Gingerbread adventures

This should actually be titled,

LOOSING MY COOL AND SWEARING IN FRONT OF THE CHILDREN.

Ah, gingerbread - I have such a love/hate relationship with it.

Let me start by saying it has been a very full couple of weeks at the oven.  Grown kids arriving, LOTS of cooking, baking, cleaning up from the afor mentioned, and oh yes, sinus surgery for Alec the day after Christmas.  That wasn't a fun recovery for him, so I took my soup making, tea brewing, medicating (him not me...), and gauze changing duties very seriously.  He was excused from the gingerbread extravaganza, and we decided not to have a competition this year.  You know, keep things friendly and fun.  I made the gingerbread pieces  the day before, and when we were ready to begin I realized that I had somehow forgotten to bake off backs to the houses.

Awesome.

Isabelle tries to make the best out of her backless house.

I piped my designs on the house pieces before attempting the construction phase.

Teddy was excited to get in on the fun since he spent last Christmas in Bahrain.

Brooke was in charge of one of the houses and worked with Teddy and Isabelle.  Genevieve was my faithful assistant.

Ever try to put a roof on a backless gingerbread house?

Both houses folded like a deck of cards...

I don't have a picture of my disaster, because I was far too busy 

SWEARING IN FRONT OF THE CHILDREN.

Sigh.

I hung up my piping bags, poured a glass of wine, and waited for Mr. Enchanted to get home from work and see if he could manage a resurrection from the ashes with construction adhesive.  

Here are the happy results:

My FAVORITE element of either of the houses was the doughnut hole - cereal hat wearing - green eyed - pretzel stick armed snowman.  LOVED IT!

And I was beyond thrilled to see my shabby chic backless cottage standing!

Fab photo done by my son Drew and his new camera!

Cookie snowman by me and doughnut hole shrubbery and trees by Genevieve.

Cotton candy smoke coming out of the chimney.

Hard work is rewarded when seeing the house lit from the inside!

Love the crushed and melted candy windows.

I am so glad I only have to face this once a year...

Sharing with
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The Charm of Home