Crayon Pumpkin

I had said that we were going to try the melted crayons on a pumpkin and I stick to my word so we tried it. It wasn't until I began preparing and looked at the tutorial I had pinned that I realized she used a craft pumpkin and I had a mini-white pumpkin that I was going to use. Not that big of a difference as it turns out, except by the end I probably would have set the craft pumpkin aflame. To begin I had the Firefly once again perched in her bumbo on the table as I set up our craft station. I placed the mini white pumpkin atop a paper plate to prevent melted crayon from ruining the tablecloth or table.

 I chose Crayola Glitter Crayons because the Firefly is a baby girl and since I was pregnant with her we like things to sparkle and shimmer. Also, the Husband was working overtime so he did not have a say in our crayon choice, although we did include some Blue for him (glitzy glimmery blue). I began like she lays out in the tutorial which, if you are interested you can find here. As you can see she took the time to glue whole crayons to the pumpkin and melt them with a blow dryer and it created the neat Chianti bottle that I automatically associate with Italians so that fits with the Husband's background and culture (makes me crave spaghetti).



I had a very small pumpkin so I only used bits of the crayons (probably only half an inch) and I didn't glue them I just set them in the natural grooves of the pumpkin, turned up the blow dryer and started melting. After an eternity I placed a different color on and started melting.

By the third color the Firefly had given up and resumed watching her Eric Carle video and my patience had given out. I busted out the candle lighter! I peeled back the paper on the non-tip side of the crayons, held the lighter under them and let them drip onto the pumpkin. I liked this effect way more than the blow dryer one and it was a whole lot faster.

Since I only used the non-tip side I also still have my glitter crayons to use on other projects. If you have the patience or a child actually helping you then the blow dryer method is probably the way to go, however, if your baby can't quite hold the blow dryer by herself and sitting up still takes a lot out of her I would recommend my take the flame to it method. Either way I like the final result, I had a good time with it, and most importantly I have another set of pictures documenting the Baby's First Halloween.

What's My Name?!

My daughter will be starting Day Care here shortly and as many of you know, everything must be labeled!!!! For most things it's relatively easy and you could just grab a trusty Sharpie and go to town writing your child's name on blankets, burp cloths, bibs, bottles, binkies, and anything else that starts with a B (put it in the oven for Baby and me). I went down the craft road for my labeling!

Labels, Labels and More Labels

First for the simplest of things, all of the cloth items, all I did was create iron on labels.

Different labels

1. To do this I went into Microsoft Publisher but Word or even Open Office would work. 
2. I "drew" a 1" by 2" rectangle. 
3. Edited the rectangle "fill" with a girly pattern. Added my daughters name to it. Copied the whole label and Pasted.
4. I made 5 different styles of labels but of course you can make as few or as many as you'd like.
5. I printed all of these labels onto a t-shirt Transfer.
6. Cut the labels out, one by one.
7. Ironed onto the blankets, burp cloths, bibs, pack n' play sheets, anything that was iron-able I added a label to it!

Completed Burp Cloths

Second I tackled the Binkies and Bottles. Again, you could Sharpie these bad boys but I have a steamer that sanitizes all of her bottles and binks. That damn steamer has been known to sanitize the decorations right off all her stuff so I didn't think simply writing her name was feasible. My second thought was making a label with a label maker or printing some from the computer but again my Mean Steamer Machine will not tolerate such nonsense! I developed these name charms thinking they would be the most convenient and let's face it they are adorable!

For adhesive

Ribbon or Yarn

What you will need:

Scissors

T-Shirt Transfer

Scrap Fabric (any fabric, any color, you don't need much)

Iron

Ribbon or Yarn

Heat n Bond Hem

Hair Ties (I used small Goody Ouchless)

Instructions:

Step 1: Using Microsoft Publisher (but again you can use Word or Open Office) I "drew" a 1"x1.33" circle and/or a .625"x1.5" rectangle. Fill them in with fun patterns and type your child's name in. Copy and Paste them as many times as you like or create different styles, shapes, or patterns. Print the document onto a T-Shirt Transfer Paper. 

Step 2: Iron the sheet of labels onto some scrap fabric. I cut my down just so it would fit onto the fabric I was using. 

Step 3: Cut out each of the labels.

Step 4: Cut a strip of the Heat n Bond to match the size of the label you are using.

Step 5: Cut a piece of either the ribbon or the yarn to the length of your choice.

Step 6: Flip one label upside down, place the Heat n Bond on top of it. Loop the ribbon'yarn through the hair tie and then place the ends on the Heat n Bond. Put the second label face up on top of the ribbon/yarn and Iron for 3 to 5 seconds. (The Iron Sandwich should be: Label, Heat n Bond, Ribbon, Label).

All of the Pieces

Step 7: Flip over and Iron again for 3 to 5 seconds. 

Final Product

Step 8: Trim up the edges.

Step 9: Put around the rim of any bottle. Then put the nipple and cap on.

Cute, Right?!

You can also loop it through the handle of a pacifier. I also just realized you could iron the label onto a pacifier holder if you so desired.

These labels can be taken off for easy cleaning of the bottle or binky and since it's mostly fabric it can be easily cleaned if they get dirty. My main reason for wanting these other than them being easily removable is now all of her stuff doesn't have her name permanently marked on it. It can be put on for day care and easily removed for at home or out in public. If you really wanted to get into it you could create labels for the holidays, birthdays, or seasons. I sure hope you adore the name you gave your kid because after creating labels and filling out the paperwork for day care I must have written/typed her name a hundred times in a few hours. 

Transitions

The first part of today was a whirlwind of responsibilities that I'm not sure I'm ready to handle yet. First, The Grandfather watched the Firefly so I could meet with my quasi-boss to discuss Job A and pick up this week's work. The Grandfather adores the Firefly and she feels exactly the same about him so together they paraded around the office, greeting Dad's employees and giggling through the halls. I sat and went over the previous work I had done, wrote down a few changes and gathered up my 3 manila envelopes of work and placed it in the car. By the time everything was loaded, The Grandfather had the Firefly on the verge of sleep. Her tiny fist filled with her soft hair (i.e. another bald spot) I placed her in the car seat and she was out before we had driven out of the parking lot.

Being the resourceful mother, I know that since baby is sleeping I should go get that pesky drug screening for Job B out of the way and enter the address into my Brain Phone and head in the direction Google tells me. The waiting room was filled with old people and I became quite thankful for my anti-bacterial hand sanitizer! I only had to tell four of them not to touch my child before we were called into the back. The nurse asked if I minded leaving the Firefly out of the bathroom while I peed in a cup, she assured me she was a licensed nurse and current with her First Aid and CPR licenses. That made me laugh and I said, "I have only one rule and that's Don't wake the baby!". Faster than I've ever had a drug test go we were done and on our way home. The Firefly opened her huge gray eyes just as we pulled in the driveway.

With a quick diaper change, walk the puppy, bottle feeding and coffee refill we once again headed out. This time we were on our way to view the day care that my poor teeny baby will be attending very shortly. My stomach was in knots and instead of lugging the car seat in I scooped the stinky one up and together we went in for our tour. The infant room is filled with babies; some crawling, some on their tummies, some on their backs, one on a changing table, one getting fed in a rocking chair, several asleep in their cribs. I was very happy to see that all of the babies AND all of the teachers seemed to be enjoying themselves. Then the Firefly started. She decided to show off her new found talking ability and just jabbered, babbled, and cooed for the entire half hour we were there. She smiled at all of the teachers with her flirty smile; she tucks her chin to her chest, stares up at you, and then crinkles her nose a bit and smiles from ear to ear. She yelled at one of the baby boys and the women all cheered saying, "We need some girl power in this room!". I assured them that we have nicknamed her "The Dictator" for a reason. The director gave me a ton of literature and a packet to fill out and we were on our way home once again, just in time for another nap.

What scares me is that my child had no hesitation with talking, flirting, and dictating. Now I sit here watching her nap (I should be working), writing this, and wondering, "How the Hell am I supposed to be without her?". She clearly will have no problems transitioning but I will probably cry hysterically that day. For 3 months I have had this child by my side. We go everywhere together. We do everything together. I honestly don't think I have been away from her for more than 4 hours at one given time. It is going to be so strange to be at work and not holding her. It drives me crazy to think of someone else calming her when she's fussy, reading to her when she's sleepy, going for a walk with her when she's rambunctious, feeding her when she's hungry, changing her when she's messy, and talking to her when she's chatty. I know that the teachers are just that, teachers and not her mother, but I'm terrified they will replace me in my baby's eyes if they are the ones doing all of the things that I do. The Father will get out of work before I do so I won't even be the one picking her up and saving her. I know that I have raised one Brassy Sassy Lassie in the three short months we've been together but I still worry. I also am aware of the fact that I am not the first woman to have to relinquish my iron jawed grasp on my baby. I was thankfully able to work from home for a lot longer than most women and now she'll be entering day care as a 4-month-old instead of a 6-week old and that gives me great comfort. Although I'm still afraid it will be the Father carrying the Firefly in with me wrapped around her leg on that first day. I also know that makeup will be pointless that first day. Any words of wisdom for me and the other mother's out there who must let go?

Scrumptous Seeds

I had an amazing time creating these Pumpkin Seeds. So much fun in fact we plan to get a few more pumpkins and experiment with a few other recipes so check back in a few days for more variations. The Firefly sat in her Bumbo on the table as I carved the top off of our large pumpkin and scooped the innards into a bowl. Then the precious baby sat, mostly content, on the counter as I rinsed and separated the seeds from the pumpkin brain matter. I know most people absolutely hate this part but I actually enjoy it. I will share with you the fastest way I have found to scoop out a pumpkin. First, make sure the top is large enough so you can really get in there, there's nothing worse than trying to scoop the guts from a pumpkin and you can't properly get your hand in there. Second, the scoop things that the stores sell always break on me so I instead use a good size serving spoon; metal. Third, start at the top of the pumpkin and scrape those sides in a spiral fashion just letting all of the brain matter to fall to the bottom of the pumpkin, then when you reach the bottom scrape that and free all of the goo. Fourth, lift the goo out and throw it in a bowl or bucket.

Step One: Separate Seeds from Pumpkin Guts
I just threw away the pumpkin guts and had the seeds in a collander for rinsing.

Step Two: Rinse Seeds
Just use water to get the orange gunk off of the seeds.

Step Three: Dry Seeds
I laid paper towels on a cookie sheet and spread the cleaned up seeds out so they could dry, approximately 3 hours.

Step Four: Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
Here's where we split things up! We separated the seeds into two equal parts placing each group into separate ziploc baggies.

Bag One - Butter and Garlic Seeds
We melted 2 Tablespoons of butter and added about a teaspoon of Garlic Salt to it. Once the butter was cool enough we poured it in the bag, closed the bag, and shook vigorously until all the seeds were coated. Then we spread the seeds on a tin foil lined cookie sheet and sprinkled more garlic salt on top.

Bag Two - Olive Oil and Sea Salt
We added 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to the second bag, closed the bag, and shook with all our might until the seeds were coated. Then we spread these onto a different tin foil lined cookie sheet and sprinkled Sea Salt on top of the seeds.

Step Five: Both cookie sheets were baked in the oven for 30 minutes. I pulled them out, stirred them, laid them back flat on the sheet and applied more of their respective seasonings. Then I returned them into the oven swapping their places (garlic was on top for the first half hour then on the bottom rack for the second) and baked for anther 30 minutes.

Step Six: Enjoy!!!



We are going to try some seasoning salt, cajun seasoning, and a few other spices on the next batches. If you have a favorite pumpkin seed recipe that you use please share with us so we can try it as well!!!

Pumpkin Soup

We cooked up the Pumpkin Soup and it was delicious! Although we included more lentils than the recipe called for and I would not recommend doing that. Below is the recipe that we tried from Better Homes and Gardens! I hope you all try it and enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 Small sweet onion, cut into wedges
1 Yellow sweet pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 Cup Lentils, rinsed and well drained
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 tsp. Grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. Curry Powder
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 26-oz box of chicken stock
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree

In a 4 to 5 quart Dutch oven cook onion, sweet pepper, and lentils in  hot oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Whisk in ginger, curry powder, cumin, stock, and pumpkin puree. Bring to boiling; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

Traditions Created

As Halloween quickly approaches I have been contemplating and pondering what exactly I'm going to do with a 3-month old. Trick or Treating, while rewarding for her Father and I, won't mean much to her. What traditions do I want to instill in my little brown-haired sponge? We discussed what we could remember from growing up in two very opposite households. We really are the perfect mix; he's from the North and I'm a Southern Girl, I had a full house and his was small, He likes intimate settings and I'm a party animal. Raising our daughter is going to be a great adventure as we've decided to mix our beliefs, culture, and love instead of fighting or choosing one right way (obviously mine). Following this I will detail what I have found but first I will promise that if we do decide to stay in Florida for another year I am going to have a Halloween party for the babies next year. If I had started this earlier and had saved from my paycheck I would have hosted one for this year. Although I found a few craft ideas and a ton of traditions there were no events for children under 2 and once again I'm disappointed in my beautiful Pasco County.

Haunted History!
I love Ghost Tours and I have been to St. Augustine at least five times. I love the history and small town charm. Nothing compares to standing outside the city gates, with the crisp sea air blowing through the courtyard, imagining hundreds of soldiers inside the gates protecting their city from invading soldiers, pirates,and the sick (who they threw out of the city to prevent the spread of diseases). Then you snap a picture and the walls, the gates, the air around you is filled with orbs. It's mystical, fascinating, sad, and frightening all at the same time. Even non-believers would find awe in the Nation's oldest city with most of it's buildings still standing against the test of time.

City Gates

The Husband is from one of those fake States up North as I mentioned earlier. We are most likely moving to Rhode Island within the next year and he assures me that where we will be living is only an hour or so drive from Salem. I really don't feel I need to go into what Salem is like in the fall but let's just say Historically Haunted!!!! I have done research on this subject as well (surprised?) and they have a Fall Festival that people cross the country to attend. Halloween is more for the tourists and people dress in period costumes and walk the eerily decorated streets.
For her sense of history mixed with spooky ghost stories we have it covered no matter who's home state we live! My favorite ghost tour is the walking tour. I have also read two books on ghost stories from St. Augustine and it makes it a bit more enjoyable when you can recognize the buildings or landmarks from the books. This is the tour for Salem that I want to go on because adding paranormal investigators into the mix is simply genius!

Boo-tiful Bounty!
I think a very important lesson for children to learn is where our food comes from. I learned that lesson growing up on the farm; butchering the pigs, eating our pet rabbits, and tending the garden. While the lesson doesn't have to be as hands on as mine it is still valuable for children to get a sense that not all food is ordered from a magic box you speak into. While I was pregnant with the Firefly, Husband and I went to a blueberry farm and picked about three pounds of the succulent berries. I loved it! The joy of being together out on a farm and the harmless teasing over who picked the biggest, the bluest, or the most. I decided then that the Firefly needed to be a part of the fun once she was out in the world.This Fall we have already bought one pumpkin, however, I found a pumpkin patch with the veggies still on the vine. I am so excited to take her up there to pick her own, although her lack of hand-eye coordination may require assistance from the father figure or myself. They have gourds, white pumpkins, Cinderella pumpkins, and the bulbous orange. The site says they have photography opportunities set up throughout the field as well. I am making her a knit pumpkin hat, dressing her in an adorable fall-inspired outfit and we are picking some pumpkins on our way to Gainesville. The only problem with the patch is the terrible puppy won't be able to join us as they've banned pets from the premises. We will have to bring a dog sitter to watch him while we harvest the crops.

Husband remembers picking apples as a child and I love apples as much as I love pumpkins! I found two different apple orchards that coincidentally also have pumpkins. We will most likely live in or around Providence so I picked two farms one North and one South since I have no clue where anything is. The first is Sweet Berry Farm and it is closer to Newport and she has Jam, Ice Cream, Christmas Trees, and produce for every season. If you planned it right you could go every few months and bring home a bounty of one fruit or another. The second is North and closer to Pawtucket. It's called Phantom Farms and what I liked about them is they have a Jack-O-Lantern Illumination Festival. You could spend the day harvesting apples, pack a picnic and stay for the Festival. This year the festival is tomorrow so you better hurry.
Picking our own Pumpkin is definitely on the list of new traditions for our family. Picking apples will be a whole lot of fun as Husband loves apple crisp and I'm a huge fan of candy apples!

Spooky Pumpkin, Silly Pumpkin or Strange Pumpkin?
The only thing I do not agree with when it comes to pumpkin carving or decorating is using one of those damn stencils and making some luminary masterpiece that you just traced. Anything else goes with me. Part of the Pumpkin decorating is to inspire creativity. If you aren't a carver and still like having a pumpkin around I found an amazing website that has a ton of easy no-carve decorating tips. I am quite particular to the melting crayon pumpkin pictured. My kid can't even grip a crayon but we already have a mass quantity of broken, old, and crazy crayons around the house. Why not use them to create an exotic pumpkin full of colors and wonder (too much?). I am excited to attempt this! There were a lot of people I found who put their baby's footprints or handprints on the pumpkins. I guess that's a good idea to have a baby decorate his/her own pumpkin.

For commemorative purposes I like the ones who carved the child's name or initial onto a pumpkin and then placed said child in, on, or near the pumpkin for a photo. Just be very careful with this because not all of the photos that I came across were cute, take the time to make the pumpkin presentable if you are using it as your prop. We are doing a crazy pumpkin, the general jack-o-lantern, and a silly baby one for the Firefly. I haven't decided whether to attempt the name pumpkin or not, however, when choosing the pumpkin we already bought I made sure it was large enough to fit the baby inside it.

Baking from Beyond!

The Husband is an amazing baker, he hates every second of it, but he's amazing. Since he doesn't actually like to bake I will take on this challenge with my mini-assistant sitting in her bumbo on the counter! We are going to make cookies, roast the pumpkin seeds, and possibly some pumpkin muffins or pancakes. The cookies I plan to make are the simple yet traditional sugar cookies cut into pumpkins, ghosts, bats, and other spooks. I found a delicious recipe for the pumpkin seeds, although you can never go wrong by simply placing the seeds in a ziploc, adding salt and olive oil, shaking until they are well coated and baking on a cookie sheet for 45 minutes at 300 degrees. We also drink Pumpkin Spice Coffee every morning and sometimes during the afternoon (depending on how the day has gone with the Firefly). Husband found a recipe for Pumpkin Soup that we are extremely anxious to try out this weekend. We are coupling it with sausage to make it a bit more hearty! My Grandmother was always baking cookies and I grew up loving to bake. I hope the Firefly will enjoy this tradition of making some yummy treats during the Holidays as well as enjoying the seasonal harvests.

Costumes Galore!
I love making costumes. Well before the Firefly I began making costumes for themed charity events, weddings, and of course Halloween. I've made everything from a full formal kilt, renaissance dress, punk rock get up, to a Princess Peach costume. It's so much more fun to gather all of the pieces and make something that will be unlike everyone else's costume. I can say I have never ever shown up to anything that required a costume worried that I'd be wearing the same as someone else. I know you aren't all as skilled with a sewing machine or able to knit your own wig but that doesn't have to stop you from pulling some crazy costumes out of your hat. Go to the local thrift store and buy some overalls, a red shirt, and a red hat. Swing into Walmart and grab a plunger and some sticky back felt. Bam! You just made a Mario costume without sewing anything and it looks 100% more realistic than the plastic suit they sell at iParty. I have found several adorable costumes for babies. I was Raggedy Ann and Husband has no clue what he was. Our little Firefly is going to be the adorable Miss Wednesday Addams this year! I've already scoped out everything we need and tonight I am starting her black braided pigtail wig (they don't sell wigs for teeny babies). I can't wait to transform one of her sleeping gowns into a morbid black dress with white cuffs, buttons, and collar! For the rest of you check out Parenting Magazine's list of easy costumes for little ones.

Crafty!
Since we are a teeny baby this year I looked all over the place for cute crafts to make and use in years to come as decor. I love her tiny little feet so I instantly fell in love with all of the adorable platters, canvas, and scrapbooking ideas that involve her footprints. I mentioned earlier that some people were putting the baby's footprint on pumpkins. I like that idea as well but I'd rather place them on a craft pumpkin that won't rot. Then you could go buy a craft pumpkin each year and her little feet will grow with the different size pumpkins. I may actually do that! I saw that someone bought a large bowl and decorated it for Halloween. On the inside of the bowl they put the baby's hand prints on the bottom. They used the bowl as their treat bowl and I think it's cute because when it's empty it's just her teeny hands like she snatched up all the treats. The other adorable crafts that I came across varied from knit hats, sweet and easy onesies, neat mummy cups, crocheted shoes, and the list is endless. I wish I had started a few weeks ago because I now have a list of 20 or more crafts that I would like to make for her First Halloween!

For our First Halloween I intend to take my Firefly around to visit with the numerous people who adore her. Show off her costume and pose for some photos and then when we've exhausted our visitations we are going to watch all of the trick-or-treater's downtown. Next year as I said I plan to have a party so everyone has a place to take their little pumpkins. I can promise you that as these holidays come and go I will do everything in my power to ensure they always remain a magical, joyous, and wondrous event for her. I hope she keeps the innocent fun for as long as she lives but I know all to well that it can be snatched from her before she is ready so I will treasure these glorious yet short years where everything is fun and exciting.

I hope you all enjoyed this read. I wanted to inspire you as well as myself and if I succeeded in that then we are off to a great start. This blog is intended to share my creativity, views, and opinions without getting detailed about my life. For the gritty details, photos of the Firefly, projects, and a glimpse into my personal life you can always go to http://justifiably-jen.blogspot.com/ however for our own protection and privacy I ask that you send me your email address so I may add you to our reader list otherwise you can always continue to enjoy this one without needing access. Please stay tuned for more!