September Pin-spired!

It's September!  I am so excited to be getting Pin-spired with you this month!  

Let's be honest, the summer months are hard to get excited about because we wear the same things over and over again (or at least I do!).  It was three months of shorts, tees, swimsuits, flip flops, repeat.  But now, we're into fall...the prime fashion season.  I've decided to use this month as a transition time.  The weather is still warm but it's time to kick off those flip flops and start thinking about cooler temps.  

All of my looks this month are transition looks to get you from summer to fall.

Before we get started, I must tell you this...last year, I had so many emails and comments about both my orange and my yellow coats from Banana Republic...well guess what ladies, they're back!  

And this weekend, they are 40% off!  

I just love the orange!!

Everything at Banana Republic is 40% off!  

I'm kind of flippin' out about this :).

Now...on to Pin-spired...

I used the one and only Sheaffer as my Pinterest inspiration for Look #1.  I styled her Must Have Denim Jacket!

I'm going to be honest, I'm obsessed with this little jacket and can think of 1,698 ways to wear it.  Thank you Sheaffer for finding it and telling me about it.  This jacket is the perfect transition piece!  If you can't find your size in my wash, try the same jacket in this wash (it's just as cute!).

I paired the jacket with my cargo shorts and long-sleeved striped tee.  Perfect for September!

This tee also comes in navy or blue stripe too.

And if I get too warm, I can take off the jacket and I'm still seasonably appropriate with a dash of fall color (and not the neon pink I so adore in the summer).

I paired this look with some heavy cognac colored wedges (which are now really marked down!!!).  But wouldn't my camo Toms have looked cute with this too?!?!

Look #2: Distressed Boyfriend Jeans

I am such a sucker for boyfriend jeans...and I am such a sucker for distressed jeans...so, the combination of the two just makes sense! (And I'm dying over her leopard heels too!)

Again, I layered for September.  This time, I used a little color from my summer wardrobe, but when I paired my green tee with the longer pants and striped tank, it worked!    

And another pair of brown wedges :).

Look #3: Shorts and Wellies

Ladies, it's time to buy some Hunter Wellingtons (Erika and Narci, I'm talking to YOU!).

My Wellies were worn so much last year!  Not only are they comfy, they really keep your feet dry and warm, and they never go out of style.  Wellies are classic.

Look at all of the great colors...

My shorts get used one more month before I retire them until spring...I just paired them with a long sleeve boyfriend shirt (and that same striped tank because it's so cute and versatile!).

I love my Mollee V initial necklace and my Love necklace as well :).

I heart my Wellies.

You should totally buy a pair of these babies :).

And I have a few bonus pieces for you this September...

I saw Narci with this scarf on at church a few weeks ago and fell in love with not only the colors but the weight of it. Then last Tuesday, I was walking through the Juniors department and found it myself.  I love, love, love it!  And it's only $18.  The photo online does not do it justice at all!  I will be wearing this all fall!

Leopard and pink...perfection.  (And my nails are OPI Lincoln Park After Dark)

And then look at this fun wrap bracelet I received!  They're from Chloe + Isabel which is a new brand I've fallen in love with.  They have some fabulous jewelry!

 I love this leather wrap bracelet too!

I had fun getting Pin-spired this month and I hope you did too!

Don't forget to see how Mel and Sheaffer were Pin-spired this month well!  I'm so excited about September!

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!  Don't forget to check out my Labor Day Menu on my foodie blog...

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#shayeveryday2013 Week 34

Day 232: I had dinner with some of my very favorite people!  I just love these ladies!

Day 233: Off to dance...when did she get so big?

Day 234: I say it every year...the day my September issue of Southern Living arrives is my second favorite day of the year (Christmas Eve being my favorite day).  Look at that cover?!?!  Don't you feel warm and cozy inside just looking at it???

Day 235: The day we announced to the world that we're adopting a baby girl!

Day 236: Happy Saturday to you!!

Day 237: We headed off to promotion Sunday at church (this means that both kids moved up "a grade" in their Sunday school classes).  I love my big kids!

Day 238: Exactly one year from this day, Kensington will start kindergarten.  We are going to make the most out of the next 12 months!  I asked them what they wanted to do on this day to make it special and they said...listen to Christmas music.  So we did :).  I just love my days with these two!

Keep up with me every day on Instagram @mixandmatchmama or find me here too...

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Don't forget to check out my friend the Workout Mama's online boot camp!  Registration ends next week!  I'm going to participate, are you????

And my Labor Day Menu is up on my foodie blog!!  Make sure you check it out!

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I heart Camo (and I'm a city girl!)

I am such a city girl.  I mean...really and truly, I am a city girl (who is married to a boy from a farm).

I grew up in Dallas, I don't own cowboy boots, I learned to drive by locating the different malls around our metroplex, and I would never camp.  Ever.  That being said, this city girl has a new found love for camouflage.

I've been telling you about my new Camo Toms for about a month now.  I saw them online and pre-ordered them because oh.my.heavens. they looked fabulous!  And then they arrived last week...

...as soon as I ripped open the box and put them on my feet, I texted this picture to Sheaffer.  She had two responses...first, she said they were so cute and it was my job to educate the world on how to wear them, and second, she said she was ordering her a pair right away.

Let's get a few things straight around here...I wear heels every day.  I am that mom.  I am the one who takes her kid to dance, goes grocery shopping, and waits in the post office line in 4 inch heels.  

However, if there so rises an occasion when I need a pair of flats, I need a good pair!  I want a pair that is comfy, that looks cute, that doesn't break the bank, that will hold up to running after my kids, walking a lot, and doesn't look grungy after I've been in the rain or walking through dirt at the park...I need the perfect pair.  And I think I've found them.  Because of their camo print, they are going to look great even if they get a little (or a lot) dirty.  Plus, they will go with everything all year long.

Let me show you some examples of what I think would look great with my new Camo Toms...

This season, I'm going to be pairing them with stripes and red accents.

I think they will look so cute with shorts, cardis and scarves.

They would look oh so cute with skinny pants and some layers.

And of course cropped jeans with a military jacket would be perfect with my Camo Toms.

Camo is the new neutral (yes, leopard is still a neutral too...camo is just the new neutral!).  I've been seeing camo everywhere...

I bought this pair of Camo Jeans from Gap last spring and love, love, loved them!  I was so happy to see that they brought them back this fall...

Aren't they so cute?!?!  Click here!

And this Gap Camo Jacket is so cute too!  I tried it on in store and it was the perfect weight and fit.  Look how cute it looks with her jeans and tee!

And here are a few other cute camo options too...

These Lucky Brand flats are so cute too!

And if you need a little heel...Erika and I found these Toms that are Camo Booties.  They are really cute!!

And if you only want a little pop of camo...look at this infinity scarf!  So cute!

So that's it...I've proclaimed my love of camo.  It is the updated version of a neutral.  It's fun, it's fall, it's for everyone...even city girls.

Don't forget, this Friday will be our Pin-spired Linky Party!

Today...it's Mix and Match Mama's 2nd Blog Birthday!  And I'm giving away a $100 Williams-Sonoma gift card to celebrate!

Click here to enter a chance to win!

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Have a great day!  

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Fifty Two Shades of Shay: The Scent(s) of this Woman

The whole point of my Fifty Two Shades of Shay series is for you to get to know me better.  Sometimes, by getting to know me, I might have a useful tip or a great pair of wedges to show you.  Today, it's all about the way this mama smells.  And I smell pretty darn good!

I don't know when I became obsessed with scents but it's an absolute obsession.  My mom isn't a scent person.  She has probably 15 bottles of random perfume at her house that she uses...but for me, I adore scents and I wear them depending on the season...they're important to me.  I love, love, love bath gel, lotions, body sprays and perfumes.  Today's post is all about my good scents ;).

(As a side note, I was not in any way paid by Bath and Body Works for what I'm about to say about their products...but if they'd like to send me a thank you note a bunch of free lotion, I'd be happy to supply my address!)

From March through August, I use this fabulous lotion and shower gel...

Bath and Body Work's Lemon Vanilla scent is my go-to spring and summer lotion/shower gel.  Every year, they say it's seasonal and won't ever be back...and every year, it comes back.  In January, they always bring it back as part of their big 75% off sale and so I stock up.  I keep it in my gym bag and my bathroom.  It's a scent that will just make you happy.  I use the shower gel and lotion but since I shower at night, in the morning when I wake up, I feel like I need a great perfume that compliments the Lemon but has a sophisticated and lovely scent...so, that's when I spritz on my favorite spring/summer perfume...

I only wear two perfumes and Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb is one of them.  I wear it every day during the spring and summer and it always smells light and fresh.  I love it.  I love perfume because it can define you.  A person can be remembered by their cologne/perfume...and trust me, I'd love for you to remember me by this one!

After the warm months of summer, I am practically giddy over my fall scents.  And when I say giddy, I mean, I refresh my Bath and Body Works webpage over and over again, hound the people in store and scour my inbox for emails about their Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin scent.  

I'm not lying...two weeks ago, I called Andrew during the middle of the day and said, "This has been the best day ever!", and he said, "What?  Did they get your pumpkin lotion in?".  And they had.  And that's why it was the best day.  And that's why he's a good husband...because he knows stuff like that.

The first time I bought this stuff was my freshman year of college 13 years ago...and I stock up and hoard this stuff like some kind of animal preparing for winter.  I swear the weather in Texas cools off a good 30 degrees just by me wearing this (at least in my head it does).  

Right now, you should go buy yourself some.  It's amazing how a little bottle of lotion can perk you up and make your day just a little brighter.  My mom always told me that she appreciated the fact that something as simple as lotion or a candle could make me so happy.  I'm a firm believer in that it's the little things in life that give us the greatest joy.  Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin equals joy.

Find it all right here!

And what perfume do I pair with my fall and winter scents?  My absolute favorite perfume in the world...it makes me smile every morning when I put it on...

Burberry Brit.

I have no words.  It's wonderful.  It's my favorite.  I will never not wear it.  I love it.  Do you get how passionate I am here people?  

But...I'm not done.  I'm saving the very best for last.  Yes, I love the Lemon Vanilla in the spring and summer and yes, the Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin makes me cozy and warm...but what scent is my absolute favorite, I've blogged about it for years, I've named a bundt cake after it, I once bought an entire case of it...it is my favorite and I still have 8 bottles left from last year to take me until this November when they bring it back...

Vanilla Bean Noel.

Let's just pause and pay our respects to the best smell ever created.

I'm obsessed with this stuff to a level you just don't understand.  I keep a bottle in my purse 365 days a year.  I wear it daily from November through the first warm day of spring, but I always have it with me in case I need a little extra something happy.  It's the best.   

Just you wait until this November when it hits the stores and online...you will see it and think of me.  They should just go ahead and get rid of the reindeer and put my face right on the bottle.  

So now I want to know...what scents make you happy?  What do you wear?  Scents are so important!  We recall memories from a scent, we think of people we've lost and loved from scents.  Scents can be very powerful.  What's your scent?  I would love to know!

Next week, we move from one vice to another in my life...it's Fifty Two Shades of Shay: Coffee.  Enough said?

Today on the foodie blog, a quick and easy breakfast casserole that we like to eat for dinner!

Have a great day!

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