10.20.2009

Hen Crafted: Jack Attack

Dear Friends,

We carved pumpkins.
Because that's just what you do in October.


Lame. Pbbbbbft! You want the truth? Fine, you asked for it.
Because I personally enjoy cleaning up a big huge mess involving squishy orange pulp.


Because I think it's fun to watch my little brothers figure out that if you pinch a pumpkin seed between your fingers REALLY HARD they will shoot CLEAR ACROSS THE ROOM! (the seeds, not the brothers or the fingers)

Because I don't have anything else to do but referee shouting matches over who's pumpkin is who's.

I love spending time convincing the five year old that the 'Cinderella's coach' pumpkin
I helped her carve really DOES look like the picture.



It doesn't help that the child has eyes.


What could be more interesting than six children, eight pumpkins and various knives, saws and carving utensils? Does it seem a little odd to you that a major holiday tradition at our house involves giving small children sharp objects and telling them to carve a face?
I'll leave that one alone.
Moving on.


At our house we cannot settle for the crooked grins and wide-eyed stares that grace many a porch this October. Oh no, we want more. We must choose the carving patterns with a 'four-pumpkin carving skill required'. We spend an hour just deciding which pattern to use and what side to put it on. Just lop the top off, already!
We have carving kits with 3 different carving saws and a multitude of other small tools I admittedly know nothing about. My brothers tried to explain them to me but I still spent the afternoon shouting,
"Pass me the poker thing! No, the other poker thing."
I don't mind saying my sibs can turn out a mean Jack-O-Lantern.



They are the cats meeewow!
I was just itching to say that! heh heh heh! Ahem, excuse me. That was Kit-Kat's pumpkin. A cat for Kit-Kat, get it? har-har-har! There I go again!



Flaming Freaky Face (by Jax) He did this all alone.

My baby brother is getting all big and well, BIG. I find that kinda freaky.



Lan-the-Man and T-boy collaborated on this one. Because I didn't trust T-boy alone with a knife.



My son is a bit exuberant when it comes to knives. He learned that from-

wait a second!


He learned it from Lan-the-Man! They are like partners in crime. What was I doing paring them off? Someone was apt to lose an eye!
OK, OK, OK, calm down! There were no major injuries and the only innards spilled were those belonging to the pumpkins.


See what I mean about the elaborate pattern choices? West chose the hardest one in the book.


I decided I wanted my 'Punkins' on my pumpkins.



Blossom Bee Booger-brain



Trouble T. Tickle-toes



and P-Z Pickle-pants.

It was loud, messy, and time consuming.



Like having a baby.
Would I do it again? Absolutely.

Love,
Raimie

11 comments:

  1. hey girl-o-mine....and all the other kiddleywinks at home,

    UNBELIEVABLE Jack-o-laterns! Hope they are still okay by the time we get back!
    (Admittedly, we don't envy you with the mess it must have made..but glad there are so many very able bodied kids there to clean it up)
    ;)

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  2. Wow! what a beautiful creative mess! those are awesome. We have 3 big ones out here the kids are just itchin' to do!

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  3. WHERE do you find the time?????? Those are awesome!
    I have to say though, I'm with the 5 yr old... I can't see the Cinderella Coach even if I squint and turn my head sideways! lol!

    It would have been nice if a few of your family members would have shared some of their creativity with some of the rest of us! :D

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  4. WOW...those are some seriously amazing pumpkins, and I am sure it took just as long to do one of those as takes to have a baby... Cute post!

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  5. Nish, The pumpkin is supposed to BE the coach. Cinderella is waving out the window with her head sideways - see the headband? There are windows, curly-cues... never mind! It was a flop, OK? I can't manage EVERYTHING!

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  6. LOL! Admittedly, the more I looked at the pumpkin coach the more I could imagine what it was supposed to look like!

    Did the kids use stencils on the others? (PLEASE say yes!)

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  7. wow are you ever super creative and everyone else there as well! i'm in awe!

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  8. For all the mess and fuss, they turned out fantastic! They look awesome. Ours will be much, much less extravagant - think, like, on the low end of basic. Ha. These are amazing.

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  9. um, yeah. you will NOT be seeing the pics of our pumpkins...... yours are really really lovely!

    by

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