Have you ever looked at the bars of wax in your drawers or closest and wondered:

“Do I really need all these bars?” It’s a question that I get asked all the time.

So I’m going to take some time to answer that and show you just how to take care of your bars so as to get the most fragrance from each bar.  I’ll use myself as an example of what to do.

• Everyone has their go-to fragrances, mine is COZY FIRESIDEfrom the WOODY category, which is my favorite category to choose from.  But there are some in each category that I love as well.
• There is LEMON VERBENA in the CITRUS category.  This is one of my favorite fresh and clean fragrances. I love to warm it this time of year to bring some brightness and happiness into to my home.
• Then there’s the BAKERY category.  And since I am not a world famous or even remotely talented baker, I find the BAKED APPLE PIE fragrance brings a certain hominess to the overall ambiance.
• Now I’ll be honest here…I am not a huge FLORAL fan.  But I also confess that LUNA is once of my favorite scents in our BODY CARE LINE.  Of course, that’s not bars so I guess that’s an article for another time.😉
• With each new season, we have the NEW RELEASES which are great when I am looking for something new.
• And obviously, I have to factor in HOLIDAY scents, because no one can celebrate Christmas or Valentine’s Day without the proper fragrance to fill the home. right?
• Now I ask,  “How is one suppose to welcome Spring if you only have spicy-warm scents on hand?”  I’ve got to have WHITE TEA & CACTUS on hand for that clean, crisp, and refreshing fragrance that just sings springtime.
• Then there are my family’s favorites to consider as well.  My spouse has his favorites and each of the four kids’ have their own favorite scents.  If I just got the kids’ alone, I would have at least 20 bars on hand that they “just have to have, mom!”

So, considering daily usage, making each bar last approximately one week and factoring in how many warmers one would use (I have 14 throughout the house) I would need a minimum of about … 72 Scentsy Bars to last me one month.  Now, of course, I don’t use all of my warmers at the same time, so really 72 bars would last me more like 2-3 months or right around 15-25 bars a month.  (YIKES!! 😯  Now you know why I sell this stuff, right😉).

What can what can I  say? I love my Scentsy fragrances.💕

So whether you have just one bar or 100 in your house right now, how you store them matters.  The way that the bars are stored will affect a fragrance’s character, duration, and performance.

Here are a few ideas on how to store your bars to maximize their shelf life:

•  Keep them in a cool, dark place. (I store mine a shelf in my  closet — they make the whole closet smell great.)
• Also, lay them flat. This is one reason drawers are an awesome place to store them.  Again, they will make the drawer smell yummy💖
• Don’t leave them in the sunlight or your car. Not only can the heat cause the wax to melt in the clamshell, but the fragrance will be lost.
• Don’t choose a drawer next to a heater or oven/stove if you store your bars in the kitchen. They will melt, and you will be sad.😢
• Rotate older bars to the front of your stash to make sure you use them first. Everything has a “use by date”, even wax with awesome Scentsy fragrance.

And here is one last tip, it is reserved for the truly obsessed fragrance fans (like me😁) :

If you have ever mourned the loss of a favorite bar (I have lost at least one per season since I started) and want to keep that from EVER happening again, join Scentsy Club. When you add your must-have Scentsy Bars to a subscription, we’ll keep making them JUST FOR YOU, even if that fragrance is discontinued from the catalog!

So go ahead and stock up on those favorite scents that you can’t live without.  Just remember to use the tips above to make them last longer.

The holidays are a distant memory.  The newness of the gifts has worn thin.  It can be hard this time of year to find the joy we held during the holiday season.  The winter blues can wreak havoc on your mood and drag you down, so why not give yourself a boost with Scentsy Body line?  Fragrance brings back memories for us and helps to evoke happy, warm feelings. Did you know you can wear your favorite fragrance everywhere?   So let’s wear that happy fragrance and let the sun shine from your smiling face as you spread your cheer everywhere you go!

  START YOUR DAY OFF RIGHT

Citrus fragrances help to boost mood.  Lemon, in particular, is known to purify and cleanse while ushering in sunshine and brightness to body, mind, and spirit! It helps boost concentration and focus while helping increase your mood.  Sunkissed Citrus, with its mix of orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit, is just the thing for taking you from dismal grey to happy sunshine. Try Scentsy Body Wash in your morning shower to help wake you up, and carry Scentsy Hand Cream in your bag fora quick pick me up in the middle of your day.

Relax the day away with jasmine

We can all drift into dreamland with the light florals of jasmine, sweet pea and freesia combined with juicy berries and sandalwood to bring you to a state of  peace and tranquility.  Jasmine will help usher balance and calm to the mind, body, and spirit helping you to relax and let the day fade away.  Luna is perfect for creating a peaceful environment! If you’re facing a stressful day, start with a fragrant tub! Drop a Scentsy Bath Bomb for a decadent bath then follow that with some Scentsy Body Cream, perfect for softening and protecting your skin.  It’s perfect for after-shower hydration.

Scentsy Body products come in a variety of fragrances, all carefully designed to brighten your mood and your heart. Find your favorite here!

“This year is going to be different!”

We think it, we write it, we say it, we scream it — because somehow we think this will bring about our success. If we believe something with our whole heart, write it on a sticky note and post it to our bathroom mirror, how can we possibly fail? It’s those daily reminders that make good things happen, right?

The short answer is no. Writing something down does not make you or me successful.  But not all is lost…keep reading for some inspirational (I hope) tips on making 2019 YOUR YEAR.

We’ve heard all the tips:

• Write down your goals and you’ll be more successful.
• Post them where you’ll see them every day to stay motivated.
• Set achievable goals.
• Tell someone what you desire so you have accountability.

These motivational mantras are so common that I bet you knew what I was going to say before I said it.  But they’re common because guess what—They actually do help — most people.

But saying a goal out loud isn’t what makes it happen. Writing it down doesn’t make it happen either. Standing on top of a mountain and proclaiming it for the world to hear…still doesn’t make that goal become a reality. Those are simply reminders of your decision to make a change.  They will serve to feed your desire, but that’s only part of the equation….and sadly, the easiest part.

Ultimately, setting a goal only works if you do.

You have to actually do something.

This time, you got off to the right start. You thought about what changes you wanted to see in 2019. You contemplated where you would like to see improvement, and then you made the decision to do it.  That’s the first step.  We have to decide to change.  Then maybe you wrote it down and as you are seeing it each day…or repeating it to yourself, your desire for success increases. You know what you want. You wrote it down in your planner and you posted it where you could see it daily. So you’re all done, right?  Wrong!!

Actually, now the hardest part begins. But before you close the computer…keep reading, because while this part is hard, it is also the most fun AND the most rewarding.  What you’re going to do is start with the end in mind and work your way back to where you are right now.  This is often referred to as reverse engineering.

Now that you have our goal in mind and written down, we want to reverse engineer it. Build a game plan that helps you get to the finish line, starting with the final step and working your way back to where you are now. What actions do you need to take to succeed?

I’ll use one of my goals as an example. I am going to run a 1/2 Ironman race in 2019.  But before I tell you how, let me share with you what that is, in case you’re unfamiliar with the term.  A Half Ironman is a 1.2 mile open water swim, followed by a 56 mile bike ride, followed by a 13.1 mile run.  I’ll be honest, as I write this down AGAIN, and see to numbers AGAIN, my stomach aches.  But I am determined.  Thus I will start from end and work my back to where i am right now.  FYI:  right now I can’t run more than 5 miles and I can’t bike more that about 16 miles.  Clearly I have some work to do.

So Here’s My Plan:

GOAL: Compete in 1/2 Ironman Race in 2019

• Step 5: Finally, show up to and compete in the race.
• Step 4: Update and adjust the plan in small increments along the way to adjust for unforeseeable events.
• Step 3: Follow plan. (AKA–the Discipline.  The hardest part of achieving any goal)
• Step 2: Find a plan that covers all three disciplines without killing me in the process.
• Step 1: Determine which race I want to compete in (yes there are MULTIPLES to choose from).

This is very simplified, and your action plan might have more or less steps than mine, but the method is the same. Start with the end in mind and work your way back to where you are now.

Find someone who has your back.

This is bigger than just telling a friend that you want to run a 1/2 Ironman in 2019 — it’s actually finding a someone and working with them daily or weekly.

I have a whole team to help me. They may or may not compete in a race with me, but I know that without them, it would be impossible to achieve the goal.  They are my family and my allies.  They stands by me day in and day out, not just saying “you can do it!” from the sideline, but they getting out there inspire me in their own ways.  My hubby, the guy on the far right, helps cook meals and cleans my house so I have time to train. My kids, all the small people in the picture, encourage me with their words and will sometimes even workout with me.  When I have a bad day or workout, they are always there to encourage me.  Even the dog, Max helps.  He’s my running partner…well, I run, he trots beside me.  But I know that without my team, this dream wouldn’t even get off the ground.

{If you want to follow my journey to the 1/2 Ironman Race on September 14th, then follow my other blog, Fat Lady Triathlete, (new blog…coming soon) and join me for what can only be the adventure of a lifetime.}

What about you?  What’s your dream?  Maybe you want to launch a business this year.  Then find a fellow entrepreneur to compare notes with. Meet for coffee once a week. Share struggles and successes. They don’t even have to work in the same industry to be an incredible support person in your life! Find someone who needs you as much as you need them, then be there for each other every step of the way.

What’s your goal?

Write it down. Shout it from the mountaintop. Make it known. Then make it happen.

Fire blazing in the fireplace warming every corner of the room while brown sugar and cinnamon waft through the air.  Snow falling gently outside the window. Curled up on the couch wrapped in a warm handmade blanket.  This peace and tranquility is referred to as Hygge. It’s about acknowledging and being in the moment. A certain slowness accommodates this feeling.  It’s about letting go of the craziness of the world.  Putting away technology and connecting on a personal level with family and friends.

During the holidays, Hygge can take the form of baking cookies with the kids or watching your favorite holiday movie for the one-millionth time.

It’s about comfort and contentedness. Hygge is what you make it

For me it all about solitude.  The blazing fire, warm coffee in the early morning hours before the day begins.  Atop my mantle sits my favorite warmer putting forth the warm and comforting scent of vanilla bean, creamy sandalwood, and rich cedarwood, bringing in a little piece of the outdoors inside.

Later, the kids join me with their warm cups of cocoa and cable knit blankets and we gather on the couch to read holiday stories, play board games, make crafts while cuddling up around the fire.  Simplicity is key to capturing the Hygge feeling, not just during the holidays but all year ’round.

Have a safe and joyful holiday season.