Getting to the Good Part - Easy Street Mystery

I am trying to keep up with this mystery and I have to say it is really challenging.  I have other Christmas sewing that I have to sneak in with the mystery.  I have now completed all the four patches and flying geese, cut the rectangles of black and white, and am working on the shaded four patch.  I was struggling to get my mind around these shaded four patches not sure why.  Made 3 trial patches and they would not square up to the needed 3 1/2 ".  Cutting was off?  I took a break to clear the mind and remember what my Mother would have done.  My mom was the best sewist I have every known and I miss being able to call her to just whine.  She would have said, "clean up your work area, take one step at a time and just focus on it, nothing else and remember this only gets you to the good part....the sewing".  Breath well, give total focus to the cutting and don't think ahead or about the end product."  I did what my Mom said to do, I cleaned up my cutting table, read the instructions again, worked on the simple process of cutting one cut at a time AND in just that long all the pieces were laid out, ready to sew.  Sometimes it takes us to clear our minds and focus on the now that get us to the good part.  Clink here to see all the fun :  Link up Monday see the progress