It's a sad sad day at the Eyestone house:

Breaking News!!!!!:   I have it from a reliable source that our beloved favorite restaurant Gecko Grill in Gilbert is closing!!!!! This is truly tragic news and though this reporter has not confirmed the validity of said rumor, I myself will be acting on the assumption that it is true and haul my cookies down there at least once before the rumored closing date Friday, September 30th. When I told golden the news, which came in late last night from my SIL Lindsay, he was reeling. We are both in shock and heart broken. All I have to say is where o where am I gonna get a shrimp mango quesadilla from now huh? Gecko is nearly the only Mexican restaurant we will go to. I know everyone likes Tia Rosa's but I am NOT a fan the food is bland, unexciting and extremely over priced. And before you suggest El Charro or Matta's think again they are not even worth mentioning! Yuck and yuckier if I wanted food from a can I would use a can opener. The only other place that even comes close, is Moreno's but it is more authentic and less baja then Gecko, so many of the seafood items are not on the menu and they do not have the American fusion element that Gecko has perfected such as jalapeno cream cheese and spicy spinach con queso. Gecko you will be sorely missed , we may not have visited you as often in the past few years but it was good to know that we could. I want you to know we were always loyal to you and defended you at any cost, even friendship. We will never forget your shrimp burro, crabby burro, shrimp mango quesadilla, salmon tacos, fiesta tacos, enchiladas, special chimi, pollo grande, and so many many more. You will be in our heart forever and always!!!!! We can only hope that you will eventually reopen and we can once again enjoy your delicious offerings. So long my looooveee, until we meet again. I will leave all you fans with a few mementos drool over....

picture compliments of google

Update****: We went in tonight and found out that they are maybe just moving but even then they will be closed for at least 6 months!!! This reporter has her doubts though. As many of you may know Golden worked there as a server and then manager for like 6 years, as I mentioned earlier Moreno's is one of our faves especially because we know the owner Angel, who is Fransisco's( the owner of geckos) brother . We heard it through the grapevine that the owners of gecko have been spending a lot of time working and helping out at Moreno's which is doing really well and has actually expanded and now owns a Neveria on Broadway and Horne (ice cream shop). I personally would speculate that they are working on a merger and would not at all be surprised to find that Moreno's adopts some popular menu items from Gecko. Either that or I would suspect that Gecko might adopt the same business plan as Moreno's and become more of a walk up type of restaurant. They are actually closing Saturday so get your fill before then! The official word is that the complex they are located in is under new management and were requiring that Gecko sign a 5 year lease which they were unwilling to commit to so they chose to close and potentially reopen only time will tell I will keep ya posted :)

Mally

This brown eyed beauty Is my sister in law Mallory Corine Eyestone and NO she is not available to date your son/brother/nephew/co-worker or even you! This gorgeous girl has chosen to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for 18 months. She has been called to serve in the Neuquen, Argentina mission and she reports to the Missionary Training Center on December 21st!!!!!! We are soooooo excited for her. Congrats Mally we know you will be an excellent missionary and that it will be such a life changing experience for you and those who you will teach. We are so very proud of you and the choices you have made which have qualified you for the Lord's service! We will definitely miss your pretty little face:)

Two Slice Hilly

So recently I mentioned that I read The Help, and watched the movie. Both were really enjoyable envoking the full spectrum of emotions from laughter to tears. It was honestly the best contemporary novel I've read in a long time.Though I will say that I should have watched the movie first and then read the book because I would have enjoyed the movie more if I had. Any of you who have read/watched it will get the title of my post hehe and get why it inspired me to look up a recipe for chocolate chess pie (sans excrement).I found a few and tweaked them to my own liking, essentially coming up with my own recipe and to my great surprise it was wonderful the first time I baked it!!! So I thought I would share the recipe as well as my/ Lee's recipe for easy pie crust.

This is not the actual pie I made but it looked similar to this one, picture courtesy of Google

Pie crust (yields 2, 9in crusts) you only need one for this pie so half the recipe unless you are making 2.
2 1/2 C Flour
1 C Crisco butter flavored shortening sticks
1/2 C ice water
1tsp salt
1tsp vinegar

For now I will tell you the easy and fast way to make this because I want to eventually do a tutorial with pictures on how to make a pie crust by hand using butter, which takes longer but I believe it turns out much more tender and flaky however it is much harder to describe without pictures. Maybe I will have it ready in time for thanksgiving?
So first  measure out the flour and salt into the bowl of your food processor with the blade in, and add the Crisco cut into squares on top. You can then measure out the ice water, adding the vinegar, and set it on the counter to allow the ice to melt. Then pulse in the food processor till the pieces are about the size of peas. Slowly pulse in the water/vinegar mixture. Do Not over mix once the water is mostly incorporated I like to turn the mixture out onto the counter and bring it together by hand.  The key to a tender crust is not to overwork it if you do it will be very tough, trust me I know. Form into two equal sized balls and wrap tightly in plastic wrap before pressing them flat, then refrigerate for at least an hour. After it has chilled roll it out onto a lightly floured counter top, roll from the middle out applying even pressure. You can then carefully fold it into quarters before transferring it into your pie dish then just gently unfold it without stretching and press into your pie dish place in the freezer while you make the filling.

Chocolate chess pie

1 stick of butter
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips I used Ghiradelli
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
1 C sugar
2Tbs flour
2Tbs cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C whole milk
3 eggs
1 1/2tsp vanilla

preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a double boiler or heatproof bowl fitted over a pot of water on low heat, melt chocolate and butter together. Pour chocolate mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer then add sugar , flour, cocoa, salt, vanilla and milk mix on low till Incorporated. Next add the eggs and turn mixer on to medium for 5-6 minutes. Pour mixture into your uncooked pie crust and bake for 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool for at least and hour on the counter for the center to firm up. Top with fresh whipped cream or ice cream and enjoy!

De Loser

Sooo lately blogging and I have not been friends. For no real reason except that I am pretty boring/ anything I would write about would sound like Debby Downer. Let's see lately we have had lots of car trouble ... like 6 new tires and expensive break problem car troubles. Then last week Letty got sick and it was especially sad. Also I realized that I am an old women and as a result my life is super boring. I have been waiting for exciting things to blog about but since there aren't any I decided I will just blog anyway and  all 5 of you who read my blog will just have to settle for what little entertainment value my life provides. I am setting a goal to blog 2x a week.... let's just see how I do.
 In other breaking news:
Violet has become a force of her own and now expresses her opinions quite vocally about which cup she wants, what food she will and will not consume, and which songs her singing dog should play. She also has eaten nothing but watermelon for 2 days!!! Seriously I have tried giving her nearly everything in my cupboard but to no avail. At least she is well hydrated right? I am not certain but she has also been saying something that resembles what that? while she points to various objects. And last week I taught her to say uh uh (sp) whilst shaking her head no, and then Gold taught her to wag her finger simultaneously I laugh so hard every time she does it, mostly to the dog....


The mutt is doing well she is very smart and has come a long way potty training not to mention obeys commands 75% of the time. I think we'll keep her.

Daphne is getting naughtier by the minute and her recent accomplishments include crying on the floor at Sam's club as it echoed throughout the building, I was just thinking, oh please don't hold back child not EVERYONE is staring yet! But alas I still love the little beast, who could resist those big brown eyes and her life gripping hugs? Not I my friends, not I.

The boys are mostly independent and nice, it helps that they are at school the majority of the week. Tristan is really into the D-Backs and informs Golden of every night they are playing by taking a glance at his handy schedule that he keeps under his pillow. Morgan is off in his own world most of the time except when he makes obvious observations hours after everyone else. He is such a little airhead, yet so like me he will occasionally surprise us by saying something so smart that proves he is listening. I have to say I am so glad that they are such good friends and play so well with one another. I only hope Daphne and Violet will be as good of friends!

Golden is a few weeks away from finishing his associates and starting his bachelors program. I am so proud of him for conquering his fears and doing so well in school and hopefully the next 22 months will fly by. I decided to save a little cash to present him with at the end of his program, for him to spend on whatever he wants. Hopefully it will be a dream vacation for the two of us? hehe But If I know Golden he will buy an old VW bug or dune buggy like he's been wanting forever now.
 Right now Golden and I are laughing hysterically at our children who are playing dress up in our closet and pretending to be us, I guess life is not always boring...but it sure is messy!
 So that's us in a nutshell. Ta-ta for now:)

My current Faves

In no particular order my current faves are:
Well groomed schnauzer puppies named Ruby who poop and tee-tee outside thank you very much

Daphne calling me a stupid bobblehead after she got in trouble for brawling (sometimes u just gotta laugh at horrible sass mouthin' girls)

The little boy I watch, Kai who tells me every morning how cute Violet is, and calls her bayba ( like the Justin Beiber song) and last week when he asked to hold her and I asked him if she was cute he replied, she is Hot! 3yr olds are definitely not allowed to call my bayba Hot!

Morgan calling Golden the hairiest dad ever. He told us that he told a kid at school that his dad was really a bear hahahaha soooo true just check out Golds legs next time you're around.


Tristan in his boy scout uniform soooo cute( pics to come I promise)

Golden randomly bringing me home a love owl via Ross on his lunch break.( it was like 3 weeks ago but it still makes me smile every time I see it.

Reading and then watching The Help with Best Pal Randi last Saturday. She rocks, for many many reasons, but especially cause she is willing to bring my two lovelies, Daph and poopy Vy along for girls night, and she never got annoyed once!.....I think:)


Finally finishing my associates degree in Communications 9 years after I began!!!!!! Now onto my Bachelors....after I take a much needed sabbatical hopefully not 6 years like last time.


Day one of Morgan not screaming and clawing when I drop him off at his new school. Hopefully this starts a trend.

Hanging with our peeps Mallory,Tay, and Gramma Sheila Monday night for FHE. Love spending time with those guys!


Black Bear Diner Tuesday nights.We are a little obsessed, they have free kids meals no limits. That means if you have 2 adults and 8 kids ...or half of that, they all eat free!!! Plus their food is super yummy and homecookedish as well as super cheap!Last night our bill went from $57 to $35 with tip!


Sleeping in 1/2 hour this morning after staying up late watching Teen Mom.(shhh don't tell)


With all of this to smile about who could be grumpy... not this girl!

I lub poopies, play bolleyball.......

Anyone who knows my hubby well knows that he is low maintenance and asks for very few things....at all....ever. Example: in the last 8 yrs we have been married he has owned literally one pair of jeans at a time! He wears the same pair day in and day out , when we were first married I would fight him on the matter and even purchased a second and third pair gasp, but they were never worn. Anyway I digress, he has lately been bothering me about getting a dog. This topic comes up about every few years and Golden either impulsively brings home some poor mutt who will sadly end up elsewhere/my MIL's, or we pay actual $ for a dog that ends up on Craigslist mere months later (I am not a horrible dog hating person and this has only happened a few times.... and mostly for good reasons, like my carpet/sanity!). I finally decided that we were cat people why? I'll tell ya why, they clean themselves, are not loud, do their own thing and put up with the little people around here who like to poke fingers into perfectly good eyes.Last tangent I promise, I have a really funny cat story. Fi-Fi/ rotten princess enjoys herself a good howl anytime she hears the word No. Well one time she was howling on the floor like she just saw her favorite doll dismembered, she was soo loud and I guess our cat Al just got sick of it so he ran up to her quick as lightning and B-slapped her so she would shut up. He didn't scratch her he just pawed at her face. She was shocked and looked at me stunned before I busted up laughing and she joined in, all I can say is Hey it worked, she stopped crying! Back to the dog sitch, Well since we have moved into a place with a yard and a doggy door Gold cannot help himself, all he can think about is that perfectly good doggy door going to waste. So slowly he has worn me down and my definitive "N. O.'s" have turned into "well maybies". He finally convinced me when he came up with a scheme that makes a dog almost seem useful. He wants to breed dogs on the side. He has even held off from just buying the first little fuzzy thing with four legs and we have done research on what type of dogs are good with kids, easy to potty train, are not hyper and make cute puppies with a Yorkie. After much deliberation we have decided on a miniature Schnauzer.That is her in the pic, she will be so cute once we get her groomed up proper like. I am actually really excited we get her tomorrow.We are now just thinking up names. Would it be tacky to name her a name I wanted for Violet but was too chicken? P.s. Any ideas? Pass them my way! On another side note, this may sound weird but I think having puppies around the house will really fill the void of not having more babies.Grrr Violet, don't you know you were supposed to stay a baby for much much longer!

Happy Bday boooy!

I have about 10 seconds before my hot date with the MR. But I wanted to just wish my honey a Happy Happy 32nd Birthday! I am so grateful that he was born and for the parents who reared him to be the amazing dad and husband he is today....and almost every other day! ( p.s. this is the first pic I take on every phone/camera I get lol :)

My baby is Not such a baby anymore :(

Last Thursday Violetty disobeyed my orders and went ahead and turned one anyway the little twirp. Since she is the fourth child she is a little less loved so instead of an elaborate birthday bash we just had a small party with our nearest and dearest to celebrate. I did however bake her a cake! I made a violet crown and a small Belle cake just for her. We ordered Venezia's pizza and opened presents. I have to say she was adorable with all of her gifts. She just kept laughing and dancing. It was like she knew that the toys were for her and she was really excited about them. She would walk up to everyone, hand them her toys and giggle. Now if you will, indulge a mother and appreciate the excessive volume of Violet pictures I am about to bombard you with.

hurray for presents!!!

What? for me?

Dancing to the music.

She loves it!

Squish face

Gimme gimme!

Love dat babyeee

Tippies

First a purse now a cell phone she is growing up too fast!

where you at?

she was showing everyone her new toy

giggle giggle

wiggle wiggle

she wasn't quite sure about the cake.

yummy frosting

her hair was much messier than her face by the end of cake.

I am so incredibly grateful for this baby girl and I can't help but reflect about the day she was born and how very near we were to not enjoying that sweet little face everyday. I cannot imagine what my life would be like if I couldn't kiss those chubby cheeks, hear that shrill little giggle, and watch this beautiful baby grow up! I can't wait to see the woman she grows up to be!......Ok maybe I can!

Tristan's Baptism!!!!

Last Saturday Tristan became an official member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We are so proud of him and it was really fun to celebrate with friends and family , thanks to everyone who came to support our boy! Also a special thanks to Grandpa Johnson, Grandpa Eyestone and Grandma Gayle for making a special trip out to the scorching heat of Arizona to be a part of this important day. Tristan was so cute in his little suit and in the end all of the hard work was worth the effort. Tristan had a very special day and we had a great time chillin' with our peeps. After the baptism we all came back to our house for sandwiches, potato salad, pasta salad, coleslaw, fruit, veggies, cupcakes, and Randi's delish chocolate chip cheesecake bars which were the hit of the party!(I have the recipe and will ask if I can share it here, trust me you NEED it!) Thanks to everyone who helped with the food. Anywayz I will leave you to enjoy the very few photos I remembered to take. Happy Monday.

These were the CTR cupcakes I made.

marshmallow creme frosting Yum!

This was the food table pre-lunch style

These were the crafts I did for the occasion the banner says GR82B8 !

We had a great turn out thanks to the Nielsen's, Eyestone's, Johnson's, Bingham's, Gates', Fires', DeGroff's, Ray's, and Morriss' who came out!

Our little family and my handsome 8 yr old boy!

Work in progress

My entire house is a work in progress right now. I have about 75 million projects to do before it will be up to my standard. I keep walking people through my house explaining the things I intend to do, what will be painted,dyed, and hung up. I have avoided crafting lately at all costs because I am an all or nothing person, If I can't see something to completion I usually don't start it and I'm realizing it's my biggest problem. Fortunately little deadlines like TC's baptism on Saturday has made me at least finish my projects for his partay. I won't reveal them yet since the party is on Saturday but I will be sure to take plenty of pics!I am really really excited to be creating again however it reminds me why I have been avoiding it, namely my kitchen table is a mess and my children look like hobos seriously!I also am really excited about my orange chair that I recently stripped the color from and is currently a golden yellow. I used RIT color remover and saved my self $175 to recover it yeah me!!! Anyway I will be sure to take before and after pics of my decorating. I'm going for a french country/eclectic look we'll see how I do!

How to not cook all week

If you are like me cooking in the summer is not your very favorite thing however eating fast food everyday or spending $50 bucks a night on dinner is also not appealing so I've compiled a list of places kids eat free here in AZ for anyone who is interested. If you follow this schedule you can avoid cooking nearly all week!
Mon: Rumbi Grill on Val Vista and Baseline, offers free kids meals one per adult entree. 2 Adult entrees is about $15 if you drink water and order one of their delicious burgers or chicken sandwiches! And the best part is no tipping!!!*
Tue: Black Bear Diner on Southern West of Gilbert does free kids meals per adult entree. We haven't tried it yet but our kids have been there with Papa and Grandma and they say it's good. Tuesdays are also KEF at Rumbi Grill!*
Wed: NYPD pizza has KEF with adult purchase. They have locations all around the valley find the closest one near you. If you are looking for a cheaper faster option Sonic does 1.79 wacky packs even for adults.*
Thurs: *Waldo's BBQ on Main and Greenfield offers free kids meals Mon-Thurs per adult entree. We usually spend $35 with tip and end up with like 2 boxes of left overs. I usually buy buns and sauce and voila, that makes one more meal!
Fri/Sat: IHOP does KIF except you have to pay for their drinks. We haven't done this one much but the times we have it's always a novelty to have breakfast for dinner.
Also mention worthy is Costa Vida gives free kids cheese quesadillas everyday of the week.
Since we don't eat out on Sunday, I can't help you out there. Well there you go enjoy!
P.S I do actually cook and we have never officially done the whole week thing but I now that I've complied this list I just might!

Little Lady Lettie

I know that I already gushed like yesterday about how much I love my little letty but she has been officially walking for a little while now and it just makes her cuter especially since she has been doing this.......

carrying a purse around!

"where's that lipstick"

how does she know what to do with it? Tiny genius I think.

She is not even one yet and is already so funny I heart babies who think they need a purse. 

Root root root for the Dodgers if they don't win... oh wait they did!!!

Violet and Golden, after Tristan stole his hat and wouldn't let him wear it.

Tonight we, meaning Grandma and Papa Johnson, Jordan & Lauren, Austin(J and A are my step brothers) and all of us Eyestones attended the Diamondback Dodger game in honor of Tristan's 8th Birthday, it was his one wish. All the kiddos donned Diamondback apparel and Daddy wore only his Dodger hat and not his jersey out of respect for TC. T lately has been all for the Dbacks and openly dissed the Dodgers which has of course broken his fathers heart, so it was awesome that the Dodgers kicked butt tonight. Anyway all the kids did super well and were nice including little Vy she was tired but never fussed once she was having too much fun people watching, her favorite sport. She also had her first sucker that she stole out of my mouth and  wouldn't let me take it away.The kids got to play in the play area and Tristan hit 3out of 4 balls pitched to him in the kids batting cage. He hit the ball so well even the pitcher was impressed. We ended the night with incredibly overpriced souvenirs, but hey we didn't have to pay for the seats (Thanks DAD!).Tristan bought himself a foam finger and we bought him wrist bands, Mo got a squishy ball and Daph got a pink necklace and bracelet with a Dbacks emblem on them. Overall it was a really fun time and we are realizing that the older our kids get the easier it is to take them all places. We will definitely be visiting the ballpark again if Golden and Tristan have any say... Even Morgan who is no sports fan really had a good time and wants to go again!

Tristan regretting his smack talk earlier

Morgan actually liking baseball!

Gramma, Papa, and Fi-fi

Mom and Vy post sucker highjacking

who could take candy from a baby? not me!

Drive home, note stylish new jewelry.

Letty Lou

 In case you haven't noticed I Love this girl. The best way to describe my feelings for her is I have a major crush, when I see her my heart goes pitter patter, I can't wait to hold her in the morning, when she smiles I swoon, and I can't ever get enough. She is the best baby ever she plays like a big kid, sleeps like a rock, and rarely cries. She is not extra cuddly but she is always happy. Every time I have a baby I think I'll never love anyone like I love this little thing and every new time I prove myself wrong. Why is it that babies have such a hold of us? I was reminded by a friend recently that I used to say that I liked toddlers better, and I did. But the older my kids get(TC turned 8 last week!!!) the more I miss them being babies, not newborns but maybe like 6 month old's. I wonder if I can ever get enough of chubby cheeks, buns, and soft little hair. Since we are most likely done having babies, I will have to saver every last moment of this baby and then hopefully some family and good friends of mine will provide my baby fix for the future.I know this is a million pictures but one is just never enough.

crackers yum!

cheeeeeese!

No more photos please

She likes to head butt as a sign of affection you can kinda see it here.

head butt love

Vy has blue, gray, and sometimes green eyes my uncle Kev described them the best so far, he says they look like a marble.

TC was behind me making her laugh which he can always do.

Love Lovie Love this tiny thing.