The Clock is a Tickin`...

Well, the clock is ticking.  Summer is almost here and we are busy trying to get all our preparations underway.  We have been blown away by the support we are receiving from so many people.  People are excited for us, and have encouraged us in what we are doing, and we constantly feel God verifying to us that this is what we should be doing this Summer.  Doesn`t mean it won`t come with roadbumps, but  we are excited to see what He has in store for us this Summer!

I`ve been working at getting the trailer ready.  My curtains are beyond crooked and not hemmed, but hey, it`s a trailer. :)

I also put this bumper sticker on the side of our trailer that I got from another blogger who travels fulltime with her four girls.  You can find her at www.sparklingadventures.com .

I`ve also been working on my tie dye as I have a few shows coming up before we leave, and possibly one on the road.

Our last few weeks before we head out are also filled with doctor`s appointments for our little guy.  We just discovered that Silas has a vitamin B12 deficiency.  Right now we are in the process of trying to find the cause of it.  We have blood tests, ultrasounds, allergy appointments, etc.  in the next couple weeks.  Please keep us in prayer that we get all the answers we need before we leave.

I want to leave you with a link to Ann Voskamp`s site.  Right now she is in Uganda with Compassion Canada.  Her posts really speak to my heart.  Eventually I hope to go overseas with our family when the time is right for some mission trips in the Summer.  I find she has me thinking a lot about how much I have and how I need to be sharing more of my resources.  You can read her post at www.aholyexperience.com.

Thanks so much for following our journey! :)

Summer Dreams....

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour.  Catch the trade winds in the sails.  Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain


For a couple years now, Sam and I have been dreaming of travelling.  We came across some amazing blogs of other families who were travelling, and were intrigued.

This past Spring we purchased this:

(Do you see that tie dye cushion peering out of the window?  Yep, we are 'hippi-fying' the trailer!  Pictures to come!)




I have named it "The Dandelion."   We have been busy working on our little dandelion.  Sam, our three little munchkins, and I will be taking it on a 6 week adventure this Summer.  We will be going to Northern Ontario, Manitoba, and a minor stop in the US.  Our adventures will consist of volunteering at a Bible camp, WWOOFing (more about this in later posts), and of course, some visiting and sightseeing in between!

I haven't done much travelling in my lifetime, and I have been dreaming of going to British Columbia.  However, with three small children and this being our first trip, we decided to not travel SO far (although still far, just not AS far....) as we test the waters.

What does that mean for us come Fall?  Well, we come back, park our little trailer, and get back to work!  Sam will be hoping to teach piano a lot more.  I have recently started a tie dye business, called BEAUTY FROM ASHES. I will be working at some local festivals this Summer before we leave and am beyond excited!

Is this is a risk? You bet.  But over the past almost 4 years of living in our current home and location we have come to realize just how blessed we are, and just how much "upgrading" in material possessions is over-rated.  We can make lots of money, and have no time for making memories.  Sam and I have discovered a lot about ourselves over the past few years, one being that are personalities are very much wired for exploring and adventure.  Anyone who knows us personally knows our kids are happiest when they are outside burning insane amounts of energy.  God knew what he was doing when he put our family together!

I plan to update this blog as we travel this Summer so if you'd like to stay up to date on our travels, please check back or type in our email address in the sidebar on the right to receive our updates to your email.  Please keep us in prayer too...as exciting as our Summer is looking, we know it will not be without road bumps and challenges along the way.

Chi-chi-chi-chia!!!

There are many things that make me happy....chia pudding parfaits are one of them.

You know those chia pets back in the day..turns out those seeds for actually beneficial for our health..and also that when you add them to a liquid substance they get all gel-like...

I`m so not the measuring type.  So, basically, I threw in, like, maybe half a cup of chia seeds to 2 cups of coconut milk.  That`s a total guess.  Then I threw in some honey, and cinnamon.  I got out a nice fancy glass, threw in some bananas with the pudding and topped it off with some dark chocolate covered cacao nibs.  Basically, my new love.

Okay, let`s be honest here...there is NO WAY I served this delicious treat to my kids in this glass.  Nope, they got some hearty plastic while I felt all classy with my wine glass.

The Sandwich-less Life

I don't know about you, but as a mom of three small kids, sandwiches make my life so much easier.  I mean,  what is your childhood without PB & Js??  Don't know what to make for lunch?  Use bread.  Need a snack? Use bread.

However, a few weeks ago I gave up bread.  Wheat gives me some awful migraines, and I have given it up off and on over the years, but it always woos me back, much to my regret.  I'm really trying to break up with wheat longterm this time.  And while my kids still eat bread, i'm trying to reduce the amount they are eating.

So what's a woman to do without her go-to sandwiches?  Enter, the sprouted corn-wrap.  I LOVE these things.  You can put anything on them.  Today, I decided for a mexican flavor:

Salsa, avocados and yellow peppers.  Yummy!  you could use whatever you wanted on these.  I find these wraps in the frozen health food sections in grocery stores.   This is a nice, quick and healthy meal that is easy to assemble when you have three kids all screaming sweetly calling for your attention at once.

A Perfect Winter Day...

Winter has been wearing on me.  I want to feel the sunshine.  I want to make sun tea.  I want to walk out back and feel the grass on my feet.  I want to stop wearing socks.

However, every once in awhile, God blesses us with a perfect winter day.  The type where you can't help but be in awe of His creation.  The way the snow sits just perfectly on everything it touches...

Not only did the snow look gorgeous, but we caught a glimpse of some young Amish boys out for an early morning ride.  The way they live so simply is inspiring.

Days like this make winter actually enjoyable.  But...I'm still eager for Spring's arrival! :)

Raw Vegan Steamer

So, ever since I discovered that hot chocolate I wrote about in my last post, I've been drinking it...a lot.  Today, the desire to have one was strong.  So imagine my heart shattering into a million pieces on the floor when I discovered I was out of cocoa.

Of course, I decided that my husband coming home to a wife going ballistic over being all out of cocoa might fall into the category of "irrational anger" so I decided to calm myself down and figure something else out.  (It was the kids' lucky day - they were out at a friend's house while their mama was having a serious chocolate withdrawal. ;) )

I came up with this:  A nice raw vegan coconut milk steamer.

COMFORT IN A GLASS!

RAW VEGAN COCONUT MILK STEAMER

1 1/2 cups of coconut milk

6 dates

dash of cinnamon

dash of vanilla

Stir this baby up in the blender.  If you have a vitamix you can warm it up right in the blender.  If not, warm it up any way that suits your fancy!

Raw Vegan Hot Chocolate

My family and I, we've managed to make it through January without getting the "blues". And we've made it half way through February.  But, the winter blues have finally gotten a hold of us in the Carew household.

Any of you who struggle with this know that our kids depend on us to keep going, even if we feel like crawling into bed for the rest of the day. There is a chance my kids could struggle with the winter blues one day, and I want to teach them to try and not let it get the best of them.  So, when I woke up this morning feeling "blah", i let myself lay on the living room floor for 15 minutes, and then I made myself get up, take a shower, and attempt to be a good mom today. :)  I managed to be successful, setting up some painting with the kids, and spending a lot of time in the kitchen making delicious, healthy and yummy food.

Of course, when you are feeling down, a little chocolate is always a good thing! I made sure to make some raw vegan hot chocolate.  This was AMAZING!  My kids loved it! :)

Raw Vegan Hot Chocolate

2 cups homemade coconut milk

5 dried dates

a sprinkle of cinnamon

a dash of vanilla

2 TBSP of unsweetened cocoa

Throw it in the blender, let it do it's thing.  

This is where i learned that the Vitamix was the best purchase ever and totally worth the money.  I didn't have to heat up this hot chocolate on the stove.  I let it run a few minutes in the vitamix and it was nice and warm from all that blending.  I love my vitamix almost as much as I love the man who gave it to me. :)

And yes, i've discovered how to make my own homemade coconut milk...just dried coconut and hot water,and a nut bag or cheesecloth to strain it.  Who knew it was so easy?  

Okay, i've got to end this post because if i stay on this page much longer i am going to want to make myself this hot chocolate again, and i'd like to try and wait at least until tomorrow for another mugful. ;)