Longer-Lasting, No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating for a Small Stoop

On his birthday last month, our little one desperately wanted to create a jack-o-lantern. Knowing full well that a hallowed-out pumpkin wouldn’t survive long under the fluctuating marine layer and beaming sun in our coastal town, we caved in and carved one.

The results were endearing, but — as expected — only lasted until October 1. 

After collecting and devouring a dozen Halloween books in recent days, our 4 year old was adamant about replacing the pumpkin. So we took a Tiny Adventure to a local farm / pumpkin patch, and selected a handful of funny little beauties to introduce to our small stoop. The agreement upon securing the batch was that they would be no-carve pumpkins, with the goal of them lasting longer.

We used the metal pumpkin glasses I found on Etsy years ago, along with a few other decorative facial features (made into stakes) that we found on-site at the farm.  

(Click here for the pup version, click here for various other characters.)

The results continue to make us giggle whenever we walk into our home. 

We’re not quite done yet. We intend to make a VOTE pumpkin, of course. See you at the polls, or at the ballot drop box, folks. Let’s vote in epic numbers — for the planet and for racial justice — so our voices cannot be ignored.

Tiny Adventures: Searching SoCal for Fall During the Pandemic

In need of some fresh air and a change of scenery, we took a tiny adventure to Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark (just outside of LA) this week.

We figured it would be a good way for our little one to stretch his legs while we sourced locally grown pumpkins and produce. 

We wore our masks, of course— not just to keep ourselves safer, but to help protect others.

We also adhered to social distancing protocols, and visited right when the farm opened to the public at 9am in order to avoid crowds and the heat. 

In order to both reduce waste and possible increased exposure to COVID, we toted our own snacks and beverages as usual.

We brought home a handful of funny lil’ pumpkins.

We’ll be decorating them in a no-carve way in order to extend their lifespan. (More on this in the following blog post.) 

When we arrived home, we were thrilled to discover our mail-in ballots in our post box. We’ll spend the week educating ourselves on the issues and candidates with which we’re unfamiliar. And in the days to come, we’ll also send out our Vote Forward letters to residents in swing states. After all, October is the new November.