Meet the Shaneyfelts

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake Bar

Last month when my women’s ministry put on a coffee house night, we were asked to bring cookies, too.  Because I had to get to church early to help set up, I knew I wanted an easy cookie recipe, but that I also didn’t want to end up baking the pre-cut cookies.  I wanted something semi-homemade.  

I remembered a recipe I had for some cake bars, and I altered it a little to fit my taste.  They were wonderful!  I easily doubled this to make enough cookies for our ministry event.  The next time you need a quick dessert and don’t have a lot of time (or ingredients) whip these up and you won’t be disappointed!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake Bar

1 box yellow cake mix (or white)
6 TBS melted butter
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 – 3/4 cup chocolate chips (depending on how chocolatey you like them!)

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease your 9×13 pan and set aside.
3. Mix together cake mix, melted butter, and beaten eggs.
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Press evenly into pan and bake for 20 minutes.

I promise these cookies are so good that you will have to restrain yourself from eating them all!

Friday Favorites!

Happy Friday, friends!  It’s nice to see the sunshine again after the scary weather we had on Wednesday.  We and surrounding school systems dismissed early on Wednesday for the potential bad weather.  Thankfully there weren’t any tornados, but there were extreme winds and hail.  Even if the high is 55 today, at least the sun is shining!

Today I’m sharing some of my FAVORITE things with you!

Southern Living magazine is my FAVORITE magazine to read, and it came in the mail Saturday.  I snacked on a Kind bar while reading.  Oh, and that nail polish is my new FAVORITE, so don’t judge when I wear it all the time!



my exact watch (I bought the cocoa band to go with my watch)
 I am still loving my Apple Watch 2, and I’m really thankful that Dustin surprised me with it this Christmas.  Since my teacher partner and I have been working out together, workouts are much more enjoyable and fun.  Monday we did legs and abs, and let me tell you, we were drenched in sweat by the time we left the gym.  In case you don’t know how to read the numbers (it took me a while to even remember what they meant ha), the red is the number of calories I burned that day, the green is the minutes of exercise I had that day, and the blue deals with my standing.  Needless to say, Monday’s workout was a FAVORITE and it put me in bed at 8 that night πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚



 Earlier this week, D and I went to a local Mexican restaurant so I could order my FAVORITE thing–a chicken taco!  Literally cost $1.99.



 I talked about this on my IG story (@saraheshaneyfelt) this week, but when my husband won’t be home for supper, I eat whatever I want.  Wednesday night he was watching basketball so I had a veggie pizza from Subway.  Yes, they sell them and they are good!



 Avocado toast = a forever FAVORITE!  I toast a slice of Ezekiel sprouted grain bread and mash up 1/4 of an avocado and sprinkle with pink Himalayan salt and pepper.  Yesterday my last avocado was ruining fast, so I ended up mashing 1/2 of an avocado on my slice of toast.  (Tip: It’s healthy to eat 1/2 of an avocado daily, but don’t eat more than that because of the fat content.  It’s good fat, but good in moderation!!)



Last night Dustin and I went to the local baseball fields to watch some of my students play against some of my students from last year.  I LOVE baseball!  Watching their game last night made me miss my softball playing days.


Linking up with Erika, April, Heather, and Amanda

Balancing Work and Home Life

My mom is an elementary teacher, and growing up, I remember her working on school work many, many times at home.  I used to help grade her papers, and I remember parents calling our home frequently and at night.  It bothered me that parents would call late at night and interrupt family time.  Naturally, I said I would never be a teacher.

Fast forward 15-20 years and I’m a seventh grade English teacher. 😜  



When I first became a teacher six years ago, I used to bring papers home to grade or work on new lessons.  I even did that when Dustin and I first got married.  Then I started grad school…

Grad school changed my life–literally.  I fit a two year degree into one year, so I basically didn’t have a life during that year.  My hours at school were reserved for work, and once I got home, that became school work along with any chores at home that needed to be done. Gone were the days of bringing papers home to grade or lessons home to create.

After grad school was over, I decided to keep that model.  What doesn’t get done at school can get done the next day, and I reserve my afternoons and evenings at home for my time–spending time with Dustin, cooking, cleaning, serving in ministries at church, spending time with friends/family, etc.  (The exception to this would be when we prepare for our state standardized writing test–then I bring essays home)  Grad school taught me that if work doesn’t get done at school, I can do it later and to enjoy my afternoons and evenings.  Any emails received after I get home from school get answered the next day when I’m at school. 



I realize that I am a wife first and a teacher second.  I’m thankful to have a husband who supports me in my job and believes in me, and I want to be able to serve him well at home.  Balance is key, and I’m always reevaluating to make sure my priorities are in check.

How do you balance work and home life?


Linking up with Jenn, Shay, and Shelly