Nathan and Melanie's 11th anniversary

[Lady Elaine]

I agree that Mary knows she's beautiful. Some of her poses just scream "I'm sexy and I know it". Well... as much as is possible for a Maxwell.

[Lillybee]

They probably borrowed the van so they'd have the girl's car seats already installed (much easier than moving them).

Re. the food; maybe they went pre-packaged as it would be easier for the nieces to help.

I think you are right on this, make it easy so the kids could help. However, one thing I've observed of the Maxwell's blog posts on menus, special meals, ect., it that it is all fairly run of the mill, if that makes sense? Although it appears that don't do much pre-packaged/pre-made meals, they don't go nearly as down home homemade as per say Zsu. Also their meals are nothing overly extravagant, salads, soups, casseroles, lots of burritos. Now don't get me wrong, there isn't anything wrong with the way the eat, I would just expect a lot more for a houseful of helpmeets.

One of the reasons for not perusing higher education is because the daughter needs to train at home (educate herself) to be a helpmeet her future headship. So lets look at Sarah, who is what 31 now? Essentially, by this time she should have her BS, MS, PhD and be on her second post-doc in "helpmeet." I'd expect a lot more extravagance in the kitchen then she puts out, handmade pasta and sauces, homemade salad dressing, creative sides, ect, not bean burritos 3 times a week for dinner.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

Looking at those pics of the grocery store made me sad that a trip to the store with her sisters and nieces and without her parents was such a huge event for a 31-year-old. I am sure the kids had fun with their aunts but, I am sure the trip took tons of planning and praying over. It is so sad that these little girls aren't just Sarah, Mary, and Anna's nieces but they are the only friends they can be around without parental supervision. Steve Maxwell is the biggest cult leader/ douchebag ever.

I have to wonder what the other shoppers thought of them basically doing a model photoshoot every few feet.

In fact I have to wonder if the store had a problem with it. The few times I ever tried to take a picture inside a grocery store (to say hey look, it's a US grocery store!!) the manager said it wasn't allowed.

So lets look at Sarah, who is what 31 now? Essentially, by this time she should have her BS, MS, PhD and be on her second post-doc in "helpmeet."

SRSLY. Plus, I think the nieces could still help with a homemade sauce, all they have to do is help dump in the various ingredients on auntie's say so and stir it a bit, not much more difficult than heating up the premade stuff really. Perhaps they worry about jumping oil when sauteeing (particularly if they put meat in it) but still, with a second post-doc in charge of the lab...!

(Welcome back, by the way. I still love your icon.)

Also, more veggie porn: http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2133130381528358801

[rural juror]

Part 3 of the trilogy is up!

What on Earth does this mean:

Yes, the table tipped over, causing one of the glass candle holders to break. The mishaps that happen in the Moody books are really “Not All Fiction.â€

Is this a sneak peak into the next Moody book?? Will there be a riveting scene with breaking candle holders and prayers for forgiveness?

[Queen Of Hearts]

I can't believe they broke this story down into a three part trilogy. Talk about over-kill! The more I think about this, I am not so sure if this little "Aunty make-believe" time wasn't the brain child of 'ole Steve-o (Hi, Steve!). Funny that their last few blog posts have consisted of advertisements for his products - one for the One Ton Ramp course and three for the Moody books. Steve-o must need money.

[lilith]

That sounds like that's the only book they ever read. Hopefully Melanie reads other books to them during the day.

There are six Moody books, right? And they aren't very long?

If Abigail reads them with Daddy every night, even if they are read twice its not much reading material. Surely Abigail has been getting bedtime stories for at least a few years. Do they ration non biblical reading to one page a night? Or are the Moody books the only ones that Nathan and Melanie will admit to Steve and the aunts that they read, but they are actually reading worldly filth like Little House in the Big Woods on the sly?

[DrPusey]

On another note, it looks like the little girls have a pretty sweet dollhouse set up in the play room.

[johnhugh]

All I say is that It makes the man-boy set up look normal.....

[gardenvarietycitizen]

In part 3 I'm kinda weirded out by the admission from Sarah that when the family goes out to eat for real, they announce they're gonna pray and then ask the server if there's anything the server would like them to pray for on the server's behalf.

Creepayyyy....

[YPestis]

I'm ok with the making dinner thing although I think it's the brainchild of one of the Maxwell sisters. It actually looks like a lot of fun for the little girls, I can't imagine the older Maxwell girls finding it as engaging. It does look like the little Maxwell girls are happy and normal. I like to think Nathan, having left the house before his family went all crazy fundie and his not-as-crazy-fundie wife have normal family stuff at home. You know, hobbies, secular books, F-U-N activities.

The meal wasn't all that impressive, although I don't know how much work they put in the lasanga. My MIL makes her's from scratch and she cooks with fresh ingredients, spending up three days to make the meat. I'm surprised how little fancy cooking the girls do. I mean, spending all your time in homemaking, you better be making gourmet meals! Heck, those kids in culinary school can churn out 4 star restaurant quality food after 4 measly years of cooking school. The dessert looks delicious though. I guess the girls do know how to bake.

[Bethella]

"Chef Anna" had the sauce ready before the little girls arrived. So really there was no reason to use prepared sauce to make it easier for them to help out. It was just a pointless time-saving device for a family that already has too much time on their hands.

The main course was lasagna. Anna had already cooked the meat and simmered it in the sauce, in addition to cooking the the noodles. Abby helped Anna layer it.

And the bit about the table tipping over- has anyone read the book where the kids make the anniversary dinner for their parents? I almost wondered if they tipped the table over on purpose to match what happened in the book. :?

[Guest Anonymous]

Poor Sarah. This is the only way she gets to live out her fantasies.

[Queen Of Hearts]

In part 3 I'm kinda weirded out by the admission from Sarah that when the family goes out to eat for real, they announce they're gonna pray and then ask the server if there's anything the server would like them to pray for on the server's behalf.

Creepayyyy....

Agreed. She said the waitress was so moved she started crying... more likely she was so upset that she was going to have to deal with some wackadoodles that she started crying. (Not that there is anything wrong with praying, or offering prayers to others... but most people don't approach complete strangers who are just trying to do their jobs with offers of forced prayer.)

[WonderingInWA]

I had a coworker "witness" to me in the hallway at work once (she accosted me on my way to the restroom!). It is borderline harrassment, if you ask me, and it does NOT belong in the workplace.

[MamaJunebug]

Agreed. She said the waitress was so moved she started crying... more likely she was so upset that she was going to have to deal with some wackadoodles that she started crying. (Not that there is anything wrong with praying, or offering prayers to others... but most people don't approach complete strangers who are just trying to do their jobs with offers of forced prayer.)

Waitressing is stressful enough, lots of people who do it for a living are stressed out at home as well, and to have people -- kinda creepy-looking people with decidedly weird eyes ask me (for instance) if they could pray for me? I might well burst into tears just from penting up my natural reactions to it all. Absolutely I agree with the above - it's not necessarily being spiritually moved "moved," it's being pushed to the edge of one's patience! :doh:

[Queen Of Hearts]

Waitressing is stressful enough, lots of people who do it for a living are stressed out at home as well, and to have people -- kinda creepy-looking people with decidedly weird eyes ask me (for instance) if they could pray for me? I might well burst into tears just from penting up my natural reactions to it all. Absolutely I agree with the above - it's not necessarily being spiritually moved "moved," it's being pushed to the edge of one's patience! :doh:

We shouldn't be shocked I guess - these are the same people who harass dying women who don't have the same beliefs as they do.

[Jana814]

I had a coworker "witness" to me in the hallway at work once (she accosted me on my way to the restroom!). It is borderline harrassment, if you ask me, and it does NOT belong in the workplace.

That's horrible that it happened to you. I have an ex-friend from High School who is now a Jehovah Witness, how it happened was her now husband "witness" to her in the workplace. I agree that's borderline harassment not to mention I think illegal.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

1. Only the Maxwells would inflict those dresses on the little girls. UGLY

2. Moody books cause eye bleeds.

3.Praying for playtime restaurant....sure.....

[Coconut Flan]

When I think the Maxwells are bad enough, they find some other crazy to drag out of the closet. I can't imagine pushing one's religion so much to ask the server if they have prayer requests. That isn't even done at church luncheons that I've seen. I can't imagine growing up where that is considered normal.

Already prepared sauce for a family with three stay at home daughters and their mother for a special dinner? Was it all a ploy for a few blog posts rather than to be a really special treat?

[Queen Of Hearts]

Already prepared sauce for a family with three stay at home daughters and their mother for a special dinner? Was it all a ploy for a few blog posts rather than to be a really special treat?

Yes, a ploy for blog posts (and to peddle their wares). As cheap and stingy as Steve is, not to mention limiting food, no way would he let his family consume that relative "feast" they had unless there was something in it for him. After all, how do they go from two (not one, but TWO) whole animal crackers on birthdays to those delicious looking chocolate lava cakes?

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

The level of self-involvement and lack of creativity with these folks is really amazing. Everything is so evil that they create alternatives themselves - to hilarious ends. There is no "wholesome" Christian fiction, so Sarah writes a series, is not creative enough herself to actually think of reenacting a part of the book (even though most of it is in fact based ON HER OWN FAMILY'S DAY-TO-DAY), then gets the idea to do so from her readers, and then re-presents it as a new idea.............

You know what, I don't even know how to coherently sum up the level of circle-jerk clusterfuckery that is going on here.

[ceg045]

The level of self-involvement and lack of creativity with these folks is really amazing. Everything is so evil that they create alternatives themselves - to hilarious ends. There is no "wholesome" Christian fiction, so Sarah writes a series, is not creative enough herself to actually think of reenacting a part of the book (even though most of it is in fact based ON HER OWN FAMILY'S DAY-TO-DAY), then gets the idea to do so from her readers, and then re-presents it as a new idea.............

You know what, I don't even know how to coherently sum up the level of circle-jerk clusterfuckery that is going on here.

It really is one big cycle of dysfunction. Sarah's only frame of reference for her books, at least for the past two decades, has been her family. Then she uses her books, inspired by her family, to...inspire her family. If there's such a thing as inbred ideas, this is surely an example.

[bbtlover]

I had a coworker "witness" to me in the hallway at work once (she accosted me on my way to the restroom!). It is borderline harrassment, if you ask me, and it does NOT belong in the workplace.

What does it mean to witness to someone?

[JuJuBee]

Agreed. She said the waitress was so moved she started crying... more likely she was so upset that she was going to have to deal with some wackadoodles that she started crying. (Not that there is anything wrong with praying, or offering prayers to others... but most people don't approach complete strangers who are just trying to do their jobs with offers of forced prayer.)

Or she was crying being people like the Maxwells often leave religious pamphlets instead of tipping. Is it my imagination, or did I read one time that Maxwells don't leave tips?

Such a sad, weird situation.

[jockosmom]

When I think the Maxwells are bad enough, they find some other crazy to drag out of the closet. I can't imagine pushing one's religion so much to ask the server if they have prayer requests. That isn't even done at church luncheons that I've seen. I can't imagine growing up where that is considered normal.

That kind of public praying stuff is just trying to show off and make yourself feel like you're better than all the heathens surrounding you. I hate that kind of thing. Shouldn't the Maxwells be familiar with the verses where Jesus tells people not to pray in public, but go somewhere private to talk to God? Even Jesus thought it was all show and no substance to pray in a public place so everyone can see how holy you are. If the Maxwells truly cared about praying for others they'd be involved with a real church attended by real people with real everyday problems and issues.