Last post here!

I have decided to switch my blog to another provider, Word Press.  It's been real Google!  I hope you all will continue to read my blog at the new address, rosecampbell.wordpress.com.  I will be blogging about our travels from this new Internet home!

Preparations

Are you ready to go on this wild ride with me?  The one where we move across the ocean? That is why you are reading this blog right?  Andiamo!

The fun has only just begun.  We managed to get the kids passport photos taken, which included the bribery of one toddler with one giant cookie.  I don't blame him for not wanting to stand on the overturned milk carton in the middle of a CVS while some guy snapped his photo.  If you think this post sounds like it is laced with sarcasm, you have earned one giant cookie as well.

Why am I feeling sarcastic lately?  While we prepare for this journey, I have had to make numerous trips to the post office because that is where passports for minors are assigned.  I would love it if all post offices were just renamed to more accurately describe what they actually are: the place that every person who does not want to work applies for (and gets) a job.  The workers there are unreal....if eye rolling were an Olympic sport, I would be scouting behind the counters of every post office in America.

Lots of other small details are coming along, but it looks like we will depart at the beginning of September sometime.  I love that there is no exact date yet (again with the sarcasm).  We will be staying until December of this year and then will be home for the holidays (including my 30th birthday...bring it on, I am totally not scared of numbers).  If everything goes well in the first three months we are there, we will return in January to begin our longer stay.

I bought Vance a world map and a dictionary and we have been watching some Italian kids stuff on you tube.  I am hoping he will at least be used to hearing the language by the time we get there and get settled.  Unfortunately the only word he recalls quickly as of now is "dinosauri" which may not get him too far.  BUT he is trying and it is adorable. 

Besides all of our trip preparations, we are trying to enjoy the remainder of our summer and not get too wrapped up in the millions of items on our to-do list.  Call it getting into the Italian state of mind.  I can see already that venturing into a country where the pace is much slower and the quality of life is taken into account more will be good for the soul!

My bandana baby

Starved Rock State Park






Reading on a rainy day

Sitting like a big girl!

Expats in Italy

The lazy days of summer have arrived and are in full force in our home.  Beach mornings, beach evenings, beach potlucks (that's a lot of beach!), camping trips, farmers markets bursting with color, parks, water fights, late walks in the evening while kids snooze in the stroller, and sunshiny goodness.

We were enjoying what we thought to be a normal summer when a huge piece of news came our way.  We are being relocated for a project my husband needs to work on. In ITALY.  TWO FULL YEARS in the land of wine, pizza, mountains, and beautiful dialect!  And we leave in just a few months!  I feel like just writing about it cannot do it justice. The excitement I feel is insurmountable. My children will be bilingual and will know first hand about architecture, history, and culture that otherwise would only be accessible through school books and slide shows (do they even HAVE those anymore?).  We will have the amazing opportunity to travel over much of Europe if we want to. My husband will have a world of career opportunities opening for him after the completion of this project.  As I keep telling Vance, we are going on a huge adventure!

I feel all at once so grateful, ecstatic, scared, and anxious.  Actually, most of the time I feel like it is a weird dream and it is not really going to happen.  The thought of relocating our whole family and moving an ocean away from everyone we hold dear is somewhat boat rocking.  We both know a little Italian but will have to do some major work to understand enough to live there.  There is a lot to be done before we move in a few months. Passports for the kids, relocation details, renting our condo, packing. Blah blah blah. 

I have realized already, now only a few days into the process, that it will be a test of my mindfulness practice. Just like parenting. I don't want to miss a moment of this adventure but the only way to succeed is to remain in the present, letting life unfold as it should in front of me.  We hope to have visitors, friends and family alike, to make the whole journey a richer experience.  We hope to see amazing sights and taste amazing foods. It requires all of our senses to behold these daily miracles that life is giving us. Here's to an amazing adventure for the Campbell's!  I will be blogging and posting pictures here so keep up with our travels and stories if you wish!

Mother's Day

So my Mother's Day weekend didn't start off so great.  On Thursday evening I came down with mastitis, a.k.a. a painful breast infection. I had two and a half days of high fevers, chills, aches, and really painful nursing sessions.  But alas, my fever broke on Saturday night and by Sunday I felt like a new woman...who had just been hit by a truck....well maybe a small SUV.  I am still recovering but being so sick really changed my perspective.

A wise woman I know spoke a few weeks ago about acceptance.  We can accept the situation we are in and make the best of it or we can always head down the negative pathway.  We totally have a choice in the matter and if you have a strong enough awareness you can make a change.  I could have said that this weekend sucked because I had been bed ridden for most of it, looking longingly out the sunny window while my head felt like it was going to explode any second into a fiery meteor.  And when Caroline was nursing I really really wanted to cry because the pain was incredible.  And I had plans to go places and do things!

Instead, I took the positive path.  I nurtured myself and nourished myself.  I ate healing foods.  I got to lay in bed and cuddle with my babies.  I also got to start a book that I have been wanting to read for a while and watched a documentary called "Dying to Have Known" about the Gerson Natural Cancer Therapy.  And on Mother's Day, I felt well enough to bake this amazing grain free Blueberry Breakfast Crumble with Vance in the kitchen.  I also got to relax, take an epsom salt bath and do some restorative yoga.  Basically, my body forced me to make this weekend all about me.  No laundry, no dishes, no diapers.  Just healing.

The mastitis was another blessing in disguise because it showed me that I am not taking care of myself enough.  With two kids to tend to, it is easy to forget that I am a breastfeeding mother who needs ample fluids, rest, and vitamins.  I thought I was doing a good job but obviously my body is upping the standards.  And I intend to meet them.  Happy Mother's Day to all of you beautiful mommas out there!

Words

I unearthed this gem in one of my journals. It is a poem I wrote when I was pregnant and had time to write poetry. I hope to return to that space in my head someday.  Enjoy!


Organically, it happens
Like a seed meeting the sun for the first time,
a poem is illuminated through my mind's light.

It grows.
Curving, twisting, vining,
word by beautiful word.

As a tapestry is woven by a skilled hand,
So my poetry is woven by the God within my soul.
The words on the page are part of me, 
and they know my inner secrets.

A recipe to tickle your taste buds

Sometimes I like to experiment in the kitchen.  Okay, almost every time I cook I experiment....it is basically impossible for me to follow a recipe exactly without adding in my own ideas here and there.  I had a recipe for African Chickpea Stew but didn't have all of the ingredients on hand, so as usual, I started to veer off course.  What happened was the creation of a modified dish that I think is better than the original!

Side note, for the chickpeas I used dried and soaked them in a mixture of vinegar and water overnight before cooking them in the slow cooker the next day.  If you make a big batch of chickpeas, they freeze well so whatever you don't use in the stew can be thrown in the freezer for another time.

Coconut Chickpea Stew

1 onion, diced

3 Tbsp coconut oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch fresh ginger, grated

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt plus more to taste

3/4 cup stewed tomatoes (or 3 fresh tomatoes cut into chunks)

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

2 cups homemade chicken stock (you can make awesome chicken stock in a crock pot, recipe can be found here)

3/4 cup cashew butter or peanut butter

2 cups cooked chickpeas

2 handfuls fresh spinach

Rice, millet, quinoa, or cous cous for serving

Heat coconut oil in large pot over medium heat and add onions to sauté.  Once onions are translucent, add garlic, ginger, and spices including salt and sauté for about a minute, stirring constantly.  Add broth, tomato sauce, and coconut milk and stir to combine.  Allow to simmer for a few minutes.  Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth.  Add chickpeas and simmer for about 5-10 minutes.  Turn of heat and add spinach.  Stir the pot and cover to allow spinach to wilt. Salt to taste and serve over a rice, millet, quinoa, cous cous, etc.

Gone (coco)nuts

My love for coconut started innocently enough, with Almond Joys, Samoas, Piña Coladas...now that my tastes have evolved away from the world of processed foods, I have found about a MILLION more ways to enjoy the food I so cherish.  Baked goods?  Check.  Cooking oil?  Check.  Skin care?  Check.  TOOTH POLISH?  Check.  The Internet is a Pandora's box of ideas for coconut, especially coconut oil.

Apparently, this wonderful food was given a bad image back in the eighties when everyone thought that fat free meant healthy.  Now we know better, right?  Now we know that eating fat doesn't MAKE  you fat, but if you consume the RIGHT fats it actually makes you THIN.  It is also a vital nutrient that your body needs for energy and proper brain function.

 I have been knee deep in the world of the Real Food movement lately (more about that later). It is amazing.  And I have been learning a lot about cooking with this amazing oil.  Vance and I have even started eating it in our morning bowl of oatmeal instead of butter (although that is good for you too).  It adds an awesome flavor and some extra fat that we need to make it to lunchtime.  An added bonus, it can help to keep your teeth healthy and it promotes cardiovascular health!  Below are some links for my fellow coconut lovers.  Jump on the bandwagon with me!  Enjoy!

http://thecoconutmama.com/ 

Everything you ever wanted to know about coconut oil

The Nourished Kitchen.  This is an amazing blog with wonderful Real Food recipes!  This link will take you to her explanation of cooking with coconut flour!