The Puddles

Once upon a time, the puddles entered the storybook contest.  It was a disaster with many tears.  This year the school opened a new category for entering a pumpkin . . . the family pumpkin.  This meant that instead of three decorated pumpkins we could all work together and bring one.  And that leads us to today . . .

I told the kids last weekend that I would let them enter the  storybook pumpkin decorating contest in the library.  They were so thrilled since I banned it last year after the first years’ tears. So we brainstormed this weekend what character we would pick.  A couple of summers ago, all four of us spent a lot of time listening to the Magic Treehouse Stories in the car on cd.  It is still a set of books that we can all enjoy together.  It has something for all three in them.  So we decided to do Jack and Annie (the main characters).  Madie and I google pictures of the treehouse online.  We say a cake that someone had made of Jack and Annie’s treehouse.  She and I decided that this was a good example to follow.  We essentially followed the bones of the design.  Of course, we didn’t use cake and fondant and we had to include pumpkins in the design.  Ben was in charge of research using the books.  He figured out how many windows, what the ladder looked like, and how they got into the treehouse.  Ainsley and Ben painted the pumpkins and Ainsley was the cheerleader who kept everyone going.  Even Daddy got involved and help cut the foam board (exacto knives and I don’t get along) and made the glasses for Jack. At 7:30 (the night before the pumpkin was due) the younger two had helped to assemble the treehouse with hot glue (yes. I let Ainsley use hot glue, but her hand was so small that she could barely squeeze the trigger) so it was time that they went to bed.  They had been good helpers and creators but now it was time for Mom and Madie to keep it up and finish.  Madie and I played around with using a white wash method of painting a dark brown on the tan foam board to make it look like wood. It was very successful!! It really looks like wood grain!!  Madie painted the faces on the pumpkins while I glued the hair (I think I had a easiest job!).  Madie did awesome!!!!  She cut out almost all of the leaves that we glued on the tree.  That much cutting wears on you after awhile!!  She even came up with idea to put books on the walls of the clubhouse just like in the book.  She found and printed the image of the internet.  It was perfect. I finally sent her to bed at 10:30, but by that time it was almost done except the glueing of all of the leaves.  So a lot of hours later, I finally finished glueing the leaves, pulling off all of the hot glue strings and assembled the entire project. Finally Ainsley came down at 2:00am and told me that she couldn’t sleep.  So I took her to see the finished project and we took a picture.  Then it was time for bed.

It was so much fun doing this project. The kids worked really well together.  We all had fun doing it.  This is a contest though, so we had a lot of discussions about this being fun to do something together and not about winning something.  When it comes to contests like this, it is cut throat and hard at this school.  Nearly all of the pumpkins are near perfect. Besides the fact that there are a LOT of entries including two other Jack and Annie’s. I don’t care.  I had fun with the kids.

My only hope with the whole thing is that I hope it wins or that the librarian loves and wants to keep it, so that I don’t have to bring it home.  Cause where am I going to put that thing!!!