Pumpkins!

Last Sunday Indigo and I went to a fabulous pumpkin-carving party at our friends Katie & Chris' house. It was so much fun! The morning before we went, I carved that tiny little guy for Indigo. Carving a 3" high pumpkin is a lot more challenging than it seems! Gutting him was even more difficult, as the spoon barely fit inside, and a lot of the seeds were embedded in the pumpkin meat.

At the party, between eating Doritos, Ruffles, and brownies, and running around maniacly with the other kids, Indigo designed and carved her very own pumpkin. After a lesson about using knives, I let her carve it completely by herself for the first time ever. Great job Indigo! Katie & Chris had an awesome little carving kit, and with the help of this tiny little saw, I was able to carve out this beauty. SO much better than my usual tool--a paring knife! :D

The whole day was so much fun. Unlike my picky daughter, I enjoyed all of Katie's marvelous cooking--from her special artichoke dip (evil yum!), to stuffed mushrooms and amazing chili, not to mention the grown-ups-only punch, I had more than my fill! And to top off the day, my pumpkin won best in show, and Indigo's won scariest pumpkin. Yay!

Thanks Katie and Chris--you guys rock!

Annual Autumn Post

"Swing" 2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

Every Fall I seem to find myself writing about my absolute love for this season. This year, however, I think this drawing says it all. Sold yesterday to a lovely friend, but I will certainly be offering prints in the near future. Enjoy!

Oh! Before I go, I must send you over to Indie Parade, where one of my little pendants is being featured today.

Autumnal Wonder

Autumn. My favorite season of the year for so many reasons.

First, of course, the leaves. No matter how many pass, each year I am astounded by the brilliant colors of the leaves turning as though I had never seen the sight before. I can get lost staring at the landscape around me. And the sweet, buried smell as they slowly rot and become part of the ground below. The cold aroma of the coming Winter filling my lungs with each deep breath.

Also, the sadness. It may sound strange, but Autumn has always brought with it a subtle, sad feeling that creeps into my heart, and I love that feeling. It is the feeling of introspection, of change, of solitude. The trees shed their leaves, preparing themselves for the freezing Winter before they are able to finally renew in the Spring. The Autumnal sadness feels to me as though I am shedding something of my younger self, getting ready to hunker down and take a deep Winter look inside, hopefully learning something new about myself so the following year can be brighter and more fulfilling.

Back to the leaves. It is not only their visual aesthetic that is so appealing to me. It is the every-satisfying crunch crackle crunch sound-feeling as I walk through them. Ask just about anyone that really knows me, and they probably know that I will alter my path in order to walk through the leaves (Warning to all who leave tempting piles raked but not bagged!!!). Even my daughter laughs at me, then joins in, as I run through the piles surrounding her school each morning. They inspire me to run, to skip, to be young and show it.

Then, of course, there are Halloween and Thanksgiving. My feelings about both of these holidays have changed over the years, but I love the dressing up, the parties, the friends and family. The moderate weather. Sweaters. Comfort food. Certainly a season worthy of favorite.