Last night was all about a return to childhood (because in spite of what you might assume, one does NOT need to have kids – or even access to kids – in order to enjoy childlike delights!) as Peter and I spent a fun evening with a friend, her carving kit, and four unsuspecting pumpkins.
Unfortunately, we found out last night that some of the pumpkins we’d chosen had started to turn soft in the time between buying and carving. You’d think they’d keep for two weeks in a cool garage, but I guess they’d been sitting for too long before we brought them home. Still, we – rather, they (because I can’t take any credit for the end results!) managed to create three terrific Jack-o’-lanterns for us to display on the front porch tomorrow night:
Peter’s Jack-o’-lantern is on the left, and our friend carved the two on the right. Spooky!
So what happened to my pumpkin? Well, I tried to work on it, but it was one of the ones that had started to turn, and as I scraped out the insides big chunks of the soft parts kept breaking off the bottom and sides until it threatened to topple over. I finally gave up on the carving part of the party and headed to the kitchen to dispose of four pumpkins’ worth of guts and then bake a puddle cake for the three of us to enjoy with some tea, post-carving.
All was not lost, though – first off, because UNEXPECTED CAKE!… and secondly, in spite of its mushiness my pumpkin cooperated in giving me a photo that I’m really quite pleased with.
Perhaps it’s silly to find joy in an evening of pumpkin carving, but the evening made me realize just how much I am blessed – with a husband who is game for silliness, with friends who have an endless supply of great ideas and a tremendous capacity for fun, with a home available for entertaining and three insane cats to provide the floor show.
It may not be what others would choose, but I love my life.
Did you carve a pumpkin this year?
Please share!
Twitter: Texasebeth
October 30, 2013
Real pumpkins don’t last long down here – carved or not. We are still in the upper 80s temp wise. So I let Charlie carve a Funkin 2 years ago and we just reuse it.
Elizabeth recently posted… Halloween Decorations
Twitter: alphabetsalad
October 31, 2013
Hey, that works too! I’ve never heard of Funkins, but they sound interesting!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Photo A Day Challenge – October 16-31, 2013
That sounds great! And by the way, I love the picture of your pumpkin, I saw it earlier today on my account and didn’t have time to stop and look at it then, but it definitely caught my eye! Beautiful! Also, @Elizabeth, what is a Funkin? It sounds like it might not have the guts in it that I absolutely refuse to touch and as a result have never carved a pumpkin.
Theresa Ledford recently posted… Scratching the Surface
Twitter: alphabetsalad
October 31, 2013
Thank you very much! I was quite pleased with how it turned out. And yes, the guts were pretty gross. I kept having to remind myself that it was just a vegetable!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Photo A Day Challenge – October 16-31, 2013
I’m glad you had as much fun as Peter and I did! I can’t plug the carving kit enough – I’ve had my original set since 1989 and will never use anything else! Pumpkin Masters deserves all the credit: http://www.pumpkinmasters.com/pumpkin-carving-kits.asp
Twitter: alphabetsalad
October 31, 2013
I need to get one of those for myself! I definitely had a wonderful time… it was so much fun! Maybe next year I’ll even carve a pumpkin. 😉
Laurel Regan recently posted… Photo A Day Challenge – October 16-31, 2013
Twitter: magicalmimi
October 31, 2013
Wow! Great looking pumpkins!! And of course you can have fun without kids! All of my kids are grown and live 2000 miles away. I still have fun and enjoy the silliness. 🙂 Did you roast the pumpkin seeds??? Those are always my favorite and I still do the typical kindergarten pumpkin face. Triangle eyes n’ nose and toothy grin. 🙂 Yay you guys for having a fun night!
Magical Mystical Mimi recently posted… Mr. Fleaburger (Not His Real Name)
Twitter: alphabetsalad
October 31, 2013
We didn’t do the pumpkin seeds – because the pumpkins were so soft, we weren’t sure if the seeds would still be ok to use. Maybe next year!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Photo A Day Challenge – October 16-31, 2013
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