When I was in college, I worked at a pumpkin patch.  It was a fun job and I was lucky enough to get to work there with my best college friends.  For anyone who doubts that I'm an outdoorsy girl, I can say that they are right.  But for five weekends in the fall, two years in a row, I was outdoorsyish. 

When I wasn't manning the "Weinie Wagon," I was tending to the goats.  No lie.  I got to sell pumpkins all day so it was great.  Because I love all things fall and Halloween, it was a perfect job.

{Pumpkin Hollow crew circa 2004.}

So it's no surprise that when it was time to take my daughter to her first pumpkin patch, there was only one place that would do.

Once again we headed south, this time to Pumpkin Hollow in Piggott, Arkansas.  The weather was perfect and so were the pumpkins.  I'm pretty sure Katherine loved it.  She reached for the pumpkins and we even picked up a few "baby" pumpkins for her to take home. 

{Katherine's bow.}

{My scarf.}

  Melt my heart. 

{Katherine's baby pumpkins sit on the kitchen table.}

{The big pumpkins on the porch.}

There's really nothing like Arkansas pumpkins.  Ah...I love fall.

I got to go home to Kennett for the first time since July this weekend.  I love going home this time of year.  The air is filled with the smell of cotton.  I didn't realize how much I missed seeing cotton fields everyday.  In college, my classmates in my textiles class had never even seen a cotton field.  I guess it was always something that I took for granted.

Saturday morning, my mom and I went shopping at the local shops in Kennett.  We visited the Byrd's Nest where I found a great piece to hang in my living room.  I always look for unique things to use in the living room because I'm still not finished decorating it. 

{Chic knobby hook rack from The Byrd's Nest.}

After having lunch at Paradise Donuts (another new favorite of mine), it was time for the next event of the weekend.

This weekend was our Pumpkin Hollow Reunion 2011.  Each year around this time, three former PH employees and myself get together to visit and partake in the festivities.  Saturday night we meet at Strawberry's in Holcomb and had dinner.  When it comes to barbecue, Strawberry's is a local favorite.  I always love getting to go there when I'm home.

We then went to the haunted attractions at Pumpkin Hollow where we visited "Bubba's Butcher Barn," the "Forest of Fright," and "Mad Skull Mine."  As usual we received the "RIP" treatment. 

It was nice to be in the company of old friends and to be out in the country.  I loved that at the end of the night, my shoes were filled with dirt.  I got to see the stars in the sky for the first time in months.

Because I didn't have time to get pumpkins while in Arkansas, I went to the Kirkwood Farmers Market when I got back into town. 


I'm officially ready for Halloween now that I have my pumpkins....and sugar cookies.

With Halloween a mere week away, I spent the weekend getting ready. In addition to carving my two pumpkins I got at Pumpkin Hollow last week, I also made some pumpkin spice cookies, and a spooky cookie haunted house (without a roof). The roof on the house refused to stay put so there isn’t one, but the pumpkin spice cookies were delicious. I can’t take credit for them though because I used a mix, but I did top them with cream cheese frosting and a dash of pumpkin pie spice.


Last weekend I met some friends I hadn’t seen in a while at Pumpkin Hollow in Piggott, Arkansas. We all used to work for Pumpkin Hollow in college and met up to meet the newest member of the PH team, Mabry. After some daytime fun in the pumpkin patch, we headed to Holcomb, Missouri for some Strawberry’s BBQ, then back to PH for Horror in the Hollow. After dark, Pumpkin Hollow becomes a haunted wonderland including three haunted attractions: “Forrest of Fright,” “Bubba’s Butcher Barn,” and “Mad Skull Mine.” After taking pictures with some “spooks,” we made our way through the ghastly locations, but not without our annual “RIP treatment” including line cuts and a ride in a hearse. No month of October is complete without a trip down south to Pumpkin Hollow. I am now officially ready for Halloween!

Pumpkin Hollow Reunion 2010 (Me, Julie, Emily, Mabry, and Brooke) Horror in the Hollow (Me, Julie, and Emily) Bubba's Butcher Barn  Pumpkin Spice Cookies Slightly altered haunted house made from chocolate graham cookies. Carved pumpkin.