Loving Blondes

I am not insanely in love with dogs, unlike some 

bloggers who live on ranches and gush over their 

pets and livestock alike.  I enjoy reading their gushings, but I am not one of them.

I am, however, in love with watching my kids love their pets.

(I like this next picture so much I just ordered two 8x10's.)

Lily the girl and Molly the dog were hanging out 

under the kitchen table one day, and the light and 

the colors were so pretty.

I love all the shades of cream and beige and blonde.

Of course it didn't take long for them to notice me

 sticking a camera in their faces...

but they are both pretty used to that...

"carry on mother...."

"when you're done, could you bring Molly

a pillow please?"

And in true Lindquist family style, all quiet 

moments end up in a wrestling match.

It is what it is.

(I say this a lot lately.  It's very liberating!

  You should try it!)

And in true LILY style, all activities end up in a

 fashion review of some sort.

Here they are comparing fingernails.

"Mom!  Can I paint Molly's nails?"

Molly:  "Paint them!  Paint them!"

Golden and True

It's the end of June!

I have a great deal of catching up to do.

Let's see...what do you need to know?

I got a Keurig coffee maker.

I now drink ten cups of coffee a day, and for awhile my favorite flavor was "Mountain Blueberry," but as of today, it has relinquished the throne to "Sweet Summer Raspberry!"

This is big news.

Two of my kids are in New Orleans sharing God's incredible love with youth in the inner city there.

I just now realized that the background color of my blog is the same color as my walls!  What does it all mean?

We had a GREAT week hanging out with my sister and her husband, Sarah and Darrin,... at home and at the cabin.

And my golden retriever...her name is Molly...has been shedding.

Now I know you know this, but I am NOT really a "dog person."  I prefer cats every day of the week plus Tuesdays, BUT I will say this...some things Molly has been doing lately have cracked me up!

The following is one example:

Here I am getting ready to go up to the cabin to join Sarah and Darrin, and the cooler....

 was being guarded by a noble, golden soul.

 Molly:  "Don't worry Fair Mistress (I refuse to be mom to a dog), I shall guard the cooler!"

 "You SHALL NOT PAASSSSSSS!" (LOTR)

Why you may wonder?  

Why would she care about guarding a white, coffin-like box???

Oh....she had her reasons!!!

 And here they all are!
That right there is a lot of good cabin eating!

Molly was destined to eat none of it....

...a fact she well knew...
...because I told her so right from the start!

The question was...

did I trust her to guard it unsupervised?

 Look at her eyes....Would you trust this face???

I wasn't too sure...

I kept sticking my head back out as I gathered more items.

 She was insulted by my suspicions!

Would she stay true?

Yes!  She was golden!  True hearted!

I'm not sure if this look had more to do with me or the meat, but it's one of my favorite shots of this dog.

It was a bonding moment for both of us, I think.

Molly and Lily

Our dog Molly puts up with a lot!

For starters, we make her live in Minnesota.  And we don't even bring her with us on spring break.  It's a long winter for Molly!  But don't let this picture fool you...she loves the snow, doesn't seem to mind the cold and would rather be outside than inside most of the time!

Maybe that is because when she is inside, she has to sit on her mat.

She doesn't really want to sit on her mat...

she'd rather terrorize the cat, chew socks and shed profusely all over my entire house.

Which is why she has to sit on the mat.

Sometimes we take pity on her and let her try to sleep with Timmy...

but she is so obnoxious that it has never lasted more than 15 minutes...

...back to the mat!

I don't know what she has to complain about though...

we always have her best interests at heart...

...Lily is happy to share her hair accessories...

...but Molly just doesn't seem to appreciate fashion...

....unless it's chewable fashion...

"Can you believe what I put up with?"

"HELP me!  Rescue me!  Here comes Lily again to play...

...DOCTOR!!!"

Every thing gets examined!

Molly looks so patient in this picture.

She's not really.

But attention IS attention...

There's something to be said for attention...

which is something Molly has an insatiable need for...

But still...some kinds of attention are preferable to others...

..and...

... reindeer antlers transplant is way down on Molly's list!

"Smile for the camera Molly!"

"I'll smile alright!  I could ....

No worries...Molly was just trying to see if she could reach the antlers with her teeth.

She couldn't.

So she just resigned herself to Lily's will.

Lily gets that a lot.

Alpha child.

A frequent topic of conversation for Lily is whether Molly is her big sister or  her little sister.  It makes her burst into tears that Molly advances seven years at every birthday while Lily only gets to add one.  So Lily takes every opportunity to boss Molly around.  Just to show her who's boss.  Better Molly than the rest of us!

Timmy's Two Loves

There are two things in this world that my 11 year old boy LOVES:

Funnel Cakes.....

...and his dog Molly.

And I, his loving mother, made these for him as a treat. 

It had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the fact that I'd been craving them ever since I watched Timmy and Lily devour them at Valley Fair Amusement Park in August.

I made them for the sheer love of Timmy.

And Molly....

Molly definitely loves Timmy back....

but she too has another love....

...and it's NOT the cat.

Molly....."NO!"

It's "Blue Monkey"

We have a penchant for simple names around here.

(I once had a pony named....drumroll..."Pony.")

She loves Blue Monkey with every tooth she has!

"Wait!  Time out!  Whatabout me?"

"Remember meeeeeeee?"

We remember you, Lily, but this post is about Timmy and Molly.

...and Blue Monkey.

Look into those eyes....

(Molly's not the monkey's....)

No wonder Timmy loves her.

disclaimer....the stuffing you see here is from her bed.....no monkeys were harmed in the making of this post.

Molly and Me

Last week, Katie, Timmy, Lily and Tim and I watched "Marley and Me," the movie out last year about a family and their out of control lab who, after turning their lives upside down, ends up breaking everybody's heart at the end by dying, basically of old age.  (Go figure.)  Anyhow, I have been wanting to rent it for some time...as in a few weeks, to see if my reaction to the movie has changed any since I saw it in the theatres last fall....back when I didn't own a dog....back before I'd even realized that I was about to own a dog.  Because, I have to tell you, and I know by saying this that I am causing some avid born-that-way dog lovers to shake their heads in disbelief, but my reaction in the theatre was completely lacking in canine compassion!  I sat watching the movie for the first time thinking, "Why would anybody WANT that?  Why would they choose to put themselves through that...and like it even?"  When the dog would chew the floor or destroy the blinds, instead of laughing bemusedly like the others around me in the theatre, I felt my blood pressure rise and my stress level go  up, and I honestly found myself wishing the movie were over!  Enough already!

So....you are wondering.... 1. Why did the Lindquist's get a dog???...but that's not what this blog post is about.  Sorry.  Another time, perhaps.  Perhaps not.

2.  )How did it go watching "Marley and Me" the SECOND time around?  Was her reaction different now that she OWNS a little pooch?  Has she changed at all?

The answer to number two is...: Nope.  Nada.  Not one iota of difference in my emotional reaction.

OH, I DID GET EMOTIONAL during the movie.  I got emotional at exactly the same point in BOTH viewings of the movie.  It wasn't when the dog dies, or when the little boy (Patrick) stands over the grave or even when Jenny says "Goodbye Clearance Puppy." (you have to see the movie to understand...)

I cried when the mom (Jenny), who is overwhelmed with two babies and the dog,  looks at her husband  and says (my paraphrase), "It's just that I've given up so much of who I was...of what made me me.  I know it was my choice, but sometimes I'm not happy and I know that makes me a bad person to feel that way, but I do."  I cried.  Good stuff.

Oh...but my reaction was nothing compared to Lily's.  As soon as she got a whiff that Marley was getting old, she asked if he was going to die.  I said yes.  She wailed for the last 20 minutes of the movie, then all the way up to bed and was still doing dry sobs 30 minutes later.  She didn't get it from me, I tell ya.

So Molly and Me....don't worry; we are doing alright.  I like her, most of the time.  And since I feed her, she adores me.  I'm ok with that.

Dog Update

Just a little update on 11 1/2 week old Molly!

She's definitely getting bitter...did I say "bitter...I meant "bigger"... got a new collar and leash.

Training has begun in earnest!

But still her favorite activity....

...is biting the head off....

...her beloved squirrel....

Puppy bliss it seems...

The Big Reveal! New Year's 2010!

You may (or may not) have noticed that my posting has been a little...nonexistant the last few weeks.  Well, we had Christmas, which needs no explanation, and then getting unpacked and all, and then for the past week...what I am about to reveal....

If you are familiar with our family history, the following may surprise you...or distress you...or delight you....it just depends.

But first for the setup...New Year's Morning...

take a look at these faces!:

The "I really think you've lost your mind" face.

The "You've got to be kidding me face."

I like this one the best....no I don't....I like the next one the best!

 Here's my favorite!

 Hilarious! 

 Lily and Timmy were both looking at the SAME thing!

HERE SHE IS! 

Spontaneous hugs all around!

Lily's still not sure if she's happy or sad in this picture...but she never passes by an opportunity for a big hug!  Timmy, however...is without a doubt....

....the happiest...

....little boy....

....on earth....

Meet Molly.

She was seven weeks old and joined our family on

New Year's Day,...

...and she's all he ever wanted...

....and MORE!

and now she just wet on the rug, so I have to go.

Bye.