Sugar & Spice and EVERYTHING Nice

Welcome to Miss Lauren Kathryn - Katie's baby. Katie had her last Tuesday morning, of course wearing bright pink lipstick and hair all done. Katie's mom had everyone in the family wearing pink polos to welcome Miss Lauren. Now we know where Katie gets it!

Katie and Lauren are doing just great. KT says she is a great baby and that Big Brother Preston just adores her and wants to be so helpful. This little pose is just TOO CUTE. Yeah, she's going to be a princess, all right.

I feel pretty, oh so pretty

I am so excited!!! Many of you know I am in a wedding in October and have been pretty dedicated to working out and eating well. IT PAID OFF! I tried on my dress for the first time today (I wanted to give myself enough time for my hard work to pay off) and it fit!!! Well, it fit in all the places I was worried about. The chest is too big, but that was a given. I am going to continue to get on the treadmill and eat well, but it's not as dire as I thought it was. I am so excited to be a part of Jennifer Ann's wedding! I am so happy God brought she and Todd into each other's lives. I can't wait to blog about her wedding. And our trip to Vegas next month. . . hee hee This is the dress. The white part is a light pink and the black sash is hot pink. Jennifer Ann would say they are sweet pea and petunia. I say they are blush and bashful.

I want her hair!

I have been watching re-runs of Crossing Jordan while I am on the treadmill, and I've decided if I can't have Rachel's hair (from Friends), I want Jordan's hair. (Jill Hennessesy) I wish my natural curls would curl like hers.

2007 Football Autograph Session

My Traveling Lab Training

A bit of background. . . as part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant here at Tech, we have created 19 traveling science labs that we loan out to area teachers. Most of the equipment and supplies are way beyond the budgets of school districts. This week we have been going through each lab going over the protocols and activities. These are things I have learned or shared so far. . .

1. Today we were working on cross-sectioning plant tissue. Susan asked how we know if it’s a stem. I answered “The xylem and the phloem.” (And I could have spelled it correctly, too). I think I surprised people, again, with my science knowledge.

2. The students went to the greenhouse to get plant samples. Jordan came back with a furry plant that she showed to me. I said “That’s lamb’s ear.” And she was surprised I knew the plant’s name. (My mom just introduced me to this plant this summer. See, mom, I DO pay attention!)

3. Yesterday, we extracted DNA. It was pretty cool to “see” DNA. We pulverized a piece of cow’s thymus gland – totally gross! Then we strained it to get only the freed cells. Then we added detergent, and very cold ethanol. We added detergent to break apart the lipid (fat) bi-layer to expose the nucleus and the DNA. The cell mixture and the ethanol separated and then we were able to “twirl” the DNA around a glass rod. Pretty freaking cool to “see” DNA. (Did I just loose some cool points being so excited about DNA?)

4. New vocab word – totipotent. It’s a descriptor of a cell that can become anything. Stem cells are totipotent. As are some plant cells, that’s how you can start a plant from a leaf or a root. I kept laughing every time Susan said “totipotent."

5. A strawberry isn’t a true berry. True berries have a conglomerate of seeds. True berries include cantaloupe, watermelon, blueberries, tomatoes and cucumbers. Cucumbers aren’t really vegetables, either. Vegetable isn’t a scientific term.

6. Another new vocab word – pepo, pronounced PEEP-o. Any berry with a rind such as a cantaloupe or watermelon.

7. I suggested that we ask George Eads, a Tech grad and the actor who plays Nick Stokes on CSI: Las Vegas, to endorse our traveling labs. He’s not a scientist, but he plays one on TV. I don’t think that’s gonna happen. But I bet we’d pack ‘em in for our summer workshops if we had him come in. I think I want to add him to "my list," too.

Darth Tater's not so "darth" anymore

Patrick LOVES playing Star Wars with his Darth Tater, or the Mr Potato Head Darth Vader. He refers to him as "My Father" like from the movie lines. We've decided that he doesn't understand that "father" and "daddy" are the same because he'll quote the line "You're not my father" to Paul.

So Wednesday night, he was fighting Darth with his light sabre and broke the Mr Potato Head arm with the light sabre attached. Paul gets pretty upset when Patrick breaks his toys and tells him Santa doesn't bring toys to little boys who break their toys. Later Patrick told me in total complete seriousness that Santa was going to put in him jail because he broke his Darth. That cracked me up. I don't think that's exactly what Paul said. Where does he come up with these things. . . Santa's going to put him in jail.

Turtles & Tattoos

I've come to the conclusion that turtles and tattoos have something in common. They are both addictive. They are relatively easy to care for, so once you have one, it's like "why not get another one." I shared this with Paul and he said that turtles were "cheap and easy." And I asked him if that meant that tattoos made one look "cheap and easy." He laughed.

I was thinking about this because, yes, we got another turtle. A woman here in the College of Ed was giving away a female turtle. I named her ROXY. We had to put a red R on her back because she looks a whole lot like Checkers. If indeed she is a female turtle, we should have some baby turtles sometime. I'll let everyone know when we do. And no, I haven't gotten another tattoo - yet. . .

Engagement Congrats to the STAMPS

It's so exciting and heart-warming to see two friends so happy and in love. Paul and I are truly happy for you, John and Stacy, and we can't wait to see what the years ahead hold.
And won't Stacy make a GORGEOUS bride, with the fro and all.

More birthdays!

Happy Birthday to my favorite Slatonite under 5'!!!
And Happy Birthday to my favorite Longhorn! (Man was that hard to type!)

I've figured out Katie's baby's name - BETH!

I know what Katie is naming her baby - BETH in honor of her beloved DOG! She said it was a traditional name, spelled in a traditional way. That can TOTALLY be BETH. I've figured it out!

Guinness turns 7!

Guinness - aka Guinney Girl, The Pig - is 7 today! She has such a hard life sleeping around the house all day, getting treats when she wakes up, and all. She is a heckuva snuggler, though. And she has a 6th sense of when you need to snuggle - like when I was on bed rest or when I am sick. She one thing that I am glad "came with Paul."

Jennifer Ann's shower in Austin

Mom and I went to Austin this weekend for Jennifer Ann's wedding shower. This was the bridesmaids' attempt at making her bridal gown out of toilet paper. Yikes!
















I contacted her friends and family to send me recipes to make her an heirloom cookbook. I had over 80 sheet protectors with recipes on either side - over 160 recipes! She was SO surprised!! Todd, her fiance, sent me pictures of them that I used on the section dividers. He's a good man and he loves her SO MUCH!
















After the shower, we went out on 4th street with our moms. It's kinda weird how much our moms have in common.














I am so excited about being a bridesmaid in Jenn & Todd's wedding. It's so heart-warming to see one of my best friends so happy and in love with Mr Right!

Happy birthday to the ORIGINAL Paul Codd!

Cheers, Sr!
I like to call Paul Sr the ORIGINAL PAUL CODD. Funny story if you don't know it. . . my husband Paul Codd, Jr, doesn't show a Jr. on any of his legal documents other than his birth certificate - not his SS card or his military ID. So when we went to get our marriage license, they wouldn't put the Jr. on it. So technically I am married to Paul Codd, not Paul Codd, Jr.

This is Ann, Paul's stepmom, Sr, Jr and Stacie. They came in from Detroit last year for the Tech game in Dallas.

HAPPY early BIRTHDAY, KT!

Oh wait, that's ME with Ryan Aycock! But you can still enjoy the view. wink wink

Happy HAPPY early birthday, Katie! I hope your boys spoil you this weekend and that you get lost of rest in anticipation of Miss Penny's arrival. Any day now folks, Katie's going to be the proud mama of a sponge-rollered, bow-wearing, AquaNet-using, pinked-out baby girl!!!

A cousin for Patrick

Chris & Stacie found out last week that they are having a BOY!!! We are all really excited for them. And it's just what Patrick needs - another little boy to raise hell with! Paul told me today Chris' name suggestion. . . Randy Travis Farr. Oh, that brother-in-law of mine. . . Stacie is due December 18, so she's got a ways to go.