Day 124: Make Your Decorative Pumpkins Last Longer

Thanks to Pinterest, I'm really enjoying this time of year.  I saw this pin about how to make your gourds and pumpkins last longer and look prettier.  I was in such a hurry to get Fall started that I purchased my pumpkins the day they showed up in the stores, so I'm afraid they won't last the whole season.  (Especially because I keep up my Fall decor until the day after Thanksgiving, when the Christmas decorations go up.)  Here's a quick fix, and we'll see if it works: 

1) Give your pumpkins a bath in 10 parts water to 1 part bleach

Soak them stem side down to keep them from bobbing up out of the water

2) After letting them sit for 10 minutes or so, dry them off and then buff with Vaseline and a soft cloth to make them shiny.

See how pretty they are now? 

While I was letting them soak, I cleaned my stove grates that had been sitting overnight in a baggie with some ammonia.  I've done this once before, with great results.  It was successful once again, and hands down, the easiest way to get the grime off your burner grates.  

Oh, and one more thing! (I guess I was feeling productive today.)  I have a cute little candy dish that I pull out for Fall, but somehow the M&M's never made it to the dish.  So to avoid that happening again, I filled the plate with pinto beans and placed three Party Lite pumpkin spice votives inside.  Voila! A cute little table top decoration for my living room!