All Packed and Ready to go...

TO Houston!!

Ashlee and I leave on a 7am flight, which means we'll be in the car and rolling towards the MSP airport at 4:30 am!! We are so excited! We packed up, bearing gifts for the fam, like coffee they can't get in Houston and foot cream, new nail polished as I will be giving Sue a new look for her feet!!

It is a super easy 2.5 hr flight. I am sure we will be sleeping and reading our celeb mags!! Anyway, I will be posting pics and blogging on Sue's blog for trip highlights look there! Friday we will be celebrating Ashlee's birthday with my family, which should be a ball!! In the am tomorrow Sue has the fluid around her lung removed by a needle through her ribs, so I am hoepful she will feel so much better with her right lung being able to be used again!! She also got blood today and she feels so much better when she does! SO, I think Sue should be in good shape for our visit!! I can hardly wait to see EVERYONE!! Please remember to keep Sue in your prayers!! Thanks so much!! You'll hear from me next in TX!

BIG HUGE 16th Birthday for Ashlee!!

Big day here at the Walstad shack! Ashlee is officially "sweet 16" today! She took her driver's lisence exam at the Plymouth DMV and passed!!!! She was so nervous when she got out of the car to tell me her face was a shade of red I had never seen it before!! SHe filled out her paperwork, got her driver's lisence pic taken and we headed home! After calling everyone who had been praying for her (she wanted to surprise Katie & Howie when we went there-but Grandma Pat had already told them...) we got home, and Ashlee was surprised by a beautiful cookie bouquet her Granma Kay, Koo-Koo and Grandpa Doug had sent her and a beautiful floral arrangement from her Auntie Susie and Uncle Ray in Houston! We then took her Galant and gas card (a holiday debit card) and I showed her how to fill her tank and use her debit card!! No problems there! Then we got home and she took her maiden voyage without a parent, she took Alex to Windsong Golf Club and back. Mike and I stood on the porch and it was surreal! She is a VERY good driver though....but still, it felt scary! We then headed out to the new Japanese steak/sushi restaurant Kobe in Plymouth. We had an AWESOME dinner there! We loved it! And then to Katie & Howie's for REAL Baker's Square french silk pie, which Katie had found an open Baker's Square in Eden Prairie and drove there to get it for Ash! What a great surprise and treat for her!! Pat, Tom and Steve with kids in tow also came over and we visited and then home for Ashlee's math homework, The Idol and news on the political front! Here are some pics of the highlights of the day!

Thanks so much to EVERYONE for making Ashlee's 16th birthday so special and memorable and for caring enough to pray for her about her driver's liscence test and for your thoughtful gifts and farway pie trip!! Ashlee would not be who she is without all of your influences and both Mike and I are so grateful and thankful for your presence in her life (and Alex's too!) She had the BEST birthday!!





Ashlee, Katie and Ike at the Dettloff's, where we had fab french silk from Baker's square!
Ashlee with her delish sushi, we had lobster rolls, spicy tuna rolls and Kobe rolls-we liked the spicy tuna the BEST!

ALex and Mike with their fancy sashimi dinners-Alex's even lit up from underneath! They also had their fave Japanese sprite's!! What a treat!

Ashlee, Mike & Alex gathered around a Kobe beef appetizer that you cook on a hot rock! It was quite YUMMY!

Ashlee & her new Gaylant-Catherine's car which we bought for her! Note the happy bday sign above the front door of our house!

Ashlee & "crazy Ale" he just had to be in the pic!!

Ashlee & Alex headed out for the maiden voyage-driving a car without parents!!

Ashlee with her beautiful cookie bouquet and flowers!!

The cookie bouquet!! It smelled scrumptious when it arrived, I wanted to rip open one of the cookies and eat it...no one would know...right!

Horse Show & Family Bday!

Ashlee had a good first horse show of the year at the Hollywood Riders show in Waconia at the Carver County Fairgrounds. The judge Alan Spidahl was ok!! Ashlee got two first's, one in open halter with 19 horses entered and we were so happy and a 1st in English pleasure and fourth in English equitation. Ashlee was happy with the resultsof her first show and the two of us had a good day. It was weird though, my sister Kari has been at every show EVER, until this year. She moved to Houston and our trained helper was gone...no krispie creme donuts in the am!! We really missed you Kari! Mike and Alex stopped out and caught one of Ashlee's classes and then headed out to golf before it got too windy!!

Then, Sunday we had the Walstad's come over for a family birthday celebration for Ashlee. She turns 16 on Tuesday, the 20th so that was really nice and she felt special!! Now tomorrow is her actual bday, and I will be taking her for her drivers exam to get her license and then to Mike's work afterward and then we will all go to Kobe, a new Japanese sushi/steakhouse in Plymouth, Ashlee's choice! So she should have a good day and then Fri am Ash and I leave to go to Houston to see my family, and my sister Sue!! We are really really really looking forward to our visit! My family will have a 3rd bday celebration there for Ash so she should feel great about her bday this year!!


Ashlee with her DQ ice cream cake and a fab chocolate cake Calli and Steven made for her, a secret family recipe...Calli will not share the recipe for this delish cake...:(

Ashlee opening gifts!

The huge halter class Ashlee won, she in on the left row 2nd to the end in back

Ash and CLem getting ready for the halter class! They looked just great!!

I LOVE this pic, Ash and CLem right before they went into the halter class!!

Ash and Clem!!

Ashlee in Western Pleasure...we forgot her number so she couldn't place....

Mike and AL with their surprise visit to the show!!

Ashlee in Western Pleasure

Ashlee with her blue ribbon after winning the English Pleasure class of 17 kids!!

It's already Tuesday!!

Greetings!

I hope your Monday and Tuesday start to the week were fantastic! Ashlee has completed her behind the wheel training and is now ready to take her drivers liscence test next Tues on her birthday. I cannot believe she will be 16 years old!! Time flies, it really is true!

Alex and Mike have been golfing a ton, and Alex had his "career round" (best) at Windsong yesterday with a 93 for 18 holes, he was excited! His goal is to get in the 80's! And he is really working on it! Mike is so awesome for taking Alex all the time and the two of them have alot of fun!

Mike got Ashlee and I tickets to go to Houston yesterday!! I am sooo excited and so is ASh! We leave Friday, the 23rd and return Monday, we won't leave until 9pm which gives us alot of time in TX!! My family is going ot have a little birthday party for Ash for her bday! SHe is VERY excited about being able to celebrate with EVERYONE this year! SO that will be special!

We are also VERY EVRY excited to see how much Sue has improved compared to our last trip in April! I will take lots of pics and send updates via Sue's blog and a little on here! I really can hardly wait to give Sue (and everyone) a HUGE hug and help out!

We will have Ashlee's horseshow in Waconia at the fairgrounds this Sat and then her Walstad family bday party Sunday and then her real bday is Tues and she will take her liscense test and then we will go out for dinner at a new Japanese/sushi restaurant called Kobe! SO that will be fun!

I'll keep updating!! Thanks for reading!

XOXOXO Kaylee

Mother's Day Pics!

I had a FABULOUS Mother's Day today! The only thing missing was my mom and family, I really missed them. But thankfully Mike's whole family came bringing food and fun and also the Dettloff family, Catherine's husband Howie's mom and dad and brother, Charlie! It was really alot of fun! I made Aunt Millie's broccoli and Mike made amazing ribs and two big tenderloins, I made a peppercorn gravy for that and Catherine brought mashed potatoes and Lisa made a salad, it was really yummy food! For appetizers, I asked Charlie to bring his signature crab beignets that are too DIE FOR!! I am still so sickly full from that and he made two delicious tarts, a lemon meringue and a bluberry with home made whipping cream!! OMG, I am stuffed and I HAD TO HAVE a cupcake, and Callie made her famous deep fried ravioli appetizer so I really stuffed it in!! We all had a great time! See the pics below!!




Callie and Avery!

Mike and Avery-she lets Mike hold her now and he is so happy-it only took a year!!

Grandma Pat and her newest grandson, Caden

Mike and Caden-he likes Mike!!

Catherine and Howie sold us their old Mitsubishi Galant for Ashlee, they brought it over all cleaned up and beautiful, safety checked and new brakes!! So Catherine had Ashlee take her for a spin. Ashlee will be 16 in 9 days and is taking her license test on her bday!!

Grandma Pat and Avery

The Party....

Check out Steve's tee

Mike with his tenderloins, they were so yummy, Joh and Jane Dettloff in the background!!

Grandpa Tom and Caden!

The Dettloff crew!

Katie and Howie-look hwo good they look they have both each lost 25 lbs on their new diet!!

Alex, CHarlie and Ashlee-we LOVE Charlie's faux hawk!!

Me and Ash-bad pic of me, cute of Ash!!



I hope all your Mother's Days were fantastic!! Happy Mother's Day MOM!! I wish I could have been there with everyone!!

XOXO Kaylee

More Hair Pics

A BIG HUGE shout out to all the mom's-Happy Mother's Day to you!! Especially my mom and mother in law!!

Everyone has requested more views of my new do, so here they are!! Ashlee did not show her horse today due to extreme cold and bad weather conditions, she was disappointed, but I let it be her decision if went or not and have had a nice day so far!! Party will commence in a little over an hour, I wish my family was here, but they have had a great day together!!

Kaylee

Some House Pics!!

I have been working on accessorizing our house, especially since we will be entertaining alot of moms and their families on Mother's Day!! I have left the project undone for quite some time as it seemed really unimportant and too much work for me to have to put into it!! And, I am far from lazy, I just really didn't care for awhile!! Anyway, tomorrow, if it is not stillr aining, Ashlee will have her first horseshow of the year at the Hamel TrailDusters Arena, and then we get back in the afternoon and we have abotu 20 guests coming for Mothers Day!! Mike's family and his siter Catherine's inlaws! We love the Dettloff's and it is a VERY fun mix, which inspired me to creat a warm, lovely atmosphere for my guestd and in doing so, got me more excited for mother's day and for accessorizing!! So here are my pics!!

I LOVE this cupcake tree, I got it last night and it is filled with the most delish cupackes from COuntry Cake Cupboard!!

Cupcake no. 1

cupcake #2

cupcake #3

cupcke #4 (my fave as well...had to "sample" one!!)

CHeck out the drapery panels in chocolate velvet!! See the rod is sagging int he middle of both sides, my drapery lady, Ann Aas ordered two more brackets for support!!

My new lamps and sculpture!! Gifts at the bottom will be given to the mom's tomorrow...French soap and bath salts!!

Dining room, see my new picture on the left, it has been waiting for me to pick up in Maple Grove for a month or more...Mike hung it for me and I LOVE it!

Here is my new cocktail table and the cool apothecary jars I got to accessorize it!! What do you think?? Also, look on the fireplace mantel, I also got those crytal spires too!!

ANother view of the living room at 2am yesterday when I got my lamps set up!! I love them they are chocolate paisley with the beads that hang down!!

Here are the draperies in the front windows, both done now and they look great!!

That's it!! Let me know what you think!! Happy Mother's Day to my mom and to all the mom's out there!!

XOXO Kaylee

well here it is, Mike took the pic and as I looked at myself I thought....OMG I look old, I have so many wrinkles!! I am excited abou tthe new hair and it feels good. 10" off and I spoke with my stylist and she said my hair was long enough to donate to locks of love, so I am excited that it will be made into a wig for cancer victims!!

Some pix for you!!

So here are some pics from dyeing Clem's mane, tail and forelock and some pics I took today of Ash riding Clem and you can see what the dye job looks like (we have to do some MAJOR touchups!!)

Katie Schneider hard at work rinsing out the dye from Clem's tail!! Katie dyed his tail!!

Ash keeping Clem calm, he was SOOOO sick of us bugging him!! See his mane & forelock I did...

Here he is with Ash, forelock all done!!

Katie and Ashlee ready to begin, Katie did a GREAT job on his tail!! After this, I am beginning if it is all worth it???

Here is cute Ash and CLem, practicing today in anticipation for Sunday's show!! CLem is going GREAT and Ash was so excited!!

Ash and Clem!! How about the mane & tail???