#BLOGMAS: Teddy's First Christmas!

So, I've been shopping... A lot these days. I mean, I know it's Christmas, but I should be on a very strict spending ban because I've been out of hand lately. As you can see, I started Christmas shopping for Teddy's First Christmas! Woo hoo! We're all super excited. Petbarn has become one of my new favourite stores. I'm the type of person who can't wait to use something once I buy it. And I don't know how I'm refraining from giving Teddy her new bone or toys, but I am and have hung her stocking up on our tree. I really wish we had a fireplace to hang Christmas stockings but we don't have one & so we never had this kind of tradition :-( Anyways, I couldn't resist dressing her in her new Santa dress. She kinda looks like Superdog in this picture but still cute, right?

I should tell you that this is a slightly older photo. Big news, she got her first shave! She's sooooo skinny now & I didn't want her fur to be too short so we kept stressing that to the groomers. We were so relieved that she turned out absolutely adorable & for more pics of her, check out her Instagram! That's right, I made her an Instagram! And since she got all her vaccinations & is allowed out, we went on our first walk & play date with my cousins & their dog.There's so much fun going on there so I'd love for you to check it out :-)

Love Always,
Anna Banana ♡

PUPPY TRILOGY PART III: Teddy Room Tour

So, a while back, I did a Room Tour post of my own room, but today, it's a room tour of Teddy's room. Yes, Teddy has her own room. She is quite the spoilt little pup. She seems really comfortable in her own room since there's a lot of room for her to roam & play. Plus, her door's open when she's not sleeping so she can play in different rooms & whatnot. I'm happy to report that the toilet training is around 75/25 at the moment. It just makes me so happy when she's playing in my room but then wanders off into her room to do her business.

Anyways, back to the room tour. Here is the little sign I made/painted for her door... Yes, I'm a little obsessed with her (Kalen wonders if I'm like this with a puppy, how I'd be with a real baby xD). I bought the letters at Bunnings Warehouse & just painted them myself. And the picture of her is the one you may have seen in Part I of this trilogy & on my Instagram. It's probably my absolute favourite picture of her & I just printed that out on photo paper :-)

This is her little sleeping & feeding area. I got this playpen hoping it would keep her in but alas, she just slips right through (although, these days, it's not as smooth as it was at first :P - she's growing so fast!). Nevertheless, I liked the way the playpen looked so I kept it there, along with her food & water bowls. The food bowl isn't usually there all day but I forgot to wash it when I took this pic :P Nice & cozy, huh? I also had a whiteboard I wasn't using and just hung it above her bed with her name again since I wasn't sure what to do with it. The location of it makes it hard for me to constantly change the writing or image, etc. so it just stays there :-)

Probably the coolest thing about her room is that it has a balcony which is connected to my room. In other words, if I wanted to spy on her, I could just get out onto the balcony via my room & just peep into her room. My parents suggested just keeping her out there permanently but there's no roof & I'm just a worried mama who wants to keep her baby indoors.

You may be able to see the mirror on the far left side. That's a large built-in wardrobe where we normally store things we don't use but it also has some shelves & drawers. I cleared one shelf to keep her food and another for the stack of newspapers & tape we have, thanks to Monica :-) The funny thing about the mirror is that you can see the lick marks where Teddy's always intrigued by her reflection.

I've cleared up the bottom row of my bookshelves so that Teddy wouldn't chew up all of my books or anything like that so here's what they look like now. I have one on each side of her playpen. You have no idea how much effort I put into planning all of this...it's embarrassing.

I also get a lot of compliments on the drawer inserts I got at IKEA. I just bought 2 of ones with the drawers & 2 of the ones with the door and Kalen helped me assemble them. It was really quite easy. This is what is in them, from left to right.

First insert: all the grooming essentials. I try to brush her everyday to prevent her fur from matting. Her toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, cologne, and all the other stuff is in here.

Second Insert, Top Drawer: Towels for after her bath and any miscellaneous things like her other collar & little bow that I didn't want to throw away.

Second Insert, Bottom Drawer: Heat Pillow. I actually made this a while back when I had a few digestive issues and the doctor suggested heat packs. It's really simple; 2 pieces of fabric, rice & lavender oil. I also added some decorations to cute it up a little. A few minutes in the microwave & you've got yourself a heat pack :-) Maybe something to use on the warmer nights.

Third Insert, Top Drawer: Worming pills, coupons, the puppy pack we got from the breeder & the poop bags that came with it. Since we don't take her out on walks, I haven't used the poop bags yet but is it weird that I can't wait to?

Third Insert, Bottom Drawer: Blanket. This is the one we use occasionally such as when we take her somewhere in the car or for the warmer nights, etc. It was one of my favourite blankets but now, it's hers :D

Fourth Insert: Treats! I've gotta say, the Schmacko's Twirlz are not winners. Teddy wouldn't go near them. Let me just say, the image on the front is very misleading. And she liked the Milky Sticks at first but she got a little sick from them so they're both gone now. She absolutely loves the Puppy Rewards though and it was because of them that she is confident with our whole staircase! Although, it does worry me a little sometimes...

It's that time of the year when 2015 Calendars are on sale everywhere and I just couldn't resist a mini one with King Charles Cavalier Spaniel puppies. Teddy probably won't be able to see it but it is of her mommy & just so cute. Also, a good way to keep track of worming, vaccinations, vet checks, etc.

One of my favourite products is the little doggy butt hanger thing I also got at IKEA. Honestly, the majority of both our rooms is from IKEA. I got this idea from Pinterest and since I had the Scrabble stickers laying around from last year, I thought I'd do it as well. So that's where I hang her leash & her collar when she's not wearing it.

And that concludes our tour! I know, it's a little extreme. But really, there were 2 spare rooms not being used so this one would not be missed. And it's right next to my room. Does anyone else go as crazy as I do? Or is this not even that bad?

Anyways, I hope you're all excited about #Blogmas & I'll see you in 2 days! :-)

Love Always,
Anna Banana ♡

♡ 21st Birthday Recap

Guess who turned 21?! That's right, this girly :P

I share my birthday with my bestie, Mon & Halloween...although that's not a birthday. Halloween was never really a big thing here in Australia but lately I've seen more trick or treaters & decorations at some houses. Although there weren't any trick or treaters at my place this year. But I hope you all had a fun & exciting Halloween and didn't get too sick from eating so much candy.

I had an amazing day. Starting as soon as I opened my eyes. I must have really been out of it because Kalen managed to get up and attach balloons on my bed and place the most beautiful bouquet of (21) roses beside me. We had a delicious breakfast at one of our favourite cafés and then went shopping at IKEA with Mon & her boyfriend, Jeremy. That's right ladies & gentlemen, an IKEA double date on our birthday. Romantic, huh? But really, we just love strolling through IKEA and I bought a few bookshelf inserts. I may or may not have already started getting the dog's room ready...

Then we just relaxed at home, putting together the drawers & whatnot, and I gotta say, it's coming along pretty great. I'm planning on doing a 'Puppy Trilogy' sort of thing so stay tuned. I'm so excited! I know I got the car for my birthday (for the next 5 years), but since it is my 21st, it seems I really am getting a puppy! I just feel so blessed & lucky to have such amazing family & friends...I honestly don't know what I'd do without them. We're going to see the puppies tomorrow (Sunday) and I'm super, duper excited to see them! Just imagine, this time tomorrow, there will potentially be a little puppy tucked into my lap as I type and exciting new blog post.

If that doesn't work out, we may be going to another place next Sunday. It'd be a little disappointing if that happens since I've been hyping this up the whole time but a puppy will definitely join the Rose household by next month so that's all I can ask for. Plus, I'd prefer all the stuff I ordered online to arrive before the puppy comes so that may even be better. I'm trying to make the best of anything & everything because I'm just so grateful for the amazing gift of a new best friend.





Enough about that now. A birthday wouldn't quite be a birthday without cake now, right? We picked up 2 of these adorable little cakes that were amaaaaaazing! We got them from this cute little Korean bakery/café in Strathfield called Hello Happy. What a cute name! We'll definitely be going there again, soon! And of course, a cake that pretty was just screaming 'Instagram' so naturally, we dressed up the table a little :P

Honestly, my family & friends made this day so special for me. We love having these low-key occasions, even if it is a big birthday like a 21st, and it was made even more special being around all my closest friends and family.

But on top of that, when I posted these pictures on Instagram, all of you wished me a Happy Birthday and that was seriously just the icing on the cake. The cherry on top. The sugar coating. Enough cake puns? ;-) And I can't thank you all enough for making my day even better. You have all become such great friends of mine & I wish there was a better way of me to express my thanks for you, but at the moment, thanks seems to be the only way...

Thank you so, so much.

Love Always,
Anna Banana ♡

TIP TUESDAY: How I Wash My Make-Up Brushes

Hey guys! A super duper short post from me today. And it's about washing your make-up brushes. How often do you wash them? What do you use? When I first got into make-up, I had to do my research on a lot of things, including washing make-up brushes. There were a lot of methods but I chose a method that was simple, quick & effective.

First, I add some baby shampoo to a bowl of hot water. Then I get my least-used brushes and swirl them into the water to 'dissolve' the shampoo. Then I slowly add my other brushes, swirling them in. Finally, I add my make-up sponge. Hehe...please excuse how dirty it is... I really need a new one. Moving on. I soak all my brushes in there for a while & my sponge tends to float so I try to smother it to keep it down with my other brushes.

And that's it! Really simple, huh? It's just the drying time that takes a while so I do my make up before washing them. I usually leave it near a window with the sun beaming in. About 10-15 minutes later, I turn each brush around to dry the other side as well. If I'm bothered, I keep turning them ever 15 minutes or so. They do get dry by the night (if I wash them early in the morning), but to be safe, 24+ hours is usually the best.

As for how often, I try to wash them every Sunday morning but sometimes I get lazy. For you experts or non-experts-with-great-advice out there, do you think once a week is enough? Is my method even right? I would love any advice & any other products that are great.

Also, an update on the puppy situation. I've been meaning to post more but I've been a little busy planning for the puppy... My mom is insisting on getting me a puppy for my 21st birthday so it seems this is actually going to happen! I'm so nervous yet excited at the same time. I'm seriously in crazy dog lady mode at the moment & Kalen's getting really excited as well. We sort of feel like parents getting ready for a baby.....................

Too soon? Oh well, we both love kids.

Anywho, I'm planning on doing some posts about my whole getting-a-puppy-process so hopefully a lot more blog posts coming your way sooooooon (we're going to see a few Cavoodles next week :D)

So much for a short post. Until next time!

Love Always,
Anna Banana ♡

♡ PUPPY FEVER!!

☆☆ WARNING CUTENESS OVERLOAD!! WARNING CUTENESS OVERLOAD!! WARNING CUTENESS OVERLOAD!! WARNING CUTENESS OVERLOAD!! WARNING CUTENESS OVERLOAD!! ☆☆

I have been having a serious case of Puppy Fever lately & it went to an all time high after seeing this little beauty. There was no description but I think it's a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel. So so cute! Since it's my 21st birthday next week, my parents have been trying to get me a birthday present (although I keep insisting they don't have to since they chipped in for my car). And because I've been obsessively looking at pictures of dogs for a while now, they seemed pretty serious about getting me a dog. My mom was actually prepared to get me this one but when we went to the store again, it was gone :-( However, there were a few new furry additions.

A cute but a sort of big Toy Poodle & a whole group of tiny little Moodles (Maltese x Poodle). I am so, so tempted to bring one of these beauties home, but when I posted the picture of the Cavalier on my Instagram, I got a lot of comments warning me not to get puppies from pet shops since they come from puppy mills. I would love for you to give me some advice about this & where is the best place to get puppies.

I've been researching & researching, looking for ads and found the cutest little Toy Cavoodle (Cavalier x Toy Poodle). I checked to make sure she came from safe, registered breeders and not puppy mills. She's perfect. I want her so, so bad. But she's a little steep... :-( That's the one thing stopping me at the moment.

Also, I know they're absolutely adorable to look at, but I'm worried about how much work they'll be & how much I'll have to look after them - not to mention quite expensive. I'm more than willing to do the dirty work, but when I go back to uni, I'll be worried about leaving him/her alone at home for long periods of time... And to be completely honest, I'm a little OCD and am a little worried about the dog peeing all over the place & even more worried about what will happen if it accidentally chews on something dangerous or knocks something over and gets hurt...

I feel like a mom going crazy with baby fever. Is this how everyone else with dogs feel? I would looove for you to give me any kind of advice on puppy training, potty training, how often to feed them, walk them, wash them, all that stuff... I've been doing my research but more advice is always welcome. Ahh! So much to think about! And on top of that, I need the perfect name! I really like the name Teddy...or Stewie (huuuuuge Family Guy fan here :D)

Any & all help would be much appreciated, thank you ♡♡

Love Always,
Anna Banana ♡

p.s. I don't even have the dog yet, or even know if we're even going to get one, but I've been planning it's room (we have 2 spare bedrooms so why not give them their own room? :D) & online shopping like crazy. Not buying yet of course, just planning everything down to the last detail... It's ridiculous because I might not even get one, which means I'm going to be even more devastated :-( Sad times people, sad times...