Dear Dobby,

How do you carve the perfect pumpkin? I've entered a pumpkin carving contest to raise money for our youth group and I don't have any ideas.

Thanks
Pumpkin Carver

Dobby says: Ooooohh! Dobby likes the pumpkins! Especially the juice! Here are some tips on how to carve the perfect pumpkin,

Carving the Perfect Pumpkin
CHOOSING THE RIGHT pumpkin to carve for Halloween is an important task. It will be much easier to locate a commercial grower in the area or visit one of the many roadside stands that appear in the days just before Halloween.
Be careful not to choose a pumpkin that is bruised, cracked or has a broken stem. And don't carve your pumpkin any sooner than a day or two before Halloween to make sure it lasts longer.

CARVING TIPS
Consider the size and shape of your pumpkin before carving. Round pumpkins are good for making happy faces, while tall, thin pumpkins are best for scary expressions because there's plenty of room at the bottom for a big mouth with lots of teeth. Draw your pumpkin's face on paper first. Then you can either copy the drawing onto the front of the pumpkin using a water-based marker, or simply fasten the paper onto the pumpkin and carve into the paper.
Begin by carving the lid: Cut the lid at an angle so the outside diameter is larger than the inside. By doing this, you'll be sure that the top won't fall into the pumpkin. Make sure that your hand can easily fit through the lid opening so that you can scoop out the insides of the pumpkin. Clean out the pulp and seeds. This messy job can be done with a large spoon or with your hands. Place newspaper underneath the pumpkin to avoid a messy clean-up. Save the seeds for cooking.

CARVING SAFETY
Carve away from yourself, keeping part of the knife blade in the pumpkin. Use slow, steady, sawlike strokes. It is easier to carve the features in the middle of the pumpkin first and slowly work outward. For areas with a lot of detail, cut with an X-Acto knife. To make circles and curves, use the tip of a potato peeler. You can remove carved areas by either pushing them into or out of the pumpkin. By stabbing a chunk with a toothpick, you can pull it away from the pumpkin. Be sure that the holes are large enough to provide air for the candle flame. Finally, create a flattened area in the bottom for a candle.

ROASTING OR FRYING THE SEEDS
After removing the seeds from the pumpkin, wash them thoroughly and let them dry on paper towels for a day. Put one tablespoon of cooking oil in a bowl, add two cups of dried seeds, and toss them until they are coated with the oil. Spread the seeds on a cookie sheet, and bake them at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes to one hour. Stir them every 15 minutes while they're baking.
To fry the seeds, place one tablespoon of oil in a frying pan, add the seeds, and cook over medium heat until they begin to swell and pop. Add salt to taste.

Also, Dobby knows that some muggles will cheat and use stencils to outling where to carve the pumpkin as well.

Dobby says: Dobby wishes Dobby had more time as well. So Dobby tries to take a few minutes at the end of each day to do a couple of things needed for the next day. O r at least try and do something to make whatever needs to be done a little easier. That way Dobby gains a little more time to do things the following day. However, Dobby would be quite fond of a time turner as well...

Dobby says: Dobby feels most grieviously for your situation. Dobby thinks that it is normal for dads' to be over-protective of their little girls.Dobby feels you should know this is done out of great love and a need to keep you safe. However, Dobby also feels that if it makes you feel unhappy, that you should talk to your dad about how you feel. Really talk, not argue, or yell, and listen earnestly to what the other is saying. Each side will have pros and cons for their issue. What needs to be done is to find a common ground. You must realize that your dad is experienced and in most cases, knows what is best for you. On the other hand he must realize that you are growing up and will need to experience some of life for yourself if you are to make it on your own when the time comes. So have that talk and set some ground rules you both can abide by. By doing this together, your dad will still feel like he has some control and peace of mind, while you will feel like you have had some imput that allows you maybe a little more freedom and responsability. Dobby hopes this helps you! Good luck!

Dear Dobby,

How do we get our loverly members to post things for our newsletter? We have two awesome new threads for them to post graphics/odes/poems and such in.

Dobby says: Dobby says you can always send them a newsletter about posting in the newsletter... Dobby jests. Maybe promote it in a siggy or avvie or in the game and chat threads. And if that doesn't work you can always stalk them....

Dear Dobby:

I have this problem, I have so many ideas floating in my head I can't seem to gte any out without mixing them up. How do I organize my brain so it's not so... full?

Yours ,
A confused Ari

Dobby says: Dobby too has this problem, so Dobby ALWAYS carries a small pocket notebook and a quill so as soon as an idea comes Dobby can write it down no matter where Dobby is. Dobby dates the idea and whenever Dobby needs it, Dobby just looks in the notebook. Saves Dobby from many headaches.

Dear Dobby,

I work with these adorable little toddlers. Or at least most of the time they're adorable. However, every now and then they throw the most amazing temper tantrums I have ever seen. Any tips on how to subdue...err.. I mean handle these "displays of emotion?"

signed,
All Tantrumed Out

Dear Dobby,

I have annoying person on MSN that keeps following me around. Her name is Kerry and I can't seem to get rid of her. And suggestions?

Dobby says: Do you own a tranquilizer gun? Dobby jests! Dobby has seen many a toddler tantrum and finds there is no logical reason for these to occur. Therefore, these erm... "displays of emotion" are unpredictable and frequent. Proceed with caution. However, Dobby has seen that toddlers have a limited attention span and usually something "new" introduced to their immediate enviroment will cause them to forget the reason for their original despair.Sometimes though, a toddler doesn't calm down not because he\she doesn't want to, but because they are unable to. When less spirited children cry, their bodies start pumping out the hormone serotonin (nature's Prozac), which has a calming effect. Some children possess less levels of this. Studies of kids prone to crying jags show that the most effective strategy is to gently calm and soothe them with hugs, kisses, and rocking at the first sign of distress — before they're too far gone to be consoled. So when a malfunctioning toy or any of the myriad other toddler triggers looks set to spark a tantrum, don't even let the toddler get started — once he\she does, stress hormones will flood their system and there won't be enough serotonin to balance them out. Instead, offer them a good solid hug and a word of sympathy, and then whip out another plaything to divert her attention. Hope that helps! Good luck!




Dobby says: Have you tried "Kerry Be Gone" spray yet? Or maybe the block button? If all else fails you can contact the FBI's witness protection program and they will give you a new identity. They are quite familiar with Kerry as being a stalker.

LMAO Dobby... Thanks, that FBI witness protection program is really working.

Will you go out with me cause you're really cool and so cute?

Dobby says: You flatter Dobby! Dobby is sure you are a lovely person but, Dobby is not allowed to go out with a client. Besides, Dobby is scared that Kerry will find you again and Dobby too will become an object of Kerry's staalkerish affections! O_o

Dobby says:

OOhhhh Dobby luffs rubber duckies!! Dobby finds that the rubber duckie's function is just to bring joy to whoever owns it. However, the more boring explanation for the history of the rubbe duckie is as follows:

A rubber duck, or rubber ducky, is a toy shaped like a goose that is made of rubber or rubber-like material such as vinyl plastic. Almost all modern rubber ducks are made out of vinyl plastic rather than rubber. Most commonly, rubber ducks are designed to be used as floating bathtub toys. Not all rubber ducks are bath toys. Some rubber ducks are dolls or play figures similar to other squeeze or squeak toys typically given to children and sometimes dogs. Rubber ducks can be found in various colours, sizes, shapes, and outfits. Rubber ducks have achieved status as a popular icon and, while still primarily considered a children's toy, are used by people of all ages.

Rubber ducks may be equipped with a squeaker that makes a whistling or squeaking sound. More rarely the toy may have a squeaker that makes a sound resembling the quack of a real duck. Bath toy ducks sometimes have a hole in the bill which allows the toy to take in and then squirt water, emulating the actions of real ducks.

The origin of the rubber duck is not known, but its history is inevitably linked to that of rubber manufacturing, the development of early rubber (and later synthetic rubber) toys including cars and dolls, and the advent of squeak toys which dates to at least the late 1800s. Although squeak toys are often thought of as dog toys, many people still enjoy the squeaking rubber duck. The earliest rubber ducks were made from harder rubber and lacked squeakers.

Ernie, a popular Muppet from Sesame Street, has helped to popularize the floating rubber duck bath toy with his song "Rubber Duckie", though rubber ducks existed long before the advent of this television show. The yellow rubber duck has achieved an iconic status in American pop culture. In the United States the rubber duck is often symbolically linked to bathing or bath tubs and bubbles and to babies and toddlers...

As the rubber duck has grown in popularity over the years, many variants are sold including "devil ducks" "dead ducks" and "bride and groom" ducks.

In 2001 a popular British tabloid newspaper reported that Queen Elizabeth II has a rubber duck that wears an inflatable crown in her bathroom. The duck was spotted by a workman who was repainting her bathroom and later reported it to The Sun newspaper. The story prompted sales of rubber ducks in the United Kingdom to increase by 80% for a short period.

Rubber ducks are collected by a small number of enthusiasts in countries including: the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, United States, and the Netherlands. The Guinness World Record for World's Largest Rubber Duck Collection numbered 2,583 unique rubber ducks in 2006.

The rubber duck can be referred to informally as a rubber duckie or a rubber ducky. Amongst collectors of rubber ducks, the spelling rubber duckie has achieved prominence, but both spellings are considered acceptable.

Dear Dobby,

How on planet Earth do I pronounce your name?! Is it dough-bee or daw-bee? [Yes I have had heated arguments with my friends on this lol xD]

*Dobby takes a bow* Thank you!

Dobby says: Dobby's name is pronounced like daw-bee. However, Dobby would still answer to dough-bee as well if you chose to pronounce it thusly.

Dobby also welcomes you to the HEFC!!!