Minion Pumpkin

Saturday was our annual* visit to Filasky's Farm for the Szczubelek Family Photo Shoot. Our friend Stephanie Senner is a starving artist photographer** who we contacted to take our photographs last year. We were fed up with Wal-Mart's prices and quality and thought Stephanie could probably do a better job. And boy, did she ever. As far as we are concerned, she will be our photographer for life. But I digress. Stephanie acompanied us to the farm, much to Sam's delight. Sam loves new people, especially youthful people, and Stephanie was so good at getting him to look at her camera. We got a ton of good shots and I can't wait to have the final edits to show you all.
While at the farm, we picked out a pumpkin, another family tradition. (This year I did not get stung by a wasp in the pumpkin patch, hooray!) Sam was excited about every pumpkin he saw and ran from one end of the pumkin patch to the other, patting almost every pumpkin he saw along the way. "Oh Mommy, look at dis one!" he would squeal. "Dis one BIG!" "Dis one have bumps! Dat funny!" laughing all the while. It was so sweet to watch him. In the middle of this, Jeff stumbled upon a tall, cylindrical pumpkin and shouted out an idea to me. I thought it was an awesome idea, so that was the pumpkin that came home with us. And here is the result:

We made a minion!

Sam was THRILLED. He ran around excited and cheering while I drew the minion onto the pumpkin. He checks on it all the time to make sure it's okay out there on the front steps. We call him our minion guard.

I had just enough brain power left to remember to shellac it after Sam went to bed, so that the rain and dew don't cause the marker to melt away. Yay minion! What do you think we should name him?






*By annual, I mean that we did it last year and did it again this year. Two years counts as an annual tradition, right?

**If you live in the MOT area, don't let Stephanie starve! Hire her as your photographer today! I know I'm shamelessly selling Steph's talent right now but she really is that good. And that affordable. If you need pictures taken for an event, she's your girl.

Where I'm From

I Am From (an exercise in identity)

I am from the gas stove, from Tetley tea and early mornings.

From the dead-end street, the smell of bread baking, the sound of pages turning.

I am from small neighborhoods, meatballs, cousins who are brothers.

I am from the sassafrass tree, and games of Orange Orangutan, and watching clouds in the middle of the field.

I am from picnics, from pie crust that tastes like a cookie, from long conversations.

I am from the roses, the smell of new-cut grass, the carrots that taste like the sun.

From the because I am your mother, that’s why

and the don’t read in the dark,

and the shut that light off if you’re not going to be in there

and the nothing could ever make me stop loving you.

I am from (mostly) solemn Sunday mornings, from hymns and funny faces made from the pulpit.

I am from the icy depth of the baptistry, the summer breeze through the willow at ten to noon, from the wild and holy peal of bells.

I'm from the East, from varenyky and latkes and the bread of three risings. 

I am from the plains of the Midwest and further, from the deep of the mountains. 

I am from the silver thimble, the bamboo stars, the yellow bowl.

I am from the wedding band made thin with years.

(Want to make your own poem? Grab the template here. Mine is edited from an older version and leaves out some of the detail the original template asks for.)