challenge family home technology

In Search of a Basement Pencil Sharpener

Having moved recently, I was missing our basement pencil sharpener. I have a couple of small, hand-held pencil sharpeners to use, but they aren’t effective at making a nice point without chewing up the wood on my cheap, soft pencils. What I really needed, and wanted, was a sturdy hand-crank pencil sharpener that mounted to a wall, preferably in the basement. You know, the pencil sharpeners found at the back of most school rooms that…

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ideas projects writing

Writing Nook – Now With Pencils!

When I transformed my book giveaway box into a Writing Nook last month, I struggled with whether to add some sort of writing implement. I’m using the Writing Nook to give away blank notebooks in several sizes, index cards, and books about writing. I mentally went back-and-forth on whether to include pencils or pens. I prefer pens myself, but with our very cold winters (24 below zero was a constant for two weeks this past…

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