Christmas crafting, Santa Lucia, advent and etc

So it's been a good week but trying to get SO much done for the holidays. I've had a couple of moments of breaking down though. It turns out of all the things I want to do and be - super engaged mommy, homeschooling, blogger, keeping the house clean, crafting, staying sane - I can do maybe two or three of those at once, four if I've gotten enough sleep, which I haven't lately. And switching up priorities is brutal because I end up a) putting the kids in front of the tv or b) making crappy dinners or c) losing my cool. This week I've been crafty, homeschooling, engaged mommy, alternating to cleaning mommy. Not staying sane mommy. Or blogger. Clearly. Right now I'm at my moms ignoring sisters, kids and sisters kids to get this post done. Sigh.

In any case.

Santa Lucia was this week and we had such fun celebrating, when I wasn't losing my cool. We did this as kids, mainly due to my infatuation with my Kirsten doll and all things Swedish. The eldest girl wears a crown of fir branches and candles and brings rolls and coffee to parents in bed at the crack of dawn whilst singing carols. It's a celebration of light and obviously Saint Lucy who had a gory route to sainthood but whose life inspires a lovely sentiment of helping those in need.

Anyway I was gonna post the story we read and the recipe for the amazing rolls and mulled wine we made (we greeted dada at the door with rolls and wine and with our wreaths and little man in his star boy hat, the moment of coffee and rolls at daybreak will have to wait, ha!) but another sister just walked in the door with more cousins and its time for cousin cookie decorating day.

So here are some photos of the day and also our advent garden which I LOVE. I made a Mary and Joseph to walk along the path, and a St Nicholas just because. And some crafty photos, little man finger knitting (be still my crafty heart!) and the pine cone garland and twig stars we made for our little house in the woods.

Oh and we also got our first giant snow and I made a great mitten shirt for little miss. I will post that later. It's so awesome it merits its own post.

And yes hugging my babies and hurting for so many today. I can't even write about it.