My husband is chistoso, but not Mexican

One night, earlier this week...

4:55 pm: Hubby brings in the mail, including the 2010 census.

9:28 pm: Having a few extra minutes I decide to fill out the census.

10:22 pm: Getting ready for bed, I proudly tell the hubster that the census was on the door for mailing.

(Note: Ok, the census is NOT a big project. In fact, I think it took 3 minutes tops...including a discussion about whether the hubby having a father and grandfather -- both of Scottish decent -- born in Mexico, would even remotely qualify as being ethnically Mexican. My pride was in the turn around time, as most things get buried in my inbox for time periods more closely resembling geological ages that nanoseconds, regardless of project size. End of note.)

Giving myself a metaphorical pat on the back, I ask, "I got it finished and ready to send the same day! How often does that happen???"

10:23 pm: Without missing a beat, "Once every ten years?"

Wise guy.

One Joy of No TV

YouTube commercials are new to me. This one made me laugh out loud....thrice.

Foundations of a good marriage

Husband-o: (Eying the last bite of sandwich in one hand and his last chip in the other...serious internal debate occurring.) Which one should be the last bite?

Me: The sandwich. (Pointing to the still 1/2 full bag of chips on the table.) If that's just not satisfying, there are still more chips to munch.

H.: (Smiling.) Brilliant.

Me: Aren't you glad you married me?

H.: You enrich my life every day.

Yes, indeed.

On Hiatus

I'm waiting up for hermanacita to arrive from the airport.

She sympathizes with life sucking.

She's also pretty adorable.

Once she gets here, we'll have lots of chatting, picnic-ing, shopping, cupcake-ing and sitting on the couch in our pj's until everything is right in the world again-ing to do. So, I don't think I'll be around these parts much. However, since she is also a big fan of silly, can I leave you one of my all-time favorite silly t.v. clips?

I'll see you in a week...

p.s. Thank you for all your kind thoughts, hugs and well wishes. It's good to be a honest about what's going on in the rest of my life and be supported. Hugs right back to all of you!!!

Getting through

To say the last few weeks have been hard would be an understatement. Another setback on our journey to parenthood leaves my emotions reeling. Yet in the midst of this, the tears and the painful days, I am getting through. How? "How am I ok?" I ask myself.

While Mr. CK, my family and my faith are bedrock during the worst of it, noticing the small and simple things is day to day survival. Perhaps it is the coming together of the Buddist idea mindfulness, the "tender mercies" talked about David Bednar and this blogging community's focus on honoring everyday beauty. (So a Buddist monk, a Mormon apostle and a blogger walk into a bad day....?)

In any event, since this is a place for recognizing the beauty in my life, here a few of "the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts" I've received this past few weeks:

peonies on my kitchen table (inspired by bloggy friends)...

an invitation for tea...

time to create...

(A mad mess of strippy scraps sewn up into 16 lovely blocks.)

a virtual hug....

a visit to the Botanic garden with a friend....

texts, e-mails, lunch hour visits...

things that make me laugh...

(Is it appropriate to notate seminary honor roll achievements (aka diligent attendance at 6:30 am religion class) with symbols that look like cartoon expletives???)

(R. reigning in her desire to chase the bunny in the garden...)

(...and almost succeeding!)

a few new plants for my window sill...


blogging to reflect on it all...

Thank you for being part of my tender mercies.

How do you spell...?

You've seen these, right? Hand drawn thank you posters to a grocery store or bakery or restaurant from the 2nd grade class that recently came there on a "who are the people in your neighborhood" field trip. Plastered on a wall for all the customers/parents/kids to see, they are kid-cute variations on the same theme...crayoned rendition of the shop, a short thank you message, mention of their favorite part of the trip, a picture of something they remembered, etc., etc.

But every now and then, something slips past the teacher, like this one hanging above my table at a little bakery (eh hem, where they specialize in bread) in Idaho last month....

I didn't realize that was on the menu.

Nothing is sacred...

I came in while hubby was setting the table....

Laughing, I fetched my camera.

"You going to put that on your blog?

(nod)

"Is nothing sacred?"

Nope. Sorry hon. Not even the intimate relationship between man and his cookie...