JULY 2016 RAMBLINGS

I've had crushing news from the vet this month, Tip, my male border collie, has congestive heart failure.  So for now, more meds to try to and make him comfortable, but the prognosis from what I've read is 6 to 18 months. His tolerance has dropped significantly for any type of exercise. It also explains his intolerance for the heat of summer. I'm finding the idea of my pack without Tip in it really hard to imagine. He's been an unbelievably awesome dog. So for the time he has left I'll keep him as comfortable as I can but knowing at some point I will have to make the decision to ensure he doesn't suffer.

About two weeks after the above diagnosis he started having bloody diarrhea so I rushed him to the vet.  Due to his recent diagnosis of congestive heart failure, I had to prepare myself for the possibility that this could be it for him. He's always had bouts of diarrhea after storms or fireworks but it typically cleared up within a couple days.  Apparently the back-to-back severe storms we recently had started a domino effect with the diarrhea.  New diagnosis is stress induced colitis.  Three new medications added to his pharmacy and I have to change to a bland food for him.  I also need to try to keep him from getting stressed out to avoid triggering further bouts.

I've also had to make the decision to change vets.  I like the vet I've been using and she came highly recommended BUT she has no after hours or emergency coverage.  With three geriatric dogs I cannot chance not being able to get vet care if I need it.  There's only one vet clinic in town, Southwood, that has emergency vet service and they no longer take other vet's clients.  After discovering the blood on a Friday afternoon I attempted to contact my vet about 2'ish in the afternoon to be told she'd just left for the weekend.  They suggested I try another vet in town so I called Southwood and thankfully they were able to get me in. I was very happy with the vet, Anna. I took in a stool sample and I know my previous vet would have run tests on the sample before seeing Tip but she held off until she did the exam and determined it wasn't needed.  I appreciated not having to spend more money.  Within  two days of starting the new meds he was acting almost totally normal again without the lethargy he'd been having.  He's honestly acting awesome so I'm really happy.

CRAFTING:

I finally finished the rug I've had in the loom forever.  I'm really happy with it and love the earthy tones. I'm still planning on putting it in the camper as it will go great with my cabin/lodge theme. Now to go through my fabric stash to decide what colors my next rug will be.  

I used some wooden needles I bought from Carrol's Farm Crafts on Etsy to finish up the last row or so.  It made it so much easier to get into the tight spaces between rows.  These are beautiful handcrafted needles too.  They're designed for using to make Amish Toothbrush Rugs but work awesome for twined rugs as well.

CAMPER REMODEL:

The camper tearout is almost complete.  Matt just needs to pull out the electrical. It's been a hard job for him and he's done a great job of it.

Water heater where a bench seat had been that covered it

Kitchen area

lots of water damage / rot

The last picture has the bathroom tearout section with the shower pan still not taken out yet. We've decided not to replace several things:

• the shower - there's just not enough room and I just want a toilet so we'll clean and put that back in along with a small sink.  
• the water heater - to save space plus we'd have had to replace it since it was shot
• the refrigerator - we've decided to replace it with a small electric refrigerator instead of a 2-way or 3-way.  It will save us considerably as we can pick one up cheap (probably about $100)  with back-to-school deals starting compared to over $1200 for a 2-way

THRIFTING:  

I went thrifting and picked up a lot of good books cheap.  I think most of the books were like 50c each.  This is just a couple of the books I picked up.

In addition, I found two mini donut pans for 99c each!  I was so excited to find them as I needed at least one more pan for when I make donuts when the crew is here.  

READING:

Comfort Classics is an excellent cookbook from Weight Watchers.  There are several recipes I want to try out although I'll use full fat options instead of the low-fat ones.
















Dark Witch is the first in Nora Roberts The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy.  I remember buying this on a Kindle special and started the first two chapters and then forgot about it.  I'm glad I have the book format now as this is a keeper.  I just ordered the next book in the series from PaperBackSwap. Unfortunately they don't have the third one so I added it to my wishlist.  I may have to look for a used copy on Amazon.  This series reminds me somewhat of The Three Sisters trilogy and The Donovan Legacy trilogy.

June Ramblings

The Walton's house from the TV series

Flashback: I loved watching the Waltons on TV growing up and even later.  I loved the large, close knit family.  I LOVED their house. The house would be way too large for us at this point in our lives but it would have been awesome when I had kids at home.

HOME PROJECTS:
June shaped up to be another super busy month for us. Matt and his buddy Nick, along with some muscle help from Jordon, got our new windows put in. It's a good thing because the one set probably wouldn't have survived another summer.  It was so rotted that when they went to pick the window up to place it on the trailer it broke apart. The new windows look great.  Matt worked over the weekend and got the outside finished.  Now he needs to finish off the inside portion.  We now only have one small window left that was original to the house that needs replaced. Thankfully it's in much better shape than these windows were.

window that broke from rot

new windows in

As you can see we don't have steps out this door and haven't since we moved in for the simple reason we can't agree on what we want.  I would like a deck with a ramp for the dogs and to eventually fence this side.  A gazebo style deck where I could sit and relax would be awesome.  We have a small deck on the other side but it's filled with the grill and smoker so there's no room for me and the dogs to just hang.  My garden is on this side of the house towards the back. Matt wants just a basic set of steps. We'll figure it out eventually.

GARDENING:

I finally got to work in the garden and tore out all the dead plants from last year.  We shoveled all the dirt into the wheelbarrow and I put weed blocking fabric on the bottom and then put the soil mixed with compost back in the bed.  I over planted this small bed last year so I was more minimalistic this year in planting it.  I also used the barrel that we had tried to grow tomatoes in for herbs this year. Hopefully the garden will do better.  Unfortunately they're not selling these pre-made beds any more so I'm going to have to order online to be able to expand.

COOKING:

Spicy Hawaiian Pizza

Matt's been doing a lot of cooking with the smoker.  He made some homemade Canadian bacon. Thank you to his brother-in-law Doug for the recipe for that!  It's addictive and will be a frequent item in the smoker from now on I can assure you.  He made me some homemade McMuffins with the Canadian bacon and the taste was unbelievable.  What a difference in the taste.  We also used some for a Spicy Hawaiian Pizza.  He also did bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers that disappeared very quickly.

We forgot to take a picture of these yummy treats until only these two lovely ones were left before I finished them off.

Someone on one of my Facebook groups posted she'd fixed a cup of hibiscus blueberry tea which sounded so good I decided to try making some myself.  I took some blueberries and put into the bottom of my cup and then brewed them with my loose leaf hibiscus before adding honey.  I've made this several times it was so good. I used Mountain Rose Hibiscus High Tea.  Sorry about the poor picture.

READING:

I picked up another Sue Henry mystery, The End of the Road (A Maxie McNabb Mystery).  I was a little concerned by the title but be assured nothing happens to Maxie.  I really like how she brings characters from her other mysteries into different storylines.  I need to order a couple more by this author to read.  I have a friend I plan to loan one of the Maxie McNabb Mystery books to as I think she'd really like the series.

Brocante Home Living Room forum on Facebook read and discussed Slow Love - How I Lost My Job, Put On My Pajamas & Found Happiness. It definitely was not a book I would have chosen on my own.  Her ongoing relationship with a married man just made many of us want to smack her and honestly the stupidity of her trying to keep that relationship going would have probably been enough for me not not have finished the book if it wasn't for it being a discussion assignment.  I just found it really difficult to respect the author through most of the book even though she published multiple magazines nationwide and had written other books but others loved it and thought it was a great book about recovering from a life disaster.  Several of us brought up we had problems having any sympathy for her having to sell her house after she finally mentions that she has another house, her vacation house, she'll be decamping to in Connecticut.

Fiona Ferris continues adding to her series on living French with How to Live Well.  Some good ideas although some can be found on multiple other sites and articles.  It's a short book.  I believe it was $2.99 for the Kindle version so very reasonably priced.

May 2016 Ramblings

We've been doing a bit of traveling last month so I didn't get to post.  Matt's mom passed away.  We were fortunate to be able to be able to fly out and visit with her less than two weeks before she passed.  All her children were able to visit before her passing.  We spent eight days in Michigan helping with her care.  I think she had a peaceful passing.  Matt rarely gives me flowers but surprised me after we got back with a bouquet.  Aren't they beautiful!  I love roses and sunflowers.

We had a nice time visiting with his family.  Matt's got six siblings and we got to spend time with all but one.  We stayed with one of his sisters.  She had been in the Middle East visiting another of his sisters and brought back several items.  One of those items was candy coated fennel seeds.  You eat a spoonful after meals to refresh your breath and help with digestion. I was addicted the first spoon I had.  She was awesome and sent me some after we got back so I have a small jar sitting next to my computer desk to nibble on.

I was able to visit with some of my awesome girlfriends while there.  I miss these girls so much. I hadn't realized how much I missed this group until I heard Arwen's voice when I called to let her know we were coming,  We don't get to talk very often.  Jenna, who I refer to as my adopted daughter, and Cora came to surprise me.  It was a very wonderful night and even though we parted sometime around 2 am in the morning it was way too short.  I think Matt was a bit miffed that I didn't have a massive hangover the next morning.  Saprenia had the hookup for some awesome, potent Long Island Iced Teas and we probably should have just started ordering them by the pitcher as many as we drank.  I can't let another four years go by without hanging out with them.

Saprenia, myself, and Arwen

Cora and Jenna

         
I've finally launched my new business, Prairie Critter Pet Sitter, LLC.  I've had a client already too. My first clients were a St. Bernard and a Springer Spaniel.  They were adorable and fun to hang out with.  Matt's buddy is letting me put a small decal on his race car for advertising.  I've also been doing a Facebook blast.  I need to get out to all the vet offices and post fliers.

We were able to get a bit of garage saling in.  I found this adorable cow butter dish for 50c.  I don't like plastic but it was just too cute to pass up.

Sunday I decided to try canning meat for the first time.  I'd found a good deal on hamburger up at Hugo's last week and froze several large packages.  Sunday I fried it and canned it in pint & half jars. I got the instructions for it from Linda's Pantry on Youtube.  I think it will be great for camping and for when I forget to take something out of the freezer.  I had a bit over 11 pounds of raw burger and ended up with 8 jars, each having 1 pound of cooked meat in them.  These are dry packed.

April Ramblings - A Thrifting We Will Go

We had the kids over two weeks ago for Jordon's birthday and had a good time thrift shopping while they were here.  There was a new flea market that was open that weekend and we also went to a couple thrift stores. We found a lot of great items.  Since the lil guy is crawling now and it won't be long until he's walking I decided to start buying some good toys for him.  I found a great toddler barn set with animals and tractors at the flea market to start the collection.  I need to get a toy box to put stuff in so I'm keeping an eye out for one.  One of my neighbors bought him a set of baby Carhartt bib overalls so he'll be properly dressed to play with the farm set.

I picked him up a high chair at the thrift store.  They don't have one since they don't have a table set yet so it was totally new for him and he loved it.  He didn't want to leave it even though he was falling asleep in it while we played a game at the table.  I still have a lullaby cd that I use to play when Jordon was a baby that I played while he was here.

Saturday morning he decided he needed to crawl across the room and use Tip to try and stand up.  Tip was a great sport and as soon as I got the picture I had Tip move to a safer location.  I'll need to keep an eye on him while he's here so he doesn't accidentally injure one of the dogs.  He got up on Oreo's blind twice and tried to grab her.

While at the flea market we picked up a treadle sewing machine base to use for the base of some bookcases we'd bought from a neighbor.  We picked up several items she was getting rid of and I'll be posting as I get them organized.  The bookcases are definitely antiques.  The glass has dimples and waves to it.  By putting it on the stand it eliminated us having to decide how to repair or replace the top of it.  Our neighbor had plants on it and there was water damage to the wood and it was peeling up.  I still need to clean these up and decide which books I'm moving into it.  We're thinking my classic reading collection would look good in here and possibly my cardinal figure collection.  The sewing machine base was pretty rusty so I used a metal brush to scrape off the loose bits and then used Rustoleum Forged Hammered paint in chestnut.  Matt didn't agree with me on the paint but really liked it after I got it painted. The hammered effect really worked well with the flaking texture of the metal.

Side view of bookcases

Front of bookcases 

I've been trying to get rid of all the blinds in the house.  I'd been looking online for some type of curtains for the dining room area.  I'd decided I wanted a small check with dark red and tan colors and had found some valances that were about $30+ for that window.  Guess what I found this weekend? Yep, a set of valances that fit on that window perfectly for $2.50!  It definitely changed the look of that corner.  I'm also thinking about getting some dark red folding shutters to put on the bottom for privacy at night so I can get rid of that blind.  I HATE blinds.

I also found another long valance with pine cones on it that will fit in perfect with my lodge/cabin theme for the camper for the same price. The valance is actually pretty wide and I think it will cover the entire window.

Another purchase I made was a new FoodSaver machine.  I'd gotten one years ago at a thrift store but haven't used it in years.  I tried to use it a couple weeks ago and the seal function wouldn't work.  Last week Amazon had a unit on special for $54 (1/2 price).  I checked it against Walmart's price and it was $97 so it was an awesome deal and I decided to grab it.  I had been really upset when I inventoried the freezers a couple weeks ago to find a lot of meat I'd put in freezer bags was freezer burned and I had to throw it out. The meat hadn't been in the freezer that long either.  I'll start using this for anything I put in the freezer now.  It also has the tube that you can seal jars with so I can use it for dehydrated things I put in jars.

March Ramblings

Wow, I cannot believe how warm it has been here.  My lilac tree has buds on it and the grass is starting to grow.  I fear for the trees and flowers when we inevitably end up having another snow storm.  Every year we've been here we've had a snow storm the end of April. We've had record highs this weekend with temps in the 60's and it was absolutely beautiful.

CAMPER UPDATE:

Matt brought the camper home this weekend to start working on it since the weather was so nice.  He went through and got all the junk that had been left in it out.  He pulled up the carpeting and got rid of that mess.  He then cleaned and repacked the tire bearings and checked the brakes, which are good thankfully.  He's going to have to rewire everything though.  He started tearing out the cabinets.  It's a good thing we planned a total tear out because the ceiling is rotted and water has gotten behind the walls and rotted it also. Nothing we weren't expecting though for a camper over 20 years old.

Our new remodeling adventure

water damage in back corner

Ugly orange shag carpet he pulled out

SPRING CLEAN: 

The warm weather has triggered my spring cleaning gene so this weekend I started on that major project.  I've been needing to get some cabinets in the kitchen cleaned out and sorted so I knocked two of the upper cabinets out and a large pantry cabinet that I store overflow and all the pet treats and food in.  I washed the shelves as I emptied them but did not wash the doors as I will do all the cabinets in the kitchen at the same time.  And yes I know I have an issue with Mason jars, Matt tells me all the time I need to get over using them for everything but they're awesome and so versatile.

Before 1

After 1

After 2

Before 2

I was hoping the can organizer I bought would be wider or expand.  I think once I get rid of some of the beans on that shelf I might put another one on that shelf for more soups.  I'll see how it works.  I'll be putting my home canned beans on the mudroom shelves with the rest of my canned goods so that will open a good portion of that shelf.

Before 3

After 3

I still have a bit more work on them but it's a definite improvement.  I have way too many jars of rice and need to use some of them up. I also found three half bags of noodles that I need to use.  I'm still not totally happy with these cabinets but I'll give it some time and figure out how to change up the organizers to make it more functional.

I still have two shelves of pet items but at this point I'm not sure how to reduce it.  I also want to get a container to put on the bottom to put the dog food in instead of leaving it in the bag. I'm also thinking of replacing these shelves with pullout ones to make it easier to find what's in that back. The back of this cabinet is like a black hole due to it being so deep.  I'd love to find those vertical pull outs to put in it so I could store more pantry items in it and be able to see what I have easier.  I did buy a couple metal baskets and put cat treats in one and dog treats in the other.  I took the organizer I had in cabinet 2 above and put it on the third shelf to organize the canned cat food so I don't have to pull out a bunch of stuff to get a can.  

CRAFTS:

I was able to work on my rug last weekend for about 90 minutes and have only about 8" left on it now. Hopefully this week since I have several nights off.  I need to cut some more strips of the brown to be able to continue and I measured and it will fit in the camper!

READING:  

I've been reading more of the Bromade Home books by Alison May.  I finished up The Winter Home and all the journal suggestions and have started The Spring Home.  I've also read The Slow Scrub - A 90 Day Journey to a Cleaner house, which is a way to do Spring or Seasonal Cleaning over 90 days instead of in one rush. It's great for those of us that work a lot and can't devote several days or an entire week to doing nothing but spring cleaning.  I'm currently printing The Seasonal Scrub for further Spring Cleaning ideas.  These are downloadable ebooks that are only found on her webpage.

                             

PETS:

I've been having issues with Oreo for quite some time now and with her whining so much.  I've been worried it was from pain but have come to the conclusion that it's probably boredom.  She only does it at night and it typically starts when we're eating.  I feel bad for her as she's losing what little eye sight she has left and she doesn't hear well either.  Life is rough being a 16 year old dog. Matt's been complaining a lot about it so I needed to do something.  For the last couple days I've been making up Kongs and giving all the dogs one when we eat supper. I need to remember to do them up and freeze them so they last longer but they've been keeping them busy for about an hour or more and it's stopped a lot of evening whining.  If this continues to work well I'm going to need to buy a lot more Kongs so I can rotate them in and out of the dishwasher to keep them clean. I'm crossing my fingers this continues to work.

FEBRUARY RAMBLINGS

I can hardly believe that February is almost over already.  It doesn't even feel like we really had a winter it's been so mild here.  Back home in Indiana they're getting hit with storms dropping a foot or more of snow on them and all we've been getting are flakes. Another winter has gone and I still haven't gotten to try my snowshoes out.  

Big changes are in the air!  We bought an older camper that we're going to be redoing this spring.  I am so excited and we're chomping at the bit to be able to start working on it. We'd initially thought to only repair the back bedroom area that had water damage but now we're thinking we'll pull the walls and ceiling out and redo them to make sure the electrical is okay and to put good insulation in.  I'm pretty set on a lodge/cabin feel for the inside but as it's only about 19' long I don't want to make it too dark inside so it feels cave like.  Pictures will be posted as we start working. I'm hoping we can finally visit Teddy Roosevelt National Park this fall. We'll be going to Minnesota possibly in August and will be taking the camper with.  

Another big event is I'm starting a pet sitting service.  There's nothing like it here in town.  The kennel that was in town closed and the one vet that now does boarding from what I hear is constantly booked.  My objective is to offer people the ability to allow their pets to stay at home while they're gone and I will come in a set amount of times per day to feed, walk, etc... the pets.  So I'm crossing my fingers and I'll see how this works out.  I'm in the process of getting my business license, LLC, bonding, etc.. before I start putting out fliers. At this point I'm thinking part time but some are telling me they think I could take it full time if I chose.  That would be a huge decision though.  Small steps right now and I'll just focus on getting the business up and going for now.

Jordon and the grandbaby were here last weekend.  He's trying to crawl now so we had to make sure to keep the floor clear.  He got himself from one side of the living room to the other after Lacey.  He grabbed a huge handful of her tail fur. She was a good sport about it and just laid there while we pried his fingers off.  Needless to say the rest of the weekend the dogs stayed clear of the little fellow. We took the kids up to Jonny B's for pizza since they hadn't been to the new pizza joint in town. There pizza is baked in a brick fire oven and is so good!  The kids liked it too.  Jordon's not a big drinker and so we had him try a flight of the different beers they carry (22 types on tap).  He liked the pear cider that I like and there was one beer that he enjoyed.  It's a good way to try different varieties without buying full size glasses.

ESSENTIAL OILS:

Office Diffuser: I've been using the following combination the past two days and I'm in love with it. The scent gives a warm feeling to a room. My office diffuser calls for 5 drops but the Orange EO decided it called for another drop.

2 drops Clove EO
1 drop Idaho Balsam Fir EO
1 drop Cardamon EO
2 drops Orange EO

Bedroom Diffuser:  This is my recipe for nearly every night that diffuses while I'm sleeping.  It helps me breath and sleep better.  Matt noticed we were both sleeping better when I started using the diffuser in the bedroom. Matt says my snoring isn't as bad either.  Bedroom diffuser can take 12 drops.

9 to 10 drops Eucalyptus EO
2 to 3 drops Lavender EO

CRAFTS:

I've started a new rug in my loom.  I'm hoping it will fit in front of the kitchen area in the camper. I'm using leftover strips from my first crocheted rug so the colors are chocolate brown, tan, dark green, moss green and two prints. I'm loving the new easel that Matt bought me for Christmas.  It's a hard wood one and is so awesome.  Here's a picture with my twining loom. The adjustability is awesome.  If I want to sit I can adjust it down or if I want to stand I can move it up.

I've also managed to finish one sock and I'm working on the top portion of the second one.  I managed to knock most of the first one out while recovering from surgery the end of December. Matt's sister sent him a Care Package that he received today and inside were two skeins of sock yarn for me!!!! Bee is awesome and also a fellow sock knitter.  

READING:

I found an awesome website called Brocante Home.  I liked it so much I signed up and paid for access to her private website as well. Before I signed up on the site I bought The Vintage Housekeeper's Circle by Alison May on Amazon for my Kindle.  I think it was $2.99, so very affordable.  Unfortunately her books on her website are much more expensive so I'm glad the membership allows me to read them without buying them.  I've also read her Winter and Spring books off the website.  These seasonal books are neat in that they give ideas on how to pamper oneself, things to use or add to the home, recipes for sprays, scrubs, etc.. reading suggestions and journaling ideas.

 I

I've been somewhat on a prepper/housekeeping theme lately. I bought a hardcover of Little House Living and paperback of The Made from Scratch Life.  Both books have a lot of information on cooking and preparing foods such as mixes to use instead of store bought.  I highly recommend both books.  If you like Little House on the Prairie books you'll probably like Little House Living as she tries to model her housekeeping on Laura and her family.  It's made me want to reread the series again. If you Get The Made from Scratch Life there's a webpage that you can put your order confirmation number in and she gives you some freebees that are pretty neat as well. 

In addition to reading I've been watching a lot of Youtube videos, which is rare for me.  I've never been big on Youtube for some reason.  I've found Linda's Pantry which I'm watching constantly of late.  She cans, cooks and has dogs so you can see why I like her.  Watching her videos got me wanting to can so I broke out my pressure cooker and did 16 pints of refried beans since I was out of them.  Linda's Pantry has a Facebook page now also, so you can check her out there as well. She mentioned she might start blogging in the last video I watched so I'll be excited to see when she starts that.

December ramblings

It's going to be another extremely hectic month so my thoughts have been on how to de-stress meals this month. I'm scheduled to work five nights this week so my total working hours will be about 64, so simple is best. I'll definitely be ready for a week off at the end of the month. I haven't posted menus in a while so I thought I thought I'd post some of this weekends along with early next week's plans:

Saturday:
Fish & Chips - Matt had a hankering for this.

Sunday:
Mississippi Mud Roast with carrots and mashed potatoes - I worked from 12-4 today and Matt went with his buddy to Minnesota to pick up a race car so this worked perfectly.  I made the mashed potatoes after I got home and we had an early supper since we were both hungry.

Monday:
Pot Roast sandwiches from leftover roast and cole slaw

Tuesday:
Chef salad

Wednesday:
Own - Your - Own - I have to be in the office for the day so we'll eat on our own.

I was blog hopping the other night and found a fantastic blog "I  am That Lady"with frugal tips and menu planning.  She has several books out on freezer and dump meals using Aldi.  Unfortunately we don't have Aldi's here but her menus and recipes can be used with regular store products.  I bought two of her books and plan to try several of the recipes. The Slow Cooker Thai Chicken looks fabulous and will be making an appearance soon.




One of our neighbors gave Jordon a love seat so Saturday we ran down to Lisbon, ND, to drop it off.  Neither of us had been down in that area.  It's a long drive, about 90 minutes.  The freeway wasn't too bad but once we turned off that and headed south my first comment was "This looks a lot like Ohio." For those that have never driven through Ohio, it's not a good comment. It was just so flat and bare. Once we turned east again we came upon gorgeous rolling hills, which reminded me a lot of Pennsylvania. I'd love to see what it looks like snow covered although I probably wouldn't want to be driving if it were.  Then we came upon SHEEP! Lots and lots of sheep! Oh the pups would have been going nuts with excitement if they'd  been with us. Lacey would have probably have given herself a heart attack. Of course I didn't have my camera with.  They were smaller sheep then what' I'm use to seeing. I'd be curious to know what breed they were. We actually passed two farms with sheep and on the second one there were piles of dirt and probably compost scattered throughout the huge pen and on ever one there was a single sheep standing on the top like a king (or queen) sheep of the pile.  Made me chuckle they looked so cute.

Jordon and his girlfriend when she was pregnant bought up every Pooh Bear they could find in the area.  The bought one that was missing a sweater so Jordon naturally assumed mom would be more than happy to knit one for him.  Needless to say it's sat for quite a while as I had other projects that took precedence but I finally started it last week and finished it Friday night.  Here's Pooh with his new sweater.  I wasn't totally happy with it, but as it was the first time I'd made one I try not to be took picky about it. They were happy with it so I guess that's what was important.