loose ends.

in case you were still wondering...

i didn't get everything checked off my list. sad, i know. and one of the additions was... wait for it... a snow fort. awesome. however.. i didn't finish it. disappointing, i know. it would have been monumental. but lets be honest when it involves large amounts of snow, hours upon hours outside, and a girl who hasn't quite accustomed herself back to the chill air of those harsh minnesota sub-zero temps we should all have realized it was a long shot.

but hey, the snowman made it. complete with pictures. christmas day, snowed in with 20 plus inches, you betcha.

*** note the sweet old brown gloves. a fashion statement for sure.

scandinavian roots

in celebration of my scandinavian roots (mostly swedish, some norwegian),

happy saint lucia day!

today, december the thirteenth, is observed in sweden (and in other parts of the world) as saint lucia day. it is a day to honor the martyred christian woman, saint lucia. today it is celebrated as the daughter (often eldest) dresses up as saint lucia in a white gown with red ribbons and a lingonberry wreath with candles. she brings a breakfast of hot coffee and/or glögg and pastries to the family in the early morning. on another note, according to folklore, unmarried girls believed that saint lucia would tell them who their future husband would be on her honored day (not quite sure i'd believe this one...).

this past friday, in honor of the holiday, a couple of friends and i visited a winery just outside of town that was celebrating with free glögg and swedish cookies and pastries. i was quite jealous of the chosen lucia, but i did get my very own "halo" and a lovely handmade ornament.

pictures to come...

more history on the day can be read here.