Dear loyal Grace Picks readers,

As much as this makes me sad, I will be officially closing this blog down. It doesn’t get the time and attention that it deserves as I have many other priorities to tend to at this time.

If you ever want to reference back to something that you remember seeing on Grace Picks, it will be archived at www.ghkim.com/gracepicks.

My main blog that I keep up with can be found at www.ghkim.com/blog.

Also, I casually share a lot of things on my facebook, so if we’re not friends already, let’s be friends! :)

Thank you for indulging me with your comments and support for this blog!

Every time someone sees these French heart-shaped sugars, they’re a hit!

Depending on thickness, they don’t sit on certain mugs well, but they sure bring oohs and ahhs.

What a sweet gift for someone who loves hosting, don’t you think?

If you have the resources to read this, chances are that you have a phone, a laptop, a media player, or all of the above. The many devices in my and hubby’s possession are well-protected with scratch-proof transparent skins from Gadget Guardz.

Especially for the iPhone, I am personally not very fond of all the covers out there because of the bulkiness and it hides the beauty of the phone – so these are perfect. They also leave your device in pristine condition in case you want to sell your device in the future.

Scott [pictured below] is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met and he works on every item as if they are his own.

Special Offer: Gadget Guardz is generously offering a 10% discount to all of you when you mention “Grace Picks”.

On this lucky 08/08/08 day, the winning number provided by random.org is 5! And how fitting that it’s my favorite number and also the number that stands for grace.

That means Margot… Congratulations! You’ve won a $20 Target gift card! Please submit your mailing address under “About Grace” to claim your prize.

Thank you to everyone who commented and participated in the fun!

Hi friends!

It feels like I’m traveling in a time warp because I have no idea where the time has gone!

If you haven’t noticed already, Grace Picks has a brand new look and logo! With the new look, images will be upgraded as well. I will be taking pics with a point-and-shoot instead of my iPhone.

To celebrate, if you leave a comment on this post by the end of today, I will randomly choose a winner to receive one of the items on my ‘gracelist’! Hooray for celebrations!

Speaking of nü…

The nüvi® 350 and I are good friends. It’s dependable, helpful, and thoughtful. I even tell people that nüvi saved my marriage since it helps prevent some arguments on the road. ;)

It’s the perfect solution for everyone because we all know that men hate asking for directions but they love gadgets. And this device is especially great for people who travel a lot.

I recently saw one of their clever ads that marketed to nüviweds [newlyweds]. Now, I’m just waiting for them to come out with a live traffic feature… and to do my laundry.

I just got back from a Steven Curtis Chapman concert and I continue to admire him as a singer|songwriter. You see, he’s been doing this for a long time, and with many awards and accolades under his belt, he’s still going at it.

He holds a special place in my heart because my late brother loved his music, and his was the last concert we attended together. After my brother passed away, I listened to SCC’s song “With Hope” a gazillion times which helped me through extremely hard times.

His latest album This Moment includes a daddy-daughter tribute called “Cinderella.” I’m not a father, let alone a mother, but still, it touches my heart. Before our concert, he received a phone call from his oldest daughter saying that she got engaged so he choked up while singing this song. To see the music video, click the images.

Other musicians that I love are listed on Hunny’s blog post.

If you haven’t been to Panera Bread yet, get yourself over there!

They have a wide selection of Artisan and Specialty breads which are made from scratch and baked fresh every day.

My delicious meal above was from “You Pick Two” where you select two from a bowl of soup, half salad, or half sandwich.  I chose a Smoked Turkey Breast Sandwich and Vegetarian Creamy Tomato Soup and added an Iced Pomegranate Tea.  It comes with Kettle-Cooked Chips.  Yum.

And they’ve made it easy for you to want to stay longer with free Wi-Fi.

At the wedding venue I photographed two weekends ago, they had these clever little sugar packets from The Match Group. On the backs, they say, “Make Life Sweeter”.

When I was first introduced to The Settlers of Catan, it looked uninteresting, and I’ll admit, a little nerdy. But now, this game is played almost every time my friends get together. Wikipedia states, “The game has rapidly become popular in part because its mechanics are relatively simple, while its dynamics are quite complex. The game is well suited for family play, since no one gets eliminated, and players who are behind can strive towards goals that are within their reach.”

View a demonstration here.

You can buy from Mayfair Games or Amazon.com. For the hard-core, a Travel Edition and 3-D Special Edition are available. There are even online and Xbox 360 versions of this popular game. 

One of my friends describes it best, “It’s like life, there are many ways to win!”

Remember my rave about my favorite cupcake boutique? Turns out that Trophy Cupcakes is one of Martha Stewart’s too! The founder, Jennifer Shea is going to be on The Martha Stewart Show today featuring the Cupcake of the Day!

Seattleites, you can tune in to Channel 5 at 2:00pm. Everyone else, you can find your television listing here.