Thanks a bunch

Although I do greatly appreciate all of you visiting and leaving comments (and by all means, don't let this following rant stop you), you might -- to use a phrase of Mrs. Bennet's -- want to have a little compassion on my poor nerves. What were you thinking, asking me en masse what my plan is for the Big Prairie Schooler Christmas Project? What plan? I need a plan? I'm sorry, but some of you have been following me and my stitching shenanigans for more than four years. Surely you must know by now that I don't do plans? Plans only lead to frustration and disappointment, at least when I make them. Still, you had me worried there for a bit. Suddenly I found myself wondering if having no plan was such a good idea and so very gingerly, I tried to think of one. The minute I started planning, though, my enjoyment went right out the window, so I'm back to Plan A, which is to stitch this with no plan in mind whatsoever. I just stitch whatever takes my fancy and hope that it will look okay when I'm done. Oh, and it is by no means certain that I will be using that entire big-ass piece of fabric either. I just don't want to run out of fabric before the sampler is finished (hee hee, see how I am counting on finishing it some day? Funny, that, isn't it?)
Anyway, I felt like stitching a certain PS Christmas freebie -- the Barnyard Freebie -- and that's what I was working towards on my last update pic. This is where we stand now:

I'm still incredible restless, stitchily speaking, because I have a number of stashy items that are on the verge of arriving or have already arrived on my doorstep. Firstly: silks for one of the CHS Girls, Molly (the one with the cat). Behold my start:

This is one length worth of Vikki Clayton silk. It's the first time that I've used HDF silks and they're oh, so yummy to work with. I'm stitching this on Light Sand Edinbugh linen (35 count, I believe?).

Secondly: silks for Mrs. Pearson, also by CHS. I'm sorry to say it, but both Blackbird Designs and CHS (my two favourite designers) are, IMHO, bad at doing NPS to DMC conversions. In order to avoid disappointments, I just went ahead and ordered the silks for two of the projects I knew I definitely wanted to do. So, here's Mrs. Pearson. Or at least, part of her hat.

For my Weird Lady Gallery. Now that I look at it up close, though, I don't like the coverage -- or rather, the lack thereof -- of one thread of silk over two on 32 count. What do you think? Go on, be honest.

Here's another start, one that I'm hoping to finish before I die of old age:

This is an oldie by Kathy Barrick Dieter, and it was a birthday gift to me from the lovely Dianne some years ago. This one is for my Angel and Tombstone Gallery. Notice that pretty fabric? It used to be a piece of plain, white linen, but after a coffee bath and a little sojourn in the microwave it is now called Nespresso Arpeggio.

Noah is hiding in a very dark corner somewhere. I'm really upset with him. That dress coat is boring the snot out of me. That and the peacocks.

Life here has been pretty ... er, how to put it nicely... interesting, since the arrival of Monsieur Pantouf. Turns out Pelle isn't so charmed by the idea of having to share his Mama with a spacey looking creature, and he's been having some pretty serious behavioral problems. Luckily, they're all hurtled in my direction, because Pelle is very sweet to Pantoef. I'm pretty sure it will all work out in time. It'd better, because neither Pelle nor Pantoef are going anywhere :o)
I, on the other hand, am going somewhere, i.e. in the direction of my coffee machine.

Yours planlessly (or should that be cluelessly?),
Annemarie.