Homekeeping

I talk often how the importance of having flowers in my home, and the feelings they evoke in me. But there are so many other things that make a home feel lovely.

Tidiness enables one to relax, but at the same time, so does a well loved, and evidently lived-in home. In the evening, soft candlelight is soothing, and what could be more inviting than a bed clothed in freshly laundered linens? How about a luxuriously large bar of beautiful smelling soap, or a collection of lovely books to browse through?

Really, there are so many things that make a home welcoming.

I always think a bowl of fruit looks beautiful. I always tend to gravitate towards pears and green apples, just because I like the colours of them, but they're also staple fruits in our home to eat.

These Forelle pairs are small and are the perfect size for the boys.

Don't they look lovely on the counter?

Another favourite homekeeping tip is something I discovered on Pinterest a couple years ago.

It's the smell.

Now I don't know how much is true when it comes to this one, but regardless, it works. I've read that this is a smell that is associated with Williams and Sonoma, a sort of signature smell. And if anyone has done any sort of research into an appealing home smell, I would think it would be them.

It's really quite simple;

Vanilla, Rosemary and Citrus.

It's really become something I do quite often. It's called a simmer pot. Everything is put in water on the stove, and then allowed to simmer. The aroma fills your home and really does make it smell lovely. It's especially nice in the winter, when the windows have been closed, and the house can start to smell stale. Within minutes, everything smells fresh.

There's something to the combination. The rosemary is strong and refreshing, but it's sweetened and mellowed by the vanilla, and brightened by the citrus.

There really isn't a recipe, I just add a couple sprigs of fresh Rosemary, a couple slices of lemon or grapefruit, and about a teaspoon of vanilla. Once it begins to simmer, I just turn it down as low as I can to keep it slightly simmering.

There are many other versions of this - think oranges and cloves and cinnamon sticks, or fresh mint with lemon.