I love the fresh feeling of the cold morning air on my face each day.  Since I can’t ride my bike to school (the roads are too icy and bike lanes are now snowbank lanes), I started walking to school.  It’s the most beautiful way to start my day.

Unfortunately, my skin doesn’t think so.

The constant, drastic changes in temperature and humidity have me finally understanding the disaster that is dry skin in the winter.  That’s why I love a homemade scrub.  It’s the perfect exfoliation, and because you can make it yourself, it’s cheap and fun to mix up in different combinations.

The following recipe is adapted from one of my favorite books, The Green Beauty Guide, which has all sorts of recipes and tips on hair products, makeup, and – best of all this time of year – moisturizers.  I love this recipe because it has three of the simplest ingredients that we all have in our kitchens!

The author, Julie Gabriel, also adds a little rose oil if you have it around.

This recipe doesn’t have a shelf life, so you have to mix up a little batch each time you want to use it.  At first, it seems counterintuitive to massage oil onto your face.  Conventional skin care has led us to believe that all oil = bad.  Of course, we are learning that some oils (like the natural bacteria-fighting oils on our faces) are actually good for us.  Olive oil happens to be the really good one in this recipe… it just feels a bit different.  I’ve been using this recipe for just under a year, and the idea of olive oil still feels weird.  But it hardly keeps me from turning to this recipe over and over.

I love handmade, especially when it only costs pennies.  Don’t you?  Julie writes, “There is a commercial product just out on the market that has sugar and olive oil as the only ingredients.  The cosmetics company is charging $32 for a 10-ounce jar.”

Wow.  Just like that, you already know 2/3 of the recipe.  You liking the sound of it?  Here’s the rest:

* * * * * * * * * * *

Homemade Sugar Scrub

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 drop vanilla extract

1.  Whisk the ingredients together.

2.  Massage on your face and neck directly over the sink, as some of the product will fall as you massage.

3.  Rinse with warm water and a wash cloth (to remove the oil) or step into the shower.  You can continue with your traditional face wash and toner if desired.  Then moisturize.

* * * * * * * * * * *

What about you?  Have a favorite natural product or recipe?  Any tips you swear by?  Thoughts on dry, winter skin?  Please do share!

Oh hey – if you’re looking for vanilla extract in Germany, check out this post.  We’ve got you covered.

(Image via Flickr)

I’m trying an experiment today:

Never handle a piece of paper more than once.

The advice is from time-management guru Alan Lakein and written by Kate White.   I found the tidbit in a document of thoughts and quotations I had collected in college and saved on my computer.   The document title was – quite college sophisticated as it was – simply “random tidbits”.  No wonder it went untouched!

I think Lakein’s idea of never handling a piece of paper over and over refers to the workplace (as I was studying business).  Nonetheless, here’s what I’ve got. Here’s what I’m trying with the little bits of this-could-be-interesting-one-day papers in my desk and all the German worksheets piling up in an overstuffed folder.  Here’s something I hope helps you:

As soon as you touch a piece of paper, make a decision about what to do with it – whether it’s file it, pass it on, work on it, or destroy it – and then do just that.

Do you have any tricks for keeping paper piles small to start with?  How do you combat paper clutter?

* * * * * * *

Looking for a few more tips on getting paperwork under control?  Here’s an all-time favorite trick at our house (especially because it has such instant results), and here’s the German filing system we set up.

(Image from Flickr)

Sometimes when we set goals for ourselves, it’s nice to know we have a group of cheerleaders supporting us.  If you are interested in joining the No New Clothes Challenge and stop clothes shopping (except for necessities), then you’re in luck.  There’s a whole slew of us ready to support you in your journey toward simplifying your closet (you know – in case the men in your life and your wallets weren’t whooping and cheering loudly enough already!).

You can catch up on the journey here, here, here, here and -whew!- here.

The following quotes are bits and pieces that I’ve pulled from the comment sections of all the No New Clothes Challenge blog posts.  I hope you find them just as motivating and inspiring as I have.  What great ideas, ladies!

1.  It’s a good reminder that you should not be liked, remembered, or noticed for what you wear, but for who you are. -Jane

2.  I love an idea that I’ve heard about from friends – having a clothing swap each season…which can include clothing, scarves, accessories! It’s like shopping, but for free! We all get sick of our clothes from time to time.  -Court

3.  One thing I’ve begun doing is making new clothes out of clothes I already have. I’m currently creating a sweaterdress out of two sweaters, neither of which I really loved. -Jane

4.  It seems like the longer I stayed out of stores, the easier it became. -Vicki

5.  I’m doing the same thing. … It feels so freeing! -Lara

6.  You’re so right that just as we buy more clothes, we’re donating them. -Ashley

7.  I’m very proud of the fact that I can pack ALL the clothes I own (including shoes) into ONE-yep one-suitcase. -BWelch

8.  When you stay out of clothes departments (and don’t look at clothes catalogues), the temptation to buy is SO much less! I’ve always been pretty frugal, but lost my job earlier this year, so I’ve had to tighten the budget even more.
And quite honestly, I bet I could ditch 50% of the clothes I own and not even miss them. -Sue

9.  The more I window-surf on my favorite boutique blogs, the more I want, want, want. I find things I didn’t know existed, and all of sudden my *NEED* is overwhelming; however, if I just avoid those blogs, I’m fine. DUH. ; ) -Kirwin

10.  I started doing this when I moved to Germany three years ago (not only because we are flat broke). It’s just that I found so many other things that were more important. -KatieB

11.  I mostly wear the same clothes over and over again. It doesn’t get that boring or old, because I like what I have and don’t really have to think much about what to wear! -Jennifer

12.  A person only needs so many clothes. I decided to only buy gorgeous pieces that I love, and try to buy made in the USA clothing (or used clothes). No more “Made in China” or sweatshop clothes. So instead of buying a bunch of so-so pieces on clearance at Target or the mall, I’ll occasionally buy one fabulous (and maybe more expensive) piece. -Jane

13.  I just want to scale down every aspect of our lives from the amount of clothes we own, to toys, etc. I’m tired of the things of our lives taking up too much time and energy. -Stephanie

14.  I look back and can’t believe how much wasted money that was [buying new clothes]. I keep telling myself, “When I die, I want people to remember me for my character, because it’s not like I am going to be able to take all this stuff with me anyway!” -Katie

15. The best thing that ever happened to me was having my clothes dryer break. I am forced now to look at every piece of clothing when I hang it, and when I take them down, I put some into the “giveaway” pile, and some into the “rag” pile. -Deborah

16.  As I put newly washed clothes back in the closet, I put them at one end and aim to wear the clothes at the other end. When I find that I have been avoiding a certain item, I take it out and look at it seriously. I ask myself why I am not wearing it. If the answer is not justified (such as: it only matches one pair of pants, or I don’t like the sleeves much) then I gift it away, or cut it up for quilts or rags. -CC

If you are interested in joining us in the No New Clothes Challenge or find yourself struggling when you wish to buy fewer articles, feel free to share your thoughts bellow.  We’re here together.  And that makes it so much more rewarding!

Seasoned pros and people who have dappled with fewer clothes purchases, you know what to do.  (ie say “howdy” or bestow a few discoveries you’ve found in the comments… you know, like the day you shrunk one of your only sweaters… like me.)

(Images both from Flickr)

Today is the big day!  I’m speaking at A Woman Inspired in just a few hours.  At 7:30 MST, 9:30 EST… or pretty much just before dinner here in Berlin, my talk is:

Living with Less: Creating a life of meaning without all the stuff.

You can still get tickets for the conference, which includes a download of all the talks if you aren’t able to attend them… maybe because you’ve already gone to bed while it’s still going like me?

And because you’ve asked (and you’ve asked… and okay, asked!), I’m delivering.  We have a whole new page of frequently asked questions to sooth your curious minds.  So here you go:

Making This Home:  Frequently Asked Questions!

I’ll see some of you in a bit.

(Image of my desk last summer – in the Rocky Mountains)

The less you need, the freer you become.  That’s why we’re at it again at our house, brainstorming the tips and tricks we’ve found for getting the clutter out and keeping our 480 square foot home under control.  We’ll be talking a lot more about these ideas and more in the upcoming year.

To get started, here are 10 tips we think you might find useful for a refreshing start in your home, especially if things are feeling a little like this:

1.  Part with sentimental objects (here’s a trick my dad taught me).

2.  Organize your stationery so it gets used, not collected.

3.  Purchase fewer holiday decorations.

4.  Declutter your bookshelf.  Donate books to your local library.  Or give them to the local schools.

5.  Go digital:  Download your cds & start buying digital music instead of cds.  Scan in paperwork.  Try audiobooks & digital movies like we do.

6.  Get rid of items in your kitchen that don’t serve more than one purpose unless you use them on a very regular basis.  Or come up with other uses for them.

7.  Pick one souvenir to keep from each place you have been if you tend to collect multiple items.  Then buy fewer vacation souvenirs and mementos or none at all on your next trip.  Just snap photos or buy a few postcards, a magnet, or something small. (We got one very ridiculous honeymoon souvenir.)

8.  Seriously purge the excess towels and linens that are seldom if ever used at your house.

9.  Donate chemical cleaners that you aren’t using either because they’re in excess or you’re going greener.

10.  Think carefully about each item that you bring into your house.  If it adds to your happiness or the function of your house, by all means, don’t let us stop you.  But if it doesn’t?  Well… you know.

Is there an area of your home where you battle most with clutter or parting with things?  Is your desk overflowing?  How about the closet.  Is it okay?  Or do you feel like things are pretty well under control?  Please – share those frustrations and tips alike.

Long before I started studying German, I used to write a lot of poetry for kids.  Those of you who have been following Making This Home for a while have seen some of my poems here and there.  Writing children’s poems seems like a past life, right along with flying an airplane and eating Mexican food.  I guess when you move to a new country, you do sort of lead two lives.  Every once and a while, the two merge in my heart.

Here’s the first poem I ever presented at a reading.  I thought you all might like a quick change of pace as we roll into the weekend.  This one’s for the girls who dream.

(Oh – in case you missed it, here’s my whole story of learning to fly on a gravel runway in the Rocky Mountains.)

I’M GONNA BE A PILOT

I’m gonna be a pilot soon
and sail through the sky.
If you think I cannot soar,
when have you seen me try?

I’m gonna be the best pilot
that you have ever seen
in leather goggles, leather hat,
and checkered scarf in green.

I’ll know the fancy airplane words
like aileron and stuff.
I’ll twist the dials and land with ease
when the weather gets real rough.

I’ll climb the sky and whirl around
so Earhart would be proud,
then make big barrel rolls and dives
To please the neighbor crowd.

I cannot wait to learn to fly!
For now, who cares if you laugh
Because when I get good,
you’ll want my autograph.