It’s been difficult getting back into the swing of blogging again. I had so many great ideas for the 2011 Pumpkin Eatin’ Season. To start the season off I was all set to participate in NaBloPoMo’s blogging every day marathon for the month of September. My first and only post went up on September 1st but the next day, my grandmother died.

The first few weeks of September went by in a blur of activity. We made the unexpected trip to Idaho for the funeral and then there was the cleaning out of her apartment. After the chaos is when the blahs set deeply in my bones. Writing about pumpkin in the face of all that’s been going on seemed like a sacrilege. My thoughts were too melancholy for Pumpkin Passion. Eventhough I wasn’t blogging, my life has been revolving around pumpkins since July for good reasons that are better left to a future blog post.

My grandmother was the ruling matriarch of our family. As a kid, I thought she was the most glamorous adventurer to walk the planet. She left the small mormon town in Idaho where our family had lived for generations around the time that I was born. I knew her as the “Granny” that would come for visits in her fur coat and take us all out for nice dinners at the town’s most fancy restaurant. She traveled to places that this mormon kid could barely believe were real: New Orleans, Seattle, Hawaii, Ireland, and England. She was my real life celebrity.

Eventually, we moved out of Idaho and in with her while I was in high school. Moving from Idaho to Orange County, California, was a complete culture shock. She kept me sane.

From her I received my strong-as-steel independence (“God helps those that help themselves”), my wanderlust, and my love of crafting. She taught me how to sew and how to embroider. When we were cleaning out her apartment I took pictures of all the quilts, wall hangings, and embroidery that she’d been working on for years. She’d given away several pieces over the years but she still had over a 100 pieces jammed in every closet. I photographed all of her work but I thought I’d share these two with Pumpkin Passion.

I’m still sad but the blahhhs are subsiding a little.

If you just can’t wait for a pumpkin fix head over to Facebook and join the Pumpkin Passion page or how about a pumpkin video?

We took a short trip to Seattle about a month ago and it was a life changing experience. I completely fell in love with that town. We had so much fun: the food was incredible; the people were so nice; and the scenery can’t be topped.

I have a friend who is equally in love with Seattle and visits frequently. She gave us some restaurant suggestions that proved phenomenal. One of the places was Thai Ginger. I was wary of having Thai in Washington because I’m fairly certain that the best Thai food on the continent can be found in Los Angeles. Why go elsewhere?

We ended up near Thai Ginger and decided to try it. I had a pumpkin curry that was grand! It was one of their specials. Actually, a shrimp pumpkin curry was one of their specials but they made me one with chicken. It was the perfect amount of spice and the pumpkin was cooked just right.

Not only was the food good in Seattle but the coffee went above and beyond. The connection between Seattle and coffee is seriously no joke. I had no idea coffee could even taste that good. Hands down, the best cup of coffee I have ever had was in Tacoma at the Babblin’ Babs Bistro. The owner mentioned that they get their coffee from a local roaster 2 to 3 times a week. It is super fresh. They had no pumpkin but their menu is ever-changing and I’m sure pumpkins make an appearance but I simply had to give them a shout out!

We did have some good tea also. Tully’s Coffee has a Pumpkin Spice Tea Latte, which was good and unique. They are located near Pike Place Farmer’s Market where we also purchased three little pumpkins: one was made by a local crafts person, one was purchased at a store that only sells windup toys, and one was from a toy store and is made out of wood but didn’t make it into the pictures.

Someday we will be back and hopefully it will be for a more permanent stay.

I’m so excited to have won something! My sometimes pessimistic nature causes me to rarely enter contests but this time the cuteness of the prize got the better of me and I actually won!

The Glorious Treats blog was giving away 2 adorable cupcake ornaments from Amy Miller Designs. I entered and won two ornaments ! It only seems fair to spread the wealth and share one with my Pumpkin Passion readers. I will be giving away the ornament pictured above on December 1st; I chose this one because I think it totally looks like a pumpkin cupcake.

All you have to do is visit Amy Miller’s Etsy store and then come back here and leave the name of one of her ornaments as a comment to this post. You can also earn an additional entry by “liking” Amy Miller Designs’ Facebook page and Pumpkin Passion’s Facebook page and then come back here again and leave another comment saying that you liked both pages.

You have until November 30, 2010, at 5 p.m. PST to enter and because of the short turnaround, between the contest deadline and Christmas, I will only be able to ship the ornament to a U.S. address. Good Luck!

With the Pumpkin Eatin’ Season 2010 flying by at a dizzying pace, my posts on Pumpkin Passion have been leaner than was ever intended. To rectify this situation I have joined NaBloPoMo–isn’t that the cutest name? NaBloPoMo is shorthand for National Blog Posting Month. To join all I had to do was commit to blogging at least once every day for a month. I’ve been reading about NaBloPoMo for years but have never committed myself to trying but this November I’m going to really try. I mean REALLY try.

I won’t promise that every post will make you laugh out loud or shed a tear but you will have more pumpkin posts than you ever thought you could handle. Wish me luck . . . I’ll need it!

Why does Pumpkin Eatin’ Season always equate with really-busy-at-work? I’ve been in the office two days this month and out all the rest at meetings. Last Friday I was stuck in the Oakland Airport for a few hours and came across the new Martha Stewart Living magazine. I only buy it once a year for the Halloween issue, which is simply spectacular and this year is no different.

Instead of giving you a preview of how great the magazine is, I’m going to make the suggestion that you check out The Baking Bird blog. Kylie has already written a post on the issue and has even gone back to highlight great pumpkin recipes from previous years.

I’m not only suggesting that you check out her post because I now don’t have to write one but I’m also making the suggestion because I love her blog and she’s a true pumpkin lover. She has a vegan pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe that has me drooling all over my keyboard. Oy Vey!

It’s 103 degrees around here. The weather couldn’t feel further from Fall but our spirits have already eagerly accepted that the seasons will eventually change. We started our Fall tradition of watching all 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls. That show is pretty much shot perpetually in Fall. It makes sense. The show was supposed to take place in Connecticut but was actually filmed in Burbank, CA. It couldn’t be easy creating those winter episodes with Luke’s Diner buried under 4 feet of snow while the temperature outside was probably closer to 80 degrees.

Not only do I know that Fall is close because the Gilmore Girls marathon has started but also because i keep hearing about new Fall treats. For instance, Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts now has a limited edition Frosted Pumpkin Pie. This is one of those things that makes me wonder why waited so long. Of course there should be a pumpkin pie Pop-Tart! If you see it, please let me know where you found them. These are a 2010 Pumpkin Eatin’ Season Must-Have.

If I make up tomorrow and find that the Frosted Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts are just a dream, there’s always the d.i.y. option here.

Also, last week the Hungry Girl newsletter made the announcement:

True, it’s been a rough few months of gazing at the empty market shelves where the canned pumpkin should be. But — good news — the pumpkin shortage is OVER! One thing to note: The pumpkin you get from your cans of Libby’s may have a slightly different texture than before (a little softer). However, that kind of thing happens with all-natural products and varies from crop to crop. Who cares? Pumpkin is back!

The newsletter also referenced a Daily Herald article with this tidbit of information, “The grocers said prices of canned pumpkin are essentially the same as last year.”

Let the pumpkin baking begin!

The photo is courtesy of cupcakequeen

It’s November 2nd . . . where did October go? All the pumpkin patches are gone. No more pumpkin festivals to attend. Such a downer. Is anyone else bummed that Halloween is already over?

We decorated this past weekend with all the pumpkins we’ve purchased. There have been lots of pumpkin purchases lately which is why we may need to resort to eating Top Ramen until pay day. Most of these pumpkins were purchased from the Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Patch in Yucaipa, CA. Others are from Trader Joe’s and Home Depot. Home Depot?!?!?

If you just want a simple carving pumpkin Home Depot is your best bet. Each pumpkin is only $2.99 but they tend to sell out quick!

Where have you found cheap pumpkins this year?