Things that make you smile...

On Monday, we went to the park with some of our friends.  I, of course, left my camera at home and therefore pleaded with Sheaffer to snap pictures, post them on her blog and allow me to steal them.  This seems to work every time.  My kiddos sliding together.

Two very hot and sweaty looking boys.  They're really the perfect friends.  On most days, Smith refuses to eat his lunch and Nixon eats it for him.  As long as the lunch is being consumed, I'm happy.

Carter, Kensington and Ebby Lee having a "dance show" at the park.

Such sweet friends!

And if you want your kids to have this happy, frosting covered smile, head on over to Mix and Match Mama for a Kool-Aid cupcake recipe.  So easy and so yummy!!

...these are the things that make me smile.

Follow the legs...

What is this about?  Hmmm...you're going to have to play follow the leader legs to find out...jump on over to my baby, Mix and Match Mama for some more info. 

Happy Wednesday!

My little assistants

I photograph the majority of the food for Mix and Match Mama outside because natural light is just sooooo much better!  I like to do it in the morning because that's even better light.  I often go outside in my pjs (sorry golfers passing by!) with my two little assistants...

In dinosaur pjs helping the Mama photograph her bundt cake.

What?  We can't have a piece at 8:00 am?!

The ultimate, overly-exaggerated "cheese" face.

I'm so bummed she won't let me eat cake for breakfast...

But I bet she'll make me pancakes.  That's pretty good too!

I just love my little assistants!

Love is in the air...

...over in the Mama's kitchen.  Click to find out.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Nothing bundt love

It's Friday people!  And instead of being here...I'm over here.  Come check me out!  It's nothing bundt love...

Bundt Cake #56: Toffee Crunch 

Bundt Cake #99

Happy Sunday!

You should head over to my foodie blog and check out beautiful Bundt Cake #99!

Have a great day!

Fifty Two Shades of Shay: Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

Here's the thing...I'm not a gadget kind of girl.  I'm really not.  I don't have a lot of techy gadgets, I don't really understand how to work my DVD player, my i-Phone has about 4 apps on it, and so I certainly don't have a lot of kitchen gadgets.  I'm pretty simple when it comes to gadgets.  

That being said, this February when we moved from our home into the rent house, I picked only my very favorite things to come with me (the rest of it went to storage...including my cookie cutters...why did I put my cookie cutters in storage????).  These are the few things that I must have in my kitchen...and believe me, I do a lot of cooking in there!  But I manage to do it all with just a few favorite things...

I must, must, must have a single-serve coffee pot.  And this Cuisinart is my absolute favorite!  I've also had a Keurig before too...

...and Keurigs are fabulous as well.  I prefer the Cuisinart because the tank is bigger (so you refill it less) and it's a little quieter...but the price on the Keurig is less and it makes wonderful coffee, so you really can't lose.  I just have to have one of these gadgets in my home!  And if you're a coffee drinker (or tea or hot cocoa drinker), then I highly, highly suggest you get one of these babies!  I love them.  Love, love, love them!

And of course...if you do a lot of baking or pasta making...you must have a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer.  Whipping up a batch of cookies or a decadent cake will be so much easier with this baby!

But this little guy right here...this very purple one...is my go-to for mixing in the kitchen.  All 100 of my bundt cakes were mixed with this very hand mixer.  So simple to use and easy to clean...probably my second favorite kitchen gadget (next to the coffee pot, of course!).  It comes in a variety of colors but purple is my favorite!

And my food processor.  I don't use it all the time...but when I need to use it, I'm so happy I have it!  It's quick and easy to clean...all important things when trying to get dinner on the table fast!

I've blogged about my love affair with my juicer before.  I bought this Breville mini about 8 months ago and since then, we juice everything around here.  My kids love adding in fruits and vegetables (and drinking their creations) too.  But my favorite part is the fact that everything goes into the dishwasher and comes out squeeky clean.  No scrubbing or drying...simple, simple!

And that's it for gadgets!  What's your favorite kitchen gadget?  Am I missing one???  I'd love to know!

Hope you're having a great day!  Lots of love on this Fifty Two Shades of Shay day!

And don't forget, I'm counting down my favorite bundt cakes this week on Mix and Match Mama...click here to see what my 4th favorite bundt cake is!

Barcelona & Riviera Cruise: Days 1 & 2

Oh.my.heavens!  Andrew and I just returned from 12 days in Spain along with a Riviera cruise that took us to Italy, Monaco and France.  We had the very, very best time!  Over the next few days, I'll be sharing some pics of our trip.  But let's be honest...without my kiddos on the trip with us...it's going to be a lot of selfies of Andrew and me.  

OK...let's begin!

Day 1...me at the airport.  At this point, I know it's going to be a fabulous vacation!  I have my latte, my novels, my magazines, my cookbooks and my hubby.  I'm in my happy place!  We flew from DFW to New York where we had a 3 hour layover and then took a 10 hour flight to Barcelona.

We arrived at 7:30 am in Barcelona and went straight to our hotel.  We felt so blessed because they had our room ready for us when we arrived!  Thank heavens!!  We stayed at the Hotel Arts in Barcelona. I think we've decided this was the nicest hotel we've ever stayed in.  We had a huge window view of both the city (here) and...

...the beach.  The hotel was right on the water.  The room was huge and gorgeous and the bathroom was fabulous.   As seasoned travelers, our best advice is this...do not sleep when you arrive!  Even though you're tired and have jet lag...if you sleep, you will never acclimate!  We showered, put on fresh clothes, had a cup of coffee and headed out to see Barcelona.  (I repeat, do not sleep!).

Our first stop was the famous La Sagrada Familia cathedral.  Beautiful!

After seeing the cathedral, we headed to the main shopping area in Barcelona called Las Ramblas where we proceeded to walk 6 miles over the course of the day.  We just love walking and taking in the city.  We stopped in shops, we ate ice cream, we really savored the day.

Walking 6 miles earns a girl 2 scoops!

We stopped in this cafe for lunch (pizza!) and a quiet spot to take in the city.

We walked back by the beach on our way to dinner.  The Barcelona beach is really beautiful and packed with people.

And here we are headed to dinner.  At this point, we had been up for over 36 hours and walked 6 miles...after we took this pic, we headed for cheeseburgers and fries!  A much deserved treat after such a busy day!

More vacation to come!  To see days 3 & 4 click here.

Happy Friday everyone!  Make sure you check this out below...

I'm celebrating my 100th Bundt Cake with a $100 Visa Gift Card Giveaway!

You better run over to Mix and Match Mama and check out my all-time favorite Bundt Cake and enter to win that Visa gift card.

Monday, I'll be announcing Bundt Cake #100!  Have a great weekend and I'll see you soon!!

And the 100th Bundt Cake is...

...you have to click here to see it.

And don't worry, I'm back from vacation now.  This week, more Fifty Two Shades of Shay, Instagram pics galore and several posts documenting my fabulous vacation.  But first, right now, go see what my 100th bundt cake is!!

Happy Monday!

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!