Pumpkin Personalities

You can tell a lot about a person by the way they carve a pumpkin.

It took a few days, but we finally had gotten all three kids together the week of Halloween to carve a jack-o-lantern. Now that they're all old enough to carve their own, I get to sit back and laugh at them and take pictures. (and clean up, of course) They each have their own unique way

of tackling the job.

Becca really, really doesn't like the smell of raw pumpkin, so she curled up her nose the whole time.

She also tries to scrape the pumpkin without actually 'touching' any of the pumpkin guts. That was taking forever so Hannah insisted on helping her out to speed along the process. I must say, though, Becca was creative and didn't use a template but instead had an idea of making her pumpkin look like a disco ball. I found a melon baller which worked great for making all those little holes.

Hannah took a totally different approach. She was far more analytical and aggressive. She reviewed lots of templates before choosing one that looked like Tinker Bell. She taped it to her pumpkin and scored it. Then, she carved it carefully but like she meant it! There were certain tools she liked better than others and she was up to her elbows in goo, but didn't care.

Garrett was Mr. Laid Back as he carved. He found a happy clip art face and glanced at it as he free handed his carving. It was a simple design and didn't take him anytime. The smell and guts didn't bug him at all.




Those pumpkins were tough to carve- they were having to put some 'muscle' into it- and at one point my competitive children were trying to decide who was stronger. Silly, silly, children. Everyone knows I'm the strongest!






So the finished product looked best lit up in the dark but I forgot to get a picture. It's really a snapshot of three personalities!






Then, Becca went Trick-or-Treating with a group of friends. In a big family neighborhood like ours, there are kids everywhere! I'm so glad she has so many good buddies.






Like Becca's costume? I made it with my own little hands 20 years ago when Louie and I were dating. I wore it when I was 19 and in college. (I was teeny-tiny back in the day) Doesn't she look lovely? Too grown up for me!






Then, after what seemed like a thousand practices, Garrett's two weekends of performances wrapped up for Little Shop of Horrors. I must admit, it was my least favorite play he's participated in- this was not children's theater! But his role as the voice of the plant was awesome. He got SO many compliments from community members who saw the show. His big booming voice sounded like a big black man... not a teenage boy!






Last week, I was so fortunate to be able to spend three days with my friends Kelli attending a Christian Women's Leadership Forum in North Carolina. We heard messages from women who have written Bible study materials and books as well as attend break out sessions about how to break down scriptures and teach them to others. We were thrilled to participate in worship services and were encouraged to continue to reach out to women in our communities. I was so happy, too, to spend time with Kelli. We've been friends for 17 years and yet we rarely take time to get away from our lives and just reconnect. Those relationships are valuable and need to be protected. It was worth all the effort!





I was talking to my Sunday school class today and said... "it's just 2 weeks until Advent begins". Oh. My. Goodness. I absolutely love Christmas. Love it, I tell you. I have a stack of books I only read at Christmastime. I have a stack of CDs I pop in the CD player the day after Thanksgiving. And Christmas Movies? Yep. Ask Louie my favorites and he'll tell you that I like them all but there are certain ones that make me sob-or laugh-every time. But that will have to wait for another blog!