A Pumpkin Pictorial (with commentary)

Like all Great Pumpkins, our's started out something like this.

Though I just photographed this one and left it for someone else to pick.

Ours actually looked more like this:

Don't mind the warts (on the pumpkin, not my son) he had a very nice shape--until I performed the craniotomy...

Now if you're new here you might not know that I am surrounded by males. I'm currently shacking up with four men--okay three sons and one husband. Semantics.

Anyhow, I thought boys liked gross things.

But apparently not.

At least he wasn't as sad about pumpkin guts as he was about his lack of a black nose a few Halloweens ago.


And yes, despite the break from traditional Muppetry, I did give the poor kid a black nose--using make-up--so he could look like his brother. I mean wouldn't you? Look at that face.

But back to the pumpkins...and the wimpy boys in my house.

Like most men, he only wanted to help if he could use tools.

And soon he abandoned me when I refused, for the sixth time, to allow him to wield the knife. What? I think all 10 of his fingers may come in handy later (that was a bad pun and not at all intended when I wrote it, but now it's cracking me up so it stays).

And I don't know what's so gross about this anyway?

Doesn't everyone love the way pumpkins seeds feel when they're all wet and clean in the strainer?

What's with the crickets??

Whatev.

So abandoned to my pumpkins and with seeds separated from their stringy friends, I set forth to carve.

Hours later I ended up with this:

Why didn't anyone tell me how hard it is not to carve all the way into a pumpkin? There's GOT to be a trick I don't know. Should have googled it.

By the way, that's a white pumpkin, which makes the BOO more appropriate but I'm still figuring out all the settings on my camera.

And...my masterpiece:

Sure I used a stencil, but her nose?? I don't mean to be a witch or anything but that was a bitch to cut out.

Please don't focus on the wax pencil 12 above her. Why did the pumpkin patch mark the best side?? Oh and let me know if you have a trick for getting that off.

To top off the project, Vaseline has been applied and cinnamon has been sprinkled. We're ready for Friday night.

Hmmm...that didn't exactly come out the way I meant it to.