Tackle It Tuesday-Gingerbread House

I know what you guys are saying. She's gone all Martha on us. Your probably right. I only get this way at Christmas. I also have a little more time on my hands than in years past.

This weekend I bought a gingerbread house kit. Thanks to my oldest, who takes the initiative to ask where the kits are and has half the staff of WalGreens searching up and down the aisles for them. Had I been alone and not seen them, I would have assumed they were out.

We have never made a gingerbread house before and I didn't really think the boys would be ecstatic but oh my goodness they were ready to dive in...eating the candy that is.
I did my research because that's what I do when I don't know what I'm doing. The kit did come with all the instructions. I just wanted to cover my bases. I'm glad I researched, I think.
The first thing I found was to ditch the icing in the kit and make your own royal icing. So I did. My icing was not of toothpaste caliber but more like runny glue. This doesn't work well for building houses. After the walls collapsed a couple times even in the stand holder thing; I went for reinforcements and used the kit icing. Worked like a charm. Sometimes research is unnecessary. Live and Learn.
One thing I did find handy from my research was using cans to hold up the sides while it dried.


I wanted to use the rest of the boys halloween candy. I had visions of making this awesome brick looking house. I made it to the little walk way. It looks ok in the pic, but close up it looks pretty sloppy.
I did make an attempt at icicles, meh. I set my control issues aside and let the boys have at it. Not bad for the first try.