{Pretty, Funny, Happy, Real} 3

{Pretty}

My Penguin Drop Caps collection. Normally I alphabetize my books by author within genre, but these are designed to be displayed together. I just love the spot of color they add to the shelf and my living room. 

{Happy}

Homemade Pizza for St. Dominic's Day. I really don't eat pizza anymore, but I felt the urge to do it last week, and this is pretty healthy, all things considered. No grease, for starters! And deliciously summery. 

{Real}

The weekly planning, which I do on Saturday. Since I teach CCD on Sundays (we start in two weeks, yikes!), I don't like to do weekly planning then, because I'm beat. So Saturday is my day for weekly planning, grocery list making, and meal deciding. 

(No funny this week--I got nothing!) 

{Pretty, Funny, Happy, Real} 2

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

{Pretty}

So, if you've ever been to Columbus, you've probably heard of German Village. If you haven't, now you have! Essentially, it's an area directly south of downtown that was home to many of the city's German settlers in the 19th century. Thanks to preservation efforts, many of the original buildings and infrastructure have been preserved (like that brick sidewalk--but be careful!), making it an adorable part of town, but also one that is a great combination of restaurants, shops, and residences. 

Recently, the weather has been perfect--maybe 80 for a high--so I've gone to the coffee shop on German Village's "main drag" and done my writing and reading there (much of today's Emma post was written with this view in front of me!). It's lovely really any time of year (except winter. Winter on cobblestones? Not good.), but when the weather is perfect, it's sort of magical. 

{Funny}

So while I was writing, a young woman (probably college age) came by with this adorable dog. She wanted to pop into the shop to get a coffee. "Do you mind if I tie my dog up here?"

"Nope!"

So I had a little friend for a few minutes while her owner got her coffee. People passing by loved her and thought she was mine, which, as we know, she is not--but she was super cute. 

{Happy}

Last weekend was the annual Irish Festival held in the suburb of Dublin. I don't go every year, but this year the weather was too perfect to miss it. So I drove up and treated myself to some Irish music, dance, and general culture (and yummy food). The second photo from the right is of the amazing group Cassie and Maggie MacDonald--if you like Celtic music, check them out. 

And the giant bug? That's Stinger, the Blue Jackets' (our NHL team) mascot. He was distributing St. Patrick's Day themed Blue Jackets t-shirts and getting us excited about the upcoming season. 

My planning list for a dinner party I threw on Monday, complete with mail and notes on the back of envelopes. Eventually, this table was cleared off, dusted, and polished....but not when this photo was taken!