Lessons from the Lamp Post: Lesson 196: Thanksgiving Leftovers

Hello, Readers!

Here is your plate of Thanksgiving leftovers.

It's just an easy read; a hodgepodge of photos from Thanksgiving vacation.

My sister Kenyan hosts Thanksgiving every year. It is my favorite day of the year. I get to eat a great meal, and don't have to go to a restaurant. Eloise is a cheap date---I don't like restaurants.

Kenyan and Steve make everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. My brother in law is the only person I know that leaves an eater wanting a second helping of vegetables. I don't even have to bring anything. I feel guilty though. All that upbringing from my parents which taught me never to show up to a dinner empty handed, I guess. So I brought this, along with a case of beer and a board game:

Eloise is a seasonal eater. I love Pumpkin Anything in the fall. Anything Cranberry, too. My favorite is the jelled cranberry sauce out of the can. I consider it a successful dish if I can extract the cranberry sauce with the can marks still in the jelly! Kenyan says part of fine dining is in the presentation. Before I brought this dish up to Magnolia Blossom to share, I centered it just right on my Wal-Mart plate. All in the presentation, right?

My favor to Kenyan and Steve in exchange for the grandiose dinner is this:

I take Erik for a couple of hours so they can make the final feast preparations in peace.

For my Slovenian readers, Erik is my fifteen year old nephew with autism. He and my oldest daughter Natalie slog through life with this puzzling disorder. Kenyan and I try to give them the best lives possible. We buy them the nicest clothes, take them places in the community, and advocate, advocate, ADVOCATE for people with disabilities.

Erik is fifteen and has yet to speak his first word. He is hyperactive, has seizures, and can never be left unattended---even for a split second. One of my many nicknames I have for my nephew is Houdini, as he is known for disappearing.

If you are familiar with old Eloise, you know that I can be, well, um, er, ahem, a bit distracted. I got a lot going on at the Lamp Post and my attention has to jump from one thing to the next. Not wanting to ruin any one's holiday by filing a missing person's report on my own kin, I came up with this solution while Erik is under my watch:

I hook Josie's retractable dog leash to his belt loop, and take him outside to roam.

I am completely over the "what will the neighbors think" thing. Autism is so well known now in the public realm that no one flinches at seeing teenagers on tether cords, and parents holding an adult child's hand while going through a parking lot. It is all about safety.

While I was letting Erik roam my yard, Ellen and Jack were in charge of entertaining Sam. The teen and preteen were not completely thrilled with Sam busting in on everything they attempted to do. My five year old is sometimes hard to take. This is what I had to deal with:

Whining......

Crying......

And lots of tattletaling.

When I asked the dynamic duo if they were antagonizing Sam, this was the response:

You be the judge.

As much as Sam is the subject of torment on this blog, I am thankful for my boy. I get one more Christmas with a five year old. How excited he is! Sam could not wait for Santa to arrive at the Macy's Day Parade.

He climbed the piano bench seat to get a closer look.

Sam played Santa a song hoping to earn a few bonus points. Sam was operating in the hole for awhile.

Some proof that Mother Eloise is teaching Sam that "the news" is an important show to watch.

Sam clapped at the end of the parade.

Mother Eloise teared up, thankful for one more holiday season with a five year old.

It's magical.

But.... Sam was back to bugging me by today.

Look what he did to my newly cleaned windows.....

Sam proudly announced, "Look, Mom! See what my bref can do!"

I can write my name!

Hey! It's snowing! When can we go outside?

Yes, it did snow in the Erie region today, Readers.

Tuesday it looked like this:

Today my mums were covered in snow,

As were my roses.

Sam made a snow fort,

at the very same place this photo was taken four days ago.

That, Slovenians, is Erie weather in a nutshell.

Ellen made her own snow fort.

Someone doesn't take it too well when he gets hit.

Thank the Lord he wasn't an only child. His sisters laughing at him will make Sam a better person in the long run.

Hopefully........

It's a short post tonight, folks. My creative energy is being put forth to another project. I have a big announcement I'll make next weekend. I can't wait to tell you and to be fair, I'll announce it on my blog. The early birds get the worm on this one. I am sure Tracy Northern will be up at 4:00 am for her cup of coffee. My mother just may not go to bed.

Whoops! Did you hear that? Wait. I have to go check something out. Some disturbance outside that needs investigated. I'll be right back......

......whew! It was just my Dad. Mom read him this post and he went out to root through my garbage for a pregnancy test. No, Dad. That's not the announcement. Sam is the punctuation mark on your grandchildren, I promise you that. Check in next weekend and you can find out with the rest of the world.

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving Leftovers. I did up the remains of my turkey every way possible by using this link: