You start seeing them first in the grocery stores (at least we do here in Florida!) and it's the first sign that maybe the crazy heat and humidity will be disipating soon and just maybe it'll cool off for a couple of weeks.  Pumpkins.  Nothing says Halloween and the beginning of the fall season like pumpkins.

If you're looking for some creative ideas to decorate your home with pumpkins this year, or you need Halloween party ideas, here are a few suggestions.

So think outside the gourd this year and turn everything into a pumpkin, a favorite Halloween icon.  Check out the ideas below and then come back and click here to see more homemade Halloween decor.

Make this delightful mini carrot cake topped with homemade orange glaze for your Halloween party. This recipe should yield 6 pumpkins.

You'll need an 18-ounce box of carrot cake mix, a mini pumpkin muffin pan (see Nordicware's great mini pumpkin muffin pan to the right), 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 4 teaspoons milk and a drop or two of orange food coloring. You'll also need white nonpareils and green spice drops.

Prepare the carrot cake mix according to the package directions. Coat the muffin pan with vegetable oil and then put slightly more than 1/4 cup batter each muffin section and bake for 18 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove them and let them cool completely.

Wash the pan off and repeat with the remaining batter.

Stack two cakes together, trimming as necessary to get them to stack flat.

To make the frosting, mix 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 4 teaspoons milk, and 1-2 drops orange food coloring together. Use a spoon and pour the frosting over each cake. Decorate each cake with the nonpareils and place a green spice drop on top for a stem.

What you'll need:

• orange tulle
• black felt (can use the adhesive-backed kind)
• scissors
• piece of bark, about 3" x 1"
• topiary form (single round topiary) in pot (preferably black)

To make it, gently wrap the orange tulle around the topiary top until it is completely covered. Cut the end of the tulle and tuck the end under a lower layer to secure it. Cut eyes, nose, and mouth from the black felt and stick or glue it to the front of the topiary.

Cut a small slit in the top of the topiary and insert the piece of bark to be the pumpkin's stem.

Trick your kids into eating these Halloween healthy nibbles that are made of rice and vegetables.

Cook one cup of short-grain white rice according to the package instructions, substituting 1/4 cup of the required water with carrot juice (you could also use diluted carrot baby food.)  Let the rice cool, then shape into about 16 balls (it helps prvent sticking if you wet your hands first.)  Push green pepper pieces into the tops for the stems.