Pumpkins

I stopped drinking soda in 2014. I'm not saying Taylor Swift's series of Diet Coke commercials made me stop drinking soda, but I'm not not saying that either. Once I got over the first two weeks of soda withdrawal, I was fine. It's been seven years, and I can't say I miss it at all. I do drink Vernor's ginger ale when I'm sick, but as any Michigander knows, that's just a form of medicine, so it doesn't count.

Anyway, one of the random side benefits/side effects of not drinking soda is I'm more sensitive to sweet drinks and certain types of sweetened food. This has helped my overall sugar intake, and I find I'm more selective when it comes to sweet beverages. I also can't eat overly sweet things, so candy corn is off my list, but I can still enjoy candy corn's far superior cousin, the mellowcreme pumpkin. I've always loved mellowcreme pumpkins. I look forward to the day stores start carrying them, usually in late August, and I buy a few bags to last through the end of November. I'm a seasonal candy purist, so I won't eat them after Thanksgiving. Unlike people who celebrate Christmas all year, I respect holiday boundaries. Mellowcreme pumpkins aren't as sweet as candy corn, and usually aren't stale tasting. That's really candy corn's downfall; it's only fresh for like three minutes and then it's packaged and tastes like sadness and regret.

In case you've never seen a mellowcreme pumpkin.

Today's piece is in honor of one of my favorite fall candies, the tiny mellowcreme pumpkin. Enjoy!

Hopefully, the Brach's people won't get mad at me for trying to recreate the bag.

Details:
Stitches: back stitch, whipped back stitch, satin stitch
Thread palette: DMC 971, 910 396, 632 (3 strands), B5200 (2 strands)