gingerbread houses 2014

As a follow up post to my Gingerbread House Plans for this year... here are the results.

I don't have pictures of everyone's houses but I am including a video of a few that I am not real sure how my camera or me did it.  But it is kinda of funny and you get to hear me sing a tid bit of a Beatles song.  How embarrassing is that?  Hey.. if you can't laugh at yourself... who can you laugh at?

And this one is mine.  Looks like my log cabin plan turned out OK huh?

My secret weapon of a using a sifter and powdered sugar to top it all off was a hit!

This video sounds a bit like Santa's workshop.  I hear Shaun talking about me, saying my name in the background a couple of times :)

And HERE is my post about the plans for this year's house.

weekend plans and inspiration

How do you keep up with your weekend plans?  Do you keep a list or just make mental notes?  Do you have it all written neatly in a calendar or some ipad program? Or do you just wing it?  By Thursday of each week I normally have a good grocery list started on one page of my spiral and notes jotted down for Friday, Saturday and Sunday of things that need to be done and places I need not to forget to visit.  There are always things that need to be done, I know.  But what about the things that make you.... well... you?  What about making a list of things that will help you reconnect with you and things that you like to do, hear and watch?  There's not a thing wrong with pulling a couple of old tapes out of the attic to listen to or adding something fun to make to your weekend.  Maybe it's a magazine that you have been meaning to sit down with or a recipe for french toast that slips by unmade on an average weekend.  Plan something fun for yourself!  Even if it only lasts a few minutes, you've spent a bit of time reconnecting with who you are inside and what you like to do, right?

I actually didn't think this idea up myself.  There's a gal that writes a blog that I follow called Wadulisi Woman.  She posts weekend inspiration every Friday and I love seeing and being inspired by her.  I decided to do this for myself and come up with things that speak to me on my own.  Hers are awesome and a little different than my own.  Please check them out!  I look forward to seeing her inspiration every week and definitely have been inspired by her tastes!

I made a printable for you to help you get started.  Just right click and print or copy a paste as you wish.

By all means, please don't feel like you need to fill them all in.  Maybe you just want to squeeze in a little Bocephus or some Cinnamon Popcorn or maybe even a little lie down in the sun for ten minutes (ear plugs optional but recommended!)  Here are my plans for me this weekend.

So.... what ARE you going to do this weekend?

2013 Gingerbread House Plans

Each year my family gets together to decorate gingerbread houses.  My Mom and Dad are the construction crew and the grandchildren, myself, a couple of sisters and aunts are the decorators.

A couple of years ago, we decided that this would be our Thanksgiving afternoon craft.  You know, when the boys are all passed out from the huge meal and there's only football on TV. 

 

We all bring candy supplies and have a grand ole time.  Some of us... me mainly.... feel better if they have a plan in mind before the decorating begins.  This year I came up with two themes for myself .  I decided to go with Chocolate Explosion!  I am so excited!  I have Coco Puffs, mini Snickers, mini Reeses, a chocolate Santa.  Here are my inspiration pages and pictures. 

 

 

 

I love all the inspiration that can be found in books and online.  Crazy ideas!  Mine seems to always end up sloppy but it's all so much fun.  I will print out  my inspiration page to carry along with me so I don't get sidetracked.  Here's my inspiration and house plans from last year.



Easter Plans

I would like to announce that I am going "All Martha" for my Easter centerpieces this year!  I am the hostess of our Easter gathering for our family, this is my fourth year to do so and I love it!  Even Shaun likes it... mainly because it gives him a good excuse for not mowing the grass until after the Easter egg hunt.  But... this morning, after looking at my daily craft email that I get from Martha Stewart dot com ( which really makes me feel like we are friends.. Martha and I... because she sends me stuff like everyday) I got inspired to decorate a tad bit for our get together.  The inspiration comes in the form of centerpieces and it is derived from several of Martha (and company's) Easter ideas and involves only using items that I already have and I literally have the stuff to make each one of these.  Except maybe the turmeric... I'll have to check the pantry for that and probably won't do it unless I have it.  No special trips to the store here. 

For the main table (which may or may not be the only one I make) I will be using a round Easter basket that my junk from the estate sale on Saturday was packed in.  In that I will rig up something to grow grass in, probably a bowl, of which I already have seed for because I grow it for Captain Kicks-A-Lot (Tom the cat) during the winter.  Then I will use my onion peelings to dye my eggs and maybe the turmeric too.  I have already downloaded the chicken and bunny template from MSdotC and printed them on card stock and will cut them out today getting them ready for spray glue and fabric scrap this evening.  The little bowls will be a sort of after thought and will happen if I have time over the weekend or possibly not. 

Easter is just next Sunday, March 31st, so I feel the grass will grow between now and then if I get to it when I get home this evening.  Wheat grass grows pretty fast in good conditions.  I promise to share a picture of the end result since I can't put it together today because the grass has yet to grow and the eggs have yet to be dyed.  Never-the-less I have faith that it will come together in the end and be a nice addition to all the pretty Easter dresses or in my case Easter Levis at my house. 

Here is the link on Martha Stewart where all this inspiration came from.  She is wonderful and I adore that the ideas and inspiration comes with printable templates, instructions and videos!  I have learned a ton and a half from her website for sure. 

Gingerbread House Plans

Each year, around Christmas time, the kids in my family all get together and decorate gingerbread houses.  Mom cuts out brown foam core board and glues it together on wooden disks covered in aluminum foil.  We all bring candy to decorate with which always ends up with a huge assortment of building supplies.  The day of, Mom makes Royal icing that is just stiff enough to hold the candy in place.  We all have a blast. 

Last year, instead of finding a Saturday during December that we are all free, we decided to make them on Thanksgiving and fore go the nap after tearing into the bird.  So while all the guys are napping the gals and kids venture into the basement for gingerbread shop class! 

Generally, I like to plan what my house is going to look like or a theme that I would like to stick to.  This year I want to go a little more down to earth and natural.  I want to make a sort of "house in the woods" which won't be that easy to do considering I don't have any edible moss or tree branches.  Did I mention our decorated houses must be edible... the decorations anyway.  So we have simple guidelines to follow which means I will be carousing the candy aisle this week and pulling out the brown cereal.  My main items to work with this year will be Golden Grahams for the roof, sticks of gum for walk ways, and chow mien noodles of which I have no clue how I am going to use yet. 

So here are inspiring houses that I found.  Notice that not many of them are actual candy houses.  But still inspiring.  I am going to have to find lots of green candy and take a lot of patience with me!  Pictures will follow.