Our Day Off

We had a lovely day off from school today.  I decided to skip most of the housework I do on Monday mornings, and putter around my kitchen instead.  I didn't get to that until after lunch, so I spent the morning holding Lincoln a lot, giving into my OCD side and organizing the kids' hair accessories,  making perfunctory attempts at tidying my room, and interceding in sibling disputes.  At one point, while I was in the bathroom doing my hair, I could hear the four kids, all in different parts of the house, all singing.  Lincoln was singing a little "Baby is Happy" song without words; Rilla, a hymn, Elliott, a song he was making up about shooting stars; and Cheyenne, a popular song she has heard only a few times, so she was singing enthusiastically, but the lyrics were a bit hit-or-miss.  It was a happy little symphony. 
 After a scintillating lunch of English muffin pizzas and PB&J sandwiches (not concurrently), I made cookies (http://orangette.blogspot.com/2011/10/out-on-this-limb.html), cut up steak for tonight's quesadillas, made chipolte mayonnaise (for the quesadillas tonight, and the fish tacos I am treating myself to on my birthday Thursday night), helped Cheyenne make No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge (her default recipe when she decides she wants to cook), threw some frozen bread dough in a loaf pan to rise, and made 10 pie crusts.  No, I am not planning on making 5 pies anytime soon, I do this once or twice a year and then freeze them to have on hand.  I use my food processor to mix the crust, so I do them all at once while I'm getting everything dirty anyway.  It felt very indulgent to be using 2 lbs. of butter, 12 cups of flour, a cup of cream... no wonder pie crust is so good.

While I was making pie, I had lots of time to listen to the conversations that were going on among the kids.  Or, more accurately, the American Girl Doll, Felicity, and the American Girl Bitty Baby, Gilbert White.  I don't know how the bear first entered this story, but this is where I started hearing it.  (To set the scene, there were also 4 Cabbage Patch kids, numerous books, paper scraps, stickers, an emptied tin of baby toys, extra bags, 2 Polly Pocket houses, lots of Polly Pockets, a Loving Family house, a Playmobil barn with all its paraphernalia,  discarded corn bags and blankets, spoons with residual cookie dough, a bag of scarves, used Kleenex (nose bleed), puzzles, crayons and coloring books scattered all over the living room.  Elliott was laying on the floor, telling me how he wanted an American BOY doll.  A doll that was a twin to him.  A doll that could swim.  Huh?)

Felicity (a.k.a. Cheyenne):  Good-bye!  I'm off to college now!

Gilbert White (a.k.a. Marilla): Because the bear won't come to college?  Oh, look, the bear is going away from your house.

Felicity (arriving at college, which is under the high chair): I'm so glad I'm at college now.  I don't have a roommate?  Oh, good.

Gilbert White, hot on her heels: I came to see you at college!

Felicity: Pretend you want to go home right away.

Gilbert White: My mom said I could stay for a LOOONG time.  Not a short time, a LOOOONG time.

Elliott, jumping into the mix: Pretend a giant Polly Pocket is coming into your college.

It only got more mixed up from there.  I love my kids being home.