Houston's Thai salad {homemade}

Have you ever had the Thai steak and noodle salad from Houston's? It's one of the best things I've ever eaten. The flavors are so fresh and delicious. So since we don't have a Houston's here, I decided to try my best attempt at making it myself. It turned out great and Josh really loved it too! It's a little involved, but worth it. I suggest making chicken a day ahead or chopping some ingredients ahead. Prep time if you don't is at least an hour.
Anyway..here's my take..

A few tips..

Buy Asian pasta, not rice noodles. very different!

Fry up your chicken however u like,but you could also use grilled and I think would be just as good.

I also bought Thai dressing in the store, Annie's brand. It was great! I was afraid i might mess up the salad with my own dressing, but I'm sure homemade Asian dressing would be awesome. Also, buying dressing saves time if you can find a good brand.

Ingredients:
Arugula
1/2 head of cabbage
Cherry tomatoes
Scallions, chopped
Handful of Cilantro, chopped
Handful of fresh mint, chopped
Avocado, chopped
Mango
Chopped chicken fried or grilled
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 cup cooked Asian pasta
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

Try not to leave anything out bc all the flavors work together so well!

Chop, mix, and serve outdoors with slice of really cheesy cheese toast, and sweet tea!

Cheers to the last few weeks of summer!

LOVIN life!

Is there anything better than being 4?

We dont think so....

We travel with our Dad to fun places!  {Montana this week}

We go to the park down the street, e.v.e.r.y. day!

We eat, eat, eat!

We have an instant friend in a TWIN!

We LOVE, explore, and learn about everything we see!

Being 4, it's awesome!!!

Happy Friday!

It's Friday! And we just look forward to the wknd's with Dad since he's a traveling machine lately! And i am frankly done with the week as far as my domestic engineering duties go, so it's time to blog! Ha! Actually its been a great week though! The kids did Vacation Bible school with some sweet friends and they just had the best time. I enjoyed a little break and did a lot around the house as well as breakfast and fun mornings with friends here. We are enjoying the summer months out here..that is when our Swamp cooler is in working order! "Swamp cooler", you ask yourself?? Well, that's for another post. Let's just say the Wyoming ways are not for the weak and weary! Patience and lots of prayer is required when Mom is without AC! One thing we do love is that we can sit outside for hours in the evenings and not feel a single mosquito. We have also discovered that we have two chokecherry trees and a apricot tree in our backyard!!!!
So in honor of the thankfulness for the gifts of the West, and that Friday comes each week, we made yogurt cupcakes made with cake flour {thanks to a dear friend sharing her recipe} and here's to splurging on a little happy for myself!! This color really is very cute in person. Play Date, by Essie.
Give it a try...you may just want to start dancing! Well I'm off to wash my car with two little helpers ;)

Have a SUPERDY- DUPER weekend!!!

College National Finals Rodeo!

Day 2 and the rest of my parents visit is a lot to cover! I am working on it. In the mean time...here's a day to remember!!

Day 2 and the rest!

Hi!

Well our precious Luke became ill last week, and I was unable to finish up posting about my parents visit.  He is back to himself now, and we are catching up!  

Day two began with a wonderful day at the soccer fields!

Unexpected sunshine and PERFECT company!!!

Our POPS in our very own backyard!!!!

One of the best times of our trip was riding over the backside of the mountain that took us to Freemont Canyon.  This beautiful backdrop was so unexpected, and a picture moment with my Dad!  My Dad has always loved the mountains, and all things outdoors.  It was neat to have this experience with him.  I can't wait for him to come back so we can take him camping!  Or rather, he take us camping! 

 

The Teton Mountain range runs along the Western border of the state of Wyoming.

On our drive into Jackson Hole, we were able to come front and center with the entire range.

This photo below is "THE" Grand Teton, standing a oh so astoundingly grand 13, 776 ft above sea level.  We enjoyed trying to look for each range {they all have names} on the drive in.  It was cloudy at the top, so we werent even able to see the peak.  Majestic and stop you in your tracks gorgeous.  The photo above is along the drive west over some other mountain range.  Too countless they are.  I would have never dreamed this.   

 As many mountains as I could get within the range...

We made it to Jackson Hole.  BRR!!

I am learning quickly here that in the evenings, even in summer it gets cold, so we always pack/dress in layers.  It's all about the layers...LOTS of layers  :)

Isn't she lovely??!  

A fun moment my Mom and I had in the middle of a snow so thick and surreal.  It was unforgettable.

Here we go.... The gondola ride!!!

Very, very, very exciting!!!!

 Look at all that snow!!!  Crazy!

THis pic below was taken in the Grand Teton National Forrest.  On our way back home we drove a different way and were able to enter the park, get our annual pass!, and see the tip of the iceberg.  We are dying to go back.

The day before my Mom left, she went and filled our front yard with a
 beautiful assortment of flowers!!!

 It's all about decorating with outdoor stone/granite out west! 

  Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of 

  living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude

THANK YOU

MOM AND DAD!

And before I go, I just want to share that I have met some incredible Mothers here in Wyoming.   A few in particular that I have been privileged to be around lately.  It's something i dont think I'll ever be able to describe, but already I am seeing God bless me by surrounding me with some deep, wonderful girls. And I just love that God really smiled on me in that way.
I am seeing what a healthy, wonderful place it is to raise kids, but not surprisingly so!  I am learning so much about myself and how even though I didnt feel I was over-concerned with the wrong things, I am more concerned than I ever saw myself as being, or even want to be.
I hope one day i can dedicate an entire post on this subject.
God wants to show us how BIG he is, and how He can show you things you never dreamed or imagined for yourself when we just follow what we feel He's calling us to do.

And all these blessings shall come on you, and overtake you, if you shall listen to the voice of the LORD your God.  Deut 28:2

Mom and Dad visit WY! { day 1 }

The first day in town, my parents got to go to Luke and Isabel's soccer game! That was so exciting and special, and got our visit started off with lots of excitement! My dad took the pics from there, so he has all those and they got some great shots!
After the game we went for lunch at an outdoor spot right on the platte river, and it was a gorgeous day! Then, to downtown to visit the three level cowboy store, where josh and dad found great hats! I found a Pendleton blanket (didn't buy, but wanted to) They are awesome!!
It was a fun, beautiful day with my sweet parents :) But that was only the beginning...

Stay tuned!!!

Welcome June! {but sometimes i feel like saying Merry Christmas}

Happy first day of June! Feels good to me! Today we are on our way back from a farewell to our Nina. We dropped her off to catch her plane to Mississippi. We had a wonderfully FULL visit. We really packed in some great stuff! I look forward to blogging a lot this week in order to catch up. Here is a picture of us crossing over the Grand Tetons into Idaho. We couldn't believe the amount of snowfall! We were at about 10,000 ft.

Back at home, summer is here and we couldn't be more excited for warm days, lots of fresh air and veggies!!! We are doing our best to bloom and grow in our Wyoming garden ;) Its been a huge climate change for us, but it's been wonderful to learn all about this part of the country. They hold a farmers market that begins mid July. Their seasons are about a month and a half behind, and we are expecting our summer weather will be pretty short. Looking forward to a weekend at home with my babies and Josh. So, happy June!!! And Happy Weekend!! See you soon!