My friend, Amy, always knows how to have fun. She throws the best parties [the food is always amazing] and we always have a great time. She invited me to join her this morning at a new business not far from my house.

This particular Pinot’s Palette is the first franchise in Ohio. After visiting this morning, I can dub this little spot a Community Gem. Aside from the mimosas in the morning, this adventure presented me with a blank canvas and allowed me to make a piece of art.

I also love how social media savvy the business is. They take photos throughout the session and post them on their Facebook page. This one was snapped by the bartender/assistant when we first started our projects. You can see that Amy has been here before and felt comfortable starting her tulips along with the art teacher. I felt more comfortable waiting until I watched her paint an entire tulip before striking out on my own.

I think our finished products were pretty impressive. My husband refuses to allow me to help paint walls [because I am horrible at it] and there were a few moments during the class where I was reminded that painting is not my forte.

But, it was fun.

No pressure. Just listening to 80’s music, chatting with other classmates, and kind of impressing myself with my ability to make my painting look halfway decent.

I will definitely be doing this again. Amy is always up for it and I want to take the girls, my mom & sister and even my nephew if he wants to try. They offer kids’ classes with kid-friendly designs. I think it would be a great way to spend a couple hours on a Saturday.

In addition to the kids’ classes, they also offer date nights. The paintings are complimentary to each other–a city scene background with a man on the edge of one canvas and a woman on the edge of the other–they would look great hanging side-by-side. Not sure if my husband would be game, but if I tell them there is a nice beer or glass of wine involved, he might be willing to give it a go.

Another interesting little twist on the day–my oldest volunteered at a fundraising gala at a local children’s museum tonight. The black tie event required her and her fellow high school volunteers to dress in formal dresses. She is wearing the dress I wore to my senior prom. It is a timeless style and she loved it. I loved seeing her in it [kind of!], but it was bittersweet too.

My schedule was pretty whack today as far as food goes. I didn’t eat anything off my personal Paleo plan, but I didn’t eat when I should have. I decided to give my system a rest and have a green smoothie.

It was so delicious!

I love that the Vitamix can allow me to put anything in it and make a masterpiece.

I started with almond milk then added fresh raspberries and a fresh peach. I sliced 1/4 of a cucumber into the container and then put in frozen spinach. Blended that and then added ice and voila! I forgot that I replenished my ginger supple, but that is something to look forward to tomorrow.

I joined the 30-Day challenge at Simple Green Smoothies. My particular challenge starts in October, but with their super helpful Facebook page, I am going to “practice” this month.

If you decide to join the challenge, be sure to let me know & we can share recipes and ideas. We can also review the recipes that are sent to us from the site. I love sharing ideas and this blog is a fun way to connect with others who