Happy Friday, friends!
I hope you’ve had a GREAT week!
As always, I’m linking up with my friends Andrea and Erika and sharing this week’s favorite things.
This ended up being a BIG week of faves 🙂 .
I hope you’re ready for the randomness (and fun!) starting with…
My sweet Ashby is doing FANTASTIC! Praise Jesus!
On Wednesday, Ashby had her 24th vascular surgery. TWENTY FOURTH!
You guys, it could not have gone better.
You would think that with so many operations, they would all run together and things would get routine and easier. They don’t run together. Each one feels different. Each one we remember for different reasons. We do have a really solid routine, but man, they have gotten harder and harder. The first really really hard one was #10 and from there, they have each just been more physically and mentally taxing. Our last one (#23) was by far the hardest and had the longest and most painful recovery.
When we arrived at the hospital on Wednesday morning, we checked into our inpatient room prepared for the worst and buckled in for at least one night at the hospital, but goodness gracious, Ashby came out of recovery in the BEST spirits with the least amount of pain, ZERO nausea, and was just doing remarkably well. She did so well that by 6:00 PM, they kicked us out and told us to take our girl home 🙂 . She was doing way too good to have to spend the night. She came home, ate, watched TV, was up and about…thriving. It was just the BIGGEST answered prayer. We’re at home with a darn drain and a cast (she wasn’t happy about either), but other than that, she’s doing GREAT. We are going to spend the next few days hibernating together.
There was a lot of “ignorance is bliss” in those early days of surgeries for both of us. As much as I sometimes think I would love to “know the future” there are many, many, MANY times I am grateful the Lord doesn’t allow us to know. If you would have told Ashby and me eleven years ago on that first surgery to buckle up because by the time she hit 13, we would be at #24, we would have both melted into a puddle. Ignorance is bliss, y’all…and our girl is a SUPERHERO! Thank you for your prayers. We felt them!
Earlier this week, I shared that our family…
…went to Poland! You can catch the FIRST RECAP FROM POLAND on my blog (more to come!).
This was such a special day for so many reasons (SO MANY!), but one of the reasons was that Poland was my 50th country to visit!
Over the years, I have kept track of all of the countries I’ve visited various ways, but we had a guide on one of our Australian excursions suggest our family use…
…this app right here to track them. This is a FAVE this week because it’s a really, really great app! Andrew, Kensington, Smith, Ashby and me all have it on our phones, and it makes it easy (and fun) to keep track of where we’ve been. You can also add where you’ve lived and where you want to go too (so even if you’re not traveling now, you can plan/get excited/mark all the places you want to see).
If you love this stuff as much as me, I highly recommend you download it too. It’s just FUN to track.
Here is a screenshot of mine…
…clearly, I am only marking “countries been” but as you can see, there are other options too.
Get the app and have fun checking off your places too!
I had a big and random assortment of #ootd this week!
Over the last seven days, I have been wearing basically the same (BUT DIFFERENT!) outfit on repeat…
…I’ve worn MY JOGGERS in black TWO different days.
Right now, THEY’RE ON SALE too!
I love THESE JOGGERS because they are constructed like an actual pair of pants, but they’re athletic wear so they’re so soft, have stretch, and are COMFY! But wait, I love them so much (I’ve told you this about 1 billion times over the last four months) that…
…I bought them in “abalone” too 🙂 . They come in so many other different colors that when they went on sale, I grabbed a second pair. They run TTS (I bought them in regular xs) and come in both petite and tall as well and sizes xxs to 3x.
I’ve also entered my “mule” era..
…I can’t quit ’em 🙂 . I bought THESE MULES in brown, but they come in a second color as well.
Speaking of shoes…
…my WATERPROOF KNEE HIGH BOOTS are now 37% off!
I wore them every single day on our trip. They are so comfortable, warm, and waterproof. They come in other colors too, and right now, they’re 37% off!
I wore this outfit…
…on Tuesday as Ashby and I went from one hospital to another doing pre-op things and goodness, I bet I had at least four different ladies compliment MY CARDIGAN.
It’s over-sized and soft, comes in a lot of different colors, and worked really well with MY MULES on a cozy winter day.
And because I’m clearly in my “sets era”…
…I wore THIS SET one day…
…and THIS SET another! They both come in a variety of colors!
You guys know that I LOVE my job as a travel agent. I absolutely adore all of my clients, but this one here is one of my absolute FAVES. She just returned home from her NINTH vacation from Mix and Match Travel Agency.
NINE!
This client was a blog reader who reached out years ago about planning a vacation for her family and over the years, we have sent them:
On a Caribbean Cruise
To Germany and Switzerland
To Hawaii
To Paris and Amsterdam
To Lisbon…
…TWO DIFFERENT TIMES
To London
To the Bahamas
And to Walt Disney World!
WOW! I mean, HOW COOL IS THAT?! This family of four has blessed us more than you know. It is always such an honor to get to know YOU guys out there personally while also getting to work on your vacations and send you and your family/friends to amazing destinations. This family is FOR SURE one of my faves 🙂 .
Contact us HERE if you want us to send you somewhere too!
This is super random, but I was chatting with my friend Lauren about needing new pillows for our guest bed (because the ones in there were terribly hard), and she swore by…
…THESE!
I bought two and wow, they are REALLY good! If you’re in the market for a new pillow, I highly recommend!
You guys, it’s the COLLEEN ROTHSCHILD ANNIVERSARY SALE!
Right now, get 25% off site wide or 30% off orders $200+!
I love collaborating with Colleen Rothschild because not only do I get to share my favorite skincare and hair care with you, but I get to let you know when they’re having AMAZING SALES like this one.
As a reminder, here are the products I personally, buy, love and use every single day (and my mom and my girls!)…
#1: SHEER RENEWAL CREAM: great for a daily moisturizer, works so well under makeup!
#2: VITAMIN C NOURISHING CREAM: I use this as my PM moisturizer (and on really dry days, I’ll wear it in the AM too!)
#3: GLYCOLIC ACID PEEL PAD: Gentle enough for every day use! This makes my skin feel extra extra clean.
#4: RETINOL SUPREME EYE SERUM: A wonderful under eye cream!
#5: RADIANT CLEANSING BALM: The GOAT! This is my very favorite product, and if I only bought one thing, this would be it. I use this every single day to remove my makeup and cleanse my skin. It never leaves my skin tight or dry. It’s hydrating and cleansing. Love.
#6: The only SHAMPOO and CONDITIONER the ladies in my family use! Once you use it, you’ll never go back to the other stuff again. These are hair changing products.
#7: MOISTURE VEIL SILK EMULSION: Another wonderful AM moisturizer! There is just a little bit of pearl to it which makes my skin look extra radiant and healthy before I even apply my makeup.
#8: AGE RENEWAL SUPER SERUM: packs a serious punch! I’ve used this serum for years and years at night under my moisturizer. It fights the six signs of aging: texture, dehydration, elasticity, fine lines, radiance, and tone.
#9: SMOOTH & SHINE HAIR SERUM: I add it to my hair when it’s wet, when it’s dry…either way, it gives my hair that extra oomph it needs to keep is smooth and shiny.
Don’t forget, right now, get 25% off site wide or 30% off orders $200+!
Thank YOU, Colleen Rothschild! I always love collaborating with you.
It’s a January weekend, friends! If you want a super simple, delicious, and cozy nibble to go with your coffee this weekend, look no further than…
These little muffins could not be simpler. Your weekend will thank you 🙂 .
Speaking of thanks, THANK YOU for being here with me this week! I’ll be back here on Sunday for a little SUNDAY RECAP and then again on Monday too. I hope you have the BEST weekend! xx
Jami Romano says
Continued prayers for you and Miss Ashby! So glad to hear she is quickly on the mend this time around. Xo
SS says
Awe ..prayers for Ashby’s healing and the family…because it is not fun watching someone you love be in pain.
Have a good time watching some movies and staying warm… Seems like it will be chilly everywhere this weekend.
Jeanne Cobianchi says
So very happy to hear #24 went well. Your girl is a warrior. GOD is good!
Nicole says
Happy Friday!! I saw on your IG you added something to your coffee – can you share? 😁
Mix and Match Mama says
I have been adding a scoop of a neurotropic to my afternoon coffee. I’m giving it a few weeks (I’m on week 2 now) before I share more (because I want to really make sure I’m feeling a benefit), but so far, so good!
Sheaffer says
Lots of fun favorites, but Ashby recovering so well is definitely #1!!!
Elspeth Mizner says
Have a wonderful weekend! So glad Ashby is on the mend!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Michelle says
Thank you Lord for Ashby doing so well!!
Lori says
Sending prayers for your daughter for a speedy recovery!
Ramona says
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for watching over Ashby and family! Loved reading about y’all’s adventures!
Kristy says
I’m not on instagram for the start of the year so I didn’t know Ashby had surgery yesterday. However, I prayed for your family because I thought it was so weird you didn’t blog! I’m glad all is well. Enjoy the hibernating and recovery!
Mix and Match Mama says
Goodness, THANK YOU so much for your prayers. Truly, thank you. xx
Katie Hahn says
Happy Friday! Ashby is truly a SUPERHERO! SO glad things went well!
Susan P Fitzpatrick says
So glad everything went well for Ashby. She’s such a trooper!! Praying for continued recovery for her. That Amazon cardigan looks amazing! I could see why you comments on it!
Paula Hobbs says
Continued prayers for Ashby and you guys! She is a rockstar!!! Have a sweet cozy weekend with your girl.
Grace says
Praying for Ashby! She is such a strong girl!
Val says
Hello Shay, I love reading your blog. Especially your review on the Apple watch and Oura ring, I was wondering have you heard of the WHOOP health bracelet? Have you tried it? I would love to hear your thoughts on it if you were to try it out. Have a great weekend and sending positive vibes to adorable Ashby!
Mix and Match Mama says
I have heard about it, but I haven’t tried it. I don’t *think* I personally know anyone that wears one. If other blog readers today have thoughts on it, I would be interested myself!
Margaret says
My husband has had a whoop since they first came out and he loves it I believe it is the most in depth and full of the most health information versus Apple Watch, etc., and a lot of top athletes, golfers, etc. wear them. My son plays college lacrosse at Brown, and they got the whole team one to wear. My husband knows he’s sick before he’s sick if that makes sense but basically his whoop numbers will drop or change and he realizes his body is fighting something. It has really helped him a lot. I think your boys might really like it.
Ashby is a star. I’m curious if she’s involved in a group or talks to anyone who has to deal with the same types of surgeries she does I would imagine she is such an inspiration to others and shows how limitations that others set on you can be broken. God is with her always and she truly is listening and leading a life of purpose. Thank you for sharing all your family updates. Have a fun Weekend.
Ps my book club read The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin True story – might be a fun choice for our book club with you.
Christy says
First and foremost, I am so glad Ashby did so well and got to go home!! Yay!!! I LOVE the furry cardigan!!!! I can’t wait to make the muffins. Thank you for sharing! I hope you and your family have a great weekend and enjoy your hibernation!!!
Tracy says
I’m praying for Ashby’s recovery! What a trooper she is! On another note, I have worn black joggers several times this week as well. I love the Vuori boyfriend joggers the best!
Jennifer F. says
So glad to hear everything went well with Ashby! Praise God!
Kristin says
I am so glad that Ashby’s surgery went so well! Have a wonderful weekend!
Diane Moore says
Wonderful news about Ashby doing so well. I pray God continues to bless her health as he has so many other aspects of her life.
Enjoy your weekend!
Karen in VA says
Hi Shay,
You have always blessed my day. Always. I’ve followed you for the past 10 years through thick and thin. I just wanted to say how strong you have to be (both of you) to deal with all these surgeries. Please give Ashby a hug from me. And that I am thinking about her. 😊
Mix and Match Mama says
Karen, thank you so much. I am beyond grateful for readers like YOU.
Lizzie says
So happy Ashby’s surgery went well and that she is doing so good. We have an awesome God! I’m curious, what tennis shoes do you have on in that photo of you there in the hospital next to Ashby‘s bed? Continued prayers for Ashby.
Mix and Match Mama says
I just went back to check, those are Dior sneakers.
Jess says
Big hugs and prayers for your whole family: for Ashby for being such a warrior, for you and Andrew in your strength when having your child go with the surgical team and knowing the pain that you wish you could bear for them, to all the siblings who are pros at empathy and cheering her up on the tough days. You all are inspirational!
Tamara R says
I’m so happy to hear Ashby’s surgery went so well! Thank you and MMT for planning all of our amazing trips. I remember begging you to plan our trips even before you opened your agency! 😂. It’s been fun to watch your agency grow and I have loved everyone we have worked with at MMT! We’re looking forward to planning so many more with you friend! Xx
Mix and Match Mama says
We are SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU, friend! It has been such a blessing to get to know you as you’ve traveled around the world with us. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
Lisa says
So happy to hear little miss sweet Ashby came through great on yet another surgery. She is a superstar!!
Bren says
I’m so thankful to hear how well things went on Thursday for Ashby and ever thankful that Ashby has such wonderful medical care to help her, and you and Andrew.
I think I comment every time you mention you love of the Venice high rise joggers, because I love them so much too! They hold up so wonderfully! I was so excited when they came out in the truffle color last year, a definite new favorite of mine.
Have a wonderful weekend staying in with Ashby. Continued prayers for her healing.
Faith Kapp says
So glad Ashby’s surgery went well! Praying for a smooth recovery to continue!
Mix and Match Mama says
Thank you so much! xx
Jaime Matherson says
How many days does Ashby miss school usually after a surgery?
Mix and Match Mama says
It depends on the surgery. She won’t be going back until her drain is removed…so she still has a few days.
Nicole Klaver says
Love those Amazon sets!! What shoes do you wear with them outside of the house? Thanks!
Mix and Match Mama says
Sneakers or my mules 🙂