Christmas Eve doesn't always involve Ho Ho Ho...

p.s. i quilt

Ok so after a few challenges we are off on a new adventure!

Christmas is always a big ordeal for my family...and this year was no different. Well except for the myriad of new babies and all of us FINALLY being in the same country...OK so it was a little different.

   ...Pre-Eve Back Story...

Trystan my sister was the host of the hour setting up and organizing everyone so we all knew what to do, when to do it and most importantly what to bring. I was the lucky winner of the Trifle...which was great because it is supposedly easy to make. However, this master kitchen disaster had never made Trifle, and come to think of it I don't even like it.

Nevertheless, a trifle it was to be. So me being as organized as a hamster and left everything to the night before. Except of course for the jelly which was something I prepared earlier (pictures being on a cooking show). So I've gotten home late for work and had to make my own custard and finally with some help from Miranda finished and showed just in time to be in bed by 11.30 :S

   ...Eve Arrives...

So the day of the big event arrives, I kiss my sweet 6 month old princess goodbye and I'm off to work by 6.30. I'm now at work...well pretending to work while trying desperately to focus. But that's pretty pointless since all I can think about is parting with my family.

Work finally grinds to a halt...well end really and I catch the train home, get ready and am off to my sisters with my Trifle in toe! After 45 minutes of driving in the rain...(which is an event in itself considering this is Brisbane, Australia) I arrive at my sisters.

I don't often get to see my sister so we left the kids to the husbands and went down the back to talk about quilting. We often speak on the phone of wonderful ideas that often never come to fruition because of a 'lack of means'. BUT this could never dampen our spirits. 

'The Sisterhood' as we call it will as always conquer.

So while punch was being made, makeup was being applied and gossip was being swapped...I was watching Goofey's Christmas with the Kids and the men :D

Food was eaten, bonbons popped (with help from Kaleb my nephew who felt he need to be involved in each POP...hehehe), bad jokes swapped and crowns arranged in such a way as to not 'wreck' the hair. After which we called one of my other sisters who lives in Perth and couldn't be with us and prepared for the mayhem of Secret Santa. Wrapping paper few, children laughed we all had to yell to be heard, babies cried, tears were shed and after all of that we laughed and I marveled at the wonder that is my family. 

We then ate some more and eventually rolled ourselves out the door to go home and nurse our full stomachs...as I flopped into bed.

The moral of the story being, no matter how confusing, absurd and/or dysfunctional my family seems to be and believe you me that is a marvel in and of itself, I can't help but think how much I love them, however many allowances I give them and however many chances we they give me.

This story is proudly brought to you by Brie Henri, for p.s. i quilt and Fat Quarter Shop.