Pumpkins are a halloween tradition for a lot of families, but not always ours. However, Lucy and I found ourselves with a weekend alone (Becky was on a road trip with her dad), and we decided to take the plunge.

This is part of our 100 Things in 2016 challenge. Here’s the full list.

Step 1: acquire pumpkins. We didn’t make a huge deal out of this part like in years past, we just went to the grocery store.

Step 2: decide on a design. I already had something in mind, but Lucy had a big decision to make. We browsed the internet for a good half hour before she settled on one.

Step 3: carve. We started out old-school with knives and spoons, but then I got impatient, and realized we had a scroll saw. After that things moved pretty quickly.

Step 4: display. We hauled them up our easement to display near the address posts, on the road where people would actually see them.

Step 5 (optional): dress up and go to a costume party! Lucy’s school has a harvest festival every year, so we dug through our costume collection and fancied up! Becky and I volunteered to help out, and ended up being in charge of the cash register, so we were the pirates in charge of the treasure.