'Tis The Season
My Little Boy just had his first birthday recently! By recently, i mean within the last couple of months. I have come to realize that my intentions and executions are not so timely. I intended to have my Halloween post and pumpkin carving tradition posted, at least, close to the actual time of doing such activities. I had hoped it would become a tradition.
Last year, I carved a pumpkin with my boys' name on there! It was a super cool experience. However, this year things didn't turn out so well and proficiently. Things went abnormally well last time around!
Hmmmm
I had my regular helpers... the boy and the cat. I have been meaning to take more photos and share more in personal posts about both of their developments. But, life has a way of taking on it's own domineering control. And surely, this event was no exception! hahaha
I think she approved of the pumpkin...?
First, we started out with our perfectly approved pumpkin. I actually bought two! (which you will see in the photos) The night I went to go buy a pumpkin to carve when the timing was perfect... they were all sold out. So, I came home on the night planned to get this event done empty handed. Then a friend of the family bought one for us on the same day I found a behemoth of our own!
Of course, no pumpkin would do if my underling disapproved! So, she smelled and stood around and on top of the pumpkin we got started with! I tried to just follow the success from last year... but I have to admit, I didn't remember all the stuff exactly. I thought I would be fine just 'wingin' it! However, I was wrong. hahaha
She even had to smell the knife. If I had paid more attention to her management... i would have noticed I was using the wrong knife from last year.
Now the process get really started! This is/was my favorite time of year! I would also be lying if I didn't admit that I used some freeze dried chicken bits to get some more interest into my work area for photo-ops! hahaha So, Welcome to the holiday machine!
Welcome
This IS Halloween
Halloween used to be my favorite holiday. I really enjoyed the whole experience and motif from a very superficial perspective. The whole season and color scheme plus topical interests made it very enticing to me from very early on... especially with my upbringing.
So, I did all the things right... in my mind. I cut the top off. I started to carve out the guts and seeds. I tired to follow my successful pattern from last year but found myself to have hit a wall.
I had planned to save and roast the seeds since they were so good last year. I hate for things to go to waste when it's not necessary. I realized that as that process went on that it wasn't going to go as smoothly as last year. Last year my boy was sleeping for long periods of time and fairly immobile whilst sleeping and growing out of the super-baby stage.
This afforded me more opportunity and time to get ANYTHING done.
Now, with an active helper of the most rambuncious style... i don't get much time to do ANYTHING!
I am not ungrateful for the updates in reality and the progress of growth.... but it sure was nice to have any time to do ANY THING.
Hey, but with a look like that... who could get too mad if the help isn't as helpful as one may desire?! I would say he gets an A for effort... hahaha
Leap of Faith
Christmas is Coming
The irony of this post is that I made these experiences in October.. yet I am just now sharing the experiences here in early December. I had hoped for some success that I could share. Unfortunately, I failed in my carving... hence the lack of photos furthermore.
I got everything perfectly ready. I put the seeds in a bowl.... had the guts in another bowl. I took some photos that showed the process without going into too much detail.
I had a trashbag underneath for cleanup security, the guts and seeds in separate bowls, the top off to the side, and my hand to show the scale and size of things. I added a glove for my internal cleaning and scooping of guts and seeds.
In the end, my efforts went to no avail. I failed miserably at carving the boy's name into the pumpkin. I messed up on the first letter. That is as about as shitty as things could possibly get. So, I added one last photo of my boy that is totally beautiful and distracting from my epic fails!
I had made the first letter and not even gotten half way through before I realized my mistake. I adjusted and tried to recarve that letter for a better outcome. I mildly succeeded... but by the time i got a chance to carve some more the cut had eroded to the point of spoiling the pumpkin.
Maybe it would have worked and maybe not. I can barely keep up with the scammers and farmers in the Alien Art Hive and Photography Lovers Communities that I barely ever get time to share my own personal stuff. I don't feel too bad with this one but it's nice to share my experience with others that might appreciate the craziness!
Winter Came
Winter is always coming ... but it's never as near as now. My real birthday is coming and we are travelling for Christmas this year. Hopefully, I won't get too far behind in the curation and sharing. I still have the biggest pumpkin to carve for later (possibly) but the seeds went to the birds. Maybe we should start a Chrismas pumpkin carving to celebrate the holidays! I loved the Nightmare Before Christmas and the remix of how holidays go according to the lore. Either way, thanks for taking the time to check out my post and get updated on the process of life.
That hairstyle is epic 😲
I thought so too! Hahaha He's got some curls. I need to share more shots of his hair and eyes. Thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment!
Wowwww, What a wonderful post dear friend @castleberry and I am so glad I saw and read it, because so far I have only seen posts with a selection of photos, This is something wonderful, enjoy your son, enjoy your joys and if we don't hear from each other again, I wish you a Merry Christmas, I wish you lots of love, peace and happiness. ❤️❤️
I am sure i will hear from you one Hat-Trick at a time until Christmas! hahaha
Thank you for your kind words. I don't get to post my art or photos often... so it's nice to make a personal post every now and then. Even if it means getting a bit behind of the curation. I can't let everyone else have all the fun or else I will get burned out. It has been nice to enjoy my son and to try and look at things a bit more differently. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to check out my post and comment.
Cheers
❤️📸💙
when in doubt throw in a picture of your beautiful boy ... the ohhs and ahhs will distract from the pumpkin mauling efforts 😉 Pumpkin carving results are never that good (except for last year apparently lol) and not really the point looks like a good time was had by all 👍
It's almost like you read my mind... or between the lines of this post! hahaha
I usually have decent success carving pumpkins. I don't do it often and I never draw the faces on first... but this year was just a bust. There was too much stress and limited time. I didn't plan as well and thought I could just wing it. I do still have the big pumpkin left and I am debating on if I want to give it another try or not. (better late than never)
I do want to at least cook the seeds. They were very good last year. I think the cat and the boy had a better time than I did. But after reading some of these uplifting comments... i see my focus was too much on the results and not enough on enjoying the togetherness of the experience. I am still learning how to adjust to the parent life. Thanks for your wonderful comment and encouragement. Cheers my friend!
Our kids need these experiences, they need to be with their parents and have a life together just like you're doing. That will make him a beautiful person in all ways 👏👌👍
I am looking forward to watching what kind of little man he becomes! We will spend a lot of time together before then and now making some cool memories! Thanks for stopping by and for sharing your kind comments. Cheers
Oh, a long time ago I tried to carve a pumpkin. It seemed like a difficult task to me. I found an old photo.😄 It's a pity that there are no photos of the manufacturing process.
As an artist, i like to think it's not as difficult of a task for me as it may be for others. This year I was wrong though. hahaha
I have only learned to take process photos since coming to Hive for posts. I would have been happy to just have the finished product... but it's been pretty cool to see like my art from blank page to final product along with the process shots. Sometimes I forget what all goes into doing stuff and seeing the process almost makes the ending better... even if it's a fail! hahaha
Glad to see you stop by the post to comment and your JackOLantern turned out pretty sweet! That's a great shot of it too. Hope you give it another try one day! Take care and give Miracle our love!
Children appreciate all the activities that parents do with them. Even if they don't seem perfect to our eyes, they will always be amazing to them. Greetings and have a nice day 😊
I have noticed that he seems to enjoy the stuff we do together even when it's things that aren't too enjoyable. I think it's the together aspect you mention where the love and magic is. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment! Cheers
Wow he is growing up so fast and even though you messed up carving his name on the pumpkin the experience of doing this together with your son will be a great memory to talk about in the future. I'm sure he will appreciate this :)
He really is growing up and developing so fast! I was mostly trying to keep him out of the mess... but that is a losing battle not worth choosing most of the times. hahaha It was a good memory even though it came with it's frustrations as well. Such is life I suppose! hahhaha
I hope he will appreciate it. I still have the giant pumpkin intact so maybe a second try will be better. We shall see!
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Wow, just a year old? Time goes by much too fast! It looks like it has been a great holiday season so far for you!
It seems like just yesterday i posted about bringing him home from the hospital. They said time flies when you have kids but I had no idea! So far so good... but the best is yet to come! hahaha Hope you and yours are doing well BozzMan!
We are thank you! I'm glad things are good for you. Yes, we added a new one to our extended family recently and though it has only been three weeks, it feels like she has been with us forever!
Congratulations on your latest addition! 3 weeks is an eternity for new life! hahahaha Enjoy your first holiday season with the little one.
Thanks! It's actually extended family, but we should still get to spend some time with her over the holiday's. We got to see her a bit for Thanksgiving already.
How cute! Its always nice to do things together with your kids. It looks like he enjoys it.
After reading your comment early this morning (just now getting a chance to get some work done online and respond) I spent a lot of time thinking about how I will share every experience with him until he's grown. I knew that kids don't go away but I didn't realize how entrenched they become into our lives'. I have a deeper appreciation for all those that have had kids and melded their lives' into one. It's almost like an artful dance. Thank you for your kind words and it is always nice to do things together. He did enjoy getting into those seeds and guts! hahaha probably moreso than me. Cheers my friend.
Can I give you a tip?
I create a photobool for both of my daughters that I give them for their birthday every year. The book contains all the important moments and things from that year; birthday, christmas, holidays, sports, friends and family.
My girls are 14 and 16 now and still look forward to their yearly photo book. They sometimes grab somenof the old ones to check out old photos.
Awwwwww so cute! 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Thanks! Glad to see you active and I appreciate you stopping by and taking the time to comment! Cheers
I'm glad to see you so happy. The best moments! Beautiful memories forever 😊🤗
It's always a pleasure to see you.
Very cool photo I like with your boy sir he is cool and cute 😁
Thanks! I think so too but i think every parent feels that way about their kids! Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to comment!
You are welcome sir ❤
@castleberry, I paid out 1.381 HIVE and 0.456 HBD to reward 15 comments in this discussion thread.
You have a very cute son! Glad to read your personal story and find more about you! It was a nice surprise! I am glad that you had a nice time with your son! Enjoy your time and your holidays too! I wish you a lot of fun days with your family. Time is always of essence, and how we use it. I am glad to see that he makes your days, enjoy it! :) Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed reading and seeing photos. Also thanks for your support @castleberry ! All the best!