Compare and contrast: Gingerblossom* 2012 & Unamed Gingerbread house 2011

2011 

I can't remember how much I helped Z1 with decorating this beauty last year meaning that differences, improvements and deficits cannot be attributed firmly to her growth and development.

2011

The first visible improvement is my spotty tablecloth and the lack of cables and clutter on the kitchen table. These things have nothing to do with Z1's growth and development.

The second improvement is that Gingerblossom* has clear kerb appeal - the cobbled pathway to the door, the snowman and the decorated tree - compared to the stark front garden of 2011's effort.

Other than that, I am not sure you could really rate one over the other. Last year's had more symmetry which might be valued more. Personally, I like the jellybean trimming of this year's. 

I must report that Z1 mostly took a directorial role today and I did as she asked. I may also have added a few finishing touches while the potatoes boiled over and Z1 and Z2 took to running around the house shrieking with each other (Note, I say "with", not "at", they were having fun, not fighting this time.) This means that the differences between the houses are most likely due to my own artistic development rather than Z1's. 

Gingerblossom 2012

Z2 did not help today. He did eat quite a lot of the icing, though. 

So did Z1. 

This might explain the aforementioned running around and shrieking.

You may also be interested to know:

•  I bought some jellybeans to supplement the sweets that came with the kit. This made up for the sweets that the Zeds kept eating while I checked the potatoes.
• The potatoes were eventually mashed with butter and were, though I say so myself, delumptious.

*If you missed out on yesterday's post, Z1 named the gingerbread house Gingerblossom.