By Cathy Ingalls
Albany Democrat-Herald | Posted: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 12:00 am
CORVALLIS - A two-level, fully furnished gingerbread house containing eight rooms with a stable outside for Rudolph and the other reindeer is on display in the lobby of Timberhill Place, 989 N.W. Spruce Ave., through Jan. 1.
It took Jim and Dee Houchin of Kings Valley almost six weeks to design, create blueprints, assemble ingredients, bake and decorate the novelty house that measures 4 feet long, 21/2 feet tall and 18 inches deep.
Each room is lit and fully furnished and has its own Christmas tree, Dee Houchin said. A clay Santa takes a bubble bath in the bathroom in a Japanese quail egg.
Mrs. Claus is in the kitchen and has been busy baking. She holds two trays of cookies. Her holiday tree is covered with tiny cookie cutters.
In the room above the kitchen, there is a tree filled with birds, and a Native American woman holds up a dove, as though ready to release it.
A player piano sits in the music room. The keys and pedals actually move.
On top of the house, Santa drives his sleigh pulled by reindeer over the chimney.
On the ground, a snowman smiles near the front door, and brightly decorated trees stand around the house.
After the holidays, Houchin, an artist who works with eggs, will give the candy to friends with large families so the children can eat it.
The couple will break up the gingerbread and feed it to their chickens, geese and peacocks.
Houchin said creating the gingerbread house is an annual project for the pair. This the fourth house they've constructed and each has been different. The couple is already planning for next year.
"I own the beauty shop at the assisted living center and this is our Christmas gift to those who live and work here," she said.