I pulled up my socks in an effort to stop missing the babies on their way to Japan by taking on a job I have been avoiding for weeks. Finally all my efforts to buy the stemmed eyeballs had culminated in a pile of such eye balls in various sizes. I had found Amazon offered stemmed eyeballs in plastic, instead of glass, and they were a lot cheaper so I could avoid that problem. These were cheap enough allowing me to get an assortment of eyeballs. I hauled out the big basket with six baby body kits - all needing the stemmed eyes.
The Force was with me. The three small babies allowed me to press the eyeball in from the front of the eye so I did not need to cut open the sockets. First I put the heads in the sun to warm up. The eyeballs that I could finally press into the head were not as big as the socket inside of the head so I stuffed that full of cotton. That was a long wiggly process but was good to occupy my head and my hands. Here they are on the birthing table so hopefully I can stuff the heads and limbs today.

The three bigger heads would also only accept smaller eyeballs than the socket. It could be that the proper size would go in if I had more power in my push. Again I stuffed cotton in around the eyeball and used UHU glue to hold it in place. I even controlled my desire to 'get the job done' by  leaving the one eyeball dry completely before doing the second one. I feel I know now how to get something in the eye socket and can do it again.

When I came in the house I checked my computer I found my bill to G. for the postage was not been passed on by Paypal, but that she had initiated the transaction on her own and sent the money without a bill. What a blessing that was. An even greater blessing was that she sent more money that we paid for the postage as her way of welcoming the babies to Japan and good times ahead. Suddenly I am no longer sad about seeing them go away, but feel they will be well-taken care of when they arrive. Thanks G.!

I knew this was happening today - the dolls for Japan would be mailed off and there would be a big empty place in the studio. So I saved Blaze, hoping her eyes would be glued in place, and that she, with her kind, gentle face would get me through the day.

She was properly concerned and went together with no problems. even her eyes stayed on place. We found a really cute, soft sleeper for her in the new pile and she posed her very best. Not good enough for the deep hole I slid into. The box from Bountiful Baby arrived with new hands for Lefty so I tried to find my joy in him. I even gave him a new sleeper to show off his matching hands.

He was so thrilled with the jammies and the Santa that I could not get him to sit in place with his hands out. He is a sweet little guy and very soft and cuddly now. I put his pink striped jammies on Blonde Blaze but that still does not make her the one I miss so much.
In a final attempt to find peace I took a long nap in my chair so felt somewhat better afterwards. More than a nap I wanted chocolate but there is the scales in the doctor's office on Friday.  I was able to assemble the new brown body for the monkey who had been wearing cheetah fur and mostly get him in it. I need help tying his neck on. For some unknown reason it keeps slipping off. I need to knot the string on tighter. Tomorrow I may be tougher.

This was the crew when I realized I had never made a photo of the group. On the right is Blaze getting an eye treatment ( the toothpick is to hold her pupil where I want it and not where she wants it) while I worked on the other member of the crew. Beside her is Lily or Lilly who I wish did not look so worried.

Yes, I am doing a Ching baby again. When Lena told me she loved his expression and the open mouth she gave me courage to do another one. Also I am nearly out of kits so adding him filled the slot for this week. The work went well and I was able to Lily into her body also. Thank goodness I had a finished sewing a body from last session and by the sewing machine I found a sewn, but not assembled, a body which went together without a hitch.
All morning I had spent on the computer trying to upload a calendar for next year and it was not working even though I did send the photos over and over. Then the electricity went out because we got 1/4 inch of rain. That ended that fight and stopped me from sewing bodies as I had planned. I was very thankful for the two sewn up bodies as they enabled me to go ahead.

Here is Lily, not looking too confident about Lester Ching's advances. I thought that if I left them alone for a bit they could work it out. By now the electricity was restored so I went back online to Vistaprint. I called and got help (from India!) to get my photos to load and was able to complete the calendar. Now I am thinking of using some other photos. . . Still I feel very good to have that job done.

I was so eager to get this doll made because I missed her sister so much. I had thought, "Oh, they are just dolls so one can replace the other." Not so! Seeing this baby on the shelf in the other Blonde Blaze's place only made me miss her more. Look in those deep eyes. You can see the soul in her that I admired so much.

Seeing again a photo of the first Blonde Blaze just makes me feel worse. I was here in body when Lena and Jeff picked up the box of dolls for Point Arena and then I came inside and sewed the new body for the monkey using the dark brown short pile. What a difference that made.

I am convinced that tomorrow I shall make a new brown body and put the monkey friend into it. That weird cheetah pattern is all wrong and he looks as if he already sees himself in a brown body. I am even tempted to buy more monkeys even though they are not on sale. Then I took the monkey into put him on the photo stand and he kept falling over. I had him on the white fur, which was not the best but I just wanted a quick snapshot.. Finally I pulled the white fur off the set-up and he sat still. It was amazing.

Here he is being very good and posing nicely. I was so pleased with him I was able to fill out the papers for the box for Japan. I had started a new crew today but just realized I forgot to photograph them.

A long day with the time change that began with Nolan giving Holly a foot blessing. He is the brother of the Dolly Lama so holiness becomes him. Sympathy Sam, to his side had taken over the care of the blind bundle baby Robin since Blonde Blaze was picked to go to Point Arena.

Here you can see one of the babies being wrapped in the receiving blanket and put into a plastic carrying bag and then standing in the box on the left. They all just fit in the box and I used the last of those blankets on the last  baby. The Universe was with us all the way.

After lunch I began wrapping the babies for Japan in these colorful polar fleece blankets for their trip to Tokyo in the box to the left. Werner and I tried to weigh the box but it covered up the read-out. Tomorrow Lena and Jeff will pick the Point Arena babies and I am hoping Jeff can hold the box long enough to weigh it. Should be under 50 pounds.

Holly was the first one on the photo stand. I do love the gentleness of her face.

I named this guy Eddie Howard but I only had pink sleepers so he may be considering whether to become an Eddy (Ee-De). His finger is pointing at the pink jammies asking me how I could do this to him.

Cammie is showing off her tattoo. This is the first child we have had with this modern fad. Since I most often give the babies away, I buy the kits as seconds at Bountiful Baby. Most of the time I do not know why the kit failed to pass the test but here Camryn has this.

Late in the afternoon, while the roast roasted I crocheted the caps for the full-limbed Blonde Blaze. I started her because I already miss her sister so much. I think I did the best job ever on such caps. She looked so good to me sitting on the bench I felt it was right to have another from this kit. It got dark before I found jammies for her, but she seemed glad just to be in her new body and wanted to show it off tonight. I am sure the babies have parties when I go to bed and they are free to do what they really want to do!

Ah, I figured out what instigated my sudden burst of energy and 'state of grace' feeling on Saturday. I had not eaten any sugar or chocolate for over two weeks in an effort to lose weight. In my tiredness in the afternoon idly I nibbled some forbidden chocolate chips. That did it. No wonder I crave chocolate so much. Love those 'state of grace' highs.

It must be autumn when I can sit here at 4:00 to sew without being fried. I feel so energized. After Thursday cleaning and then yesterday a visit from Heidi and Ashley, I had planned to start packing babies today but I felt too lonely and down. I would rather create new babies than pack away the ones I love. I started cutting out bodies but just did not have the energy to do even what I wanted to get them ready for the babies. Then Ling Yen came by and I was very glad to sit to talk. Still after lunch I was too tired to even crochet while I rested. I just sat in the chair with my mouth open. Heidi had gotten me into a new part of Audible.com so I could finally listen to any of the books we have bought without having to go through the hassle of downloading, which only worked part time. I started listening to John Steinbeck's East of Eden and I thought, "So this is what the rest of my day will be like. . ." Suddenly about 3:00 I could feel energy flowing into me. I picked up the body for Holly and I watched my hands doing all the right things. To my amazement there she was on the bench holding up her sleepers for my help.
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Instead I reached over and started to work on Cammie's body and again my hands were doing things my mind hardly noticed. In this state, delighting in the cool breezes coming in the studio, Cammie got her body and she could join Holly.

They look like a happy pair of girls even with the short hair. Ashley gave me new incentive to appreciate the beauty of the bald look yesterday. She looked great with her "its growing back" hair-do and I wanted to photograph her and Heidi but from the cleaning action, I could not find my camera. Sorry.
It was still so cool in the living room this afternoon that I came in and sewed another body which goes to Eddie Howard tomorrow. Or maybe since I seem in a state of grace I will pack up babies.