TODAY I'M TWENTY-FOUR

Today is my birthday! When I woke up this morning, I spent a little time trying to see if I "felt" older, but 24 feels a lot like 23. ;) I'm spending today with people I love, some yummy burgers, and sparklers.

TWENTY-FIVE THINGS: MID YEAR CHECKUP

It's the middle of the year and it's time to re-visit my 25 things in 2012 list! I'm excited about some of the things I've done so far and I'm looking forward to accomplishing more things from this list!

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>>> 1. Take the DIY Dress-Up E-Course. -- I've purchased the e-course, but I've yet to start it. I feel like this one has been put on hold due to moving and another move coming up this month! But this is definitely still on my list of things to accomplish! 

>>> 2. Read 3 business//development-related books or e-courses. -- I'm halfway through the Dream Job e-course, but I still have a pile of business books, yet to be read! I've always had a difficult time adding reading time into my routine, but I need to figure out something soon!

>>> 3. Learn to bake French Macarons. -- I bought a Macaron cook book, and I've poured over all of the different recipes. I need to pick up some baking supplies to make them, but once we move and settle in, I'll be SO excited to start. :) 

>>> 4. Start going to bed earlier and waking up earlier on weekdays. -- Check! Jon and I have gotten a lot better about heading to bed around the same time every night and waking up earlier. I'd like to continue working on that routine and eventually wake up even earlier. 

>>> 5. Do project HIS & HERS. -- I've played around with a few ideas for this, but I haven't put it all together yet. This will be a photography project, but I still need to work on defining it. 

>>> 6. Move into our first house//townhome! -- Almost! We are only about three weeks away from the big move and we couldn't be more excited! Follow our condo re-design progress here. :) 

>>> 7. Take 2-year anniversary photos. -- Check! My sweet sister took some shots of Jon and me to celebrate two years of marriage last month. See the post here. 

>>> 8. Pay off 2 of my final 4 student loans. -- Jon and I have been working SO HARD on paying off my student loans. In may, we realized that we have hit our half-way mark! We started off with 10 loans total are are down to 4. We will definitely pay off another this year, and we're hoping to squeeze in one more before the year ends. 

>>> 9. Have at least five Pinterest parties this year. -- So far this year, we've had two Pinterest Parties! Check out the posts here and here. We have plans for another this month, and several more before the end of the year. 

>>> 10. Organize all of our family documents, memories, and MISC paperwork. -- This is a when-we-move-into-our-condo, to do item! 

>>> 11. Attend a marriage retreat with Jon. -- Check! Jon and I attended a getaway at the beginning of the year and loved it. We are hoping to make it a yearly tradition to get away and focus on our marriage. 

>>> 12. Complete first year of 5-year journal. -- Work in progress. 

>>> 13. Become an official member of our church. -- Check! Did this with Jon quite a few months ago. 

>>> 14. Have at least six 7-11's. -- We've had several 7-11's this year. 7-11's are our sometimes monthly get together with close friends. It's been such a special tradition we started when we first got married and we've loved spending time with such a special community here in Atlanta. 

>>> 15. Print and frame wedding photos for our home//make blurb books for our home and for our family. -- Goodness! I NEED to get this done. 

>>> 16. Explore 5 new places in the Atlanta area. -- Check! It's safe to say that I've been to several new places in Atlanta this year. From antique stores to new restaurants, it's been so special discovering how unique the place I live in is. It's definitely helped my "the grass is greener" attitude about Atlanta. 

>>> 17. Take a summer workshop at SCAD. -- This did not happen. Hoping to squeeze in some time of class or workshop this year to make up for it! Maybe I'll take a couple classes from ALT? 

>>> 18. Launch the new re-design of www.MaieDae.com. -- Check! This was such an exciting thing to accomplish this year. It's great to have a professional website and a new logo that we LOVE. See posts about it here and here. 

>>> 19. Go thrifting or antiquing one time each month. -- This has been one of my favorite challenges this year. I've loved finding new shops, scoring amazing treasures and recording it on the blog! See each month so far: JAN, FEB, MARCH, APRIL, MAY, and JUNE. 

>>> 20. Put together special date night calendar with Jon. -- Check! See my date night calendar DIY and post about date nights here. 

>>> 21. Start and develop new Balance series on blog. -- Check! I've been trying to make it a goal to post about balance each month. This is something I'm really passionate about. I love this series and I plan to continue it! See balance series posts here. 

>>> 22. Participate in another craft show. -- Jenny and I have plans to participate in another craft show at the end of the year. It's been so nice to close down the online shop and focus on blogging and our graphic design jobs, but it will be such a treat to be in another show! 

>>> 23. Read the "No Brainer Wardrobe", purge my closet, define my style, and begin to shop more intentionally. -- Check! I really enjoyed reading through this e-course and slimming down my closet. I definitly suggest reading the "No Brainer Wardrobe"!  

>>> 24. Create an organized dinner menu with easy//healthier recipe options. -- While we've been eating healthier and trying new things we haven't developed a dinner menu yet! I'd like to do this when we move. 

>>> 25. Make artwork with our wedding vows. -- Haven't done this yet! But I'm looking forward to making something special from our vows. 

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I'm feeling good about my progress! It's been a fantastic year so far. :) 

SNAPSHOTS: TYBEE ISLAND

After the visit with our precious new niece, Jon and I took a little detour and met up with my family at Tybee Island. We spent half of Monday and half of Tuesday there playing at the beach, resting, chatting, and enjoying the salty breeze. The whole family was there, including my brother's girlfriend, Jessie, and my sister's boyfriend, Jacob. Both of whom I'm huge fans of. Us Jones kids seem to have a thing for "J's". ;)

My brother also celebrated his 20th birthday there! Since we had to leave Tuesday, we did the birthday song and cake time before heading out, but Ian is a 4th of July baby, so he celebrated 20 years under the fireworks. I love my sweet family. We are quirky, but we love each other to pieces.

On the day of the 4th, I met up with Jenny for the 1st time since her wedding and caught up on all the happenings of newly married life. Later, we met up with Kate and got lunch at a quaint little restaurant in Atlanta called, Sun in my Belly. So good! Later that evening, we met up with friends, ate burgers and told stories in the cozy living room of the Highsmith's. 

I dearly love my family and friends. 

PROJECT CONDO: DINING ROOM ART WALL

Only 25 more days until we make the big move to our new condo! I've been collecting boxes from work so we can start some of our packing this week. I'm also excited about my first official purchase for the dining room makeover! Last week, the chandelier I wanted went on sale, so I snagged it up and saved 20%! It's on back-order, so I'll probably get it by mid-July, which will be perfect timing for our move. :)

As mentioned in this post and this post, we are keeping our focus on the dining room first and working to complete the decorating there, before working on any other rooms. One of the features I would love to have in the dining room is an art wall to offset the neutral pieces and add in the touch of color. I've already been collecting a few pieces to hang, but have been trying to put together a good collection of art that looks great as a whole. Here are a couple pieces I'm thinking about for the dining room:

1// Home Sweet Home - I'd like some type of "Home Sweet Home" print, maybe a little different from this?? I like the coloring in this one and I think it comes in a small size which would be good to offset some of the larger pieces.

2// Strong Beautiful Brave - I've found myself drawn to artwork with some type of typography in them. I think they just feel more moving to me. I've been a fan of Nan Lawson's work for sometime and I loved the beautiful blue in this piece.

3// Yes Ma'am - I currently have this print. I've been in love with Jordan's artwork since I met her last year at Indie Craft Parade. She made custom paper dolls of Jon and me awhile back, and I just had to pick up this print. I love the color and contrast in this piece.

4// I Love My Family - This piece is just beautiful. I love the words and simpleness of it.

5// The Lovers - Another print by Beauchamping. I also like that it's simple and the heartbeat creates a really nice graphical element.

6// Lightening Bolt - I haven't found this piece for sale, but I think it would be fun to DIY a couple simple patterns in gold to go with the art cluster.

7// Quilted Fox - I also have this piece, I'm not sure if I'll end up putting it in the dining room, but I kinda like how it looks with the blue and peachy piece.

Once I get there I'll probably have to lay everything out and play around with the order to find the right feng shui for the art wall. ;) What are some of your favorite pieces of art? I'd love to hear your suggestions. I'm always on the lookout for great art. :)