The fragrance of cinnamon, cloves, pumpkin, pecans and coffee wraps its tendrils of aromatic allure around my kitchen this morning. Sunday morning may be my favorite time of the week . . . all is calm, all is at peace. It is as though my little world inhales a giant breath on Saturday, and then slowly exhales on Sunday. In and out. In and out. The soothing rhythm works its magic on me once again, and I find myself keeping pace with the even tempo.
As I slip a batch of Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins into the oven and rinse the dishes, David stumbles downstairs and wraps his arms around me, nuzzling his face in the curve of my neck. I love Sunday mornings.
For the past several Sundays, David and I have set aside time to touch base with one another and ask each other a specific set of questions that our Couples’ Lifegroup borrowed from a blog on marriage (Dubbed “Tuesday Questions” by this blogger, but we aren’t good about maintaining any habit on weekday nights.). This begins our week with a transparent evaluation of our relationship and communications. With each passing Sunday, our skill at identifying and analyzing our own responses has improved, as has our ability to show each other love during the week. This morning, I perch on a wooden kitchen chair by the gas fireplace, as David sits across from me, sipping his espresso and petting the cat.
“How did you feel loved this past week?” David begins, while I am still putting the last finishing touches on the almost-clean kitchen.
“When you told me on Friday that you would do whatever I needed to feel taken cared of,” I easily reply, thinking back to how badly I physically hurt from my rib injury on Friday and how wonderful it felt to know that he wanted to coddle me.
By the time we make it to the final question, “How would you feel best pursued in sex/intimacy this week?” David has finished his espresso, and my muffins have almost finished baking. Quickly checking their centers with a toothpick, I eye the clock, giving them a few more minutes to set.
Gratefulness for the gift of David fills me, as we ponder the last question of the morning. Soon I will need to turn my attention to grocery shopping and preparations for our Sunday night church service. Soon the hustle and bustle of the week will begin. But for now, it is enough to smell pumpkin, sip coffee, and love my husband. Marriage and muffins make for a fabulous Sunday morning.
(For fellow bakers, coffee lovers and amateur chefs, I will soon be posting pictures and recipes to some of my weekend culinary creations, including the instructions for the Pumpkin Oatmeal muffins. Check back for a yummy fall feast!)
acupofbliss 
These are great questions for increasing the level of intimacy in your relationship. My fiance and I are great about our communication, but there are some topics we don’t voluntarily discuss unless there is a conflict. Using questions like these would help us communicate on topics with otherwise wouldn’t. I also love the idea of discussing these questions over a warm beverage on Sunday morning.
I realized that I didn’t actually include all the questions that we try to ask each other every week. They are (1) How did you feel loved last week? (2) What does your and our upcoming week look like? (3) How can I best love you this week? and (4) How would you like to be sexually pursued? I hope these questions help you guys as much as they have helped us!