Read this post if you want to feel better about yourself

I woke up Sunday morning still sick and achy, so I took my own patented home remedy: Daytime Relief Sudafed washed down with a pot of coffee. If that doesn’t get one moving, nothing will. So I was feeling quite energetic in a heart-racing sort of way, and thought that yes, it would be a good day to make our gingerbread house.

Now – I have probably mentioned this a few times – I am not artistic or crafty in any way. This is not my way of being falsely modest, either. Some women I know make the most incredible things – one friend in particular regularly shows up to Staff Appreciation Day or any other holiday-related function with the most amazing edible treats, the kind of treats which are practically works of art. “Oh, it’s nothing,” she’ll say casually, “I didn’t actually come up with the idea, I just copied it from a magazine.” If I attempted to copy anything from a magazine, it would look a lot more like crumpled up, tear-stained tissue paper held together with Scotch tape than Hershey’s kisses made into a bouquet of rosebuds, but whatever. The point is that I am not artistic or crafty.

Also, if this post rambles a little, it is probably because I am on Day Two of my patented home remedy.

Now, if I were to pinpoint exactly where things went awry, I would probably guess that I did not make the icing thick enough. I’m guessing this as none of the candies would stick on the roof and also any attempts to make windows or doors were thwarted by dripping icing. However. As I said to my husband in a very Zen way, “It’s about the experience, not the final product.” To which he responded, “That’s good, because our final product looks like crap.”

What do you think?

Front view. That red thing is a wreath, which kept slipping into the gumdrop door. Notice the inadvertent drips of icing.

I tried to cover up a window attempt with icing. All those random candies? They are gravestones, Mark informed me. Because this is actually Scooby-Doo’s gingerbread house. Gravestones. Very festive.

Back view. The window is awesome. My husband made a little candy fire pit but you can’t see it as the boys essentially dumped candies all over it. As I said, it’s the experience. And they were having fun.

I made gingerbread men last week. I think this one brings up the curb appeal for the house, don’t you agree?

I actually think we could win a contest for worst decorated gingerbread house. I’d like to blame it on the children, but even if they hadn’t been helping (i.e., pelting candies at the house to see them slide down the roof) I don’t think that the house would have turned out significantly better.