paperchasing and yarny goodness

I hate paperwork.

Okay, so I am an accountant by training, so I guess I should qualify that. I hate government paperwork.

I finally decided to get it together and order the birth certificates and marriage certificate required for our dossier. Went first to the Texas site and ordered my birth certificate on-line. Had to try to decide whether to get the full size one or the short form. They say that the short form one can be used for just about everything, including obtaining a passport if born after 1964. So I went with that...but then I started wondering if I should have ordered the long form. I didn't order it because it can be used to steal my identity, so it isn't really something I want floating around, but at the same time, if the whole point of this is to establish my identity....well, you see where that's going.

Marriage certificate. There wasn't anywhere to order one. I could order a "marriage verification letter". I couldn't tell if this was certified or not. It seems to be. I ordered two. We'll see what I get.

Went to the California site for Corey's BC. Turns out I can't do that on-line. Have to fill out a form and mail it in. And they have a similar dilemma...certified copy that can be used to establish identity or certified copy that says "for informational use only...does not establish identity". I'm guessing I'll need the first one. If we need that one, I have to have the application for it notarized. So I called my dossier consultant at the agency to find out if all that is necessary. Of course, I never start this stuff during business hours and now I have to wait until she calls me back.

I also made our doctor's appointments today and made the appointments a week beforehand for the lab work to be done.

I know y'all can't hear that. It's the theme from Jaws. I just hope we make it through the medical exams.

Corey has some SERIOUS doctor phobias. And needles? Forget it. They usually won't take his blood while he is passed out. I'm hoping he can get through it all this time. He tried a year ago and it didn't work out too well. But he has to do this and he knows it. It's the only thing I'm nervous about now. Getting his medical exam done.

In other news, I have some new yarny goodness. I've been getting packages all week. last week I got my hands on a discontinued Dale of Norway pattern book that has ladybug fair isle patterns in it. It also has a pretty sleeveless dress with a butterfly pattern knitted in. Most of the yarn on the left is for that little dress. Isn't it beeeeaaauuutiful? The colors are so bright and happy. I'll do the dress in pink with butterflies in the other colors. I'm using cotton yarn, Dale Stork, which knits up the same as Dale Baby Ull. Cotton is more Texas-friendly and she can wear it in summer or in winter over long sleeves and tights. Yes, it is fingering weight. Yes, it may take me a while at 8 sts per inch. But I do enjoy small gauge knitting, at least. I bought the yarn from knit-purl and I loved the note they put in it: "Thanks so much for your order. My best guess is you're making a Dale baby sweater. We love to speculate about our customers' projects." How fun would that be to fill orders and guess what people are making?

The turquoise on the right of that pile is a cotton worsted-weight. Cleo. For another dress. Something at a gauge more do-able than 6 sts per inch.

I also finally ordered the Knit Picks Options needle set I've been wanting and threw in some red Crayon yarn for another little dress. It ought to knit up pretty quick. Then I took advantage of free shipping at JoAnn's on-line and ordered some Jolee's boutique lady bug photo corners and an on-line only quilting thing they have...a portable ironing/felt project board that I need for one of the quilt classes I am taking this weekend. I'll be appliqueing (is that a word?) for two days straight. Which is what all the fat quarters are for. Bought those today at JoAnn's. My closest local quilting store doesn't carry many fat quarters, so I figured JoAnn's would do for this. I don't really have a fabric stash. Most of what I sew is for NIN and that fabric doesn't belong to me. The stuff I have done for myself is in very grown-up colors and I want one of these projects to be in little girl colors. I'll be taking a class on needleturn applique and a class on color (which will also be an applique design).

So. Corey comes home from China this weekend and I'm glad he cancelled the Europe trip next week. He's done Orlando and China in the last two weeks and I think Europe would throw him over the edge. And it will be good to have him home again.