Gingerbread Houses

Last year we made a gingerbread house for our neighbors and this year Caleb really wanted to make one for us.  I like making gingerbread houses enough to justify the mess and time, but I started thinking about how much I didn't really want to make one with three helpers...or even two helpers.  I have a hard time focusing on a project and being patient and understanding with children at the same time.  They really wanted to help, so I decided that I would build three small houses and let them each decorate their own house however they wanted.  Since we had a few pounds of Halloween candy still left, that worked out just fine.

The kids wanted clear windows in their houses, I don't know what I was thinking, I thought I could just put white sugar in the window holes and it would melt into lovely clear candy.  I have boiled sugar before and I have made lollipops, I should not have been so ignorant.  Anyway, crushed hard candy folks - that is the only way to go for windows.

I gave the bigs each a sandwich baggie with icing with the corner snipped to use.  I wanted a really big mess you see.

Natalie had no idea what we were going to do, when I made a bowl of candies for her she got really excited!  She really liked pressing the candy into the icing.

Decorating was fun, but it was a mess!

Natalie's house

Annalise's house & subsequent sugar rush.

Home SWEET Home!

So that worked out well - I didn't have the unrealistic expectation that I could do it my way, we used up a huge amount of Halloween candy, they had a great time, and I was patient and understanding (for the most part).