Hey, Hill, we do a little something here at home when one of us wants to DJ or otherwise say something dumb. We each knows what it means, so we kinda get our point across without actually saying it, and it's a gentle lead-in when something really ought to be discussed. Plus, it serves as a great reminder of the Greater Point. It's three little code words: "I love you."

Maybe you could try that with grace. Talk to her first about it, so she knows it is not an avoidance thing. She says, what's wrong? And you say, I love you.

Here, my husband will come up with some plan I think is a bad idea. He'll say, "hey, I thought I'd rip the front porch off the house on Sunday, what do you think?" My immediate thought would be "are you nutz?" But my immediate words are, "i love you." and he knows I mean he's nutz.

It's like shorthand for "give me a minute so I don't say something I'll regret."