New Jewelry :)

Tonight I had the itch to make some jewelry...so I did! A few weeks ago I bought a bunch of chain at a local bead store because I want to start experimenting with that medium as opposed to just beads. Recently, I have been totally inspired by http://www.maggiegracedesign.com/. This is a girl who went to UGA (Maggie Drake) and then moved to NYC and followed her passion for painting and making jewelry. I am in awe of what she has accomplished and all of her fabulous pieces. (I would not be surprised if we see her stuff in Anthropologie soon!) Below are the two necklaces I made tonight! I'll keep you guys updated on the fun things I am making! I also enrolled in a paint class that starts in June so hopefully I'll start painting more too :)

Philly in a Flash!

This past weekend I went to Philadelphia for wedding and it was so much fun! A couple Joe and I know from Columbus were getting married on Friday @ 4 so I flew up that morning and met Joe and everyone else...since they flew themselves, ha. It was such a great weekend! The wedding ceremony was at an old Catholic cathedral in downtown Philly called Old St. Joseph’s. The church was so pretty and right in the historic district of the city. A cocktail hour and reception followed the ceremony at The Downtown Club...and might I add that the food was AMAZING and NEVER ENDING. The cocktail hour had an open bar and everything under the sun in regards to food. I was so full after an hr of eating and drinking! ha. Following the cocktail hr, we were escorted into a beautiful ballroom for a delicious sit-down meal and TONS of dancing. It was a blast! After the wedding, about 15 of us went and danced the night away (until about 3 AM) at a bar/restaurant called Plough & the Stars right downtown!

Since the wedding was on friday, we had lots of time to play on Saturday. I slept until about noon (ha) and then we met up with the group and for a tour of Independence Hall which was fun. Then Joe and I walked around the city, grabbed a good lunch and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner that night. The bride and groom spent all day with everyone on Saturday and came to dinner with us that night...we went to the same place where they said I love you for the first time! The food was FABULOUS. All in all it was a very fast but very fun weekend. I didnt want to leave :( The city itself is so pretty...feels exactly like NYC but much cleaner and with lots of trees. Lots’ of traveling this month

Quick and Easy Deliciousness

Ok, so I love everything about Gena Knox...her use of all fresh ingredients, her quick and easy gourmet dinner and appetizer recipes, and her simplistic approach to a fabulous and elegant menu :) (I even love her fun website!) I was actually thumbing around on it yesterday (in between work craziness) and stumbled upon this FUN recipe below. I looked at the ingredients and realized I already had almost everything and just needed to pick up the strawberries and avocado. So, tonight I gave it a try and boy am I glad I did! This was so easy to make and the flavors worked so well together...I had to share!! This would be perfect for a summer dinner party or just a simple week night treat. I even think the salsa alone would be delicious with just pita chips! Enjoy :)

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH STRAWBERRY FETA SALSA

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 25 minutes
YIELDS: 4 servings

Ingredients
Salsa

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups fresh strawberries, washed and quartered
1 avocado, diced
½ cup sweet onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Chicken

4 – 6 to 8 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Instructions

FIRST In a medium bowl add strawberries, onion, feta and lime juice, but do not stir; set aside.

NEXT Prepare grill or grill pan to medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and grill for 6 minutes per side or until meat thermometer reads 165° F. Loosely over chicken with foil and let it rest for 5 minutes.

LAST Add chopped avocado to salsa, season with salt and pepper; toss gently. Top chicken with salsa and serve.