Top Ten Smells that Make My Heart Smile

I'm a Top Ten Tuesday newbie. And when I told a group that I'm part of that I was going to commit to LinkUp here for at least the next month of TopTenTuesdays, I thought I was coming up with a fairly easy commitment.

Tonight I find myself wondering where in the world am I going to find 10 of anything to list. My son (almost 13) suggested I write the top ten things that are awesome about him - but quickly admitted that that would be too hard because there are so many more than 10. (However, maybe for his birthday in a couple weeks I will give that a go.)

We were talking it over while making dinner together. And I began to smell the onion, the salsa, the yummy burrito bake smells all coming together. And that is where I found my first TopTen. The Top Ten Smells that make my heart smile.
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10. My youngest daughter's (7yo) hair after her shower. No matter what shampoo she uses, she still has that baby smell. Maybe because she is mine.

9. Freshly cut grass, after a HOT day, when it is cool in the evening (usually that means end of August, beginning of September). Something about the atmosphere intensifies those smells for me. Sweetness, health, peace.

8. Sandalwood candle. Maybe sandalwood, I don't know. I found this smell by accident at a candle store. When I sniffed the candle, I was brought back to walking past 'shops' in Calcutta 15 years ago.

7. Murphy's Oil Soap. My mom used this a LOT to clean when I was at home. I don't. But if I walk into a place that has recently used it, I am transported to a time when someone else cleaned.

6. New books. The sound and smell of the newly opened pages delights me - shivers to my toes. (I hope someone will capture this smell in a candle because I love my kindle but it has no smell.)

5. Pine. I thought this was a Christmas smell association, but when we went on a hike this summer we turned a corner and all of a sudden the air was full of pine smells. It was lovely and mysterious.

4. Pipe Smoke. Yes, smoking is hazardous to your health. But I love that Grampa smell and am delighted that hubby will pull out his pipe about once every five years and let me take a smell.

3. Chocolate Chip Cookies baking. This is my go to comfort food. It says home, love, fun to me.

2. Baking Bread. Do I really need to explain this one?

1. Coffee. I would have to work a long time to remember a morning that didn't start with this smell. And for the past 8 years, that cup has most often come to me from my husband of 17 years as we share our plans and prayers for the day together.