So today was the day......we'd been preparing for it for more than a week now. My very good (and brave!) friend, Pam, came over so that she and I, plus my two daughters, Jill & Allison, could make gingerbread houses.

Yesterday was a rough day baking the gingerbread......long story. Then, this morning I was having lots of trouble separating eggs for the royal icing, etc etc. I was ready to give up. Thankfully, I didn't. We spent about 5 hours assembling and decorating FOUR gingerbread houses......but we finally did it, and they turned out so cute. I proud of my dear daughters as they dove in and made their own houses.

Jill & Allison are assembling Allison's house. Pam (my friend) taught Jill how to do it with the first three houses they put together, so Jill was such an expert that she could help her sister do hers when she got home from college later in the morning.


Jill & Allison helped me put my roof on. We had such a good time together. :-)


I am working diligently to make the Cookie Crazie Shoppe gingerbread style!!!!


What a mess we made......and candy galore, oh my. My kids had a feast after we got done. Ugh......full of sugar. :-)


Jill & Allison being silly. ;-)


LtoR Allison (16), Jill (22), Pam (my good friend), and me with our gingerbread houses. :-))))))


Here's the Cookie Crazie Shoppe. :-) I don't know if you can see the oreo cookie roof and the mini oreos I used on the steps, in the "mailbox" pole, and on the big tree up front. I wish I would have had lots of other cookies to put all over it. ( I sold all my minis from Monday, so I didn't have those to put on the shoppe.) Maybe next year.....


Here's the back of my house. Notice the funky fruity twizzler "bush" and the air head extreme "bush". ;-)


The side of my shoppe.


Here's my favorite picture of my gingerbread shoppe. I love the Christmas tree in the background. :-)


Next week I've got a huge order for Christmas cookies.....so you should see some pics by mid week. Can't wait!