Happy #Christmasinnovember

Ha ha Happy Christmas in November!  Yesterday, we had the most amazing day and I had my 16th birthday party at Emma Bridgewater in Stoke and it was my best ever party, I loved it. It's not my actual birthday until 15th December, but I'll be down at Clatterbridge having treatment and we don't know how I'll feel so we thought we'd do it early.  My BFFs were there and everyone at Emma Bridgewater had just done so much to make it special for me.  I had a hearts banner with my name printed on and a card that they printed especially for me and it was just amazing. I haven't got any photos yet because they're on my mums camera but I'll put one on here when she puts them on the computer.
Mum had ordered me a Mabel shaped birthday cake and we were on the motorway when we suddenly realised that we had forgotten to pick it up, so we had to go back again lol.  But we got there on time and it was so magical with lots of fairy lights, I love it there.
For my birthday, they painted me a special dog bowl for Mabel with my Beach hut mug design stamped all around it and it is amazing.  I don't think that we can ever touch it because it's the only one and it would be awful if we broke it. It's going in our Emma Bridgewater cupboard so Dad doesn't break it. We all painted things and everyone had a really nice time and then we ate lasagne which was really tasty and then we had a disco even, with special lights like sheets of something coming across the floor.  I loved it so much, so thank you to everyone who made it special for me because it really was my best ever party :)

Today we had our Christmas Day and it was really nice and we all said that we should have done it every year because there wasn't any stress! We did this one cos I felt so ill last year that I was in bed and missed it.  So mum said I wasn't missing it this year and we said if we have it twice that's not a problem.  We opened some presents this morning and then we had chocolate for breakfast and then we went into town to our Dickensian Festival.  But it was raining so much and I felt really tired so Dad went and got the car and I came back home for a rest while they cooked the Christmas lunch.  Then we had a proper Christmas lunch with turkey and crackers and Mum and Dad had some champagne and I had a taste but thought it was revolting!

The other night, I put some things on ebay for my new charity and it's doing really well so I'm very excited but a little bit worried about sending a shower gel and a mug for so much money!  I have made something very special tonight so I hope that the person who wins it will be happy that they will be helping lots of poorly children get a holiday.  I have put a link to my auction but it ends really soon so really it's just for you to look at  Alice's Escapes Charity Auction

Tomorrow we are moving down to our caravan cos my radiation starts at Clatterbridge on Monday. I'm having radiation every day and hopefully it will stop these lumps in my neck getting any bigger for a bit.  So when we get to our new home I'll blog from there and tell you all about our caravan and my treatment.

Oh and everyone is busy on Twitter doing #alicebucketlist again.  Someone said I didn't want that, but I've never said I didn't want it, I just didn't ask for that in the bucket list cos I wasn't even on Twitter. But I've never trended (and seen it) so it would be fun and it would make more people think about bone marrow donation so I don't think it's a bad thing.

Happy #ChristmasinNovember :)

Love Alice

A Lush day :)

I just remembered that I forgot to tell you about my day at Lush in Poole.  It was so amazing that it is now up there in my top 3 ever things that I've done. They were really, really nice to me and Milly and I just loved the whole day so much that I was quite sad when it was over.

I'm trying to remember the names of everyone so here goes - Karen, Jack, Dan and Olga met me and spent the day going around with us ... is that right?  I wish I could remember all the names of the people that let me destroy the jobs they were meant to be doing, like the comforter bubble bars!  Mine were so bad that I don't think they'll ever see a Lush shop lol.  Filling the snowfairy bottles wasn't any better and it was so quick, I can't believe that they have to move the bottle so fast.  The funniest test was when I was trying to tie the bows on the gift boxes and they were just moving down the belt thing so fast that I kept bumping into the end.  But they were all really nice to me and I didn't meet a single miserable person in there, so mum and me have decided that Lush is a happy smiley place to work and it smells good too.

If any of you follow my Facebook page (alice pyne) you'll have seen the photos of my very own bottles of Snowfairy which they made me special 'made by Alice Pyne' stickers to go on.  All Lush things have a sticker on them so that you know who made it or who packed it and I was so pleased to get my own batch.  I don't know where my bottles have gone, but if you all have a look in your nearest Lush shop, you might find one.  You must let me know cos it will be fun to see where they ended up.  I got a big box of goodies and I got to go to the Lush spa which was so relaxing, so thank you LUSH, you made me so happy and I am enjoying my daily baths.

Before I tell you something about my treatment, I have something really exciting to tell you.  There's going to be a second 'Alice' mug from Emma Bridgewater, but this time for my own charity here in Cumbria.  I was so pleased when I heard this and I've got my designs drawn and can't wait to show you all what my second mug will look like.  There'll be mountains and lakes and hopefully Mabel too! 

The other news is that I had another scan at Alder Hey last week and it looks like it's spreading a bit quicker than I hoped.  There isn't many things that they can do now but my consultant did say that I could try some radiation to see if it will help for a bit. So we met my new consultant at Clatterbridge who is called Freda and she's really nice.  This week we've been away doing the planning and I had my mask made which is like having a plaster of paris put over your head and shoulders to make a mould. I've had some more scans done and there's just a little bit left to do before I start having my treatment.  Unfortunately, I'm going to be there on my 16th birthday so I don't think that will be a fun day but I suppose that if I want to do the treatment I need to do it properly.  Mum is on the computer now looking for somewhere to live or we might drive, I don't know yet but Dad said we'll book a hotel for my birthday night so that it's special.

When we got home last night, the Ulverston Curry Club had dropped off a special certificate for me and my family saying we were their Citizens of the Year.  I thought that the curry club was like a Chinese restaurant or something but mum and dad explained that they support lots of good causes in the area and do not spend all their time eating curry! So thank you x

Next Friday, I'm doing something with friends for my 16th birthday and on the next day we're having our family christmas day. If you follow me on twitter I keep talking about my #Christmasinnovember and although I should be here for the one in December as well, I'm not risking it and making sure that I get my pressies lol. I'm joking, we're going to give just a couple of presents and then maybe wander into town as it's the Dickensian weekend in Ulverston and it's very Christmassy. 

:))

I'm absolutely worn out but I've had another amazing weekend.
I didn't know if I'd like the football or not.  Paul met us at the QPR Loftus Road reception and Jay, who had invited me, was there too, plus his wife Stella who is lovely. I'd put a pale blue bandana on which is Man City's colours, oops, so I was glad when Bradley Orr gave me his QPR shirt to wear LOL.
We had a lovely lunch upstairs and then we went outside to watch the game and within about 5 minutes, I was hooked!  It was so exciting and I cheered louder than anyone when my Jay scored the first goal.  QPR were really, really good and City who are the top team had to really fight. It was 1-0 to QPR and then it was 1-1. Then City scored another goal and it was 2-1 and I was really tense and then we scored another one to make it 2-2.  Honestly I was so into it, I was convinced that we were going to win. I was willing the whistle to go and then with about 10 minutes left their No 21 who was like a magic man (he was just everywhere) scored for them and I was so disappointed because I really thought that QPR deserved to win or at least draw.  Anyway, that's my intro into football and QPR are my club for however long my ever is! We had a drink after the match and TC who looked after us in the lounge, presented me with a signed team ball which will be kept well out of Mabel's reach LOL.  Thank you everyone for looking after us, we had a fabulous time.
On Sunday, we went shopping and in the afternoon I got to meet up with someone very special to me.  Emma Forbes is my biggest Twitter supporter and we met up because I wanted to ask Emma if she would be the Patron for my charity ... and she said YES! She was really really nice and natural and it was nice to meet her in person rather than through my iPad!  We had a giggle talking about hamsters and rabbits LOL and we're going to meet up again to do an interview for my website.
So, I'm going to tell you a little bit about my charity (just in case ... LOL) even though it's not quite ready to go yet.  Last year, we were all invited on a break by Luke Tillen who runs the THHN in Torbay (have a look at his website) and while we were there I thought that it was such a shame that no one did that in the north as some children just can't travel that far when they're ill. So, I'm doing it -
Basically, we're a network of local businesses joining together to give a free break to a seriously ill child and their family. Any business can help me, you could offer a hotel room or a caravan, a meal or afternoon tea, a self catering food box, cakes or bread, a boat ride, an experience or entry into a tourist attraction.  Little boys would probably love to visit the motor museum and girls might like having their nails done! Anything can be offered and all of these things will be put together to give these families an escape. The businesses don't have to give a certain amount and they will gain so much from knowing that they've made life that little bit better for these families.
I've got to say a huge thank you to 'The Hydro' in Windermere - our very first accommodation supporter, 'The Mountain Goat' who have offered guided tours to our families and 'Verstone Kennels' who have offered free boarding for any families wanting to have their dogs up here with them. And to Ros and Anne who are working round the clock with mum to make this happen for me and other kids like me :)
So if you're a business and you want to offer anything to us (it can be a one off or a regular offer) then please email me on here and you could be one of the first on our charity website which should be launching very, very soon.  I'm going to be as involved as I can be and I'll be checking our Facebook and Twitter pages and responding as much as I can.  Hopefully, I'll get to meet some of our supporters and it will be all go - I've agreed to do some television to officially launch the charity, so I can keep myself busy stressing about that LOL.
I've got to go cos I'm really tired after the last few days, but I'll come back and tell you about my Lush experience which needs a whole bit to itself cos it was so brilliant.
Love Alice x x x

Too busy to go

I've so much to get done that I've decided I'm just to busy to go anywhere yet.  If my cancer could just listen to that it would be good LOL.
I always get too far behind on my blog and then I can't remember things, so I thought I'd write tonight cos I can't sleep and I'm going away for the weekend.
Jay has invited me down to watch my first ever football match and I don't know whether I'll get it or not, but I'm going to try to understand all the rules and bits.
Then we're going to meet someone special on Sunday and I think we're doing a Christmas Fair thing as well cos I want to get a load of things.  I don't know what's there exactly but I know that I need to get loads lol.
After that, Dad has to get on a train to come back to work cos he loves work lol and me and Mum have been invited to go to the real Lush factory in Poole and see how it all gets made and even have a go. I am so excited because Lush is one of my favourite things in the world. When I go to hospital I always take some Lush things with me and all the nurses love the smell of my room.  This was something on the bit of my bucket list that I never put up on here so I didn't think that I'd ever get to do it, so it's even more special.  We're going to stay with our friends Jan and Paul cos we haven't seen them for ages either.
When I get back, mum is going to go and find a real Christmas tree and then we're going to decorate it.
Have a good weekend and I'll be smelling gorgeus next time I write.

Lazing in the lodge

Hello, I've had lots of messages asking why I haven't updated and I'm pleased to say that I've not died yet, i've just been busy lol.

There's a lot been going on. I've been down to Devon with my family and we stayed in a really beautiful lodge at Finlake which was offered to us through the THHN. We had a really nice week doing not very much, watched lots of DVDs and me and my sister got invited to go for horse riding at the Finlake riding stables.  I haven't been on a horse for years so I was a bit nervus but once I got going, it was really good fun. We also went to Angel's Tea Rooms in Babbacomb which is our favourite place to visit when we go down there. You've got to go, it's amazing and I love the heart shaped scones.

When we got back, mum did some more decorating cos she's trying to finish our hallway that she started two years ago lol.  She also did my room and I've got nice sandy gold walls and aubergine cushions and bits and it looks really nice, I'm dead pleased.

I've been down to Pets at Home in Barrow to see Jason and all my friends there and Milly bought loads of things for our rabbit and then she cleaned his house out which is her old playhouse so it's huge for a rabbit. He's quite lucky I think!  I'm dead excited to see the treat packages that Mabel is going to be on soon. I'll be sending them to all of Mabel's doggy friends with a ribbon on.

We took Mabel to see the old people down the road again. They all give her biscuits which she loves, but some of them forget who she is and tell us that they've never had a dog before. Mum is dead patient and just says oh haven't you, well we'll come back should we.  And we know that when we go back they've probably forgotten us again. It's quite sad but mum said at least they won't sit there worrying about things at night cos they won't remember lol.  Anyway there's a couple of them who do remember Mabel and their faces are really happy when they see me walk in with her so that feels really good.  I'm hoping to go again this week, but I've got my infusion tomorrow so I'll have to see how I feel.

Tomorrow will be my last infusion which is a bit weird cos I know there's nothing else.  My scan isn't booked for a bit so I think that it will be too late to do the radiation thing by then, so there's nothing else now.  I know I can't keep having things done but if they did the radiation now on all the lumps on my neck, it might just help a little bit.  But I don't know and I suppose it probably costs a fortune and if I hadn't done my blog I wouldn't even have been given the trial stuff cos they'd already sent me home, so I suppose I've had longer anyway really.

You will probably laugh at me because we're having Christmas in November this year as well as in December ( i hope). I've got a chocolate advent calendar and on Tuesday when it is the 1st, me and Milly are going to start our Christmas thing. I've bought a new gold tree for my room (cos it's gold) and mum is going to decorate the house and all that.  We were going to have Christmas Day on the 25th but it will be year since my little friend Fergus got his wings so it wouldn't be right to do it on that day so the 26th can be Christmas Day and we're going to have a proper lunch and open a gift and have a party for my friends on the Sunday. Last year I was so ill at Christmas that I didn't even open a present and dad had to eat his lunch on his own. So we aren't been miserable we're just making sure that we do get one this year. 

I can't say too much but I'm really excited that I'm going to be launching my own charity very soon. It will help lots of other kids like me and it will something that my mum can do to keep her busy. I think that the website will be working very soon and that I will be able to tell you all about it in the next week or bit more.

Sorry I was a long time writing this. Have a nice week, love Alice :)