experimenting

It all started on Friday.

On pinterest.

Pinterest is dangerous.  BUT I also found it extremely educational, if only for reminding me of what I already know.  For instance - oil and water do not mix.  Oil is dissolved by oil.

And then a very interesting post changed my outlook on skincare.

I should also preface this with the numerous article titles I have been reading from Dr. Mercola about how the cleansing products we use are terrible for us - full of parabens and sulfates and how they are toxic to us.

I saw a post about the Oil Cleansing Method.  I clicked on it thinking it was a touch crazy.  My face is oily enough already!  And it's sensitive.  And my nose is covered in black heads and pores so large you could store loose change in them.  (that is an indirect quote from a movie.  can you guess?)  But it is claimed that the type of oil you use makes the difference and will cleanse your face as well as moisturize it naturally, all the while taking care of breakouts and, I imagine, delay wrinkles since you're replenishing the skin.  (that last bit I made up and have no idea if it's true.)

The site I came across is from a blog called Simple Mom and she explains how to create an oil cleanser at home using castor oil and EVOO, using more castor oil for oilier skin as it is the "cleansing oil".  The site I referenced in the above paragraph suggests castor oil and sunflower seed oil.  Anyway, I got very excited and started loading my amazon cart with oils.  Then I had a thought.

Have you heard of Dr. Bonner's 18-in-1 miracle soap?  I happened to have some from a long time ago.  I use it to wash my make up brushes.  I trotted to the bathroom and scanned the ingredients.

Water
Hempseed oil
Jojoba Oil
a bunch of other oils, including essential oils.  The "flavor" I had was peppermint.

Here I had an oil based, vegetarian, all natural soap in my midst and never realized it.  So, I thought to myself, I might as well give it a try before I go crazy on amazon.  (I would have just gone to a health food store if we had lived in the states.)  Oh, and by the way, I'm not vegetarian.  But I believe non-refined (cold pressed) vegetarian oils are much preferred for skin care as opposed to animal based oils.  Nowhere in my research did I find anyone slathering bacon grease on their face.

I rubbed it on.  I got a washcloth nice and warm with hot water.  I put it on my face and let it steam for a minute.  I rubbed the soap off.  I did not scrub.  (I still fight the urge to scrub.)

And my face immediately looked AMAZING.  The pores on my nose were noticeably smaller.  I did without moisturizer for the day and my skin reacted no differently.  As in, yes, it got a bit shiny during the day, but no more than when I was using commercial cleansers.  In fact, maybe even less so.  After a few days of use, my skin was actually getting *drier*, not oilier.  I think the oils used in the soap aren't really face specific, so I will be ordering some castor and sunflower seed oils to make my own cleanser.  Someone also mentioned using witch hazel as a clarifier as well.  Turns out, I have some JASON brand tea tree oil gel with witch hazel in it.  I stopped using it because it was so drying.  But then I used it last night and I think I really like it.  Turns out I was just overstripping my skin of it's natural oils using water and chemicals.

That's when I got really excited.  I used my Dr. Bonners for body wash too.  (The peppermint "flavor" was quite tingly.  Especially in sensitive areas.  I'm ordering Lavender and Almond flavors next.)  I didn't use lotion.  I have terribly dry shoulders (I think it's a kind of eczema as it gets worse when the eczema on my hands flares up) and I used a pea size amount of olive oil - just straight out of my kitchen cupboard EVOO - on my shoulder skin.  It has never felt better.  (EVOO is pH neutral like the skin, so I read.)

(I have also dabbed a bit on my face as well for moisture when necessary, which has been rare.  I'm shocked at well it works.  it makes my face all dewy looking too.)

I threw 1/4 C of the Dr. Bonner's into the wash when I washed the sheets.  John had had a scab on his arm that he peeled away and proceed to leave blood stains on my sheets.  This soap got it out and left everything smelling minty!  Less that a week later and my 1/4 bottle that I had had forever is nearly gone.  I was thinking I was going to use it for EVERYTHING and simplify my life so much.  Especially with travel!  Just one bottle!

I even used it for shampoo.  This part I was not as big a fan of.  I may have used too much, or not enough...I'm not sure.  It cleaned my hair.   But it made it feel very thick and "piece-y".  I understand that look was in once.  And then it got static-y.  I cannot stand static-y hair.  It's annoying and plasters itself on my face.  So I have switched back to my toxic Head n' Shoulders.  For now.  Simple Mom also has a tutorial about going shampoo and conditioner free while using baking soda and apple cider vinegar to keep hair clean and shiny.  She also mentions an "oily period" that your hair will go through as it adjusts to not having it's natural oils constantly stripped from it.  I'm not sure I can deal with it.  I really do love my sleek shiny, freshly conditioned, not static-y hair.  We shall see how brave I get.

On the topic of bravery, however, I also tried something completely different.

I made my own deodorant.

1/4 C of baking soda
1/4 C of cornstarch (original recipe calls for arrowroot powder, but I went with availability on this one.)
4 Tbsp of coconut oil.  I may have used more for the consistency I wanted.
10 drops of lavender essential oil.

Also, read the comments of that blog!  Good tips!  I have used it for two days.  Today was a good test as I had an interview this morning and then worked out for 50 minutes.  I was a bit wet after the interview with nerves and all and the fact that this is NOT an anti-perspirant.  (although in the comments, people mentioned adding vodka to the mix for an anti-perspirant effect.)  Even after a bit of sweat and then a whole lot of sweat (I'm a sweater when I work out.  Not to say that I'm a sweater.  I'm a sweat-er), I still smell pretty good.
Good thing as I have a commissary tour (Spouse club event) in about 15 minutes.  :)

SO, I think that fully recaps all of my cleansing experiments of this week.  I think a lot of this is figuring out what works well for you and tailoring products to your needs.  But I can tell you it has simplified things.  I hardly use moisturizer anymore.  Of any kind.  That removes like 4 bottles from my old schedule as I had so many different lotions for different things.  (face, legs, eczema, feet....)

Plus deodorant that is aluminum free!  And doesn't leave my armpits itchy!  (as the old natural deodorant I bought did.)

Go.  Experiment.

a fun bit of trivia.

Okay.  It's not really fun.  It's a tidbit on why I probably will not get a job overseas.

I was in an interview a few weeks back for a front desk position at the Graf dental clinic.  I did not want this job.  They did not want to hire me.  But I thought, hey, interview practice, and a chance to network.  The sergeant conducting said interview looked at me like I was nuts.  He didn't know what to do with me or what questions to ask as I was clearly overqualified.  Then he said this:

"Well, if an applicant is Leave Without Pay, they're going to get the job anyway."

I talked to John about this.  It's true.

What this means is, if someone has come to the Grafenwoehr/Vilseck/or even Hohenfels community and they have worked for the government before in a GS position (GS is how they grade their jobs to know how much to pay someone) and had to leave that position through no fault of their own (ie, PCS), they are Leave Without Pay.  They are still in the GS system with no job to do - most likely because their spouse moved and they moved with their spouse.

What it means to me is:

I am competing with a hefty number of spouses here in Germany as a there a lot of spouses and NO ONE can work off post.

I am probably the most qualified person for the jobs I am applying for (admin jobs).

I am applying for admin jobs because the chiropractor position was filled without being posted by a doc they offered it to from Ft. Carson (see: also already in the system).

So, I get interviews because my resume lands to the top of the pile with all my rock star qualities,

But there are spouses here that have been spouses longer than I have.  Therefore they have had the opportunity to work a GS position previously and have a "Leave Without Pay" status as there is less competition at stateside posts since spouses can work off post, no problem.

They will get hired before me.  Every time.

It makes me want to punch the government in the face.  But only because it's the icing on the cake for all of the other things I am mad at the government for (inept, greedy congress; vaccination laws side stepping parental consent (in CA); and the attempt to "overhaul" the military retirement system while keeping and adding perks for politicians among the top three).  Now it's extremely difficult to get a job because I married later in life, got a very specific education and live overseas.  (and the one year I was a military spouse stateside were fraught with government hiring freezes.)

On the plus side:

I am investigating possibilities to practice and offer services to dependents overseas.  Not sure if it can be done.  I am waiting on people to ask other people and look around for things.  I'm 99.5% sure no one has asked to start a chiropractic business before, so I'm not sure what to expect, or even when to expect an answer.  But it didn't hurt to ask.  And raise possibilities.

I was offered a chance to apply for a contractor job.  That is, a job that hired through a government contractor, and NOT the GS system.  I figure it's worth a shot.

That's what I'm hanging my hopes on at the moment.  Or maybe that the interview I am going on tomorrow will have NO other GS applicants.

One can hope.

In the midst of all this, my hormones are screaming at me that it's time to have babies.  You should be in my head.  (not literally.  or even figuratively.  it gets loud and confusing.)
I will convince myself of the logistics of waiting a few more months.  And then I will see a baby.  Or a picture of a baby.  Or a picture of a friend's baby.  Or a picture of a baby bootie.  Or a picture of a baby's booty!  And it's all I can do to not take drastic measures.

I have not yet taken drastic measures.  John has been made aware of the turmoil, however.  He sort of looks at me sideways sometimes as if anticipating something.

And then I remind myself of all the reasons why it's okay to not be pregnant right now.  And I calm down for 10 minutes.

Tops.

Anyway, that's the job update.

stuff

I am full of random thoughts today.  Randomness abounds.

I'm just not sure if I can remember it all now that I'm attempting to document it....

- my new road game on the 45 minute drive to Grafenwoehr is "German or American".  I passed multiple military vehicles this morning, many of which were involved in 3 separate convoys.  I decided 2 were German Army and one was American.  (I *knew* one was American with the humvees and all.)

- on that same note, I get a kick when I'm driving on Graf and the Apaches are flying low.  I always slide back my sunroof cover when I hear "FWOP FWOP FWOP FWOP FWOP".  (I'm not sure if this is the exact sound a helicopter makes.  But I think I'm pretty close.)

-I'm overwhelmed at the amount of different Polish Pottery patterns there are.  How will I ever decide what to get?

- I had another job interview this morning.  I'm not certain, but when your interviewer starts chiming in with other ideas of what you could do with your education that have nothing to do with the job you are discussing, it's probably a bad sign.  My best hope is to still be the best candidate.  Other than that small detail, I thought it went well.  I should hear something by Friday.  Again.

- I'm entirely too sleepy today.  I went and bought gingerbread latte coffee creamer today.  Then I forgot to make coffee when I got home.

- on that note, I've been so distracted with this job search that last night I nearly burned the broccoli *and* ruined my small Pampered Chef sauce pan at the same time!  I was steaming aforementioned broccoli.  Except that I forgot to add the water.

- I was distracted because I heard through the grapevine after the FRG steering committee meeting that Vilseck hired a new chiropractor.  They never listed the job.  They transferred him in from Ft. Carson.  John heard he was retired.

- I was super bummed at this news.

- I was also super bummed at how I heard this news.  My mind is conjuring up a passive aggressive news transfer situation through another spouse.  But I may be making it up too.  Sometimes my mind embellishes small details.

-On the plus side, I volunteered to be the RSS/2SCR Squadron level Treasurer in aid to the FRGs at the Troop level.  It shouldn't be too time intensive, yet requires responsibility!  My kind of job!

- I'm dehydated.

- I also ordered more Isagenix materials in effort to battle my bulge.  I gained weight after the wedding, but this is getting ridiculous.  Other efforts including eating less, and moving more.

- I impulse shopped at the PX today.  I bought a pretty new journal and a new calendar, even though the one I'm using works just fine.  The one I bought is just prettier.

- I also picked up a phone adapter.  We have a phone and a connection to the states!

- Otis is snoring.  He is getting fat.

- I have sincere gratitude for all of the above thoughts and issues.  For I am about to start making a yummy stroganoff and not everyone can say that.

Antiquing!

I've never been a huge antiquer.  I've never really seen things that I just had to have, and even when I see things I like, I have absolutely no knowledge of how to evaluate them and if the price is fair.

But.

This is Europe.  According to Eddie Izzard, it's "where the history comes from."  Antiques abound, and they are unique and they are incredibly detailed, and they are rich in history.  I have really enjoyed our antiquing experiences thus far.

We knew we needed furniture when we came to Germany.  We went shopping at some of the local furniture stores.  Hello expensive, and mostly very modern looking.  And, I'm sorry to say, ugly.  NOT impressed with the furniture we have found so far.  I didn't want to overpay for anything with a label of "antique" on it either.

We went to the Hohenfels Bazaar last weekend.  (Vilseck will have their bazaar in 2 weeks!)  This is where we bought all that cheese, but they had all kinds of vendors.  We saw lots of antique dealers.

One was an antique dealer based out of Ramstein who caters to military folks.  All of her stuff was gorgeous and astronomically expensive.
One guy hand made furniture specifically for the bazaars.  Not antique at all.  Not all of it was pretty either.  It was nice and solid though.  No mass produced stuff here.
One couple was from Holland.  (and, it has to be said, reminded me of Gold Member from the "Austin Powers" movie.  "I'm from Holland!  Isn't that weird?"  John and I have been quoting that line ever since last weekend.)  He had great stuff, but not exactly what we were looking for.
(We are looking for something with great storage to display the wedding china as well as polish pottery - so with some glass as well as some pretty detailed carving, in a darker wood.)
Another guy has a store we want to check out as well.  It's up north.  We may still go check him out.

Joe, the guy who was basically our sponsor, told us of his "antique crack dealer."  (not antique crack.  but antiques sold to service his crack like antique addiction.)  We've been meaning to meet this guy for 2 months, but Joe wanted to show us where to meet up with him.  And Joe's schedule can be tricky with 3 kids and a pregger wife.  It was all very "you have to know someone to get in" type of thing.  His dealer's name is Norbert.  He has a "showroom" (a worn old building), as well as two storage shed type areas that are filthy and crammed full of crap.  Sorry, antiques.

But we like Norbert.

It's an adventure to dig through his stash and open drawers, and crawl over things and see what he has.  I felt like I was on "American Pickers."

Except, ya know.  In Europe.

Here are my favorites.  Sorry for the crappy quality - my cell phone was all I had.  And notice all the stuff everywhere.  My goal is to show the furniture.  But all furniture has crap in it.  All of it.  All of the crap is for sale.  (but, of course, he removes the crap when he delivers to you.)

I love this buffet.  It was one of my favorites.  Unfortunately, it was already sold, just not delivered.

I loved loved loved this too.  But then we wrote it off due to it's  massive size.  When we tried to come back to look at it again, another couple snapped it up right in front of us.  Still, we saved about 800 euro by *not* buying this , gorgeous as it is.  And we kept in mind we had very little places to put it.  It is so cool, though.

Here is the owl hutch.  Another absolutely breathtaking piece.  I loved loved LOVED this one.  The carving was so detailed and gorgeous.  But again...ginormous.  AND, unlike the previous hutch, this one was only two pieces, each piece being extremely heavy.  The previous one broke down into 7 or 8 pieces, making transport easier.  We decided we would never get this one up the winding staircase to our apt, and wished we could buy it for the house in Colorado Springs...like we're ever moving there anytime soon.  Also, see that china set in the left window?  That's a complete porcelain china set in fabulous condition.  Another lady with us was eyeing it.  I think she's coming back for it.

Owl hutch, view #2.

THIS is the piece we bought.  It's so much simpler than the other pieces.  (which means it's cheaper too!)  It still has some timeless details, and will display the wedding china well.  (Did I mention the wedding china made it through the move unscathed?  EVERYTHING is in tact and beautiful!  It's a miracle!)  With this piece, we will also have plenty of room to fill it up with Polish Pottery! The key selling point, though, was it's size.  It's a nice size without being overbearingly large.  It will move more easily.  It has some dings, but overall, is in good shape.  We found very little with such good character, or at such a good price among even new furniture.  I'm excited.  We get it delivered next week!

This is the other piece we bought; a small table for our entry way.  It's not super old, but has the character, the look and the feel that I wanted.  I'm happy with it.  

And I may have found another new, addicting (expensive) hobby.  And I haven't even started on the Polish Pottery.  In fact, I think I will just go browse some patterns now....

My grandmother, the psychic

Grandma, on her 90th birthday in 2010.

Grandma is psychic.  I was going to say a prophet, then I realized that may have religious overtones that just do not apply to this situation.

Back in 2003, when I was in the throes of chiropractic school, and loooong before I met John, my grandmother purchased a book for me as a Christmas present.  It was a cookbook put together as a fundraiser to the troops.

It was called "Deployment Days Cookbook.  Operation Enduring Freedom 2003"  It is a collection of favorite recipes from soldiers and their families.

I was flipping through it the other day, searching for a basic gravy recipe when I found a recipe card with a note from my Grandma.  (actually, it looks like a recipe card, but is really just a 3"x5" card with a picture of a cuckoo clock and the text "Time for a note!")

It reads:
"Dear Jen,
I know you don't have a lot of time for cooking, but some day you will.  I found a lot of old favorites, like Tater Tot casserole, and some new, interesting ones.  Love, Grandma."

"I know you don't have a lot of time for cooking, but some day you will."

Boy, do I ever.

I also found a recipe for "An Army Wife"

1 1/2 C patience
1 lb. courage
1 dash of adventure
2 Tbsp. elbow grease
1 3/4 C Tolerance

Marinate frequently with salty tears.  Pour off excess fat.  Sprinkle ever so lightly with money.  Knead dough until payday.  Season with international spices.  Bake 20 years or until done.  Serve with pride.
To preserve the quality of this recipe, you must add contentment, a little rest, and togetherness.  Put it on the back burner and baste it with a lot of good memories and a life of love.

Awes.

I had packed this book away when I moved from Minnesota to Colorado.  I found it again during John's deployment to Iraq in 2008.  I had NO idea how true everything turned out to be.

Like I said, the lady is a psychic.

did I ever tell you about the fish?

The day we got our HHG, we were in the madness of checking off delivered goods as well as directing the movers to the various rooms where certain boxes were to be unpacked.

In the middle of the madness, our landlord, a very sweet man, presented John with a fish.

"For you."  he said.

Apparently he has a fish farm.  He goes there and fishes it, cleans his prizes, then, vacuum seals them.  By the smell of this one, it was smoked.

However, John is a not a fish person.  I'm definitely not a fish person if it still has a head.  Otis was very interested in it.  Unfortunately, it went to the trash.  Sorry Alois.

Later the next week, he asked about the fish.  We lied.  We said it was tasty.  He said he has LOTS of fish.  Big fish!  Small fish!  Any time we want fish....let him know.

Greaaaaat.

Rothenberg ob der Tauber

Horses!

Walking the ramparts!

an opening from which to shoot arrows from the ramparts.  these walls are preserved, but originally from the 13th century.

view from the ramparts

walking the ramparts.  you can walk around the entire border of the old town, but we only did  about 1/4 of it.

more views :)

tower at the entrance

front entrance

John.  waiting for lunch.  looking kinda pissy.  he was hungry.

St. Jacob's Cathedral

candles at the cathedral.  (prayers?  I'm not very religious.  I think if I were, this whole area of Bavaria would be vastly meaningful to me.  It has centuries of religious history, not to mention art.)

religious or not, this is still gorgeous.

tale has it that in this alter is a stone with 3 drops of Christ's blood.  we didn't pay the 2 euro to go in any further, so these are hyper zoomed shots.  yay for digital zoom!

Rathaus

more rathaus

walking a very busy street to the criminal museum

looking downhill

shame masks.  the one on the left was worn by oversexed men.  the one on the far right was worn by gossipy women.  the one in the middle was worn for acting like a pig

chastity belts.  Ick.  the one on the right looks grody.  These were used if a man didn't trust his wife, or if he was going away for a period of time, or if it was known that a woman was to travel through an area where rapes were known to happen.  I'm happy I live in modern times.

a shame flute!  this had to be worn in the town center for playing music badly!

bridal wear.  the one on the right was worn by proper, well behaved women.  the one on the left..the straw headress....notsomuch.  

a witch catcher!  ouch!

Iron Maiden.  Again.  ouch.

a chest to lock your riches away.  quite complicated.

a dunker as punishment for bakers who baked bread too light or too heavy.

We also did see examples of the rack, thumb screws, leg screws, neck violins (usually reserved for quarrelsome women), drunk tanks, and a mechanism with which you were hung by your arms which were tied behind your back, and stones attached to your legs.  Not a pleasant punishment...and was usually a slow way to die.
Ah, it's all fun and games in Rothenberg!  No, really, next time, I'm shopping.

Here is also a google image I found of schneeballen.  They are huge.  Share one!