Yesterday, I wrote about being content.  Today, such a wide range of emotions!  I am SUPER excited.  The little girl in the picture, is a doll that Rita created.  Her name is Daimy.  I think this is the best doll Rita has ever made.  It blows me away.

The reason for my excitement, is that Daimy sold!  She is leaving today on a two week trip to her new home in St. Petersburg in the Russian Federation!  St Petersburg is a beautiful city with no graffiti, clean streets, impressive buildings, etc. 

She will be living about a mile from the Peter and Paul Fortress.  This is now a tourist trap, with a gold domed cathedral.  Very impressive.

Daimy has been made for almost a month now.  We took her to our doctors office to show her off.  We have been telling them about our dolls, and they always ask to see one.  Finally we took her in. 

The oohs and aahs, the excitement from all the staff, was wonderful.  Gave Rita a big shot in the arm.
Daimy is now our ambassador to St Petersburg.  She represents Rita and I, and also the capability of Americans.  I hope she will bring joy to her new mommy!

In the opening paragraph I wrote of my wide range of emotions.  I am excited.  But also a little sad.  This little girl is our pride and joy.   It will be sad to pack her up into a box and never see her again.  I am proud.  I am please we made some money to help us make a good Christmas for those we love.  And last, I feel accomplished.  Someone from fifteen thousand miles away, wanted our doll.  Was willing to pay to have her shipped all the way there.  Wow.

What a great day.  What a great country we live in.  What a great marriage I have.  I am happy.  I hope you find your joy today!   David

I.  Am.  Content.

Are you?  I find contentment in my daily life. Not that everything is perfect.  Its not.  My relationship with Rita isn't perfect.  Pretty darn close though.  Our finances are not perfect.  Far from it.  Neighbors?  Don't get me started.

And yet.  I am content.  Go figure.  Every morning I wake up and have my cup of coffee.  The sun rises.  The dogs poop outside.  My toilet flushes.  My hair (what little I have) sticks straight out.  Kind of like Bozo the clown.  And so the day begins.

Every day I make the conscious decision to love my wife.  I make the conscious decision to love the Lord.  I make the conscious decision to be thankful for all the many blessings He has given me.

I make plans for my day.  I live my life.  At the end of the day, I thank Rita for spending it with me.  I am so very grateful she has chosen me.  She doesn't have to.  She chooses me. 

How cool is that?

I think I need to tell the Lord that I am grateful He has spent the day with me as well.  He doesn't have to.  He could ignore me.  But, He chooses me.  Little old me.  Well, maybe not so little.  Six feet and six inches of little old me. 

I am blessed.  And I am content.  Are you?

Rita and I get to spend the next month making the most special Christmas presents for little girls all over the country!  How cool is that???!!!

Welcome!  I just recently found out that some people are viewing this blog!  How exciting!

Rita and I are in full swing for the Christmas season.  This year, we are producing some dolls that are more child friendly.  They are bald or have a wig.  The hand rooted mohair can be very fragile and takes some special handling and care.

The bald dolls are adorable!  We give them a crocheted hat or headband.  The Holly doll is, by far, our most popular. 

Holly

 

Rita and I, every morning, start our day on the porch with a cup of coffee.  I cherish that.  Yesterday, we were talking about how very hectic the Christmas season is.  Long days, worrying about having enough product and supplies to fill all the orders, worrying about whether our health and bodies will carry us through this season.  Worry, worry, worry. 

 

But then we talked about our many customers.  We have been chosen by many parents to make that one special gift for their little girl.  What an incredible blessing!  Rita and I have prayed that God would find a way for us to bless others.  We were looking outside our business for opportunities.  Turns out He has some pretty great plans for us. 

 

I am hoping this year we can find a needy family or two that we can bless.  How awesome it would be to surprise a young family with an awesome gift for a little girl!  We shall see.  I know the need is out there.  Maybe I will call our pastor.  Hmmm

 

Anyway, all you wonderful folks out there have a blessed day!  David



Last Sunday I was able to go to church.  Rita wasn't well, so I went alone.  I got to sit with my aunt.  She is truly a rock for her family.  What an awesome lady.  I am so proud to be her nephew.  Seeing her makes me miss Mom though. 
Auntie Dot (Dorothy) has, all my life, given the best hugs.  I know when I see her, I am loved.  Period.  My only hope is that some day, I can be more like her. 
A smile.  A hug.  A greeting.  A loving scolding.  Caring compassion.  Genuine concern.  She is getting pretty old.  A very big hole will be left on this earth when she gets to meet Christ.  I want to cherish every day. 
Father, please help me to be more like her.  And thank you for giving her to this family for so long.

Whew!  Things are ramping up here.  Christmas season is in full swing.  Our days are packed full.  During the rest of the year, we stay busy, but now every minute counts. 
Didn't even get to play Scrabble yesterday.  Damn.
Looking forward to some rest Sunday!

Bingo! Bango! Bongo! Pow! 
Looking forward to a new week.  Rita and I sat up last night organizing our new work week.  New dolls to list, putting up our custom orders on our new dry erase boards, shipping, etc.  I am looking forward to it.
We didn't make it to church yesterday though.  Bummer.  I missed that.  Rita has been taking medication for complications from her diabetes.  Makes her feel sick and very unstable.  Instead, we made it a day of rest.  I made chili (yum), she crocheted, and we watched football.  Later on we played a game of scrabble, and I won.  Sounds like a pretty good day to me!
We are working very hard to get to the point of being able to afford Christmas presents and a trip to Baltimore to see our kids out there.  Its been about five years too long.  I really want to go!
Anyway, we pray that the Good Lord use us to bless other people, that he use our talents and hard work to bless those that receive our dolls.  He works in mysterious ways.... 
Have a great day all!

Our newest baby!  Raine is a bald baby up for auction.  This is a new marketing strategy to bring customers into our ebay store.  The bidding starts at 99 cents!  We shall see!  :-)

Had fun making her!  More to come!

Just tried posting one our new bald babies using our html format.  Kind of corrupted.  May take some tweaking.

Anyway, a great day was had yesterday.  Rita took me out to dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Pepito's in Riverside.   Awesome food and margaritas.  Yum.

Came home to lots of birthday wishes on the phone and facebook.  What a fun day! 

Little Darlins Nursery Professional Reborn Artist Rita Meese   For that one-of-a-kind gift that will never be forgotten:    Little Darlins Nursery can help make a memorable Christmas.   Visit My eBay Store: Little Darlin's Nursery       Welcoming baby Eliza (or you choose name) Date of reborn November 1, 2013  Weight Four pounds thirteen ounces  LENGTH Twenty inches  Eliza is a sculpt from one of my favorite artists, Donna Rubert.  Donna has studied with a number of well known artists and has taught in the college system in California.  Of all the artwork she has done, doll sculpts are what she is best known for.  She combines sculpting, painting, and design all in one place.  She has become one of the best known doll artists in the world.  A DOTY winner, Donna loves her work with the dolls. My name is Rita Meese and I have been reborning dolls since 2007. Together, with my husband David, we have brought over one thousand “Little Darlins” to life. These babies have been adopted to families all over the world.  David and I take great pride in the work we do, and only the highest quality materials are used in our babies. Our goal is to create babies of “heirloom quality” that will bring joy for many years to come.   To achieve the most realistic skin tones I used only Genesis Heat Set Paints. I do not use pre-mixed colors, but prefer to mix my own paints for each baby so that no two are ever identical, but all have their own unique baby complexion. The paint was applied in many thin layers and each layer was baked into the vinyl so it will never fade or peel. The creases and dimples received blushing for realism. Many hours were spent on each baby to get the complexion just right. Eliza has ¾ limbs and a fully jointed, doe suede body. She is stuffed and weighted in her head, body, and limbs with fiberfill and small pellets for a very realistic feel. Sand is never used so travel overseas is no problem. Eliza's nose has been opened and backed with dark felt for a very realistic look. The eyebrows were painted on in fine, delicate strokes. Eyelashes were then applied to frame her pretty eyes. Eliza was given a manicure and pedicure for that just clipped baby look. The nails, as well as the mouth, were glossed and sealed. Her mouth has a slightly moist look. Visit My eBay Store: Little Darlin's Nursery Ritas Reborn Gallery Receive my email newsletters Customers with less than five feedbacks please contact us before bidding.  We reserve the right to cancel bids.                              Eliza will come home dressed in the outfit shown.  She has a diaper, socks, and sleeper.  Her onesie matches her sleeper.  She will also have her hand-crocheted hat as well as her headband.  She will arrive in her custom made fleece blanket.  She also has a magnetic pacifier.  Earrings may be added at no extra charge.   Please be aware these magnets are very strong and should not be used around pacemakers or near electronic equipment. We appreciate you all - every one of our doll customers has helped to make our days happy and profitable. We love what we do here at Little Darlins Nursery - and want to continue selling the finest dolls we can to our wonderful customers. Thank you so much for always "making our day"... Rita and David Meese Visit My eBay Store: Little Darlin's Nursery Ritas Reborn Gallery Receive my email newsletters   Payment must be made within 48 hours Paypal only please. International buyers PLEASE be aware that delays, customs charges, and tariffs may occur. Your baby will be completed and ready to ship within 30 business days of cleared payment.  * INTERNATIONAL BUYERS : Please do not ask me to mark this item as a gift or lower the value of the item. E-bay is very strict about following proper shipping rules and regulations. Customers with less than five feedbacks please contact us before bidding.  We reserve the right to cancel bids.   All of our babies come from a clean, smoke free environment. A note from one of our satisfied customers:    Little Darlins Nursery Limited Warranty: Custom made dolls are made to the buyers' specifications and are made to the highest standards.  The buyer chooses many aspects of the final product, such as hair, eyes, and complexion.  For this reason, Little Darlins Nursery is unable to give refunds on custom made dolls.    We do, however, stand behind our product.  We are proud of our dolls, of our workmanship, and we do not ship a doll until we are satisfied.  We stand behind our workmanship, the materials used, and our descriptions in the eBay listings.   If you are not satisfied with the doll, please contact us with pictures highlighting the problem.  If we believe this is our error, the buyer must ship the doll back to us within fourteen days upon delivery, at the buyers' expense, with tracking numbers and delivery confirmation.  We recommend purchasing postal insurance as well.   We will correct the defect to our best ability, and return the doll to you, return postage and shipping insurance paid by us.   Ready-made dolls (not custom made) are made to the highest standards.  We only use new, quality materials.  We strive to make a doll that will be a joy to you and last for years.    We stand behind our product.  We are proud of our dolls, of our quality, and we do not ship a doll until we are satisfied.  We stand behind our workmanship, the materials used, and our descriptions in the eBay listings.   If you are not satisfied with the doll, please contact us with pictures highlighting the problem.  If we believe this is our error, the buyer must ship the doll back to us within fourteen days upon delivery, at the buyers' expense, with tracking numbers and delivery confirmation.  We recommend purchasing postal insurance as well.   Little Darlins Nursery will choose whether to repair or replace your doll.  We will replace your doll or correct the defect to our best ability.  Please allow up to thirty business days for repair or replacement.  We will return the doll to you, return postage paid and insured.   This warranty is subject to eBays “Buyer Protection Program.”   David and Rita Meese   Little Darlins Nursery Template By Bettys LittleAngels