Last week I started a new Interview Series and featured one of my good friends and her new living small adventure called Tiny House Tiny FootPrint, be sure to check out that interview if you haven’t already.
When I had the idea to start this series I made a list of my friends and bloggers I knew I want to interview. Shay Shull from Mix and Match Family was at the top of my list. If you don’t already know, she’s kind of a big deal so you can imagine how surprised and thrilled I was when she agreed to my interview request.
I am a huge fan of hers and her blog about her adorable, sweet family; I read it everyday. She has been married to her husband Andrew for 10 years, has a 6 year old daughter Kensington, a 4 year old son Smith, and is adopting a little girl, Ashby London. She is also the sister of Sean Lowe from the Bachelor. In her blog she talks about her family, shares her style secrets, blogs her recipes, and travels around the world.
I was surprised by pretty much all of it. I had no idea what I was signing him up for. It’s truly amazing that my one application affected his life the way it did.
From time to time, yes.
I have a degree in Journalism and have always loved writing, so I took my passion and put it in a blog.
Yes, all the time! I really love blogging because I will always be able to go back and revisit this time in my life, so I’m so grateful that I’ve done it for so long, but yes, sometimes, I have reservations.
Getting to meet so many wonderful women just like me! It’s truly a community!
We are really on the same page. We have the exact same core values and beliefs, so we rarely ever disagree about parenting.
That to love Jesus is the most important thing in the world. Everything else pales in comparison.
I do think my infertility plays a part in my gratitude for being a mom. I also am very much a “glass half full” kind of person and feel like every day on earth is a blessing (and could always be our last), so we should make the most of it.
Get over it. You just have to get over it and move on.
The hardest parts for me is letting go of control. I am sending these kids out into the world where they will be influenced by so many other people and that is hard. The most rewarding part is the love I feel for them. I never knew this kind of love was possible.
The hardest part is knowing she’s there and we’re here.
(If you want to read Shay’s touching story about the adoption, be sure to go here and Andrew’s side here)
All of our kids have British names and Ashby is a common British surname.
I think everything will change…and that excites me.
My parents (especially my dad) always taught me to appreciate the world and to experience it all.
Finland. I love Finland.
Germany. Without a doubt, I absolutely love German food.
They realize that the world exists outside of their little city. They know what it’s like to hear different languages and see different ways of life. It’s an education like no other. It’s also taught them a tremendous amount of patience.
Enjoy the little things…one day, the little things will be remembered as the greatest things.
That I love Jesus. That I followed His will for my life and lived for him. After that, I want to be remembered as someone who loved her husband and kids with her whole heart.
(Other than my family…because that would take up all five spots!)1. Candles
2. Coffee
3. Something to read
4. Some place cozy to sit
5. Fuzzy socks
It’s easy to see why Shay is so popular in the blogging world, she’s gorgeous, down to earth, loves her family, fashion, cooking, and traveling.
I can’t thank her enough for participating in my new Interview Series!!
Say Yes to Happy 
Soaking up every moment with her kids by taking them to the mall? Be remembered for loving Jesus by lying about having cancer? Lying bout your her husband’s football DRAFT? By not being transparent about making money from all the junk she’s advertising on her blog over and over. This woman is a BIG FAKE, not a big deal.
She’s not obsessed with Jesus, she’s obsessed with material things, outward appearances, trying to be better than everyone else. So sad for her, I’ll keep her in my prayers.
Seems like a lot of throwaway answers to me… as if she was too buy and uninterested to spend much time answering anything in a thoughtful manner.
Her 5 things that make her happy?
1. Candles
2. Coffee
3. Something to read
4. Some place cozy to sit
5. Fuzzy socks
What about her scarf obsession? Or her supposed love of cooking and recipes? She is a “foodie” after all. Or her obsession with pumpkin, fall and B&BW lotion?
Like I said… throw away answsers.
I was disappointed by this post….one line answers. I wish more bloggers would post about things that really matter in life instead of shopping, excess and materialism. Their is so much more to life than that. Also not a fan of hiding Rstyle links and pushing readers to buy buy and buy so she gets the commissions
Shay is insanely jealous of Sean and Catherine. She won’t even say their names anymore. Also, check out the way she talks down to her readers and even some of her friends. She’s just not a very nice person.
Yawn. It was dreadful reading the interview with Shay. Besides her shopping obsession and RStyle links, she is dull and her blog has no real content. I stopped reading her blog months ago because it was the same thing recycled.
Yikes! I’m not so sure about that marriage advice!
Better to compromise, discuss, have compassion, come to a mutual agreement. If she and her husband have the same exact beliefs, wouldn’t they agree like they do with parenting?
Sorry. I’m sure she’s a lovely lady, but I was in a relationship where I just had to DEAL WITH IT and it was really damaging. I don’t want newlyweds or young girls to think that’s a solution!
Well, the one honest mention she made was about her need to control.
She is a self-proclaimed “foodie” and recipe blogger yet she buys cupcakes for her daughter’s birthday party. She feeds the kids breakfast at Starbucks and lunch at the food court because she has to vacate the house before the housekeeping service arrives (so annoying to hear vacuums running) and on days when the gardeners are there doing the mowing and trimming – another excuse to vacate the house and feed kids more junk.
She name-drops Jesus all the time yet nothing she reveals about her life reflects any sort of religious commitment. I’d love to hear what she feels it means to “love Jesus” since it doesn’t show in the material she blogs.
These comments are so funny and true!!! I bet this is a fun series, this were just terrible, thoughtless answers.
“…these were…” not “this”! Sorry!!
While I appreciate you all taking the time to comment and I respect everyone’s right to have their own opinions, I was really excited about interviewing Shay for my new interview series and I stand by her and this interview.
I will be interviewing lots of different people with interesting stories in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
You should be unhappy with Shay. She barely acknowledged your questions as if she couldn’t be bothered with you. Which she couldn’t be. She didn’t link to you to let “all” her readers even know she did this interview. You seem nice but really look what Shay is spouting….it’s superficial…nothing of substance….she just wants you to keep hitting those links and making her money…..hopefully others that you interview are more generous with their time.
I can understand you being excited, since you gushed over her, but why would you stand behind such a surface fluff interview? I hope your interviews get interesting, Shay and her obsession with all things material is just not that interesting, imo.
I’ll definitely stay tuned! Please interview people that have interesting things to say next time! Also, thanks for not censoring comments, all blogs should be this open to criticism.
Don’t take Shay’s snippy answers personally, either. This is the woman who won’t even acknowledge that her vacations are comped from her husband doing well at work (you’d think she’d be proud of him?) And this is what she said about one of her supposed best friends:
“For some reason, Sheaffer cannot take a picture next to me. We take one and she deletes it. We take another one and she deletes that too. We were sitting in Starbucks just trying to get one picture taken and she must have deleted 875. Oh my heavens! Half the time, she wouldn’t even look at the picture before she deleted it. Finally, I grabbed my phone away from her and just started snapping away…”
There’s a great quote about “when someone tells you who they are, believe them.” Shay is telling the world that her you-know-what doesn’t smell.
Oh, I like your blog and I don’t believe anyone is critiquing you or your choice to feature Shay. Please don’t take that personally.
Wow, could she have been any more vague and brief in her responses? I’m sure plenty of women who are seriously contemplating adoption would have appreciated a little more insight on what to expect, logistically and emotionally.
I agree 100% with Amy’s comments. I stopped reading Shay’s blog months ago once it became clear all she’s interested in is bragging about her perfect and “oh so busy” life.
I just read the tiny house/camper interview and was really interested! Then I read this and felt like I was watching one of those videos on TMZ where the scowling celeb wishes the interviewer would drop dead. LOL.
The tiny camper couple doesn’t have a blog? They should start one!
Ditto! Loves that post.
I like your interview series, but I was really bored reading Shay’s answers. It seems like she rushed through the interview and didn’t put any thought into answering. Normally I enjoy reading blogger’s interviews, but this one is lacking substance. I didn’t enjoy it and I didn’t find any of it interesting.
Say Yes to Happy, I am very disappointed in you.
I really liked the first interview but this was a snooze, who wants to read about another pampered mom with a love of starbucks, big hair and processed food? Her blog is not representative of anything real. Real people are much more interesting.
Sorry Shay didn’t give you or this interview the time of day. Her responses were so short/lacking any real substance, that it comes across as rude. Rude to you, rude to your readers, and rude to her readers.
Respectfully, you come across as if you are looking at Shay through starstruck-colored glasses. Her brother’s fame might have afforded her a little attention, but that doesn’t make her “kind of a big deal”. Having some substance, vulnerability, openness, honesty and humility might have, but she doesn’t show any of these things. At best, she exaggerates and distorts the truth–this is easily verified as fact, such as in the case of her husband’s football career or the trips she implies she planned but were company awarded to her husband. Take another look at this interview and all these comments. Who you associate with, even in cyberspace, rubs off on you. She didn’t do you any favors. You don’t need her. She would never admit it, but she needs people like you who are so dazzled by her “fame” or the illusion that she has a charmed life that she isn’t questioned as to her real character.
Agree that the interview with the tiny camper couple is interesting. I’d like to read more interviews that that one.
There are 250+ pages on a site called GOMI where people dissect Shay’s blog. I will say, some very good points have been made there. Most concerning are Shay’s inconsistencies and half-truths.
What has she lied about? (or been less than truthful. I’m not sure what to call it, because I don’t know what “it” is. haha!)
For starters that her hubby was an NFL player. He never made it out of the practice squad and was cut before the season started. Then that she had lymphoma and God mysteriously cured her. I could go on but that’s a start.
Her three jobs for starters. She didn’t even mention them in her recent post about her daily routine. Recently, she said her parents live in a different town than they actually do (the speculation is that she wants people to think they live in the nicer, wealthier town). She says she is a “foodie” but is constantly making food from boxes and with terrible ingredients. She also said in a blog post that she never feeds her kids mac-n-cheese but then someone posted a picture on GOMI of mac-n-cheese in her pantry. There are so many other things too. Just go to GOMI and read for yourself.
Three jobs??? What would those be? I knew she did some travel planning but aside from blogging, does she claim to have other “jobs”?
Blogging , travel agent (although she closed up shop for the year in like Feb, I think so I don’t know what that is all about) and she is supposedly also her husband’s office manager. She has blogged that she does exactly 30 min. of work for him per day at home. So that is of course, a job!
A degree in journalism? I would never know based upon these answers and her writing. It’s so simple and seems to lack any thought behind the answers. This was a disappointing read.
It looks to me like all the GOMI ladies came here to bash Shay. I don’t understand why grown women want to bring other women down and talk badly about them? It seems very high school to me to have a site devoted to ripping people apart. I’ve looked at the GOMI site from time to time and to me, it’s a bullying site. Regardless of what the ladies who post there daily like to say because I’ve seen people defend and say it’s not bullying. Today, it seems that this blog post was linked up and everyone has come here to do their usual GOMI talk. To each their own, I guess? I just don’t understand it.
I feel sorry for this blogger who seems to really enjoy Shay’s blog and everyone took it and used it as an opportunity to say everything they dislike about Shay.
Wow! So, anyone who expresses an honest view that doesn’t sing her praises is a GOMI member and is “ripping people apart”? Hmmmmm. I’m a part of the “everybody” you seem to think you know all about (not). You say we are ripping Shay apart? What do you think you are doing?
I’m just stating I don’t understand why grown women act that way, say those things and then post a link to continue that behavior on someone else’s site. I’m sorry but I’m not ripping anyone apart and am not making personal attacks on anyone. Correct me if I’m wrong but GOMI is a place to go and write about what you don’t like about bloggers, correct? I also never claimed to know anything about anyone who posts on GOMI but the people who post on GOMI do seem to seem to think they know an awful lot about the bloggers they talk about.
Don’t know about GOMI. What I do know is that you are making a blanket statement about the people who wrote negative comments assuming we’re all GOMI members and are bullying Shay. I don’t know about anyone else but I’m not a GOMI person. I’m someone who has read Shay’s blog for several months and have noticed she is not what she pretends to be. That is hardly “ripping people apart” because simple research backs up what I wrote. This is not about bringing Shay down, I don’t care what Shay does. I do like Say Yes to Happy’s interview series and think she deserves better than how Shay treated her.
Fair enough. I shouldn’t assume everyone commenting is a GOMI member. You’re right about that. It’s probably a safe bet that most are but oh well.
Wow, thank you for posting this! A lot of people can go read the GOMI thread now and see her true colors.
Wow, I express a view about a post and you want to talk badly about me and bring me down?
I love all the comments! I wonder how long before Shay forces them all to be deleted. She had her crappy guest adoption blog post (on another blog) deleted after the negative comments rolled in a few months ago.
It makes me sad for you that you took so much time with this interview and Shay did not even mention you on her blog or provide a link. Would love to hear interviews from people who have something to say.
I love reading Shay’s blog! I can’t believe how critical people are being. Her kids are adorable and she gives some great tips. Sometimes it’s nice to read something lighthearted and positive. If you don’t like her, which clearly some of you did not prior to this interview, why did you read it??
Speaking for myself, I read the interview because I like to read the sayyestohappy blog. No one is telling you to stop reading Shay’s blog. Many here, like myself, were once fans and have gradually come to see what a contradiction Shay truly is. Where you see “lighthearted and positive”, I see judgmental and self-inflation. This is what makes blogging what it is though. It’s subjective and each of us are allowed to form our own opinions and even share them. I’ve tried leaving honest feedback (some of the things I’ve commented about here) to Shay on her blog and it’s no surprise she won’t publish those comments or even acknowledge them. It’s way too optimistic of me to believe Shay will read some of these comments and see them as anything other than “jealous haters” which is standard for “I’m perfect/wonderful/amazing and if you don’t see it, you MUST be jealous”. I’d encourage her to take a good hard look at what she’s presenting as a Christian woman and evaluate it.
I read the interview because I liked the first interview. If you don’t like the negative comments, why are you reading and responding to them?
Are you speaking to me? To which negative comments are you referring? I read this blog and I used to read Shay’s. When I saw those worlds collide, so to speak, Shay’s interview here spoke to the very reason I lost interest in her blog. And reading and responding is discourse and I quite enjoy it.
I don’t think she was responding to you – the response threads here are a little confusing.
No, I wasn’t responding to you, I was responding to Jen above. I used to read Shay’s and every now and again I try and read it again, but it is so plastic most times.
Oops, sorry Sportymom! My bad!
I am an expat living in Europe, and I have read this blog for a long time. Honestly, I am appalled how she sees the world. She and Andrew got went through Amsterdam’s infamous red light district, mouths open, followed by hysterical laughter and derogatory comments. Really? How old are you? You are adopting a child? Honestly, they are the tasteless ones. Andrew POSTED and picture of a Costco employee with a hairnet, and he made the rudest comment imaginable. I think they lack class and have no compassion whatsoever. NFL player? Really practice squad at best. Shay really is lost and knows NOTHING about Europe her trips are fabricated and embarrassing. She is just a sad, sad joke. Get over yourself, Shay and show some humility. You are an embarrassment to those of that live as Americans overseas. You truly are the epitome of tasteless.
Wow Shay, no wonder you never utter your brother’s name anymore. You feel his whole life changed because of you? That statement in itself should open everyone’s eyes to your true self.
If you want to be known for your love of Jesus, you need to look at your heart. There is no good fruit being produced here, all you are putting out into the world (on this huge platform) is greed and materialism. You speak down to your readers, never respond to comments and you have a nasty tone in anything you do answer.
People are seeing right through all of your lies and half truths. Be honest with your readers, humble yourself and admit when you mess up, be transparent/real, do not act like you have life figured out and your way is THE way, be open to criticism, do not filter your comments and only let the ones praising you through. If you did any of the above there would not be this many critical comments on an interview. Albeit an article you haven’t even linked to.
I can bet money Shay is doing everything in her power to get sayyestohappy to either delete these comments or remove this post altogether. Sayyestohappy, I urge you to really look into this person you so look up to, you will find many holes in her stories.
And for the love of all things good please stop with 500,000,000,000 posts about fall, pumpkins, scarves, Starbucks. We get it. Really.
EW. What short, rude, “I don’t have time for this” answers to some very well thought-out questions. Who is this girl, and why was she considered interview-worthy, again??
I found Shay’s blog when Sean was on the Bachelor. I liked her insight and recaps and continued to read her blog until the fog seemed to have lifted. I check her blog from time to time now and I am always disappointed in her representation of Christian life and motherhood. I shake my head at her condescending tone (“Listen people”!) and her massive consumption of material things. She also fails to adequately convey how she’s making money from every scarf someone purchases under the guise of “you guys are my friends and I want you to have this cute scarf”(or whatever). Her faith calls for humility and she displays NONE. Humility would be honesty about paid vacations or her husband’s career path or even her cancer. She fails to address these honest questions from her readers and hides under the “jealousy” and “hater” umbrella. As a Christian woman, I am not jealous and I don’t hate. What does make me sad is that Shay seems to have forgotten what is important. Or perhaps this is what has always mattered to Shay and her opportunistic family and it’s only now becoming apparent. I also see that she seems to be more concerned with the outward appearances of parenting and not the day-to-day down and dirty job it truly is. When she mentioned recently that she likes to have picnics with her kids, I first thought, “oh, that’s sweet, me too!”. And then there it was…she added that then she doesn’t have to get her kitchen dirty. I didn’t realize she had mac ‘n cheese in her cupboard but I do remember her chastising the processed version saying if her kids wanted it, she’d make it from scratch. As a Mom with very busy kids, I make it from time to time and she was being quite judgmental. To know now that she’s stashing the stuff in her pantry makes me even more disgusted. No one ever belongs on a pedestal, but she puts herself on one. It sounds as if she’s about to tumble off though.
And for what it’s worth, I had no clue what GOMI even was. To each their own. In fairness they seem to be commenting on people’s public blogs, which are fair came. Not my cup to tea, but I would be careful about calling people there “bullies”.
Sure, we should be careful about throwing around the term “bullies”. But let’s call it what it is. If there was a website similar to GOMI and your child had their own thread where people were writing about them….I think you’d be singing a different tune.
If my child chose to put details about their lives that weren’t “personal” like recipes or outfits or whatnot, than that is their choice and they are opening themselves up to public opinion. A blog is really like any other business Kristen. They are attempting to “sell” to a consumer and if a consumer is unhappy about the product or the presentation, they will comment on it.
And comparing a child to an adult is ludicrous. My child would not have a thread on a website because my child would not be putting their lives out for the world to evaluate. In the event my child came of age and decided to do such, the same rules would apply.
If your child has a blog which they use as a way to make money then the child should be ready to take on criticism, especially if that criticism is founded. If you are putting out a product, the consumers have a right to speak out about what they are consuming. My own 16YO son has a very popular twitter feed where he pushes the envelope about a professional sport, and he knows he is up for criticism and sees it often. It’s part of putting yourself in the public eye. It’s not “bullying”. That word has been thrown around so much that the real meaning has been diluted, which is a shame.
I had to respond to this. Categorizing the comments here or at that website (and I checked it out – if you think a website full of critique is bullying, you need to venture out into the rest of the web) is nothing but a straw man argument to quiet up any negative opinions. It is a ridiculous attempt to shift focus away from readers’ real issues with the Mix and Match Mama brand. Because that is what it is — a business masquerading as some sweet mom sharing about her sweet life with her sweet friends.
And while I am here – I want to encourage SayYesToHappy in her blogging. This was a roadblock and a (sorta painful) lesson, but I like what you are doing and other readers do too. Keep at it and just chalk this up to experience. Shay’s attitude does not reflect poorly on you, it reflects on her. Maybe next time just run a potential guest poster through Google first.
Very well put, Amy. I would also like to add my encouragement to SayYesToHappy, keep writing, I enjoy your blog!
I read this blog from time to time. I clicked to read it today and read Shay’s interview. I haven’t heard of Shay Mix & Match Mama and after this interview, I don’t care to read her blog (I did read back a couple weeks and didn’t care for it). I enjoy when bloggers do interviews, and especially if it’s a blogger I haven’t heard of (I like finding new blogs to read). This interview was very vague and short, like she was in a rush to do it. I like to learn about new people and I didn’t learn much from Shay– she isn’t interesting. I’m very disappointed in this interview and I feel bad for you because she didn’t give you the time of day. Also, I noticed she didn’t link her interview on her blog. I’ve noticed other bloggers link their interviews, so I thought it was very strange that she didn’t.
Anyways, I do enjoy your blog, I just didn’t enjoy this interview.
I followed Shay (still have her in my reader) when Sean was on the Bachelor. At first, I too saw her with rose colored glasses and she seemed alright. But the mass consumerism, bragging, praising herself as a foodie (when everything comes from a box), talking down to people and just stuff she says, like calling her adoptive child an ‘orphan’ just started to get to me. This interview kinda sealed the deal. I feel sorry for Say Yes to Happy who is a huge Shay fan, probably spent a great deal of time creating/posting the interview to only get snippy one line answers. Seems pretty disrespectful to me. I hope you take what people are saying about Shay to heart and not that we’re all just a bunch of jealous haters. Honestly, there’s not an ounce of jealousy in me for that woman. She really is just sad. I pray she finds her way to a real Christian life.
I love your blog and really enjoy reading it. I’m not a Shay fan, and haven’t been for a while–for the reasons listed above.
Say Yes to Happy, I really hope you don’t take any of these comments personally, as they aren’t about you. Like I said, I really enjoy your blog. I just feel bad for you that Shay didn’t give you the time you deserved and well, thought-out answers. Instead, she gave you quick one-liners.
Shay must get a ton of negative comments on her blog. Look how many have posted valid points that (thankfully!) weren’t censored. Shay simply refuses to post any comment that doesn’t provide validation of her narcissistic lifestyle. I applaud SayYes for allowing dissenting opinions to be posted.
This whole interview just makes me angry because it’s so obvious how indifferent Shay was about the whole thing. If you don’t have any real thoughts to share, why agree to it in the first place? I would be completely embarrassed if I were in her shoes.
I find it sad that Shay didn’t link your blog to her blog. Her blog is sooooo boring. Same pictures every day. Never anything of substance!
These are probably comments that shay gets on her blog everyday but refuses to publish. The sad thing is if someone from Nordstrom or Gap would have interviewed her, she would’ve had a million links to it and her answers would’ve been over the top. I feel bad for you, Say yes to happy!! Shay is a mean girl and it’s as if she WANTS you to feel unworthy of her interview. If anything, I’m sure you’ve gained a whole bunch of readers! Good luck to you and your blog! I hope it becomes super successful!
Shay tries to pretend to be a sweet Christian blogger, but this thread below shows her true colors. Check out the vile response she had to a comment in the comments section. Do to you dare call BS on her materialistic life. She’ll tell you to “man up.”
http://shullfamily.blogspot.com/2013/05/i-heart-sheaffer-and-wellies.html
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Hi – Just now reading through parts of your blog and was intrigued by the interview series. Despite what these comments were saying, I am a fan of Shay and loved that you thought to ask her to do this. That interview would be so fun! Can’t wait to read more!
Thanks Molly! I really enjoy doing interviews. I am still a big fan of Shay’s and was shocked at some of these comments. But you can’t please everyone. 🙂
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I found your blog through a link and it landed on this page. I read the interview, some of the responses, the blog in question for several hours and determined that the Shay person isn’t the quality of person I want to invest my time in reading. I was shocked to read the comments that say she is Christian – she hides it well. My bigger concern is you though. Why are you so adamant in defending a woman like this when literally only two comments on this interview were positive? Is she really worth losing potential readers over? Anyway, you’ll do what you wish and it’ll all pan out eventually. Btw, she didn’t even link the interview to your little blog on her big blog,which would have gotten you some needed readers. But still you defend her…..
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Thaank you for sharing this