Go out there and find beauty!

October 13, 2013 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 13 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I always feel that I am too busy to stop and take a break and “smell the roses”. Recently, a friend advised me (instead of rushing through my work week and desperately waiting for the weekend) to take at least a few minutes out of each day to look for and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us and to which we are often blind. Enjoy the small moments and make every day count!

Today, I was thinking how I have to finish this and that and how the weekend is not nearly long enough to complete everything I planed, when I remembered my friend’s words: “Go out there and find beauty!” So I did:

2013 To Do List… and some things I dream about

Aside ~ January 19, 2013July 7, 2013 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 9 Comments

Hello friends! I hope everyone had a great start into the New Year. I think of this year as a year of changes and improvements.

My first resolution is to focus more on spiritual as opposed to material. I plan to spend more time doing things I love, things that make me and people around me happy. Inspired by my friend Korena’s post The List, here is what I plan to bake, make and do this year (and not necessarily in this order):

Hungarian Dobos Torte or here

All colors macaroons

Esterhazy Torte

Vacherin framboise et chocolat √

Croissants from the The Bourke Street Bakery, AU √

Baguette from the Bourke Street Bakery

Baked Alaska

Poppy Seed Strudel

Traditional Bosnian corn bread

Poulet chasseur

Bosnian Begova Corba (or Bey’s Soup)

Stuffed Adriatic Squid

Reproduce a master painter piece or this one

Make a child portrait in pastel

Improve my watercolor skills

Paint a large scale painting or a mural

Travel here and here (very possible)

Travel here, here or here (dreaming about)

Explore my surroundings,

et cetera…

I would be happy to hear about your plans! 🙂

Love to you all!

Sibella

Lake Michigan: A day at the Warren Dunes State Park

August 7, 2012August 7, 2012 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 9 Comments

If you ever find yourself in the SW Michigan, take time to visit the area around the Red Arrow Highway, which runs along the Lake Michigan and partly parallel to the I-94. There are numerous, sandy beaches along the way, perfect to spend a day, a two or a week with the family. I consider myself fortunate to be living just about half an hour away and can simply make a day trip to the beach and enjoy all its beauty. This Sunday was just a perfect day to spend at the beach – about 79 F, sunny, clear blue skies, nice breeze and a very warm lake.

Usually first thing we do is climb the Tower Hill – a super tall sand dune, from which top you can see the lake and the surrounding area in its full glory. On a very clear day you can even see the glimpses of the Chicago sky scrapers on the opposite side of the lake. After resting on the top for a few minutes and enjoying the gorgeous view, we run down the hill because that’s the only way you can go down! So much fun! 🙂

Right after that we run into the lake to meet the waves, swim and splash!

The rest of the day we sun tan, play volleyball, cards, watch the seagulls and the kite runners, walk the dunes,…

On our way back home we usually stop by Capozio’s Italian Restaurant, located in the village of Harbert on the Red Arrow Highway. Capozio’s is a small, friendly place with freshly made Italian food, bread and a really great pizza!

So, if your travels ever bring you this way, make sure you stop and enjoy all this beauty!

As the Fall slowly turns into Winter…

November 27, 2011 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 2 Comments

Every time I spend an entire day inside, my mood changes from good to worse. I feel like I’ve missed something, like life is somehow moving without me. Today was starting to be one of those days. The weather was fairly warm for the late November, but the day was gray and it seemed as it will start raining any minute. Our dogs were eager to go out, I could just see it in their pretty eyes and in their postures.

So, we (my children and I) decided to go out for a walk in the park and along the river. Oh, how beautiful this late Fall day turned out to be. It still was gray and cloudy, but just being outdoors, breathing the fresh air, watching the Fall fading and Winter taking over, seeing our dogs genuine, unrestricted happiness, it made a whole difference. A splash of positive energy just came over me and I thought how I often forget to enjoy and appreciate little things… Life is good! Thank you God!