"Make a gingerbread house"

Today, our Advent calendar read, "Make a gingerbread house."

I spent last night making gingerbread dough, rolling it out and then shaping it into the pieces of a gingerbread house.

The smell of gingerbread permeated the entire kitchen - and probably went up through the children's rooms as well. Thankfully, no one woke up.

Homemade gingerbread dough is a great tradition that my neighbor started and I adopted. I am so blessed to have amazing neighbors who have taught me so much about family, friends, motherhood and life.

So, I baked the pieces and laid them out - don't they look so amazing just sitting there - completely untouched. They are just waiting for little hands to decorate them!

This morning, the kids woke up and, after a Jesse Tree story and ornament-making, they pulled the tag that read, "Make a gingerbread house."

Together we whipped up a batch of royal icing and broke open a few bags of colorful candy.

Then the fun began - my four-year-old piled on the icing and loaded the roof with gumdrops while my eight-year-old carefully piped the icing on the edges and meticulously placed Twizzlers on the roof edges while strategically laying down gum drops in color-order.

This makes me think about both of my children. My four-year-old is completely carefree and whimsical. She is her own person - even at four. She has her own ways of doing things - and she is persistent. She won't settle.

My eight-year-old is more scientific. She likes to stay between the lines, her creativity always is tempered with care and a great deal of thought - making sure that there will be a correct fit before taking the next step.

So it is with life. I am not a risk-taker. I make sure my gingerbread house is secure - and completely dry - BEFORE I add anything more to it. I gently pipe icing on my house with the smallest amount possible. Then, I add a piece. I am steady. I add one gingerbread person and not a lot of decoration - less is more.

That pretty much describes me. I dream big, but I don't always travel very far. I make sure the security net is available, because I want someone to catch me when I fall.  Every so often, I've broken out of my comfort zone. Sometimes, I find it exhilarating and I embrace that whimsical, carefree spirit I see in my youngest daughter. It is in those moments that I remember to embrace that feeling and to encourage my oldest to explore new things - to never feel hindered by the (gingerbread) house she has built, but to every once in a while go to the edge and peer out. Open the door.

That is a lesson I try to hold dear, because you never know what is outside your door!