It is 9ish and Bethany is in bed. I am sure that she is still awake though (I just put her to bed), playing with her doll and taking its clothes off while she tries to fall asleep. When I go and get her in the morning she will hand me her naked baby and say "uh oh" diaper and want to lay it on the change pad to help put its diaper and the rest of its clothes back on. Don't worry, it doesn't have any visible parts. Hey, it's been hot these days...she probably just wants her baby to be cool. I get that.

A friday night and what to do? Watch another episode of Heartland? Read To The Rescue? Work on the baby blanket I'm knitting for the bun in the oven? Andrew is off doing stuff for his calling. I am hoping that he will get me a chocolate milkshake on the way home like I asked him to. I've been really feeling like eating a chocolate milkshake or chocolate ice cream the past couple of days so since was going out already why not ask him to pick me up one? I don't ask him for much. Believe me. Probably not as much as I should...really. Anyway, we'll see if he comes through for me.

So I need a good, satisfying book to read. Any ideas are welcome. We are supposed to be reading The Help for a book club that we are starting at church but I don't want to buy it and do you think that I will be getting it anytime soon from the library? I'm on the waitlist along with 50 million other people. I need something else to read in the meantime. Reading is good for the soul and there is something satisfying about losing oneself in another world for awhile. I haven't read a good, captivating book for awhile.

So, I kind of have a feeling that we might be having another girl. I don't know if this feeling comes from the fact that it will be easier since we already have mostly girl's things, or if I really and truly feel that it will be a girl. I can't distinguish where the feeling is coming from. Last time I had a feeling that we were having a boy....mostly because boys are generally born first in my family and maybe also because Andrew's side of the fam kept saying "it's going to be a girl, it's going to be a girl" and a stubborn part of me didn't want them to be right. Who knows? This time they will be saying "it's going to be a boy" because they have had girl, boy, girl, boy, girl, girl amongst Andrew and his siblings.Well, there are ALOT of girls not just in Andrew's immediate family but also in both his Dad's and Mom's families. I guess we'll wait and see though. It doesn't really matter to me what we have. One boy in our brood would be nice though and it would be nice to have another girl so that she can wear some of the cute clothes that people have bought for Bethany.

I let Bethany paint with acrylics and do you think that this paint comes off of clothes? The answer is No. I tried various methods and to no avail. My crafty friend mother of five kids Cathie gave me the idea to get an iron on transfer and try and cover the stain with that. I went down to IKES (a store of various items) and bought two and ironed them on and voila! The outfit is saved! I love it when little things like this happen to brighten your day. I know that it is just clothes and some would say who cares? But my mom bought her this outfit and she hasn't worn it very long and clothes are expensive (and ultra cheap quality) here so I try to conserve what we have. Yup, I live the frugal life.

Lately I have been thinking about our future...as in where we will end up after our time in New Zealand? I have this feeling that perhaps I will have to go back to work - especially if we move to Canada - because of immigration stuff with Andrew and education stuff and getting credentials assessed etc. I would only want to go back in Montessori teaching but sometimes I worry that by the time that happens I may be so out of loop with the education system that it will take me awhile to learn everything and get back into the swing of things. And then I wonder where we would live....we could stay at my mom's for awhile but there aren't any montessori teaching jobs in Nanaimo. In fact, it is hard to be a teacher these days. Sometimes I wonder if I went into the wrong profession........but I love Montessori and this is how I want to teach and I guess I just need to have faith that WHEN we come back to Canada.....I will be able to find a good job that I like and that will work for us. It is still a few years away though. We will see.

I was supposed to have a child free girl's night tonight with Bex but she isn't well so we are doing it another night. I sure miss hanging out just with girls and having a break. Bethany is a really good kid, but sometimes I need a break and it rarely ever happens. Maybe I need to persevere and read through the Artists Way more and schedule some good art dates for myself....even if it is in the evening and Bethany is in bed. Maybe....