Building Memories

Here's the Christmas-card-worthy version of gingerbread house building. 

 

And here's how it was behind the scenes! (Don't worry. No one but Brooke will eat her gingerbread house!)

Somehow, they didn't turn out quite like the cover on the box. However, we were building memories - not picture-perfect cottages.

My logic for purchasing that particular brand was the advertised "link and lock" building feature. Any help with construction is a bonus, so Mommy and Daddy helped put them together the first night to give the "mortar" plenty of time to set up. Then our interior (well ... more accurately, exterior) decorators completed the project the next morning.

While there were some candies in the box, we supplemented with sugar snowflakes I purchased separately, along with Jill's stash of sprinkles and a few packages of Halloween treats.

Sometimes, you have to hold your mouth just right to get everything in place.

They may not have been ready for their closeup when it comes to perfectly-appointed snow drips and strategically-placed candies to entice buyers on a store shelf. 

 

But that's what made them special, don't you think?

 

Perfection is overrated (or so I hear).

 = 

Kinley was ready for a close-up of each side of her creation. (She had the same request after last year's build.)

I've been watching the Holiday Gingerbread competition on Food Network this month. I don't think we're quite ready for that. But the girls were happy. And that made this Grandma happy.

 

House construction wasn't our only building project.

 

Kinley and Brooke also made several Christmas ornaments. Their tree got some additional bling and I brought some home for mine, too.

Kudos to Hobby Lobby kits! We put together ornaments and stockings. The girls will share the extras with their cousins when they come for Christmas.

 

We also made a couple of gifts for their mommy and daddy. But we can't be giving any previews of those. Secrets are part of Christmas, you know! (We'll see whether Brooke can keep from sharing before Christmas morning.)

 

The day ended with Frozen Junior, a musical at Topeka Civic Theater.

It was the perfect length for young audience members, even though Kinley did say they left out some key elements of the movie version. And I got a scene-by-scene synopsis of Frozen 2 on the way back to their house. Eric says I won't have to see the actual movie.

As they used to say in the newspaper society columns, "A good time was had by all" (including their parents who got away for the day for Christmas shopping and time with friends).