Cracker and Candy Houses

On the last Monday before Christmas, we made gingerbread houses--well, technically graham cracker houses, and decorated them with candy. The boys had been asking for weeks, and finally I obliged. Usually we buy a gingerbread house-making kit, but I never bought one this year, so I stocked up on the graham crackers and made frosting using every last bit of powdered sugar we had in the house, and I purchased a whole bunch of small candies from the Dollar Store. After we started constructing them, we realized it would take longer than the ones we'd done in the past. It took a couple hours to complete the entire project that night because the frosting needed to harden on the house as we built it before we could add candies to it, and the candy-adding process required much patience for the same reason. 

Waiting for the houses' frosting to set up.

Ammon was at basketball practice that night, so he didn't make one, but surprisingly, Josh did. I don't think Josh has ever helped us make gingerbread houses before, and when I told him as much, he said "that's because you only ever buy enough gingerbread houses for the boys"! It was fun to have him join us in the decorating!

Every house was different, and I liked the finished product! It was a cute little village! I told the boys they couldn't eat the candy off their houses until Christmas day, and since we waited so long to make these in the first place, that meant they only had to wait 2 more days before they started tearing them apart and eating the sugary treats!

Kanyon's single-wide trailer

Jonah's cottage

Micah's sloped house

the back of Micah's

Kala's love shack

the back of Kala's

Josh's miniature house completely decked out in candy patterns!

the back of Josh's

Everyone who came to the house seemed to like Josh's best! His was the smallest of them all, but it was the one with the most candy coverings. I think we should do graham cracker houses again, because I liked how they were all so unique! The boys's houses didn't even last a week before every bit was eaten, but I just barely threw mine and Josh's away this week: they lasted a whole month displayed on the countertop!