Quick Homemade Reed Diffuser

Yipes! I vacuumed and now the house smells like (ahem) burnt vacuum belt. I'll be fixing that this afternoon, but for now I need to get the air smelling good again. I don't use Febreeze, Glade, or any of those chemical sprays, and I'm certainly not paying a jillion bucks for a reed diffuser.

This one is so easy, you can probably figure it out just from looking at the picture! Here's all it takes:

Spice jar, cleaned thoroughly
Bamboo skewers, cut to varied lengths
Warm water
Essential oil of your choice

Fill the jar with warm water and add essential oil--I used 10 drops of Aura Cacia Orange. Put the lid on and arrange the skewers through the shaker holes in the lid. Place in a kid-proof part of the room to prevent spills, and you're done!

Where can I donate...?!?

I’m always trying to downsize and streamline our posessions before they take over the house. We’ll never be called true minimalists, but looking at an organized cabinet or linen closet is a great feeling.

Since I don’t like to throw things away, I donate. My original solution was to bring everything to Goodwill--dishes, books, clothes, tchotchkes. After some comments from readers on Facebook, I realized that I could support my favorite organizations by spreading my donations around.

Yes, this requires more work when sorting and delivering donations. But since I’m not able to donate money or time to all of these groups, this is the next-best thing. Here’s where I donate our gently used, excess items, and why I chose each organization.

Blankets, comforters, towels
Where: Sacramento SPCA
Why them: They provide a safe and nurturing environment for unwanted, abandoned and mistreated pets until they can be placed into loving homes--without any government, state or city funding. The Sacramento SPCA is supported through private contributions.

Books
Where: Friends of the Library
Why them: One of the primary ways the Friends of Sacramento Public Library raises money for new materials and program initiatives is through the sale of gently used books.

CD or DVD cases
Where: Resource Area for Teaching Sacramento
Why them: Everything you donate is used to help children learn. RAFT repurposes your items, and they become part of science, math or art activities.

Clothing (adult or child)
Where: Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services
Why them: SFBFS provides over 450,000 articles of clothing free of charge to families and individuals in need throughout the Sacramento community. Clients are welcome to shop once a month, and all items are provided at no cost.

Excess garden veggies or fruit
Where: Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services
Why them: SFBFS provides a 5-day supply of emergency groceries to families in need five days per week. Over 18,000 individuals receive an abundance of fresh groceries every month.

Expired coupons
Where: Military families overseas through Coupons for Troops
Why them: Overseas military members can use coupons several months after their expiration date. These families are often living on one income and money can be scarce.

Eyeglasses
Where: VSP Eyes of Hope
Why them: Once VSP receives the donated glasses, they refurbish and send them throughout the world via mission trips conducted by VSP doctors and other partners who help identify people in need.

Do you sort your donations? Have something to donate but can't find the right organization? Tell us about it in the comments.

Winner! The Hour that Matters Most

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!

The lucky recipient of The Hour that Matters Most, selected by random.org, is...

Irene!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!"

Try to get your prescription refills toward the end of the month. Social Security payments come out around the first of the month, which means loads of people getting refills and potentially overwhelmed pharmacists. An error in a prescription could make you sick--or worse.

Book Review: The Hour that Matters Most (plus giveaway!)

When was the last time you had a peaceful dinner with your family? I’m not talking about gobbling KFC before a soccer game or while watching TV, either. Does it seem like fiction? Just not possible with your schedule/the kids’ activities/the teens’ reluctance to have anything at all to do with the family?

I was recently provided a review copy of The Hour that Matters Most: The Surprising Power of the Family Meal. This book can help you with both gathering everyone together for a meal (breakfast counts, too!) and with the meal itself. The authors, who are relationship experts, teamed up with the founders of Dream Dinners to show how to overcome mealtime obstacles and make the most of this important family time.

The Hour that Matters Most explains why family meals are important and then delves into some deeper topics—how to listen to your kids and curbing table conflict, for example. It is a cross between a relationship book and a recipe book, and sometimes the segues from relationship to recipe is a little strained.

We’re big fans of family dinner, so the first few chapters that explain its importance were unnecessary to me. New families or those who are doubtful of the value of a shared meal will find it helpful. There are even footnotes to the articles and studies that prove the authors’ points.

I enjoyed the little sidebar tips they give throughout the book:

If you’re having trouble getting everyone to the table on time, set up a known consequence for the dawdlers. Whoever is last to the table is the server, pouring the drinks, fetching anything that’s needed, and so on.

Your bread plate goes on your left, and your drink goes on the right. A good way to remember this rule is to remember that the word drink starts with the letters D and R for “drinks right.”

The book covers a lot of ground in 170 pages, and it doesn’t delve too deeply into any one topic. Some chapters will be more helpful than others, depending on your experience. I enjoyed it but felt that the Dream Dinners connection and recipes were an afterthought.

Want to read it for yourself? One lucky BrownThumbMama reader will win a copy of The Hour that Matters Most.

To enter:
•   Comment below and tell us your favorite dish to serve at a family meal. Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you win.

For bonus entries (leave a separate comment for each one):
•   “Like” BrownThumbMama on Facebook. (Let me know if you already do.)
•   Subscribe to BrownThumbMama for free by email. (If you already subscribe, let me know.)
•   Post about this giveaway on your Facebook wall or blog.

U.S. entries only, please. Contest is open until 7pm PST on Wednesday, September 14, and I’ll announce the winner on Thursday. Good luck!

Disclosure: I was provided a review copy of the book at no charge. My opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any way.