top ten tuesday

The husby and I found ourselves in Home Depot this past weekend, on a mission for screws, nails, and various other items that Mr. M needed. As I wandered the aisles with him, breathing in the scent of freshly cut wood, it dawned on me- there's something very nice about the masculine scent of Home Depot (and all other home improvement stores for that matter). Maybe I'm crazy (I have been living in the dark twisted world of Christian Grey for the past few days), but I'd even go so far as to say the scent is a little sexy (again, blame it on Mr. Grey). I started thinking of other scents that I love, so I decided to try and list my favorite scents (in no particular order) for Top Ten Tuesday.

1. Home Depot - the manly scent of fresh cut wood and building materials.

2. Barnes and Noble - I seriously wonder sometimes if one of the reasons I've been so slow to jump on the Kindle/Nook/iBook bandwagon is a subconcious attempt to ensure the continuation of my frequent trips to B&N. I LOVE the smell of this store. The scent of hundreds of new and crisp books intermingled with the delicious aroma of Starbucks coffee. It is truly one of my favorite scents.

3. Orange Cinnamon Rolls - This scent takes me back to my childhood, to slumber parties at my friend Ashley's house. As we discussed during our recent brunch get-together, I literally cannot smell this breakfast treat without being transported back in time. After staying up late giggling about boys and gossiping about all the lastest small town happenings, we would wake to these orange cinnamon rolls prepared by Ashley's mom. I cannot help but associate the scent with nostaglic memories of good-times gone by.

4. Burberry - I love this classic fragrance. I wear it daily, and I lurrrrve it.

5. Tide - I'm not brand loyal to many household items (except maybe Heinz), but Tide is non-negotiable in my house. I honestly cannot remember ever using anything else. I love the smell of fresh-out-of-the-dryer sheets and towels after having been washed in Tide.

6. Winter candles - Bath & Body Works makes a seasonal candle called "Winter", and I adore it. It just doesn't smell like Christmastime around the house until I have these candles burning. Because I associate this scent with Christmas, I consequently also associate it with family, friends, togetherness, and general good cheer.

7. Sharpee markers - Odd, I know- but this smell reminds me of high school. Making posters for football games and working on class projects. Good times.

8. Freshly cut spring grass - This is a scent lost on me as the brutal heatwave enters the South and hovers for the duration of summer. However, before the heatwave arrives, when the air is still crisp and just starting to warm up, I relish in the scent of a freshly moved lawn. It signals that Spring is finally here and makes me want to pull out all of my summer whites and pastel clothing. It's such a happy scent!

9. Vick's Vapor Rub - There's no doubt that I love this scent even now for its soothing quality when I'm sick, but again- this is another scent I associate with childhood. It reminds me of my parents- before we became "adults", them taking care of both my brother and me when we were sick. And let's be honest, I kind of just like the scent event when I'm not sick. So cool and serene-smelling.

10. L'Homme by Yves St. Laurent - This is Mr. M's signature scent and I love it. It reminds me of his hugs and his cleanly shaven face because these are the times when the scent is most noticable on him. It's a wonderful fragrance no matter who wears it, but of course it's special to me because of him.

While a lot of these scents are nostalgic for me on some level, I also left a lot of others off: the "Grandmother" scent (a blend of peppermint, perfume, hairspray, and her home- don't they all have their own special smell?), the smell of my childhood Sunday school classroom (mostly pine wood and old books), the scent of fresh cut watermelon at backyard summer barbeques after spending all day playing in the yard, the smell of campfire smoke, the aroma of Mom's potroast when you come home from school, etc. I could go on and on... am I the only one who connects scents to memories?

What about y'all- what are your favorite scents?