Favorite: Movies

This mama is taking a few days off...I'm somewhere pretty cool...doing some pretty cool things...but I didn't want to leave you entirely while I was gone!  

Over the next two weeks, I'll still have my Fifty Two Shades of Shay posts plus, I'll have some other posts about my favorite things (my favorite movies, Pinterest pins, blog posts...things like that).  I'll miss you while I'm away...and I'll try to post pics on Instagram, but I'll be back before you know it.  In the meantime, get to know me more (if that's possible!).  Let's start with my favorite movies...

Bridget Jones's Diary and the sequel...

Bridget Jones The Edge of Reason are my two favorite movies.  You're not surprised are you?  Not only do I love all things British (I do...I don't know why exactly but I do) but I love a romantic comedy about a normal girl.  And no one is more normal than Bridget Jones.  (Plus, I have this crush on Hugh Grant which is probably absurd since he's probably not a super fab person in real life...but nevertheless, I do.)

My second favorite movie is...

...the Holiday.

Three glorious things collide with this movie.  First, it's a Christmas movie and my obsession with Christmas runs deep (and begins on November 1 each year).  Second, half of the movie takes place in Britain (and per the last movie, you know how I love a British backdrop) but third, the only person who even gets close to my Michael Buble love is Jude Law.  (I obviously have a thing for non-American guys...which is odd since I married the most All-American boy you can imagine!)  If this movie isn't a part of your holiday season, you're doing something wrong.  Forget It's a Wonderful Life (that's kind of depressing) and watch The Holiday this year instead!

I'm also a huge fan of Something's Gotta Give.  I watch this movie over and over again.  It's funny, it's witty, it's written well...and it has great French music in the background (I even have the soundtrack).  No British backdrop, no hot guy with an accent...just a great movie.

Fever Pitch...a romantic comedy based on a love affair with the Boston Red Sox.  Enough said, right?!

And finally, a movie that I love to watch...You've Got Mail.  Yes, I am your typical girly girl.  I love me some easy to watch, positive romantic comedies.  And this one is the ultimate romantic comedy.

Now...that being said...I do have a slight obsession with these two movie franchises and for some weird reason, watch these movies a lot too:

 I love, love, love the Ocean franchise.  The acting and the well-written script in each of these movies make me laugh and laugh every single time I watch.  Plus...Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Matt Damon all in one movie?  Um yes.  I'll take that any day!

And I know this is probably a guy franchise...but I could watch Matt Damon play Jason Bourne for years and years to come.  I love how smart and fast these Bourne movies are.  I often find myself watching one while I'm on the treadmill at the gym.  If Jason Bourne is running fast, I'll run fast too!

So, that's just a peak inside my favorite movies.  What are some of your favorite movies?  I would love to know!

Have a great day everyone!  Don't forget to check out Vegetarian Week over on my foodie blog!  There is something there to please even the meat-lover in all of us.

And my Gooseberry Patch promo code is good through tomorrow!  Make sure you click here to see my post from yesterday that features their fabulous cookbooks and the 15% off code!!

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Fifty Two Shades of Shay: My Favorite Cookbooks

My very favorite thing to collect are cookbooks.  I get this from my dad's mom.  My grandma (we call her Mimi) reads more cookbooks than any person I know.  My grandpa once told me that she studies them...I do too.  When going on a trip, I include not only fictional novels in my bag but several cookbooks as well.  I absolutely love reading cookbooks.  

I collect a wide variety of books...covering many, many topics...but my very favorites...the ones I go back to over and over again are the ones below.  They are so consistent, so family-friendly, perfect recipes for busy women during the week.  And I can read them over and over again.

Here are my favorites...

The Gooseberry Patch books are probably my favorite.  They are so simple, easy to read, with ingredients that aren't pretentious or complicated...just good food.  I also love that they come separated by a variety of topics (breakfasts, holidays, appetizers, slow cooking, casseroles, pastas, etc.).  I counted...I have 21 of them (collected over the last 10 years).  You should absolutely check out all of them, but some of my favorites are the following...

Quick and Easy Autumn 

Merry Christmas

Fresh from the Farmstand

Weeknight Dinners

**Keep reading for a great discount code from Gooseberry Patch!!**

After Gooseberry Patch, my favorite cookbooks are from Southern Living.  Not only is their magazine fabulous but their complete cookbooks are too.  These two are my favorite...

What's for Supper has so many great fast and easy recipes!

And this Complete Quick & Easy offers up not only entrees but everything from dips to appetizers all the way to desserts.

My love affair with cookbooks continues with the greats like Rachael Ray, Paula Deen, the Deen Brothers, and Sandra Lee.  The bottom line is that all of these are family-friendly, budget conscience, simple, hearty, satisfying and inspiring.

Here is my biggest tip for reading through a cookbook...

...have a pad and pen handy.  As you flip through the pages, jot down the names and page numbers of anything that sounds good to you.  Then, leave that piece of paper inside the cookbook.  When you're stumped for a new recipe (and of course, you've already made everything off of Mix & Match Mama), then just pull out your paper and look over your list.  Keep the list with the book or else you won't remember which recipe came out of which book.  Trust me...it simplifies things.

Grab a big cup of coffee, a pad and pen and your favorite cookbook.  Dinnertime is calling.

*************************************************************

OK...so, I sent a quick email to Gooseberry Patch telling them that I just love their cookbooks and would be featuring them on my blog.  I asked if my readers could possibly have a discount code...well, the fabulous people that they are emailed me right back and said yes!  How about a 15% off code?!  Is that fabulous or what????  The code is good now through the 10th!  I was floored!  How sweet are they?!?!

So...make sure you click here to see all of their cookbooks!  You will fall in love with these little books too!

And use the code MIXMATCHMOM at checkout for your discount.

And speaking of food, head over to Mix & Match Mama to see my Mushroom Risotto!  Yummy!

Happy Monday!

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#shayeveryday2013 Week 26

Day 176: An impromptu Starbucks date with my little man.

Day 177: The Mix and Match Daughter helped make dinner :)

Day 178: Time for the dentist!  They both did fabulous!

Day 179: Date night (and yes, we had two little ones in the backseat for date night!).

Day 180: Saturday in the pool!

Day 181: Poppy Popsicle says hi!

Day 182: On a Monday, you really need to eat a chocolate bar...it just makes things better.

Keep up with me everyday on Instagram @mixandmatchmama or find me here too:

Find me on Twitter here.

Find me on Face Book here.

Find me on Pinterest here.

And don't forget to head on over to Mix and Match Mama to see what's for supper tonight...

...it's a super simple pasta supper!

And yes...Sheaffer did a Bachelorette recap this week.  Can I just say that Zack is my favorite!  Love him!  I'm not sure I've loved a Zack this much since...

Click here to see who Sheaffer loves (and more importantly, who gets on her nerves!).

And one last thing...do you ever wonder where Kensington gets her bows???  Well, my cousin Casey owns a bow company...and it's pretty darn fabulous!  Check out One Stop Bow Shop here!

Have a great Friday!!

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Have a happy day!

Here's wishing you a happy July 4th!  I hope you get to enjoy time out by the pool with the ones you love...

See you on Friday!

And don't forget...if you need some quick and easy July 4th recipes, check out my foodie blog...

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Fifty Two Shades of Shay: Magazine Subscriptions

I love magazines.  Love, love, love them.  I get this from my mom.  My mom has always enjoyed reading...but particularly reading magazines.  To this day, she keeps a big stack next to her kitchen table so that she can read one while having her morning coffee (and her afternoon coffee too!).

The thing about magazine subscriptions is that the more you have, the cheaper other ones will be...and often, you get free subscriptions.  I have a lot of subscriptions (I'll list them below) but 7 of them, I don't pay for...I get them for free because I subscribe to the others.  Subscribing to a magazine is always cheaper than buying it off the stand...substantially less.  So, if you continue to read the same ones, you should just subscribe. 

I've realized that I enjoy reading the same topics: food, family, fashion and fitness...so, I'll break them down for you:

My food subscriptions:

1. Southern Living

2. Kraft Food and Family

3. Celebrate

4. Paula Deen
5. Taste of Home

My family subscriptions:

1. Redbook

2. Good Housekeeping

3. Better Homes and Garden

4. Family Circle

My fashion subscriptions:

1. In Style

2. Glamour

3. Lucky

4. Marie Claire

My fitness subscriptions:

1. Self

2. Shape

Other subscriptions:

1. Travel & Leisure

2. Birchbox*

3. Traditional Home

I have some rules about my magazines...I learned a long time ago that if you don't have some ground rules for yourself, your magazines will get out of control!

1. If the next issue of the magazine arrives in the mail and you still haven't read the current issue, donate the other one right away...don't keep two copies!  If you didn't have time to read it that month, you won't have time to read it next month.  Always donate the oldest issue and move on.

2. I carry a magazine with me all the time.  You just never know when you'll need one (waiting for your kids in front of their school, waiting at the post office, waiting at the dentist, etc.).  I find there are a lot of pockets of time that I can spend reading instead of playing on my phone or just being bored.

3. I try and always give my magazines to other people when I'm done reading them.  My cousin gets my magazines, I leave them at my hairstylists' place, I leave them in waiting rooms at doctor/dentist offices, I drop them off at my gym...I try and always pass them on instead of just throwing them out.  But the bottom line is that I try not to keep them piling up in my house.

4. I used to keep my food magazines for a resource later...but then I just had a stack of magazines when I really only needed one or two recipes from each of them.  Now, I pull out pages as I'm reading and stick them in folders clearly marked "for the house", "exercises to try", "desserts", etc.  This is way more efficient than keeping a huge stack of magazines around.

5. Use old magazines for kids' projects.  Whenever I need a quick little project for my kiddos, I pull out a magazine.  The possibilities are really endless...we can go through and count things, find letters, find objects or people, we make collages, color funny faces...there is so much to do.  Old magazines are a lot cheaper than a new coloring book and a lot more creative too.

**I mentioned that I subscribe to Birchbox above.  Do you know what Birchbox is?  I read about this in a magazine (go figure) three years ago.  It's a company that sends you a little box of samples and full-sized items once a month in the mail.  For only $10, you get this great little gift each month for yourself.  Each month, you get at least one full-sized item (almost always worth over $10) and 5 to 6 other beauty samples.  I have scored so much fun stuff over the years that I still look forward to its arrival each month.  If you're into beauty and makeup, you should totally check Birchbox out!**


The Fifty Two Shades of Shay just wouldn't be complete without this post...I am a magazine junkie...that's just one shade of me :).

I'd love to hear your favorite magazines!  Leave me a comment...maybe I need another subscription :).


And don't forget to check out my foodie blog today...I have a new twist on an American classic...

Have a great day!

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July Pinspired

And it's July!  My least favorite month of the year.  I'm sorry...but it is.  

I live in Texas.  June is hot but it's fun hot because it's the first of summer (first swim, first shorts, first snow cone, first everything)...but by July...I'm over it!  August is great because pre-season football starts, the September issue of Southern Living arrives and coolness starts to creep into my mind (it doesn't actually creep into the air but if I close my eyes, I can pretend it's coming).  July is just 31 days of heat.

  However...thanks to Mel and Sheaffer, I am taking July as a wonderful opportunity to dig into my closet, get creative and pull together some outfits to keep me looking good despite the nasty weather.  We're getting Pin-spired today!

I want to look patriotic this July 4th without looking like I wrapped myself in the American Flag...so, I took my cues from this Pinterest photo...subtle and sophisticated and most certainly red, white and blue.

Easy to recreate out of my closet, white shorts, red striped tank, chambray shirt (like) and navy wedges (like).

My nails are OPI Cajun Shrimp (thanks to all of your suggestions!).  I love it!  Because I'm blond, I think I look best in gold or rose gold jewelry. You really won't ever see me in silver.  Click here for a great gold watch option.

Mollee V made my necklace.  Love, love, love Mollee V!

And now for outfit #2.

I'm sure you guys all think my favorite colors to wear are neon pink, neon coral, neon orange, neon yellow, neon purple...because I do love my neon colors.  But actually, my 3 favorite colors to wear are pink, green and navy.  I decided to remove pink (because you have all seen 3,678 pictures of me in pink) and just wear navy and green.  This was my inspiration photo...

And this is how it worked out. (Do you see my monkey portrait in the background there?  It's actually really something special...and I love it to pieces but the crew of the Bachelor thought my mom and I were insane for having these paintings in our homes!  She has one and I have two.  I love my monkeys!)

I'm wearing those same white shorts...I really, really love them!  And right now, they are marked down sooooo much at Gap!  A pair of white shorts will last you years and years...and as you see today, they can go with everything.

  I also love these striped tanks from Gap (which are also on sale!).  And click here to see my navy top (lots of other colors and they're on sale now!).

Not the best photo of my foot but I wanted you to see my shoes. I bought them two years ago and wear them all the time.  A great neutral shoe will last years and years!  Click here for similar options.

Don't forget to link up below...we love seeing how you were Pin-spired this month!  (And I would also love to know what your least favorite month is...I know everyone has one month they like the least!)

Don't forget to head over to my foodie blog...today is my suggested July 4th menu!  You don't want to miss it!

Lots of love to you this July!

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Find me on Face Book here.

Find me on Pinterest here.
Find me on Instagram  @mixandmatchmama

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