Christmas Vacation: Day 2

On day 2 of our Christmas Vacation/Break, we decided to have some friends over to the house to play music, make s'mores, play RockBand & just hang out! It was such a good night & really our first time having friends over to the house since we moved into it in August of this year! Our family comes over frequently, but this is our first "party"! I'm proud to say it was a SUCCESS!!!! 

Here we have myself with miss Courtney Lane Beth & Caitlin Brady chillin' by our fireplace turned s'more roasting station due to the FREEZING cold weather outside!

Apparently I'm feeling like a bad mamma jamma! Court is all smiles!

Hooray!!!! We must have done something right because that it pure joy on our faces! WE LOVE ROCKBAND!

Cait Brady & I getting down Beatles style!  That girl loves some Beatles!

Martin Bennett of the UK is a recent transplant in the good ole U S of A! He is a singer/dancer at the King's Castle Theatre here in Branson, MO! I, Stephi Shoog, am in the middle & that's my good buddy Caitlin Brady on my arm, photography extraordinaire! She owns Cait Brady Photography!

Me & my baby cuddling by the fire. I love being wrapped up in his arms!

Here we have Dean & Mckenna in her cute little hat!

Hostess & Host of the night! So much fun having people over!

KISSES! I love this man.

All the ladies!!! Cait, Court, myself & Mack! Loved having all these gals over to the house! They are all such fun, sweet, unique, creative & beautiful girls!

Brent, Martin, Charles & Court! Lots of laughs with these kids!

It's not a party until there's a uke jam!

Having a ball! Mack on guitar, Maples on drums & we have Court & Cait cheering them on!

The perfect end to a wintry night is a good old fashioned s'more roasting! Thanks to all of our friends who came to have some laughs with us! I loved every minute!

Christmas Vacation: Day 1

Christmas Vacation

Day 1

Memphis meets Santa for the very first time! As we took our little walk & shop at the beautiful Branson Landing in Branson, MO we decided to stop in & let our little fella hop up on Santa's lap & tell Kris Kringle what he wishes for most. Pretty sure it was a new bone covered in peanut butter, but that's just my guess! ha

My baby Dean Zeligman with our furry baby, Memphis! 

A little photo shoot on the park bench! He seems thrilled....ha

Look at that face (his..NOT MINE! ha)!!!! He is such a handsome boy! 

Dean Zeligman, Stephi Shoog Richardson & Memphis are bundled up & ready to go to the Branson Landing! Isn't his coat adorable? :) You can't tell it by his face, but he does like this jacket when it's cold outside! ha

I guess Dean must have been a very good boy this year because Santa asked if he could have his picture with Dean! WOW!!! 

Dean & I at the Chateau before his Christmas party gig!

Dean Zeligman & Stephi Shoog Richardson at the Chateau on the Lake in Branson, MO!

Dean Zeligman, Mckenna Medley, & Michael Haygood perform for a Christmas party at Chateau on the Lake! Stay tuned for more music & performances by these three talented superstars!

Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers, daughter Mckenna Medley, Stephi Shoog Richardson (me, of course!) & Dean Zeligman at the Chateau on the Lake!





We had a very busy first day of vacay! First by taking Memphis to meet Santa at the Landing then going to the Chateau for Dean's gig! Finally, we took our own special little Hobbit (a name we lovingly call Dean's momma, Jackie, who is from GB!) to see "The Hobbit" at the Branson Meadows Cinema!  I love family movie time!


Ho!Ho!Ho!
XOXO

::Quick & Easy Christmas Snack::

::Quick & Easy Christmas Snack::

These little treats are super simple & all you need are a few basic ingredients:

*Ritz Crackers

*Baker's white chocolate squares or almond bark (which I prefer). I used white chocolate for this particular batch & I didn't like it as much as the almond bark, but I'm not a big white chocolate fan.

*Peanut Butter (I used Reduced fat Peter Pan)

*Red & Green colored sugar (make sure to use sparingly! I didn't & they were too sweet for my liking!)

*Waxed Paper

With a butter knife, spread the peanut putter onto a cracker. Place another on top to make a little cracker sandwich!

This is what it should look like!

Following the package directions, melt the white chocolate or almond bark.

Dip each of the little cracker sandwiches into the melted white chocolate/almond bark covering fully.

Place the covered cracker onto the wax paper.

LIGHTLY sprinkle the crackers with the red & green sugar (or you can choose one or the other)

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF TOO MUCH SUGAR! HAHA It really needs to be about half of this.

Now, just let this little sweet treats dry!

In this recipe I learned that I definitely prefer almond bark (although the name sounds gross) to white chocolate & that less is more when it comes to the decorative sugar! I hope you enjoy! Maybe these little guys will save you hours in the kitchen at your next holiday party! Happy Holidays! xoxo

Diary of a Furry Baby

Diary of a Furry Baby

This is one of my most favorite photos in our massive collection of pictures. Dean & I just enjoying some snuggle time with our brand new addition to the family...MEMPHIS!

There's our little bubba playing with daddy for the very first time.  This was the first time we saw him come out of his shell and reveal his personality...and boy, there is A LOT of personality there!

This melts my heart everytime. One of the sweetest moments of my life. He laid on my chest for the whole drive home & was just so calm and laid back. It was an act! hahaha P.S. He came from Osage Ridge Kennels in Augusta, MO and is a PUGGLE,in case anyone is looking! Adoption is the best way to go, but we wanted to start with baby and raise him together :) When we decide to get Memphis a brother or sister, we will most definitely adopt!

This is our first nappy nap together. This sweet little moment didn't happen again until just about a week ago and I am so thankful! I love it when I've got my boys cuddled up next to me. It's my heaven!

Memphis just chillin in the backyard. This boy loves to be outside! 

This is what Dean affectionatly calls the "awkward alien stage." hahaha He had a skinny neck and big head...but still, he's the most adorable thing in the world, yes?

Bye Bye, Ball....

Hello, Bone!

Spoiled.

Just going on a little drive with mommy and daddy! No big. ;)

His very first sweater! I loved this one, but he quickly out grew it! He started at 6lbs and has grown to 21 or so! He will be 7 months old on January 1st, 2013! Time flies!

My babes.

Uh, oh...Blue Boy lasted a whole 24hours. 

First Walk!

Greatest. Picture. Ever.

(He likes to sit like a human and we love it!)

Peekaboo!

My gorgeous man & My adorable boy! I am one lucky lass that's FO SHO!

Squishy Face!!!

Dean & I dressed up as Bella & Edward of Twilight to hand out candy on Halloween so it was only fitting that Memphis play the role of Jacob. lol I love this picture so freakin much!

Look guys! I can touch my tongue to my nose!

The intense stare we know & love from Mr.Memphis!

I love my little family with my whole heart. This was a really beautiful day off! In this pic we are outside of Billy Bob's Dairyland, or as I like to call it: YUMMY DELICIOUSNESS. The Burgers are ridiculously good!

Dean & Memphis at the landing. This was his first time & he was quite the hit!

Juuuuuust practicing some balancing tricks...lol

This is right before we said bye bye to Memphis' balls. He went in for the snip!

Even big boys need help from momma sometimes!

XOXOXOXOXO

Laying in the hammock with daddy! This was definitely a first.

aaaaaahhhh snuggle time! I am beyond happy that he loves to lay on me again!

He's having a face-off with the piggy...who will win???

The sweetest face in the world.

The cutest reindeer of them all! We were laughing so hard I nearly peed my pants! This is just a preview of the Christmas pics I'll be sharing very very soon! :)

In the past I haven't had a good track record with animals. I've always found it very difficult...because IT IS. This time was so different and that's probably because I'm in a much better place in my life & I have the most amazing partner in the world! Please do not bring an animal into your home and make he or she a part of your family if you have no intention on forever. This sweet little angel has been the biggest blessing to our life together. We cannot picture our life without him in it. Seeing his personality grow and learning to speak his language with actions rather than words has been the most amazing experience. If you are in the Branson area and have a furry baby in your household I highly recommend you giving THE DOG GUY: DAREN PAPPAS a call! Also, if you have a heart for animals and want to help, please go and "like" the PAWS & HANDS UNITED page on Facebook. This is only the beginning of our extraordinary adventure with little Memphis & we are looking forward to many many more years with him! xoxo