One of the most looked-forward to days of the school year is pumpkin carving day! We talk about various cultural traditions surrounding this time of year (Dia De Los Muertos is a favorite) and about how they used to carve turnips and gourds before pumpkins became the tradition.  Everyone gets to pick out their pattern and work on their own pumpkin.

This year, little Dilly “helped”.

I have to admit, it’s nice that my kids are old enough now that I don’t spend hours scraping out their pumpkins for them.

In the background we play Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, and generally sing along with it.

Oona is finally getting the hang of tracing out the pattern, and carving out the bigger pieces (this year she chose the ghost dog Zero from The Nightmare Before Christmas, and I only carved the ears and nose for her).

While they scraped, carved and cuddled the kitty, I made cinnamon bread in the Pullman Pan (I added a good 1/2 cup of pureed pumpkin to the cinnamon filling….yum!) and pumpkin-chip cookies (I found a bag of Nestle pumpkin chips at Target with the recipe on the bag).

The guts went into two big bowls which then went out to the pigs for their annual pumpkin day treat.

Neve chose the most difficult pattern of the three; “Scraps”, the skeletal dog from Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride.

It took her quite awhile.

Sorry, can’t help myself. She’s too adorable.

The hardest part was waiting for nighttime to light them and see everyone’s handiwork.

Oona’s “Zero”.

Emily’s Hanging Bat.

Neve’s patience and hard work paid off. Scraps came out great!

After dinner we all settled in to watch Hocus Pocus and get ready for the big day.

When the kids had gone up to bed I lingered for awhile over a hot cup of cinnamon tea by the woodstove and read a few chapters of this month’s bookclub selection that I am loving. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.  It’s delightfully creepy and Gothic, and perfect for this time of year!

Tonight we open a big bottle of Kraken Rum with friends and take the kids round the neighborhood to collect treats.

Happy Halloween, all.  I hope it’s the perfect blend of fun, fear, and festivity!