I often think about how much scent says about a home. When I was about 8 years old, I took piano lessons from a nice elderly woman. Her home always felt so comfortable and homey to me, and I remember it always smelled a little bit like Sunday dinner!
My mom hated when homes "smelled." Frequently, we weren't allowed to cook, because it would make the house smell like a certain food. When I once burned some popcorn in the microwave, I was in serious trouble! There was nothing "homey" about our house so consequently, we didn't want to be there. It was never really a great place to hang out with friends, either. She put so much effort into trying to impress people by ensuring our house never smelled, that, ironically, people never wanted to be there.
Now I am a stay-at-home mom with three kidlets. I enjoy cooking delicious meals, and my husband loves the aroma when he walks in the door. In the past, when people came over and the scent of dinner or homemade banana bread was still lingering, they usually commented about how delicious it smelled. My house is a homey house, and I always want it to smell like there is good food in the oven!
Candiss