Gingerbread Extravaganza

Last night we held our 2nd Annual "Gingerbread Extravaganza" Christmas party. We construct two large Gingerbread houses, make lots of sweet treats, and invite our favorite people!

The only thing we ask everyone to bring is a bag of candy to decorate their house. At the door, we tag our guests with either a red or a green "tinsel" bracelet to differentiate the teams, then dump their candy in big buckets.


When the competition starts, we set the timer for 1 hour while both teams usually huddle up to form a design plan. This is where the fun begins!







For judging the competition, we "WEB-CAMMED" in two gingerbread house experts all the way from Texas. My 8 year old twin sisters, Aubrey and Emily, were tough critics...but I guess someone had to be!
After much thought and consideration, they made their decision. "It wasn't easy..." they said, "but the GREEN team wins!!!!!" Everyone cheered.

Great job everybody! Can't wait 'til next year. If you want to join us in '09, let me or Faith know and we will add you to our guest list. Thanks for checking out our blog and Cheers! to a sweet and fabulous Christmas.

Love,

Cara

SOUTHERN FUN

We just got home from our trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana!
It was relaxing, slow-paced, and refreshing! If you live like we do in the big city, you MUST plan a trip to the south. Everyone is laid back and friendly and let me tell you, the men know how to treat the ladies! I don't think I opened one door while I was there.

It was a much-needed getaway! Another plus - I got to spend time with my amazing family and my two adorable nephews.


We made a "gingerbread house" cake. My dad and nephew, Whitaker, even contributed their own touch of creativity.

We even made time for dancing to some Christmas tunes :)

We won't see each other at Christmas, so this was our "early" Christmas picture. This is me with all my siblings. (from left: Tyler & Crystal, Whitaker & Campbell, Me, Neil, Emily, and Aubrey) We are all spread out location-wise but when we get together, it is always a FUN TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Faith and I even had time to squeeze in a Cake Class one day. We drove to Thibodaux, LA (my college town!) to hold a class. Thanks to my friend Breanne and her lovely mother, Mrs. Chris, who got a group together for us. It was fun to be back there.

Sweet Christmastime

We've been stringing the lights,
Hanging stockings just right,
And making sure all the cookies are iced.

Gingerbread baking
Ornament making
Tree Decorating
And of course, picture-taking!

This season is full of fun things to share
So be sure and ENJOY your Christmas this year!

Enjoy our sweet pics

Love, Cara and Faith


Every year, Faith and I make our own ornaments out of sugar cookies and royal icing and yes, our tree topper is definitely covered in fondant :)

Neil (my brother) couldn't resist joining in on the fun





Trimming the tree was only the beginning of our planned projects! Gingerbread houses were #2 on the list. I let Faith be in charge of this task and I must say, she did a FABULOUS job. Check her out!









The houses are TO BE CONTINUED. They are a little messy but the detailed decor will cover all of that! After our Gingerbread House competition party on December 11, we will post the finished masterpieces....STAY TUNED!!!!



We are flying out tomorrow morning to hold classes in the Baton Rouge area. If you are interested, let us know! We still have room in our classes.

Until next time everybody...
Enjoy the season :)