Kickin' January's Stash

Traditionally, there are two times a year in my EPQD life when I overextend myself: September, when the girls are back to school and I can throw myself back into the design and lecture world full force while taking at least 15 minutes a day to happy dance that I am finally able to accomplish a few things each day again, and January, when I am simultaneously marketing and organizing DaGMT and a new group quilt. This January I decided to throw in the last 5 steps of the 359 step process that is getting a new pattern out the door as well, and of course those last 5 steps generally are more painful than all the rest put together.

I also still have a broken belt on my quilting machine to contend with, but for now I am using the "Ignore it and it will go away" approach. I'll let you know how that goes.

So it's been a bit of a crazy month, but I just keep whacking away at the calendar bit by bit and celebrating the excitement of watching my projects all come together.

Yesterday was an especially exciting day, as I received in the mail the first two packages of kits from my 15 or so participants for my "Taking Names" group project. Not only did both participants completely outdo themselves with doing every single thing correctly, but I am cracking up that they both chose a solid for their background and black/white for their scraps. It's like they are twins separated at birth.

I also had several more people join in for DaGMT yesterday, all of whom "linky-ed up", and I'm really starting to see that DaGMT button take over blogland. So exciting. Thanks to Cinzia, whom I believe is in Australia, we are now global. It's just a little bit of a rush.

Now, I know I promised you all a gorgeous, glorious spreadsheet of epic proportions to keep track of all of your entries. I have decided to go another route and I hope you can adjust your thinking accordingly.

Look at that highly technological method of organizing entries. As you can see from this glimpse into my computer area workspace, right next to my laptop, where I spend an hour or so each morning answering emails and checking in on work related stuff, I have placed a Tupperware container from 1974, along with strips of paper and a pen. Every time someone enters, comments on blogs and tells me about it, or posts the blog button on their own blog, I write their name down on a slip of paper and throw it in the container. Sometimes the simple ways are still the best ways. I'll draw names for prizes on 2/28 out of this, or more likely a much larger container as I am almost out of room in this one already.

Yesterday I also had a moment of sheer brilliance when in machine quilting, I think I avoided for the first time ever accidentally quilting in any obscene shapes. So yay me! I didn't avoid bodily injury, but you take what you can get. Here's hoping today is as productive.