Fall Tradition I'd Like To Share

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Days are getting shorter...

A chill is in the air...

Leafs have started to change color and are falling to the ground...

And a spark of new excitement enters our lives...

The Fall Holidays are upon us...

In our house that means we break into monthly decorating, including Pumpkin Carving...

Dave and I have been the Halloween Pumpkin Carving ring leaders in the last couple of years... Probably because we are the most child-like, holiday loving, big kids in the family (on his side anyway). We get together with everyone right before Halloween night, scoop out pumpkins, toast the pumpkin seeds, and spend hours with all the kids (adults included) carving out pumpkins.

Here are some funny pictures from when we first started dating and getting "our" holiday traditions underway...

To get ready for the family pumpkin carving event we put the word out to pick the date, pick the carving themes, get the pumpkins, and of course, bring out all of the cool tools (clay carving tools are especially handy!)

Dave usually starts the pumpkin carving and I finish up with the details...

One of the sites we use for templates for the pumpkins is Zombie Pumpkins.

Here are some images of pumpkins past...

We also have made it a fall tradition to go to a local farm to pick out our pumpkins. My friend Natalie has a small farm right up the road from us... how convenient!

I think I've found someone else that will actually like scooping out the pumpkins and getting seeds... Yay Chloe!!!

Last year Dave thought it would be cool to take a picture of Chloe and put it into grayscale then attempt carving the image out...

Kind of creepy, but yet, kind of cool...

We've got a bit more practicing to do with this technique...

Some tips I'd like to share with you about pumpkin carving...

1. Pick out your theme ahead of time so you can find the design and the right shaped pumpkin to work with that picture.

2. When carving a pumpkin with multiple layers, play with thickness of pumpkin (scoop out more or less from the inside) to give shadowing more depth.

3. Use a stapler to attach the template to the outside of the pumpkin in order to outline the design without moving it.

4. Try different tools! There are electric pumpkin carving tools out in a lot of the stores - Dave and the other boys love those... I prefer the hand held saws for more control, but have to admit... when your hand gets tired, that little electric cutter is awesome!

5. Have a couple of extra pumpkins, just incase you have little ones that don't have the patience to carve in detail like this. Painting pumpkins is a lot of fun for them too!

Tips on Roasting The Pumpkin Seeds:

I separate out the seeds from the guts, but don't rinse them. In a bowl, coat with a little bit of vegetable oil, salt to taste (try different flavors by using garlic salt or other seasonings in separate batches), mix in bowl, put on parchment paper on a baking sheet, and bake for about 20 minutes in an oven around 350 until they are toasty brown. I have yet to perfect this, and think I may attempt to stir the seeds mid-way, and bake a little longer. I like my seeds crunchy toasty brown...

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