Ever have one of those months?

You know which kind of month I'm talking about.  The kind of month that pulls you in and then keeps you trapped in it until you realize that it is half gone, or totally gone, and you haven't done much at all!  That's March for me.  It started out great since I managed to send my sister in law her birthday card and she actually got it on her birthday!  I can't remember when that happened last.  Her birthday is March 1st and I forget lots of times until afterwards when I flip my calendar to March.

Then life happened and March sucked me into that black hole of not wanting to do anything.  It's a nice comfy black hole.  So dark that you don't see what you are missing or what needs to be worked on.  Nice and secure but just when you are adjusting to being uncreative or to being lethargic it spits you back out and look -- March is now half way over!

That's ok.  I'll catch up but even if I don't no sweat.  I create for myself and hopefully you like what I create.  I've learned not to give firm deadlines to myself because that is a good way to NOT work on something.  That's why I was cutting back on BOMs this year.  Did you notice that I said "was"?  It was a valiant try but so far hasn't worked out the best.  I've modified my thinking on that and instead have decided to collect the BOM patterns but will only work on a couple.  

I am proud of myself for keeping up, so far, with the 9 patch row by row offered by Pattern Pastiche.  I should be finished with the current row in a couple of days.  I am almost keeping up with the Civil War BOM which is based off of Louise May Alcott.  The Civil War Ladies Aid and New York Sampler will be starting in two weeks and that will be one that I will collect and hopefully keep up on.  The 3rd Saturday of each month I will be meeting up with quilting friends on Jitsi for a couple of hours of sewing on the Farmer's Wife blocks.  If I don't feel like working on that then I'll work on something else.  

With all of these plans I knew that I would need help.  That, of course, means that I spent money on some things.  Like THAT statement should surprise you...NOT!  Don't blame me.  I received my income tax return (and yesterday got my stimulus money) which has always been a "let's treat Bonni" moment. What did I get?  Ok.  Here is the Reader's Digest Condensed version (how many of you get that reference?) 

EQ8

Block Base+

Lesson book for EQ8

EQ8 Block Library - see below for what this is

a new computer chair

sent a couple of tops off to the Long Arm service

Stork Scissors (can never have enough)

and more....

This is EQ8 Block library.  Some of you might wonder why I got this since I have EQ8 and it just shows the pictures of the blocks in EQ8. 

These pictures can be helpful though.  Instead of going through all the libraries in EQ8 on the computer, I can pre plan which blocks I will want to use by looing through the EQ8 block library book.  It will save me time as well as eyestrain by cutting down on how much time I'll be staring at the computer.  Hopefully it will also cut down on my squirreling at the computer.  Yes I am part squirrel and get distracted easily when searching on the computer.

My BLOCK Magazine from Missouri Star Quilt Company arrived also so I got to squirrel through that.

                                      

Did I mention that one could NEVER have enough stork scissors...or unicorn scissors...or butterfly scissors...or scissors of any kind?  Here is my latest trio of scissors that I bought.

 Aren't those scissors so sparkly and pretty?  Speaking of sparkly and pretty, here are a couple new pictures of Hayley.

Don't you just want to gobble her up ... I mean grab her up ... and hug her?

Not as pretty but still pretty is Ghost.  Ghost is a white cat that appeared one day to dine on the cat food that was still in the bowls after my girls had eaten.  She hasn't, I don't think, showed up since but she wasn't sticking around.  Sorry for the bad picture.  It was taken through the door because I knew if I opened the door she would be gone quicker than I could press the shutter button on the phone.  

Throughout everything, I did manage to get a couple of blocks done.  This one is for the Farmer's Wife blocks.

This one, however, is the third block in the Civil War  BOM.

Oh yes, that reminds me, I also bought some of the Bloc Loc rulers/templates.  One of them was for the 3 1/2" HST and I was glad it came in so I could use it on all these HST!

That's it for now.  I'll try not to fall through any more black holes and post a picture of my 9 patch row by row soon.

Keep dry (we have had a lot of thunderstorms and rain) and keep crafting!