Another day, another three hours

Buenos noches peeps, the Wizard is back on the web again. I will have to keep this post short because I am completely exhausted from another three hours of deck stripping this evening. I am completely fed up with Shortcut Seals right now and will not comment further on this subject to avoid offending my loyal readership with more ranting. The upside is that I only have about two more hours of stripping before the staining can commence. Woo-hoo! Wifey is going to the doctor tomorrow and she will find out exactly when we will be going to the hospital to have our baby. We have decided to have the pregnancy induced to avoid possible complications due to Annabelle's tardy arrival. I won't be able to post while I am in the hospital, but I will update you all when I can. I am looking forward to tying up the last few loose ends at work before taking a little time off to have our first baby. I just hope everything goes smoothly. Okay, now I'm tired. Have a great night and stay tuned for updates soon.

A job half done...

Hello friends and countrymen, I am sure you are all supremely curious about the goings-on up here in the Tennessee valley. You haven't missed out on anything major--the baby has yet to arrive. I spent some time doing chores on Thursday and laid low with my lady. After knocking out some more chores on Friday, I snuck out for a quick nine at the golf course. Apparently the time off from my favorite hobby has done great things for my game; I shot nine-over for the front nine, playing legitimate bogey golf. I landed six greens and had four pars. It was probably the best round of golf I have ever played at that course. It seems that papa was a rolling stone and this stone gathers no moss!! Later my favorite lady(a.k.a. Wifey) and I went out to dinner(probably the last one of those outings for a while) at the Mellow Mushroom on the Cumberland Avenue strip. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed seeing our friends again. I went back to work today sore and tired from sheer exhaustion. I know I should be taking it easier with the upcoming arrival, but I feel compelled to cram as much as possible into my days off. I have tackled refinishing the deck to pass the time and the job has been quite effective in that regard. I have to mention that the previous owner of our house, a gentleman by the name of David Seals, did me no favors with the upkeep of the deck. He decided it would be quick, easy, and cheap to slap on a layer of solid color deck stain instead of taking the time to seal it with a semi-transparent deck stain. "What's the big deal?", you ask. Once you have painted a deck with solid stain, you have basically two choices when you begin refinishing. You can pick out another doo-doo brown color to slap on over the old crappy paint, or you can remove the old paint(what little is left of it) and do the job correctly. Why strip the old paint? Reason #1--Solid color paint, while inexpensive, is only suitable for accent pieces and will not hold up to foot traffic and constant sun exposure. Reason #2--It only lasts about a year(and looks like crap) and the next season you are stuck repainting the whole shebang again. The better product is a tinted stain which lasts up to five years and allows the natural beauty of the wood grain to show through. It protects deep into the wood and prevents water and mildew damage. Reason #3--Solid color paint actually encourages mildew and water damage, as well as absorbing a lot of extra heat that burns your tootsies on hot days. So now I am in the process of stripping off all of David Seals's not-so-handiwork. This led to the descriptor "Shortcut Seals" being coined to describe any project that is done in such a way to be shoddy, cheap, and create a minimum of five times the work that it would have taken to do the job properly the first time. Thanks for nothing Shortcut Seals! Have a great evening and remember, a job half done is better not begun....especially if you are going to Shortcut Seals it!

Empathy anyone?

So it has been a few days since I have posted anything and I bet you are all getting a little anxious for my next entry. Don't fret, the hiatus had a purpose and I am happy to say that my little experiment is over. By now I am sure you have a little taste of what Wifey and I are going through on a daily basis. Waiting for something that you know will happen eventually(my next post), but every day seems to drag on because it has not occurred yet! Now that the waiting is finally over, you are incredibly happy and relieved to read this post....similar emotions to the ones we will surely feel when our baby decides to stop dilly-dallying and COME OUT ALREADY! I am rapidly running out of random homeowner projects to occupy these interminable days of anticipation. If Annabelle takes any longer, I will have to start working on the neighbor's houses! Wifey is uncomfortable to the max and the belly is in full effect these days. We are staying inside to avoid the record-breaking heat that most of the east coast is experiencing. Today was a little cooler thanks to last night's rainstorm, so I ventured out for some deck cleaning. Weather and baby permitting, I will be refinishing it tomorrow and we will have a gorgeous deck for the mosquitoes to enjoy! Have a great evening and you can start anticipating my next post....now!

Still waiting.........

Well, we have not had any progress on the baby front. Wifey is still large and uncomfortable and I am getting quite anxious to meet Miss Annabelle in person. We have enjoyed our last bit of time together before she arrives, but we are more than ready to be parents. I have distracted myself from the seemingly interminable waiting for the baby to come process by doing all those odd jobs I have been putting off. Thursday I cleaned out the gutters(ewww) and cleaned up the house a bit. Today I passed the time by weeding the front walk and trimming the hedges. The mosquitoes were absolutely horrendous and it was the hottest day we have had all year. Probably not the day most Knoxvillians would choose to work outside all day, but they're not transplanted Floridians. 90 degrees in the shade? Hah, I fear not! We received some wonderful books for Annabelle today courtesy of Dr. and Mrs. Kronski. The deliveries did not end there. Our stroller showed up a few minutes later. We were both surprised by its pristine condition and ingenious functionality. Wifey even commented that it smelled like a new car's interior! Later we chowed down on some sushi and I had a hard earned beer to finish the day. By all standards it was a productive couple of days off and I am getting spoiled by having this time to play with my sweetie. I am also running out of odd jobs, so Annabelle better come before I start some BIG projects! Have a great weekend to all you people who work "normal" hours and stay safe.

Down to the Wire

Sorry about the lack of recent posts, Wifey and I are enjoying our newfound time together and that does not leave a whole lot for posting these days. I am sure you all understand. Wifey went to the OB yesterday and had an ultrasound today. Everything is looking great for a normal delivery and we may be meeting Miss Annabelle sooner than predicted. No worries, though, because we are all ready for her! I know I promised to let you all know what I spent my first donation on and I am happy to inform you that the money is all gone. It went to a worthy cause--a stroller for our baby. Not just any stroller--an Inglesina Zippy! What is that you say? Well feast your eyes on this. Curious? Well you can satisfy your thirst for knowledge about this super-cool stroller on their website. It should arrive Friday and we are both excited to see it in action. If Annabelle has not made her appearance by then, we may have to resort to stuffing our cat Sasha in just to test it out! Speaking of animals, the other day we felt bad about buying a bunch of baby stuff and not getting our other "children" anything, so while we were at Target we picked up a cozy bed for our doggie's crate. It seemed so comfy we wished we were small enough to fit inside to test it our ourselves. Cassidy seems to enjoy it immensely, which was no surprise. It did give us a shock to look in there and find out that the cat fancied it as much, if not more, than the dog(Pictures below). Maybe they are thinking about becoming roommates?! Gotta burn more CDs for the upcoming hospital stay, have a great evening and check back soon for updates!

Cassidy's new roomie!

T.G.I.F.

Hello my compadres, I am just finishing off the last bits of a delightful Friday. Since the Wifey is on maternity leave, I was treated to two days off with my true love. I have to say it was a nice change of pace and I quite enjoyed them. We had a lot of fun and got tons of stuff done, together, for a change. We skipped out today for a little treat and watched Tim Burton's version of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" starring Johnny Depp. It was fantastic, and although it did not follow the book verbatim, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp continue to shine even brighter when they work together. The theatre was filled with little munchkins on summer break and we got a little practice enduring the low roar of child-chatter, but it was worth it just to hear the multitude of little hands clapping at the end of the flick! I can't wait until my two days off next week to do it all again. Until next time, be safe and happy.

The Wifey Effect

I returned home from work last night and stepped into the nursery to view what the Wifey had been doing during her first official day of maternity leave. I was happily surprised to find she had spent it embellishing our already stunning nursery with her own style and artistic nature. We went out today to pick up a changing table that our friends Whitney and Brian were gracious enough to lend us, which completes the nursery furniture acquisitions. We also assembled the gorgeous handcrafted wooden cradle that Abbie and Dick Willits generously offered for our daughter. Adrienne decided she wanted it next to our bed for now, but I think it may eventually result in even greater sleep deprivation than we would normally have to endure. The Wizard may become a Zombie unless the current sleeping situation is amended, so the cradle may not be in its final destination. Only time will tell. Here come some more nursery pics of Wifey's handiwork. Enjoy and have a great day. Oh, by the way, today my blog surpassed the 1000 hit mark! Thanks for helping it grow.

Wifey gets points for artistic flair as well as impeccable spelling with this project. I can already imagine teaching Annabelle to spell her name with the help of these handpainted letters. 

Money talks!

Well my loyal blogreaders, the Wizard was taken by surprise by my own blog this evening. When I first set up my blog I included a silly link for donations, never thinking that it would get any use other than people putting the proverbial 2 cents in my account. Tonight I logged on to write a quick post before the Wifey and I settled down to watch Lost, and to my surprise, I received my first donation. I am glad you all enjoy my blog enough to make it a regular destination during your journeys in cyberspace. I hope it amuses, entertains, informs, and brings distant friends a little closer. I don't expect any monetary gains from doing this, however if you do choose to give me your hard-earned ducats, I will do my best to spend it on something worthwhile and blogworthy. Thank you all for stopping by my little corner of the internet and I look forward to posting about my first blog-sponsored purchase soon! Thank you all for your support.

Wyatt "God" Sexton Update

Well, seems like I have prematurely judged FSU's only experienced quarterback. I originally thought his recent deity delusion was due to some intoxicant he experienced at Bonnaroo, but it seems he just got bitten by a tick from one of those dirty hippies. Looks like the MiL's team may have the upper hand this season after all!

Nursery-Grand Finale!!

Well, the moment we have all been waiting for has finally arrived. The renovation of the guest room into a nursery is complete! It has been a labor of love and sometimes, just plain labor, but all the hard work has come to its fruition. The shelves are hung, the valences unfurled, the furniture assembled and the closet filled with all the things that you, our family and friends, have generously given to our daughter. We sincerely appreciate all of the wonderful gifts and will never forget your kindness. It is a constant reminder of your caring and love that we cherish daily. Now all we have to do is have this baby! Sounds easy, huh?! I have contemplated live-blogging the labor, but Wifey has made it clear that while she tolerates my computer rambling during normal circumstances, I will have more important things to do during the event than update my blog readers in realtime. Plus those PCS wireless cards will probably cost me about $300 to activate and use for the hopefully brief time we are at the hospital. Oh well, you will have to be content with getting your Annabelle birth fix until I get back to a more affordable internet connection. Probably better that way anyhow, you are not going to be up all night waiting for Annabelle's arrival, that's my job! I snuck out for a bit of golf today because my chores were done and the weather was beautiful. It should be turning nasty as Dennis nears, but for now it is lovely outside. Time to fire up the grill for a cookout! Have a great evening and enjoy the nursery pics.

The Great Gate at Kiev it isn't, but it certainly keeps the animals out

The entrance to the nursery

Westsiiiide!

Hard to keep that belly out of the frame!

Da Crib

The closet and the forlorn poochie on the right side 

So pitiful, isn't she?!

Mommy gliding in the book nook 

What a cutie!

Daddy finally masters the BabyBjorn carrier

So cute you can "bear"ly stand it

Look ma, no hands!

Ahhh, peace at last in the Garcia animal house. Brother and sister together in harmony! 

Breaking News

This is just a quickie to let my readers know that the Mother-in Law, who is currently vacationing near London, was unhurt in this mornings terrorist attacks. Unfortunately there were others who were not so lucky. God bless the injured Londoners.

Got Wizard?

Hello my loyal blog aficionados, the Wizard is here with a brief post for you this morning. For those of you who live in the greater Knoxville area, I will be appearing on live television this afternoon at 4pm. Check me out on Channel 10's Style show for a demonstration of how to construct a delicious House Pesto pizza. This is not my first attempt at celebrity...a few years ago I did a segment on Live at Five for Channel 10. This one should be fun, so if you have a chance, check it out!

The hermit resurfaces

Hello frustrated readers, the Wizard is back from my spontaneous hiatus. I have not posted in a while so I am sure some of you may have been contemplating eliminating my blog from your bookmarks, but if you are reading this it means you have given me one last chance. Don't worry, you will be rewarded for your patience. I have pictures of the nursery ready for your viewing pleasure as well as my feline showstopper Sasha poised to melt your heart by displaying levels of cuteness previously unknown to man! Wifey went to the doctor today and was given a clean bill of health. We are counting down the days until Annabelle's birth and getting really excited. The Fourth of July was fun despite having to go to work for part of it. Wifey was off work that day and went to the pool with Miss Meg. Once I got home I smoked a pork loin and grilled up some corn and potatoes for our dinner. We cuddled up to watch Meet the Fockers and chuckled the night away. Hope your weekend went well and Happy Birthday America!!

How about this for some chic digs? Almost ready....just add baby! 

Doesn't it make you wish you were our baby? Then you could enjoy this crib firsthand. 

I was wondering where the cat was sleeping since his exile from the bedroom...to my surprise I found him here! 

The cat's in the cradle, where's that silver spoon?!