Cows...Eat...Moo...Milk...

First - no John isn't mine, yes I love him and treat him as though he is (until he needs something then I send him back to his mom or grandparents)...now that said - here is another John story and pictures.

Mom, Dad, MB and John had the chance to visit the Williams' Dairy in Morgan County this week.  The dairy has been in operation for several generations now and is one of the largest producing (if not the largest) dairies in Georgia.  My grandparents lived next door to the Williams and their massive dairy for years - as in the majority of Dad's life, so we have always been good friends and us kids grew up together.  A simple phone call landed John an afternoon with the cows and ride on the giant tractor...

 Yes he is petting the calf - I understand he touched all 150 calves...

 I can hear him now, "Hi baaa-beee coow wit wite face"

 Driving the tractor with Mac - later he got to really drive the tractor with one of the Williams boys and his daughter who is one month older than John.  Justin said he had four little hands on the wheel and he could barely steer with all the "help"

 "Silage, cow eat si-lage"  FYI - Silage is a mixture of corn, corn stalks, wheat, hay, etc that is kinda/sorta fermented and it stinks...bad stink, but not as bad as the cow poop pond...Funny story - John picks up a handful of silage, turns to Mrs. Williams and says, "Silage."  She said he already knows about silage??  Yep - John knew about silage before going to the dairy.

 He looks like an English farmer with the sweater, popped collar and milking boots - but come on - what country boy doesn't have/need a pair of milking boots??  CC made sure he had those.  When I asked if he got new boots he said, "Mud on them..."  I bet there was more than mud on those...

 Is this kid afraid of anything - well except my dog

Dude - don't stick your hand in there - they are going to lick/suck it to death.  According to those in attendance he loved it - yet he still hates my dog...

2010...It's Been Real and It's Been Fun...

And yes, it has been real fun!  I'm not going to do a full review of the year, but this year has been a blast.

For the past three years - 2007, 2008, and 2009 - we had tons of major changes.  Heck, it has been since 2005 that things have been a'changin'.  Graduating from Tech, med school, grad school, getting engaged, graduating from grad school, getting a first job, getting married, match day, a nephew born, buying a house, graduating from med school, moving to Mississippi, living with in-laws, and finding a job in Mississippi....yep that was pretty busy.

It has been kinda nice to have an easy going year - 2010 - you have been great...but is it really necessary to end with tornado warnings???

More McGinnis Christmas/Snow Pictures

 Drive it, John-boy!

 Dad with "his girls and their boys" - minus Hugh of course, who is graciously taking care of our wounded soldiers in Germany for a month.

 "Front-end-lowder/Bact-hoe" - he loves this thing, but isn't sure about pressing the gas petal just yet...

 The morning after Christmas - there is nothing prettier than snow at home to me...

 John would not stop sitting in the snow...he loved it...we tried telling him it wasn't the sand at the beach...

 John says, "Hi Mac."  Mac says, "Hi John."  And this continues for hours.  Check it out - the beachbum doesn't have any gloves so he is wearing one of Mom's and one of Dad's and look closely between his legs - the wet spot is from all the sitting/diving/jumping/running in the snow he did...

 Home sweet home...

 Tucker loved playing in the snow - he ran and jumped and chased and danced, and tried pushing the snow with his nose...

 My boys playing in the snow - and please give me credit - he at least put on long sleeves, but I could not get him to put on a coat, gloves, or a hat...

 I sure hope nobody drove by and saw this crew - we are a sight...

 Another family shot - Tucker is trying to figure out why he can't go play in the snow with John

 John has a book that talks about making snow angels and snow geese, so I just couldn't resist the opportunity to make him a snow angel...

And he had to join in...with a little help from his mom of course...

Click here to see the rest of MB's pictures
Click here to see the rest of Dad's pictures

Andrew Got Run Over By A Reindeer...

"Andrew got run over by a reindeer (or Rudolph) driving home from Lowe's on Christmas Eve..."

Yep it's true - Andrew and his dad ran to Lowe's early on Christmas Eve to pick up some stain that the workers needed to use later that day on the new shop at his parents.  On the way back, a buck decided to sprint from the woods into the road then leap into my car.  Mr. Charlie saw it as it was hitting the car and Andrew (who was driving) never saw it.  Andrew got hit in the head by the body of the deer along with the driver's window while Mr. Charlie took a direct hit from the driver's side view mirror that flew into the car.  Other than a few minor glass cuts, no one was hurt and according to the guy that witnessed the whole thing - the deer (at least a 6 point we are told) flopped around a couple of times then jumped up and ran off...so they didn't even get to keep it. 

My car took a bit of a beating - the driver's door is completely dented in and will not open.  Obviously it doesn't have a window or side view mirror now either...the hood and the front quarter panel are also dented and the windshield has some serious cracks.  But lucky for us - we pay for good insurance and all is well.

Macon folks - if you spot a car that looks like mine at Riverside Ford body shop - it is...you aren't crazy and Jackson folks if you spot me freezing at the gas station since it takes forever to fill the tank in Dad's truck - feel free to stop and let me jump in your warm car while my fills up!!

Pictures of the car to come...

McGinnis Christmas

Picture narrative of our Christmas with the McGinnis/Nunn side of the family...I will add the Ouzts side once I get pictures from them...

 John doing "Happy Face" while eating Christmas morning...

 Mom's side of the family minus Hugh who is Germany doing a rotation and Dad who still trying to set the timer on his camera...

John got this cool car but it came with video instructions for assembly so he drove it as is...however he did look up at me and say, "Aunt Day, Wheels??"

 Mac and John showing off their new hats

 This is not a tractor - it is a "Front-end-loader/back-hoe"...and he loves it...

 John's first snow on December 26th

 He loved playing in the snow and even dove head first into it...

 Lovely little get-up - I searched the house for winter gear and this is the outfit I came out in..I would have had on ski bibs if I had found them first...but I didn't...

Tucker also loved playing in the snow...

and Our Family

His Mid-Life Crisis

So first it was Mom and her horse and now it is Dad and his car...

Yeppers - they have officially taken care of their mid-life crisis!!  As I told, Sister, at least it has seatbelts unlike the motorcycle they considered...

Christmas Lights and Carols

Sorry I never take pictures to share but at least I share stories...

First - we wanted to go see all the Christmas lights in our neighborhood after dinner one night last week so we loaded up Tucker in the car ('cause our son needs to see them too) and drove around the neighborhood looking.  Several times we found ourselves saying, look at the beautiful lights, Tucker...and we would catch him eyeing the blow-up snowman...it was great!!  And yes we are crazy for taking the dog on a ride around the neighborhood but who cares...

Next - Natalie and Jason invited us to join them at the Carols by Candlelight concert at First Baptist of Jackson.  We were told it is "not to miss event" while you are in Jackson, and just as described it was "not to be missed."  Over 200 members of the choir, a full pit orchestra, handbells, Christmas decorations, a real baby as Jesus...it was wonderful!  If I find a link to some of the event, I will share, but otherwise I will try to remember to record it when it is broadcast on local tv so you can see it if you come to visit.

Brush Your Teeth Little One...

Okay another smooth move for Tucker...he decided his teeth needed to be brushed this morning.

Since Andrew had already left for work and I needed to grab a shower - I put Tucker in the bathroom and shut the door while I showered.  During my shower, I noticed that he stayed exactly where I left him, thinking that he had just gone on back to sleep.  Nope - wrong - he had pulled our tube of toothpaste off the sink (which I had pushed a good ways back) and started poking holes in it.  By the time I got out, he had bright blue Crest with Scope all over his lips and mouth and was smacking and licking the floor...guess little buddy needed some water to rinse with - and Momma had shut the toilet room door - so there wasn't a good source of water available...but no worries - there wasn't much left so I doubt that he ate enough to hurt him, and well he will be minty, fresh for a while.

Just My Luck

While trying to get out of the car with my lunch in-hand, I managed to spill a small portion of my Chick-fil-A chocolate milkshake on my wool dress slacks, and I have a meeting with the City of Jackson at 2...splended, just wonderful...

A Weekend With Kids

This past weekend we had the chance to babysit three little ones that are awesome.  While their parents were away running and walking in the St. Jude marathon, we kept the kids ages - 4.5, 2.5, and 5 months.  Those of you that know me from home know that this is nothing considering my experience with the Wadsworths and Penningtons...so it was no big deal for me.  Sam, the baby, wasn't feeling so hot and since the weather was wonderful - the girls spent the majority of the afternoon Friday playing in the backyard while I attended to Sam.  Saturday morning we went to the Madison Christmas Parade, which all three loved.  Then came home for some coloring before lunch and naps.  After naps, we colored, made gingerbread houses, put together a puzzle, read numerous books, discussed (and I mean discussed) the importance of Christmas and not Santa, and playing outside again.  On Sunday, it was more dress-up, coloring, reading, and building blocks with Dr. Andrew.  Word has it - all three slept hard on Sunday night so I guess we did a great job of keeping them busy all weekend.  Here are some pictures of the cuties.

Lifetime Sport

Because I am actually tracking my handicap now for golf and it is continuing to drop (although I kinda prefer it to stay high), I wanted to share why I play golf (and I can assure you it is not to make money).


It all started in middle school when my parents required my sister and I to pick a lifetime sport...a sport we could enjoy for the rest of our lives...and after failing at tennis, I picked golf.  So to start it was forced.
 
Also because my Aunt Patti played and I think we worked out a deal so that if I played golf I didn't have to practice piano with her anymore...not sure, but it is possible.  But I enjoyed playing with Patti - so I continued and actually came to enjoy it myself.
 
And now it is just one more hobby that Andrew and I both enjoy - and more importantly we enjoy it most when we play together. 

Prior to summer of 2008 and Adam forcing Andrew to play golf before his wedding (and as a result before our wedding), I put my clubs up in college and hadn't touched them since and Andrew hadn't played since he was 12. 

In the past two and half years that we have been married - we have both gotten new sets of clubs, gotten a golf membership, and play just about every week.  Now for the kicker - Andrew has even gotten me playing when it is below 50 outside - and let me just say  - that ain't normal or smart folks - I don't know what has happened.

But I do know that because I don't care how bad I shoot, or how many balls I hit in the water on the same hole, or how many times over par I go - golf is a wonderful opportunity to be outside, spend time with my husband (or play for work, which I thought would never happen but has), and drive a golf cart like a mad-man.

O' Christmas Tree

Thanks to this little guy our house smells wonderful!  And yes - that is our only tree!  And yes - it is real!  And no - you can't laugh at me, we don't have a place for a large tree and well let's just say that Tucker has already attempted to eat this one.  And I bet you couldn't drive to Lowe's, pick out and buy your tree, drive back home, and have it fully decorated in an hour (20 minutes of which I spent waiting to check out at Lowe's).

Report Card

BREAKING NEWS:  John can answer the phone and says "hel-whoa"...then when asked how are you doing he replies "Fine."  Then after telling everyone that "aunt day" is on the phone, he says "Bye-bye" and click you are gone...

Any time I attempt a new dish, Andrew gives me a grade on it (which I love - if it worked - we will have it again, if it failed, I throw away the recipe).  After stuffing ourselves full of turkey (well not so much turkey), dressing, hashbrown casserole, sweet potato casserole, green beans, and pumpkin bread pudding - he gave me the most amazing, totally unexpected grade ever - 99!! Here's the story -

Grand total - 18 eggs, 1 quart of heavy cream, 5 sticks of butter, 6 tablespoons of bourbon (in three different dishes), 4 cups of sugar, 2 cups of brown sugar, 2 cups of cheese, 2 cups of sour cream - yep that makes for a wonderful meal!!


The turkey breast that was supposed to cook in 2 hours on 325, took 3.5 hours on 325, then 350, then 375, then 400, then 425.  The moral to this story - I need double ovens.  However, it was moist, juice, and full of flavor once it was finally done after we had eaten all the sides.  I used an apple, Serrano pepper, and sage glaze on it - amazing!!

The dressing - aka 2005 Mama Ouzts Dressing - was perfect.  Mrs. Susan spent 4 or 5 years trying to get the recipe just right...she wasn't given much help - the original recipe said a dash, a little bit, and our all time favorite - "until good and juicy."  So lucky for me, she has already figured out what "good and juicy" means - and I quote from Mrs. Susan's recipe "similar to a lumpy cake batter."  Prior to putting it in the oven I declared it a success and sure enough Andrew said, "Its a 99.9% and if you had gravy it would be 100%"  but then he realized that it didn't require gravy and he was pleased.

The hashbrowns are the usual - thanks to Mom for the recipe - they are better than Cracker Barrel and super easy to make if you have a large enough mixing bowl and can brave tossing frozen hashbrowns with your hands.

The sweet potatoes were super yummy and I learned that most people don't peel, boil, and mash their own sweet potatoes - I've never been known to take the easy road...well...

The green beans - Glory brand straight from the can...easy road...

Pumpkin Bread Pudding - with homemade pumpkin bread - enough said...but gotta mention the bourbon maple cream sauce - okay now enough said...

Tradition

Not sure if it is just the South or everywhere, but traditions sure enough run deep in the South.  Andrew and I didn't have to face the difficult decision of which family are we going to spend this holiday with because lucky for us our families live an hour apart and they traditionally celebrated at different times.  For example, Mother's Day for my family is very important, for Andrew's family, it is a day that Mrs. Susan wants to go out and eat.  Thanksgiving - my family does lunch with all of Granddaddy's brothers and sister and their families at lunch - Andrew's family - does dinner at his parents house.  Christmas, Andrew's family - Christmas Eve...My family - Christmas morning.  So it worked beautiful for us.  The past four to five years that we have spent each holiday together has been a breeze. 

However, this year was different.  Living in Mississippi and with Andrew's work schedule, we just could not make the trip to Georgia.  So we are starting our own new tradition.  First was pot-luck at the hospital with some of the other on-call residents and their spouses.  Then today, it is a full Thanksgiving meal, for just the two of us.  And although no family could make it out and we deeply miss them, we are also looking forward to a relaxing weekend together - its been a while.

But going back to traditions - Thanksgiving is one of the those meals that is based on tradition.  Its Aunt Sara or Mama Ouzts' dressing, Papa George or Mr. Charlie's fried turkeys, hashbrown casserole and sweet potato casserole, and of course, buttermilk custard, pecan pie, and any other amazing dessert Mama George whipped up.  Although Papa George and Mama Ouzts have passed and Mama George doesn't cook, someone filled the void...it was Mrs. Susan with the dressing and as luck would have it the Ouzts have traditionally fried their turkey just as Papa George did.  But it seemed that no one had filled the void with homemade pies in the Ouzts family since Mama Ouzts passed so our first married Thanksgiving, Andrew and Papa Ouzts both requested that we have homemade desserts and I agreed to make them.  They didn't want just any dessert they wanted a chocolate custard and coconut custard just like Mama Ouzts made.  So after days of searching for her recipes, we gave up.  So I pulled out the original Better Homes and Gardens and as wished I found a recipe for both.  Come to find out after successfully making them and getting the seal of approval from Papa Ouzts that those were the recipes that Mama Ouzts had always used. 

So this year - it is my turn again to fill all the voids of home - I am going to make my first attempted at turkey (baked not fried) and Mama Ouzts' dressing, as well as some other fixings - but we are starting a new tradition - its called sometimes you can't be with family so fix your own Thanksgiving meal, be thankful for each other, our family and friends, and the traditions that were started years ago, and enjoy a beautiful weekend together.  And we are going to be really Thankful for Penn's, Chick-Fil-A, or some other fast food restaurant when dinner turns out terrible!

Babysitting...

In two weeks, Andrew and I get the true joy and honor of babysitting for some friends (and one of Andrew's bosses).  The parents are going to Memphis to run the marathon and walk the half-marathon and we get all three kiddos for the weekend.  Now those of you that know us well, know that we are super excited about this.  We love kids, but we also love giving them back to their parents!!  Here is their family blog if you want to see the precious little ones.

Shopping with MB

MB, John, Grandmomma, and Granddaddy came up for a visit this past weekend.  The game plan was for MB and I to do some shopping then re-decorate my living room.  We had a few specific goals in mind, but more than anything I wanted to take our house from "apartment, college" looking to a true "grown-up home."  Here's how it went down:

1) Friday night - they arrive with both John's demanding pizza as soon as they step out of the van
2) Saturday morning - I whip up a country breakfast then we plot our day...Grandmomma and Granddaddy decided to head on back to Georgia since Granddaddy was missing everything about home...
3) Saturday mid-morning -
(a)MB, John and I (while Andrew worked) set out to Bed, Bath, and Beyond...we pick out some curtains and a rod for the kitchen door area since we can't sit at our table in the evening because of the sun...we also got mom and dad's Christmas from MB, John got a new noise machine, and I got a new crock-pot.  MB got a ton of other stuff too - I can't remember what all she put in the cart, but John was out of room by the time we left.
(b)We move on to TJ Maxx, where we get Grandmomma's Christmas, a few toys for John, MB a couple of shirts, and nothing for my house.
(c) John spotted the rear of the Chick-fil-A and started yelling "COWS, MOOOOOO" "French Fries, Dip-Dip..."  FYI - the kid knows the colors of the building, he doesn't even need to see the sign and he demands going there if he spots it.  So Andrew met us there for lunch.
(d) Andrew swaps out my car with MB and hands over he phone (since her's was at our house charging) and he and I take the swagger wagon (aka "The" van) with John to our house so he and I can take a nap.  Andrew heads off to the driving range once home...MB is gone to Toys-R-Us, Tuesday Morning, Dillards, etc...John, Tucker, Tico and I all take a nap.  Once Tucker and Tico decide that my nap is over - I get up, send Tucker outside, and decide to make cheese straws from Southern Living all before John wakes up.  I get half-way through making the cheese straws before John awakes, so I give him a snack and finish up the straws.  MB then starts calling and sending me pictures of her finds at Tuesday Morning.  So John and I finish up and head to Ridgeland to meet her.
(e) MB has completed John's Christmas shopping including a Christmas outfit, John and I meet her to review the finds at Tuesday Morning - she buys me a picture for my Birthday for over the fireplace and some candles...
(f) I head out to Newk's to pick up dinner, she and John head back to the house with the wine we picked up too...
(g) All parties arrive back home, and unload the finds...Andrew starts to freak...then he claims down after he found out I only bought the curtains and crock-pot as budgeted..
(h) we all eat dinner (with wine)...we then start rearranging...first we attempt to hang the curtains, but John needs to use the step-ladder with us and we realize we don't have a level...then we take the old picture down from the fireplace and put the new one up - good thing the new one is so big it just rests up there...we call it a night
3) Sunday morning - Andrew heads back to work, MB and I give John some "Happy Birthday Cake" for breakfast (really it was a blueberry citrus pound cake that Mom sent to me for my Birthday, but any cake is now Happy Birthday Cake according to John).  We start on the curtains once more.  Using a shoe string as a level, we get the curtains hung and taught John that if you teach your daughters how to use power tools, this is what they will do when their husbands aren't around...
(a) then we moved our old quilt into the guest room, switched around a ton of pillows, rehung the "Sunflowers" in the guest room with the day bed, and finally decided to get dressed so we could go back to Tuesday Morning and find more goodies...
(b) went to a different Tuesday Morning that didn't have anything, got John Subway for lunch, headed to the house as I fed him in the backseat - MB loaded up the van to head to the coast, John finished his lunch, I told them, good bye and away they went...
(c) I came inside, brought Tucker inside, and he and I crashed hard for about an hour - then I went to Kroger, and came back, and crashed again....

Here is a little taste of our work....it is still a work in progress but it has made a huge difference...