ginger"BOND" houses....

when i was a little girl my mom would have all the young girls in our church come over and she would teach them how to make gingerbread trains.

they were never as elaborate as this one i found here

but i always loved the little frosting bags and the ginger smell 

and the sound of little candies hitting the tile floor.

every year i say "we are going to make gingerbread houses together."

and every year passes with no sugary sweet cottages to display.

until this year!

 let the decorating mess begin...

i knew the little ones would love it....

and the girls for sure.

but i was surprised that the boys were the ones who really got into it.

especially my 18 yr. old.  {he.s an artist}

 look how darn clever he is...

his snowman is wearing an elks lodge hat.

they were proud of their architecture.

some a bit more obvious than others.

and in the end it was such a festive bonding experience.

a ginger"bond" party.

new christmas tradition?      check.

cul*ti*vate a new tradition with the ones you love.