GINGERBREAD HOUSE: STRUCTURAL CHALLENGE

After school today we made a gingerbread house. As a structure it was a  complete failure but the 2 hours of preparation - rolling, cutting and baking - were saved by decorating various "off-cuts" and slabs which did not collapse.

Using my Auntie Mary's card template of 40+ years ago I got out my recipe for gingersnaps.  This is my handwriting in my teens! The recipe was from the Vancouver Province (newspaper) probably about late 50s.  The 1982 Woman's Day magazine that Mary used for the template is stored in my recipe shelf in a brown envelope with "Province of British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Food" on the left corner.

Ishbel who is nearly 8 years old is tall enough to work at the counter and is quite a tidy little worker and careful when working near the hot stove (UK = cooker).   

Alastair is not tidy but rather "creative" and that is his word! Ask him to cut out a shape for the roof or a wall and he goes off and produces a ... hut? dog-house? shed?   Oh dear ... I have had 47 years of this!

Our house wouldn't stay erect but the day was saved by having spare Christmas tree shaped cookies to decorate. I buy tubs of Betty Crocker icing and lots of sprinkles for decoration - worth every penny!

Harriet joined us when Mairi arrived.  She is now sitting at the table like all the big people.

While usually running around everywhere she now will sit for 5 or more minutes with a board book in her lap. She appears to be quite absorbed by them.