A Sweet-Smelling Home

This time of year, as the weather turns a little cooler, and thoughts turn to the coziness of fall and winter, I start to make a real effort to make sure my home smells nice and sweet. Now, I do like my home to smell good all year round, but for fall and winter there is just something nice and cozy about the home smelling as though I've been baking!

A sweet-smelling home is one where family and friends will want to be! I love being at home when my house smells nice! For some reason, it just makes me feel more domestic. Our friends have commented on the nice homey smells in the house and how comforting it is to them.

A cute little story that tells of the power of fragrance is about a little girl from our church. About a year ago, she and her father stopped by unexpectedly one afternoon to get something from my husband. It so happened that I was baking some pumpkin muffins while they were here. The following Sunday, her mom commented how her little girl said that she wanted to live at Miss Mary Ann's house because it smelled so nice, like living in a gingerbread house! I share this story with you, not because my house always smells yummy-it doesn't- but to encourage you to make your home one that has smells that draw people, especially your family, in and make them want to stay!

Here are some ideas:
~Candles- I bought a pumpkin pie scented candle at Wal-Mart this week. It smells great and was very inexpensive. There are lots of food scented and other homey scents out there to choose from.

~ Simmer a potful of cinnamon sticks, orange peel, whole cloves, even apple slices in water. Keep adding water as needed. Just remember to turn the stove off if you are leaving the house!

~Add some spices(even kitchen spices that are old) to the vacuum cleaner bag.

~Set out a bowl of potpourri.

~Bake something special for your family. This won't only make your house smell yummy, but make your loved ones feel very special as they eat a fresh-baked treat.

~Sprinkle a carpet deodorizer/powder on the carpet before vacuuming. Glade makes some very nice scents. My favorite for year-round use is Fresh Linen. The dollar stores carry these too and they don't cost much at all.

~Keep your trash emptied! This will help a lot!We all have dirty diapers, food scraps and other garbage that contributes a less than pleasant odor to our homes. Emptying the trash every day or every other day(depending on your own family) and cleaning the trashcans on a somewhat regular basis will help this problem tremendously.

What are some ways you use to make your home smell sweet and nice?