Yes, I know it’s only September but a few spells of cool weather in late summer have me hankering for pumpkin candles, a pumpkin patch and jack-o-laterns. So I’m going with the mental flow and must admit I’ve already burned through two of my favorite 3-wick fall candles (Pumpkin Cupcake and Apple Ale, Bath and Body Works). I love stocking up when they go on sale…and, in my opinion their fall scents are their very best.

With Ben out of town for business travel the last few weeks, Gemma and I have been keeping busy with fall-themed activities. Last Sunday we ventured over to Green Acres Farm in Cary, NC for the opening weekend of the corn maze and family fun patch. It was gorgeous weather and we couldn’t resist rewarding ourselves with a scoop of ice cream after completing an measley impressive 3 out of 10 corn maze checkpoints. Hey, G is only four years old, and it’s easy to work up a sweat while you’re skipping amongst the stalks. (Do you know how many dead ends there are in a corn maze?!)

Unfortunately, their pumpkins were not quite ready yet so we tripped over to another popular pumpkin spot nearby and they, too, were not open for the season. Since all that fresh air (and ice cream) made me sleepy, I decided the treasure hunt was over so we opted for mini pumpkins and acorn squash from the grocery. G had a good time coloring the squash with paint and markers. But we still hadn’t found our elusive first carving pumpkin…

Luckily a few days later we spotted the new display of pumpkins and mums outside our local grocery. We grabbed the best pumpkin and brought her home. G informed me she would do the carving while I had to “get the gooey out”. Luckily parenthood has taught me a thing or two about persuasion…so she sketched the “face” and I loosened the “gooey” so she could spoon it out before I carved.

And that, friends, is the birth story of Candy, our first jack-o-lantern of 2013! (Of course a four-year-old would name our pumpkin Candy.)

Jill

Teaser! What could I possibly do with a bowl of “gooey” and fresh pumpkin seeds? Stay tuned…