A Project and a Pupdate

So this past week, I learned that Mom has a deep desire to burn the rug under our kitchen table...and that it is largely Thane's fault.  

"Who, me?"

Well, it's really my fault too.  I decided to feed Thane a raw diet, and his pen area includes the kitchen table, which makes a nice, comfortable "cave" for enjoying his meat.  So, yeah.  I'm either going to be buying him a crate for the kitchen, or I'm going to be working hard to teach him to only eat his meat in one place - on the hard, easy-to-sanitize kitchen floor!

So the rug will need to be replaced.  (It's getting old anyway, and is showing the wear and tear of a busy household...)  I thought about it a bit a few days ago, and then I suddenly got An Idea.  With typical Sarah-ish impulsiveness, I quickly googled some ideas, grabbed some scissors and an old pair of jeans and did this:

Quite thrilled with my success, I went to the thrift store and bought a bunch more old jeans, then came home and started really working.  About seven hours later, I had this:

Urg.  I had kind of hoped that it might be at least the size of a throw rug by the end of a long day cutting, braiding and stitching.  BUT I was pleased with how it looked.

Thane kept me company while I worked.  He likes having me around the house.  :)

"Are you done yet?"

"Nope?  Okay, guess I'll shut my eyes for a few seconds..."

"Zzzzz..."

I had to work yesterday, so I only got a few minutes in the evening to continue stitching the braid around the oval, but I did make a bit more progress.  One blessing - my amazing sister-in-law cut up all the rest of the pairs of jeans for me (picking away at the task while keeping an eye on her two toddlers)!!  Here's what the rug looks like as of today:

So now it could maybe pass for a small throw rug...or more likely, a table runner.  :P  

I'm curious how many pairs of jeans it will take to complete...I started out with nine pairs of jeans and two shirts (for different color and texture).  Right now the rug has parts of three pairs of jeans and both shirts in it, but it looks like I have a fair bit more fabric.  I may see if I can mooch old jeans off people at work and church when my pile of fabric starts getting low...

Anyway, so that's what I've been up to the past couple of days.  

Oh!  I promised a pupdate too...

Someone turned 6 months old today!

Thane's temperament continues to even out, although I still ought to take him for another round of obedience classes for more polishing.  I think that as an adult, he'll have a pretty chill nature - but with a definite spark of mischief!  I trust him more around my little nieces now - he'll sniff them, but unless he's really wound up, he doesn't try to jump on them or nibble at them.

He hangs out nearby on leash while we eat supper, and is pretty good about lying down and being calm.

He's still trying to make friends with the cat...and it's still not going all that great.  :P  

It's hard to believe he's been in my life almost four months!  (It feels like way longer, lol!)  It's exciting to watch him grow up and change...I think he's going to be a really good dog.  :)

Happy Thane's Birthday!