Pumpkin Carving

The farm often has "#2" produce near the time cards for people to take as they leave work. Excitedly I selected a couple good sized pumpkins to carve. The kids and I had a great time getting slimy and artistic on Sunday. Here are some pictures that captured our experience. First, cutting the top off.

Orion decided he was going to pop a seed in his mouth and although he looks like he's enjoying some kind of seance, he's actually savoring the goodness of the pumpkin seed here. I just happened to catch this serious moment of him "giving thanks" for such great treasure. 

 Last year the kids didn't want to even touch the seeds inside, but this year they got really into it. Both of them cleaned out their pumpkin with very little help!

Showing off the slime up to your elbows is really the best part :)

Finding the right stencil took some searching. Lots of ghoulish faces and Satanic images were abundant. Thank God for The Pumpkin Lady where I found stencils that were more kosher for my family's values.  I let Omega take the following two pictures to "prove I was there" ;)

And this is how it turned out. It really looks ugly in the light. But it's amazing how it transforms in the dark!

I don't know if other families do this, but we couldn't wait till it got dark to see how it would look when it glowed so we went in my closet to take this picture. I just think it's funny that if the flash were on, you'd see all my baskets on the shelf with socks, underwear, bras and pajamas. Darkness. Hides stuff.

We chose to carve an owl because just a couple of nights prior, two of our guinea hens were murdered by an owl in our barn. We had an exciting evening trying to guide the owl out of there. Finally after it flying over David and I's head from one end of the barn to the other, it started to get tired and David was able to throw a moving blanket over it and scoop it up and let it go outside. My brave husband. (If you didn't know, owls could do some serious damage with their talons!) The second pumpkin represents the passage in Isaiah 11:6 that says regarding the new earth, "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." A beautiful promise that in the earth made new, lions won't eat lambs, owls won't attack guinea hens and kids can play with all the animals they've ever dreamed about playing with.

Now for the best part....blowing out the candle. Orion intently focuses his wind current to get the job done.