Pumpkin fun

As in years past, I was once again solely in charge of the pumpkin carving at Chez Snarky. I told Josh recently he only wants to benefit from holidays, not participate in them. Case in point: he doesn't carve pumpkins, but he eats all the kids' trick-or-treat candy. He doesn't help put up the Christmas tree, but he damn sure wants the presents under it.

But whatever. I like to do this kind of stuff and someone needs to make memories for these children, damn it, so I take on that role. Josh scoffs and says they're too little to remember, but someday when Jack reminds him that daddy painted outside instead of helping him carve a pumpkin the year before he turned 4, I can say I told you so. And that's one of my very favorite sayings.

But today was pumpkin day and everybody had a grand time. In previous years, Jack didn't want anything to do with touching the innards of the gourd and there was no way I was letting him anywhere near a knife. But this year he attacked the task with great gusto and Emmie got into the act as well. I still didn't let him near the knife, but apparently it was myself I should have worried about when it came to that.

Damn that $5 pumpkin carving kit from Walgreens. There I was, sawing along on pumpkin No. 1 when out of nowhere the stupid thing breaks off from the handle and tears across my fingers. There wasn't any frost on the pumpkin tonight, but there was sure a lot of blood on it. Jack asked why Mommy yelled and I said it was nothing, quickly wiping the evidence away with multiple paper towels.

I was carving out the mouth/teeth portion of his pumpkin at the time, so now I am worried there was some weird vampire thing going on and I will be the subject of the next installment of the Twilight series.

So anyway, here's the photographic evidence of Pumpkin Carving 2009, Now With Spurting Blood.


Mommy, this is fun! Can I have the knife now?


This is squishy. I am going to throw it at my brother and see what happens.


It doesn't look nearly as bad as it was. I could have bled out right there in the dining room. Seriously.


Hey why are we outside in the dark? And no, we won't smile. We're going to egg the house later, so watch out.