The weather today has gone from chilly to HOT to breezy-cold. I actually stepped onto the porch around 4pm and it was about 10 degrees warmer outside than in. Now I’m wearing a fleece!
Stormy weather’s to blame…
Because we haven’t had the windows open much this spring, our house stinks!! Maybe it’s my preggo nose, but I scrunch it up every time I walk in. The air is just so stale. So I started researching air fresheners. I knew I didn’t want something fake, plugged in or expensive, and something with essential oils sounded the most natural.
Enter the homemade diffuser!
Here’s what you need:
- A light, scentless oil, like safflower or almond (canola would probably work too, but I wouldn’t use fruity olive oil) I chose the safflower because it was the cheapest at Whole Foods!
- 5 skewers
- A jar
- Your favorite fragrance, either an essential oil, a blend of essential oils or A PERFUME!!!!!!!!
Some of the resources I consulted said if you use essential oils to put in some vodka to help it wick up the skewer, but another said to just use perfume instead. This lovely rose scent was a gift from Ashley <3 and I love the smell. It seemed perfect to fill a room with floral scents.
So I filled my jar with about 1/4 cup of oil and added 15 squirts of perfume.
And put the skewers in – first points up and then points down after about an hour to saturate them.
So far… IT’S WORKING! I haven’t left the house to come back to test the smell, but I’ve walked by it a few times and loved the whiffs I got! I probably should get a better bottle to use since this jar is so wide at the top, and hopefully the scent will stick around.
Afternoon trail mix snack:
Karen just arrived home from a trip to Oak Ridge to visit Gran Bett and brought back Gran Bett’s ole blue truck from 1994, which she is donating to the bakery! We had her over for dinner as a thank you for the long car trip. [And thanks to GB for the truck, soon to have Great Harvest decals on the side!]
Guess which glass is mine 
The lemon club soda we have kegged downstairs, which is actually really good! I should do a post on homemade club soda soon…
We sat on the porch for a while before making dinner. Just as we sat down a storm stormed through, but we stayed nice and dry on the porch!
Matt made a glorious pizza! 50% whole wheat pizza crust topped with peppers, cheese and pepperoni!
And I made a big spinach + arugula salad with goat cheese, spiced nuts, dried cherries, lemon juice and olive oil. It was the best salad I’ve had in ages!! I even had seconds!
Homph gomph gomph gomph!
Time to cozy up for an episode of LOST!
{ 59 comments… read them below or add one }
No! Remember what I said? Your house smells like lavender! And my sense of smell rivals that of a dog…
Hahahah. I forgot
I wonder where the lav is coming from?
I’m going to try that diffuser DIY! Thanks for the idea
I just said I wanted pizza! That looks way better than the one from Dominos I envisioned!
i only want pepperoni pizza when i see it on your blog.
It wants you back ; )
Looks like a delicious dinner!
We’ve had a weird stormy mix of hot and cold weather here today, too…hmmf!
Love that first picture with the hints of yellow, white, and purple blossoms. Your homemade diffuser is so neat. And I love that scent – I have a perfume sample from a magazine with that scent in one of my drawers, and it always smells so good when I open it up. Homemade lemon club soda sounds so refreshing! It’s awesome that you were able to eat your wonderful meal on the porch even though it was storming – how cool!
I LOVE the natural air freshener idea. My husband was an abuser of Febreeze before we got married. That stuff burns my nose. It cannot be good for you! This is a better solution.
you are so crafty! that diffuser idea is genius!
I hope you wouldn’t mind if I invited myself down to C-ville for pizza night one night. I’d bring dessert. It would be delicious. ; )
Not at all!
oh girl! that look delicious, but you should have had Karen bring you some Big Ed’s pizza if you’re talking about Oak Ridge, TN!
TN indeed! We were just discussing the restaurants there over dinner. What do you think is the best!? (Other than Hot Bagel Co., of course, which Matt’s aunt runs
)
So cool! Hot Bagel is delicious! And my vote would be for Soup Kitchen or Razzleberries…but my superstitious side would tell you that you shouldn’t go into Soup Kitchen quite yet. My mom went into labor IN the Soup Kitchen with all three of her children
let your bun stay in that oven a bit longer!
Haha – I’ll stay away!
Razzleberries is such a cute name!
OooOOh, love that reed difuser idea! Dinner, looks delicious I have a similar meal planned for tomorrow.
You really do live the charmed life! love the first signs of spring!
How fun! A homemade diffuser! I wonder what scent I would use?
mmmm you have me craving pizza!
That salad DOES look fabulous! nice view of blooming trees you guys got!
I love the homemade difuser idea! So simple and I am sure its a lot cheaper then going out and buying one! I am definitely going to try that out!
I’m SO jealous of all the blooming going on around you! It’s still like the dead of winter around us. And I love the homemade diffuser idea!! I definitely want to try that!
The weather here today was the same way.. it actually feels like spring now!
That pizza.. I am always SO jealous when you feature Matt’s pizza!
Pizza and salad is such a cozy and homey meal. I love it!
Your pictures are always so pretty!
Thanks for blogging!
Pizza looks great!!! Yummy!
Kath, your view of those trees is just beautiful.
Karen sounds so awesome! You are really lucky to have her nearby
Ok, this may sound stupid but what’s the point of the skewers? Do they help the smell permeate the house? Why not just have the jar of oil + perfume?
I believe they help wick the scent up and out
You should send your Hubby over here to make us some pizza! I like pizza -rarely- and when I eat them, I want it to be those fresh baked ones made with natural ingredients like in that small greek bistro 20 minutes from here. Forgot the name…. But nothing like Pizza Hut or Papa Johns… BLEH. Im VERY picky when it comes to eating pizza.
Your homemade pizza always looks so good! Can Matt make a pizza and send it to LA?
Pizza plus salad, a classic that is always good. I would have had thirds on that salad.
Pizza and salad is one of my favorite combos! Goat cheese tastes so awesome tossed in leafy greens.
Awesome diffuser idea! it looks like it smells lovely!
I am SO swiping that diffuser idea! I would love my house to smell like the french perfume I got at Anthro! Swoon! So jealous you could enjoy storms on your awesome patio!
I love home made stuff like that! I think people don’t do it enough these days..
And for the scent of the perfume, my sister wears it and I’ve always loved it!
Love the home-made air freshener!
I hope my mother in law ends up being like Karen
In 3 years, I’ve only posted pizza twice. Once was today! Pepperoni pizza so I smile when I see yours
and LOVE that homemade diffuser idea! How fun!
That pizza looks delicious! I may just have to make pizza (and that same salad!) tonight for dinner
Do you use tomato sauce of any sort under the cheese/pepperoni/peppers?
AHH forgot to mention the PESTO! And some tomato too. Probably because I really couldn’t taste either.
If I’m not in the mood for salad… I always add some dried fruit, and it becomes instantly appealing.
Haha, I’m an architecture student and today my professor told us “I’m kind of a freak about air quality. There always needs to be a few open windows in here– if you get cold, put on a sweater. Life never gave you a right to always be in a t-shirt.”
Haha. I agree! Have mine open right now and am in a sweater!
That pizza looks incredible, well the crust does (not a meat eater). I love the way you use jars as glasses, I use them for smoothies but never think of whipping them out for other beverages, so cute looking!
How cool! I am trying that at home, also dinner looks fabulous
Love the natural air freshener! I am feeling he same about our house air…definitely want to try your idea! Thanks! Pizza and salad…yummy!
Pizza and salad are a great combo. I should really try making my own pizza again, haven’t done it in ages!
Gah! I grew up with a screened in porch and am without one now. I spent entire summers out on the porch. Need to start a house fund asap!
That is such a great idea for the diffuser! I bet it smelled lovely!
The pizza looks delicious!! I wish I had a screened in porch to enjoy eating dinner outside.
I love your homemade diffuser! I never thought of that – I’ll have to try it out!
I never thought of making my own aroma diffuser. Thanks! As for the odor, our house was SUPER stinky last night. I cooked scallops and did them so perfect … the consequences were that the house smelled and the pan was a disaster. Oh well – all for a wonderful meal.
That pizza looks AWESOME
That za looks so awesome! Thanks for the link to the dough recipe — I’m going to use that for sure. Love it!
Our family shares a truck that belonged to my husband’s grandfather. It is from the early 90′s as well and we call it Big Blue.
Absolutely love the colors in the first photo of this post. I just stare at the distance when the clouds are dark grey and the trees are all different budding spring colors. Beautiful!!
I would love to know how to make your homemade seltzer! And that salad is art… looks SO good!
We make with a keg and a CO2 tank – like a giant soda stream! The latest is adding lemon and orange juice. I’ll have to get Matt to do a post on it soon!