Happy 1st Birthday, Benjamin!

Our precious grandson Benjamin turns one today! I could have never guessed in a million years how much joy and happiness he would bring to our lives. The Lord has truly given us one of life's most precious blessings! There is not a day that goes by that we don't thank him for this wonderful "gift."

The "Birthday Boy!" Look at those chubby little cheeks ~ couldn't you just pinch them;)

"My How Times Have Changed!"


Boy, things are sure different these days. Instead of writing a letter to Santa, Benjamin decided to just "text" him;) ~Just kidding~

Name Pictures

I get so much enjoyment out of making these! The little guy I made this for is a true miracle. He was born weighing only 2lbs. and has been in the NICU for several months. Praise God, he is now up to 4lbs. 1 oz, and he get's to come home this week. What a joyous homecoming that is going to be!!

I went with the baseball theme because Ryan's Daddy is a BIG fan;)

Savoring Summer

Summer is quickly fading away ~ savor every last second you can!

The Swing



How would you like to go up in a swing,




Up in the air so blue?

Oh, I do think it's the pleasantest thing

Ever a child can do!

by: Robert Louis Stevenson

(and Benjamin;)

Happy New Year

Dear blogging friends,

My New Year's prayer for you is that you will always be surrounded with people you love and that love you. That your life is one that is filled with tranquility and peace. When you cry somebody is there to ease your sorrows, and when you are filled with joy you have somebody special to share it with. That you will take comfort in that fact that you know who your Father is and can rest in the knowledge that he is always watching over you. Finally, when you close your eyes and nod off to sleep, may you always have the sweetest of dreams!

Much love,

Susan P.

Every "Benjamin" Needs A Bunny!

Made with love by Nana!

It's A "Benjamin!"



Born Dec. 28, 6:40 p.m.
9lbs. 11 oz.
21 1/2 in. !

He's perfect and already has this Nana wrapped around his precious little finger!

"A grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty."
Author: Unknown

"Baby Watch"

I just wanted to stop in real quick to let y'all know that we are now officially on "baby watch!" Little Benjamin is due today and we are all eagerly awaiting his arrival. Something tells me he might make us wait for awhile, though! Who knows, maybe he will end up being a Christmas baby ~ how special would that be!!! :) I'll be sure and let everyone know as soon as "Baby Ben" has made his appearance! If I don't talk to you before, I wish you and your families a most blessed and Merry Christmas.

Much love from a very excited Nana-to-be,

Susan P.

After the baby is born we are bringing Ashley some Ben and Jerry's ice cream. We thought it would be very appropriate since it's named after the two men in her life!!! BTW, she has requested chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream ~ a girl after my own heart:)

Monday Night 12/22

No baby yet!!! We're still waiting.......................!!!!!!!!!!!Thank y'all so much for all the love and well wishes ~ they mean more than you will ever know. Y'all are simply the best!!

Tuesday Night 12/23

We're still waiting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday ~ Christmas Eve 12/24

Still Waiting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday ~ Christmas Day 12/25

Waited, Waited, Waited........................

Friday ~ 12/26

Stillllllllllllllll Waitinggggggggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Baby Shower Favor

This will be my last baby shower idea post. I really wanted to give our guests a little something to take home with them when they left the shower. After looking high and low all I could find were incredibly expensive things or incredibly "tacky" things (y'all know what I mean) neither of which I wanted. I got the idea that since we were going to be experiencing chilly temperatures for awhile it might be a good idea to give our guests something that would "warm" them up. I got hot cocoa, cup a soup, and tea bags, got out my craft box and went to work. This is what I came up with:

You probably can't read the poem I wrote so here it is:

A baby warms our hearts
As everyone knows.
This favor should do the same
Right down to your toes!

I was able to scrounge up enough little metal tags so I could even put the new baby's initials on it!

Well, that's it! The shower is Sunday so I will try to get pics up then. BTW, in only a few short weeks I will be a Nana!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it:)

Diaper Banner For Baby Shower

So easy to make and very useful, too. When the shower is over I will take the letters off the diapers and give them to the new Mom-to-be. Between these and the ones from the diaper cake she might have enough for baby Gavin for at least two days!

Diaper Cake
For Baby Gavin's Shower

Here is a picture of the diaper cake I made for baby Gavin's shower. It will serve as the centerpiece for the table. Tucked inside are all kinds of goodies such as rattles, bibs, washcloths, pacifier,spoons, and some products for bath time. These are so much fun to make and they are so easy, too!! Tomorrow: Shower banner

Baby Sock Roses

In two weeks my DIL and I will be hosting a baby shower for a dear friend here at my house. For the next several days I will share with you some of the decorations I am making for the special occasion. These little roses are so much fun to make and they are so realistic looking in person ~ the camera isn't capturing that I'm afraid. I have several more to make in different pastel colors and then I will add them along with some baby's breath to complete the arrangement. What I love about them is that when I am done they will serve double duty. They will first grace the table at the baby shower and and after that they will keep some little "tootsies" warm at night:) Tomorrow: Diaper Cake

Benjamin James P.
4 D Ultra-Sound Today



Thank you Lord for the gift of this precious child!

Psalm 139:13-14

" For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

Kitty Approved

Tonight we are attending a baby shower for our first grand baby! When Mr. P finished putting the stroller together we put it aside and busied ourselves with other things. A few minutes later we looked over and this is what we saw:

Annabelle used to be Gerry's cat until he got married and then she came to live with us. I'm wondering if this is her way of letting him know she's still his first baby;)

"Labor" of Love!
Hmm.....I can't imagine who this could be for;o)


I thought of doing Benjamin but the wall wasn't big enough!

Seasonal Book Basket

Ever since I found out I was going to be a Nana I have been searching for the perfect books to read to my new grand baby. Along with the classics, I have also been collecting seasonal books. Y'all know how much I love celebrating the seasons and I can't imagine a more perfect way to do it! What special memories I have of reading to my own babies, and now I'll have the pleasure of reading to our soon-to-be little blessing.

As a Nana I don't plan on buying lots of toys for my grand babies, BUT, books are a different story. (no pun intended:o) I think good books are a wonderful investment because they can be enjoyed for years and years to come. Old books become just like old friends that you can revisit over and over again. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big advocate for the library, it's just some books I feel are worth having on our bookshelf here at home.

As you can see by the picture, the basket is resting on a little stool. That stool is very special to me because that was the stool I would sit on when I would go to Grammy's house. Grammy didn't read out of story books, instead she made up her own wonderful stories. She would always include me as a character in the story and I can vividly recall one story that involved the two of us going on a picnic in the woods and there we met some beautiful fairies. She went into great detail about how we shared our lunch with the fairies and afterwards we all sang and danced! Such magical moments for me, and one that certainly, in my opinion, could never be recreated with the most expensive of high tech toys. So, long story short, you can see why that little stool is so special to me and why it is the perfect spot for the books to rest on!

I wanted to put bookplates in each book and found some here. As you can see by reading the bookplates, these books belong to Nana and Papa and will be here for all our future grand babies to enjoy.

My favorite book in the seasonal basket right now is "The Pumpkin Patch Parable," by Liz Curtis Higgs. It tells how a loving farmer can turn a pumpkin into something beautiful, just as God's transforming love makes us beautiful, too!

Sorry, I know I am way, way too long-winded, I just get really excited about things and wanted to share with you! Thanks for putting up with me:o) In a few short months I will be back with my favorite Christmas and winter picks so stay tuned.

A Darling Gift For The "New" Dad

My daughter-in-love made the cutest gift for my son for Father's Day this year. As most of y'all know, they have their first baby on the way in December. We were in the mountains for a family reunion over the Father Day weekend and when my son walked out wearing this we all started howling with laughter.

Ashley bought a tool belt and then she embellished the belt with stickers and letters that spell out the words DIAPER DOOTIE. Each compartment held something that will aid my son in changing his baby's diaper.

The tool belt held a diaper, powder, and cream, certainly all necessary, but it also held a mask and closepin for his nose, and earplugs for his ears! I think my son might be needing the pacifier for himself after the first few days of new fatherhood! lol I thought this made such a unique and creative gift for the new "Father To Be!" Way to go, Ashley:o)

"Grand" Baby Love

I’ve never even held you
Or seen your precious face
But in my heart you hold
A most important place.

I’ve never kissed your sweet soft cheeks
Or sung a lullaby
While rocking you quietly in the chair
So you will not cry.

I haven’t held your tiny hands
Or counted your little toes
Nor smelled your sweet baby breath
And kissed you on the nose.

I haven’t looked into your eyes
Their color I haven’t a clue
I wonder if they’ll be big and bright
Brown, or green, or blue.

I also sometimes wonder
If you’ll have hair upon your head
And the color it will be
Either blonde, brown, black, or red.

Will your hair be curly
Or straight as straight can be
You might not even have any hair
I’ll have to wait and see!

I don’t know who you’ll look like
Among all our family
Maybe your Mom, or maybe your Dad
Or maybe even ME!

Over these months I’ll be dreaming
About your arrival day
The first time I hold you in my arms
What I’ll do and what I’ll say.

One thing is for certain
When I see you face to face
The love that I will feel for you
Can never be replaced.

Because I am your grandmother
And you, my little one
Are the precious little child
Of my precious grown-up son.

Love always, Nana :o)

Written by: Susan P.

"Name The Grandmother" Contest

First of all, I want to thank y'all from the bottom of my heart for all the love you have shown over my grandbaby news! All that baby talk got me to thinking about what I would want to be called once the baby arrives. I know there are about as many grandmother names out there as there are grandmothers (lol) and I would love to hear them all!! I'm needing some good ideas and y'all are without a doubt the best source I know! Ashley's Mom has already come up with a great one, I think. Her name is Janet and she wants to be called "Janny" I love it! So, if you would kindly put in the comment section your ideas for names, when I get back from Kentucky I will randomly draw not just one winner, but THREE!! I can't wait to see all your names ~ I don't have computer access in Ky so I will have a big surprise to look forward to when I get home:o)

Each winner will receive ONE of these books. They are all exceptional and I know they will bless y'all like they did me. The first name I pick will get their first choice, second gets second, and third gets which one is left! lol You don't have to give me your choice now, wait until I pick the winners:o) Good luck everybody!!

The titles are:

Becoming a Woman Who Pleases God

Homespun Gifts From The Heart

A Life That Says Welcome

Don't worry ~ if you don't win this one we will have a "Name the Grandfather" contest, too!!