Knoxie News...or from the mouth of a 3 year old....

Knox got everything he wanted for Christmas....he was thrilled beyond words with his new hockey set---two nets, several sticks, and balls. He also received the "steamwoe-wah" he asked for. And a rather large package of MnM's from his grandparents. Before opening every gift, he would say delightedly, "I know what this is!!" Reminded me of a certain aunt, and several other aunties of that aunt.


On Christmas Eve, Knox and I made Gingerbread boys--and the day after Christmas, I was awakened by my sweet boy, "Wake up Mommy! You need to get up and make me cookies! I ate ALL the Gingerbread Boys up!"


For the last 2 months or so, Shawn and Knox have been checking out Mighty Machines videos from the library. One was on demolitions, and ever since then, every time we go past a water tower, or a smokestack on an old mill, or the Law Enforcement Center Jail in downtown Greenville, he says that he is going to knock it down. Gotta love those Canadian shows!! Sure to become favourites with all your 3 - 8 years olds, too!!


Knox has a friend, Baby Emma (daughter of our friends). Out of the blue he announced that "Baby Emma is spicy!" We have no idea where that came from. Really.


He was standing on a chair, looking out the window at the cat, who was curled up, asleep, on a lawn chair. "1, 2, 3...Wake up Newton!!" After that, he announced that "Newton is a boy cat, just like me!"


We had Communion at church this morning. For me, it wasn't quite the meaningful, deep, comtemplative part of the service that I always look forward too. Shawn was ushering, which meant I was single-parenting for part of the service. I took the little tray of tiny communion cups, in my left hand, and removed one with my right. I stood up to pass it over to the next person who was several seats away, and quick as a wink, my perfect, beloved first-born swiped a cup from the tray. No idea why God did not provide mothers with a third arm! He did sit down and looked properly pious, though...before drinking it, and then asking for mine during prayer. Then after licking it out, he filled the empty cup with his offering money that he had dropped all over the floor.
This afternoon, his father sternly lectured him on partaking of Communion without permission, and proper behavior in a place of worship. It was "Yes, Suh!" but I'm not holding my breath that he will remember next week!


I mentioned to Knox that I would be going back to work on Monday morning, after 4 1/2 blessedly restful days off. "No, Mommy, you can't go back to work. You have to stay home, your car is broken, and I have to put it in the garage!"


Also, he is learning the days of the week....and Sunday night is football night!!! If you ask, he will sing it for you. Also, it can be used as a bribe---if you are naughty in CVS, then you can't watch football highlights!

I love 3 year olds!

What we've been up to since summer....

....Gardening. We were busy hauling water for a while--our city has us on water restriction because of the drought, and so we collected water from our dripping tub faucet to water the garden. Then I started canning. The tomatoes did fairly well this year, the cantaloupes and squash and cucumbers didn't fare so well. They got hit with some kind of mold and then died from lack of water. Fortunately, I was able to get some produce from them first, so it wasn't a total waste.

...Knox turned "free." This was a big event for him with company and Blue's Clues cupcakes. He is wanting to learn to read, and that would be the next logical step since he recognizes the alphabet and some words already. He's doing simple addition and recently has gotten into puzzles and games. He's into imaginary play and sets up elaborate scenes with his Matchbox cars and Little People called "Car Fire" and "Accident" and Fire!" He's still not able to pronounce his R's and L's, so it comes out very cute--Winus and Wucy, wobots.... He's requested Christmas presents with his name on them "spelled K N O X, with a steamroller, and hockey net inside." Also, he would like candy--lots of candy, especially with M's on them, and he is open to any kind of cookies.

...Shawn is looking for a job since finishing up all his classes. He's been busy with church stuff and recently helped a family move to Tennesee. And he has been holding down the fort at home--cleaning, laundry, etc.--while...

...I have been dealing with some moderate morning sickness. Thats now subsided for the most part. I'm still working full-time and very tired by evening, but I know the tiredness will subside some by January. So far its been a great pregnancy, I've not been as sick as I was with Knox, and have such a wonderful support system with all the ladies in my care group. We are due the first part of June, and I think it will be wonderful to have the summer off. We hope to find out the gender of the baby in January, and then I can get out all the boxes of baby items from storage and see what we will need. Probably nothing if its another boy, and some very cute girl clothes if its a girl.

So thats where we've been--mostly at home. And loving it!!

Four Years Together

Oh, the comfort - the inexpressible comfort of feeling

safe with a person - having neither to weigh thoughts

nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just

as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a

faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth

keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the

rest away. ~Dinah Craik

Works for Me Wednesday: Quicker-Coupon-Clipper

Say that title fast 10 times....

Every week since April, when I started CVSing, I have been buying a bundle of 6 Sunday papers for the coupons. It would take an hour to cut, then another hour to sort and then I still had to file them in my coupon box. All with "help" from my almost 3 year old. Too much work!! But I had to save money somewhere and it really does help the budget to use coupons. I started looking for help online and the only option was to save all the inserts without cutting them and just clip the ones that I needed, and I knew that would not work for me as it would be far too cluttery.

Until last week.....

I was looking at a frugality forum (cannot remember which one) and there was a tip that I want to pass on to every one. Its one of those no-brainer ones that I should have thought of myself and possibly you already know, but never told me. Shame on you! This tip made my whole year!!

My tip is to cut all of the coupons at the same time! How? By collating the like pages.

I just laid out my coupon inserts side by side on the table, collated the first page of each and cut out the coupons, collate the second page of each....you get the picture. I had a wastebasket handy and it was just the best assembly line ever!

Not only are you saving time cutting, they are all sorted and ready to file. It took me 25 minutes, to cut, sort and file. My 2nd tip is to be sure you cut just a little bit extra around the edges of the coupons so that if your hand slips, you don't risk cutting into vitally important stuff like the bar codes. The 3rd small tip is to use a good scissors--I use the Creative Memories scrapbook scissors and it slices and dices like no ones business.

Here's to saving $$ and time!!

This works for me!!

Quote

Don't waste your time trying to control the uncontrollable,

or trying to solve the unsolvable, or think about what could

have been. Instead, think about what you can control and

solve the problem you can solve with the wisdom you have

gained from both your victories and your defeats in the

past.
~David Mahoney

The New-ton member of our family or Lessons on Kindness to Young Cats

This is Newton. He is gray and little and cute. (He's a kind of cat--as explained by Knox.)

Knox loves him completely. Knox is ferociously devoted.

I caught Newton tonight as Knox was throwing him out the window. (As explained by Mommy--Would you like me to throw you out the window?) (Would you like me to pick you up by your leg, tail, neck, etc? Would you like to be suffocated to death?)

Check out your local Freecycle.org to save animals from euthansia. And get cool pets that can be thrown out windows. (JK)

The Real Guitar.....

........as opposed to a pretend guitar. Knox picked out this kid size instrument at a yard sale for $5. At the next sale we found a complete set of strings for $2. He "practices" every day. He has aspirations of being like his hero, our guitar-playing care group leader.