Challenge and The Firemen (plural!)

First of all I am going to enter a challenge!  Not something that I have done very much of - challenges, but my buddy Faye has just taken over running the Cupcake Challenges Blog - so I had to have a go.  The challenge is distressing, and this is the first time that I have roughed up my papers!

So this is my easel card.  I really had fun making this, using colouring pencils on the image - one of the new House Mouse sets from Joanna Sheen - I just think the rabbit and the mouse cuddled up is so cute.  Lots of inking with distress ink on the My Mind's Eye Wild Asparagus and Dovecraft Back to Basics papers and I made the paper flower too.

Now - onto the Firemen!  A couple of posts ago I mentioned that we had received a visit from some Firemen.  Bit of a long story, but I will try my hardest to condense it.

Eloise went to the Devon County Show in May with the school, Fire Service where there giving safety talks, letting the children on the fire engine etc. During the talk the asked who didn't have smoke detectors, well yes, guess who didn't - so up went Eloise's hand.  They had been taken down when we decorated (quite some time ago) and never put back up - that is very bad, I know.  So, she signed us up for a home safety check which included free smoke detector fitting - dear of her.

Well the visit was arranged.  I was expecting one Fireman - but oh no three, very tall, Firemen arrived - in their Fire Engine!!  They were very tall to me, and I am 5ft 10 - so they were really very tall!   I also live in a quiet sleepy cul-de-sac - so the Fire Engine filled that right up.  You can just imagine how the neighbours curtains were twitching.  I was just so embarrassed, why on earth would they come in a Fire Engine!!

Anyway the minute they got in the door, Eloise shot up to her bedroom and stayed there for their entire visit, so I sat there all on my own (feeling like a right burk) with the three, rather lovely Firemen, as they went through the safety check, and then fitted my smoke alarms.  Took about 45 mins and then they were gone - guess who appeared the minute they were out of the door though - yes Eloise!