Happy 23rd Birthday, Anna Maxwell! (MERGE)

[Justme]

No birthday post up yet. Is it that difficult, Sarah? Or are you having trouble finding nice things to say about her that aren't boring....

[albanuadh_1]

Birthday post up! Anna can prepare Michelin star quality meals!!! but nary a mention of coffee.

[albanuadh_1]

 

No mention of coffee but she is a gourmet cook! 

[WonderingInWA]

She gets an extra hour of birthday fun due to daylight savings!  What that equates to at the Compound is just an extra hour of family bible time.

Her hair looks awful.

[gustava]

I think we already have a thread on this.

[kpmom]

I'm not seeing the birthday post for some reason.  When I go to their site I'm still seeing Sarah's surprise party post.

 

[Palimpsest]

Yes, we already have a thread on this.  I asked for the threads to be merged earlier.

[Justme]

Sarah called Anna a WOMAN!

[Palimpsest]

Yep.  Anna is the chief cook and bottle-washer and go-to baby-sitter.  I hope she gets turtle cheesecake with pecans for her birthday dessert.

You all probably don’t realize it, but Anna is always an integral part of whatever she is around, quietly moving behind the scenes. She’s quick to volunteer to do a task; she’s ever willing to baby-sit when there’s an in-law who needs help; she makes amazing meals and turns ordinary ones into speciality-restaurant quality ones; the list could go on. She is such a delight.

Anna’s personality: vivacious, resourceful, diligent, happy, determined

 

[Letgo]

Sarah called Anna a WOMAN!

That's probably an inside joke. Since neither is married, with a new headship other than Steve, neither is an adult woman. And Sarah never will be. I still hold out hope for Anna and Mary.

[Jana814]

Happy Birthday to Anna.  

I never got their reasoning for getting up so early. Like someone else said it's not like they have jobs to get to so early. 

[Handmaiden of Dog]

Boy she really looks like Teri in that picture.  Teri must have been married and already had a baby or two by the time she was 23.

she makes amazing meals and turns ordinary ones into speciality-restaurant quality ones

How would Sarah know?  Has Sarah ever gone to any place fancier than Olive Garden?  It is one thing to laud someone's cooking abilities when the taster has some gourmet meals under their belt but since I get the impression that "going out" to the Maxwells means fast food and Cracker Barrel, I wouldn't trust their judgement.

Anna’s personality: vivacious, resourceful, diligent, happy, determined

Diligent and determined.  Not exactly a glowing character reference-- unless it is for a job application.  Happy and vivacious are better but hard to believe in a family that spends their entire day working and reading the Bible mostly in silence.

What tops off an entire day of celebration? An extra hour! This is her first birthday we’ve turned clocks back an hour.

Yeah, Whooo!  An extra hour for Anna.  Maybe she can scrub out the bathtub or polish all of the doorknobs.

[rosalitta]

But daylight savings is technically early tomorrow morning, waaay after Maxwell bedtime! Does this mean Anna gets an extra hour of sleep, or do the Maxwells schedule their clock changes for a different time than the rest of the country?

[socalrules]

If Anna was born on October 31, how does Anna get an extra hour for her birthday? The clocks are turned back an hour early Nov. 1. She gets an extra hour of awake time because they turn the clocks back an hour early the night of Oct. 31 instead? It's as though they get to stay up an hour past their bedtime like the big kids.

What is specialty-restaurant quality as opposed to regular restaurant quality? You get one jalapeno on your burrito as to make it Mexican restaurant quality? Are the Maxwells vegetarian? I only hear about the bean burritos and never hear about them eating burgers or steak or meatloaf. 

[mango_fandango]

Boy she really looks like Teri in that picture.  Teri must have been married and already had a baby or two by the time she was 23.

How would Sarah know?  Has Sarah ever gone to any place fancier than Olive Garden?  It is one thing to laud someone's cooking abilities when the taster has some gourmet meals under their belt but since I get the impression that "going out" to the Maxwells means fast food and Cracker Barrel, I wouldn't trust their judgement.

Diligent and determined.  Not exactly a glowing character reference-- unless it is for a job application.  Happy and vivacious are better but hard to believe in a family that spends their entire day working and reading the Bible mostly in silence.

Yeah, Whooo!  An extra hour for Anna.  Maybe she can scrub out the bathtub or polish all of the doorknobs.

She does. In an old post from Steve and Teri's 35th anniversary, there are photos from the wedding. Teri really looks like Anna in the photos.

[princessmahina]

I assume when Sarah says Anna turns an ordinary meal into a "restaurant quality" one that she's talking about garnishes or something. Perhaps Anna sprinkles a pinch of a dried, flavorless herb over a pasta dish once and awhile, elevating it to Olive Garden levels.

 

To an extent, I really hate snarking on the Maxwell kids. They're so sheltered and it's just so sad. They go on about what an amazing cook Anna is, but what is their comparison? Olive Garden? Cracker Barrel? Delivery pizza? Anna will probably never get a chance to try the cuisine at an expensive restaurant, or even borrow a cookbook written by a world class chef from the library. Her culinary options are so limited, it nearly makes me weep. I know I'm one of those weird people who is super into cooking (and eating) strange things, but damn. I can't even imagine how depressing it would be to be limited in the way the Maxwell girls are. They're supposed to be paragons of homemaking, and yet I doubt any of them can perform any kind of complicated food preparation technique.  

Steve and Teri infuriate me.

/rant

 

[Dandruff]

So...she's a good worker and will be blessed with an extra hour of sleep.  How about a party, lots of indulgent gifts, and perhaps some time off for good behavior?

[iweartanktops]

@princessmahina I'm reading through the blog from the beginning right now... I'm with you on being very sad for the Maxwell kids. The blog is a nightmare to read and their lives are pitiful! It's almost like these young ladies are in captivity. 

Steve is an ass hole. 

[twin2]

Much like Anna, I like to cook.  I happen to live in an area with a well known cooking school, so for Christmas one year, my parents gave me a gift certificate to attend one of their Saturday courses.  I got spend 4 hours learning how to make French Pastries from one of the instructions there with about 20 other students.  Such a thing would be a lovely present for Anna who supposedly likes to cook, but alas one she will never receive because of that terrible, terrible worldly influence her parents are sooo afraid of, so instead she will no doubt get another Bible cozy, an Iphone case, and maybe a new muffin tin for her birthday.

[Rosie]

She gets an extra hour of birthday fun due to daylight savings!  What that equates to at the Compound is just an extra hour of family bible time.

Her hair looks awful.

her hair looks just terrible.  She looks terrible.

[Palimpsest]

her hair looks just terrible.  She looks terrible.

Anna looks perfectly nice and healthy, not terrible at all.  Do you look that good without make-up? 

Of course, she might have looked conventionally prettier if she were made up and had styled her hair to your standards, but I'm sure Steve thinks that messing with make-up, hair conditioner and styling tools is vanity. 

[HermioneSparrow]

her hair looks just terrible.  She looks terrible.

If Steve is reading this, buy a comb for Anna's bday, lol.

[divadivine]

Anna looks perfectly nice and healthy, not terrible at all.  Do you look that good without make-up? 

Of course, she might have looked conventionally prettier if she were made up and had styled her hair to your standards, but I'm sure Steve thinks that messing with make-up, hair conditioner and styling tools is vanity. 

ummm... I am going to say most of us look better than Anna without make-up- mostly because we comb our hair. Hell, I look better wearing my grubby clothes after doing work around the house with my hair in a ponytail than she looks in those pictures. If someone is taking your photo comb your damn hair. 

[HermioneSparrow]

Healthy yes, but sorry her hair looks horrible! it doesn't take a genius to comb your damn hair, specially if someone is photographing you. I think Mary and even Sarah take care of their looks a bit more and to me they're not much prettier than Anna, I think Anna is just frumpy... She would look so cute with a makeover.. Sadly, shit happens or in their case, Steve and Teri happens!

[Rosie]

Anna looks perfectly nice and healthy, not terrible at all.  Do you look that good without make-up? 

Of course, she might have looked conventionally prettier if she were made up and had styled her hair to your standards, but I'm sure Steve thinks that messing with make-up, hair conditioner and styling tools is vanity. 

I am twice her age and no, do not look great without makeup on.

 

her hair looks lifeless and dry, and to me, she looks (overall) anything but "vivacious."  So yes, I think she looks terrible for an allegedly vivacious 23yo.  Not her fault as she basically lives in prison.