Happy Halloween!

I’d like to introduce you to my halloween pumpkin! Can I just tell you... this one was an experience!

First... Let me tell you how I “inherited” this pumpkin. Friday night was my new wards halloween party... and can I just tell you... they go ALL OUT! Apparently, it’s bigger than their Christmas party (their reasoning is that most people are gone for the holidays, and they can splurge on the fun when everyone is in town). They do a full sit-down dinner (pizza and hot cider.. ROCK ON!!), a pumpkin carving contest, carnival games, a “sorting hat” activity, “spooky” dessert contest, a professional balloon artist, donut bobbing, trick or treating (people “adopted” different doors in the building, and the kids went door to door), and then costume awards. Let me explain the costumes... OH MY GOSH! They got so in to it. I don’t honestly think I’ve ever been somewhere where the adults got into it just as much as the kids did! We’re talking Incredible Hulk, Cat in the Hat, “Heidi”s Grandfather (hint...read the book), Pippi Longstocking, housewives (that would be a guy), Huck Finn (little boy), etc!!! It was so awesome!!! I’m SO glad I went!

Ok.. so on the tables... the tablesclothes were orange and black.. and the centerpieces were TONS of helium balloons, and pumpkins! So... when we left, lots of us took the balloons and pumpkins home... so, I inherited the one you see above.

Now, why was this one so interesting to carve. 1st, cause I cut the mouth too big.... so I had to make the eyes bigger to compensate. In the process of that, I cut through the nose. By this point the face was pretty much a lost cause.. but I still wanted to put one in my window. SO, I got creative....

I put all the pieces back, and turned it around, and started re-carving. :-) Then, I tried to display it... but the pieces of the “original” face kept falling out.. So I wrapped the back of him in foil, and...gave him a...drum roll please.... a Metallic Wizards Cape :-) Then came dilemma #2

I have no candles in this apartment (I use Airwick Liquid Oil)... so, how to luminate a pumpkin... hmm.... Well.... what do you use when the power goes out.. YEP, a flashlight. And dang it, if I didn’t have the perfect kind to use... the type that transform into a lantern (you can see the yellow flashlight if you know it’s there)

Aren’t you impressed with my ingenuity!?!?!?!?