Where it all Began!

On Saturday morning I decided what I needed to do was to visit the shop where I rescued Wooley at about 2 or 3 months old. Yes, a SHOP {I know} HOWEVER he had been abandoned there, and was even being segregated (poor thing) from the shop bunnies because the owner told me that they didn't know if he was healthy due to him being abandoned at the front door.   (far reaching?!)  I had been in the pet store to purchase food for my other bunny, which I only had for a month at that time. There he was, the future Tealle Wooley, sitting in an open 'tank' alone and frightened; And who puts an angora in shavings?! So naturally his beautiful wool was a mess. Those big blue eyes won my heart and 2-weeks later, I was back to pick him up!

So, my entire little family and I took a trip to Wooley's "birthplace" in Newport Beach, at the Fashion Island Shoping Center.  Of course, the pet store was completely re-done and under new ownership.  But its amazing how cathartic it was to visit anyway. 

We had a great lunch at Canaletto Italian Restaurant, with Lyonn and Madelaine sitting discretely in their Sherpa carrier (until the waitress asked what I had, and was promptly enamoured with them!)

beet salad yum                                                                                                          Ed's eggplant pasta

Fashion Island is my absolute favorite place to shop locally.  8-years ago I had a townhome in the area so that was my weekly shopping trip.  I remember what fun it was going to the Bloomies grand opening! They also have the best Christmas tree lighting event, with a huge tree flown in from Seattle (not too environmentally correct I know!) Now, and even though its still only a 15 minute drive from my office on the "toll road", I only have the time to visit about once every six months or so.

This is the outfit I tried to duplicate today: I wore a Theroy sweater, Classiques (Nordstom) shrunken Jacket and Court Jeans.

This is an outdoor shopping center and the weather was lovely for walking around. I had to stop in Anthropologie. The assistant manager gave an invitation to the bunnies that they could visit anytime !  So many cute fall items. I am in love with this cape:  (XS is already sold out).

 

This jacket:

This dress:

And of course there adorable coffee table books, sweaters, hats....my wishlist is quite long!

The plan was see Coco Before Chanel, but the theater was further north than we had thought, so we missed the movie.  Instead we went to Britta's Cafe in Irvine for a delicous dinner.  Their food is delicious and when Edgar worked in the area also, we would often have dinner there.  Now it is quite far for him to drive for dinner so it was really a treat to go there.

We were the only people dining on the patio since it was so early, Edgar couldn't help but take the bunnies out of their carrier!

Ed scolding Madelaine for eating all of the lettuce she was supposed to share with Lyonn

hhhmmmm, what shall we have?

Black, White and Lavendar Tribute!

Last night while looking through my emails and catching up, I saw this picture:

J.Crew

The colors, grey , white, touch of black, with lavendar undertones just said "Wooley" to me. A lavendar bunny?  He had big blue eyes and very Nordic skin coloring, so that's where the lavendar comes in.

Believe me, I was in no mood for shopping, but when I saw these colors, I knew I had to have it as a tribute to him and a 'feel good happy' gift to me.  As strange as it sounds, it just made me smile! If there were two things Wooley liked to do in his prime years, it was shop and dine out.  Whenever I took him to Nordstrom if meeting a friend there for lunch, or just picking up a little something, sales ladies would come over from other departments to coo over him.  And he loved every moment of it! 

The dining thing is a whole other post, but lets just say that he has dined in some of the best restaurants AND has been served (carrots, assorted veggies) WITHOUT my having to ask (I always tried to be discrete that he was even there!).

I had to visit Target at lunch time today to look for a cord to connect my laptop to my little HP photo printer.  Couldn't help but notice the adorable hats and gloves! And an adorable piece of fabric!

$71dollars later I was finished!  What?!  $20 phone cord, $20 fabric (a curtain actually), gorilla glue (projects!), curtain hanger thingys, $16 for a topper for my downstairs bathroom that I believe will match the fabric I bought in Los Angeles a couple of months ago, AND it has adorable dangly fringe.  Pictures if it does! Whew!  Under $100!  not bad for Target, right?!

Farewell My Angel...

...Until we are together again...

My beloved angel, Tealle Wooley, has come to his last battle.  He suffered a stroke last night, and I am so thankful to have been with him.  Although weak, he was very much at peace and after speaking to my caring, sweet veterinarian at 10:00pm, we agreed he would stay with me until morning.  He even wanted a few favorite foods throughout the night: raspberries, oatmeal and soymilk! 

This morning, as we drove the few blocks to the vet's office, he went into a trance-like state; to me that indicated that he was ready to go.

... He closed his eyes for a moment, opened them, and he was in heaven...

Wooley with his cherub statue (the cherub is holding a little bunny)

In one of the stars, I shall be living.

In one of them, I shall be laughing.

And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing when you look at the sky at night.

~ The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery

A favorite picture, in happier times

The Last Battle

If it should be that I grow frail and weak,

And pain should keep me from my sleep,

then you must do what must be done

For this, the last battle, can't be won.

You will be sad, I understand,

Don't let the grief then stay your hand,

For this day more than all the rest

Your love and friendship stand the test.

We've had so many happy years,

What is to come can hold no fears.

You'd not want me to suffer so;

When the time comes, please let me go.

Take me where my needs they'll tend

And stay with me to the end.

Hold me firm and speak to me

Until my eyes no longer see.

I know in time, you will see,

It is a kindness you do for me.

Although my {nose twitched its last},

From pain and suffering I've been saved.

Don't grieve that it should be you,

Who must decide this thing to do,

We've been so close, we two, these years;

Don't let your heart hold any tears.

- Author Unknown

Happy Birthday Wooley! {update}

Tonight we're celebrating Tealle-Wooley's 12th birthday (meet Wooley on the left side of the blog!).  I'll have pictures of his 'party' tomorrow.  I'll also have more pictures of other items as well including an outfit with BOOTS! yay! The weather actually cooled a few degrees and I wore boots yesterday! I've been really remiss this week about posting.  Wooley is probably the reason for that. 

Wooley is at the very end of his life, so this little birthday is really a celebration for me more than anything.  12-years is a very long time to have something in your life that is a huge part of it.  He is the same age as my soon-to-be stepson and he's referred to as 'Drew's brother'.  Edgar has even interchanged the names (ie:  "do you want me to give Drew some carrot juice, I mean Wooley")

**too funny!**

A bit about Wooley.  I rescued him from a pet store where he had been dropped in front of in Newport Beach, CA, the Fashion Island Shopping Center (why would anyone just drop of an angora?!).  I was at the pet store picking up food for my new baby Lop rabbit, Paige, that I had just adopted 2 months prior.  The pet store folks did not know how to deal with Wooley's angora wool and he was just a mess; but at least they were providing a temporary home.  I fell in love and agonized over him for about a week.  When I went back to check on him, he was still there, wool still a mess and his big blue eyes had a look of horror and sadness. 

After I took him home, much to my absolute dismay, the two bunnies did not get along at all and had to be kept separate.  I bought all sorts of bunny books and tried to bond them for a year; however, strangely enough, they became best friends. 

So when Paige *went to heaven* 4 years ago, Wooley started to become ill.  He started having teeth problems and sinus problems.  However, he has been happy and we saw how hard he fought to live after major dental surgery and a tumor removal in August 2008.  We couldn't believe it (I could, but Edgar was amazed at the strength he showed).  In January 2009, he developed cataracts as a result of the dreaded E Cuniculi virus and has been blind for 9-months.  

He's starting to show a weakness in the past week, and I know his time is short. He only weighs 2lbs even though I feed him a high caloric food twice a day.   I'm watching for that sign that he is ready because I had decided long ago that easing his transition will be the best gift I can give to him. 

As to not to sound sooooo depressing on this day of celebration, at lunch time I'm going to go pick up some balloons and ingredients for flourless chocolate cupcakes (for me and Edgar, the bunnies get an oatmeal-carrot cupcake creation that I've made just for them).  I searched for Peter Rabbit decorations, but couldn't not find them and it was too late to order on-line, so I found some blue and chocolate French inspired decorations.  It is fiscal 2010 madness here the office, and in an effort to maintian a level of professional decorum, I will NOT be sharing this blessed event! haha (no, not even a sign on my door announcing it, although I seriously thought about it...)

So please indulge me as a post our party pictures !

You may know that I have hypoglycemia from my teenage years of not eating anything (tee hee, oh to be able to do that now!haha), so I'm always modifying receipes so that I can eat healthy and stay awake.  This is a great receipe (from Martha! big happy squeal from me, love Martha ;-) for Flour-less Chocolate Cupcakes, yum!  Of course for the sugar, I'll use Splenda, but it is great and for anyone who wants to decrease their gluten and/or sugar, this is a fabulous holiday party desert!  It has the chocoholic-Edgar seal of approval (he's a foodie-snob, so that's saying ALOT!!)  You can use vanilla yogurt, ice cream or whip cream (regular or fat free) for topping!  Dogs can't have chocolate, can bunnies?!  I can't afford to find out with these 3 (hi Dr. Knox! - she's my vet, whom I've gotten to know quite well!).

from Martha's website.

Cupcake oatmeal and carrot cakes...yummy if you are a rabbit!

Yes, I've taught my 'child' to sit properly on chairs!

...before we set something on fire....

Thank you for celebrating Wooley's life with us!

And a big thank you to Ms. Lindsay ;-) at Being Mrs. Cullins for her wonderful movie suggestion of Miss Potter with Renee Zellweger.  Our local Blockbuster said they did not stock it, but I will find it or oder it from Amazon over the weekend! I love Beatrix Potter! If you haven't visited Being Mrs. Cullins, please do so, it's a wonderful blog and she's having a giveaway!

Effortless Style

I was inspired by A New York Girl's post "Effortless Style".  It was a really well-written (ie: could easily be in Vogue!) and she discussed the art of having effortless style.  Ms. NY Girl basically discussed what my philosphy in life is as well:   How can one go out and be supportive and nurturing to others if she is hating herself and does not possess confidence?  Fashion can help us feel good about ourselves even in difficult times.  I think effortless style really gives us that boost of confidence that we need. We are sometimes surrounded by much negativity and people who may be very interested in seeing us fail, but confidence in ourselves and give us the ability to go out and make the most of our skills and abilities. 

Like many of us, I workout hard - long runs, Lotte Burke Pilates, yoga, try to have a healthy diet, and I want to feel strong and look and feel good in all the fashions I spend my hard-earned money on! When I feel like I look good, I'm happy. If I'm happy and I'm willing to go that extra mile for someone else.

I admire classic women who just seem to know how to dress in a tasteful manner.  Yesterday I had not planned my outfit, but I do felt like I have that  level of  'effortless style'. I was running late and quickly chose a trusted black Anne Klein skirt, black patent pumps from Nordstom and a cream Forever blouse with ruffles topped with a Banana black patent belt. Of course the blouse could have been neatly tucked into the skirt, but I must have been feeling a bit mad-men-ish! It seems that I have been well-received (outfit-wise, haha!) in two meetings, while doing erronds at lunchtime and passing some colleagues in the hallway. I could have also worn a black leather trench-style coat or the new black trench from DKNY that purchased for fall, however, it was STILL 80 degrees; maybe next time!

Isn't nice when we can achieve effortlessly what has taken so much work to actually get to this point. Here is wishing everyone a confident, stylish day!

front courtyard with Wooley!

Favorites Designers from Fashion Week

Wooley and I are watching Rachel Zoe, reading Marie Claire and looking a various Fashion Week sites on-line. We like to multi-task, always have! Wooley is sipping fresh from the juicer organic (he insists!) carrot juice and I have Peets decaf. Such an elegant evening after a very arduous run (after the Leeks all day, maybe not a good idea...)

These are a few of the lines that inspired us today.