temple attendance but when you start to dwell on it, you can understand that standing in holy places is anywhere that you are as long as you are striving to have the Holy Ghost with you.  I talked about some of the ways that we can get and keep the spirit in our lives, emphasizing that the key to this is to always stay in contact with our Father in Heaven.  Prayer is the key. 

At one point, I talked about an experience I had a few weeks ago. No one is exempt from struggles, and I'm certainly not one of them.  My mom's passing has really seemed to take the wind out of my sails, and I really felt like I didn't have the willpower to withstand the buffeting of the temptations sent my way and Satan was working overtime on me.  I felt like I had no willpower whatsoever, and soon I didn't feel like I wanted to pray at all.  But I did have someone praying for me, a loving husband who knew of my plight, and when I went to our ward's fast and testimony meeting, everyone that spoke, had something to say about the power of prayer, I knew that my Heavenly Father knew me, and my problems and that he had answered Terry's spoken prayers, and the prayer that was in my heart, even if I was unwilling to say it out loud.  I know he knows me, and hears me, and only wants the best for me.  

I had a situation where I couldn't find something, and it was totally stressing me out.  I turned our house inside out, and nope, it wasn't to be found.  So then I thought, I need to say a prayer (see above) but it was so hard for me.  (Stupid.) Finally, I said a prayer about the simplest thing, and a thought came go look in another room.  So I went and tore that room apart and they weren't there! Ahhh! Defeated, I talked to the person that had given me the things and asked where she ordered them, and if she had them, just in case.  Lo and behold, she did!  They were there!  In thinking about it, I feel like I was told to go and look in the other room, because if I hadn't, I wouldn't have been at my wits end and asked if she had them.  It made me ask.  

So the moral of the story is...

Say your prayers. Heavenly Father is listening. 

I promise. 

So.

So.

You know when you know that you know something, but you just can't remember it?  I'm stuck in that right now.  S-T-U-C-K.  It's really a stupid thing, but it's still bothering me.  I know of 10 people getting married right now, and I can only remember 9.  That is what is bugging me.  I know, I know.  So very stupid, but still bothering me.

People, it's kind of a sad day for me.  Here's the story: Our neighbor next door got a vicious divorce and the woman, with her two kids, packed up one weekend and was OUT.  It was as fast as fast could be.  Unfortunately, in the fast pace, she also left her son's cat.  Stranger is a long haired cat, with a gimpy leg in the back.  The husband came home the next week, and he has no interest in helping Stranger out.  Husband sells the house, new neighbors move in, have small child, small child choke-holds Stranger, Stranger scratches small child, Stranger is booted big time.  Stranger moves to our backyard.  Terry is not amused to have Stranger meowing at our back door.  Well, after watching poor Stranger slowly starve to death, I start feeding him, but people, I cannot have another cat.  So Stranger is going to the pound today.  I feel so sorry for him, but really, I just can't do it.  

So we are going to the pound today.  

Bummer.

I've been running again.  It's killing me.  It's cold in the morning.  And dark.  And really early.  Here's a great story that happened the other day while running....

We meet at the corner, and when I got there, Christina wasn't there yet so I started walking down the street to meet her, when this car pulls into a driveway, the automatic outside lights go on, and the car pulls out of the driveway, and zooms off.  He turned the corner and just barely missed hitting Christina.  We start talking about it, when we realize that just about a month ago in our neighborhood, some thieves broke into a house and in their quest to steal things, they went into the children's room, and also into the parent's room!  It's crazy!!  Needless to say, we didn't run our full route as her kids were home alone at the time.  Mornings can be a little creepy.

My queue is down to 214 movies.  I watched a bunch, and then there was a TV series on DVD that the status was changed to Unavailable.  Off the queue.  

And that's it for me today.  

Off to the pound.

Tessa on Tuesday - Voices solo edition

This video is from last December's Voices concert.  I kept thinking that I need to put this up so my Mom could see this, but I didn't get it done.  :(  She would have loved it. 

Well, you all get to see it anyway.  Tess did pretty good. 

 

At least her siblings better be watching this....  ;)

From the queue...

I thought I would give you a rundown on what I've been watching from my Netflix queue.  (Remember that I'm watching 241 movies in one year? You don't?  Well, I am.  I'm moving right along people...)

First off, have any of you seen Jeeves & Wooster?  Oh people, a young Hugh Laurie plays a bumbling aristocrat, and it's hiliarious.  I watch these while I have to work in the kitchen and it just makes the time fly.  Loved it!

I watched Runaway Jury, a movie based on a John Grisham novel.  I thought it was so interesting that I was watching that right now because of the premise of the movie.  A mad man murders a bunch of people and the widow of one of the victim sues the gun company for negligence.  The movie really is about how someone can control a jury, but I thought it so interesting that in the climate of gun control in the country today, I was watching this movie that had been made some 10+ years ago about gun control.  Funny.  And the movie wasn't all that bad either.

I watched Bright Star, which is a love story about John Keats and Fanny Brawne.  I found it so interesting, and so sweet, and so tragic.  It made me want to read more about the story and see how accurate the movie was, and just to really understand what happened between the two, tragically, in love people.  Such a sad story.

I watched The Boys Are Back.  Okay, so this was the start of a bunch of movies about death, and unfortunately, it makes me so weepy.  In this movie, a mother dies of cancer and the story is about how a father figures out how to raise his two sons, one of whom hasn't been living with him, and juggle the demands of his job.  It is a great story.  But also sad.  I probably wouldn't want to pay for it at the theater, but it wasn't a bad watch.

I watched How To Eat Fried Worms.  This was a great stay-at-home-and-have-family-movie-night movie.  It's a simple story, with a great ending, and it's short.  Perfect family fare.

I watched Cherry Blossoms.  Oh, man, people.  This was a bad one to watch.  A woman dies unexpectedly, and her husband can barely stand the loss.  He finds himself trying to find his place in the world now, and how he can find peace from the loneliness of his life now.  Um, does that sound familiar to anyone?  This is somewhat my life right now, with my dad.  He is so lonely, and trying so hard to find his place again.  All he's done in the last year was take care of my mom, and now his life has been turned upside down.  It almost hurt my heart to watch this movie, and because the husband dies unexpectantly in the end, I was a little paranoid of how my dad was doing.  But he seems to be doing okay, moving forward.  

And I've been watching a lot of Poirot.  My sister gave my dad the BBC series of Poirot shows, and he let me borrow them.  There are 84 episodes of Poirot in there.  And then, I had about 5 Poirot movies in my queue.  I'm on my last one right now.  I love Poirot.  I love Miss Marple.  I just love Agatha Christie.  I do.

Look for my next installment of From the Queue on Friday! 

Until then,

Later gators.