Gingerbread Houses

This year I wasn't going to do gingerbread houses. I thought it seemed like too much work and, frankly, too much of a mess with the children. But then I saw my good friend doing little houses with her kids and I saw how much fun they were having. My friend said she got the kit at Target, so off I went to look.

And look...

And look...

The gingerbread house kits were nowhere to be found! So, I decided to bake my own. I had seen a wonderful video tutorial on Sweetopia.net. She also shares her recipe and a template for the house pieces.

So, I printed everything and got to baking! I baked the pieces on Monday and began to put them together over the course of the day Tuesday. It takes awhile because you have to let everything dry during assembly and then make sure the completed piece is dry before decorating so it holds together.

Yesterday afternoon, we got to decorate. I had bought an inordinate amount of candy for these houses! I'll have to hide the leftovers. From myself, I mean. I am a candy addict! :)

Will and Kate each got a little house to decorate. While getting them set up, I was wishing I had made one for myself too. But Will kindly let me help with his! He gave very specific instructions on how and what I should do, though! Ha! Sounds just like him, doesn't it? I don't have any idea where he gets that....

Each child also got a little baggie full of royal icing with one of the corners cut off. That way, they could pipe some icing out to attach the decorations all by themselves. I did the icicles for them with my own bag fitted with a #5 tip.

Here is Will's.

The front:

Sides:

Did you see the little snowman? My contribution. I think he's so cute!

And the back. He went for the minimal approach on the front and back!

And here is Kate's.

That was the front. Here are the sides:

Kate insisted that her snowgirl have eyelashes. Can you see them?

Here is the back of Kate's house:

Both kids were so pleased with their creations! Even better was how tickled they each were with what the other had done. They each squealed with delight noticing things about the other's house. I love that!

And it was a lot of fun to see them make the houses come to life.

Today, I will probably let them eat some, but part of me just wants to keep the houses and look at them. Maybe put them on the mantle. They remind me of how much fun Christmas with the kids can be. And how some tasks that seem daunting end up being the most rewarding. Isn't that true of a lot of things in life??

Merry Christmas everyone!