Pumpkin Faces

Well- we finally got around to carving the pumpkins. YEA! I have learned however, pumpkin carving is sure not like it used to be. Back in "the day" my parents would cut off the top of the pumpkin and each kid would be in charge of scooping out the nasty stuff. I LOVED this part. It felt so weird to squeeze the slimy stuff between your fingers, and the seeds were so cold and smooth in all that slime. That was the only time we were encouraged to play in gross stuff! Then, while my dad would take our orders and do the carving of the pumpkin, my mom would be busy washing off all the seeds and baking them in the oven for an after activity snack. It was fun and traditional. I loved it. Maybe not eating the seeds, but I did have some on occasion.

Fast forward to 2007. I gave the kids each a piece of paper to draw what they wanted their pumpkin to look like. They did great, were excited and had soo many ideas!

Then came the scooping. Oh my goodness!! My kids were like, "WHAT?!?! You want me to TOUCH that???" I said, "Yes! It is cool. Mom & Dad will carve the pumpkins, but you clean them out." Saroya was the first brave one...

First this....

Then this...

Then a huge gag and almost puke. She was done.

Then Ethan's turn...

His dramatics even influenced Jaleigh, who wouldn't even come close...
Jaleigh kept changing her mind as to what she wanted her pumpkin to look like, so she continued modifying her plan way into the carving phase...


I think there were sounds of gagging when I mentioned the baking of the seeds (from children and adults alike) so we skipped that. I guess that won't be part of our tradition. Nathan & I did start a tradition when we were first married that we would watch a Christmas movie while we carved our pumpkins, but no TV near the pumpkin carving this year. Bummer. Hey- My name is Holly ALL year round, not just at Christmas time. I am entitled...

Well, after all the goo was gone, after Jaleigh FINALLY decided to carve her pumpkin like the one on her shirt instead of the one she had been working on all evening, and after Nathan worked his "magic" at creating floating eyeballs for Ethan's pumpkin, they were ready to set a glow.

Another thing I did today that was...well, and still is, CRAZY. I, whom has sewn curtains and not much else, have decided to make Saroya a bunny Halloween costume. OK- it's one thing to decide to do it, and it is quite another to decide a week before Halloween to do it. I am a crazy lady. I am. I know this. But I am so pumped to do it! Saroya has insisted on this costume idea partly I think because of "Junie B. Jones" book she has read recently, and partly because of a Easter basket shaped like a Easter Bunny head she found at Goodwill. Those two thing have cemented her decision to be a bunny for Halloween. Bunny costumes are apparently, for babies and adults because there is nothing in between. This is what "drove" me to JoAnn Fabrics on a nice Tuesday morning.

It was really fun to look at all the patterns of things you can make, but a little daunting when the little person right next to you says, "I want this. I love this. I need this. This is what I want..." to every picture in the book. An older lady down the table from us looked up from her book and said, "You must be SOME seamstress!" I half smiled and thought, "Ha! If only you knew. If only you knew how clueless I am right now. If only you knew that I will be spending the next hour and a half trying to figure out what is written on the back of this envelope that pertains to me. If only you knew that I have no clue." I wanted to fold her up and put her in my pocket, or at least drag her through the store with me because I was sure she knew what she was doing.

Not a minute passed before I hear the lady at the end of the table say, "Oh, Hello Betty!" and the conversation continued something like this...

"Who are you making things for today?"

"Oh I am making some things for the Pregnancy Crisis Center. Who are you sewing for?"

"I am making a few things for the Rescue Mission. They need so much this time of year."

"Oh yes, that's why I make things just as often as I can..."

I was humbled. These ladies must have been in their mid 70's. Was it just a coincidence that they knew each other and were just there, or are they sewing so much for charity, they see each other all the time. Either way, I was amazed at these women. When most would consider them past their prime, these women were STILL making a difference. They were doing what they could to help others. And what a difference one little sweater or fleece shirt would mean to someone with nothing, or very little as the weather grows colder. There I was so consumed with what I needed, for a Halloween costume, and they were blessing the lives of others and not just for fun. It was indeed an eye opener, and I did find what I needed. I found it on my own. I want to learn NOW, so that maybe when I am old like them (and hopefully before then) I can make a difference. Not just for fun, but to bless the life of even one. That will be worth the 2 1/2 hours (plus a call to my lil' sis) I spent that day in the store finding what I needed. You can learn a lesson anywhere. As long as you are willing to take notice of the lesson being taught, I guess.

So far I have cut each of the fabric pieces out and tried to study the directions. I have a ways to go, but I am encouraged and can't wait to post my success! (No- it will not be a close up picture!) :)