Happy Hallowe’en!

Every year for the past decade plus, I have carved a fancy pumpkin. Every year, the expectations get higher. Every year, this is my favourite part about Hallowe’en.

Last weekend I was up north with my family and there were pumpkins everywhere. I was so excited to start picking one out for myself when I got back home. When I got back all I ran into was this…

I went to grocery stores, I Googled farms, I looked everywhere. No one had any pumpkins. None. My first thought was “well maybe I take a year off and don’t do one this year”. Although this would “free up” some time for the week, it hurt a little lol. People are always asking about what this year’s pumpkin will be and I really enjoy the process. I couldn’t not carve a pumpkin. So I drove through the miserable rain and tried one more spot.

Luckily, good old Farm Boy had lots of pumpkins left. I turned the corner and there they all were! Whew! There were all kinds, so I decided to switch it up a little bit and I bought two smaller pumpkins instead of the huge one I normally go for.

I enjoyed the smaller pumpkins this year, the rind isn’t as thick so I didn’t have to check the depth on my carving as often, and they were super quick to gut! haha. I took a piece of advice from a site that my sister sent me earlier and cut out the bottom of the pumpkin instead of the top, leaving the stem to add to the decorative approach I was going for. REMEMBER: If you are doing this and wanting to light it with candles, cut an air hole in the back, fire needs oxygen (huh!).

I went for more of a decorative look this year. I have so many nice decorations and candles for the fall from family and friends, so I wanted to compliment them with the pumpkins. I drew out leaves, lattes, grapes, apples, and more leaves so that they would blend in with my fall décor.

Two little pumpkins still takes a fair amount of time, but with a quick curling break, I was able to get them done in one evening ahead of Hallowe’en. I am so glad that I was able to do these this year. Did Hallowe’en even happen if there’s no pumpkin carved? Now I am going to sit and eat my pumpkin seeds while I enjoy the beautiful glow of these fancy pumpkins. Happy Hallowe’en everyone!