Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year! May 2016 be prosperous and may it bring everything that hope for!

Be safe and celebrate responsibly!

Homemade Chili!

Christmas Decor

Tis the season to decorate for Christmas. Without further ado, here is some of my Christmas decor!

Oh Christmas Tree!

The Snowman Hot tub!

Yes, I'm a Greenbay Packer fan.

A gift from a great friend!

The Christmas Cow

My son's art work. What a cute little elf he makes!

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

  

My Top 5 Ways To Bring A Pleasant Scent To Your Home

Along with store bought spray scents, there are many other options for getting the scent that you want in your home that may not seem obvious. Here are my top 5 ways to make your house smell amazing!

1. Do you have a candle that you just absolutely love the scent of but it just doesn't burn right, stay lit, or is down to the lowest point on the wick? Try the electric candle warmer. I bought one about two months ago, and I swear it is the best purchase made in a long time. It warms the wax in the candle to get every last bit of scent out from it and the smell is stronger than just burning the candle. Not to mention that a candle warmer is safer than an open flame. Still make sure to place it where the heat cannot damage anything or that can't be a fire hazard.
2. You can also use that candle warmer for your Scentsy or store bought waxes. It works just as well and does not require an expensive burner. I paid less than $7 for a candle warmer. Make sure to put it in an empty candle grade glass that can withstand the heat.
3. Yes, we go back to the candle warmer for laundry scent boosters. This is a very effective way of making your home smell fresh and clean. I use Purex Crystals but I know some use Downy Unstopables which are just as scented. These options tend to last longer and fill the room faster with the scent you want. I use crystals because they are extremely easy to clean from the container used to warm them.  As in above, make sure to use a glass that can withstand the heat.
4. DIY Potpourri in a small pot on your stove is a great option also. There are several variations to DIY Potpourri. Here is mine: DIY Potpourri: Re-Purposing Over Ripe Apples . This is a refreshing option that uses things that you may already have at home. It is done on the stove top. Just remember to keep it at lowest heat and replenish the water frequently. 
   
5. This is one of my favorites! COOKING or making COFFEE! I love my Crock-Pot. The smell of the food fills the house and you get a warm meal at the end of the day. What can be better than that? Do some baking! Nothing yummier than the smell of bread baking or cookies or cakes. (Gotta stop with that, It's 6:15 in the morning and I'm starving!) The rewards are endless with this option and it makes your home smell fantastic. In a time crunch with unexpected visitors? Make some coffee, your home will smell great and you have something to serve your guests.
   

Give some of these a try, your home will smell great! As always, be safe when using heat for your scent options. Enjoy!

Before and After: Back to my desk!!

Here we go again! I can't seem to find my desk under all the clutter and madness that is covering it. I know you can relate when I tell you that when it looks like this, I can't concentrate on anything.

My desk is the first place that clutter attacks. Coupons, bills, junk mail, my son's school papers, you name it, it gets dumped here. For me, clutter equals chaos and chaos means a lack of productivity which is not acceptable. It isn't acceptable to the bills that may be missed, the paper my son needs signed, or the blog that needs to be written. I admit it, I need a better system but for now, until one is found, priority is just finding my desk again!

Hey, look what I found! It's my desk. Thank goodness, now I can actually get something done!!

Make Someone Smile?

I think few of us think of the benefits of smiling at others. Have you ever thought about what it does for the other person? For yourself?

After having a really hard day, like yesterday for me, smiling can have enormous benefits on your mood. I know you have heard the phrase "Fake it till you make it". Believe it or not, faking a smile can lead you to an actual genuine smile and a complete mood change. Take it as an affirmation. It's like saying to yourself that though you may not be in the mood, you will make yourself happy. After all, happiness comes from within, not from others. Even if you are just combing your hair in the mirror or putting on makeup, when you are finished, smile at the completed face you see. It is your beautiful, unique, self in that reflection and that person is someone to be celebrated.

The power of a smile is not only for yourself mind you. A smile can make someone's day. Someone, who like you, may not be having the best of day. It is infectious, that smile of yours. It may give them that boost to pass on that smile to others in a continuous cycle that may even come back to you. Even a person that is feeling grouchy as Oscar from Sesame Street will, at times, crack a smile when given one.

Have you ever noticed how much happier and better about yourself you feel when you can make others smile. It doesn't take a scientific study to show you how much your day can improve by improving someone else's. Yes, it's that "warm and fuzzy" feeling. But it really can have a huge impact.

With all the truly sad things happening in the world, you could be the deciding factor. Do you want to be happy and take the rest of the world with you? Give the world your best. Give the world your smile!