Why are the sides of this wagon so low? I fall off every time I go over a rough patch of road.

There are so many facets of my life that I am trying to improve. I can never seem to have everything working like I want. It is difficult to have more than one area of my life moving in a positive direction. Well, summer is here again and I am ready for a new beginning.

My dad died a couple of months ago and I have felt like I am living in a kind of limbo since then. I wasn’t really exercising, I was eating whatever (unhealthy) food I wanted, dishes stayed dirty in the sink, laundry piled up, I felt like I was just barely making it. I am so grateful that summer is here now. I love the slower pace of summer. I love that my calendar fills up with things like camping and dinner with friends. I feel like I can take a breath.

I have a cleaning calendar on the wall by my computer. It has been neglected for months. Cleaning the kitchen turned into washing dishes when the sink was full. Cleaning the bathroom turned into cleaning the toilet when I couldn’t stand the sight of it anymore. Vacuuming happened when we were having someone come over. I just didn’t care. I felt like I was swimming against the tide, getting swept out to sea. I need to take a big breath! I will not be overwhelmed.

Yesterday I started following my cleaning schedule again. I feel lighter. It took a bit of time to get my bathroom deep cleaned, but next week it will be much easier. I also cleaned the kitchen. It is going to take some time to get things back in order. Hopefully I can get it together before school starts again.

Guilty pleasures…that sounds way more scandalous than anything I’ll be writing about. Although, I do feel a little bit guilty about my love of artificial scents.
I know that summer is over because I’m out of my Bath and Body Works Coconut Cove soap. And I am looking forward to getting Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte hand soap. I am usually a crunchy, D-I-Y kinda girl, but I love, LOVE stuff that smells good. Don’t judge, I also love Scentsy. I know there are so many wonderful natural scents I could have (I own a diffuser), but when my house smells like Vanilla Bean Buttercream, I am happy.
I am so excited about Fall flavors and scents! I love apple cider. I know everyone has been pumpkin crazy for years, but to me, apple cider means Fall is here. I will have a pan on the back burner with cider, cinnamon sticks and cloves simmering away. I will also have a Cider Mill Scentsy going.

What are your favorite scents? Do you like essential oils or do you sometimes crave candy-sweet fragrances?