Pumpkin Carving

Last week while we were at the grocery store I convinced Todd that we should get a pumpkin to carve and a basket of mums to put on the front steps to get into the spirit of the fall and Halloween. There was no assembly required for the mum and the really spruced up the front of the house. The pumpkin on the other hand required carving and I was afraid that it would go the way of some past pumpkins that never quite got carved, in time for Halloween or at all.
I have to say that I was feeling a little neighborhood peer pressure to do something seasonal. This neighborhood is very, very into seasonal and holiday decorations. I'm not sure whether people put stuff up so early because stores sell stuff so early or if stores stock decorations obscenely early because people are breaking down the door to put stuff on their lawn. Either way it was definitely like the second week in September when the pumpkins, ghosts, witches, cobwebs and cats showed up with a vengeance. Not that it doesn't look nice. It does, but it is a little overwhelming. And it isn't just Halloween, it is every holiday, and I mean every holiday.
We decided to go for subtle and I think the mum and the pumpkin will be all the decorating we will do. But I'm happy with the way the pumpkin came out and it was fun to do. I drew on the eyes and nose and a simple smiley mouth, then Todd upgraded it to an excellent toothy grin and cut out all the pieces while I picked out all the seeds for salting and toasting.