Where have I been…

It has been a while since I have posted anything in the Blog entry on the page. I wanted to update everyone on where I have been and what I have been up to. In April of 23 I had a full ankle replacement. This was necessitated by an injury I had sustained over 15 years ago. It finally became time to do something about my ankle as my quality of life was diminishing. Since the surgery I was laid up for 12 weeks, and then off work until September. There was a little bit of time to work out in the wood shop, but the main focus was gaining my strength back and letting myself heal. I returned to work in September in the light duty mode which meant 8-5 M-F which killed the time that I had in the shop. Now as of a week ago I am back to full duty with the fire department, and have my strength back as well as my days off.

I look forward to creating more content and being more active on the website trying to build the brand. Come along for the ride….

God & Spring

It is early this morning and I am sitting next to the fire with a hot cup of coffee. The rest of the family is soaking up the remaining morning in peaceful slumber. I couldn’t sleep. Too much on my mind. Life has been rather busy lately and I have been out of the woodshop for the last couple of weeks.

The days are getting longer and slightly warmer, although we were blessed with a late March snow shower yesterday. I have transitioned to the outside work around our house trying to get ahead, instead of falling behind. Of course the girls are busy with spring sports and horses. I am trying to fit time into the day for cleaning around the outside of the house, and preparing for next winter by cutting fire wood. I have a neighbor that has a woodmizer mill and I enjoy the off cuts or “cants” and use those as firewood as they are easy to cut and you can’t beat the access.

Preparation this year carries a lot more significance. April 25th I will be going in for a Total Ankle Replacement. About 18 years ago I had a ladder slip out from under me. I was misdiagnosed as a bad sprain, when I had actually broken part of my ankle. Over time the break has created a massive amount of arthritis that has limited my movement of my ankle and has created pain and discomfort. I made the decision around the first of the year to finally do something about it. Unfortunately, I will be down for recovery and off my firefighting job for close to 7 months. This has caused a lot of anxiety, and also has made me want to prepare for the inevitable. I welcome prayers, support, letters of encouragement and mostly support of my family as we go through this wild adventure. I have faith in God that all will be well and that we will be fine.

Again and again like clockwork Spring comes around. The bitter and cold winds of winter relinquish to the warmer sun filled days. Flowers are blooming, trees blossom with the promise of shade in the hot summer months, birds and frogs are wild with excitement. There are times that I just try to soak in the beauty around me and thank the good Lord that I live in the Garden of Eden. I hope you take time to enjoy the beauty around you and the abundance of new life.

I promise you that I will make it back out into the woodshop and be able to share more beautiful pieces. But first I must take care of a few things…….

Amazed………

I realize that it has been a good while since I have been on here to post a blog. This last weekend we just finished our biggest show so far at the Douglas County Sportsman Show in Roseburg, Oregon. We have done one and two day craft or Christmas fairs, but this was a three day long show and a whole new audience of customers.

I have spent quite a bit of time, leading up to the show, building up inventory after the Christmas season. That being said, I have been concentrating on the creation side of the business, and less on the marketing. I had told myself in the beginning that I wanted to spend more time writing about what we are doing at A and M Craftworks, in order to share our processes in the shop.

The response I got this weekend was simply amazing. I went to the show with a lot of unknowns. I wasn’t sure if we were the right fit for the show, if I had the right product, or if people would even like what I was selling. To say the least I was amazed at the people I met, as well as the encouraging words that people would give me. I was even called an “Artist” by multiple people, that one blew me a way. I have never considered my self an artist. I enjoy my hobby and I hope to turn it into a full time business when I retire. Creating new items, and attending more shows will be a huge part of that. Other interactions reaffirmed why I am doing this, and encourages me to do more.

We went to the show with 200 business cards, and almost ran out, so we did accomplish one thing and that was getting our name out there. I am ready to grow, both in my skills and in the business. The feedback this weekend re-energized me. I look forward to the rest of the year and what it brings. Thank you for visiting our website, and taking time to read my blog. You Amaze Us!

Finding Time…..

I have been struggling to find time to get out into the shop. Woodworking, at least for the next 20 months is my hobby. I have a full time job as a Professional Firefighter. Which means that I am away from home for a third of the time. I also have a busy family, which takes first priority. With a son in college, and daughters in high school, and elementary we are busy with sports, school, and horses…..don’t get me going about horses. Just kidding, I love horses, but the events do take time. When I am able to squeeze into the shop it may be an hour here or an hour there. I will take what I can get.

Soon enough this will change. I am planning to retire in 20 months from the fire department. I have been in the fire service in one form or another since I was 18. I am ready to be done and do something else. My new career, fortunately will be my hobby, and my hobby will be my career. I am in the process of ramping up our business so that when I retire we will have a full time business to keep me busy and out of trouble.

Of course the kids will be older and more independent which will free up some time as well, but I am not ready for that. That part of my life can slow down.

I am sure that something else will appear to take up more time, but for now I am optimistic that I will be able to find my solace and retreat in knowing that even if I didn’t find time, maybe it has found me…

Pay Attention!!!!

It all began with an idea. I had a plan, but not really. Since I was a kid I had observed. I didn’t necessarily know that I was observing, but I was. I was watching those who were more experienced, older, more knowledgeable, and gleaning what little bit of information I could. I was learning, and growing in my skills, talents, and life in general. Over the years I have learned roofing, plumbing, framing, and the list goes on. No formal training other than observing, and good old fashioned hard work.

My family and I live in beautiful Glide, Oregon, the gateway to Oregon’s only National Park, Crater Lake. I initially moved to Glide in 1996 working for the US Forest Service, and then eventually the City of Roseburg Fire Department. Along the way I bought a house, got married, had kids, and had to adapt to the ever changing needs of a growing family. I managed to remodel our house, eventually doubling the size of it with an addition, and then most recently adding 2 story shop which is now the home of A and M Craftworks and our Air BNB “The view on Terrace.”

Again, I never had any formal training in any aspect of construction. But I never the less remodeled, expanded and built our current home and business. I had an idea one day that I would like to start woodworking. Again, I had never taken shop class or had any formal training. Just observed and helped my dad in our shop when I was a kid. Side note, I still use the Radial Arm Saw that I used with my dad back in the 70’s and 80’s. Also with the invention of You Tube it became even easier to glean information from a vast array of woodworkers. So my plan took shape, slowly over time. I have started a craft business with my wife Michelle. We are a family run, small business that provides custom woodworking and crafts including vinyl, suplimation, and engraving. We may not have it all figured out but we are observing, gleaning, and learning as we go along. We hope that you come along for the journey with us and get to know us a little bit.

Cheers

Andy and Michelle