New Traditions

I am a copy cat. I have openly admitted that before. I have no creativity of my own, therefore I mooch off others. Its works for me.

Gingerbread houses. The grand finale. This is what you build when you have mastered cookies, then gingerbread men. Perfect mothers, you know, cook, cut and piece together their own gingerbread houses for their children to decorate with home-made icing and hand-picked candies from the bulk food section. Sound like fun? Um, I'm not big on baking if what I make has to fit together in the end to create an object with form. Though I have always wanted to *make* a gingerbread house, you know, be that perfect mother. Every Christmas season comes and goes with this little dark cloud of "You never baked a gingerbread house again this year!".

So, I was reading a blog by another mother from our church, Marie, and became inspired! She spoke of a gingerbread house kit? Really? Everything contained in one little box at one little price? And trust me, $8.99 is a terrific price considering it is the entire kit! No baking and it even gives me three, yes three, decorating options for my non-creative brain to use!! Oh the bliss.

To top things off, our church offered free childcare Friday evening for parents to get in three hours of shopping, or dinner, or both! We dropped off one eager 12yr old *helper*, 3 to be watched, 1 with Grandma and took 1 with us(he came down with a sore throat). We choose both dinner and shopping, and went to Michaels where I found this kit!(Costco was closed Marie, your kit looks much nicer!) My children were ecstatic when we came home with it!

Look! No extra creativity needed! I LOVE this!

While the little ones napped Jessica and I iced it together.

Then had to wait three hours.

So the girls danced while the boys cut their weekly allowance of firewood

I sold my last puppy! Yay!

"Gracie? Wheres your mouth?" Jessica says she is still no competition for Avi.

Then the fun began. We all took votes on what window style, roof, doorway, peak etc...

Jessie and Daniel decorated the right half and Jacob, Emma & Micah decorated the left half.

Micah snitched candy and ran to the bathroom to hide it! Stinker.

Jessie is thinking "Cake Decorator" as a future business venture...

Some final touch-ups as Daddy came in to help rid us of those nasty little leftovers

Ta-da!! We did it! Our first gingerbread house...looks like we have a new tradition.