Part of my birthday was spent at the DMV because I was required to come in to have my license renewed. Apparently, new rules and regulations require that when you are renewing your license that you provide proof of American citizenship. All and all, I don't have a problem with this regulation and had originally intended to get this out of the way last week but when I got there, I found out that I did not have all of the required documentation. I had forgotten to bring in two documents (bills) showing my current address. I've gone green and when I asked if I could just show the documents on my smartphone was told "No." I almost had to laugh at the deadpan answer but instead just left and said I would be back. So, I arrived yesterday with all of my documentation, only to discover that my record of birth did not meet with the DMV's approval. Let me clarify here by saying that my father worked for NSA and my parents traveled a lot because of his job and because of said travel, I was born in Germany. The document I had was from the State Department verifying that I was born in a US military hospital, on a US military base, by two US citizens. Well, because the form number was not one recognized by the DMV, they very kindly gave me a piece of paper with phone numbers and addresses where I could obtain the correct document. I very nicely smiled back and said "No". They blinked at me and I explained that the document I had was an official document from the same agency they were asking me to contact and suggested that the contact someone who could help them understand. I further explained that this was the same document I used to enter the US Navy and also the same document the Department of Defense used to issue me a top secret clearance. Well, after an hour and a half and many phone calls, the nice lady at the DMV proceeded to process my new Florida driver's license. I did understand that it was not their fault which actually made it fairly easy for me to keep a smile on my face but I also wanted to make sure that they understood that my initial response was not going to be "Okay, I will just leave and blindly follow your ridiculous bureaucratic answer". I was happy to find out that I now have an actual gold star on my license that tells all and sundry that I am in compliance with the new identification procedures. I guess it's better than being tattooed with a QR code.
After having a celebratory birthday dinner, I didn't stitch a stitch. I did watch the new show on ABC, Mistresses. Alyssa Milano has always been a favorite of mine and while some people will criticize the shows content, I still felt it was an enjoyable hour and plan to watch it on a regular basis.
This past weekend I did get some stitching done and am making slow progress on my BAP-T. I also discovered that I messed up the rotation on the HoHoS, but no problem it's my rotation and when you get too caught up on idiosyncrasies like am I stitching the right piece at the right time, you begin to suck all of the enjoyment out of the process. My response to my dilemma was pretty much, oh shoot, that's right, oh well, I guess I'll just keep stitching on the Christmas stuff.
As I might have mentioned, I have been bitten by the eBay bug. Now this bug has bitten me in the past and I have to admit that it is a very dangerous bug. I am trying to wean myself off of it's effects but in the meantime wanted to share one of my auction wins with you all. I was looking at flower frogs on eBay. As some of you might know, many stitchers are using flower frogs as a way of holding embroidery scissors. Well I found this adorable flower frog and just had to get it; and luckily, got it for a real bargain.
To be honest, I really got it mainly because it's just too cute but didn't think I would have enough scissors to do my idea justice. After collecting my scissors, I might have slightly under estimated my collection.
I have added a few non scissor related items in the form of my needle trolley and star detailer. In the center there is a small depression that if I used a thimble would be perfect. Since I use a thimble only rarely, I have placed my gold tweezers and an el cheapo needle threader. I actually have a few more scissors, but found that I preferred to have a few empty holes around the scissors and instruments I use most often.
I think I will end by sharing a finish. It it the French Country Dog from JBW Designs. It was stitched on a random piece of linen (I think 28 count) using Gentle Art Black Crow. As I was stitching I discovered the Black Crow thread was a mixture of black and navy and ended up being very pretty. I am also going to stitch the French Country Cat but have decided to try WDW Ladybug which is a red to dark red, not sure if I'm going to like it though. I haven't decided if I want to frame them or make pillows. Hopefully when I finish both it will be easier to decide.
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