Smells.

Yesterday morning I was really looking forward to a day spent celebrating Geoff's birthday.   After a morning yoga, and a steamy shower filled with all sorts of spa-like scents,  I wrapped myself in the fluffy, white towel I'd hung in the bathroom the day before, and was immediately overtaken by the smell of the red onion I had used in Monday night's pasta dish.  How is it possible that the scent of a cooked onion made it all the way out of the kitchen, up the stairs, down the hall, through our bedroom and into our bath towel - whereas a crazy expensive bunch of Whole Foods flowers barely scents a three-foot radius?  It hardly seems fair.

I love fragrance, but there's a flip side.  Over the holidays, I bought an embarrassingly expensive Diptyque candle - I had read that the Feu de Bois scent was a "wintertime favorite".  That bit of info combined with its mega Frenchiness sucked me right in.  I ordered it online.  When it arrived and I lit it, our great room smelled not so much like the North Pole, but more the Hayman fire.  I should have reviewed some of my high school French, because apparently Feu de Bois means something akin to firewood.  Seriously, a candle that smells like fire???

Raising children and animals certainly opens the door to a lot of scents we wouldn't otherwise get to enjoy.  Say for instance the throat-burning cloud that lingers in your 13-year-old's room after he discovers all the joys of the Axe product line.  Or the dizzying array of body sprays a teenage girl collects from Bath and Bodyworks - scents that suspiciously also come in room sprays and diffuser oils.  Even our guinea pig, when his cage is due for a bedding change, makes our entire mud room smell like a bad petting zoo and has our guests hoping they'll be able to pet a goat or feed a pony by hand.

I like scent.  I make meatloaf and roasted chicken, not only for the deliciousness, but also for the aromatherapy.  I use Coppertone sunscreen for the smell alone.  I buy cleansers mostly because of their scent.  I  light a lot of candles and I try to have fresh flowers in our house as often as possible.  Somehow though, even with all this, bacon and smelly cleats often win the battle.  I just hope my kids don't grow up associating the warm feelings of home with the combined scent of chili, sweat, domesticated rodent and lavender.  We'll see.

I wore this yesterday.

Again, I'm loving the neutrals.  The freakishly warm temps inspired the white jean/navy sweater combo.  Tres Francais, non?  I am loving this new Kimberly necklace.  It looks great over this solid navy, but also works really well over pattern too.  I love these longer statement necklaces - they are easy to wear, look a little funkier than shorter versions and work great for the daytime too.

And, finally, another happy birthday wish to Geoffrey.  I am a lucky girl to share a life with him.  He was wonderful when we met all those years ago, but he is even better today.  I love you with all my heart G-off!!

gratitude:  night cream, scratch paper, everything bagels, birthday dinners out

thanks and love.