Make your own French dressing

I was to delighted when I stumbled upon this recipe, and I was sure other expats would enjoy it as well.

Sylvia over at Christian Homekeeper Network shared the following recipe for French dressing:

Homemade French Dressing
2/3 cup ketchup
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup white or red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 small onion, quartered
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Prepare the dressing by combining the ketchup, sugar, vinegar, oil, onion, paprika and Worcestershire sauce in a blender or food processor. Blend until the onion is well chopped. Chill and serve.


This will last about 3 weeks in the fridge. I am so excited to try it.

So head on over and give Sylvia some love, her posts are always fabulous.

Just for the ladies

I thought for a long time about writing this post, and after talking to so many women who were shocked, embarrassed, and not prepared, I figured what the heck. So this is my warning to you that this post may comes with a big TMI alert, ie Dad and brothers may want to stop here :)

One of the biggest shocks for expat women in Germany is the gynecological exams.

Remember the good old days with these bad boys?

Yeah well those are a thing of the past so prepare yourself for one of these.

Once you get past the shock of the exam tables there are a few other things you should know.

Curtains and sheets to cover yourself?

Nope, nudity is the norm here and things are not set up in the most modest of ways. So be prepared to be nude from the waist down openly.

Dressing rooms or curtains?

I have never seen them. The doctors often do not leave the room. They tend to just say ok, get undressed and meet me at the chair.

Paps?

These do tend to be the same as in the US and are done once a year. This is covered by insurance. 

Ultrasound?

This is also a standard part of the yearly checks here. But do note, they do use the invasive wands. This is done instead of the American hand checks. 

It was brought to my attention that this is not always covered by insurance and can cost up to 50 euro, so please make sure you ask. :)

Are all costs covered under insurance?

Most but not all. Special testing may be covered at your own expense never hesitate to ask your doctor is the test they are preforming are covered under standard health care plans. 

Making an appointment

1. You will need an uberweisen (referral) from your GP. If you skip this route you will have to pay a copay. You only need this once a quarter, not for every visit. 

2. Expect long waits. Some places have 6 months waiting times. So try to always schedule your next visit when you leave. 

Family history

Be prepared with your family history, but don't expect one of those info sheets to fill out. Many doctors will just ask you themselves in the first appointment and then add it into the computer system

Doctors offices. 

I have seen two layouts. 1. The exam room with a room of to the side with a desk and chair for the conversation part, or 2. Combined into one room.

Sometimes they will do one part of the exam and then send you back out into the waiting room, before calling you back again. 

Breast exams

They do this by hand generally while you are standing, first with arms to the side, then above the head

Birth control

It is not covered by health care and must be paid out of pocket. Prescriptions can be obtained through your gynecologist. Price varies per brand and method. 

While many doctors speak English, or at least understand it pretty well, you should prepare yourself for the fact that not all do.

Here are some key words to get you started

* Note I am using a american keyboard so any vowel followed by an e is an umlaut :)

Frauenarzt or Gynaekologe= Gynecologist

die Fortpflanzungsorgane = reproductive organs

der Eileiter = fallopian tube

der Eierstock = ovary

die Gebaermutter = uterus

der Gebaermutterhals = cervix

die Scheide = vagina

die Blase = bladder

die Harnroehre = urethra 

die Schamlippen = labia

steril = infertile

die Menstruation = menstruation

das Hormon = hormone

der eisprung = ovulation

der Geschlechtsverkehr = intercourse

die Geschlechtskrankheit = std

schwanger = pregnant

das Pessar = cervical cap

das Diaphragma = diaphragm

das Kondom = condom

die Spirale = IUD

die Pille or Antibabypille = birth control pills

Well I hope that gives you a little info about what to expect at your first doctors visit :)

Sundays in my city

So Yesterday we were in Bad Rappenau, and I tried to take some pics. But the sun was just not cooperating with my point in click camera lol. So here are some pics from our gallery. This is Neustadt a small village in east Germany, where my husband grew up.  :)

Wikipedia says:

In 1372 Novenstadt the community as "" (from Latin novus 'new' first mentioned). 1485 was the place to build a town hall and Roland statue erected to mark the jurisdiction. A large fire destroyed Neustadt on 10 September 1678 almost complete, only three houses survived the disaster.

In the 19 Century, the pattern of tourism, a spa in 1870 and eight years later was a bathhouse built. In 1887 operating Hermann Kronberg a sanatorium on the basis of a natural method of treatment. Since 1890, New Town may Luftkurort call.

With the unification with the neighboring community of Osterode in 1952 exceeded the first time the new town population of 1000

And you know the cool part, that fire in the 1600's? My husbands grandma's house was the only house to survive. It is the oldest house in the village. I will take some pics of the house when we are there next.

*Note wikipedia may be incorrect as the town history writes her house is the oldest and only survivor of the fire. However that page is translated and the Germans use the word house for any building, so it may reference other types of buildings like factories ect. I am not sure, but I will ask in the town historical society next time I visit. 

Above Neustadt is the castle Hohnstein. It was the first castle I visited :)

Make sure you check out everyone elses posts over at the Unknown Mami


I decided to add some additional pics. Here is the barn from the Oma's house. It is over 400 years old and used to be a school house. HOw cool is that. I will also add the castle pics in another post, but gotta get them off hubbys computer.

This is the view from the woods overlooking Neustadt. They have a WWI and WWII monument up there. 

Here is the door to the barn/ old school house. That is my brother-in-law. Isn't he a cutie :) He finishes school this year and got a ausbildung (like an internship or apprenticeship) working with hearing aids. This was 2007, not the most flattering pic mind you. lol

Section 1- Planning (homemaking binder series)

*****Update: I had originally said this series would have two posts a week. The first with the homework for the week, the second with resources and a tour of that sections of my binder. While writing this post I realized how silly that was. I can't say hey make this without resources lol. Ooops. So it will still be two posts. But the first will be the explanation of this section, what it can contain, and resources, as well as weekly tasks. The second post will just be a tour of the section completed in my binder. Hope that helps-- Hugs, Rena
Hey everyone,
Today we are going to jump in to out first section of our home binders. Just a reminder that each section will have two posts. One will be a general overview. The second which will be posted at the end of the week, will include a tour of this section in my binder, as well as applicable resources and links.

You can find all previous posts on this topic under the homemaking binder link at the top of the page under my banner.

Sigh up today to follow the blog so you don't miss out on any posts in the series.

And thank you for joining me.

So just a note- All sections in this binder can be adapted to your needs and style. They do not have to be identical to mine, nor in the same order. Use this as an inspiration to develop one to your needs.

So todays section, section 1 is going to be our planning and organizing our schedules. Now you can call it any name you want, planning, schedule, my day. Search for a phrase that reflects you.

So to start out we are going to ask some basic questions that apply to all of us:

1. What components of my life need to be included in my schedule?

2. What type of schedule works for me?

3. What type of calendar works best for me?

4. What are my standard daily routines?

Take a few notes, we will be coming back to those later.

So now I want to talk to you about what I choose to include in this section. Later we will touch on other ideas that works for other people.

1. A divider - Rather then using a pack of standard dividers. I decided to go for a more personal feel and make a tab myself. So I will using just a basic word type program create a page with the section title, a coordinating image, and a small inspirational quote.

2. 12 Monthly Calendars- just your standard 12 month calendar. Now do not here depending on your needs you have a variety of options. First you can use any calendar you have on hand, just punch holes in it. Or print out calendars online. Some people even design them themselves. Now ask yourself. Are you the kind of person who wants to be able to flip through all months and reflect back? If so, I recommend printing all 12 months. If not, consider in printing just a blank calendar template. Use a dry erase marker to fill in the dates each month, and the some technique to fill in key dates and appointments. At the end of the month wipe it clean. Now you could also do this with say a three month cycle that way you can always look ahead a while. So for me, I am the type of person who wants to be able to write in events way in advance all year long. I will also reflect back next year and transfer important dates, so for me having all 12 months in a calendar works best.

Also note: How do you best utilize your calendar?  Do you write in pencil so you can just erase anything that changes? Or perhaps you color code based on type of event or by family member. Start to think about how you want to utilize your calendar. Gather any tools you need- pens, pencils, erasers, dry erase pens.

This section I use as a general monthly calendar. What does that mean? I do not write in daily reoccurring events, such as family members work or routines. This is just important events- think appointments, get togethers, birthdays and anniversaries. Things of that nature. You do not want it to be come too cluttered. But rather to serve as a guide to know what is coming up.

2. Personal Calendar (weekly, daily, or hourly)- Notice how I did not specify weekly, daily or hourly? That is because we are all different. What are your needs? Do you have many appointments throughout the day? Then a hourly calendar will work best for you. Many people utilize weekly calenders. Just to jot down everything from meetings, appointments, to to do lists, or even what is for dinner that day.

For me, I do not have many appointments outside of the home, so I decided to use the Motivated Moms calendar. Now this is a pre-made homemaking calendar. Due to the fact I do not have so many things to track, I just write in notes on the side. I then highlight them after they are done.

Motivated Moms is a pre-made homemaking calendar described as :

Motivated Moms is a printable chore planning system to help you have a clean and organized home and still have time for yourself!

Motivated Moms is a great idea for anyone who would like an easy system to help them to know what to do each day.

Just consult the list, do the work, check it off for the day and enjoy your free time!

This calendar is not free it does cost 8.00, but I think it is highly worth it. You just download and print it out. Now it is designed for people with kids, and not all tasks will apply to you, I just cross those off and write in as needed. I then highlight as I complete tasks. It has been a great help in my home. They have various formats, with or without daily bible readings, I bought the Chore Planner with scheduled bible readings.

Now some people may ask, why the heck do I need two? Well you don't have to. Utilize what works best for you. I have found though that I want my monthly calendars to be quick glance. The more detailed stuff, notes or to do lists just bog it down.

3. A year at a glance calendar- I know you are thinking, is this lady on some kind of calendar craze. But let me tell you what this is for. Just major events This can be holidays, birthdays, anniversaries. I use this just so I can glance and see of hmm Tommy has a birthday in a few months better start planning. That kind  of thing. Just a quick overview of major reoccurring events.

I used the Blank one year month by month planner from kristensguide

Now a final note on calendars- Too often we become bogged down in trying to maintain too many calendars. The idea behind this technique is too get rid of that. Remember this will be the key to your home that everyone uses. Build your calendars that way. So it can be referenced at anytime by anyone in your home. Get rid of those wall calendars, purse booklets, portfolios. Use this as your one main calendar. Now on that note, if you want to keep a small purse sized one with just key appointment type of things for when you are out and about, that is not a bad idea. But the idea is to quit trying to utilize so many various calenders that we become bogged down and forget about things. Everything in one place is what we are going for here :)

Calendar Resources:
Calendars:
Donnayoung - great printables, calendars and more
Mom Advice- weekly planner, and more
All free printables- tons of great stuff here
DIY PLanners
Kristens guide
If you don't find anything here, just do a quick google search of free printable calendars, tons pop up :)

How to use a calendar:
Flylady- Kelly's guide on how to use a calendar

************************************************************

Now the next few sheets we will be talking about are our daily routines. 

Note- cleaning routines are not included in this section, that will come under our home maintenance, but you can of course move things around to your liking, but don't worry about that just yet.

Now the idea behind this comes from flylady.com. Sure we know what we do every morning, or rather what we hope to do. But so often we are caught up in chaos running around with like a chicken with our heads cut off, that we forget to do things. And most often these are the little things we should be doing for ourselves. So these will serve as our daily checklist. What we need to get done and make sure we never skimp over.

4. Morning routine. Now this one you will have to develop for yourself, based on your needs. You want to be precise and detailed, but also keep it manageable. These need to be non-changing and constant components of our mornings.

Ask yourself, what is important for me to achieve every morning. Start by making a list.

Start here at fly lady and see her steps for developing your morning routine.  You can also view example schedules here.

Now just to get your creativity flowing I thought I would share what is included in my Morning checklist.

1. Rise and shine

a. Make bed as soon as you are out of it

b. Start coffee

c. Shower and wipe down shower doors when done

d. Brush teeth

e. Morning skin care routine

f. Get dressed to a T

g. Do hair and makeup

h. Have breakfast

I. Feed and water birds

2. Love your home

a. Open all windows for 30 minutes

b. In winter turn heat on

c. Start a load of laundry if needed

d. Start the dishwasher if needed

e. Tidy up each room

f. Swish and sweep the bathroom

3. Think about your day

a. Check the calender

b. Make daily to do list

c. Take dinner items out to thaw

4. Love Yourself

a. Daily bible reading

b. Daily devotion

c. One chapter personal reading

d. Check email and blog

Now once you have your list, personalize it. I made mine in open office, with some cute clip art and fonts. You can even add an inspirational quote if you like. Some people make a checklist they can check off, some create their own daily calendars with the routines included for each day of the week. I chose to just print one sheet, that I can quickly reflect over and see if all is accomplished.


5. Afternoon routine- Now here I ventured away from fly lady and the other resources I have seen. I didn't want just a morning and night checklist. I know, for me, I need all three. So follow the same steps for your afternoon or midday responsibilities. (note, mine is in the final stages, so I will add it here this week, check back :))

Ask yourself what do I need to do every afternoon- it can be anything from dinner prep, to write in my blog, what ever is a normal part of your afternoon. Note: I do include basic cleaning like clean up after dinner, ect, but my detailed cleaning schedules will come in a later post

6. Before Bed Routine- Same concept, what has to be done every day before you go to bed.
(note, mine is in the final stages, so I will add it here this week, check back :))

pack lunches, lay out clothes, take meds, floss your teeth. Make it your own

check out flylady's how to section here And examples here

As I mentioned some people create a daily check sheet composed of all three check out an example at a high and noble calling (its under todo list)

So that is what we will be staring with in our planning section of our home-binders. Feel free to add anything else you think would fit well into this section.

Some other ideas include:
A master schedule- This is a daily set schedule with set times for activities, this is great from homeschooling parents, or parents of young children

A list of holiday celebrated in your family (I include mine under the family tab)

Some people like a typed up list of birthday and anniversaries ( I include mine under the family tab)

Some people also include there home and cleaning schedules here. I may actually do the same, but will talk in depth about cleaning schedules under the home tab. I am already too long winded here hehe.

So I hoped this helped you get started with your home binder. Check back at the end of the week for a tour of this section in my home making binder.

And check out some other ladies homemaking binders over at A proverbs wife

So your home work for this week just to recap:
1. Insert your first divider or make your own
2. Find a 12 month calendar you like
3. Find a personal calendar you like
4. Find a year at a glance calendar you like
5. Create your morning routine
6. Create your afternoon routine
7. Create your before bed routine
8. Put all sheet in plastic page protectors and insert in your binder
9. Pat yourself on the back
10. Start putting your new scheduling section to use :)

Next up Contacts

But what can I put in there???

When starting to plan your homemakers notebook, you have to create a outline. You know, kind of like your papers back in high school. People can give you ideas and suggestions, but in the end you have to decide what matches best to you and your family.

Also remember, the reason we are making this in a binder, is that it is ever changing. You will always have the ability to adapt, tweek, toss, or add new things at any point in time.


Start by asking yourself a few questions about your life.
Obviously pretty much everyone will have a few of the same tabs- calendars, cleaning schedules, contacts.
But try to expand beyond that to fit your individual needs:
Are you actively involved with the church? Maybe add a church tab.
A homeschooling mom- A homeschooling tab
Got kids involved in lots of Extracurricular activities?- A EA Tab

The possibilities are endless.

But the trick is to find what you need. When thinking about that think about the biggest areas of your life. IF we break down every aspect, we will need 5 thousand tabs, so try to group accordingly. Maybe consider a personal tab, where you can keep just those items that apply to you, but don't really need a home of their own.

So what I want you to do today, is start by making a list of the sections you think you need.

Overtime, and as you think of things, make notes of what you think would fit under that category, this will later become the outline of your homemaking binder.

Just to give you a glimpse into my plans for my home binder, here is a list of the sections I plans to cover.

Rena's Homemaking notebook
1. Planning and schedules
2. Contacts
3. family
4. home
5. meals
6. finance
7. health
8. Activities
9. Renas Personal section
10. Pregnancy
11. Marriage
12. Inspiration

These tabs are created to fit my needs, try to do the same for yourself.

Here are some other commonly included sections.

School

Children

Church

Blog

Recipies

Household rules

Magazine/ internet articles articles to read

coupons

notes

I mean seriously, what ever floats your boats, works. And when we are done, it will be so nice and organized you will no longer be swimming in pile of to-do lists.

Now one thing to note, some people may have sections that are so in depth they need a binder of their own versus being included here. For example if you are a major crafter or gardener, you may choose to have an additional binder set to this theme. Or even homeschooling parents. For me, I decided to not include recipes, instead I will have a separate recipe binder.

When making our homemaking binder, keep in mind, we cannot fit every possible thing in here. What we are looking for is key items that need to be accessible at all times, so don't bog it down with the last ten years tax forms. In our lives we have so many papers that sometimes, it is better to file those separately. We are going for a organization system that we can utilize everyday, only things we need and will use.

Keep in mind, this is just our rough outline, later we will be filling in the key points of what fits where.

New Years Resolution Updates

I have really been slacking in this department. Now that I have more time on my hands I hope to get some things done.

Resolutions:

1. Wedding album

Nothing done on this yet- But I have been seeing some great deals on free prints. I think I will utilize those. 

2. Write 12  11 letters or Postcards home

Wrote one to my mom, yeah need to catch up here lol

3. Complete the Bob Greene Program

I have not started yet ..... 

4. Watch 4 movies a month with hubby, one rented

Well we are definitely keeping up with this one. Hmm, trying to think of some movies we watched recently- Old Dogs, Couples Retreat, A Time Traveler's Wife, to name a few. 

5. Reading: English- 24 books (2 a month) 12 magazines (1 a month), German- 10 books, 5 magazines

Yeah, need to get back into the swing of reading. I have lots to read, but gotta start :P

6. Write 15 blogs a month (main blog)

I think I have that covered

7. Treat myself monthly- goal 1 clothing related item, one cosmetic or body, 1 book, and 1 household item

1. I found a great outfit on sale at kik, I got pants for 4.99 and a matching top for 6.99. I will take and add some pics later. 

2. I found a great coupon for 75% off elf cosmetics that is just .25 cents USD. So I had it sent to my moms. Hope to get it soon. When I do I will share. Plus I always score sweet deals through my mom with avon. 

*I will share those as I actually get the packages, then I can take pics :)

3. I have scored quiet a few free books through book trading from my great friends in Heilbronn. So I need to catch up in some reading. 

4. I really scored at Lidl last month. I got a food processor, blender, digital kitchen scale, and a bread machine for 85 euro. I was so excited. I have been trying all shorts of new recipes with them. 

8. Visit 10 castles

We went and checked out the castle in Gundelsheim Easter weekend. We plan to go back and visit the on site museum. 

9. Visit 10 museums

Not yet

10. Finish my homemaking binder

Check out the awesome series I am doing on this. We will be completing it together. Woo hoo. 

11. Make a recipe book

Have not started yet, finishing my homemaking binder first

12. Try 1 new recipe a week

I have gone above and beyond. Most my recipes are new each week. 

13. 2 fold part 1) Finish the integrations course and 2) pass the b1 test

In Progress

Part one done, and just waiting on the results

14. *secret*

Not yet started

15. Read the bible cover to cover

In progress, plus with devotional. I will do a separate post on this theme

I am way behind need to get back in the swing.

16. two fold 1) get my drivers license and 2) learn to drive stick shift

I am studying the test materials

17. Complete the future homemakers program (its like a home ec course learning to maintain a home)

In progress

18. Start crafting and complete 10 projects

I am working on decorating the outside of my home binder, plus another top secret project (for hubby so I can't say, ask if curious), still in progress. I got a spring craft kit I plan to use. 

19. 2 date nights a month- one at home and one out, take turns planning

We do lots of movie nights, and recently went out for lunch, visited castles. 

20. Get out of the house and meet a friend 2 times a month

Not as easy as thought. But I do hope to do so more. I also plan to invite people over once our living room is done :)

21. Attempt a new baking recipe once a month

Sure thing, I witched it up to once a week. 

22. Stay in my OCD mailing group a full year

So far so good

23. Go walking at least 3 times a week

Completed

24. Complete 5 small monthly mini goals/ projects

Cleared up below under the list of projects

5 mini goals/ projects for January:

1. File all loose papers: not yet

2. organize loose cords: not yet

3. clean out kitchen cupboards: in progress just a few left to do

4. organize bookmarks on computer: need to do again

5. Clean out email: need to do again

Dang those mini goals didnt turn out so well lol.

So for April mini goals:

1. Complete the spring cleaning series on christian homekeeper network

2. Start reading again

3 start bible readings again

4. start a craft project 

5. file all loose papers

I will update at the end of the month with any accomplishments. 

So what do I need to get started??? (Homemakers binder series)

Everyone has personal tastes and styles and so we are going to just start out very basic and then you will have the flexibility to tweek it the way to want.

So just for starters you are going to need:

1. A sturdy 3 ring binder- due to the fact we will be adding to and from over time, we need something flexible, and binders are perfect for that. The size really depends on your needs. But I recommend a 2 inch to start. Also keep in mind the type of binder, those with plastic on the front are great because you can update your cover at anytime by sliding in a new sheet of paper. Or if you are crafty get a plain one and collage on a cover. It is also useful to find one with pockets on the inside. Now there are various types of rings, try to find one that is good for flipping around, some people like those with full rings, others the half ring thing where one side is flat, the choice is yours and anything you have on hand will work just fine.

2. A pack of loose leaf paper- Now many of you will end up typing up parts of the binder, others will go buck wild with excel, and then some just like to handwrite. We will start basic with handwriting, but keep in mind you can design, create, or take from resources I post and swap at any time.

3. A pack of dividers- 10 is a good number to start. You of course can also make you own as we go. That is what I will be doing :)

4. Sheet protectors. It gives a much more organized looks and allows sheets to last much longer. In addition, you can also use dry erase markers on them if you like, use that over your checklists and just wipe them clean and use them again, really cuts down on those printing costs.

5. Some good pens and pencils- the kind you like

6. A pencil pouch- to hold all of your supplies in one place.

That is just our basic starters. Over time we will personalize.