This week’s Monday Listicles is “10 Fantastic Smells.” At first, I thought that the topic wasn’t really grabbing me. But then Baguette spent the night throwing up, and I realized that what really smells bad is vomit on your couch. So to distract myself from cleaning, here we go:
- Doughnuts. When we were first married, we lived around the corner from a doughnut shop. The scents that wafted from that block to ours were amazing.
- Vanilla. I once walked into one of my favorite stores and said, “It smells amazing in here–what is that?” The salesperson said, “Vanilla. Apparently it’s supposed to make people buy more.”
- Shalimar. This was my mother’s perfume, and something about it makes me feel like Christmas.

- Oranges. Fresh and clean. I still remember the year that my office got so many chocolate holiday gifts from vendors that all I ate (aside from chocolate holiday gifts) was navel oranges.
- Spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and more. Again with the Christmas, but also very cozy.
- In-n-Out. Meaty, oniony, saucy, cheesy, yum.
- Newborn baby. That milky sweetness.
- Coconut. Hardly a surprise, considering how much I love Kauai.
- Lavender. Not only does it smell clean and calming, it’s sometimes the only thing that keeps my hands from stinging. Thank you, Avalon Organics!
- Chocolate chip cookies. Oh, my, yes. And they taste good.
So those are the first 10 that come to mind. Clearly food matters to me. What are your favorite scents?
Photo by Sheila in Moonducks, via Flickr. Creative Commons.