what else are shop vacs good for if not for making jack-o-lanterns!

after our pumpkin patch at the "horse track" (per addi) we headed over to one of justin's friends house - Roe (row). i know. we have friends! well, justin has friends so i guess that makes them my freinds by association. but i will say, i do have at least one friend. and funny enough her and her family are from the midwest too...good ole chi-town! but i digress.

leaving the "horse track" we were emptied handed...no pumpkin. the "horse track" was good for farm fun but not so good for pumpkin picking. so on our way to Roe's house we stopped by a church with a make-shift pumpkin patch in front. yeah, it wasn't the same as STL when you get to go up and down the patch to find the perfect pumpkin, but it'll work. we found 2 great pumpkins and headed off Roe's.

we couldn't help but stop by starbucks though! j got his usual, grande pike, extra cream and sugar. and i got a grande hot mocha...with the motive of stopping by publix liquor store and picking up some bailys and vodka! hollah!!

we get to Roe's house and the joint is filled to the brim with food, drinks, carving utensils, people and pumpkins!

one smart little lady...originally from the midwest no less...brought her contractor husband's shop vac with her. she suggested that shop vacing the pumpkins guts out of the pumpkin was a quick and easy way to de-gut your pumpkin...and not to mention totally cool! and she was right - it totally was faster and fun! and also a lot less messier! (you should try it next year)

something that was really nice about being able to carve your pumpkin outside rahter than inside your kitchen, because it's usually so freaking cold out by nightfall in the midwest, was the FL sunset! it was pretty amazing that night (although, it usually is here on the beach).

we stayed at Roe's chatting it up with everyone while the kids played in the grass until it was addi and conner's bedtime (830). another nice thing here, its like STL summer nights all the time!

thanks to the shop vac, the vast amount of carving tools, friends for the kids to play with and the baileys in my coffee, we managed to carve ourselves 2 very interesting pumpkins. we let the kids trace the face they wanted on their pumpkin and justin and i carved the face. daddy helped conner and i helped addi...conner's was quite the interesting face :)

this "carving party", coined by Roe himself, took place 2 weeks prior to halloween. i had raised the concern that "would our pumpkins last long enough for halloween?? will they melt in the FL heat over the next 2 weeks?" well, let's just say if we're here next year for halloween and Roe insists on another carving party, that party will be held the weekend of halloween. yeah, our pumpkins totally melted / rotted and then we had gnats and flies to contend with. like, massive flies. fun.

up next...aunt "lelly's" halloween visit!

xoxo
michelle