"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
"The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
"The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
"More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb."
Psalm 19:7-10
Last Saturday, our Uncle Gerald and Aunt Valerie had the whole family plus some over to their house to decorate gingerbread houses! We had been looking forward to this since before Thanksgiving....it's hard to believe it's already past now.
Abby had to take a power nap before time to leave.
All ready to go!
There were soooooo many things to choose from! Gumdrops, sugar cubes, after-dinner mints, pretzels, marshmallows, chocolate chips, sprinkles......you name it and they had it! Not to mention about any color of decorating icing you could think of.
So many choices....so little time. : )
Abby and Angie did one together. Angie would put it on, and Abby would take it off. How's that for teamwork! : )
Mandy was working hard...
Allison reveled in all the purple and pink!
Run, run as fast as you can;
You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!
It took an act of congress to get this house decorated. ; )
It was really funny when she tried to decorate the icing jug!
Making progress....
It's fun to watch as the houses are transformed from plain gingerbread to something from Candy land. : )
Ray surprised all of us with his creativity!
I'm a little munchkin! : )
Raidin' the goodies ~ with Grandpa's help.
And since you're my partner in crime...
One for me,
and one for you!
Mandy with the finished product ~ SOOOO much fun!
Slowpokes....here the littles are done and you're STILL decorating????
Yep...we're STILL decorating!
French fries, anyone?
After most people were finished decorating their houses, they had a time of present opening for Mandy and Abby since they won't be here for Christmas.
Whatcha doin'???
Looky what I got!
Here are all of our finished houses
And then each individually...
Christina
Ray ~ very artistic!
Allison ~ don't think you could have guessed if you hadn't been told! ; )
Sara ~ just gotta love the gingerbread men roofing their house!
Keisha
Valerie
Isn't it cute?!?!
Extremely adoreable!
Sunday afternoon, we got some pictures of Mandy and Abby with theirs.
Abby just couldn't keep her eyes off that cookie!
Ooooo...your house looks good!
...and mine does, too!
Sisters...what a precious thing!
"Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."
Psalm 127:1
Your houses are so adorable! We also decorate gingerbread houses every Christmas Eve! We start in the morning on Christmas Eve and the kids work on them all day! It is so much fun!We have done this every year since they were little and now with 10 houses we have quite the gingerbread village! :)Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMiss you!
Love,
Sherry R.
P.S.
You may not beable to do this, but is there any way you could get the recipe for the icing you all used to decorate with? I have been looking for a better icing recipe for years, one that is strong enough to hold the candy on, but is also fluffy and pretty looking! In your pics. it looks like the icing you used was what I have been looking for. If you can't do this then don't worry about it!Thanks!
Merry Christmas!
That looked like LOTS of fun! I was very impressed with how well the houses turned out! Sarah - LOVED the roofers - love your creativity! Amazed by "my friend's" ability - that didn't look bad at all! So how long were you "older" ones working on your architecture???
ReplyDeleteOh, and were the houses themselves already put together? Cause that is even better and easier!! Would love to do that one day!!
The houses are so cute!!! I love the gingerbread men roofing the house ;-) What fun memories.
ReplyDelete~Victoria
Mrs. R.,
ReplyDeleteAren't gingerbread houses soooo much fun!?!? It has been the talk of our house for almost a month now. : ) Even "big kids" get excited about decorating gingerbread houses! : )
The icing we used was what came with the pre-assembled houses. However, there is a recipe on the Wilton site for Royal icing...maybe since that's the brand we used it would be just like it???? Here it is...
Ingredients:
3 T Meringue powder
4 c (about 1 lb.) confectioner's sugar
6 T warm water
Makes: About 3 cups of icing
Instructions:
Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer, 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer).
NOTE: Keep all utensils completely grease-free for proper icing consistency.
* For stiffer icing, use 1 tablespoon less water.
**When using large countertop mixer or for stiffer icing, use 1 tablespoon less water.
Thinned Royal Icing: To thin for pouring, add 1 teaspoon water per cup of royal icing. Use grease-free spoon or spatula to stir slowly. Add 1/2 teaspoon water at a time until you reach proper consistency.
Happy building! And a VERY Merry Christmas to you all! Love and miss you! Oh, and by the way....you'll have to post pics of your "little" village! : ) Can't wait to see it!
Love You!
Valerie
Hey, Amy!
ReplyDeleteWe were there for about 3 1/2 hours....take out about a 30 min. break....we probably spent about 3 hrs. on them. And, yes, they were pre-assembled, so that was 3 hrs. of pure decorating. : ) We'll have to get together in about 3 yrs. and decorate gingerbread houses. Miss you already!
Love Ya!
Valerie
Victoria,
ReplyDeleteIt's so good to hear from you! Thank you! We all loved the roofers, too. : ) Who would have ever thought of that?...besides Sara. : )
Tell your family "hello" for us!
Valerie