Now, more than ever, I feel the urgency to celebrate the small things, to make each moment special.  Some days, just surviving feels like the best I can do.  But being intentional about adding simple joys always makes each moment we have richer.

Our sense of smell is one of the most powerful of the senses.  Scents can immediately evoke a reaction. There is a reason storefront bakeries intentionally blow the scent from their ovens out onto the street and real estate agents like to bake a tray of cookies during an open house!

True confessions: that stinky garbage from the meat tray liners that I inadvertently threw in the trash instead of the freezer (where they usually live until trash day) is a definite negative?!  But there are scores of ways to add positive emotional responses with scent.

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The most obvious -  scented candles or incense is one easy option (although I can’t always be trusted to remember to blow things out?!). My current fave is from Stonewall Home.

.Or put a pot of water with some fruit and/or herbs/spices to simmer - it adds fragrance AND moisture to the dry winter air.

Cut flowers are a wonderful way to add scent and remind ourselves that winter will eventually give way to a new season of garden blooms.

Bake something…of course this is my favorite go-to for indulging both senses; smell and taste! It can be from scratch or not, it doesn’t matter.  Our no knead bread is an easy winner - is there anything better than the smell of baking bread??

Or for the decadent scent of chocolate, our best ever brownie recipe can’t be beat.

But even the week-old plain croissants I just rehabilitated into chocolate croissants with some semisweet chips and a short trip through the oven did the trick.

But even on the housekeeping front, there are ways to add a little indulgence.

Sprinkle some scented powder in your sheets the next time you make the bed.

Add scented sachets to your lingerie drawer or linen closet.

Buy some essential oils to daub onto wool dryer balls to lightly scent your laundry.

Indulge in a pleasantly scented dish soap to make a mundane task more pleasurable.

Scent is a small but powerful way to create a mood - Make the most of it!