7 Ways to Make Your House Smell Like Cinnamon Rolls

If you signed up with iMOM for Operation Summer 2011, you've probably been receiving daily emails as well. I received this email today and thought it was a good one to share. For more information and resources, I'll put the link at the bottom. 


What if every time your family walked into your house, they smelled cinnamon rolls baking! Obviously, that would keep you pretty busy in the kitchen, and pack a few pounds on everybody.  But consider this: what if your words and attitude left an aroma in your home? 

A house filled with tension, and mean or harsh words, would smell like rotten eggs. One filled with lifelessness and neutral words would smell like tea brewing.  But the house filled with love, and kind and encouraging words, would smell like cinnamon rolls baking. If you think about it that way, you can better picture how the tone we set, and what we say lingers in our home. 

Don’t you want that for your house, so that when your husband and children walk in they’re happy to be home?   We can help you make that happen, figuratively and literally!   Here are 7 ways to make your house smell like cinnamon rolls in a figurative sense, and a delicious recipe for simple cinnamon rolls you can not only smell, but eat too!

1. Fill it with love.  You can’t really taste or smell love, but you know when it’s there.  Tell your children you love them every chance you get.  Let them see you and your husband exchanging words of love and affection.  Let every action you take and every word you say first go through the filter of love.  That doesn’t mean we never say a harsh word or discipline our children; it does mean we let love be our motivator, even in those situations.

2. Fill it with kindness.  Kindness is love’s companion.  Look for ways to show kindness to your children, beyond the million or so things you do for them each day!  Praise them when you see them being kind.  Expect them to be kind to their siblings and have a zero-tolerance policy for unkindness.

3. Fill it with patience.  An impatient outburst is one of the fastest ways to go from the sweet smell of cinnamon rolls to the stinky smell of rotten eggs.  Remember that as the day gets longer, our patience usually gets shorter.  So prepare yourself to dig deep at dinner time and bed time when you want to snap at your kids and husband, and find a little bit more patience.

4. Fill it with fun.  A fun house is often a joyful house.  Try to break out of your mundane routines and inject fun into your day.  Play games together.  Tell jokes. Look for opportunities to laugh.

5. Fill it with forgiveness.  There is sweetness in forgiveness given freely.  Everybody makes mistakes.  When those mistakes are unforgiven; bitterness and shame fill the air.

6. Fill it with encouragement.  Encouragement gives our children the boost they need to take on new challenges and conquer them.  Encouragement makes our home a place where our children and husband can refuel to face the world.

7. Fill it with the smell of real cinnamon rolls baking!  Not much can compare to the aroma of freshly baking cinnamon rolls, bread, or a delicious dinner.  Here’s a super easy cinnamon roll recipe to fill your home with smells that will go straight to the stomach and the heart. 

Simple Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

1 loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed in refrigerator
Flour, for dusting surface
1/4 stick of butter, softened (butter the pans)

Filling
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 stick butter, softened

Icing (optional)
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup light cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to form a 16 by 7-inch rectangle.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Spread a stick of  softened butter over dough.

Evenly sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Press mixture with palm.

Roll up dough as for a jelly roll.

Cut roll into 14 slices and then set aside in a warm place and allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Divide rolls among 2 buttered round baking pans.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top.

This is where I usually stop, because we aren’t big frosting people. Continue on if you want to add the frosting.

While the rolls are baking, combine the icing ingredients with an electric mixer until fluffy.

Frost the warm rolls with the icing. Serve warm.

http://imom.com/mom-life/encouragement/7-ways-to-make-your-house-smell-like-cinnamon-rolls/