5 Things I am Planning to Do this Weekend

We  all have times in our lives when we just have too much stuff going on.
Last week was one of the most stressful weeks I've had to deal with in awhile. My schedule was insanely busy - not to mention the lack of sleep. So I am really grateful for the weekend to refuel...

Strawberry Pavlova

There's nothing quite like making a scrumptious dessert, especially one as...

Five Things Tuesday

There's nothing more peaceful and relaxing than the soft glow of candle light.

Hello everybody! Hope your week is going well. Spring is coming, and I'm so looking forward to warm sunshine, blooming flowers and long walks in the countryside.
Have a great day! xx

Farewell to winter!

English Cottage in Devon.

 'A cottage is the only form of building  in which happiness is attainable,' Jane Austen declares in Sense and Sensibility.

Macarons anyone?

Here's the recipe for macarons.

The Best French Toast Ever

French Toast. 

If you're in the mood for something a little sweet, this is your treat! 

A very easy and tasty recipe-quite possibly the best recipe for French toast out there!
Not only that, but...

Molten Chocolate Cake

Molten Chocolate Cake. {Chocolate Lava Cake.}

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and doing something fun this Valentine's Day weekend.

We wanted to bake something for Valentine's Day and...

Five Things Tuesday

You're never too young or too old to try something new. 

Mozart was only five when he became competent on the violin, and...

Hello 2015!

Happy New Year!! Welcome back from the holidays! Hope you had a great, relaxing time. I wish all of you the best for 2015.

It's that time of year-one where we're all looking for New Year's resolutions. Every January, people like to make resolutions for the next 365 days or so. I don't make resolutions anymore (I'm a bit of an under achiever when it comes to making resolutions...hehe) but this year I've decided to make some goals for myself.

So. Here's my list of big and small goals this year:

Five Things Tuesday

Early morning in the mountains.

I often ask myself: "Why isn't this world a better place? "This isn't how life's supposed to be." But these inspirational words by Leo Buscaglia always help keep me grounded.

Don't spend your precious time asking "Why isn't the world a better place?" It will only be time wasted. The question to ask is "How can I make it better?" To that there is an answer.

Have a wonderful day! xx

Autumn leaves. So fragile, so beautiful.

Morning coffee. {My house has been a kind of messy lately. I hope you don't mind!;)}

November roses.

Friday's desserts. {Layered Vanilla Pudding with crushed chocolate wafer cookies, topped with chocolate ganache.}

How to make roses from maple leaves.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Happy Halloween!! Have fun dressing up, getting candy, and getting...

Five Things Tuesday

A random girl on the street. I love her skirt! 

Hey there, hope everyone had a great weekend.

A statement piece can transform a plain living space into a cozy living room. Zara Home Accessories: Metal and wood world globe/Decorative animal figure. 

Squash season. Winter squash is more than just pumpkins. Valued as a nourishing convenience food long before freezers came along, squashes will store for three months or more, bringing a splash of colour to the kitchen or wherever you like, and will last well once cut. Squash anyone?

Love this soup. Clearly, I'm on a soup binge right now. 

French Macaron. How delicate do these guys look. I think macarons are one of the cutest treats around. I love their pastel colours.

St. James's Park, London, England in the fall.

St. James's Park is the oldest Royal Park in the City of Westminster, central London and one of the city's most desirable walking locations.

Hope your week is off to a good start. Have a great Tuesday! xx

Five Things Tuesday

Lacoste Playground  Magazine.

Well hello there! Hope your week is off to a good start

I've been a magazine lover all my life. I love magazines that are really creative and artistic in their visual style. I definitely enjoy the layout, content and images of my favourite magazines. I love art magazines, interior design magazines, photography magazines, and food magazines. I can't imagine not having certain magazines to hold and smell...
In this digital age print media still matters. I strongly believe there will always be a place for print media.

One of my favourite quotes. I need to keep reminding myself of that.

Hyde Park. One of the Royal Parks of London, UK.

Don't mess with my morning coffee!

Chocolate Chip Muffins. Looking forward to making these. Yum!

P.S. On Positive.
Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.
Joseph Campbell

Sprinkle it On...

Everything, (well almost everything) is better with sprinkles on it. They are an excellent topper to pretty much anything.

Put some sprinkles on ice-cream cones or...

Summer Faves

Morning walks to look for...

Fresh and Lovely!

Sweet as a cherry.

Be bold. Brighten up your life. Wear your best smile. Live with passion.

Enjoy your day! xx

Comments Off

Sweet Treats

Strawberry Creme Torte.

I guess everyone needs a sweet treat every now and then. The month of May is literally Strawberry Month.
The perfect time to treat yourself and your loved ones with strawberries.

Hope everyone's having a delightful day! xx

P.S. 20 irresistible Strawberry Recipes .

Comments Off

Simple Little Pleasures + Have a Fun Weekend!

Sometimes you just want to sit and watch the sunrise.

Watching seagulls flying against the wind.

It seems like my whole life has become about the little things and I am...

Easy Chocolate Cake

This cake is quick and easy to make and fun to eat. It's simple, yet utterly delicious. It is probably...

A Glimpse of Paris

The Eiffel Tower. 

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous structures in the world. This magnificent structure is an iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris.
It was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.

Read on and enjoy a range of interesting information about the Eiffel Tower .

Cinnamon Palmiers.

A palmier or elephant ear is a French pastry in a palm shape or a butterfly shape. Delicious!

How to make Cinnamon Palmiers .

Chicken Cordon Bleu...the easy way! No flower mixture, no egg mixture, no bread crumbs but it did taste as good as the traditional version.

The Chicken Cordon Bleu, a classic French dish, is meat with prosciutto ham and cheese filling, that's rich and tasty.

How to make authentic Chicken Cordon Bleu .

I was dreaming about Paris yesterday; would love to frolic around that lovely city today. I know that people often say that Paris is a fabulous city to get lost in...We do love Paris but France is more than just Paris!

Do you like French food? Have you ever tried any of these?

Hope you have a great weekend! xx

(Top photo by Joey Zanotti via Everything You Love To Hate)

Blogging Notes

As most of you already know, here on CAD I post, one blog post per week and I'm fine with that. One post per week is the perfect balance for me, at least for the time being. I just gave up trying to post every day because it is too hard and sometimes real life has to come first.
I applaud people who can post everyday. I just can't. I tried to, but I was physically exhausted.

Gosh, things have been crazy over here. I've been so busy with work lately. I feel overloaded and I often have to work late to hit the deadlines. So today, I got the bright idea to write a quick and easy post and share some recent photos that I feel...

Flowers, Quotes, Cookies and...Randomness

White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies have always been high on my list. 

I thought I'd treat you to a bit of a random post today...positive randomness I love. 

Summer memories never fade away...

I grow herbs in small pots outside my kitchen. They stay neighborhood cat free...they don't have much to do with them!

{Photo of Bruges taken on my Brussels trip three years ago. Bruges is a charming little town in Belgium.}

{It really feels like Fall outside!}

{Be the person your dog thinks you are.}

I firmly believe that it's really useful to get exposed to randomness from time to time...try new things, travel, talk to people, search for new friends. The more we are exposed to randomness (and take the opportunity), the wider our perspective becomes and the more confident about our own ability to deal with life's challenges we become.
All too often, I found myself spending more time exploring the unknown, thinking, exposing myself to interesting things, taking in new experiences. Somehow randomness fires inspiration. Eventually.

I'd love to hear, do you seek out randomness to stay stimulated? Or do you tend to go the routine route?

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! xx

P.S. I've finally reached the fifth step today. Yipee!