Pretty is

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Sweet 16

My baby is sixteen years old today!

Elvis has been with me since he was three months old.

It was December 12, 2009 and my plan was to give my oldest daughter Stephanie a kitten for Christmas.  LB and I went to the Humane Society and looked at all the adorable kitties that were living there.  Some of them were in crates; some of them were playing together in the Kitty Cabana.  As we walked into the Kitty Cabana I noticed one little black fur ball scurry behind a kitty play set. Of course I went after him.  Given the fact that he was so skittish, I was surprised that he let me pick him up.  Not only did he let me pick him up, he let me hold him close and snuggle.  I had found a winner.
We took him home.


My plan was to keep him for the next several days before Christmas and then take him to Stephanie on Christmas morning.

It was only a few days that he was with us and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to part with him.


The decision was made that I would keep Elvis and go back to the Humane Society for another rescue.

 

Exactly one week later, we went back and adopted Aymie.  She and Stephanie are inseparable.  Aymie is obviously a good sport.

~

If you have a kitty in your life, you know just how special he can be.

Elvis used to go everywhere with me.  Now he is a homebody.  He tolerates no visitors and hides under the bed as soon as he is aware that company has arrived.  To most people, he seems very unsociable.
However, when he detects that his mama has arrived home, he comes running.  He then leads me to the living room for some hello-let’s-have-a-brush time.

Elvis sleeps on my bed at my feet. He is anxious for me to get up in the morning and has been known to sit by my head and pat my nose. His favorite time is when I’m sitting in my living room chair letting him sleep on my lap. 

He is sleeping on the recliner next to me as I type this post.

He is just a precious little fur ball, and I’m so happy to have him in my life.

Happy Birthday Elvis!

~

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

Beach Vacay 2025

This week I was surprised with an impromptu vacation at Crescent Beach.

LB has a friend who has been trying for some time to have us visit his beach condo.  Being the generous friend that he is, he provided his Summerhouse beach condo to us the first week of September from Thursday through Tuesday.

Summerhouse Beach & Racquet Club

I was a little hesitant to leave Elvis since he hasn’t been feeling well, but we made it work and thoroughly enjoyed our time away.

We arrived a little late on Friday and brought our things inside.  LB took several photos…

Once we were settled in we took a walk on the beach.  At the time I had only seen the beach at high tide.  I was concerned that Crescent Beach didn’t have much of a beach, but it would turn out to be better than I thought.

Then we went to dinner at the Elkhouse Eatery, which was a recommendation from LB’s friend.

 

~

On Saturday we set out early to find a nice place on the beach.  The low tide provided plenty of space to choose a good spot.  We set up our chairs and umbrella and found that we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

There is no better beach than a private beach!

Unfortunately we stayed out in the sun too long and found that we were both a bit more pink than we wanted to be 🫠

In addition to the amenities on the grounds, there are several great places to go out to eat. On Saturday night we went to Taco Libre for dinner and on Sunday we enjoyed a breezy evening at Finn’s Beachside Pub.  Each of our dining out experiences get 5 stars.  The Summerhouse Beach & Racquet Club gets 5 stars too.

The condo was lovely, the beach was lovely, and each day of our vacation was lovely.

~

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

Friday Favorites

It’s Friday and I’m at home!

This past week was an exciting week and I have a few favorites that I’ve selected to share…

Last Friday LB and I headed to Captiva Island Inn for a vacation to celebrate my birthday

Favorite #ONE

Captiva Island

We made it in time to have dinner at our favorite local Mexican restaurant before catching the sunset!

Another restaurant on Captiva Island is the Mucky Duck which has been closed since the devastation that came to the island during the 2022 – 2024 hurricanes.

Many places are still in desperate need of repair.

~

Favorite #TWO

Mudbugs

Mudbugs is an adorably decorated Cajun restaurant that we happened upon while touring nearby Sanibel Island.  We didn’t sample the crawfish, but LB was able to have his fill of oysters while I enjoyed blackened fish.  Also while exploring Sanibel, LB and I found several cute shops.

Favorite #THREE

Beach Daisy

a lovely little shop where I found a lovely little summer sweater and pendant.

Someday I will post an OOTD pic wearing this!  In the photo above, I’m sitting in bed surrounded by all of the birthday gifts LB presented to me on June 1st!  Speaking of birthday gifts…

Favorite #FOUR

Birthday Gifts

This is what I was awakened to.

When I got home, I laid everything out for a more impressive photo…

I’m spoiled forever!

~

As we do nearly every year, LB and I attended one of our favorite concerts on Thursday

Favorite #FIVE

Happy Together

This year’s performance included the Cowsills, the Vogues, Gary Puckett, Little Anthony, Jay & the Americans, and, of course, music by the Turtles.

Just for fun I created a YouTube playlist that I’ve included below

I hope you enjoy!

~

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

May was a Great Month

If you’ve read any of my posts, you know that I did not like my job.  I’ve been free of that obligation since March 22nd when the company officially closed my office (2 months and 6 days). And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it!

LB and I began working in our yard right away.  We have added a well, a sprinkler system, a custom fire pit, and gas lines to support the pool heater.  Working in the hard has just about worn us out, but in May there were more opportunities to get out of the yard and have fun elsewhere.

We started with a Cinco de Mayo party with the “party people”.  Here you’ll see our attempt at a Cinco de Mayo selfie…

I think LB and I were the only ones having a good time LOL!

Dinner included a taco casserole that was SO good.  That recipe can be found here.  Even though it was delish, there was so much food and leftovers were plenteous.  The kids came over the following night for Taco Tuesday.

After dinner they had a great time playing in the sand

 

Especially Lydia!

The following day we had to take Elvis to the vet.  This was not a happy occasion and Elvis made sure we knew it.

It turned out that the nausea medication and fluids were all he needed to set him straight.  Currently there is nothing seriously wrong with him 🥰 🐈‍⬛

Next came Mother’s Day.  There were fun presents and pedicures and a lovely luncheon at Mama’s house.

~

Baseball season gave LB and I an opportunity to spend more time with the kids and be thoroughly entertained watching children play their little hearts out.  Lydia played for the Slammers [I think].

She enjoyed herself and did a great job!

IMG_5875 2

 

This little one and his “bock bock” spent some time sitting with Glammy in the shade because the bleachers were just too hot.

 

~

Memorial Day

came and we had to have a pool party.  All the kids had fun swimming and making sure the pool stayed filled with water.

When LB left his post by the faucet, Zeke followed him to the yard for a refill.

~

A very special event took place in May: Rory made a decision to follow Jesus and was baptized.

~

We ended the month with a mini birthday vacation to Captiva Island.

Like I said, May was a great month!

~

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

Taco Casserole

It is

Cinco de Mayo

so LB and I have invited the party people over to celebrate!

I’m making dinner and one of the menu items is a

Taco Casserole

This Taco Casserole is a beefy, cheesy, flavor-packed dish that’s perfect for taco Tuesday or any Mexican themed gathering! Made with layers of deliciousness and favorite taco toppings, this easy one-pan dinner packs a wallop and will have everyone coming back for seconds!  The recipe is worth saving!

Taco Casserole

  • Servings: 8-10
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients
For the Casserole:

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 packet taco seasoning (or homemade)
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies (like Rotel)
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn (fresh, frozen, or canned)
1 cup salsa
2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend, or your favorite)
3 cups corn tortillas or 3 cups crushed tortilla chips
½ cup sour cream

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.

In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and diced onion over medium heat until browned. Drain excess grease.
Stir in the taco seasoning, diced tomatoes, black beans, corn, salsa and sour cream. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spread half of the corn tortillas or crushed tortilla chips on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Layer half of the beef mixture over the chips.
Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded cheese over the beef layer.
Repeat with another layer of tortilla chips, beef mixture, and cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Let the casserole cool for 5 minutes, then dollop with sour cream and sprinkle with your favorite toppings (diced tomatoes, sliced jalapeños, chopped cilantro, avocado or guacamole, extra sour cream)

prettyis.me

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

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.

Dear Daddy

 

Today would have been your 79th birthday.  Not a day goes by that I don’t think about you.

A lot has happened in the 24 years you’ve been gone.

Sydney was born shortly after you left.  You didn’t get to meet her, but I know you would love her.  She looks so much like Gina.

Now you have seven grandchildren.

They have all graduated from high-school.  Some have gone on to graduate from college…with the highest distinction.

You would be very proud.

~

Recently Kyle added some wedding excitement to the family when he married Christella.

This photo shows how loving and protective Kyle has been.

All your grandsons have been very protective of Mama.

Clay has been true to his word.  He takes good care of his Mema.  He has a manner about him that is remarkably familiar.  I always think of you when I see him.

Clay married Chynna; now they have a little boy and three little girls.

Richard had a hard time after you left; we spent many nights consoling him.  He had just turned 11.

You would be so proud of him today.

He is a preacher.  Richard married Emily… and now they have two little girls and a little boy.

Lydia is Richard’s oldest; she looks a lot like her mama.

And this one looks like her Glammy.

Can you believe I’m a Glammy???

Richard Ezekiel is namesake #2.  We call him Zeke.

Zeke and Glammy

 

You might find it hard to believe, but all your grandchildren remember you vividly;  And your great-grandchildren know you from the many photos they’ve seen.  They know you as “Granddaddy Richard”

You have 7 Great Grand-babies!

I know you would enjoy seeing photos of them too:

Lydia, Levi & Thea

Lydia & Rory

Adrian, Thea & Levi

Rory
Levi

They Are So Sweet

Mama is crazy about them…

you would be too!

Rory, Eden, Lydia, Thea, Adrian Levi
Levi & Zeke
Eden, Rory, Adrian, Zeke, Thea, Lydia & Levi
Eden, Thea, Lydia, Levi, Adrian & Rory

~

 

Although our family has continued to grow, many loved ones have left us since you’ve been gone.

Just this week we were heartbroken to learn that your cousin, Robbie has passed away.  The news made me think of the stories you told about when you were kids; you and Robbie were both so adventurous.

I came across this 1970’s photo of the two of you. Robbie told me many times how much he loved and missed you.

My simple mind likes to imagine that you were standing nearby to welcome him when he came your way.  Maybe that isn’t exactly how things work, but since no one really knows specific details, I’ll think what I want.

I hope you’ll be waiting to welcome me someday.

~

You would be HAPPY to know that Mama is doing well. 

And we are all fine.

You are missed more than you know.

We know that we will see you again Daddy, and thank you for showing us The Way.

~

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

 

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