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What are your Autumn plans?


etrnldarkness

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My two oldest had a lot of fun with the easter egg hunt this year, so I am starting a new Halloween tradition for my family. I have bought about 40 mini pumpkins, which are going to become the "eggs" of our morning hunt. I love to decorate for Halloween and Christmas, so I have a TON of decoration to hide all of the pumpkins. Most of the pumpkins will only have one mint, the good ones that dissolve really fast, because they will get enough candy when trick-or-treating. I don't give my kids a lot of candy, so the Halloween candy usually lasts about two months, then my husband gets the rest.

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@babayaga67 That is a great idea! I saw similar in headstart event suggestions (while I was looking some up for this year). Never thought to turn it into like an egg hunt! May I ask where you found some mini pumpkins at to hide the goodies in? I think we will do that this year too on Halloween morning. I might put stickers in them though since as you mentioned - plenty will come from trick or treating!

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@etrnldarkness We have some farms just outside of town that we went to this past weekend. The mini pumpkins were only forty cents each, and my kids had a lot of fun picking out their own. I think that I saw some mini pumpkins at the Natural Grocers that we have too.

I am sure that, if you are careful, you can grab some of the decorative fake pumpkins from Walmart or Hobby Lobby and chop those open. The fake ones can be reused, but I think that you would have to be way more careful when cutting it open so that it stays in one piece. I buy most of my holiday decor after the day, when it is marked down at least 75%, so I have a ton of the fake pumpkins that I bought for about ten cents each. I will try to cut open one of the fake ones this afternoon (I am busting out the Halloween stuff today :D) and I'll let you know how it goes.

I like the sticker idea! Thank you! I couldn't come up with anything besides candy or mini toys. Candy they will get plenty of trick-or-treating, and toys are for Christmas!

We also found a pumpkin patch and corn maze at one of the farms last weekend, but we didn't have time that day to stop by. My Mother-In-Law and I are making plans to go back out there in two weeks, as long as the snow doesn't start early this year.

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I really don't have any autumn/ fall traditions. Many years ago my grandparents used to take my sister and I apple picking. Then we would go get breakfast at this restaurant.

I would like to start some once my husband and I are ready to have kids.  

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Well, I should have seen that coming. For some reason I did remember how styrofoam just falls apart.. You can, if you are careful, hollow out the fake mini pumpkins, but there will be a HUGE mess. Yes, real pumpkins can be messy too, but they don't keep making a mess. I prefer cleaning the slightly sticky pumpkin gut to chasing around all of the loose styrofoam bits that escape. I coated the inside of the one fake pumpkin with elmer's glue to seal the styrofoam and decrease the mess.

Yes, it looks cute. Yes, I will be able to use the fake pumpkin for many years. No, I do not think that the mess is worth it. I have three kids, a dog, and a husband. I don't have the time to be cleaning up after myself. The real pumpkins are much faster, and I don't worry about the mess somehow making it all of the way to the bathroom from the kitchen. Added bonus to using real pumpkins, I don't have to worry about my dog getting sick when he eats the mess.

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We like to visit all the churches that are having Halloween gatherings. In a rural area, it's really the best option in order to find concentrations of candy. I also try to go to the cake walk every year and stay until I win something. 

My personal tradition is to have a small Halloween party and carve a pumpkin (if you don't want to have to clean up a mess, do it outside) and play a certain card game. 

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Sorry for disappearing! Lots of moving being done in the house over the next week or so <3

***

@babayaga67 Stickers has been our go-to in the headstart since they aren't allowed candy, haha. Glad the idea was of help! I actually forgot about / didn't consider using real little pumpkins. We do have one farm locally which sells them too so I should hit them up before they are all gone! Thanks for the reminder :D

Maybe I will use some spare easter eggs and save the orange ones...and consider them pumpkins for next year. xD 

@eloralestrange Pumpkin carving! How could I forget this? Always seems like the kids start it and we finish though :P Do you do designs too or just carving out the innards? That is a clever idea for the candy!

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Well so far, we went to the orchard to enjoy a wagon ride, buy apples (wish we could pick them), and pick pumpkins. Then this weekend was our Thanksgiving celebration at a camp resort. We ate turkey, stuffing/dressing, mashed & sweet potatoes, cranberries, ham, mac n' cheese, and fresh homemade buns. For dessert there was pumpkin pie, apple pie, and ice cream. Then at the end of the month we celebrate good ol' Halloween.

Other than that, I just enjoy the change in the weather as that means that Winter is coming! :D

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@Zafie That sounds like it was a delicious Thanksgiving meal. Yum yum! 

Our orchards actually do let you pick your apples. Is that common to not be done over there or just at that particular place you went to? We were supposed to do the wagon ride and pumpkins last weekend but someone was sick - so this weekend indeed!

I see you're a Winter fan. Snowballs or snowmen fan? xD

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@balloongal247 *giggles* No worries! I've done similar countless times before.

We just hit up the dollar store and I found the carvable, foam, pumpkins! Got a couple for the kids to just play with this time.

An idea I had that you may like @babayaga67 If anyone likes puzzles, you could spread a small puzzle out among the pumpkins then have a get together to put the puzzle together :D

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@etrnldarkness Which Dollar store did you go to? We have Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Dollar General.

My two oldest love puzzels, but they have never played with anything but the big floor puzzles because they are so young. Maybe next year I can fit in smaller pieces. I LOVE the idea, and I will use it. Thank you :)

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Well then I am adding Dollar Tree to my list of stops to make this afternoon! I haven't been able to go back out to the farms yet because I have no idea how to get there (my mother-in-law took the kids and I when we went) and it is too far of a  drive for after she is off of work but before I have to start dinner. Dollar Tree is right next to one of my favorite grocery stores, so that I can do. Thank you @etrnldarkness!

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On 10/9/2017 at 0:39 PM, etrnldarkness said:

@eloralestrange Pumpkin carving! How could I forget this? Always seems like the kids start it and we finish though :P Do you do designs too or just carving out the innards? That is a clever idea for the candy!

I like to take out the innards and roast the seeds, then I invite some friends over and we all carve the pumpkin together. If I did it myself, I would get bored, lol. 

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@eloralestrangeOh boy, I love roasted pumpkin seeds. They are delicious although we probably add way more salt than we should... >.>

I think it is great you have friends over to do it too, it is a great activity to do together :D Even if it can get messy, lol

@babayaga67 I hope you were able to find the pumpkins!

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