Chalk Up a Halloween Craft
posted May 18, 2009 at 1:25pm
One of the things that no one tells you is that carving pumpkins is really freaking hard.
Tonight my friend Kathy stopped by to say hi — after two margaritas — and pretty darn perfectly carved Barack Obama’s profile in a pumpkin. Damn her. My stars were almost impossible, and Sophie’s pumpkin is a mess.
Poor Sophie. I wouldn’t let any 5-year-old wield one of those carving things (Ray thinks they should be recalled, given how easily the blades break off. And they’re sharp). But definitely not Sophes. I did let her draw on her pumpkin after I was done taking her directions.
I knew what she’d say when I asked, “Round eyes, or triangles?”
“FABULOUS,” she replied.
She first said it last week, sitting with Ms. X, making a paper pumpkin puppet on a stick.
“Sophie, how do you want the eyes? Do you want round, triangles, what?”
“FABULOUS.”
And so on for the nose, the mouth. Ms. X did better with paper; my pumpkin features were anything but fab. I can’t carve eyelashes. Sophie didn’t seem to mind. Annabelle was pleased with her pumpkin, as well. But the hit of the night, I’ve got to say, was my accidental chalkboard pumpkins.
Well, when I was a kid, we didn’t necessarily add eyelashes. Usually only the bigger holes let out light anyway.
is “FABULOUS.” her new “good” answer? Years ago, when Ricki was 4, she gave a good answer, “the hammer” to a question of what did Abraham smash the idols with. She saw our enthusiastic reaction (it was the first time she had really answered a question about what she studied in playschool), so for over half a year, she answered EVERYTHING with “the hammer”!
I happened to notice on MSNBC they have a video where someone made great pumkin carvings with power tools! (and he even cleaned out the pumpkin with a kitchen beater attachment loaded onto a power tool……)
I totally know what you mean — Sophie loves to give pat answers. So far that’s the only place fabulous has turned up but I bet we’ll see it more….
Pumpkin schumpkin: The scariest thing in that pic is the tablecloth.
I love the chalkboard jack o’lantern! That is so cool! I love the tablecloth, too!