2015 The Gingers adventures

In 2015 William returned for another successful stint as a gingerbread maker helper. Bet you can't say that fast 5 times in a row. He was joined by brother James and cousin Lucas as we celebrated our 45th year of gingerbread house making. OK, that's not how long we've been making the bread of the gingers, but I didn't want to stop and count and so I just made that up. In case you thought, "Forty five years? I don't think that's correct." You were right.

After scrolling through the pictures and seeing the home of 2015, it seems the Gingers were downsizing. They made the difficult decision to sell their beloved and opulent federal style home they'd loved and raised their family in until the end of 2014. They hadn't fallen on hard times, but instead they'd worked hard towards a life of retirement. They sold their lovely home and moved to a house in the country. I think they were happy to have a cozy spot to rest their weary heads after their successful nationwide sporting goods stores. 

Their kids had been grateful for the opportunities the sporting goods stores had afforded their educations, but each of the five kids had forged their own ways in the fields of science, medicine, technology and home making. Their parents were not upset in any way that the kids hadn't wanted to continue in the family business and so they happily sold the business for a pretty sum of money. Their 300 acre spread in Texas was just the spot for them to watch sunsets and find country roads to travel down. The winding road that leads to their farmhouse is lined with huge oak trees with sprawling limbs stretching far out over the dusty dirt road. It's quite the scenic drive to the heart of the property where the house stands. 

The kids, their spouses and the 20 grandkids visit often and can be found walking the pastures or swinging on the huge back Ginger porch. It's the life the Gingers always dreamed of after moving so many times throughout their lives together. 

Life was good. 

Lets see what their temporary house looked like while the architect finalized the real house plans. It would not be ready until 2016.   

Candy sprinkles makes a happy face. 

Maggie's working on one of the Ginger's many Christmas trees. 

Yes William, the Gingers do make many kinds of candy sprinkles. 

I spy a sprinkle at the side of his mouth. 

Lucas is contemplating life with candy sprinkles. 

The Beebs and William. 

It's the making of the trees.

Final touch is a star atop the tree.

Lucas has arrived on the scene again. 

As has James.

Shirtless ginger house making. 

The roof is looking full of chicklet gum. 

Decorate a little, eat a little. 

The mouth and lips tell no lies about sugar. 

They're intent on something.

The Ginger"s starter home while the other house is under construction. The final Ginger home would not be complete until 2016. They shared no plans with us.

This will eventually become the grandkids bunkhouse after the Gingers move into their new house. 

These people look tired. 

Mollie was not tired of the camera.

Ahhh, the front walk to the Ginger house. 

Even though the Gingers wanted to downsize, they always knew this was too small for their needs. Several structures like this would work well for their individual kids' families when they came for a visit. So they made multi of these to accommodate them all. Those Gingers lived and loved well.

This is a chapel they built on the property so the grandkids could marry right there on the promised land that God called Texas. 

Such a lovely chapel. It will see many a wedding.

Picture taking will happen on this side before and after the ceremonies. 

That's it for Ginger structures in 2015. Their story is ever evolving. What will their final house look like? Will it meet their needs or will they have to build again in 2017? 

You'll have to stay tuned to see what happens! 

Come back to see!

I may be losing it!

2014 was a good year for Ginger housing

I have an important newsflash announcement to make. Becky found multi pictures of the gingerbread houses that had little or no photos of them. It never occurred to me to ask about rogue photographers taking pictures with phones or cameras. But anyway praise the Lord! Becky helped us fill in the gaps! I'm really quite excited. The ONLY problem I have is the found pictures will now be out of order, OR I go back and add them to the finished posts. Either way stresses me out. It will NOT keep me from posting them. I just have to decide how I will do it. 

Clearly I'm under the gun to get all this completed before the dawn of the new Christmas day. I'm sweating just a little bit. But I will prevail!! 

THE BEST addition to the 2014 ginger peachy house making was the small children. They make everything a little messier, but so much more fun and magical.

Quite the lovely shot of me with my tongue hanging out of my mouth.

Another first for that year was an Australian spectator at the construction site. 

At first I thought Whitney was doing a shot, but she's taking a pic. 

The spectators. I was so much more on my game for picture taking, although the house has yet to make an appearance. 

Mollie and the camera know each other well.

That face, William's not Mollie's.

Decorating the ice cream cone tree. 

There is the first sighting of the ginger home.  

Pretzel windows and a chocolate front door. I think this is a new fave for me.

This is for sure homemade ginger bread. 

The garland on the eave of the house and the pretzel fence? Loving it so much.  

The guest house.

These trees are just fab.

A small house and a guest house. These gingers have money. 

I love them all.

Emma and Olivia made house plans for this house. I remember the planning meetings about this home. It was quite the build up to the making of it.

These are spectacular.

The flat top works for Santa making a safe landing. 

Last pic is the backside. 

Well this one was magical and wonderful. I don't know how you can top it. 

Two more years left to do, plus my girls made a Fall house one year and then I'll post the pics Becky found as well. The deadline is looming large in the front view, but I'm gonna try! Wish me luck. I'm now off to see out of town peeps that are in town. 

Tomorrow is the eve of Christmas Eve and Caitlin is coming. YAY! 

There is much to do tomorrow, with cookie baking with little boys the main event in the afternoon. Wish us luck with that too!

It's bedtime again, so I'm gonna do that right now.

God bless us every single one and safe travels for Caitlin. 

2013 gingerbread was a good one

So far today the internet is working and I'm half heartedly cleaning around the house in anticipation of Christmas coming and that damn fat goose. As I sit here and reread that sentence, I feel no need or want to change it. If it offends, get over it. Am I a little spicy you ask? Maybe just a pinch. 

The weather was hot, then the weather turned cold, now it's going back to warm just in time for Christmas day when we will be gathered around the air conditioner as we often are on December 25th. Christmas day is barreling towards us and it will be over in less than four days! Gadzooks! 

I have very little new to report except that now we always have cupcakes in the house and as I told Olivia last week when she asked if I wanted her to bring some home, "My butt says no, but my stomach says yes." It's a conundrum.

I'm gonna get back to the gingerbread houses and I could add, "Before I say something stupid." But we all know it's already too late for that. 

2013 is up next....  

In 2013 it was all hands back on deck for another gingerbread village happening. I don't think it was home baked gingerbread. Homemade gingerbread will make a reappearance at some point in the future.   

There's a lot of focusing going on here. 

Emma was pulling a Mollie here. 

This year included the introduction of the Christmas tree made out of upside down ice cream cone. 

They are really quite fabulous. 

I'm loving that small abode in the village. 

I distinctly remember helping with the Christmas trees, once they let me that is. The reason I remember is for what you are about to see. It's a Christmas miracle 

My method of decorating the trees is made of genius legend. Throwing the candy sprinkles at the tree is what I did. And then a Christmas miracle happened. Do you see that dangling candy on the right there? I threw, it landed and then stayed the entire Christmas season. And that's what unforgettable looks like. It's legendary.  

Emma was fully aware of the camera at all times. 

Did we have to wonder if Mollie would know where the camera was?

And there's the finished product. Another great design turned into an excellent finished product.  

I'm calling this a Federal style home. 

The penguin pond came out perf. 

I feel as if I needed a few more pics of the main house. 

It's all so super cute!!

The penguins home was an igloo made of marshmallows. 

That's the gingerbread project of 2013. Clearly practice makes for getting better and better. The craft of gingerbread housing is not an easy one, and vision is essential for each year. I'd say this was a great one. But I love them all for different reasons. 

I'm now about the go to bed before 3 AM and I'm looking forward to it.  

Check back as the countdown continues. Three more years and four more days til Christmas.

It's gonna be close!