Ohh the ink stamp on the front is very nice!


I've been reading about the flakers and I have decided it is time to retire Esme-Alice. She has been on to many wonderful adventures and if I lost her in the next round a part of me would die. Next round I will rescue a poor old soul from the thrift store, someone who looks like their best days are well behind them. I'll patch them up, give them a makeover and then send them on a journy of a lifetime! If they don't come back it will be very sad but at least they will not have four years worth of friendships and memories attached to them like Alice does.

I love the cat picture so much! Such a character expression, beautiful cat. What is his/her name?

LOVELY POEM: GIANT STUFFED ANIMALS: TEDDY BEAR HOTEL AND WONDERFUL TOY MONKIES: WITH A FOLK BAND AND IRISH DANCERS there pictures are so funny, I have never heard of the band before but I will have to look them up now My mother was so shocked by the beer and kilts, Lillibet was a bad influence on poor dear Alice you see  AT THE MANOR REBORN! We watched this show so it was exciting to see Alice go there: AVERBRY STONE CIRCLE I just realised I forgot to fotograph the bookmark she sent me from here, it is red and has a picture of the stones in gold print on it. I'm using it right now as I read Les Miserables:

THE WASHING BEAR:

I was not at home when the postperson came so they had to leave a sticker. When I saw the sticker I realised I only had half an hour to get to the post office before closing so I rushed off in my pyjamas which I had just changed into but did not have time to change out of   So I get there on time and Esme-Alice is home!

The picture books and gifts are BEAUTIFUL I plan to photograph every page so as to show friends and family who have been waiting for her to get back, they knew all about Mali and some of them posed with her for pictures so they are eager to see how my friend when on her Belgium adventure.

Lillibet sent a DVD of Taradance (Irish dancing) show and it is my favourite thing! I love the music and the story, nice to see the dancing I have already watched it twice. I just love things like this!

I also love the book mark from Averbry of the stones and the hand made calendar "A Year With Esme-Alice" is so thoughtful and beautiful. So many wonderful pictures in the scrapbooks (she made TWO!)

My Mum says "That mouse had her best trip yet, she will be braging for months, we will never hear the end of it! 'Guess where I went but you did not HAHA' "

And I really, really love the socks!

PICTURES COMMING SOON! I have to find the card reader 

"Take your Elephant to work Day" AHAHAHAHAHAHA! 

And the photocopy! Haha!

I've been saying this since 2008 and so far it has never happened but I would LOVE to LV swap during Halloween! Not this year of course because everyone is only just finishing the first round and omg do I need to recover from the postage costs on the return package  It has not been sent yet but I took it to be weighed just to prepare myself for what I'm in for and let me just say holy cow! You know it's going to be bad news when the post person asks if you would like to sit down before they reveal the shipping price.... 

I am actually slightly pleased with that news Lilibet because I haven't quite finnished yet either, I am getting a lift with someone (because I cannot drive) into town to get some extra pictures printed. I had every intention of getting them done earlier on in the week but I suddenly got attacked by the flu again (don't bad things always happen at the most inconvinient times??) and I just could not bring myself to go out in the cold and walk into town to the photographers for the printing. It was snowing and I was ill and my town had loads of steep hills to walk up and.... you get the idea. They will be printed and added to the book over the weekend so I will still be able to send on time as Monday is the 10th but still it gets the pressure off knowing you may be sending late too.

Oh gosh, oh gosh! I've just finnished the front cover and the first page and it is looking so beautiful! My past scrapbooks have been so poor looking I was worried about failing another partner (I hated last swap when my partner sent back such a wonderful book when the one I sent looked so BAD) but I've been trolling the scrapbook boards to get ideas and I have proper supplies this time and it is just fantastic if I do say so myself I'm so happy that it is coming along so well, minor (or huge depending on how you look at it..) problem is there are no photos to go in it yet because I thought I already had photo paper and colour ink to print them at home but now that I am looking for it I can't find it anywhere and it seems the colour ink has gone bad and only the black is working. Rather than buy the photo printing supplies I think it will be cheaper and easier to have them done at the proffessional photographic store. So no photos has slown down scrapbook production but maybe just as well since we have one more important outing tomorrow for Mali.

I just got back from the scrapbook store and I got some lovely things! I am hoping I can make this really nice. I want it to be something my partner will wish to keep so I'm going all out with the fancy paper and stickers. I got some glue that has glitter in it as well