Howdy, friend! You’ve landed in our little workshop-on-the-web where flour flies, sparks pop, ideas grow, and new skills are always waiting around the corner. We’re Winnie and Duke … two makers, bakers, builders, and try-it-and-see-what-happens adventurers. We’re so glad you’re here!
Winnie: I’m your resident fresh-milled-flour fanatic … and when I say fanatic, I mean the kind of person who mills wheat berries with the enthusiasm most people reserve for vacation planning. I’m obsessed with turning grain into gorgeous, nutritious breads, tortillas, pastries, and pretty much anything else that will sit still long enough for me to bake it. Beyond the flour whirlwind, I’m also a garden whisperer, craft dabbler, and unapologetic trash-chair rescuer. Over the years, I almost appeared on the Food Network (the show got canceled before I made my debut – rude), I was a recipe tester for America’s Test Kitchen (yummy), a pan tester for All-Clad (they rock), and a chronic tester of everything on my very patient family (love them). My love for God shapes the joy I find in all of my adventures.
Duke: Lawyer by day, hobby collector by night. I’ve worked in compliance, run my own business, and taken on my fair share of courtroom battles. But when the workday ends, I run to my workshop like it’s recess. Woodworking? Yep. Welding? Sure. Solar systems that may or may not be over-engineered? Absolutely. And according to Winnie, I own an unreasonable number of toolbags. My Christian faith helps me approach every new project … even the ones that explode into spectacular failures … with humility, humor, and hope.
Think of this as a place where we document what we learn, what we break, and what actually werks. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll find:
Whether you’re looking for practical advice, personal stories, or just a bit of inspiration, we hope you find something on this website that resonates with you.
When we’re not tinkering, blogging, or working from the tiny house we built with our own hands … you might catch us searching the Potomac River for fossilized shark teeth or zooming down a trail on our Onewheels (yes, we’ve had the wipeouts to prove it).
We get this question a lot. First, “Hope this werks!” is basically our household catchphrase. Anytime we’re trying something new … milling a new grain, wiring a solar panel, welding something that looks a little suspicious, or convincing a sad-looking plant to live … one of us inevitably shrugs and says, “Well… hope this werks.” It’s practically our battle cry.
Second, there’s the fun meaning of “werks” as in “doing something with excellent capacity,” which we absolutely strive for (even if the journey involves a few hilarious detours).
We’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave comments, share your thoughts, or reach out to us directly. And if you want behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.
Thanks for hanging out with us at Hope this Werks. Let’s explore, create, learn, and laugh together.
Warmest regards,
Winnie & Duke
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