Virginia recently posted a comment on Nordette's post about collections that said something like "what about things people collect FOR you"... and I could relate to that. People have always collected things for me, usually because I make the mistake of telling them that I like "something". I am somewhat afraid that this is what is about to happen to me and pumpkins.

I'm still thinking about pumpkin pie, the ultimate sweet treat. I still haven't actually had any pumpkin pie... and I also haven't had the pumpkin bread that TW promised. (She's not doing a very good job of keeping me fed, someone ought to give her a stern talking to about that.) The longer I have to wait for my pumpkin pie and my pumpkin bread, the more appealing the recipes sitting in my inbox. Are these really the best pumpkin chocolate chips, EVER? I'm tempted to find out.

I know I said I don't like soup but with the temperatures here reaching lows I don't even want to think about, I might have to reconsider. Maybe. In my last post about pumpkin soup, I linked a recipe for a black bean pumpkin soup and I really thought I might like it. Since then, I stumbled into a recipe for pumpkin and black bean soup, right here on BlogHer... by our very own Amy Gates... and this one I think I would like even better.

I've been collecting pumpkin links that don't quite fit into any specific pumpkin topic and trying to figure out what, exactly, to do with those. Today, I got a brand new crazy and brilliant pumpkin link and my first thought was "this is madness!" ... and it is, really. Next year, when you plant that garden, maybe you should consider not only growing pumpkins but molding your pumpkins. If you're in the market for a new home, maybe a pumpkin house is your thing?

Unless you have avoided internet surfing this month, you've seen a lot of pumpkin photos and Jack-o-Lantern photos. What you might not know is that there are tricks and tips to help you photograph lit Jack-o-Lanterns. I've read about a half dozen of these "tips and tricks" and it seems to all come down to one thing... resist the flash!

Friday night, I was reading my feeds and the little one was shoulder surfing. Dooce fed a post with video celebrating Coco's first birthday, so I clicked it. Liz oooohed and ahhhhed over Coco and I realized she had no idea that Dooce has a much better dog than Coco... Chuck is far superior! So I went to Dooce, clicked the Daily Chuck and we surfed photos. It was troubling because the kid was still enthralled by Coco. I needed Former Congressman Chuck from the old days so I dug deeper into the archives and started finding the photos I knew would win her over to the Chuck side.

Oops. I thought I was going to have plenty of time to write a completely from scratch post about pumpkins. Hah. When I planned the Month of Pumpkins I apparently forgot that this was our 13 year old's birthday weekend. Good thing a lot of other people have written posts about pumpkins... The Scrogin Family went to a pumpkin patch and that's one cute kid.

Nothing says "I love you" like a pumpkin. What? Why are you looking at me that way? Surely you've experienced this... I'm not talking about the pumpkin as an aphrodisiac, though I could be. Feng Shui followers use calabash to make talismans. It harmonizes relations between parents and children, rehabilitates lost passion in married people and is considered as a protective and medicinal remedy. I'm talking about the pumpkin as a gift of love...

After a day like today, I could use some "shiny! shiny!", how about you? I'm not sure how my the fabulous Deb Roby knew I'd be needing some shiny pumpkins but she did and she sent me that cool link. We've got a pumpkin sitting on the counter just begging me to turn it shiny like this one. Unfortunately, the local craft store does not deliver so no shiny pumpkin decorating will be happening any time soon.

Maybe you've noticed I seem to have been avoiding the biggest pumpkin topic of all... the PUMPKIN PIE. Sorry, I know all caps is bad but it had to be done. Pumpkin Pie deserves capital letters. It's the only pie I love. It's the only pie I look forward to. It's the only pie that causes me to reach for seconds (ok maybe thirds.)

When I think "pumpkin costume", this adult costume is NOT what comes to mind. I cannot imagine wearing such a thing but if you've done it, you should totally share your post/photos. I'm sure it looked great on you.

This is a really big stretch for me... really big. Alanna teases me about all of the foods that I won't eat(and rightfully so - the teasing and the me not eating) but you can all tease me about the fact that I don't drink alcohol. Yuk. But, I know that some of you do and this post is for y'all.