Monogram Monday - New York City

I love New York and was so thrilled to have a full day there to share with my sister, Krystal.  Here are the details of our Big Apple adventure.

8:00 AM - Rise and Shine! Check out the view we woke up to from our room at the Carlyle.

There was a fantastic Nespresso machine in the kitchenette of our fantastic room. I loved it so much that I asked for one for my birthday!

Isn't the room pretty?  I loved the monogram pillow in the living room. It made me feel at home.

9:30 AM - Krystal and I left the hotel to head to the near-by Metropolitan Museum of Art to stroll through the period rooms.  I loved the English rooms and Krystal loved the French!  Don't miss the New American Wing either.

And check out this amazing Dog Kennel (even Lola would feel spoiled in this!).

We also took a little bit of time to check out the Schiaparelli and Prada Impossible Conversations exhibit.  I died over this blue and white bridal veil by Schiaparelli  The exhibit is fantastic and not to be missed!

11:30 AM - Our visit to the Met was short but we had a lot on our to-do list! By the way, you can see what Krystal wore in her outfit post here.

Afternoon:

A little bit of shopping on Madison Ave - check!
A little bit more shopping at Bergdorfs - check!  (I got these YSL shoes on sale! Score!)
Corn chowder and chopped salad at the chic Kelly Wearstler designed restaurant, BG at Bergdorfs - check!
A trip to Smythson for a new Mid-Year Soho Diary for Krystal and a few gifts - check!
A stroll through Chanel (my birthday is coming up!) - check!
A stroll through Hermes (reminder - my birthday is coming up!) - check!

4:00 PM - After freshening up back at the Carlyle (and pretending we were Jacqueline Kennedy strolling out the revolving doors on to Madison Ave), we went for a quick meeting with my awesome literary Agent, Andrea Barvzi, at ICM.  She always gets me excited about the next project (no news on that yet) and reminds me that I need to keep trying to sell the books I have out now!  (Order one for yourself and one for your mom today!)

5:00 PM - Meeting with Alison Brod PR about all of the exciting new things they have going on!  She is a busy lady and their office is so incredible.  They are moving soon but I hope they take their Pucci inspired decor with them.  There are framed scarves on the walls and vintage chairs in the reception area.

6:30 PM - A stroll through Barneys and a nice walk back to the Carlyle to get ready for dinner.  We passed Bardith Ltd. and spotted these Blue and White Serving Platters in the window.  AMAZING! (Reminder - my birthday is coming up!)

8:00 PM - Dinner at Phillippe with great friends. It was so delicious and I don't know if I have ever laughed so much in my life.  It was such a fun crew.

11:00 PM - We snuggled into our glamorous bedroom at the Carlyle and dreaded leaving the next day.

By the way, our flight the next day was cancelled (such a bonus because it gave us a chance to enjoy a leisurely lunch in the city!). I want to send a huge thanks to the folks at Delta because they were so nice and helpful!

What do I say when a friend is grieving over the death of a pet?

Kerry from Mesquite wrote to me with the following question:

One of my co-workers recently had to put their dog down.  I am a dog owner but most of the other people in our office are not. They are not being very sensitive to her loss.  Is there an accepted etiquette for condolences when it comes to the loss of a pet?

Dear Kerry,

What a wonderful question.  We all know someone at some point who grieves over the loss of a pet.  We go through the same grieving process with the death of a dog or cat that we do with the loss of a friend or family member.  Although our grief over the loss of a family member is greater, our lives are still impacted when we loose a pet.

Here are a tips that I hope will help:

-Even if you don't have a pet or are not an animal lover, it is important to remember that your friend or co-worker who lost their pet will feel a void in their life.  Be respectful of the love they had for their pet and send them a note of condolence or a card.  Have patience with them while they grieve.

-Remember that their daily lives will be altered and they will go through an adjustment period.  Imagine going home to an empty house at the end of the day instead of being greeted by a wagging tail and unconditional love.

-Consider sending flowers or making a donation to an animal charity in honor of your friend.  The gesture will surly make them feel that you understand their loss.

Can your dog sing like Katy Perry?

If you had the Woofer it could!  This hilarious contraption was created by Matthew Baron of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania so that your dog could add more joy to your life than it already does. The Woofer is a dog coat with speakers that lets you play your favorite songs from your Ipod or other MPS player.  Each one is hand made to order and the website even includes a sizing chart.  You can share your music with friends during your next party, jog or doggie play date in the dog park.  It would also be an easy solution to Christmas Carols!
I met Matthew at the Texas Pet Expo last weekend and he told me that most fun feature of the Woofer is the wireless microphone hook-up you can request.  You could send your dog around and hide in the bushes and talk to people through the speakers!
Check out TheWoofer.com to order or call 323-314-2305.

Texas Pet Expo

I have passes to give away to the Texas Pet Expo this weekend!  I hope you will come see me on Saturday from 11 to 1 while I sign copies of Dog Parties: Entertaining Your Party Animal.  Please comment here if you want a Family Pass!

Texas Pet Expo is coming!

The Texas Pet Expo is a weekend celebration that is fun for the whole family.  There are fantastic opportunities for intimate animal experiences as well as shopping and adoption options!  I will be signing copies of Dog Parties: Entertaining Your Party Animal on Saturday Nov. 9 from 11 to 1.  I can't wait and I hope you will come by and see me!

I am thrilled that the Texas Pet Expo is going to donate a portion of ticket sales to Texas Hearing and Service Dogs!  They adopt every dog they train and they invest $17,500 and one year to train each dog.  All dogs and training are free of charge to assist physically challenged people.  They use only positive reinforcement training and are trained as Service Dogs or Hearing Dogs!  It is such a cool program!

The Texas Pet Expo, which will be at the Plano Convention Center on Saturday Nov. 6 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday Nov. 7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. is the largest consumer pet show in North Texas and will be the ultimate source of education, entertainment, expert care and fun for pet lovers and owners of all kinds.  Admission to the Expo is $10 for an adult, $5 for seniors and children over 5.  Children under 5 are free and so is parking!  Visit www.texaspetexpo.com for more details.

October isn't only about candy and costumes...

There is a much more cuddly cause to celebrate! This month is the American Humane Association's Adopt- A- Dog Month.

Adopting a pet is certainly the farthest thing from a new idea but chances are, it probably would be new for most of us to truly consider driving down to the nearest shelter to pick out a pup. I know how unreasonable it might be to ask if you would just hop in your car, on a whim, to take in an animal that requires your love and attention. However, if you and your family have been contemplating a canine addition then hopefully you can keep open minds and hearts while I tell you some reasons for, and benfits of adopting a dog from your nearest shelter.
-Many shelters offer great support services to answer anything and everything you would like to know about your future family member. These people are all animal lovers and would love nothing more than to educate you on caring for your pet. The shelters usually assess each of the dogs for a full week so that they can tell you facts about their compatability with your lifestyle.

-Many of the dogs in shelters are already trained or housebroken. This is because many of these dogs, actually 80% of them, are in the shelter due to previous, unfit living situations. Some of the animals were given away because the families were moving into a new home or because they were expecting a child and didn't think that it would be responsible to keep an energetic dog around their baby.

-You will have done a good thing by saving a life.

So if you are considering adopting a dog, here are some good questions to ask to ensure a positive experience for both you and your pet:

1. What size dog is the best fit for my lifestyle?

2. Ask about each dog's general behavior. What is the dog's personality like? What are his habits? What is his temprament like? What will I feed him?

3. Something that we rarely think about is the size of our property in relation to the size of our pet. Yes, the size of your home might cross your mind, but your dog is going to need to have some space outdoors as well. Large dogs do not just want to have the freedom to run around, but they also need the exercise in order to live a long and healthy life.

All of these dogs can be adopted today and it's as easy as going to Operation Kindness' website.

Protecting Your Pooch

Last night was a scary one!  After arriving home from a fantastic book signing at the beautiful Azure Social Room (photos later!), I could not find Lola anywhere in the house.  I was not sure how long she had been missing and I was so frazzled that I did not pick up my mobile phone when it rang.  After coming to my senses I realized that I should probably check my messages and, sure enough, there was a kind message from a lady named Sarah telling me that she found Lola two streets away!  I rushed over to Sarah's home and introduced myself.  Lola had already bonded with her daughter Hailey and was all snuggled up.  I think Lola was disappointed to see me!  All of this got me to thinking that it was time to re-visit some of Summer Safety Tips for pets....

-First thing we will do today is walk around the perimeter of our backyard gates and make sure that she can no longer sneak out under the gate!

-Practicing our commands is a good idea too.  We have gotten a bit lax in that area since we brought a baby in to the house.  It has changed Lola's life so much so I always want to spoil her and forget to enforce the rules sometimes.  This is important because I need to know that she will respect my commands while we are around a road or other people.

-Double check collars and ID tags to ensure that they fit properly and can be read easily.  Thank God Sarah could read the phone number on Lola's tag last night!

-Summer is a good time to check your yard and walking trail for poisonous leaves and plants.  Dogs can react to certain houseplants as well so be cautious!

-Keep chocolate treats, tobacco products, and medications away from your four legged friends!

-Keep poisonous cleaning and household products up high and out of reach (just like you would for your toddler.)

-Don't forgot to ask your Vet for advice on protecting your pet from tics, fleas, and heart worm.  There are simple and in-expensive treatments so take the time to seek advice.

-Most importantly, love on them and have fun with them.  There is nothing like the bond shared between master and pet!  Pay them back for their uncompromising love with a lot of summer fun!