Double, double toil and trouble

On Saturday afternoon, Cameron and I went to buy supplies for our pumpkin-carving family night activity on Monday. We found four really great pumpkins (no, not the Great Pumpkin! What kind of monsters do you take us for?!) By the time we got home, we had decided we couldn't wait to begin our masterpieces (when it comes to art, self-restraint is overrated). Jacob saw what we were up to and joined in.
We chose our designs, then started the messy job of gutting the gourds.
Ever wonder why pumpkin innards are so incredibly slimy? Maybe it's some kind of preservation-of-the-species defense mechanism. It sort of works, too. I would carve ten pumpkins each year if I could bypass that one task--yuck! So you see, there are nine pumpkins out there who owe their lives to my reluctance to get my hands dirty. You're welcome, little pumpkins, but remember: Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Can you say pie?

Two broken saw blades and twenty pounds of pumpkin slime later, we were finished. Jacob opted for a Star Wars theme. The pattern was a little more intricate, and required more time than he wanted to invest, so Darth Vader became a group project: a little Jacob, a little Parker, a little Mom. Voila! The finished product:



















Cameron chose a more traditional Halloween design,


















complete with personalized message:
















Mine, of course, is the one below, thus cementing my standing as the biggest Brit Lit nerd in the free world, a title I proudly lay claim to. Long live the bookworm!