Friday 24 October 2008

almost like dexter

Last year our pumpkins looked like Rorschach blots.

Actually, I wish. Symmetrical? Not so much. And I know pumpkins are supposed to be a fun thing, not art work (not when they're seven and four) but when they look like three/four-eyed wild Picasso prints as interpreted by a Morse Code enthusiast, it's hard to praise the kids and play guess the expression at the same time.

But there's something about transferring a thought in your head to the curved, unforgiving blank face of the pumpkin that....doesn't translate well.

This year, I was prepared. Armed with one big and two smaller 'pumpkin knives', I cut the tops off while the kids decided what face they wanted on their jack o' lanterns. The air was thick with 'And his eye should be pointy!' 'I want a BIG smile on mine!' and finally I went and got a Sharpie and some blank paper, drawing one rounded silhouette, and one squared. The kids got busy with crayons while I gooshed the guts out, and then....then....

then we carved then up. And there were shrieks and groans (although not from the pumpkins) and the rich smell o'guts and seeds and delighted squealing.

Tomorrow we'll light them up and I'll show you the carnage we have wrought.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mmmm, pumpkin guts and giggles. What could be sweeter?

Anonymous said...

Wait. Do I smell pie?

Woman in a Window said...

Seriously? You're carving already? We wait 'til the night before. Can we actually get away with doing this days before? Really?

Anonymous said...

Pumpkins, how much fun! I can't wait to see the results.

Anonymous said...

Can't wait!

Anonymous said...

Pumpkin? Check!

Gonna carve it? Not on your life! I can't deal with the guts and goo and OMG hold me, THE SMELL! I think, being that the Little Imp is barely 3, that I have a good year left, at least, before I have to start that mess....again. My twins are 18 now and well past pumpkin carving...according to them.

I'm just gonna use a Sharpie and draw a face on the dang thing.

Can't wait to see yours though.

Anonymous said...

I would love to see your pumpkins when they are done!

Last year, we, well, more like my sons, wanted to have it outside before Halloween and the squirrels made more of a mess than we did carving it! So now, we carve it early and leave it inside.

To prevent rot on the design, I put vaseline on the edges and it worked! I can't take all the credit as I got the tip, amongst other cool tips, from a mommy site: http://www.savvymom.ca/index.php/newsletter/ott_behold_the_great_pumpkin/2.

Hope these tips help!

Christina

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