If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it.

Much to share. But lacking time currently. I'll be back when finals are done kicking my booty. In the meantime, here's a sneak-peak of Friday night's dinner party. Enjoy!

My "handmade" invitations. I drew up the graphics and scanned them onto the computer. I then added the font, which is actually my handwriting, font-ified. RSVP phone number removed to prevent any creepiness. So, stay tuned for more info on...

My homemade bunting banner, complete with tissue paper flowers.

My homemade centerpieces.

How I tied bows on most everything for optimum ~cuteness~.

And more shots of my cute friends. Above: we may have attempted to learn the dance to "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" for about two seconds. Then we gave up, but not before a sufficient amount of "Oh, oh, oh"ing and shaking our jelly.

Bonus body shot: realized I never got a full-length of my outfit (I'm such an irresponsible blogger) so I had to improvise.

And showing off his bootylicious bod, Sonny, who spent the whole evening with the twelve of us. I'm telling you: he's a wonder cat.

Givin' thanks and gettin' full!

Woke up and worked my butt off baking a batch of pumpkin pie cookies topped with maple icing for Ethan's family in the spirit of Thanksgiving. :D

One of the things I love most about Thanksgiving is having the opportunity to enjoy being with my family, free of interruption. Given that fact and the fact that I'm kind of a photo-fanatic, it's ironic that I have absolutely zero photographic representations of my beautiful family on Turkey Day.

In lieu of such, please enjoy our table. My mom and I threw this together with little to no effort, very last minute. But since my mom is an artist (though she is too modest to call herself such), it turned out beautifully!

Not pictured: amazing food and my amazing family. We shared a lot of laughs. Table Topics, anyone?

My mom has recently taken up metal embossing. She made a couple of monograms and framed them for my grandmothers' place settings.

See how cute?

Yep. And within the next couple of days I'll have more photos of her adorable work - I'm so excited to share!

And if I may brag for a minute about my caramel apple cheesecake (based on this recipe - I opted for a homemade graham cracker-walnut crust instead)... Look at that - no splits in the cake top! So proud of myself!

Minutes before serving, I topped the cheesecake with a warm caramel apple sauce.

Oh, and here is Sonny during our Thanksgiving dinner. This is where he spends most of his time now: in a shallow box from a case of water bottles. He's thrifty. I've taught him well.

I hope all of my lovely readers had an equally lovely Thanksgiving. Tell me, what was your favorite dish? :P

Busy and dizzy.

I've hardly had enough time to breathe over the past few days! I'm not upset about this fact, but it is nice to finally have the chance to inhale.

On a side note, I just found my kitten eating cheese spread out of a bowl on my counter top.


Mark, via my flickr.

Holidays in the hood.

I've always loved the last three months of the year. October, November, and December are sprinkled with holiday get-togethers, warm clothes, and good food. Since graduating, my love for this time of year has only grown: I love a little hiatus from college-life and seeing all of my high school friends who have returned home from their respective colleges and universities across the country.

Last night, one of my best friends, Michelle, came over. she surprised me by bringing her little sister, Gracie - my honorary niece! So nice to see them because I love them both dearly!

Gracie's facial expression just screams "Don't mess."

I picture messaged this photo to Ethan, who responded most eloquently:

LOL. I'd let that gangsta cut me!

Well, hm. We may be one of the less PC couples you've met. I don't know whether to be proud or ashamed.

Swooning permitted.

He might kill me for putting this up. But I don't care! ;]

Warning: Uncouth content.

Today I saw a female wearing a shirt sending me an interesting message...

If I had balls, they'd be bigger than yours!

Well. If you're that quick to advertise it, I don't doubt it.

Mathematics: Ethan's Anti-Drug.

Yesterday Ethan taught me binary notation. He was very understanding of my inability to pull off "simple" math in my head, buut when I finally figured out how to convert decimals to binary, he rejoiced. Funny how mathematicians get their kicks.

Anyway, I'm bored in the library, so now I present to you, without further ado... Today's date, 11/18/2009, in binary: 1101 10010 11111011001.

THRILLING!

My beef with Nordstrom.

Firstly, You said you shipped me a boyfriend blazer and a jersey cardigan. The cardigan arrived, but the blazer? Nowhere to be found.

So I call you to ask, "What gives?" You put me on hold for three minutes. This wouldn't be so bad except that you are playing a song by Madonna.

But, you have since rectified the situation and all is well. Thanks for the cute stuff, guys.

Edit: I am not happy, Nordstrom. You let me down. RIP cute blazer.

You think you're sooo funny.

While waiting for my university's production of Erik Ehn's "Saint Plays" to begin...

Grace: E, I have this huge zit right between my eyes and I'm feeling really self-conscious about it!

Ethan: I don't know what you're talking about. I don't see anything, GK. You're beautiful!

Grace: Liar! I know you see it.

Ethan: Maybe it's the lighting - tilt your head to the side.

Grace: Okay...

Ethan: WHOA MOMMA! LOOK AT THAT SUCKER!

Thank you, that is all.

Thursday Word: Romans 6:3.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:3.

Does whatever a spider can.

Look at this huge spider I discovered chillin' in a massive web in my backyard a couple of weeks ago. It was probably about an inch long, but I guess the tight crop of this photo doesn't really do its size justice.

All the squeemish people reading this just got the heebie jeebies. Sorry. ;]

Laughin' out loud.

My high school Anatomy and Physiology teacher was born and raised in New York. His undying love for the Yankees and my equally passionate dislike for them caused a bit of a rivalry between us. Anyway, he currently teaches my brother so my mother and he had an email correspondence going on. He left a darling post-script at the end of one of their emails especially for yours truly!

"ps: Tell Grace I'm sorry about the Yankees winning the World Series. LOL."

Yes. "LOL" indeed.

Friendship is Skype.

Last night post-Chris&Ethan adventure, I Skyped with one of my best friends Michelle and her boyfriend Dean. These are the results. Fascinating.

"Fried Squid Balls": An Exposition.

Our dear friend, the lovable Chris Ham, was in town for two nights only, so yesterday evening we met up with him for some chow.

Ever heard of Quickly? Please do not consider this post an endorsement for that establishment. I think one should only frequent Quickly if they intend to die a premature death. As Ethan says, "Quickly portions their food in order to give you the amount of food exactly equal to the amount that will kill you." Good thing Chris and I more or less split an order of tater tots (identified on the menu as "Tater Totes"). Ethan abstained altogether - he is, after all, only just recovering from a gastrointestinal bacteria (seriously!).

We decided we'd had enough. But not before Chris decided to order "Fried Squid Balls." I have several objections to this menu item: a) ambiguous title (what, exactly, are "squid balls"?); b) false advertising (clearly, they are wedges, not balls); c) the fact that Chris actually willing chose to order something called "Fried Squid Balls." Never fear; they were not eaten.

Chris, contemplating whether or not his fried squid balls were worth trying.

Ethan couldn't even look. I want to call him a Drama Queen, but I honestly don't blame him.

So then we packed up and headed to Orange Tree before making the hour-long trek to Chris' and back. I'll tell ya, every experience with Chris is an exciting one! Next time, he says, we're trying the "Pop Dogs." Can't wait for Thanksgiving when we reunite once more. :P

Thursday Word: Hebrews 4:12.

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12.

via my flickr.

Boo!

I harassed Ethan into dressing up. He came as a monkey. HA. I was Little Red Riding Hood, although someone asked me if I was "Red Riding Hood." I'm beginning to think that the omission of "Little" was intentional.

Halloween is one of those holidays that I never really think I'll enjoy until I realized I get to dress up like something, and eat candy with the sole excuse "It's Halloween!!" Too bad I started snacking on KitKats and Reese's a week before the actual holiday; I gained my post-Halloween pounds pre-Halloween! Oh well.

Yes.

Just a little glamor shot for all you Little Red Riding Hood enthusiasts out there.

Body shot. Enjoy the creepiness of my brother. My mom and I made my brother's, um... headsack. And my mom sewed my cape as well! I was demoted to fabric-cutter and pinner after we realized I can't sew for my life.

Tucker's girlfriend Cassidy was Wilma, and Tucker made a magical transition into Fred Flinstone later that night.

Ethan did the gutting for me because I didn't want to get dirty.

There it is, ladies and gentleman, the VIP of the evening: the power drill. Quick and easy with adorable results. If I do say so myself. And I do.

Voila! Please enjoy the most adorable Halloween pumpkin ever created.

SPOOOOKY. Ethan and I did some last-minute decorating. Not pictured: a huge rubber rat, a warty pumpkin, and a skeleton with an exposed glowing brain. How a skeleton has a brain is beyond me.

Good times. My eyes have been burning for the past couple of days. What gives?!

Fun fact: my brother is a world record-holder.

So I've talked about my brother Tucker and his talents, but apparently he was keeping one to himself. I just received word that my brother and his friend Josh are, indeed, the current world record-holders for the "Fastest Time it Takes Two People to Hug Ten Times" at 7.25 seconds. Seriously, look. How hilarious is that?