The Burgess Fam

Indian Green Beans

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:37:15 -0600

Compliments of my good friend, Leanne:

2 T Olive Oil
2 t caraway seeds
1 large onion, sliced thinly
1 lb green beans (I use frozen)
1/2 c green peas (I use frozen)
1 1/2 c basmati rice
1 t turmeric
3 sticks cinnamon
6 bay leaves
1 c coconut milk
2 c water
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 c roasted cashews (optional)

Fry caraway seeds in oil 10 seconds . Add onion and saute till brown. Add beans and peas (add peas later if using frozen). Saute 5 min.

Add rice and stir fry over high heat 4-5 min. Add water, coconut milk and spices.

Boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20-25 min. (add peas now if using frozen). Cover and leave over very low heat 5 min. Add nuts and serve.

You can also add some chopped chicken, or ground meat to the pot when you saute the onions and let them cook together. (Or if you are like me, you just add brown rice and ground beef *pre-browned* at the end because you forgot them in the beginning. ;)

Enjoy!

**This dish is perfect for winter time! The spices clear up mucus and warm the body.

The Real Story (aka Homeschool Humor)

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:39:43 -0600

Two women met at a playground...

Two women meet at a playground, where their children are swinging and playing
ball. The women are sitting on a bench watching. Eventually, they begin to
talk.

W1: Hi. My name is Maggie. My kids are the three in red shirts --helps me
keep
track of them.

W2: (Smiles) I'm Patty. Mine are in the pink and yellow shirts. Do you come
here a lot?

W1: Usually two or three times a week, after we go to the library.

W2: Wow! Where do you find the time?

W1: We homeschool, so we do it during the day most of the time.

W2: Some of my neighbors homeschool, but I send my kids to public school.

W1: How do you do it?

W2: It's not easy. I go to all the PTO meetings and work with the kids
every day after school and stay real involved.

W1: But what about socialization? Aren't you worried about them being
cooped up all day with kids their own ages, never getting the opportunity for
natural relationships?

W2: Well, yes. But I work hard to balance that. They have some friends
who're homeschooled, and we visit their grandparents almost every month.

W1: Sounds like you're a very dedicated mom. But don't you worry about
all the opportunities they're missing out on? I mean they're so isolated
from real life -- how will they know what the world is like -- what people
do to
make a living -- how to get along with all different kinds of people?

W2: Oh, we discussed that at PTO, and we started a fund to bring real people
into the classrooms. Last month, we had a policeman and a doctor come in
to talk
to every class. And next month, we're having a woman from Japan and a man
from Kenya come to speak.

W1: Oh, we met a man from Japan in the grocery store the other week, and
he got
to talking about his childhood in Tokyo. My kids were absolutely
fascinated. We
invited him to dinner and got to meet his wife and their three children.

W2: That's nice. Hmm. Maybe we should plan some Japanese food for the
lunchroom on Multicultural Day.

W1: Maybe your Japanese guest could eat with the children.

W2: Oh, no. She's on a very tight schedule. She has two other schools to
visit that day. It's a system wide thing we're doing.

W1: Oh, I'm sorry. Well, maybe you'll meet someone interesting in the
grocery store sometime and you'll end up having them over for dinner.

W2: I don't think so. I never talk to people in the store --certainly not
people who might not even speak my language. What if that Japanese man
hadn't spoken English?

W1: To tell you the truth, I never had time to think about it. Before I even
saw him, my six-year-old had asked him what he was going to do with all the
oranges he was buying.

W2: Your child talks to strangers?

W1: I was right there with him. He knows that as long as he's with me, he
can talk to anyone he wishes.

W2: But you're developing dangerous habits in him. My children never talk
to strangers.

W1: Not even when they're with you?

W2: They're never with me, except at home after school. So you see why
it's so important for them to understand that talking to strangers is a big
no-no.

W1: Yes, I do. But if they were with you, they could get to meet interesting
people and still be safe. They'd get a taste of the real world, in real
settings. They'd also get a real feel for how to tell when a situation is
dangerous or suspicious.

W2: They'll get that in the third and fifth grades in their health courses.

W1: Well, I can tell you're a very caring mom. Let me give you my
number--if you ever want to talk, give me call. It was good to meet you.

Fall Menu- Week 3-ish

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:48:26 -0600

Mondays are always difficult to get through for whatever reason... so, I am pretty much repeating my menu from two weeks back. last week was so crazy that I didn't even HAVE a menu!

Monday-Grilled Chicken and sweet potatoes
Tuesday- Indian Green Beans
Wednesday- Steaks and Baked Garlicky Butternut Squash
Thursday- Beans and Rice
Friday- Harvest Salad with Beef Bacon
Saturday- Pomegranate Chicken, Brown Rice, green beans
Sunday-ch-DIY Pizza
dinner- Roast Beef, carrots, potatoes

Produce:
broccoli
Pomegranate
2 or 3 zucchinis

Dairy:
eggs
butter
milk- unhomogonized half gallon

Frozen:
green beans
bagels

Grocery:
applesauce
snack for girls (TLC Crackers would be great)

Meat/Cheese:
Sandwich meat- turkey
2 blocks mozzarella
1 block cheddar
beef bacon

Bakery:

WATER, WATER, WATER, WATER

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:36:54 -0600

This is a Missi Burgess original...enjoy!

2 1/2 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t non-aluminum baking powder
1 c goat milk 9or cow's milk)
1 egg
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c honey (or sugar or agave or Xylitol)
1 c pumpkin (this is about half a can, so if you don't want to have any pumpkin left in your can, just double the recipe to use the whole can.)
2 t Pumpkin Pie Spice (clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger)

Mix it all together and bake for 15-20 min on 400^
Makes about 12 large muffins or 24 smallish or a-heck-of-a-lot mini muffins. =D

On Crabs...

Sat, 8 Nov 2008 15:56:02 -0600

When I was growing up, we went through a hermit crab stint. We had a lot of them while we lived in Myrtle Beach.

So, I always get excited when I see them. I couldn't resist during our FL trip, so we got one for each kid. And I'm really hoping these crabs hang around for a long time. You can actually keep them for over 20 years if you care for them the right way...
Imagine when one of the kids gets married I send them off to their new home with their crab! =)

So.... without further adieu... introducing... The Burgess Crabs!
This one is Ezra's and we named it Buddy:

Buddy the crab

Charis appropriately named hers monster.... they DO sort of look like monsters!

And Arwen named hers Mermaid:

And they are happy healthy crabs. <3

The $50 Day (or Our Morning in the Gated Community)

Sat, 8 Nov 2008 15:50:20 -0600

Charis needs a dresser, so I was checking around on craigslist for one. While I was there, I noticed that there was a "community yard sale" in an upscale community in Birmingham today. I set my aim at going, knowing that most of these people only have 1.2 kids and all their kid stuff is like new. I just knew I was going to find the perfect dresser for Charis, plus some Christmas surprises!

The sale started at 8 am and six families had advertised on Craig's list. With a 45 minute drive to get there, I knew that we needed to H I T T H E R O A D ASAP on Saturday morning (this morning.) The good news is that Ezra got up at 6 am and had no intention of going back to sleep. The girls got up not too much after him. So far so good...

I got online and noticed 2 or 3 more "community yard sales" that looked good and mapquested our morning. By the time I got breakfast to go (pancakes and honey in a cup with a fork for the girls, and Ezra ate some yogurt right before we headed out), combed out massive tangles (okay, so really i just put their hair in pony tails. sue me.), got coats for everyone and blankets (because I can't figure out how the rear heat works in the van), it was 8:30. I grabbed some coffee for myself and knew that forgoing my own breakfast would probably come back to bite me later, but it was a chance I was willing to take.

We headed out the door and made the drive to the said Gated Community. I pull up and am informed by the security guard that this sale is closed to the public! I must have a contact name and address to get in... Hm. Never say Die! I got out my trusty cell phone, and realized my battery was dying. I pulled into an Office Max and bought a car charger and called Brent. My cell phone still kept beeping that the battery was dying. The stupid charger didn't even work! [Mind you, when I say that I "pulled into an Office Max and bought a car charger you should read- "I drove down the road with two girls crying that we had left the magical land of cheap toys without actually having gone in and gotten anything, and then had to get ALL THREE KIDS out of the car. Ezra on hip, now the girls are arguing about who gets to hold my hand. Charis wants to be held, but I'm holding Ezra and can't hold them both. Charis is following me crying because she doesn't feel good and wants to be held, and I can't because I'm holding Ezra. So, every few steps I have to turn around and encourage Charis to take a few more steps. I locate the chargers and grab one up... TWENTY BUCKS!?!. Then we have to continue the circus back up to check out and load back up in the car. Whew! Nothing simple about a quick stop at Office Max, let me tell you!]

A quick call to Whole Foods... does the help desk wonder who the chick is that keeps calling with the screaming kids in the background?
I got Brent to get back onto Craig's list and find me a phone number on one of those listings. I could tell by his voice that he knew that arguing with me about the etiquette of calling a complete stranger to ask them to get me into their gated community was pointless. He gave me the number. I called and got a really nice woman, who sounded like a heavy smoker. She gladly gave me her name and address and I turned around to head back to the gated community.

Meanwhile, my phone is still beeping.

I made it back and the security guy didn't even seem to remember that I had just pulled in and informed him that I was a stranger that found the sale on Craig's list. I merely told him who I was there to see (and I did in fact stop at her sale, even though it was all old indigo wild stuff and old lady jars and what not) and my last name and he waved me on. At this point it was already going on 10 a.m.

My heart raced with anticipation of all the goodies I KNEW I was going to discover. Actually, with yard sales in neighborhoods like this you can get one of two things: Here you've got people who probably don't shop yard sales and have no idea what to charge for their junk. (Hence the toddler bed for $50 that I had to pass up. Does she know you can get them for less than that at Wal-Mart?). Or because they just really want to get rid of their junk, they are selling like new items for dirt cheap. I was obviously hoping for the latter.

My first stop was a winner! They provided me with a map noting the houses participating in the sale.(this neighborhood was MASSIVE!) I have zero sense of direction, but I can read a map like Magellan (okay I made that up... did Magellan use maps?)
And I scored Ezra's Christmas present! An Elmo tool bench with ALL the toys still intact!!! And it was ONLY five bucks!!!
Elmo will be his good buddy

This also provided something for the kids to play with in the van as we drove from house to house.

Now, these houses had like Jaguars outside and stuff. I always wonder, "What do these people DO?" The houses are so grandiose and the yards are perfectly manicured. What are they doing inside their house? Where do they work for a living to provide this big house and all the stuff? I'm always curious.

We stopped by several really loser sales. Everyone was set up in their garage, so you couldn't really see what they had by driving by. All of the kids were being absolutely miserable with snotty noses and everything, and my original plan of just driving by without having to get out was no longer an option. SO, I dragged them all three from van to house to van and on to the next house. Old ladies had their half finished bottles of perfume and young ladies had their baby clothes all laid out. And there were a lot of cocktail glasses for sale... and couches... Once again I found myself sitting outside of a strange house nursing Ezra. I really do have a fascinating list of "places I've nursed"...After about 3 houses like that I realized that on the front of the map was a listing of each house and what they had to sell. Eureka!

I quickly mapped out the next houses to stop at. "Princess stuff" and "doll house" stood out at one location, so I set my goal to end up there next. (It was literally like a 5 minute drive just to get to the next house... in the same neighborhood.) There was this HUGE doll house and the girls immediately started playing with it. It has an elevator (working) in it and everything! So, I told the boy that had been left "in charge" that I was buying it and would put it in the back of the van after the kids were buckled in and distracted. Then I saw THE HERMIT CRAB TANK! Complete with the for real made-for-hermit-crabs pool and carpeting AND a heat lamp! (I've been worried about the crabs now that the weather is turning cold. Plus, they are still living in the little plastic container we bought them in. They are going to be soooo happy now!) So, I asked the boy if he'd take $10, and he said, "probably". So I asked, "well, will you take $5?" and he said, "umm... I probably shouldn't take less than $7" I was satisfied. That was a STEAL!
They also had a box of little girl stuff that was free- kitchen stuff and that sort of thing.

NO PHOTO OF THE DOLL HOUSE BECAUSE THE GIRLS ARE AROUND, SORRY!

I managed to hide the giant doll house directly behind the girl's seats. I just told them something yucky was back there and not to look.

Now I was a mamma with a mission. Next stop, no good. Everyone that listed "furniture" obviously was keeping all of their dressers and selling everything else. One woman looked like she had taken her entire living room and set it up in her driveway. Sigh.

My cell phone continued to beep at me. And the kids continued to complain about everything under the sun. (We are clearly behind on child training.)

At this point I realized that my luck was running out. The kids were really cruisin' for a bruisin', I was starving, and they day was speeding by. "One more stop," I thought... I left the kids in the van, crying, for this one. I picked up a "rescue pack" from Diego for $1, a toy cell phone for Ezra (free), and some Cappuccino cups and saucers for Brent ($5 for the set). Oh, and a really nice throw for $3! I felt like freakin' Michelle Duggar with the bargains I was getting! =O
yuuuuummmmmmm

We headed to Whole Foods for lunch with Brent and things started to normalize. After purchasing some Almond Butter and Gingersnap cookies, my moola was gone. But I had some fabulous garage sale finds to show for it! I probably would have had more success had I not taken the kids with me, and gotten an early start, but I was satisfied.

There was no way that I was even going to attempt stopping anywhere else though, so now we are home, and calling it a day...a $50 day at that!

Freebies for Voting!

Mon, 3 Nov 2008 16:44:27 -0600

Wear your "I Voted" sticker with pride tomorrow, folks, and get free stuff!

null

You can also get a free Tattoo Removal in Dallas, Tx, a free beer in Pennsacola, some Chic-fil-a's are offering free sandwiches, but I wasn't able to find a complete list...

AND Books-a-Million is giving free coffee as well!

Of course, as in everything else, California has to be the poopoo pants of the bunch.

There are TONS more, but I'm out of time. Enjoy!

Fall Menu Week One

Mon, 3 Nov 2008 14:24:25 -0600

Monday-Chicken Noodle Soup
Tuesday- Indian Green Beans
Wednesday- Steaks and Baked Garlicky Butternut Squash
Thursday- Beans and Rice
Friday- Harvest Salad with Beef Bacon
Saturday- Pomegranate Chicken, Brown Rice, green beans
Sunday-ch-DIY Pizza
dinner- Roast Beef, carrots, potatoes

Produce:
broccoli
butternut squash- a big one please
green leaf lettuce
celery
Pomegranate
2 or 3 zucchinis
garlic

Dairy:
eggs
butter
milk- unhomogonized half gallon

Frozen:

Grocery:
applesauce
coconut milk x 3
maple syrup

WB:
Ester C (liquid, so that E can take it too)
Children�s Wellness Formula (for chicken pox)
Valerian Super Calm (also for the pox)

Meat/Cheese:
Sandwich meat- turkey
2 blocks mozzarella
1 block cheddar

Bakery:

WATER, WATER, WATER, WATER

FREE CHOCOLATE!!!!!!

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:24:06 -0500

FREE CHOCOLATE?!?!

Yes folks, it appears to be true. Simply tell 'em where to send it, and you'll get 8 free truffles! YEAH!

Go here.

Ezra's First Birthday

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:09:28 -0500

Ezra is one! Hard to believe that just one year ago, there we were in our little birth pool:
Just born

Our first son was born, and it was love at first sight!
look at all that hair

I made Ezra my standard first birthday cake: a carrot cake sweetened with only honey. I DO cheat on the icing, but only a little. =) His cake was in the shape of a rocket:

And Ezra really liked it!

As usual, Charis was delighted to see a sibling so happy on their birthday! (I promise, Charis,you are getting a BIG party next year!)

Ezra got the traditional rocking chair from Grammy, and a monky from Mimi that stole the show:

And the entire family proved that they really do just visit us for two reasons: the kids and.... the Wii!