gingerbread houses

We actually made these houses last Friday, December 14. I'm just a little late getting them on. What a crazy night! I have seen the pre-made gingerbread houses in the store, but I thought "why would I spend $10 on one house when I would have to buy four? I can make them so much cheaper than that." (mistake). I had the recipe and cutouts already so I decided to make enough to make four houses (mistake). First the dough was so much and so thick, that I burned up the motor on my hand mixer. So guess what? I had to do it by hand! Then the mixture was too big for my biggest bowl, so I had to pour it out on the counter and knead/mix it. What a workout! Then it came time to roll and cut and bake. The only problem was getting each piece to be exactly right to make the house. Not so easy. By the time, we had all the pieces baked and the kids trying to put it all together, it was crazy (and a little frustrating) Most of the roofs caved in taking part of the house with it. I helped Grant with his and decided it would be "Santa Fe" style because I could not get the roof on right. Kaylee's house probably turned out the best because Dad was pretty meticulous in helping her. Overall, it was fun. The kids had the most fun decorating them anyway.