What, is Christmas almost here?

About 1 month till Christmas? Where did the year go? This is our busy time of the year. Like other retail outlets, we rely on this season to continue in business. Unfortunately the "shopping season" is too short. Before I am lynched let me explain. I normally work on a four to six week lead time. This is because everything has to be planned, ordered, built, and finished and each takes a set amount of time. That would leave our cut-off date to be, uh, NOW!

Most people don't want to wait 'till after Christmas for their gift. So I usually give a little break and go a few days longer with the cut-off date. That dead line comes and someone else wants their furniture. Who am I to deny them their Christmas surprise? So I allow a few more orders in. Now we’re really stacked up. Luckily I planned a little ahead a built up stock in some of our popular beds, like the baseball bed. I got them to the point were they are ready for finish (this way the customer can chose the color).

To add the stack of orders. the Democrat/Gazette is doing an article on our Murphy bed. (see www.wwbeds.com/Murphy.htm) They chose us because we are the only one around that builds or carries the Murphy Bed. We also have one on display for them to shoot pictures. Or we "had" one. Just days after the interview, we sold our display to a displaced “Katrina Victim". I would have loved to keep that one, but they needed a bed and needed it quickly. That left me with two weeks to try to squeeze in a new one for display (only one week left now).

I decided to build two different versions of the Murphy bed. The first one will be very simple, no moulding. It will be the least expensive version I can offer. This one will be built from oak, not the cheapest wood, and stained a light oak finish. I should have this in a couple of days. See our current projects for pictures www.wwbeds.com/Current%20Projects.htm . The next one will be a little more elaborate with crown/base moulding, framed out front section, bookcases, lights, and finished in a flat black lacquer on oak. Many people would kill me for covering up the beauty of oak wood with a colored finish, but this will be awesome. The black will cover the wood, but not the grain. It will still have the texture of the grain showing thru - the grain is the best part on oak wood anyway. This one may take another week or so. I probably will not have it finished before the article is released, but at least I will have something for customers to look at.

Christmas is only four weeks away, but I am not worried. God always takes care of us. I have faith the same will happen this year. I pray that my job will not interfere with the true meaning of this season. That is, our Savior was born. Without Jesus being born, He couldn't have died and paid the debt for our sins. We would be eternally separated from God. He was born, He did die, and we are saved.