"Punkin Head"

We bought a pumpkin (or 'punkin' as I prefer to say) for a party this past weekend but ended up not using it at the party, so we decided to carve it at home last night.


It was a fun little process...
I can't remember the last time I have carved a pumpkin! I didn't realized they were so messy. And frankly, they're kind of spooky looking on the inside...



Anyway, I got my gloves on and took out all the seeds so that we could roast them in the oven.
Those seeds are slippery little boogers!
I cleaned them off, dried them and baked them in the oven with a little brown sugar, butter, and a pinch of salt. They're pretty good, and I read on the internet that they have a lot of good nutrients in them, though I may have defeated that purpose by putting sugar and butter on them...oh well.


While I worked on the seeds, Peter spent a good amount of time cutting out the pulp for us to save and use in something - soup, bread, etc. - if anyone has any good recipes for pumpkin pulp, let me know!
Then, came the carving of the face. Peter did a good job with it, and I think he's pretty cute. He now sits on our little deck outside.

Tennessee and Springfield in a Month

Some big things have been happening in the Maddox household this month.

1. My wonderful husband turned 24 on the 20th of October and took a trip to the smokies - Early on a tuesday morning he and his brother William set out for Kentucky to meet up with good friend, Jordan Goodrich. They spent the night in Kentucky and then ventured on to Tennessee to the Smokey Mountain National Park. From what I understand it was a great trip and a wonderful birthday present for Peter. They saw 5 black bears, exceeding Peter's hope for just one. The weather was perfect for them - a little rain, a little sun, and beautiful fog in the morning. Peter and William returned 6 days later. The trip made Peter want to go out and camp even more while for me, the trip made me want to never let my husband leave me for that long again! I'm sure we'll find some sort of compromise! :-) Happy birthday Peter!

If you want to see more pics of the trip you can check them out on Peter's Facebook album.

2. We have moved to Springfield! We are VERY excited and happy about this move. We have rented a cute little one bedroom apartment that we are thrilled with, and I am currently looking for a job. We are excited about what Springfield has to offer and so glad to be in the same place as some of our friends and family. I will post some pics of the new apartment once I get it all cleaned up and boxes all put away.

Happy as can be...