Carving pumpkins has been a family tradition since Bubbles was just little. She loves to look through pumpkin carving stencils and choosing just the right design for that year’s pumpkin. She cleaned out all the seeds and pulp, then hubs and I would do the transfer and carving.
This year my sister-in-law, Kate, invited us all up for a family pumpkin carving party. Bubbles thought long and hard about her pumpkin carving stencils choices and finally decided on a dinosaur. Or as she constantly reminds me – “Mama, it’s not just a dinosaur, it’s a velociraptor.” Certain things are very important when you’re six.
We have been lucky to have an unseasonably warm stretch of fall so we were able to set up outside. Everyone brought their own pumpkin, and Kate and Jeff provided all the pumpkin carving tools. There were lots of tasty things to eat, too – homemade chili, hot apple cider, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and more.
My Mom asked that I bring her a basic jack ‘o lantern face, and suggested I bring a few extra to choose from in case others wanted to use them, also. I printed out a few jack o’ lantern templates and also brought along the Easy Pumpkin Carving book I had received in the mail.
While the adults had all planned to carve a pumpkin too, it got darker sooner than we expected, so other than my Mom, we ended up only having time to help the kiddos with theirs. I still plan to carve up a Jack Skellington before Halloween, though!
Don’t forget, if you need pumpkin carving stencils you can check out some of my favorite pumpkin templates here. I’ll be adding more as I find them. If you have a favorite you’d like to share, drop the link in the comments below.
What are your favorite pumpkin carving stencils to use for Halloween?
About Liza
Liza is a mom (5-year-old daughter, 20-year-old stepson, and 24-year-old stepdaughter) and wife living in Louisville. She loves spending time with her family, visiting the local zoo and parks, as well as planning travel adventures. Cooking and baking, DIY projects and crafts, and coffee - lots and lots of coffee - round out some of her other hobbies.