The Cozy Home

 
I never realized how much effort it took to make a house feel homey.  But I am learning that a cozy house is no easy feat.  For starters, the house has to be clean.  Then it house to be appealing to the eye.  Then it has to be comfortable.  But most importantly, it has to smell nice.

Getting a house to smell nice isn't as easy as it sounds.  I have pets. I have a child in diapers.  I have a 3 year old who smells like recess because he plays in the backyard a lot.  I have a trash can given to us by the city of Fort Worth in my garage that isn't always able to hold the amount of waste that I try to put in it.  And sometimes I cook things that smell less than wonderful.  (Have you ever noticed that maple glazed anything will make your house smell like maple syrup for days?)

Thus, I am at war with odors in my home--and I am determined to win.  I have even gone so far as to vinegarize some of my carpet (yes, it's a made-up word that is completely appropriate for what I'm describing).  You take some vinegar and dilute it in water.  Then you pour it on the carpet, stomp on it really well and let it dry.  But then your house smells like vinegar.  When that smell knocked my socks off, I tried Febreeze.  I mean, the commercials are really convincing.  Let's just say that Febreeze is a nice temporary fix.  But then the lovely smell is carried away by the real breeze (or ceiling fan) and you're right back where you started.  Sometimes I use candles, but this is a real fire hazard.  I know this, because a neighbor down the street had a fire from a bathroom candle.  They had to move out for 6 months.  And since I don't want to move out for 6 months, I moved on to other methods.  Next, I tried Glade plug-ins with the oil bases.  I really like these.  But you literally have to have one in every room that you want to smell good.  So unless you're willing to let people see your plugged-in air freshener (looks like something from a public bathroom), you're short on luck.  I just knew that here had to be a better solution. Thankfully, my mother introduced me to Scentsy.

I have become a huge Scentsy fan, because Scentsy has changed my life.  Scentsy "candles" are actually little light boxes with ceramic trays where you put a block of wax.  The light bulb then melts the wax and makes it smell like something really, really wonderful.  The miracle of the Scentsy contraption is that it's pretty, and it's completely safe.  If you leave it on all night, it's not going to start a fire.  And if your 3 year old puts his hand in it, he won't get burned.  (My little guy did this once and started screaming when the wax dried to his finger, but he had no burns or any problems as a result--just a waxy finger.)

Anyway, I love Scentsy.  I burn my candle every day.  I bought Scentsy gifts for my family for Christmas.  And I am loyal to this brand.  Don't be fooled, because the look-alikes that you can buy are NOT as good.  Some of them even stink.  Thankfully, I have finally found a way to make my home smell homey and cozy.  So long stinkiness--I'm finally winning!

If you're in the market for a lovely smelling house, contact my consultant Janelle at https://txjanelle.scentsy.us/Home (FYI--she doesn't know that I'm posting this).  And may you start your new year with a cozy home.