Jackson Painter

Comfort Foods on Whole 30

Doing this Whole 30 with another person is very different. Before, I just modified to fit existing food to what I needed, but with two people the pressure and stakes are higher because all the food must fit and be palatable for both of us. So far the results have been acceptable, but I personallyContinue reading “Comfort Foods on Whole 30”

My Favorite Tools: Measuring

Not to be too obvious, but if you cannot measure accurately, you cannot be skilled at woodworking. And to measure accurately, you need the correct measuring tools that do what you need. Length, width, height, depth, square, 45°, other angles, outer diameter, inner diameter, circumference, radius, center, level, and other measurements take different tools dependingContinue reading “My Favorite Tools: Measuring”

Couple’s Whole 30

It took a while, but I finally convinced Lynn to join me for a month of Whole 30. After the December holidays, travel, and New Year festivities, she was ready for some rebooting for herself. We both needed some food changes, an alcohol break, and some way to up our energy levels. I know fromContinue reading “Couple’s Whole 30”

Faith and Works

But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. James 2:18 (NRSV) Every year on this past Monday, our church small group gathers at one of our homes to watch the College Football National ChampionshipContinue reading “Faith and Works”

Office Sideboard Update

It’s done! The “Office Sideboard” project I began in late October is finished. As always, it took longer than I wanted, but mistakes happen, plans change, and all of that results in more time. Sounds like life in general. The result, however, is more beautiful and functional than I originally conceived or imagined. Some changes,Continue reading “Office Sideboard Update”

A Dove Tale

After spending any time reading woodworking magazines, the topic of dovetails inevitably comes up. Terms and phrases usually get repeated almost to the point of being cliche: “the sign of excellent craftsmanship,” “time-honored,” “the strongest joint,” “beautiful,” “difficult to master,” “intimidating” are a few. The reason they are repeated is because all are true—especially theContinue reading “A Dove Tale”

A New Project: Office Sideboard

Over the years, I have built many pieces of furniture for our home and others. The only times I actually used a pre-existing plan was for my daughters’ loft beds and the coffee table in our living area. I discovered quickly that much of the enjoyment of making a piece is the creativity involved inContinue reading “A New Project: Office Sideboard”

Perfect Imperfection

Over the years of building things with wood, I have taken two approaches. If the project is shop related, I only focus on functionality. Beauty is nice, but beauty takes time. Shop projects, at least thus far, are meant to make beauty easier, but I take more satisfaction in the way a shop project worksContinue reading “Perfect Imperfection”

Mannie Mania

When the breeder brought Mannie to us on December 30, he was around 11 weeks old and just shy of 12 pounds, a little large for a Mini Aussie of that age, but he was the largest of his litter. As the weeks went by he was adding ½ pound a day some days. WeContinue reading “Mannie Mania”

Whole 30 + 30

Thirty days have passed. On March 3 my third iteration of the Whole 30 ended; the question was how would the month afterwards (and going forward) show change to old habits or reversion to the means of the past. I am happy to say that one month on, some good things appear to be inContinue reading “Whole 30 + 30”