Not Quite a Comet

Sometimes something amazing happens once in a great while. Like Halley's Comet. I still remember my 7th grade teacher's excitement over this flying ball of gaseous rocks.

The work in progress

This past weekend I had amazing idea come to life. That is something that rarely happens. So, it wasn't quite as ethereal as Halley's Comet, or any comet really. But it was cool enough for the Mr and I to look at each other and go, Oh yeah. I'm glad we made this happen.

 Back in November I began to anticipate the Christmas break. Two weeks to sleep in a little, and not run around so much. I know my kids like the break from school, but not necessarily the break from friends. As my mind was whirling with to-do lists, I came across a Facebook post from a relative who has a tradition of decorating graham cracker "gingerbread" houses each Thanksgiving break.

A lightbulb began to glow in my mind. Why not get my kids and their friends together to do this?! I thought it was a brilliant idea, naturally. The younger kids were enthusiastic about it. The older kids needed some prodding. After scrutinizing space and costs I decided that each of the kids could only invite a limited number of people. Five kids with more than 2 or 3 friends adds up fast.

Invites were made and candy was purchased.

This past Sunday brought us a full house  -- 18 kids in the house and lots of laughter, teasing and sharing. I was impressed by the creativity among the kids; along with the attention to detail some of them had ... and then there are a few who just have to go a different direction.

D. Trump in his tower

The future architect was the final winner chosen by an unbiased judge -- a dad came to pick up his daughter and chose the winner, not knowing which creation belonged to who.

The Final Creations -click on the picture to see Trump tower; a candy wagon; and some cute little cottages

So sometimes the crazy ideas that pop up in my head actually do turn out okay.