Guess Who's Back? Me!

Hello Nelly Belliers!

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted a blog. Life has been hectic to say the least. 

I thought it was about time that I filled you all in on at least one major thing that's happening in our lives right now. I think not being able to talk about certain things (due to the right timing, etc) has been part of the reason that my blogs have been on pause. It's hard when you can't talk about the major things that are happening in your life. It almost feels like you are forcing yourself to talk about things because you can't talk about the truth. Well the good news is that I can finally share something with you all..........

We are moving! Now, you may be thinking what's the big deal? Well, we are moving across the country! I finally convinced my lovely man to move away from his family and friends, so that I could be closer to mine. Selfish much? He he. Seriously though, he is AMAZING for agreeing to this major life decision (definitely the man of my dreams), but he definitely wouldn't do it just for me. He wants a change as well and we are both excited for this new adventure. We also didn't make this decision over night. We have been mulling it over for months and months, making hundreds of pro and con lists, and then finally one day we said "ok let's do this". They say in life you'll know when you know, and that was the case for us (although at some point you do need to make a decision or everything will remain as is).

I think the best thing to do in life is remember that nothing is set in stone. If for some reason it doesn't work out, we can always come back. That's been one of the motto's for my life, which has allowed me to move to different places in Canada and to New Zealand, and which has allowed me to push myself and expand my comfort zones. I highly recommend it! 

We have so much to do and so little time. We are driving across Canada in about 1 months time! Lots of purging, packing, and passing stuff on to family to do! I am going to try and vlog our drive across the country, but if for some reason the video thing doesn't work out, I will definitely blog our journey. Hopefully you guys will enjoy seeing what Canada has to offer!

What do urine samples and Canadian beer have in common? The taste.

NELLY

Nelly is now 10 months old and she is excited for the big move (well at least that's what I think she's saying to me when she stares at me with a blank "what is this woman talking about" look). I know she is going to love the west coast lifestyle. She will get to do lots of hiking, and there will be so many new smells to enjoy (especially the ferns).

What do I love about Nelly now? She is still very sweet and loves all people and all dogs. She definitely has an amazing temperament and all she wants to do is love, love, love. She has also been a quick learner of our new "no more coming up on the couch" rule. We have implemented this rule for a few reasons, one being that she won't be allowed up on the couch where we are living temporarily due to the lovely leather fabric that she would scratch up in two seconds. We only had to tell her about two or three times, and that was that. She has her dog bed on the floor, and she is totally fine. It just goes to show you what we think we know about dogs isn't always true.

What am I not loving about Nelly right now? Nelly is food obsessed. I know some of you are going to say all dogs are, or that your dog is too, but I am honestly talking about a whole new level of obsession. To the point where family and friends have said to me "wow she really is food obsessed" or "I thought my dogs were bad". We are trying to work on this, but it's really hard. I am constantly watching her and sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy. I'm hoping she will grow out of it a bit. We shall see!

What's new with Nelly's physique and health? Nelly is tiny. Ironically, we actually asked for the biggest puppy, but clearly we got the runt (which is totally fine). Go runts go! She is probably not going to grow any more, other than filing out. The upside of this is that it's easy to travel with her! She is compact and easy to carry. The next update is that Nelly has had some issues recently with food allergies. We had to take her off her Acana puppy food and she is now a vegetarian (she is obviously adopted since I am a meatatarian). We bought this special food from the vet that is for dogs with allergies, and it seems to be working. I can't remember the name of it right now, but I will make sure to find for an upcoming blog post!

PICS

Who doesn't love a good pic? Here's a bunch from the past while to catch you up on things!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

"Learn a lesson from your dog - No matter what life brings you, kick some grass over that shit and move on." ~ Someecards

Thursday is ALL Nelly Bellie & Travel Rant Featuring New Zealand

Hello Nelly Belliers!

Happy New Year everyone! I can't believe it is already 2014. I remember when I was younger and it felt like time was going so slow, and then boom, you are an adult with a family, living somewhere you didn't imagine you would be. Life is cray cray. 

My 2014 Rant

Not to get all "listen to me, I'm an adult" on you, but if you are younger, enjoy it! Go on adventures, and do as many things as you can (that are safe and good) before you have responsibilities, bills, and all that jazz. Don't get me wrong, I love my life right now, I just think that sometimes we are all in such a rush to grow up, that we forget all the amazing things and opportunities you have when you are young and free. 

If I could go back in time, the only thing I would have done earlier is travel travel travel. I am so lucky that I got to live in New Zealand at the age of 29, but it just showed me how important travelling is. Personally, I feel that going somewhere on your own, gives you so many life skills that you can never learn at University, or travelling an hour down the road, or even travelling with someone else. It changes you forever, and unless you have done it, it's truly unexplainable to anyone that hasn't (you almost feel like you can conquer the world).   If we are blessed with kids, I will definitely be encouraging them to go on an OE (Overseas Experience). So go! Get a working visa while you can (there are age limits to them) and go on a life adventure. You have plenty of time to work, get married, and have kids (if you want them). Ok, that's my 2014 rant done. :) (I've included some pics of New Zealand below to get you inspired! Also if you have any questions about working visas, etc, definitely contact me. I'd be glad to help.)

New Year's Resolutions

While I am not making any resolutions this year (click here if you don't know why), I do have some goals for my blog that I wanted to share with you guys.

I am definitely going to be putting up way more vlogs (video blogs) (I really needed a new camera so now that I have one I'm ready to rock n' roll) and I am working on creating a schedule for myself, so that I am more organized for you and for me. I have had a couple of requests that I will definitely be including: 1. more recipe vlogs (like this one) and 2. a "what's in my closet" vlog. The second one is definitely more difficult because I am a bit of a clothes horse (a Thursday truth for you!). I love fashion, and I love a variety of styles, so I might turn this in to a small series. Let me know what else you would like to see this year? I read all of your requests, and really enjoy the interactive process of blogging and vlogging.

Other vlogs I will be doing include: reviews on puppy/dog products (so if you have anything you would like me to review, please contact me) and "Nelly Bellie Tips" blogs where I give you guys tips on raising/training/grooming/etc a puppy, and of course truths on having a dog. I think sometimes we only hear one side of the coin, so if I can give you a more rounded perspective I think you can make a more informed decision on whether owning a puppy/dog is for you.

I will also be making haul vlogs, and doing more giveaways (I'm really enjoying my current Christmas / New Year Giveaway (click here to enter: it closes Jan 10, 2014).

I think it would be really fun to include some "Day in the Life" type vlogs, and in regards to the cooking ones, I would also like to do a "Make or Miss Recipe" vlog, where I try out different recipes that I find, make them, and then let you know whether they are good / bad / or let you know things that I feel need to be altered. 

We also have plans to travel to Vancouver (soon-ish) so I will also be including some travel vlogs for you guys. Finally, we have some exciting stuff happening this year (which I will reveal when the time is right) so there are going to be surprise vlogs as well. 

The Truth About Owning a Puppy

As per above, I want to give you a more well-rounded perspective on owning a puppy. Nelly Bellie is now 7 months old, and she is definitely calming down a lot. Don't get me wrong, she still loves to play and run around, but we can let her roam around the apartment more without worrying that she is going to chew something, or pee on the floor. She still has the odd accident here or there, but overall they are becoming few and far between.

One thing that hasn't changed much is her stubbornness. Sometimes when I tell her to sit or come it can take about 10 times of repeating it until she actually does what is asked (especially if it involves food in some way, she is food obsessed). For those of you who don't know, West Highland Terriers are quite stubborn breeds. It's just the way they are, and if you get one, you have to accept that quality about them. Sure, you might get the exception to the rule, but I have spent enough time with Nelly Bellie and her fur-Aunt and fur-Uncle to know that most of them love to be stubborn.

Overall, I am definitely enjoying this age more than when she was younger. I think because I can relax more, it has just naturally become more enjoyable for both of us (but I do miss how little and adorable she used to be - she's still adorable but you know what I mean).

PS

I apologize for not putting up a vlog yet. I am STILL sick, and this bug has definitely knocked out all of my energy, but I am on the mend, so it shouldn't be long, I promise.

If you would like me to review a product, or if you have any business enquiries, or…………. if you have any suggestions of what you would like to see, email me at mynellybellie@gmail.com


Thursday Pics of Choice - My New Zealand Adventures

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

"Mrs. Campbell once attempted to smuggle her pet Pekingese through customs by tucking him inside the upper part of her cape. "Everything was going splendidly," she later remarked, "until my bosom barked." ~ Beatrice Stella Campbell

Tuesday's Treats & Truths - Nelly Bellie

Happy Tuesday Nelly Bellier's!

Treats

8 more sleeps until Christmas!

I will be uploading a new video (hopefully tomorrow… and hopefully this is a treat :)).

I am close to posting a giveaway Christmas / New Year contest thingamabob so stay tuned for your chance to win free stuff!

In the next couple of weeks I will be posting a blog about awesome people in the world (who have overcome huge obstacles or have a small business with a heartfelt story to tell) so please contact me asap if you would like to be included (or know of someone who should be). Tis the season to spread love and joy for those who truly deserve it.


Truths

We are trying to make some huge life decisions right now, mostly in regards to where we are going to live. 

Most of family (minus my brother) live on the west coast and Chris' family all live here (east coast-ish). We have talked about making a big move out west, but other days we (or one of us) leans more to staying here (we are both very close to our families). 

We have tried making pro and con lists, flipping coins, and even asking Nelly Bellie (yes, asking a puppy is the smartest way to make a life changing decision :)) - but in the end nothing works. We've tried listening for a "gut feeling" but either our guts are empty or they aren't working properly. We have had lots of conversations with friends and family, but still we end up here… stuck. 

Have any of you had to make a similar decision? What did you do? Please let me know (comment below or email me). Sometimes strangers have the best advice. 

Some more treats for you…

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

“I have found that when you are deeply troubled, there are things you get from the silent devoted companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source.” ~ Doris Day

Upcoming Christmas Feature - Calling all Amazing Stories

Hello Nelly Belliers,

Every day I hear such amazing stories of people doing remarkable things and overcoming huge obstacles in their lives. I thought Christmas would be a great time to start showcasing these stories, and reminding people that there a lot of people in the world who have very little, or who had nothing but made new paths for themselves. Let's reach out and support people that need it during this holiday season.

If you have an amazing story, or you want to showcase your small business (I would love to showcase some gift options for Christmas that are hand-crafted and have a great story behind them), then contact me at mynellybellie@gmail.com. 

This is going to be short and sweet today. Busy day. Sorry Nelly Belliers.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” 
~ Will Rogers

Christmas Party Update & Monday Non-Blues

Hello Nelly Belliers,

Thank you so much to everyone who voted on my Christmas dress and hair style. Dress #3 and Dress #4 were neck in neck for a while, but Dress #3 won in the end (and so did wearing my hair down). 

We had a FABULOUS time and we ended up making some great new friends. Do you ever think "wow, can the universe can hear me?". It's not always easy being so far from most of my family and some of my closest friends, and it's not always easy to make new friends… well not only did the universe deliver some amazing people to us this weekend, but I also ended meeting a Spanish couple who are further away from home than me! I ended up having a great conversation with them, and discovered that there are people in the universe who have much bigger distance issues than me (it's always great to get a new perspective on things). I couldn't believe how happy it made them when we asked them to come for dinner some time, and the wife of the Spanish couple almost cried when I gave her a hug.

My wish for today is that you reach out to someone or give someone a random hug - it goes along way and sometimes I think we forget that little things can have a huge impact!

Here are some pics from the night of the party….

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace.” ~ Milan Kundera

Christmas Party Outfit - Which Dress Should I Wear Tomorrow Night? VOTING HAS CLOSED

Christmas Party Outfit - Which Dress Should I Wear? VOTING HAS CLOSED
Thumbs UP and Subscribe :) 

I am going to a Christmas Party tomorrow night (voting has closed - click here to see the results) and I need your help on which dress I should wear. I will show you four outfits and all you have to do is vote in the comments area below the YouTube video or this blog page. Also let me know if you think I should wear my hair up or down.

To subscribe to my YouTube Channel - log in to YouTube using your gmail account and then click on the Subscribe button on my Channel. To like a video click the thumbs up symbol below the video.

Leave suggestions for topics in the comments and let me know what you'd like me to discuss!

My Places ::: 

MAIN CHANNEL : http://youtube.com/thenellybellie
BLOG : http://nellybellie.blogspot.ca
TWITTER - https://twitter.com/TheNellyBellie
FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nelly-Bellie/463172693803812?skip_nax_wizard=true
INSTAGRAM -- Coming Soon!
PINTEREST -- Coming Soon!


Yesterday's Nelly Bellie Video "Christmas Haul & Puppy Treats" 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOuYCiCZd0Q&feature=c4-overview&list=UUWqW8pYITGp3B8zekTb5t3A

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

“I'm half-Irish, half-Dutch, and I was born in Belgium. If I was a dog, I'd be in a hell of a mess!” ~ Audrey Hepburn

Nelly Bellie :: Christmas Haul & Puppy Treats Video & a Nelly Bellie update

Hello Nelly Belliers,

Video #2 is up - Nelly Bellie :: Christmas Haul & Puppy Treats (click here or the image below)

My initial thoughts about starting this blog….

Starting this blog / vlog has been one of the best decisions I have made. Not only do I love working on my blogs and videos, but I am also learning a heck of a lot! 

Unless you've done a blog before, I think you are probably sitting there going "this looks so easy", and "this won't take much time at all". Not true. 

I too didn't understand the amount of work that goes in to posting all over social media (including trying to remember the passwords you have created for each site), writing posts, taking photographs, and of course shooting and editing video. Did I get everything? 

I have also discovered how important your camera choice is and that lighting can be a pain in the you know what. I keep apologizing for the quality of my videos (only 2 so far), but when you look at other blogger YouTube channels, you discover how high the video calibre is out in the online universe. Anyway, I am getting a new camera yahooooo, and I should hopefully have it by next week (fingers and toes crossed). What camera do you guys use in the blogging world?

Update about Nelly Bellie….

Poor Nelly Bellie got spayed yesterday. She came home rather groggy and sore, and we didn't get much sleep last night, but she seems to be doing a bit better today. She hates her cone that she has to wear around her neck (when we aren't around), but hey if you had to wear a cone around your neck and walk on all-fours all day, I think you would hate it too (you think by now that vets would have found an alternative option). Other than the cone all is going well. She is sleeping a lot and she is still food obsessed (that's our Nelly).


Here are some quick tips about spaying your puppy:

• before your puppy can be spayed your vet will need to do a complete blood work check to make sure they are nice and healthy
• when should your puppy be spayed? There are lots of different opinions out there, so I would recommend finding a really good vet (we found ours because of a family referral, it's always great to use a vet that someone close to you can recommend). Once you find the right vet, they will be able to make the right recommendation. I would also recommend asking family and friends what they did.
• are the myths true? Some vets will tell you that your puppy will put on weight after being spayed, and other bits and bobs. Good old Cesar Millan says that a lot of these myths are not true. Here is the link, but again, I would recommend doing your research:: http://www.cesarsway.com/tips/basics/spay-and-neuter-myths

What tips do you have? Or what was your experience?

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

“I'm half-Irish, half-Dutch, and I was born in Belgium. If I was a dog, I'd be in a hell of a mess!” ~ Audrey Hepburn

My First YouTube Video on Nelly Bellie

Happy Wednesday Nelly Bellier's!

I'm excited to share that I have put up my first YouTube video. This is just a little intro blog showing some of Nelly Bellie's cutest or funniest moments. It's short and sweet, and the quality isn't fib fab (I'm working on getting a new camera so please keep this in mind). 

I will be posting a lot of different videos in the future (reviews, treats and truths, bits and bobs about my life, etc), and coming soon I will be putting up some excellent holiday treats. If you have anything you would like to see (let's keep this appropriate please), then post a comment below or send me an email.

HERE IS THE VIDEO. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND 'LIKE' IF YOU ENJOYED IT. CHEERS! 

Ok - I have a had a few questions on how to comment, like, etc… so here's some quick tips: in case you are new to the online world, when you watch the video on my YouTube Channel you can click the thumbs up right below the video to "LIKE" it. Also, if you want to leave a comment on one of my blogs you have to go to the actual blog page for that post, not the home page (i.e. http://nellybellie.blogspot.ca/2013/11/happy-wednesday-nelly-belliers-im.html)

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

“Happiness is a warm puppy.” 
~ Charles M. Schulz

Welcome to Nelly Bellie

Hello Nelly Belliers!

Welcome to Nelly Bellie! A blog inspired by my Westie puppy Nelly (Nelly Bellie), turning the big 3-5, and taking life by the balls!

Nelly came into our lives in July of this year (she just turned 6 months two days ago - Happy Birthday Nelly!) and I want to share my experiences of having a new puppy (the good, the bad, and the ugly… very little bad, very little ugly, but I believe in full honesty!). Along the way I will also be reviewing dog products (with the help of Nelly of course) and posting some cutsie YouTube videos (Vlogs) for you to enjoy, because let's face it, she's the cutest puppy in the world.

I also recently just turned 25+10 (Nelly and I have the same birthday... well other than the year :) ) and I want to really get into life at 35, and offer some realness out there. Again, there are good and great things about being 35, and for me, some not bad things..... but real things that I would like to share.

I am also a lover of fashion, beauty, food, travel, yoga, writing, anything British (since I'm a half Brit -  born in England), music, and more... so I will be including lots of great information, reviews, experiences, etc on "all of my favourite things" and letting you in some zing zangs about my life (such as my amazing boyfriend who I live with and love with all my heart).

This is my VERY first blog in my whole life (could this be the start of something big?), so please feel free to let me know what you like, love, or dislike (but remember Nelly will also be reading your messages, so please be kind to her little puppy ears). 

If you would like me to review a product, or if you have any business enquiries, or…………. if you have any suggestions of what you would like to see, email me at mynellybellie@gmail.com

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself. ~ Josh Billings