Merry Christmas everyone!

So! What do you say about the best Christmas ever! ( ok, at least the best one in recent memory). Remember how back in June how we sold all of our stuff to move to Iowa? Well, we got it all back...or at least most of it. And the best part is that it is all NEW! IT is true we did not have a tree this year, nor did we wrap any packages. I just went around and put a big red bow on all the stuff that Stockings were able to buy for us. Our Kitchen with the tables, stools, shelves, and all the stuff on it ( except the fish) Popcorn popper, and cutting board. For the holidays we made cookies! Then in the living room, we bought a new TV, TV stand, coffee table, lamps, and sofa! Basically everything in the living room is new ( except the cats) then the bed room. I'm not sure if I posted any pictures of us sleeping on the floor ( it was kind of depressing and embarrassing at the same time) but now we have a bed, dresser, nightstands, and new lamps. Even the book shelves are new! It's funny how you really appreciate stuff when you don't have a nightstand for your lamp or a bookshelf for your Manga collection. Anyway, we were very blessed this Christmas in many ways and not just the stuff. I normally don't like getting too spiritual, but God was guiding us along this narrow path all the way and has given us back everything we lost and then some! I'm not sure if many people will ever understand the uncertainty of what we were doing or where we were going. And you would have to be pretty self centered to think that you were in control the entire time. But enough of that, Let's just say we had a wonderful and bountiful Christmas and we hope that everyone who is reading this blog had the same. Merry Christmas everyone! And Lets all look forward to a wonderful new year!

A Totally Awesome and new Anime from Funimation

Every now and then someone comes up with a stroke of genius and makes an Anime for the thinking man. ( OK, Manga for those snobs that know the difference and feel they must point it out...) The anime (or manga for the readers) is Hetalia! It is unlike most mangas I have read or animes that I have watched. It is made up of short little episodes that storyboard out moments in History with a little stereotype humor thrown in. It is AWESOME! And a delight for those of us addicted to the history channel on cable TV. I find it funny that in the comments, People are afraid they might have offended someone while making/recording for their part. If Hetalia offends you, you are poorly educated in history or you are just one of those people who looks to be offended. The creator of this story really must have done their homework. If you want an idea of what it is like, Each character is a personification of the stereotype citizen of their country. That is: German is gruff, load, commanding, hot headed but has a soft side and takes care of Italy. Italy would rather draw and eat pasta than make war. Britain has bad food, and uses black magic in their war efforts. ( it never works though, Harry Potter) And America is loud, overconfident, and shoves down burgers and pop while trying to talk. He also can't find Japan on a map! There is much more but I can't blog about every little detail. Just watch the first several episodes and you will see ( don't worry, they are short!) See them on Funimation.com . They do a great job writing the jokes as well as dubbing the voices. Enjoy!

Whew! Are we There yet?

Well almost! Cheryl and I mailed out the last of our stockings today and we worked very hard to achieve that goal. I know know what it must feel like to be a worker bee gathering honey by the micron so that you have enough to last through the winter. No wonder they die after only a couple of weeks of working! Together Cheryl and I have almost doubled what we accomplished last year. And the year is not quite over! We are even now hatching a plan to possibly squeeze out a few last minute sales before the season is officially over. After last night, I have to say I'm amazed that we are still awake! However...Greed is a powerfully motivating factor! Whoever said greed is bad never lived in a capitalist society! ( Because it pushes you past your limits and allows you to achieve things that even you thought were not possible!) Ok! The rest of the night is a designated break...then it's back tot he grindstone..but with a little less intensity. Happy holidays everyone!

Stockings, stockings everywhere!

You may have noticed that it has been several days since my last post. As I mentioned previously, we have been busy getting caught up with the stocking production. Well, here are just a few of the stocking pics I took while working. It might not look like much, but there are almost 100 stockings on the wall and on the table ( we did not have enough room on the wall to display them all!) Reminds me of a song: 99 Christmas stockings on the wall....99 Christmas stockings....Take one down, wrap it and pack it..well, you get the idea. This could be our last big weekend before Christmas, So we are in a pretty good position at the moment. We may even extend the shipping days because the three sleepless nights in a row actually paid off and we are caught up! Ok. Battery is low and there is still much to sew. ( hey! That rhymes!) perhaps it is the sleepless nights that are making us giddy. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Oh! There is a blizzard warning for Iowa for the next couple of days. Could mess up our rhythm. We'll see!

Crazy weekend Stockings!

So Cheryl and I decided we would try to break our previous record and do as many stockings as we could in one day. The next day we decided to break that record. As a result, our stocking wall is overflowing! The good news is that it is almost entirely bare once again. And once again we are trying to fill it back up with orders! ( take note of the stack that would not fit on the wall! ) The sales seem to be tapering off now that we are getting closer to Christmas and people are panicking because they might not get the stockings in time. At our current pace, We can easily meet the demand. However that means that there are some very sleepless nights for us both. I guess you can always rest when you're dead....or after Christmas. Yeah! I like that Idea better! As for me, I'm back to the late night re listing to spur on the sales. Wish us luck that we can get every sale we can in the next couple of weeks!

So The Great Ethan Allen can't use Scissors!

Apparently, I never learned how to use my scissors in Kindergarten! Cheryl says that I can't help her cut out shapes. Case in point: My penguin. OK it might be true that they seem to not make scissors for men anymore. However, I still can use them, although it is not without it's cost. I have a hot spot on my index finger by the first and second knuckle. But not matter! I'm here to help not complain! However, Cheryl says my penguins look like Belzenef the curse doll ( an Ouron Host club reference) If you have never watched Oron host club....( you should..It's hilarious!) Then you can see it on the Funimation.com and see the similarities of the Curse doll. I don't know I think that my penguin looks OK, maybe a little rough around the edges. You be the judge! Regardless, Cheryl says I am off shape cutting detail. So I am stuck with relisting, packaging, question answering, pinning, and cutting out the stockings. ( Sometimes I even get the chance to use the seam ripper!)

Stocking wall filled! With the Cat's approval.

Once again the stocking wall is filled....and once again it will be unloaded for shipping. These batches seem to be getting larger and larger! Red ( the shop cat) looks on with the sense of accomplishment that we feel each time we take two mail baskets filled with packages to the post Office. The sense of accomplishment comes from small things ...like the new bed ( remember....we moved with NOTHING and now have a bed room that is almost designer!) Hiro is testing out the new sheets at the moment. After this insanity is over, I will take a picture of all the new things that "Santa" had given us this year. If there is nothing under the tree, it's because it is too large to fit there. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

If you think we sew stockings.... Think again!

Cheryl has informed me that the last couple of posts might lead certain family members into thinking we started that CRAZY thing called a business again. Well it's not true. Nope! NOt at all! Do you really think we would start that over after being forced to find jobs and move to Iowa? I mean...What CRAZY person would start that insanity again? So...if you are looking at the pics and reading the blog with regularity and are under the assumption that we are making our whole living exclusively on Etsy ...AGAIN ( and are a family member) . Well it's just not true...Really! We learned our lesson and are not going to try anything exactly like that again. Just wanted to post that.. Oh! The pictures? They were all staged with props and blue screened in for a prep -ier intro.

Christmas Fun and Full Metal Panic TSR

As I stated before, the Christmas rush is on and it's keeping me and Cheryl very busy at our new job. I lamented in my last post that I probably would not have much time to blog for the next few weeks, But I do manage to steal a few minutes as I am sent to the library to relist some sold items. We have been working to about 2 am each night. But things are not really that bad ...yet. We have not had to give up bagels or Paneara yet, so there is still a little wiggle room. As for now, If you are a Manga fan, Be sure to check out the latest Claymore chapter on Animefreak.tv. Oh! And we received Full Metal Panic the second raid today. I'm not sure when we will be able to watch it because we have not even had the chance to watch fomoffu yet. Perhaps after the holiday rush. Hope everyone is having a great week so far.

Enslavement by my wife!

Ok, it is true that she stole my heart years ago. And there is the occasional "honey do" list that only I ( a male) can do. However, I have recently been drafted into doing a number of odd jobs that are not on my job description! So that is why I have not been b logging on a regular basis. I have been trapped, caged and enslaved to do unpaid slave labor. Ok, that is a little dramatic. The truth is that Christmas is in full swing and I have been helping out in what ever capacity I can. So forgive my blogging absents for now. I will try to add a few little things whenever I can. Merry Christmas!