Pottery Painting Party & Weekend Snapshots

Hello and Happy Spring!

You can expect to see numerous spring-themed posts surface around here. As a general disclaimer, the sight of blue skies, blooming flowers, and warmth of the sunshine makes me want to do all of the spring things.

I tend to take extra long walks, make a plethora of salads and smoothies, and even move my workouts outdoors when the weather cooperates. I’m basically celebrating the end of winter all day, every day. But, before I get all season happy, let’s back up and chat about the weekend. (It was still a chilly one here in The Mitten.)

Did you do anything exciting? Here’s what we were up to!

 

Paint Your Own Pottery Party: Merge Art Studio

I was looking forward to spending time with friends after work on Friday. There was a girls’ night to get to, and a group of us got together to paint pottery and celebrate Kelly’s birthday.

Alex researched things to do in the Oxford area, and it was the first time any of us had visited Merge Art Studio. We were there to paint our own pottery, but they offer several other services and classes including painting, drawing, crafting, jewelry making, and photography. After looking over the website, I found they also host fitness classes. Pretty neat!

I’m guessing that they set up our party in the fitness studio. Our group of seven had our own table with paint supplies and smocks to protect our clothes from potential messes. (Thank goodness, because I always spill everything.)

They were very gracious about us coming in near closing time, gave us a speaker to be able to play our own music, and even okayed us to bring our own wine.

You can spend as much or as little as you want, depending on what you choose to paint. I selected a bowl that I intend to use for ice cream for $10. (The cost factors in paint and supplies.)

We were painting for less than two hours and had a great time chatting and painting away. It was very relaxing and fun!

Our pieces will be glazed and finished in a permanent gloss, and they will be ready to be picked up in about a week.

The studio is located in a charming store that smells amazing, thanks to the line of soaps and candles for sale in the front. It was so cute!

After we finished our pieces, it was time to meet the guys and head over to dinner. We had reservations at Krus and Muer Roadhouse in Lake Orion, and they easily accommodated our large party with a reservation.

I ate more than my fair share of bread (their loafs smothered in butter and poppy seeds are on point), and I ordered the Chicken Primavera for my entrée.

It was delicious and the harvest pilaf was extra flavorful! I saved some of it for lunch the next day and made sure to leave enough room for dessert. Obviously.

Fun fact … if a restaurant serves any type of sundae or dessert topped in ice cream and fudge, they will most likely serve a scoop or two of just the ice cream and fudge if you ask for it. That hit the spot for sure!

It was fun to get together with friends and enjoy a night of adult painting and conversations. Happy Birthday, Kelly!

 

Saturday

My weekend officially started with a morning of training at the gym. A large coffee powered me through teaching two group classes followed by a 1-on-1 session before 11 a.m.

I planned to do my own workout after that, but I didn’t. It was Saturday, and we had a lot to get done around the house. I know … I’m not doing so awesome in the workout motivation department these days.

We’re moving! I promise to share more information on where as soon as it’s official. Life has been, well, interesting over the past few months and especially over the past few weeks.

All I can say at this point is that we will be in a new city and state before the first week of April is over. I hate to be so vague, but a few job opportunities are still in the works … so if none of them pan out, (an exciting) plan B it is!

We’re crazy. I’m aware. I’ll explain more about our decision to pick up and move very soon. Until then, we’ll be swimming in boxes and bubble wrap. (Thanks again for donating all of this moving supplies, Kelly and Brian!)

 

Sunday

I scored a great Groupon (<- that’s still available!) for yoga classes at Red Lotus Yoga about a month ago. Scott also purchased one for himself, and we thought a Sunday morning yoga session before church sounded perfect. It was.

I heard great things about this studio from my clients at the gym, and I can’t believe it took us this long to try it out. I mean, it’s on my running loop, so it’s not like it takes that much effort to get there.

We were greeted by friendly faces upon our arrival and caught the very last class from a sweet and comical instructor named Katie. It’s a shame that we can’t take her class again!

We signed up for a Slow Flow Vinyasa, and it felt great to slow down, breathe, and stretch for over an hour. We signed up for a Yin class on Wednesday, and I’m looking forward to getting a little more zen in my life. It’s much needed and appreciated.

We spent the remainder of our afternoon going through rooms and packing. The fur kids help as much as they can, you know, if lying on packing materials and jumping into boxes counts for anything.

Our friend, Sarah, came over later on to watch The Passion. They did a fantastic job telling the story in a modern day, musical setting. (In case you missed it, you can watch the full episode online!)

Scott whipped up a batch of bolognese over egg noodles because that is what we have the most of in our pantry. (Random, but great!)

(Lean ground beef, chopped olives, and Italian seasoning in a marinara sauce topped in parsley.)

And just like that, the weekend was over!

I hope you all have a great start to the week. I’ll be back tomorrow with a new workout that I’m putting together to try out this afternoon. Happy Monday!

 

» Linking these Weekend Snapshots up with Erin and Katie.

 

Questions of the Day

• Have you ever painted your own pottery?

• What do you include in your bolognese sauce?

 

I almost always throw spinach, green and red peppers, and mushrooms into mine. I shared the recipe ages ago, but the photography and documentation is awful. I hope to recreate and repost it soon!