GINGERBREAD HOUSE

If you read the last post about 230lbs of gingerbread you would be looking forward to seeing what that looks like so I have some photos for you:

My husband "the chef" was back at it again this year. This is the fruit of our labors of making the gingerbread. All 230lbs was strategically air nailed to the wooden substructure.

This is the front of the house early stage before the finishing frosting to patch the seams was placed.

Back view, again before cosmetic touches.

Now all the seams have been filled with frosting to make the siding complete. The glue holds all the gingerbread siding to the house. The roof and sides were then coated completely with white frosting.

The tradition holds that once the house is built all the kids from the country club(where the chef works) come in one night and decorate it and have a party. So, after the chef and I spent about 6 hours making the 230lbs of siding, he spent approx 2.5 hours assembling the house. We also spent about and hour in the supermarket getting candy from the bulk bins for the kids to use to decorate the house. People were looking at us as if we were crazy when we were filling the shopping cart with bags of bulk candy. I said "chef" what kind of candy do you want me to scoop. "Anything without nuts for the allergic kids and anything that will stick to frosting not in wrappers" replied "the chef". We nearly cleaned out the bulk aisle at our supermarket buying gum drops, mike &ike's, good&plentys, gummie bears worms, jelly beans, and choclate candies of all varieties. We bought almost 100lbs of candy. The cashier was giving us "the look" wondering why we would be buying so much candy she must have thought us to be lunatics.

Okay, so you might be wondering how this works. Well the maintenance crew sets up the "magical rug" and the "picket fence " for the house. Chef puts the house inside the fence where it begins looking plain, calm and serene.
THEN......
Add about 150 wild kids from 2-11 years old, taking turns going inside the fenced area picking up candy and decorating the outside of the house.

WHEN ITS ALL SAID AND DONE HERE IS THE FINAL PRODUCT


:)




Here is the front entrance. Look at the beautiful entrance, please advert your eyes from the candy that has made it on the floor and began to be ground into the "magical rug".

Another view of the "messterpeice" oops I mean Masterpeice :)

A final view. Yes, those are hand marks in the frosting on the side of the house. Can you imagine the sugar buzz those kids were on when they went home. Looks like some of the candy made it on the house, a lot made it on the floor, and I am sure some of the candy for decoration made it in their mouths.

The house will stay on display for less than 72hours. The house will then be transported outside, powerwashed, and siding will be removed. The picket fence will come down and the "magical rug" will find it's way to the dumpster. The house substructure will be packed away until time for next years remodeling and redecoration.

The fact that I don't have to clean up the mess after the fact

PRICELESS.

Now you know what i have done this week you can see why I haven't accomplished very much knitting. Hopefully next week will produce some knitting finished object photos.

I hope you enjoyed the gingerbread house story.
Merry Christmas

Run, run, as fast as you can...You can't catch me.........I am the gingerbreadWOMAN!!!!

Yikes, Where does time go?

It's hard to believe that time goes so fast. I swear it was just July. Well I am fighting the sinus junk this week. Booo Hiss!!!!!!!! I have been doing some knitting but don't have any pictures to show for it! Among other things, I have finished a baby gift for a friend, a few dishcloths, and a new bathroom rug that is super soft. Today, I helped "the chef" aka:my husband make enough gingerbread to cover the worlds largest gingerbread house. We made 230 lbs of gingerbread. No your eyes aren't playing tricks on you that really says 230lbs that is more than a grown man. I don't care if I ever see gingerbread ever again.
Tomorrow "the chef" will take the 40 plus sheet trays of gingerbread "siding" and screw them on the gingerbread house frame and all the kids at the country club will get to decorate it. They do this every year and this year I was elected to help make the gingerbread siding. What a zoo, at least I don't have to be there when there are 100 kids frosting and glueing candy to the house in between shoving candy and frosting in their mouths. I am so sorry I will have to miss that darn :) Too bad "the chef" will have to endure it all. Anyways, I leave you with thoughts of the chaos that will ensue tomorrow at mission gingerbread house build.......(evil laughter).

Thank You

Last year on this day someone asked me if I liked the way I live my life. A puzzling question at first by my answer was "Yes, definitely! "Well then, today you should thank a Veteran."
Humbling words that were so true.

Thanks to all the Veterans that have enabled me to live my life of freedom.
Especially to this one:

Thanks Pops!!! Love you!!!

I was spoiled!!!!!!!

Yipeeeee!!!!!!!!! My Fall into Autumn Goodies arrived from my spoiler Charity.

Look at all of this amazing stuff!!!!!!
Thank you so much!!!!

Here are some closer pictures with subtitles:

A new calendar I can put pictures in, a tape measure(she must have known I would need one for the new house), some yummy smelling candles, and some yummy smelling soap, some handy stitch markers and a fight breast cancer bracelet.

Some eddible yummies. There were more but I have eaten a few already :)

The hand made gifts in all their glory.

Some superb stitch markers hand made especially for me by Charity.
Sorry the flash is so bright, those are shell and they are much cooler than in the pic. Perhaps I should learn how to properly use my camera, however, that would involve reading the novel of instructions that came with it BORING!!!!! I would rather watch paint dry. Some day I will figure out how to use this camera!!!!

Yarn Porn!!!!! Really neat fall colors of dishcloths will be made with this.

Halloween Goodies, that is a pumpkin dishcloth, again proper camera use would have been helpful the picture is even sideways. Yikes, my brain is melting!!! It just is "tricked" by technology sometimes :) LOL!!!!!

Charity, you are great. Thanks so much for the package, I am sorry if my moving stressed you about the arrival. It came on the perfect day. Thanks so much I can't wait to get to chat more now that we don't have to have secret identities.
Another great swapper!!!!!!!!

Fall Into Autumn TOW #6

Are you the type that likes to go to participate in all the fall festivities like apple picking, pumpkins, decorating for the fall, hay rides, baking fall goodies, etc. or do you just sit and count the days till Thanksgiving/Christmas/Hanukkah?
I dare say that I really don't fit into either category. I love Fall, I can say that much. When I was a kid I loved to rake leaves into a pile and then jump in. I love the smell of leaves. I really don't decorate for the fall or bake fall goodies so I can't say that I am in that category. However, I don't sit and count the days til holidays but I love it when the holidays arrive also. I guees I just don't fit into either group perfectly. However, a cool fall day is the perfect time of year for an afternoon nap. Okay, bad answer to the question but that is how it goes some time.
Happy Knitting

Fall Into Autumn TOW #5

The topic of the week asks about the needle part of our stash.
Well I don't have pictures, but I can make a list of them for you all to see.
I have KnitPick Options series sizes 4-11 with 4 different cables and a case
that holds them all in pockets.
I have a home made needle holder courtesy of Ally B that she made for me.
It is awesome to have such a crafty mom. In the holder I have:
Size 7 bamboo straights. Size 8 bamboo straights (special hand painted ends)
Bamboo DPNs: set of five in size 7 , 10.5, 15 and set of 2 of size 11
Bamboo Circs: size 13 and size 15
Addi Turbo Metal 24" : size 10.5, & 15
Set of purple and green plastic stitch markers
Set of handmade beaded stitch markers
2 darning needles
I think that rounds out my stash. It is so hard to believe that I have such a collection and I have only been knitting just over a year. I love knitting and I love my needle stash. Thanks for asking me about it.

How about you? Do you have an assortment like me or do you just use one type of needle and why do you prefer that type of needle. Perhaps I will hear from you soon if there is anyone out there that is.

Fall into Autumn TOW#4

How about you? Are there any recipes you especially enjoy having in the Fall? Any foods that are seasonal that you especially enjoy? As Fall arrives, I tend to turn more to slow foods. I don't mind having the stove or oven on when it finally cools off so I enjoy making more things that can roast or bake in the oven. I don't have a favorite meal specifically but I do enjoy making a homemade lasagna recipe that I got out of the Everyday Food magazine by Martha Stewart. It is fairly easy, and you get a warm homemade lasagna with sausage and homemade tomato sauce. If you want more details on the recipe just let me know. I hope you are all well and knitting like crazy :)