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I'm Shay! I’m a cookbook author, lifestyle blogger, travel agency owner, wife and mama who loves making every day special for my family.

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Mix & Match Mama

Fashion, Friday Favorites, Shay's Closet ·

Friday Favorites


Guys, this is my last Friday Favorites of the year!

Whaaaaaaaat?!

Yes!

Where did 2018 go?

It’s always a little bittersweet to see another year go by.

Next week, I have loads of blogging (including MY VERY FAVORITE POST OF THE YEAR!), but no favorites.  So, for the very last time in 2018,  I’m linking up with my friends Erika, Narci and Andrea and sharing some of my favorite things from this week.  Here’s hoping you have a very merry weekend! xo

Last Friday, I asked you guys for a new show to binge watch while I fold laundry/eat lunch/mundane things like that and the vast majority of you told me to watch…

…so I started it, and OH MY GOODNESS!  I LOVE IT!

Okay, a few thoughts and disclaimers…
1: I’ve only finished the first two episodes, so maybe (but probably not), I’ll end up hating it. But, so far, I really like it!
2: I was floored when I realized the main character was also in House of Cards and played Rachel.  They are two totally different roles, and she knocks both out of the ballpark.  She is dazzling (that’s right, I said dazzling) in this one!!
3: There is a lot of (in my opinion), unnecessary bad language in this show.  Just a heads up that the language makes this show probably rated R.  So far, I haven’t seen anything else (violence, sex, etc) that might be offensive to some, but I wanted to make sure you knew about the language.
4: The same lady who was behind The Gilmore Girls (Amy Sherman-Palladino) is behind this show too, so the writing is AMAZING!!!  You know how they talk fast and kind of sing-songy in Gilmore Girls?  Well, they do in this show too.  It’s brilliant writing!

Anyway, thank YOU very much for the much needed Grey’s Anatomy break 🙂 .  This show is charming!

These just arrived at my house this week, and I’m already giddy…

…yes, I finally bought packing cubes.

You guys have been telling me for years that I need them, so now, I have them.  I bought three different sets in three different colors for my family (I bought different colors to keep things organized, I thought two people could share each color).  I was worried about the added weight in my suitcase, but they’re super light.  Online, I believe it says they weigh about a pound all together.  So, if you have tips about how best to use them, please share.  I just need to go somewhere now!!

I thought I’d share a little look at a few of my favorite cozy things…

…all of this stuff would make fun holiday gifts!  These are my coziest things in the closet!
1: A blardigan!  You can’t get cozier than this cardigan!  They come in many colors, but I love this navy one.
2: A fun tee! I bought this one on our town square, but Jane.com is a great place to buy seasonal (and just plain fun!) tees.  Kensington and I bought several there for the holiday season.
3: These pj pants from Old Navy!  They’re soft, they’re stretchy and they wash and dry without shrinking.  Amen and amen.
4: Cozy accessories!  I love me a fun hat and festive scarf.  Both of these can take us into winter with all the coziness we need.
5: Ugg slippers!  These are the most worn item in my closet.  I love them so much!  I would order them true to size and they’ll fit a little snug but then quickly mold and stretch to the shape of your foot. Mine are always just a tad tight when I first get them, but now, they’re insanely cozy!

Two last little gift ideas for those of you who still need to grab a few more things…

…these super popular Tory Burch totes are 33% off right now!  And…

…my short Uggs are 25% off right now.  These babies are so comfy!!  I’ve walked many a mile in these shoes.

Last but not least…

12 Peppermint & Chocolate Christmas Recipes

…I’m sharing 12 PEPPERMINT & CHOCOLATE CHRISTMAS RECIPES!

It’s the perfect marriage of flavors for the holidays!  You can see my yummy recipes HERE.

That’s it for this Friday!  I hope you have a wonderful weekend, friends! xo

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Comments

  2. Erika Slaughter says

    I’m always up for a good excuse to travel. Let’s put those packing cubes to work…where are we going? I’ll be at your house in ten. 😉

  3. Beth Knecht says

    Cassie Sugarplum talked me right into those packing cubes this week! I hope when I get home today that!Amazon has delivered them to my doorstep and I can get our post Christmas getaway clothes all packed and organized!!

  5. Amanda @ Cupcake N Dreams says

    Yay so glad you like Mrs Maisel! Season 1’s language isn’t too bad but season 2 is much worse which is my only complaint. It seems unnecessary since it’s such a charming show! And Rachel is as amazing as she seems. I had an acting class with her back in the day and her talent really shined! Can’t wait to try out one of those peppermint hot chocolate recipes! They look delish!

    Amanda @ Cupcake N Dreams

  6. Sheaffer says

    Packing cubes arrived at my house yesterday! I’m doing an Amazon post on Monday, so I finally convinced myself to try them! I’m laughing though…..am I going to use them to go to the ranch?

  7. Caroline says

    Mrs Maisel is the best! My grandmother IS Midge. She was born into a wealthy Jewish family in Manhattan and was very into the socialite word. She then married my blue collar grandfather, moved to Virginia and ended up working for the rest of her life. She was such a charming combination of polished, sophisticated, insanity ambitious and hard working. I love all of the details in the show- so good!!

  9. Kelly Sites says

    I travel all the time- and I love love packing cubes. When we went to Greece and Israel- I used the large packing cube as my beauty cube- I placed ALL of my skin care (in a makeup bag) and makeup (also in it’s own makeup bag) blow dryer, curling iron, and all the beauty things in the cube. That when when we got to the hotel (and we switched hotels a TON as we traveled throughout the countries) I could just grab my beauty cube!!!!! So so easy. I also use a small one for my backpack that i take on the plane, and it has all of my “must haves” for travel (lotion, wipes, chapstick, cords, snacks, gum, etc)

  11. Melissa Terry says

    I made your peppermint mocha bundt cake this week and it was a huge hit in our house! I can’t wait to see how you use the packing cubes…I’ve been on the fence about them for years but it seems so efficient. I’m intrigued! Happy weekend ; )

  12. Melanie says

    I use the packing cubes with *YOUR* system! Night one pajamas for all the kids in one cube, the next days outfits for all the kids in another cube. Literally grabbing one cube at a time in a crowded hotel is such a lifesaver. 1/2 the cubes in one suitcase and 1/2 in the other and the very best part of all, dirty clothes packed away in a cube not touching anything else 🙂 Merry Christmas!

  13. ~B~ says

    Love-love-love our packing cubes! They’ve seriously made packing so much better for our family of 5! We’ve been using them for a couple years now and I swear by them! I always read your travel posts (love your handy tip about packing everyone’s things in various suitcases, should one suitcase get lost = someone isn’t without all their clothes) and each time I think, “Oh how you would love packing cubes for this!”. You’ll be able to whip out everyone’s outfits and know whose is whose by your different colored cubes! I’ll be anxious to hear what you think. Happy holidays!

  14. Carrie says

    I wasn’t expecting so much bad language… also a heads up to anyone who may not want to see bare breasts! That caught me off guard and I was glad my husband wasn’t watching with me.

  15. Sharon @SweetSavoryMama says

    Okay I think you’ve convinced me to watch Mrs. Maisel AND to give packing cubes a try! I had one but the zipper broke. So I’ll try again! 🙂 Love your Christmas tee … and I have those striped pj pants. So fun! Xoxo

  16. Jenna Lathrop says

    I cannot even believe that the year is almost over. I am going to have to check out that show over Christmas Break. Also, that looks like the perfect outfit!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I don’t know the name of this one. It’s to the right of Harvest if you’re looking at the front of the restaurant.

  19. Katie Dang says

    Ok, Cassie at Hi Sugarplum LOVES the packing cubes and is the absolute BEST at using them. Connect with her to get all her tips! I use them when we travel back to Vietnam and loved them, but I know Cassie is the expert!

  20. Susy says

    Packing cubes have taken me around the world! No rifling through the suitcase and things stay so neat even on day 16! Two choices: pack by day/outfit OR by type of clothing: socks, lingerie, t-shirts, pants, swimwear, gloves/hats, etc. Each method works well.

  22. Kelly Henderson says

    I absolutely LOVE Mrs. Maisel! I am half way season two, yes the language is a bit much but I think it’s true to where this character is in life. I adore 1950s NYC and how women dressed for everything. I highly doubt you will end up hating the show, it’s fabulously written. I love Abe!

  24. Lisa says

    I love packing cubes! I have three in the different colors for each kid. But I’m an overpacker by default and I found out that it doesn’t really fit too many of my clothes so I use mine to corral underwear and the likes. What I do that helps tho, is put all my family’s pajamas in one. Or swimsuits, covers, swim diapers in one. It’s super easy to just pull those out when you need it and have it in one place.

  25. Tanya Latch says

    We’ve been using packing cubes for years (went to Europe for a week in one carry on thanks to cubes)! But the life changer was the compression packing cubes!!! You must try these!

  26. Kerri Soto says

    OK, LOVE MRS. Maisel….Season 2 just dropped so hoping to binge over holiday break! Rachel is amazing in it!

    I have both of those the Bag, is a great work tote, and the UGGs, might need them in another color now that they are on sale!

  27. Kimberly C says

    Old Navy has not disappointed me yet this winter with their pjs and holiday kids shirts! — I have and love those striped pj pants as well ? I have to ask though — about how long does a pair of Ugg slippers last for you? I know you wear yours a lot and are always gushing about them. I wear my current slippers a lot as well but haven’t took the plunge to buying a pair of Ugg ones.

  28. Lynn Winter says

    Mrs. Maisel is amazing!! I just love it and her and you will too. Yes the language is a tad ugh, but im ok with it.

  30. Emily says

    I’ve been using packing cubes for the last year in all our travels and I LOVE THEM! They have transformed the way I pack! I think you are going to love them!

  31. Kara says

    Packing cubes are a MUST for traveling! I think the secret behind them is to pack more in each one that you could think possible! You can just keep on stuffing things in!

  32. Mikala January says

    I’m a lover of packing cubes too! I have the ebags brand. My favorite tip is to fill a smaller bag with all your underwear, PJs, things that can be rolled up tight. Then, lay all your shirts/pants out flat stacked up on the bed. Sit your small bag up toward the neck of your shirts. Fold in each stack of arm sleeves over the small cube, then fold up the bottom end of the clothes. Put that whole square bundle of clothes into the largest bag and zip up! Saves a ton of space AND really minimizes the wrinkles because your clothes are mostly flat with no hard creases!! OOH it makes me giddy to pull out my stack of tidy clothes! Also, i give my kids each a bag and a checklist and tell them to fill it up and bring back to me. They are completely responsible for packing their own stuff. I also use the bags to contain all the small things that you want to throw in your bag. Keeps it all contained and doesn’t spill when your suitcase is opened!

  34. Chrys says

    I almost ordered the packing cubes for our upcoming trip to Portugal, but I am still hesitant. I am hoping you will write a review on them and how you organized your clothing. And then maybe I will get them for our next trip in a couple of months 😉

  36. Elizabeth says

    I love Mrs. Maisel too, but it did take me a few episodes to get used to her not being Rachel on House of Cards!!! I almost gave up bc it was so hard to watch her on HOC, but glad I stuck it out! It’s delightful!

  38. Leah Z says

    Packing cubes are THE BEST!! We travel a lot, so we each have our own set in our own color (the same colors we use to color coordinate our calendar!). We don’t even unpack when we get to a hotel, just pull out the bags and drop them right in the dresser drawers. Then when we have an empty bag, it just gets filled with laundry and put right into the suitcase. We use the small for pjs, medium for undies and socks, and large for clothes. It makes packing so easy and it’s so great to know that everyone knows whose stuff is whose just by looking at the color!
    Glad to hear you’re enjoying the show – it’s been on my To Watch list and I need to get it started!

  39. Betsy says

    The compression packing cubes blow the regular ones away. You save about 25-30% of space with them. We only travel carry on, even for our 2-week European trips, and they are life savers.

  40. Mother of 3 says

    I keep hearing so much about Mrs. Maisel too and yet never think to give it a try when I’m searching aimlessly for something to watch.

  41. Leanne Gilchrist says

    Shay, you can watch a lot of TV shows and Netflix shows and almost any movie on VidAngel. You can set filters for anything, and their filters are extensive, from language to alcohol use to sex to even violence. This is how we watch almost everything at our house. We love to have family movie nights, and so, we use VidAngel. Have you watched The Crown? VidAngel has it. Claire Foy is marvelous in it, I had never heard of her before watching the show. Anyway, I LOVE to save our blog for after I’m done working out. It’s like a little treat or reward for working out!

  42. Debbie C says

    I’ve never commented on your blog, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t look forward to reading it immediately when it shows up in my email box!!! I love keeping up with you family. Your favorites and suggestions for favorite clothing are spot on. Merry Christmas to you and your family and a very Happy New Year!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Merry Christmas, Debbie!! Don’t be a stranger!! I love comments and yours was SUPER sweet this morning!

  43. Kraleen says

    We began using packing cubes when we started cruising, we don’t really have a method for packing, I have done by days but usually end up packing by type, All shirts in one, pants in one, etc. We use a pop up laundry hamper for our dirty clothes all week. When we start packing to come home I pre-sort the dirty laundry into the cubes by color. When we get home I just unzip the cubes into the washer one at a time and not big piles of dirty laundry to sort.

  44. Kelly Buffington says

    I bought the packing cubes for my parents for Christmas. They are going on two cruises next year so I hope they work for them. And the short Ugg boots were my favorite Christmas gift of 2017, I wear them all the time! I’m so curious about Mrs. Maisel, I know I’d love the clothing and the writing, concerned about the language though:(.