More Christmas

This weekend while most other people were putting up their Christmas tree(singular)- I was stuck at our beach rental with a sprained ankle. It's been a banner Thankgiving weekend. First, Uncle Roger went Pie-less at the Thanksgiving buffet at the Hotel Bethlehem ( which aside from having no pumpkin pie, was not that great-but a least we didn't have to cook.)

Here are my last Christmas trees. The Behemoth in the living room that was given to us by Roger and Peewee ( and whom we will never figure out how they put it up in their house!!)

This is the tree in the "great" room - the only one that Chris helped put up BTW.

This is the tree in the spare room. It's the only one I'm not happy with because it's too dark.

And this is the final version of Grace's wreath which so far remains standing in her room,

I would like to figure out a way to transform my only talent at Christmas decorating into something that can make money. Any suggestions would be appreciated and considered . Enjoy the Holiday rush!

Kulp Christmas begins

Christmas begins right after Halloween at our house. It HAS to because of all the decorations we (I) put up. I used to work in a Christmas store where Christmas began right after Labor Day so I have acquired a talent for decorating trees. You might say my husband takes advantage of this.

Now let me be clear ( as the President always says) it was not my idea to put up multiple trees!! After annual visits (pre- children) to the Biltmore House in Asheville NC, my husband decided he wanted to be like George Vanderbilt, the man who lived in the Biltmore. Each year at Christmas they deck the halls at the Biltmore like nowhere else and the have tours at night by candle light- like it would have been in GV's time. It's one if my favorite places, but I digress. There is at least ONE tree in every room there- sometimes 4 and a huge 40 footer in the dining hall. So that is where our "tree-dition began. The first tree pictured is in Chris' office. The second one on the island in the kitchen ( alas, unlit).

This one is in Gracie's room. It was a challenge finding a way to put a tree in the autistic child's room. Last year she knocked it around. This year she hasn't bothered it because she LOVES the trees! So what do you put on an autistic child's tree? Stuffed animals!!

This  is a little one on our room that I just cover with a bag and put in the closet. But I did spruce it up this year a bit.

Joy didn't want a tree in her room this year 🙀because she didn't want to move her desk. So what did we do? Got a smaller tree and put it ON her desk😉. Now that I'm used to it I guess I gotta have one in every room .

I had to change the white tree in the dining room this year because Grace kept taking the ornaments off and they were GLASS.

So I took some of the larger ones from Joys tree that wouldn't fit and ta-da! New tree!

I just put up the tree in the spare room now. That leaves 3 to go.

I started writing this piece after Gracie had a meltdown. She went upstairs and was playing on the iPad when she started to cry like she'd been hurt. She was suffering from very bad gas pains but wasn't able to go potty. She was really in pain- screaming. Then our friend Christine showed up to pick Her daughter up just as Grace went the top of the stairs- threw something and screamed three times at the top of her voice ! I had to apologize to Christine as I tried to calm her and Joy saw them out. Sometimes it is just so hard.

The Roller Coaster Ride that is Autism

This is Grace when she is happy.

This is Grace when she is not happy.

Grace was not happy coming home from our house at the beach today. If you would have told me a year ago that Grace wouldn't want to LEAVE the beach house I would have laughed!

One year ago, Gracie would start crying when we were  still 30 minutes away and wouldn't get out of the car when we finally got there. Then she barricaded herself in her room and wouldn't come down from her room. It got so bad I talked to Chris about selling it.

Then she gradually got over it. She came down to the living room and eventually became comfortable again. Now she LOVES it there.

She was genuinely happy to be there. You could see it in her face. 

Then when she knew we were leaving it was like a storm came in. She DID NOT want to GO. 

She cried for an hour. I had to get in the back seat with her. You don't want to know the hell of driving with a screaming child and 3 dogs for four hours . (Chris got a taste of that tonight)

I don't know if she was just mad about leaving or had tummy troubles-or both because she can't tell me. She did use her device to consistently tell us (over and over!) that " I would like to do something else." In other words "I want to go back to the beachhouse you idiots!!!!"

I can keep calm for a while- to try to keep her calm. But then the little things will set me off-  tonite it was the dog. 

I guess it's harder because she is doing so well most of the time. She's a different person than she was a year ago. She likes to go to dinner now. This weekend she asked for dessert when we went out to eat! So now when she does go haywire it's more frustrating because I feel like I should know why it's happening. 

I guess the bright spot in our torturous drive tonite was that she was trying so hard to tell us what the problem was. I don't want to do what you are making me do. I want to go back. I want to do something other than what I am doing now!!!

Time Change. Yay.

Life after the time change is never easy. It wasn't with Joy and it really isn't with Gracie. 

Sunday when we were shopping she found a toy drum for babies and latched onto it. I tried to explain it was for babies to get her to put it back. No deal . A drum is a drum. Finally had to take it away. So she screamed. Just once. So we went to the books. We found a Mickey Mouse book with a pop up at the end of it. She LOVES pop ups! So now she was happy! SO happy ! She's so darn cute when she's happy! She loved it. I made sure I told her to be gentle work it- she loves books but she destroys them! All good.

When we got home she went up to her room and looked at it and played quietly. All good again. 

Then Chris went up to put her to bed--

And found the pop up part shredded on the floor. 

Autism Yay! I thought she really loved that book .

The next day I used the bath soap in a Minnie Mouse bottle. I got it for her because she now loves Mickey and Minnie. I told her not to open it because she sometimes opens bottles and dumps them out. Sometimes. I checked on her 2 or 3 times and all was well. When I went to get her out it was all gone.  I know- I should have known better. Oh week So there goes More money down the drain, literally. 

So I yelled at first. Then I took her aside and told her that I liked to buy her special  things but I would have to stop of she didn't take care of them. She just sat there then like she knew I  was disappointed . I know she understands everything, that's what makes these times so hard.

During these times my best friend, Susan, reminds me to look for the good in all things. I think that's part of the reason that God sent her to me. 

That's why I put the picture at the top. 

The other day Grace asked for help in putting up the table she uses for school work in her room so she could put up her pony toys and animals and play with them. On her own! Pretend Play. On her own. HUGE!