Mr. Paul, Knifeman

Last Monday Paul came to me with a request.  He wanted to send his Dad's knife away to get it sharpened.  It was the day before our annual Seder and fielding knife sharpening queries was not on my "to do" list.  However, I took the time to hear Paul out.  He wanted to send Matt's old Gerber to Indiana to be sharpened by an expert knife guy.  I asked Paul how he knew about the man.  "From You Tube," he replied.

"Aren't there any people here in town that could sharpen a knife, Paul?"  No, he was quite sure there were not, at least not at this particular man's level of expertise.  The man would even give Matt's knife the "spa" treatment to get it nice and clean.

Paul then handed me a pricing list and the man's phone number.  I said, "You call him.  Confirm his prices.  Ask him how we should package the knife for shipping, etc., etc."

So Paul called the guy.  He picked up right away.  The two had about a five minute conversation.  After Paul hung up, I asked him what the man said.  "He said he could do it."  That was all.  No further detail was provided to this curious Mama.  Typical man.

Anyway, Paul got the knife all packaged and we drove to the Post Office.  I jotted a quick note to the man which I stuffed into the box before we mailed it.  This morning, Paul found this video on You Tube:

(Edited to add--I had a super busy day yesterday and threw this post up without having watched the video in its entirety.  Last night I watched it.  Let me just say that both Matt and I are humbled by Mr. Bixby's remarks.  The truth is, we're just a couple of messed up sinners saved by grace who screw up this parenting thing each and every day.  But somehow, in spite of us, the Lord keeps working in our children and we're just flat out amazed by it.)

Joel's First Tooth

Joel finally lost his bottom front tooth.  The tooth had been very loose for a number of weeks.  I encouraged him to keep wiggling it back and forth to get it out.  He didn't want to do it.  The new tooth grew in while the baby tooth was still in place.

 So Lydia decided to take things into her own hands.  She marched into my bathroom one day with a stool and needle nose pliers in hand.  Joel was right behind her.  Lydia had convinced Joel that her plan would work, that he would indeed finally be free of his first baby tooth.  I said, "No way," before she commenced with her amateur dentistry.  If that girls isn't a Dean.

Anyhow, Joel eventually got that tooth out on his own about a week later.  He was pretty proud of himself.