All of our kids are extremely talented in the artistic department.  I can't even draw a good stick figure and they can draw masterpieces that they get from their own minds.  For about the past seven years they have painted on their pumpkins each year instead of carving them out.   It is amazing to me how they can paint...not draw....such good work on a round, bumpy surface. 

So last week I was visiting Martha Stewart's website and saw a cute craft that I wanted to try.  It was a pie pumpkin that had holes cut out around it and on the lid you pat it down with cinnamon, nutmeg, and stick some cloves in it.  You put a tealight inside and viola...you get the aroma from the spices on the lid.  Easy enough, huh?  Over the weekend I stopped by the local corner stand and picked up two pie pumpkins...one for Halloween night and one for Thanksgiving.  As I was planning my week out I decided that I would work on my aroma pumpkin for Halloween on Tuesday evening but if push came to shove I would quickly cut it out early Wednesday afternoon.  Thank goodness I worked on it Tuesday night!

Like I said, we have not carved pumpkins in our home for almost a decade so I guess I kind of forgot how tough a job it was.  I had pulled out several of my best knives and started to attempt to cut the lid off of the pumpkin.  None of my knives seemed to be doing the job or at least making it somewhat easy.  I then remembered seeing a pumpkin carving kit out at the stores so I decided to run up the street to Walgreen's to purchase one.  I frequent Walgreen's alot so I knew exactly what aisle to go to.  I get to the Halloween aisle which is jammed packed with last minute Halloween shoppers.  As I walk down the aisle I can tell everything is completely picked over and there was not a pumpkin carving kit to be found.  I then drive across the street to CVS only to find they have a tiny shopping cart at the front of the store with the few Halloween items they have left.  Once again no pumpkin carving kit.  I then get back in my car and drive next door to the grocery store where the Halloween items are even more sparse.  Now it is on.  I am going to find a pumpkin carving kit if it is the last thing I do.  I get back in my car and drive to JoAnn's craft store.  I was almost sure I could find one there and if not there was a Halloween speciality store next door that would more than likely have it.  Nearly 45 minutes after my search began I finally found a pumpkin carving knife at Joann's and as luck would have it, it was $2.99 with 70% off.  My lucky day.  I dash back home and start working on my little concoction again.  The knife certainly made it easier but I am no pro at carving pumpkins.  By the time I finished the blade was all bent up. 

I put the spices on the lid and put a regular candle inside although the instructions called for a tea light.  Immediately I could start smelling the aroma from the cloves and it smelled wonderful.  I was very proud.  Then all of a sudden I started smelling something really bad.  I walked over to the pumpkin and noticed the flame was catching the cloves on fire.  I quickly blew it out.  Hyl and I ran down to the Dollar Store and purchased some tealights which made things much better.

Here are some pictures:

This is the knife "after" notice how bent up it is.

This is the inside

The lid....obviously after the blazing fire..

And the final product

Needless to say I am not going to attempt to do this again at Thanksgiving.

Happy Halloween!