Grey Goose Linen Spray

When our bottle of linen spray finally gave up its last spritz, I decided there had to be a better scent out there. A quick survey of the local options proved fruitless, so I decided I would just make some. I found an easy recipe and, using the empty bottle, produced a new batch of fresh-smelling goodness to keep our sheets smelling delightful. I used Grey Goose Vodka to keep it real--P Diddy drinks the stuff, so you know it's full of thug life.

In your spritzing bottle, mix 2 tablespoons of vodka (about half of one of the tiny bottles) with about 20 drops of essential oil. Shake it up and then fill the rest of the bottle with distilled water. Shake before each use to blend--it will separate a little while it's sitting.

That's it! So easy. I chose Aura Cacia's Mellow Mix--it's got lavender and sandlewood oils, among others. You can do anything with this, though. Go minty and refreshing, if you like. Whatever scent makes you feel like "home".

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Ripped directly from the pages of How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Makes 4-6 servings

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Salt

2 1/2 cups milk (low-fat is fine)

2 bay leaves

1 pound elbow, shell, ziti, or other cut pasta

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cup grated cheese, like sharp cheddar or Emmental

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup or more bread crumbs

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.

Cook the milk with the bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. When small bubbles appear along the sides, about 5 minutes, turn off the heat and let stand.

Cook the pasta to the point where it is almost done but you would still think it needed another minute or two to become tender. Drain it, rinse it quickly (cold water) to stop the cooking, and put it in a large bowl.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter; when it is foamy, add the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture browns, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves from the milk and add about 1/4 cup of the milk to the hot flour mixture, stirring with a wire whisk all the while. As soon as the mixture becomes smooth, add a little more milk and continue to do so until all the milk is used up and the mixture is thick and smooth. Add the cheddar and stir.

Pour the sauce over the noodles, toss in the parmesan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to grease a 9x13-inch or similar size baking pan and turn the pasta mixture into it. Top liberally with bread crumbs and bake until bubbling and the crumbs turn brown, about 15 minutes. Serve piping hot.

da' crib

Baby furniture can be either really cheap, really expensive, or really reasonably priced. These days, you can Craigslist your way to a nursery for just a hundred bucks or so. A  good cleaning and a fresh coat of paint can breath new life into a secondhand piece and give you a one-of-a-kind nursery. 

When it came time to choose a changing table, we realized just how tall we are. The majority of changing tables available today stand about 32-back breaking inches tall. They were all just short enough that both of us were going to end up hunched over like hobbits after a week of diaper changing. Everything available online and in stores was just too short and we were starting to fret. Our problem was solved by a trip to Fletcher's in Eugene. We not only found a changing table that was tall enough (34"), but also managed to find pretty much everything else we could even imagine needing in the months to come. The changing table we settled on is the Baby's Dream Generation Next model. We chose the cinnamon stain and opted out of the hutch, mainly because it looked heavy and we knew we were going to be moving. Plus, not having the hutch makes the changing table a more flexible piece of furniture. We knew our money was well spent when the changing table arrived already assembled. All we had to do was put the knobs on the drawers and load it up with baby stuff. 

When it came time to buy the big girl crib, we went back to Fletcher's. We planned on getting the Generation Next crib, but ended up with the Serenity model, instead. Again in the cinnamon stain, we chose the Serenity because it didn't have any moving parts that could break. The crib turns into a toddler bed and then into a bed frame for a full-size bed. It was about $300 (the changing table was around $500), but it will last as long as she does and it is as solid as can be. 

I don't remember the name of the mattress company, but we did get a good deal on it. When you buy your crib, ask if there's a discount available for buying the mattress at the same time. I want to say we got at least 25% off the mattress. The ease of getting everything in one place and not having to go from store to store for each piece was so heavenly. Even if we had paid full price, it still would have been worth the convenience. You should be able to get a discount, though. If they want your business...

Now, if you'll excuse me, someone has just wet their pants and seems to be hollering about it quite a bit.