Well, Halloween is just a few days away. This year, I carved my first pumpkin ever. Yes, my first. I never did things like this as a child...so this was an exciting experience for me.

My neighbor's kids were going to carve their pumpkins and I had several out for decorations...so I asked if I could join them. I was shown how to cut the top, scoop out all the yucky stuff, and draw my pattern. The funny thing is that you have to use this little poker tool to make the actual pattern, then you go back and carve it by playing "connect the dots" with your knife.

The pumpkin came out nice! I came up with the face myself and Eric added that I should have teeth...so I put goofy teeth on it too.

The best part of the entire thing was cooking the pumpkin seeds. A few years ago I tried roasting pumkin seeds and I ended up burning them. This year, they came out perfect. I made sugar, cinnamon, and spiced one. They were very sweet and very crispy!

What a perfect halloween this will be! I have my perfect jack-o-lantern and my perfect seeds...now I just need perfect trick-or-treaters! I am really beginning to love it here in Michigan. The weather is beautiful and the leaves are changing to their fall colors. I have never experienced such wonderful visual stimulation!