The Wonders of Doing: It's looking a lot like Pumpkin time.....

It's that time of the year.

Pumpkin time and I've noticed all around blog land and in magazines the pumpkin is coming out in full force.

A Short History of the Pumpkin
Pumpkins are believed to have originated in North America. Seeds from related plants have been found in Mexico dating back to 7000 to 5500 B.C.

References to pumpkins date back many centuries. The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for "large melon" which is "pepon." "Pepon" was changed by the French into "pompon." The English changed "pompon" to "Pumpion." American colonists changed "pumpion" into "pumpkin."

Native American Indians used pumpkin as a staple in their diets centuries before the pilgrims landed. They also dried strips of pumpkin and wove them into mats. Indians would also roast long strips of pumpkin on the open fire and eat them. When white settlers arrived, they saw the pumpkins grown by the Indians and pumpkin soon became a staple in their diets. As today, early settlers used them in a wide variety of recipes from desserts to stews and soups. The origin of pumpkin pie is thought to have occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and then filled it with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in the hot ashes of a dying fire.

The pumpkin although is loved by everyone, not everyone will eat it or it's brother and sisters, the squash!

Cheese Pumpkin

Cinderella Pumpkin

This week I thought to update my header photo with the fall experience and start getting my home decorated for Fall. I'm sure many of you are so tired of the hot long summer we have had and are also in the Fall mood. I may be a bit early but our weather man said, "Hot Rainy Season is only three more weeks" and that put a big smile on my face. Time to get out the pumpkins and silk Fall leaves since we don't have the glorious color as our neighbors north of us.

My dining room table was the first to get the Fall treatment.

My monthly magazines have been coming this week and I just had to laugh at how many ways we can decorate the pumpkin.
Use veggies for hair...

Country living Mag

Womens Day

Then I took a walk through a few stores to see what they have to offer in the way of pumpkins. We have dishes, table decorations and tons of other ideas for the home, all to look like the pumpkin.

We are so crazed by the pumpkin we even dress our pets to look like the giant squash.

As for my front porch, I'll have to wait a few more weeks to decorate that. I did pick up some new bright red cushions for the chairs out there... all the heat and steam going on for the past two months caused my cream colored ones to mold and they were trashed yesterday... Red cushions with orange decorations should be really nice, don't you think? I'll keep them stored in the back of my car for now (it's raining still) and will post more asap.

Happy Fall Everyone.. get those kiddies out to the pumpkin patches and enjoy the much needed changes in the weather all over the country...