First Day of School 2019-2020!

I can't believe I have a Freshman and a Senior this year! I hope they have a WONDERFUL year! :)

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A post shared by Candi Pride (@tinycandi) on Aug 14, 2019 at 5:32am PDT

This girl...I can't believe she is a SENIOR! The time has gone by so dang fast. Here's a comparison picture...first day of her first year and first day of her last year.

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A post shared by Candi Pride (@tinycandi) on Aug 14, 2019 at 5:40am PDT

And Ashlyn actually started the day before so the Freshman and new students could acclimate to the new building. Of course I took pictures then, too. :)

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A post shared by Candi Pride (@tinycandi) on Aug 13, 2019 at 5:35am PDT

Back to School!

I can't believe that school is about to start again. The summer went by so very fast. I'm ready, though. I enjoy the routine of the school year. I like having some relatively quiet time to work and just enjoy a few hours of the day without the constant bickering of teenage daughters. :P

For only the second time in their entire school careers, both girls will be in the same school. I'm still in a little bit of disbelief that I'll have a freshman and a senior this year. I still vividly remember my own high school years like it was yesterday...so it's almost alarming to realize just how long ago that was now. I mean...my 20 year high school year reunion is the same year my child graduates! How weird is that?!

But...all the craziness aside, we're pretty much ready for the first day of school except for a new book bag for Ashlyn. She wants a bigger bag to hold her new binder and all her stuff. I ordered their school supplies using Walmart Grocery so I could just pick it up in the morning before Johnny went to work. Now that the kids are in high school, they need a not less in terms of supplies. Some paper, pencils, pens, highlighters...that's about it. Aubry wanted to use the same bag and binder as last year because they worked really well. Ashlyn picked out a new binder on Amazon...so again, I didn't have to go anywhere. LOL.

Then on Saturday, we went school clothes and shoe shopping. We got all their clothes at Kohl's. I love that you can stack coupons and Kohl's cash...so we saved a lot! We also got more Kohl's cash for the purchase, so that's always nice. And then we went to Famous Footwear to get their shoes. They each got a pair of shoes on clearance and then a pair of tennis shoes. They were having their BOGO 1/2 off sale (which included clearance items) AND we got 15% off on top of that. And with their rewards program, I also ended up with $25 in rewards...which I put toward getting me and Johnny a pair of new shoes (also BOGO 1/2 price and 15% off) which we decided on as anniversary presents to each other. ;)

So...here's to a good 2019-2020 school year! :)

Work, work, work!

I've been busy with work a lot lately. I'm starting to get into the "groove" with my new job. It does feel like there's quite a bit of pressure still. A lot of it is trying to choose the right files. But...I am absolutely LOVING the actual work.

I've also decided that I will be devoting just weekdays to transcription work. I'll try to get the bulk of my work done during the day while the kids are at school and then leave the evenings for dinner and time with my family. I also want to try to make sure that I don't leave work for the weekend. That way if we have any plans over the weekend, I'll be free. But also, I want to have time on the weekends to focus on things for myself when we don't have anything else to do. I want to be able to devote some time to reading, writing, art, and other projects when we don't have anything else going on. Even time to relax and watch TV with my husband or play games or whatever...just to avoid getting burnt out.

ALSO... some exciting news!

Aubry got her first payroll job! She has worked for several years now... helping Johnny with his swimming pool service and maintenance business, babysitting, and doing yard work and helping grandparents with things around the house. But she has filled out a few applications in the last couple weeks, and she got her first interview this week. She was hired on the spot and started work the next day! She is working at a Japanese restaurant as dishwasher and frying appetizers. So far, she's really liking it. It is taking some getting used to though...as far as working seven hours on her feet. But she definitely loves that she has the opportunity for free Hibachi for dinner. ;) Her goal is to save up enough for her own car.

So it's been an exciting end to the summer here. :)

Recipe: Beef Empanadas

We tried this recipe a few weeks ago and I made it again tonight. It turned out better than the first time. ;) The key is making sure to REALLY flatten the biscuits and fill them with a nice, large spoonful of the meat mixture. Otherwise there is just too much biscuit. :P Also, it works best if you keep the biscuits refrigerated as much as possible. I would only get 2 or 3 biscuits out at a time so they wouldn't get too warm and sticky. I adapted this recipe a little bit from the Campbell's Collection Cookbook (one of my favorites!) that I received as a gift from my mom way back in 2003.

Beef Empanadas 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 pkg taco seasoning
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tsp minced onion
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar 
• 2 cans grands refrigerated biscuits
• 1 large egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brown hamburger and drain.
3. Add taco seasoning, water, salsa, and onion. Heat through.
4. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese until melted.
5. Separate dough and press into a very thin, flat circle.
6. Place a generous spoonful of filling the the middle. Fold in half and press to seal completely. Press a fork into the dough along the edges.
7. Brush with egg and place on a greased cookie sheet.
8. Bake for 13-16 minutes until golden.

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A post shared by Candi Pride (@tinycandi) on Jul 9, 2019 at 7:44pm PDT

Recipe: Cheez-It Chicken Fried Steak!

This is one of our family's favorite meals. It was just a matter of eating Cheez-Its and the thought crossed Johnny's mind that it would make for a tasty chicken fried steak. So we tried it...and it was sooooo good! Up until now, Johnny was always the one to make it and I would make the mashed potatoes, corn, and gravy. With him working such late hours, I usually start dinner before he gets home...so I made it this time. Here is the recipe I used...

Cheez-It Chicken Fried Steak 

Ingredients:

6 cubed steaks
1 family-size box of Cheez-Its 
1 cup flour

1/2 tsp paprika 
1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper 

2 large eggs 

1 cup milk 

about 1 cup vegetable oil (depending on size of pan) 

Directions: 
1. Finely crush the Cheez-Its with a rolling pin. Pour them into an 8x8 container and set aside.

2. Whisk together flour, paprika, garlic salt, and ground pepper in a shallow dish. Set aside. 

3. Beat together eggs and milk in a shallow dish. Set aside. 

4. Heat vegetable oil in a pan on medium-high heat (no more than 1/4" deep in pan). 

5. Set up an assembly line of flour mixture, egg mixture, and Cheez-Its. 

6. For each steak, pat it with a paper towel to remove moisture. Dredge each steak in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then press firmly into the Cheez-Its to make sure it's well-coated. 

7. Place the coated steak into the pan and fry for about 3 minutes on each side. When finished, remove from pan and set on a paper towel to soak up excess grease. If stacking, make sure to place a paper towel in between. 

Edited to add:
Alternatively, these can be baked in the oven instead of fried. I set the oven to preheat at 400 degrees. I sprayed the pan with non-stick spray and then placed them in the oven for 10 minutes, flipped them (spraying the pan again with non-stick spray first), then put them back in the oven for 10 more minutes. One side did get a bit soggy, so next time I may try to use a roasting pan instead...but they still tasted great!