It's The Little Things

So often it seems like it's the little things that can make or break your day.

I have had a little war going on for the past few years.... with pencils.

In this modern age, why can't I find a pencil sharpener that sharpens pencils easily and effectively?

We've tried three different electric sharpeners and lots of little hand sharpeners.

Is it just me?

I know for a fact it's not. I've visited other homeschool families with the same grievance... and the same lack of sharp pencils.

The sharpeners get jammed, just plain don't work, or pull the lead out entirely.

I'm only a little bit ashamed to admit that this afternoon I had a bit of a pencil tantrum.

Although we own about 8 pencil sharpeners, we had no sharp pencils.

Compounding my frustration was the fact that Jon and I actually discovered a real treasure in his mom's attic last summer. I saw it on the wall and begged Jon to detach it and smuggle it to Ohio. (Actually, we did ask his mom's permission.) Somehow, however, it had never been hung up so it could be used.

At dinner tonight I begged my poor over-worked CPA husband to PLEASE hang up the vintage pencil sharpener so that his poor homeschooled children would be able to complete their schoolwork in peace without a mom/teacher ranting and raving about dull pencils.

Well, he really loves me.....

This beautiful American-made (APSCO -- American Pencil Sharpening Company!) fully-functional old-fashioned pencil sharpener now hangs in our garage. (We couldn't find a good place to secure it in our school room.... and our "dining room" won't be a "school room" forever, right?)

Check this out!!!!

 

SHARP PENCILS!

 

It's sad how excited all of us were to sharpen pencils this evening. Like I said, it's the little things. I figure we can do twice as much schoolwork now! And if you have pencils you need sharpened, bring them over. Ship them to us. We're going to use this sharpener to its full potential.

 

Funny side note --- Ray thought we stole this sharpener from the church where we do Catechesis of the Good Shepherd! (As if!) He is so excited that we have a REAL school sharpener. We must be a "real school" now! Jon doesn't know the history of that sharpener. Perhaps one of my sisters-in-law can fill us in. But it's a treasure!

 

MY HERO!!!!