Culinary Architects

Two years ago, I was able to slip away from work one afternoon to join Abigail in her classroom at school to help create and decorate a gingerbread house. Her teacher had arranged to have all the supplies ready for us: an empty milk carton to serve as the house for us to cover with pre-cut pieces of graham cracker (in lieu of trying to balance gingerbread walls and roof in midair while waiting for the icing to dry); lots of sweet white icing provided by the school cooks; and a wide variety of candies for decorating (and sampling). Most of the children had either a parent or grandparent there, and we each sat on a chair beside our child's desk and helped with the decorating as Christmas music played on a CD player in the corner. Abigail just lit up when I entered her classroom, and she delighted in introducing me to all the children seated around her; and I had a lot of fun joining her for the activity, seeing the classroom decorated for the holidays, and seeing Abigail in her schoolday setting.

Well, Hillary's second-grade teacher this year is the same woman who taught Abigail in second grade, so guess what! I was invited to join Hillary to build and decorate a gingerbread house this afternoon! It was great to see her face light up when I appeared in the classroom doorway, and we had fun planning the layout of the gingerbread yard, deciding which candies should be used for which architectural elements, and even sampling a piece or two of candy. Actually, besides eating the broken pieces, we ate only the Skittles and a couple marshmallows, using on the house and yard all the other candy provided. Once we got our masterpiece home, we placed it on the fireplace hearth and took photos: