Pretty is

...My Life and Style

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It Has Been EIGHT Years

March 10, 2025, marks eight years since I began this blog.

Which means today is my
BLOGIVERSARY!

When I started, I had no idea what I was doing—I just knew that if the bloggers I admired could do it, so could I. My original intention was to ease into fashion blogging because that’s what I loved. So, I registered with WordPress and started brainstorming a name.

The title “Pretty Is” came from a quote my Mama often repeated:

“Pretty is as pretty does.”

She had heard it from her own mother, and it stuck with me. I registered Prettyis.me because “pretty is dot com” and “pretty is dot net” were already taken—plus, I thought it had a nice ring to it!

My first post was short and sweet, and ironically, had nothing to do with fashion. It was a Friday, and I had taken the day off to spend time with my GlamBaby, Lydia, who was 20 months old at the time. You can see that post [here].

As time passed, I realized that fashion blogging wasn’t as easy as it seemed. While I love reading fashion blogs, my reality includes working a full-time office job and commuting to another city each day. Life moves fast, and rather than focusing solely on fashion, I found myself writing more about my daily life and the people who make it special—and that’s okay.

Today is also special for another reason.

On March 10, 1925, in Buffalo, New York, Bettelou Ellen McCarty was born.

She later met and fell in love with George S. Duckworth, they married and she became Bette Duckworth—my Mema, aka Mema Duck.

I spent a lot of time at Mema Duck’s house through the years.  I was close to all of my grandparents, but especially the Memas.

She left us on January 14, 2010, but her sweet face is one I look forward to seeing again someday.

Here’s to eight years of blogging and to the people who inspire the stories I share.

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Happy Blogiversary!

Today is my BLOGIVERSARY

Happy Blogiversary to ME!

It has now been five years.  My blogging skills haven’t changed but my world certainly has.

My first post The Journey Begins was published on March 10, 2017.  I was obsessed with shopping and clothes/fashion.  The obsession with clothes goes way back and I thought it would be fun to be a fashion blogger.

After beginning my blog, and as the weeks passed, I realized that fashion blogging isn’t as easy as it looks.

Rather than posts about fashion, I found that I was posting more and more about what I do and the people in my life.

And speaking of people in my life, on this day, March 10th,  in 1925, Bettelou Ellen McCarty was born.  Years later Bettelou would become my Mema.

Although my brother-in-law can tell the story much better, I believe little Bettelou started her journey in Buffalo, New York, eventually moving to Muncy, Pennsylvania, and much later to Florida where she met George S. Duckworth.

She was a good Mema

I dedicated this previous blog post to her.

I believe she would have been 97 today.

~

Now I am a Glammy

which is much like a Mema, but with added drama.

I have 2 of the cutest Glambabies and I’m a bit less obsessed with fashion. 

Most of my attention is focused on what is going on in the world.  I’m praying every day that God will let the darkness be brought to light.  It isn’t looking good for the U.S. and I am concerned about the impact it is going to have on the little girls who call me Glammy.  We’ll keep hoping and praying.

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Happiness

“…lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” – Franklin Roosevelt

Today, March 10, 2020 is a day to celebrate as it marks three years since I began this creative effort.

Happy

BLOGIVERSARY!

  It seemed like a good idea at the time, although I no idea what I was doing. I supposed if other bloggers can do this, so can I.  My intention was to ease my way into fashion blogging because that’s what I like, so I registered with WordPress and came up with a name for my blog.

Prettyis.me was registered because pretty is dot net and pretty is dot com were already taken.

Also it sounds cute.

The title “Pretty is” came to me from a quote my Mama enjoyed repeating:

“Pretty is as Pretty does”

And apparently she heard it often from her mother, who would have celebrated a birthday today.

My first post was short and sweet and included nothing about women’s fashion.

After beginning my blog, and as the weeks passed, I realized that fashion blogging isn’t as easy as it looks.

Rather than posts about fashion, I found that I was posting more and more about what I do and the people in my life, which is perfectly fine.

That said, on this day in 1925, Bettelou Ellen McCarty was born.

Although my brother-in-law can tell the story much better, I believe little Bettelou started her journey in Buffalo, New York, eventually moving to Muncy, Pennsylvania, and much later to Florida where she met George S. Duckworth.

And she loved him.

And so she would become Bette Duckworth

My Memaa.k.a.

Mema Duck

~

Mema went to be with Jesus on January 14, 2010.This is another sweet face that I look forward to seeing again.

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

The Year in Review: 2019

Since March 2017 I have been publishing a few blog posts each week in my WordPress blog.  “Pretty Is: My Life and Style”, is my blogging journal sharing What I see as Pretty.  Whether it is an experience, an event, a memory, a recipe, or an outfit, my hope is to keep a journal and hopefully share something that will be interesting or useful, and, of course, to make you smile.  Although I don’t always include my posts on social media, if you’d like to follow along I’ll send you an email alert.  Just enter your email address in the sidebar under “Follow by Email” and click subscribe.

On this first day of the new year, I’d like to share my ten most popular posts from 2019.

Here they are:

# 10

I Love It When We’re Crusin’ Together

# 9

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites is a collection of my favorite happenings of the week.  If I don’t post anything else, I’ll typically post a weekly collection of my favorites like this and the next few most popular posts from 2019:

# 8

Friday Favorites

# 7

Friday Favorites

One of my most favorite photos is the header of this post:

# 6

Friday Favorites

# 5

A Bonus Mary Post

In my posts, I mention my Mama more than any other member of my family.  Before I began my blog, I used to tell her ALL THE TIME that she needed to start a blog.  She has so many funny and interesting stories.

Last year I asked her to give me an occasional story to publish on my blog.  I call her posts “Mary’s Musings“.  She isn’t cooperating much but I hope to convince her to do more this year.

I wrote “A Bonus Mary Post” in 2018, however it was still my #5 most read post in 2019:

# 4

Once Upon A Time There Was A Little Boy

# 3

Saturday Special

# 2

My Grandpa

# 1

Dear Daddy

This post may bring tears to your eyes.  It does mine!

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Director Day

Today was an eventful day at the office.  The new Director came to the center for his second visit since starting his position as Area Director for my department/division.  The office has been buzzing with excitement about his arrival.  There were many meetings for him to attend.  I was part of a focus group meeting with him and during our discussion I casually mentioned my blog.  To my surprise he appeared to be interested.  As I listened to him speak I realized that he is genuinely interested in people.

When I invited him to stop by my desk to take a look at my blog, he accepted.   Two hours later he was pulling up a chair listening to me ramble about

Pretty Is.

Typically I will write about family, friends, work, recipes, and random events.  S0 I selected a few samples of posts to provide a summary of what my blog is all about.

Since it was on my mind, I shared the post honoring my parent’s anniversary.

August 1965

One interesting fact that I learned was that his parents were also married in August 1965, on the 1st.

My post about Wendy is a favorite that I shared with him.

WENDY Sometime!

He was impressed with Wendy’s progress and offered her his congratulations.

Because I sometimes include favorite recipes (sometimes regarded as food experiments), I shared my post of the pecan pie bars I make every year for my Sunday Before Thanksgiving Dinner.

Pecan Pie Bars

St. Augustine is a favorite place to go for an afternoon outing.  That said, I shared one of my posts about a visit to the nations oldest city.

Nighttime Browsing

He mentioned an interest in visiting St. Augustine and possibly visiting one of the shops mentioned in my Nighttime Browsing post.  After my blog overview we briefly discussed higher education, tuition reimbursement, and what a happy time it is to finally graduate!

My takeaway from the brief visit with our new director was “what a great person!”  A man in charge who is interested in the lives of the people who work for him.

Glad to Know You Mike!

 

Elvis says Hi!

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

One Sentence is Enough

It has been said that keeping a journal can help make one become grateful as it will call to mind daily blessings.

And it is possible that daily happenings can bring more joy to our lives than we would expect.  While pizza on Friday night with LB or a day off from work may not seem memorable to some, looking back on these daily occurrences may actually bring great pleasure.

Because journaling can take a great deal of time, a possible solution would be to keep a journal and write down just a sentence (or two) to record your prominent memories of the day.  The idea came from a blog I read called Foxy’s Domestic Side.  She writes a monthly recap using just a sentence (or two) for each day of said month.

In an article I recently read, writer Jessica Stillman poses the question:

Can writing Just a Sentence a Day Make You Happier?

Citing Author Gretchen Rubin, she writes, “You might think such short entries aren’t enough to make any difference in your life, but Rubin insists that this idea is both manageable and impactful. “One sentence is enough. When I look back on it years later, that one sentence really does keep memories vivid–it really does bring back the past–which is one of the things you really want a journal to do,” she says.” (source).

If I were to recap April using a sentence per day, my journal may look something like this:

 

1 Easter Sunday means remembering Jesus and spending time with Family.

2  Monday  It was a great weekend filled with activities!

3 Tuesday I love springtime. 

4 Tuesday “Giant Steps are What You Take Walking on the Moon” ~ The Police

Watched a crreepy movie with LB… TITAN (fictional story about preparing for life on one of Saturn’s Moons).

5 Wednesday My Quarterly Mary Kay Order arrived today.

6 Friday The Usual Friday Dinner and A Movie Date Night.

#LittlePizzasandLookWho’sTalking

7 Saturday Cleaning my closet is good for my soul.

#3HeftyBagsFull

8 Sunday I love to have dinner with Friends at La Nopolera!

9 Monday Peace and quiet all alone at the office today.

#EveryonesOffButMe

10 Tuesday Apparently I like yellow.

11 Wednesday There is a lake in my yard.

12 Thursday Give me a sign.

13 “It’s Friday the 13th. Just a warning before you make any weekend arrangements for wood cabins by lake.” ~unknown.

Little pizzas and movie with LB.  Not a Jason flick.

14 Saturday It’s going to be a long weekend! 

#iHaveMondayOff!

15 Sunday Help me Rhonda!

16 Monday Brunch in St. Augustine is the best.

17 Tuesday Back to work I go.

18 Wednesday I’m thankful for my job.

19 Thursday I Love baking.

20 Friday I usually have a doppelganger.

21 Saturday I’ve ordered my Kentucky Derby hat!

22 Sunday It’s a perfect day for a Bird Rescue and a Ballet Recital.

Today LB and I enjoyed both.

23 Monday Hi Ho Hi Ho its off to work I go.

24 Tuesday Gardening is good for you.

And that is just what I did after work today.  Thank you for the amaryllis Wendy!

25 Wednesday She said, soo… do you have any new ducks at your house?

While walking around outside looking at flowers, Lydia inquired about the possibility of Glammy having any new toy (rubber) ducks.

So I ordered some ducks.

26 Thursday The lady behind me is an owl.

At The Voice of Romance Tour 2018 Johnny Mathis, a fan was heard to say “WOO” several times per song.

27 Friday I’m feeling like a Loser but that’s okay.

28 Saturday Dinner @ Olé with a side of karaoke.

I didn’t post my review of the Atlantic Boulevard Restaurant, but I won’t likely visit again.

29 Sunday Mulch Makes it Better.

30 Monday I’d rather be at the beach.

 

Although one sentence may be enough, occasionally I feel I need to elaborate with hashtags, links, and a picture here and there.  I agree that it is a good idea to remember and appreciate the little things in life.

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Fave Spring Color

Once again, I have The Blended Blog to thank as they have provided me with a subject for my little blog.

Wednesdays on TBB will be style perspectives from various ladies that contribute to that site.  For the next several weeks, the topics that will be covered are listed below:

Obviously today’s discussion is all about:

Fave Spring Color

If you assume that I am typical, you may guess that I have chosen a soft and delicate springtime pastel.  Or, if you know me very well, you may guess that I have chosen black.

Neither is the case.

For spring 2018 I am stepping out of the box.  I have selected a color of which I have very little in my closet collection.

It is audacious.

It is fresh.

It is…

[drum-roll here]

MEADOWLARK!

More simply put… Yellow.

It is What’s Happening

The swatch above is directly from the Pantone site and you can see all of the spring 2018 color palate by clicking here.

Pantone describes Meadowlark as bold and lively, a confident and outgoing bright yellow shade that highlights the spring 2018 season, glistening with joy and illuminating the world around us (source).

Although I have merely 3 items in my closet that compare to this color…

it is my favorite for this season and I intend on procuring other items in yellow before I sashay into summer.

Here are some of the options that I am considering from LOFT:

I’ve been shopping at venus.com for a long time.  Here are a couple of cute yellow options from Venus:

Happy Shopping!

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

 

 

 

No affiliate links have been used throughout this blog post;  neither will clicking on links result in compensation for the blog author.  That’s just the way it is.

 

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