The Life Of A Blog

In the blog world we see blogs come and go. Some blogs touch our hearts in a special way, and we feel a warm and loving connection with the writer. Other blogs offer wonderful decorating advice, and still others give us a nice chuckle to brighten our day. We rejoice with our blog friends during times of joy, and we shed tears and pray for them in times of sorrow.

I feel so incredibly blessed to have been a part of this wonderful community and I will cherish the wonderful friendships that I have made along the way. As much as I have loved blogging, for various reasons my heart is telling me it is time to move on. If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, then you know I'm the kind of person that needs to listen to her heart. The life of "A Place Called Home" will end, but rest assured that in my real home I will still be Susan P, the women who adores her Mr. P, who is the proud Mama of sweet Miss Bonnie, her brave firefighter son Gerry, and last but not least, the blessed Nana to precious little Benjamin. And finally, with the Lord's help, I will continue to make our "Place Called Home" a most loving and cozy place for all who enter in. May God richly bless each one of you.

Much love,

Susan P.

I "Spy" Spring!

Peering through my kitchen window

A hint of yellow appearing like a ray of golden sunshine

Amongst the cold, brown earth.

It's frilly little head lifting it's head up high

Offering a cheery "hello."

Squeals of delight.

Surely, this is what hope must look like!

*What an appropriate last post for me, because daffodils are my very favorite flower! To me, not only are they beautiful, but they also represent happiness and joy, which is what I wish for each one of you!

Much love,

Susan P.

Our "Celebration" Tree

St. Patrick's Day

It's A Wacky, Wacky House!

Remember this picture I took one Thanksgiving where Annabelle thought she was a turkey? Well, know my grandson thinks he's one, too!

Gerry & Ashley came over and they wanted to know how much weight little Benjamin has gained. They knew Mr. P had a postal scale so out it came. In order to weigh Benjamin they needed something to put him in to place on the scale. Well, they decided on my 9/13 baking pan, and no, I'm not kidding! They placed his blanket in the pan and then placed him on top. Which now leads to the third picture.

Annabelle has staked out Benjamin's play mat and has decided it's hers ~ did I mention she's not good at sharing? Didn't I tell you it was "wacky" around here;)

Plate Love

Last weekend I went to my favorite thrift store and I found the three blue plates that are now having above the mirror. I love the look they bring to my den, especially since they were just a few dollars!

Valentine's Day
"Pondering"

In the bible we are told to love one another. With Valentine's Day here it's easy to do because it is a day that is devoted entirely to "love." Hearts, flowers, kisses and hugs abound! A day of celebrating love is fun, but, when it's over I have to ask myself whether or not I continue to abide by that principle? I think the truth of the matter is that the real test of love comes the other 364 days of the year!

To be perfectly honest this can really be a challenge because it's just plain hard to love some people. Do you have anybody in your life like this? Sometimes I even think that the Lord has put certain people in my life because there needs to be a major "remolding," and "refining" done in me. After all, it's EASY to love the lovable, isn't it? I think if I would try harder to see these "unlovable" people through the eyes of Jesus then I would be better able to stretch out my hand and open up my heart to them. With that being said, once all the candy is eaten and the roses have wilted, I am going to try and remember that EVERY DAY is a day where love should abound and be celebrated:)

Simple Pleasures

A yummy smelling candle (hat tip to Kim;) and sweet daisies in a crock.

Daisies in the bathroom (wow, even Mr. P noticed;) in my Grammy's dainty little vase.

Cheerful red dishcloths on sale at WalMart ~ Yippee!!

Playing with my "sweet as pie" grandson!

And best of all, rocking this precious boy to sleep. Girls, I don't need diamonds and pearls, these are the things that truly make me happy!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank You, Hallmark!!

I'm sure most of y'all remember the post I did a few days ago about the Valentine commercial that Hallmark did. Well, much to my surprise when I checked my email last night I received this letter:

Dear Susan,

My name is Deidre Mize, I work at Hallmark in Public Affairs and Communications.

I noticed your recent blog posting about one of Hallmark’s Valentine’s Day commercials and wanted to respond.

When creating this commercial we wanted to show that love can be expressed in a number of creative, economical and heartfelt ways, including Mom’s voice in a valentine.

As is our normal practice, our marketing team tested this commercial before it aired among consumers, including mothers. These consumers responded favorably, so we appreciate receiving different points of view like the one you shared on your blog.

With this new perspective from you and others we have decided to stop airing the advertisement. Please understand that it will take time to fully remove the commercial from the air. But know that we have begun contacting the multiple media outlets that are scheduled to broadcast this advertisement and are working as expeditiously as possible.

Hallmark is about helping people connect. We are continually learning about the intricacies of these connections, and your perspective will help us to look at this differently in the future.

Thank you for your time and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments. As I mentioned, perspectives like yours are important to us.


Deidre Mize
Hallmark Cards, Inc.

I never sent Hallmark my post so I guess they were googling feedback. At first I thought about contacting them, but I decided there would be no point because my opinion wouldn't matter. Much to my surprise, it does!! I am so happy to know that they decided to look at this commercial through a Mom's eyes.
Thank you for listening, Hallmark! Oh, and one more thing Hallmark, keep on making those "sappy" commercials that make us Mom's cry ~ we love those:)