We have an incentive to finish because . . . IT'S OFFICIAL!

Although it has been a while since I posted, it wasn't because there wasn't a lot going on in the Dooley house.  The last weeks of March and April were consumed with taxes (the joy of being an CPA's wife), and since then we have kept the roads hot on a few mini-vacations to Grove Park Inn, Islamorada, Key West, Hilton Head, Isle of Palms, Charlotte, Concord, and Edisto.  Wow, just typing all those places makes me tired.  We also made time to celebrate our 5 year anniversary, attend my 10 year high school reunion, celebrate my mother-in-law's Ph.D. hooding (that was pretty impressive), and plan and attend 2011 Lexington Wine Walk.  During all of this, we managed to squeeze in a few days to work on the Cottontown renovation. 

That brings me to the title to this post . . . IT'S OFFICIAL! 

• It's official . . . the Cottontown Conversion is officially FOR SALE (see the most recent picture below- more details to follow).   
• It's official . . . the Gamecocks are the National Champs again!  
• It's official . . . it is summer in South Carolina and it is brutally hot outside!   
• It's official . . . we are ADOPTING!

Yes, you heard that last announcement right; Rod and I are adopting a child through Bethany Christian Services.  This is what we have been working on the past few months.  Although it has been a lot of work, we know the end result will be the ultimate reward.  As of last Wednesday, we are OFFICIALLY waiting!  This basically means we have completed all of our paperwork and we are approved.  The average wait time is about a year.  We are so excited and can't wait to see what baby the Lord has chosen for us.  We have lots we want to share with everyone and I will be starting another blog to keep up with our journey! 

Here are a few of the pictures we had taken to put in our adoption profile book.

Thank you so much Brantley, Richard, and All Dressed Up Photography for the pictures.  You are the best! 

Here is a recent picture of the Cottontown Conversion. 

FOR SALE BY OWNER

Lots more to come!  

Rules are for Parents . . .

Rules are for parents to enforce, well that is my opinion when I keep my niece.  Rilee stayed with us last night.  I decided that we didn't have to abide by the rules.  We had dessert (Coldstone chocolate ice cream with sprinkles) before dinner, and then we went to Moes for dinner.

We got home around 9:00 and instead of going to bed we decided to paint.  I am working on painting the furniture for the master bedroom at Cottontown.  I gave Rilee a canvas and let her paint it. 

This is Rilee posing by the headboard I am painting for the master bedroom.  Note the bow and the pink socks, she insisted we put the bow in her hair for the picture and that she wear PINK socks.  

Rilee informed me that she was an artist AND a designer. 

Look at the finished product.  She did this all by herself!  I love it! 

Stay turned for how my Cottontown furniture project turns out! 

 

When does a house become a home?

I don't know the exact answer to this, but I would say it has to be pretty close to being a home when you can have dinner there, watch tv, spend the night, take a shower, get ready for church, and last but not least search the web. 

This week we spent our first night in Cottontown.  We actually spent most of the weekend there.  I told Rod this morning I felt like I had a vacation house.  I can't explain why, but it was so refreshing and relaxing.

However, we (or really just Rod) did spend a lot of the time there working.  We had a pretty successful weekend. 

Stove Wired and In
Outlet Covers Finished on Back Splash
Outside Painting (getting close to being done)
Master bath cleaned and in use
Floors mopped
Flooring Vents In
and the list goes on and on and on . . .

This weekend I started doing what I have been so anxious to do this whole time . . . DECORATING!  We decided to stage a few rooms, so I have been thinking and planning for a while. 

Rod had to wire the outlets and then cover each individual outlet cover with the matching material from the back splash.  They turned out great, but it could have been a disaster, as he realized AFTER he was finished that the wires were live.  Thankfully we avoided disaster- just a minor shock.  I don't think he will be playing electrician anytime soon. 

I am learning that little things that go unnoticed take a LONG time.  I spent some time putting new vent covers on the vents. 

The master bath was as a master bath this weekend.  As you can see, we still need a vent cover and globes for the lights. 



This is the shelf Rod built in the Master bath for storage.  Rod cut into the existing Sheetrock to add this "nook" to maximize the space.  Pretty creative, I must say. 

I have added a rug (that we weren't using at home) to the office.  Desk and shelf to come soon. 

This is a sneak peak of the Master Bedroom.  I am working on painting some furniture this room.  Stay tuned for the finished project. 

The weather was absolutely beautiful today.  After church, Rod spent the rest of his day painting outside.  Remember what the back of the house looked like before . . .

This is what it looks like today!  Deck and landscaping still to come.

While Rod painted, Sadie and I spent some time soaking up the sun.  A Starbucks coffee and an IPad make for a Sunday Funday. 

Our day ended with a crash, literally.  Rod removed the grids from the backdoor so I could spray paint the grids, and a little while later the glass came crashing out of the door.  Oops!

Until next time,

Jewitte



We are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. . .

The house is really coming together.  We are getting excited!

We finished the back splash today.

I can't believe a few months ago the kitchen looked like this.  

We have new doors leading from the kitchen to the back porch.  Look closely, we had the whole family with us today. 

Rod has decided to paint the exterior window trim RED.  I think I like it, but haven't decided for sure.  What do you think?

We have all new interior doors and hardware. 

This is the only picture I have of the old doors. 

Until next time! 

Lights, Camera, Action!

Okay, Okay, I know.  I have been a terrible blogger.  The past two months have been very busy with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.  As if that wasn't enough, we have been to Seattle and Portland, the SEC Championship, GA to see Family, and the Chick-fil-A Bowl.  I guess it goes without saying our time would have been better spent working on Cottontown than traveling with the Gamecocks.  However, the house has undergone some major changes.  These are just a few pictures to give you an brief update. 

We have lights . . .  that turn on!  This is the light in the living room. 

The Kitchen

BEFORE

(remember this)

                                                             I had to prove that I do work!

AFTER

The Kitchen!  Countertops- St. Ceilia Granite; Cabinets- Custom Maple Cabinets; Stainless Vent Hood.  Please ignore the light fixtures in this picture.  We are not happy with the lights.  It looks a little to "beadazeled" to me. 

The NEW Hall- A Rod Dooley Creation

Rod literally designed and built this hall. 

Starting with the studs . . .

Look at this Trim Work.  He's talented. 

Notice the bead board.  A Rod Signature.  We would put it everywhere if I would let him. 

The Bedrooms

Before



AFTER

4 Bedrooms, New Windows, Fresh Paint, New Doors, Ceiling Fans 

Bathrooms

2 Full Baths and 1 Half Bath (not pictured)

BEFORE

AFTER

Many more updates to come!

Happy New Year!  We are excited about 2011!

And On The Seventh Day He (We) Rested . . .

Well as much as you can in the Dooley house.  After working many hours at Cottontown the past week, we (really I) decided we needed a break on Sunday.  Here is our week in review:

Monday:  Worked at Cottontown after work from 6-8:30 painting ceilings, installing doors, ect.
Tuesday:  The same as Monday night.
Wednesday:  Remember the last blog post.  Took Rilee with us to pick up everything from Home Depot.
Thursday:  Worked at Cottontown until 8:00 unloading all the Home Depot goods. 
Friday:  Picked up the final bit of stuff from Home Depot.  I don't know who was more relieved us or the HD staff. 
Saturday:  Worked at Cottontown from 10-4, painting, painting, and more painting. 

You get the point.  It was a LONG week, and I really needed a break.  Don't get me wrong we didn't rest by sitting on the couch and watching television, we had an action packed weekend. 

We attended 8:30 service at St. Stephen's Lutheran on Sunday.  Since Rod and I got married, we have been searching for the perfect church, and a couple of months ago we found it.  We visited churches, but couldn't find the perfect church for our WHOLE family.  Well, that is until we found St. Stephen's.  You see, we wanted a church that had activities for our WHOLE family, me, Rod and our first born, Sadie the bulldog, so when we found out St. Stephen's had a Blessing of the Animals we knew it was the right place for us. 

All jokes aside, we love St. Stephen's and officially joined the church this summer.  Yesterday was the annual Blessing of the Animals. 

About 30 dogs and their owners attended the afternoon service outside on the church lawn.  We had a small service and each animal received a blessing.

 
I realized during the event that our dog honestly does not know she is a DOG.  There was another bulldog there, but Sadie wouldn't even acknowledge him, and she definitely wouldn't cooperate for a picture.  If her picture cooperation is any indication of what it is going to be like when we have children, I may as well leave the camera at home. 

Although there was a lack of cooperation for pictures, Sadie was blessed, and it was a fun event. 

After church and before the Blessing of the Animals, we worked in the yard at our "primary" home.  It was in need of some serious TLC, as it has been neglected since the purchase of Cottontown.

I have to give a shout out to my FIL, Keith Dooley, for graciously cutting our grass.  Thanks! 

Grass cut - check; Pumpkins out- check; Pine straw added- check; Planters planted for Fall/Winter- check; Bushes Pruned- check; Porches cleaned- checked. 

I managed to escape inside for about thirty minutes (to play on Facebook), and I returned to find this . . .  

Rod used some old bricks he had to build a border around this flower bed.  Seriously, he NEVER stops. 

After all that, we attended a charity function in Columbia for Palmetto Place.  It was a great event for an even better cause.  I think we hit the sack around 9:00 P.M.  Well, on the seventh day he (we) rested from Cottontown I guess. 


For your viewing pleasure, here are a few more shots I took of our precious bulldog.  (Note the Gamecock Collar, she is no fair-weather fan.)   

Jewitte