Sunday Reflections
Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to my weekly lifestyle post called Sunday Reflections.
In Sunday Reflections, I catch you up on what I have been doing the past week and announce any special plans for the week ahead.
I started us off with just a little reminder that God’s Joy is a gift He has for all of us…He just wants us to accept His gift.
Every time I drink from my Joy cup, I smile.
Before I dive into personal happenings today, I need your thoughts on something for the blog.
So, let’s start there after you get a comfy spot with a warm morning beverage.
Time for Sunday Reflections…..
SUNDAY REFLECTIONS: BLOG BUSINESS
A couple of weeks ago, there was a resounding request for me to return the mannequins and ask for style tips.
Now, if the real request was for a return of “Would You Wear I?,” no one voiced that specific request.
However, since I began to post the mannequins there has not been much participation in the styling challenges.
So, tell me…why is that the case. I need to understand what you really had in mind and make sure that I provide the content you are looking for.
Just know, I am not going to bring back “Would You Wear It?” because that post angle, honestly, got nasty.
If some did not like the mannequin they would voice it in such ugly terms as to offend those who did. Not everyone. But enough comments, that it was not helpful or beneficial.
I found that Style Tips could be helpful and beneficial to give ideas on how you would style outfits even if it was something you personally would not wear.
For those who wanted this to return and have not participated, please share why…otherwise, it might retire again.
I am here to bring helpful ideas to you and inspire YOU to look and feel your best in the second half of life…if content is not doing that, I need to hear from you.
SUNDAY REFLECTIONS: AT HOME
House Plants were the main decor addition this week.
My Sunday Reflections though were all about the outside decor.
I had planned to do more outside, but very high winds and a yucky dust storm set that back for a little while.
The winds may present a challenge to outdoor decorating, but the nursery receives a big shipment of my favorites, bougainvilleas, this week…so I will probably begin there.
These patio lanterns captivated me when I was in Mexico recently…I loved how this whole outdoor patio dining looked and felt.
Sadly, my overall vision for our patio just might have to wait closer to summer when the winds subside more.
The dust storms and winds have been pretty brutal so far.
SUNDAY REFLECTIONS: WARDROBE PURGE
Of course, my Sunday Reflections have been about my wardrobe all last week.
If you did not read about my recent color analysis, the post is REVIEW: HOUSE OF COLOUR.
When I went through my clothes to see what would be included in the move, I only asked two questions: Do I love it? and Will I wear it?
Those were the outfits that made the journey to a new beginning in a new city.
But, I did not look at the clothing as a unit…as a WARDROBE….until now. I was just moving pieces…not a wardrobe.
When I took everything out these past few days and looked at it…this time I saw a dark, gloomy, overall wardrobe.
I had almost removed the word VIBRANT from VIBRANT AUTUMN completely. There was a heavy concentration on deep navy, dark brown, and olive green.
When I began the purge this time, my goal was to create a WARM, BRIGHT, SPRING PALETTE wardrobe.
I have a pile for donations, a pile for resale, a pile I can wear now (mostly bottoms), and a pile of items I am not ready to send along the way.
But, this time…the blacks are mostly going. I found that when I held them in the closet, I reached for them too often.
It is kind of ironic and thrilling that I have been revealed as a Spring at Springtime. Kind of cool, right?
So, please join me as I begin to enter this world as a Spring…the journey starts tomorrow.
I will make mistakes and learn from them, and I will hit the mark, and rejoice in them.
SUNDAY REFLECTIONS: VERSE FOR THE WEEK
There are so many things that cause us worry in the second half of life.
Just remember, God wants us to talk with him often. All day long. Prayer without ceasing.
Give Him all of your worries…the minute they rise up in your mind.
I practice this and it makes a huge difference and brings the joy of seeing prayers answered one way or another…He will answer.
Thanks for joining me today for SUNDAY REFLECTIONS...please leave any of your own reflections here and let me know about the Style Tips posts…I am here for you…
BE THANKFUL…REJOICE ALWAYS…AND KEEP SMILING!
By Pamela Lutrell
Whether shopping new arrivals or clearance sales, please shop with the links on my SHOPPING PAGE…thank you, thank you to all who shop this way.
Regarding Style Tips. To be frank, if it is something that I wouldn’t wear, I really do not have the interest in thinking about styling it.
A suggestion: features on clothing that hit specific style adjectives (other than your own). I’m more of a preppy, clean lines, understated, casual type of person. Just a thought…
Carole
To me, the Style Tips you were requesting from us came off like a homework assignment that I had no interest in completeing. I look at style blogs to see how the blogger is styling for themselves, for their height, their weight, their shape, for the different seasons, how they build on their wardrobe, how they emphasize their assets and minimize problem areas. Probably most of your readers look at a number of blogs. I do, about 15 daily, women in my age range with widely different styles that I can emulate or never wear myself. Most bloggers show us outfits they wear and rewear, tell us why, how they determine what they need for a new season, a new to them brand, and how to curate a cohesive wardrobe. And when you ask people to express their opinions I would expect some will be, in your opinion, negative. If you are asking me to express my judgement, don’t then get defensive and accuse me of being judgmental. When you announced that your are now a Spring, I went back and looked through almost a year of posts and rarely were you wearing your vibrant autumns. I remember when you had the color analysis done, I thought your vibrant boho stying hit the mark but didn’t last long. Many of your posts you are wearing clothes to show us what is in the stores, I can do that online or with catalogs. I am more interested in seeing how you determine the what and why. I am surprised after all, being a style blogger for so long, you found the clothes you moved with to be dull and boring instead of a well selected and easy to wear wardrobe of your greatest hits. I think a few posts on how that happened would be interesting.
Thanks for the idea, Carole.
Thanks Ann…what I said is that I found them dark and a little dreary…not necessarily boring…in fact, with my creative adjective, there are some very artsy pieces I kept. I did already explain how it got that way. Style Tips came from the audience…not me. I post what I wear often and have for 15 years…perhaps when you read so many blogs you are missing some of those posts. Tomorrow I will talk more about my purge. Also, you may not realize it, but even if bloggers are not in dressing rooms, many are styling clothing sent to them from brands so it is still the same thing. And many purchase clothes, style them, and return them to the stores. They confess to their tactics at blogging conferences. One more thing, the negative comments I was referring to with the Would You Wear It Posts were hurtful to other readers…I always protect this audience and will not allow anyone to demean them. Boho was not me…and I have explained that MANY times. When I write about style adjectives I am showing you how I apply that…again, what I saw when I pulled everything out was that I had gone mostly dark with the autumn palette …it had nothing to do with the styles.
I don’t have the imagination to style an outfit that I would not wear, so have not contributed to your new effort to get us thinking…I also find that store mannequins are dressed in more of the boho style, which is not my preference, nor does it suit my 14 petite body. How about some clothing examples that emphasize structure rather than seasonal, fast fashion?
Hi Margaret, the store displays are often pushing trends and not classics, though you do see them every now and then. If I see one, I will post it for you. I think this will only be an occasional feature and not weekly. It is meant to inspire and be helpful. Many in this audience asked for its return. I am here to help the audience so I do listen.
Regarding the styling posts, maybe tweak the title to “how would you style it” ? Honestly, the most recent one left me at a blank since the skirt/ top seemed so basic. Th e previous week, I loved the Pumpkin Ale suit (haha, I remembered it bc it’s so unusual) I thought of a few ways to wear it, but sometimes when I’m on my iPad, it’s so much more challenging to type in comments.
Oh, I’m sorry and a bit surprised, that you moved with lots of basic colors—I know that will be remedied soon.
Good morning Pam,
I enjoy reading others comments on how they would style something, even if it not something I would wear as I’m very set in what I wear and don’t wear, with a basic styling look. When you restarted this segment, I read the blog in the morning and my first thought was, “I have no idea how to style this.” Then I would think about it during my workday and an idea would come to me, even though it was not something I would wear. The outfits got me thinking. Maybe once a month as weekly is time consuming. Also, as you have been doing, different outfits, but maybe totally different selections to fit different body types, style adjectives, colors, etc. I was confused this time around with what I was to pick as there were so many links. Of course that’s how I think, straight forward and simple. I do like it when you show real people in public and the outfits they are wearing, but I do understand confidentiality. Enjoy your day!
I think what happened is that I just went too heavy on dark navy and dark browns…at first I saw something very dark overall, but I did save many pieces that I think will work for the new SPRING wardrobe. As always, I want to be teachable and learn from any changes that pop up. More tomorrow as I begin to venture out as a SPRING. Thanks Kim…your input is important.
Thanks for your input, Betty. Just to clarify…whenever I do a mannequin style tips exercise, the mannequin at the top of the post will be what we are styling. Sorry I confused you. I simply show what is going on around it because sometimes it helps to generate ideas. I love to show what others are wearing, but it can be a challenge. I will do that whenever I can.
I confess, I have no interest in styling something I would never wear myself. This week’s mannequin wore a top with a puff sleeve; my first thought was I would never wear a puff sleeve. I did not spend any brain power or time on how to style it. Now, if you asked if I would wear it, I probably could have answered with a critical eye! I enjoy the variety on your blog; you don’t just feature garments from all different companies with a million links to the sales nor do you tell us what we must have for a fashionable wardrobe. Following your color journey has me captivated; most of us can not afford to ditch our wardrobes and purchase replacements so I am very interested on how you will transition your autumn to spring. I completely understand moving clothes that now seem useless in your new environment. Been there, done that. My NY wardrobe I moved to CA 7 years ago just received a purging. Not wearing 2 pairs of Frye boots in 7 years one would think it would be easy to donate but not for me. I have a feeling Ann is younger than your average reader if she is following 15 bloggers; very few have a target audience for us in our 70’s. We have been through many trends and are now dealing with changing bodies, illness and other issues none of us ever expected. When bloggers feature ‘investment’ or ‘splurge’ pieces that will last years I can wisely say that those pieces will probably not appeal to me in a couple of years. So, my opinion on the Style It feature is that it works once in a while and not weekly.
Excellent comment, Linda. Thank you for understanding what I experienced with the clothing I moved here. I worked hard yesterday with those clothes and believe I have some good pieces to work with…it helps so much that I am still in a warm palette. I also have moved to a different community and I do not need as many “big city” styles as I did before. The women here are colorful, fun, stylish and casual chic…it has been a great joy to get to know them and see what they wear. In so many ways, they have inspired me. Thanks for the helpful comments.
Just a thought about culling your darker pieces. As a photographer I think lighting changes everything so your swatches and you are going to look different in stores and inside than they did in the studio. I live in the north and we wear different colours for different seasons. You can liven up different dark basics with accessories in the winter but we don’t wear bright basics from November to April. Like the colour designations wheel we tend to have 4 seasonal wardrobes as the light and temperatures change. We have some summers where all you wear are capris or long pants and others where you are happy to pull out your Caribbean travel wardrobe. You may want to experience a full year in the more northern area of Texas before passing on too many of the darker coloured pieces. I would also like to hear how the clothing you chose with the store shopper during your wedding year fit in your new wardrobe. You looked great in all those clothes.
I personally have not cared for the mannequin outfits, so I did not comment also as far as the color analysis I’m sorry to say but was not interesting to me I’m sure I’m not this season and being retired cannot afford this service I am looking at your blog because you’re a woman my age and I love getting ideas from you on how to style outfits with new pieces and pieces you already own I also enjoy reading about your adventures and how your decorating your new home
I do follow a few other bloggers, and the ones who just try on clothes all the time don’t hold my interest, especially if their rare “day in the life” posts never show them wearing the clothes they are supposedly going to “wear on repeat.” I also no longer read sponsored posts of any kind, even if I trust the blogger. I do like other bloggers of different ages and styles, because I really like what I call fashion analysis: why do those shoes look good; what kind of necklace goes with that neckline? Younger women shop at different stores than I do, yet the ones I follow look great … why? As for the how-I-would-style-it feature, I like it, but not every week.
I did keep some of those colors, Linda…especially in pants. It is interesting you bring up the wedding. When I looked at the pieces from the wedding and the wedding activities, they are in the spring palette! I should have paid closer attention to that and to the stylist at Nordstrom who helped me! Thanks so much…many of those items are still with me…I did get rid of one dress that I wish I still had that was a light green.
Thanks so much, Janet. The lifestyle posts will always be around as well. But, my new journey into color will also be a focus for a while…you can learn from those posts too just don’t focus on the color story but on the styling ideas.
Thanks Linda…appreciate your comments.
Personally I don’t think you need to try to style for every body type as suggested, that would be far too much work, and also alienate many on those days. You are somewhat my size and shape so I can imagine what you are showing will look like on me. I am not a warm palette but enjoy your journey with colors and styles. Sometimes the styling eludes me if it is not what I would wear, such as sleeveless. The gorgeous watercolor halter dress for example, I would need a supportive bra and arm coverage so that would take away from the easy feel of the dress. I follow along because you are relatable without being pushy. I follow a few others such as High Heels in the Wilderness and Conversations with an Older Woman, for other perspectives and do not expect you to be everything to everyone so keep on being yourself. I love your new journey
Hi, Pam. I really like the Style Tips segment. It boosts the creative side of me to pretend that I’m working as a stylist (a bit of a dream). I agree with the reader who said it gets confusing when there are multiple outfits shown. Keeping it simple with a focus on one outfit is best. All in all, your blog is wonderful with its variety, inspiration and positivity. I’m guessing that comments are few sometimes because people get busy and distracted and don’t type a comment. Your journey to Spring is exciting, and I can’t wait to go along with you. Happy Sunday!!
I seem to remember the “Would you wear it” clothing selections were more unique pieces that sparked comments. I personally found the unusual pieces more engaging. (perhaps that might have prompted the negative comments). Unfortunately I remember once making a comment that in retrospect, after it posted, might have offended. The memory is a little fuzzy but I think my comments were in response to “what was the store stylist thinking”.
Okay, I had to catch up a bit, re-reading the style-it post to cull actual answers from general responses. Several ladies wrote about your coral top and remained in the realm of what you, Pam, wear. Perhaps editing the day’s blog down to JUST the styling task would add focus. I enjoy the feature, and did participate last week with the dress I would never wear but envisioned for my yoga instructor younger neighbor. I missed doing yesterday’s fashion owing to a jam-packed day with my father. I always read your posts first thing in the morning, but sometimes have no time to thoughtfully respond. This is always the case with News, though I occasionally send a quick note of thanks, as I appreciate, without fail, all of your blogging and curating efforts. As the only blogger I read, and as I have said before, I will read anything you want to write about…because it is you, Pamela, the person, I tune in to see and read, and the ladies who gather here as a community.
Thanks Diane!
Thanks Marcia…I have noted to keep it simple!
I have had those moments often of wondering what some were thinking! I am rethinking too. Thanks Suzi!
Always love having you here, Connie!
Wow! This post sparked a ton of comments. I am always intrigued by color analysis, so am looking forward to this journey with you.
Good morning, Pamela. I have always liked your blog’s direction on being a ‘lifestyle blog’, not a fashion style blog, (even though the style is my favorite aspect). You have never presented yourself as a style expert, and I commend you for experimenting with different avenues. I really enjoy your blog because you take us with you on your journeys ( foot surgery , weddings, dressing rooms, moving, style analysis); I like you, and I feel that I could sit across the table from you and have a fun, satisfying conversation, not only about clothing, but other interests as well. You add a personal touch that I haven’t found in other blogs that I follow. I am not saying that I don’t find value in the other blogs, they are just different. You are unique. I hope you stay that way. I respect your admitting to straying with your colors and discovering that you are a bright spring. It takes courage to be honest and you do it for your followers. I think the majority of us are women of a certain age; you are a good role model for thinking positively and joyfully. I like Linda L and Linda LM’s idea of keeping it in the mix, maybe not weekly. I personally enjoy it, but obviously many find it uninspiring. As Linda LM mentioned, I am at the moment most interested in style analysis. The why, what, and therefore of an outfit. I am at ease in my deep/bold autumn colors, but I have a notebook full of tidbits from my style analyst, podcasts, books, videos, etc. on both color and style. It is ironic because since retirement and a big lifestyle change, I need so much less to be prepared for in my new life. I think perhaps I need the challenge of research and presentation which I used to do daily. When you said
“But, I did not look at the clothing as a unit…as a WARDROBE….until now. I was just moving pieces…not a wardrobe.”, my mind lit up.
Now there is a topic that is exciting to me! Could there be more of a focus on ‘wardrobing’ on a certain day?
Thanks for coming along, Lisa.
Perhaps there could be! Thanks Deborah… I really believe you and I are similar in many ways. Thank you for your affirmation this morning. Oh how I wish so many of us here could meet for a girls weekend sometime..,I think it would be so much fun! The regular readers make up an amazing audience!
Happy Sunday Pam. Hope your March winds have calmed down. We’ve also experience high winds, high enough to blow out a window at Publix and topple over some kind of utility shed. Yes, those lovely pieces you wore for the wedding are in your spring palette. You will also find that many spring colors will pair beautifully with your darker autumn bottoms. I can empathize with you about the clothes you brought with you. I brought so many things from my previous life that never got worn. I still find myself drawn to clothes that fit that lifestyle and I have to restrain myself from purchasing them. Its nice that you see Abilene women who are are colorful, fun, stylish and casual chic. That seems like the perfect style for you and I look forward to seeing it. I could use some inspiration as I don’t see much here. I have enjoyed the Style Tips. I like reading how different readers would style an outfit. I will say that the outfits you presented when you lived in San Antonio were more interesting to me. You had access to different stores then. Maybe making this a feature when you see an interesting display rather than having to find one each week would be more fun for you and for us. I’m very interested in what you will be doing with your yard. I need some inspiration there too as ours was essentially destroyed in Helene. Its not completely cleaned up yet but is bare. The patio that was finished a week before the storm miraculously survived being hit by trees but the furniture was destroyed as were my deck chairs.
I will try to help with the yard when I can… this one really needs help and MrB cannot help me until after tax season…he is a CPA that has always worked for clients as a side business. You are right about the mannequins and today has confirmed that this will be an occasional post and not a weekly one. I know the weather has hit you so incredibly hard in recent months. Hang in there.
Well, you are the reason I read this blog. Your smile makes me smile even if it is a pain day for me. I agree that light of different seasons seems to attract darker in winter and lighter in spring and summer. I do stay within what I believe my color palette is and not try to wear red or yellow or yellowish anything. Petite 6 that I was looks very different from petite 12 that I am now at 80. I pulled on a pair of slimmer straight leg dark wash jeans and a Quince cotton and cashmere crewneck sweater in charcoal, added a lighter shades of blue and grey small silk scarf and my black socks and Brooks walking shoes to walk the dog. My friend gave me A nice compliment on how I looked. It is still not warm here, well it is so windy that the actual temperature is irrelevant. I’m loving sharing your color journey Pam! Please continue sharing it. I loved your wedding journey clothes on you as well. I’ve found styling clothing that I wouldn’t wear or even know anyone who would wear it very difficult. I had to choose our weather lady who is probably not yet 40. I also chose you Pam because I saw you in the coral top. I didn’t realize that you only wanted the top picture styled. It is okay with me if you did this segment only once a month. I will read your blog every time with my morning tea no matter what you write. I only read one other blog and that is Jennifer Connelly, A Well Styled Life. I look a lot like her coloring and size and style wise, so her cool color ideas are helpful even though I don’t have her budget. You often offer ideas that I can afford now. You introduced me to Chicos and almost all of my jeans and pants are from them now. So thank you very much!
Thank you, very much, Sydney…after you styled the top for me, I bought it! Do, I am glad you did it!
I enjoy the Styling Tips feature but have trouble styling something I or someone I know personally would not wear. Such was the case with last Friday’s offerings. I find your color analysis journey interesting & am intrigued to see where it leads you. I was thinking that spring is the perfect time find out that you are a spring. Those cheerful bright colors are in abundance right now, so your shopping should be fun. I remember you writing about feeling out of place at a bridal shower for your new daughter-in-law because you were wearing brown, & everyone else was dressed in lighter brighter colors. Maybe in your heart, you knew that darker brown was not your color. I read your blog because you are real. You don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. You share your joys, your sorrows, your faith & your life as it is not some picture-perfect scenario. By the way, the white spring sign with the flowers is beautiful.
Thanks Becky! Found the sign at Hobby Lobby and thought it was perfect!
Dear Pam: Thank you for your wonderful posts. I so enjoy them. I guess I am not very confident in my styling choices so I don’t often have much of an idea for what might be good or work for a particular outfit. If the styling posts hit on Saturday, I am often busy and just don’t have time for more than a quick look. I think that doing these less frequently but not eliminating them is a good suggestion. I will also put a little more thought into styling. After all, it might help me as an exercise. We had a garden decorative piece that my husband built many years ago blow down this past week. A combination of wood rot and strong winds even here in San Diego. One thing I try to think about as I wear again an outfit is what little change could I make to make it a little fresher or newer to me. Maybe that could be a fun post. Here is the same sweater but 3 different styling ideas. Just a suggestion. May your day be blessed with peace and closeness to God.
I am so sorry about your garden decor, Mary. The wind where I am has been fierce this year. I hope your are able to build it back. Blessings!
As others have noted, I find it hard to style something I wouldn’t wear. I’m not very creative with styling my own wardrobe.
Just a comment on the wind—a friend who lives in Albuquerque was sitting on her deck yesterday when an envelope addressed to a man in Dallas fell out of the sky onto her yard! True airmail 😂
Wow! I guess the mail really does go out no matter the weather! Lol!
I enjoy the styling feature. I like to read the comments as well. Blessings always
Pam,
I love your blog! I identify with many of the same things you discuss. I have a similar body type, so I truly enjoy your thoughts on specific clothing items, fabric, etc. I thank you for your hard work, your reminders to be joyful and your respect for your audience.
Thanks Audrey!
You are a sweetheart, Rhonda. Thank you!
As usual, I am late to the conversation due to the demands of unpacking from what I’ve now dubbed “The Move That Never Ends,” but this topic is important to you and our reader community, so I wanted to add my thoughts. I don’t want to repeat what others have already said, but I’m Team Pam and am among those who will read whatever you write about because I feel like you are “my friend Pam,” not “some blogger I read daily.” That’s literally how I describe you when I quote one of your posts to someone else – “My friend Pam said…” I am interested in your daily life, your family, your new home and especially your color and wardrobe journeys. I see you as a role model for the woman I want to be as I figure out what the retirement chapter of my life is going to hold. I’m only five years behind you, and your active, involved life is what I’m hoping mine can look like in my next decade.
Regarding the styling posts, I’m among those who voted for them, but also one who finds it hard to imagine styling pieces I wouldn’t wear. In trying to think about why I voted for those posts, I think I wanted to see the photos of store displays, but perhaps without trying to style items I don’t care for. I understand the issues you had with “would you wear it?” posts, but I still fail to understand why some readers can’t follow the Rule of Thumper and keep negative comments to themselves. I agree it’s not worth trying again, as you shouldn’t have to police the comment section to protect your readers or your integrity. Since you and I have similar body types and have previously been wearing similar colors I always love seeing you do try-on sessions, but I understand the opportunities for those in Abilene are going to be fewer. (We still need to get you to Fort Worth for a shopping day, especially now that you’re on the hunt for spring colors!)
Speaking of getting together with your readers, I am part of another online community that formed in 2014 around a now defunct blog on over-shopping. A core group of readers started interacting in the comment section, much as we do here, and we formed a public Facebook group that eventually grew to around 2,500 members, some of whom brought lots of drama. Six of us served as moderators, but it finally grew to the point we couldn’t manage it. I like that the FB format allows for readers to reply directly to each other’s comments, and it can be maintained as a private group with a few volunteer moderators. I organized the initial meetup for that group in 2016, and we had 32 women come together from across the US and Canada. I didn’t organize the next two because I was still working and the group wanted to do April meetups in Nashville and San Diego, just when I was in the throes of spring graduation. We just convened in Houston this past January for the first time since COVID, and that group included members from New Zealand and England in the small group of 13 that were able to travel so soon after the holidays. (It was planned around my New Zealand visitor’s travel schedule and desire to tour the Johnson Space Center.) All that to say that if you ever want to do this, I have many years of experience with conference and event planning, organizing hotel blocks, etc. and have successfully helped a group transition to in-person meetups. Being retired gives me the time for that sort of project occasionally, and although I have already exhausted my travel budget for 2025 with our three-week grand tour of Texas, I would love to help you organize any level of meetup the group desired. Our first was planned with a conference type structure, and we had a schedule of workshops and speakers from within our group, with the keynote speaker being the author whose blog brought us all together. That didn’t turn out so well, as it evolved into a giant gab session/pajama party when everyone came together. Some loved the chance to get to know all our virtual friends in real life, and others felt they had paid to travel to a conference and wanted to adhere to the structure. The renegade group wanted to go shopping together and the others felt that was out of place in a conference about over-shopping. I spent five days trying to work out compromises between the two factions and swore I would never do that again – LOL. The original 65 of us who started the original group split off into a private FB group after that meetup, and we are still intact with 64 members (lost one to cancer) over ten years later. I think the key to a meetup is to have a setting that allows for conversations around the topics that brought a group together, but also allows those new relationships to blossom and become real friendships. In my other group we have formed deep, lasting friendships. We still discuss over-shopping and closet chaos, but also have ongoing threads and regular posts for shopping accountability, outfits of the day (for those who like that,) a purging/decluttering thread, one for the Wordle fans, and one for health and fitness. We regularly discuss everything from job situations to medical issues we are experiencing. Some of us serve as a group prayer chain when a member is facing a scary medical procedure or someone’s daughter has a miscarriage, and others are non-believers. Our members live in seven different countries and most are mid-40’s to early 70’s. Many of us have side conversations by phone, text or FB messenger almost daily and these women are such an important part of my life. I share that story only to emphasize that this is do-able and can be a very positive experience for a group that wants to spend time together in person. Let me know if you want to discuss this possibility in the future and I’ll do all I can to make it happen!
In the meantime, I hope you will focus more on what YOU want to write about and your core audience will be here for you. I know that once you monetize a blog there is a great deal of pressure to produce “content” that drives those algorithms, but I hope you will continue to be as authentic, joyful and transparent as you have been, while trying to balance the business side of running a blog. As other have said, there are LOTS of other blogs out there, but yours provides a unique space that none of those do. Can’t wait to see what New Spring Pam does in the coming months!
You have given me so much to think about. We need a phone call! I will email you.
Having at one time create much of my own clothing and prior to starting a project; styling was always taken into consideration so needless to say I enjoy the ‘style segment’ as for myself consider it an exercise for my ‘grey matter’. Whereas to the blog itself, I share similar sentiments with Marcia (above) as with appreciation enjoy the various and informative content you offer to your readers. -Brenda-
Thank you, Brenda…I always enjoy reading your comments on styling. I learn from you!