Meet the Shaneyfelts

blogtember challenge

The Blog-tember Challenge: Day 14 + Weekend Recap!

Before I get to The Blog-tember Challenge prompt, I wanted to share a little weekend recap with you!
This is what I did over the weekend:

I experimented with a new cake recipe.
 I ran 4 miles and am ready to get back into my best running shape.
 And I enjoyed the opening day of dove season.


I love today’s prompt!  It speaks to my heart!  I’m an English teacher so a good book is part of my love language.  But this prompt really made me think about the books that have impacted my life.

Day 14:The 5 books that have impacted you.

This living Word showed me my sin problem but also gave me a solution to it–Jesus.  I learn more about God and His unrelentless love for me each time I open my Bible and read from it.

This book showed me empathy.  It showed me injustice and taught me to do the right thing no matter what.  This might be my favorite book ever.

I had to read this book as a 10th grader and I really fell in love with his writing.  I loved the symbolism he used and his themes.  I read a short story by Fitzgerald in college and it made me appreciate him even more.  When I got out of college and took over a friend’s maternity leave before getting my job, I read Gatsby with her 11th graders and loved it even more.  I want to read more of his books when I have the time.

My 6th grade English teacher read us The Sorcerer’s Stone in class and that’s when I fell in love with these books!  After that, I would go wait in line for the midnight releases of the books.  I felt like I grew up with Harry and his friends, and that might have been the first time I really connected with characters in a book.  I reread the series not too long ago and really appreciated Rowling’s writing style–she’s a genius.

And I could not think of a 5th books that impacted my life like these books have.  Maybe I just haven’t read it yet 🙂





The Blog-tember Challenge: Day 11 + Friday Favorites

Day 11: It’s a Friday night and you decide to stay in.  What do you do?

I’m going to pretend this prompt is for when Dustin is on night shift and I’m home by myself. That’s when I usually have nothing planned.  And I’m also pretending that my house is already spotless and all of the laundry is done because otherwise I would spend my Friday night alternating between what I want to do and straightening up the house.  Oh, and my homework is done!

This is a list of what I would do on my Friday night:

1. Watch Friends.
Friends is always on at 4 PM when Dustin is heading out the door, so I usually watch an episode or two after school.

2. Make myself dinner.
….which would be homemade popcorn!  I’m glad I’m not having to cook a big meal so I would take out my popcorn maker and pop some popcorn and eat it plain.

3. Watch a Hallmark movie(s).
Now that AT&T uverse has the Hallmark channel (just in time for Halloween and Christmas!), I will watch a movie or two–depending on how late I stay up.  The movies have been about weddings the past few weekends and they’ve been great!

4. Or read a book.
I feel like I never get to read anymore, so I might read a book if nothing is on TV that I want to watch.

5. Go to bed early.
As in, 9-9:30ish.  I am so exhausted by the time Friday rolls around that I want nothing more than a good night’s sleep!



Okay, and now for a few Friday Favorites!!!

ONE
Can the fact that it is Friday be a favorite??
 Madea and I feel the same exact way about Friday being here!


TWO
Taking evening walks with this guy.  Earlier this week I texted him and said, “Let’s go for a walk when you get home from work.”  I was expecting him to say that he had had a rough day at work, but he surprised me by saying yes!  It’s so much more fun to walk with someone than alone.
THREE
I saw it on Pinterest Told Me To, and so I immediately ordered it from Nordstrom!  I love ordering from them because they keep you updated about shipping, and it’s the best experience I’ve had.  I can’t wait to wear this scarf once it turns cooler–which might be this weekend because I think the high is 70 tomorrow??

Happy Friday!!

The Blog-tember Challenge: Day 10

Day 10: 10 items off your bucket list. If you haven’t made one, now’s a good time to start!

I’ve never made a bucket list (and I don’t ever plan on it–I’m just not that type), but I do have a few things that I would want to do in my lifetime–some I already have 🙂

1. Fall in love and get married  
Check!  We just celebrated our one year anniversary July 26th!
This was right after he had been throwing candy corn for me to try catching in my mouth and I caught one!

2. Have babies!  
We’re enjoying just the two of us right now, plus with teaching full time and being a full time grad student, there’s no way….no way

3. Run a half marathon  
Check!  I ran my first (and so far only) half three years ago.  I want to run it again but it’s hard right now finding the time to train.  And…grad school.
I just got done running 13.1 miles.  I ran walked straight to the pizza.

4. Visit the UK.  
I want to visit LOTS of literary places….Canterbury Cathedral, The Globe, etc.  Might be a girls’ trip one day since I doubt Dustin would ever be interested in those things.

5. Write my own cookbook.  
This is something I talk about a lot, and I hope to actually do it someday!  Cooking and baking are such passions of mine.

6. Get my masters degree in library media. 
 I’ll be done in May!  Woohoo!  And then I have a life again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

7. Visit New York City during Christmas.  
Because I love Christmas and I know I would love NYC during Christmas.

8. Visit a Southern Living Idea House. 
 I love them every year, and I loved the one for this year.

9. Be a stay at home mom.  
Can this be on my bucket list??  I would love to be able to stay home and raise my future children.

10. Learn this dance with my sister!  
We talked about it a lot when the movie came out.  It’s time we learned!