Maxwell Thanksgiving Post

[littlehouse]

I love you more!

After years of trying to get my husband to watch, he finally caved.  He could not believe it.  He thought my stories of clown rapists, going mlined, hog farmers son marriages, etc, were all made up.  He was shocked that I watched this as a kid.  Shocked.  This is no family show he said to me.  Nope, not at all.

[Anonymousguest]

Yes, it does sound like a fun date idea. I was thinking of doing that this weekend with my five year old because she is FIVE and still in awe of Christmas lights. I would not even dream of suggesting it when she is fifteen or when she is an adult unless she has young children that would enjoy it.

my 15y old dd still likes to drive around  and look at lights

[HerNameIsBuffy]

I love you more!

After years of trying to get my husband to watch, he finally caved.  He could not believe it.  He thought my stories of clown rapists, going mlined, hog farmers son marriages, etc, were all made up.  He was shocked that I watched this as a kid.  Shocked.  This is no family show he said to me.  Nope, not at all.

Evil Nancy locking Belinda in the ice house!  i think we need a LHOP thread in worldly distractions - right?

[twin2]

Evil Nancy locking Belinda in the ice house!  i think we need a LHOP thread in worldly distractions - right?

I loved watching LHOP, especially so I could stare in awe at the beautiful mountains of southwestern Minnesota!

 

[SPHASH]

I loved watching LHOP, especially so I could stare in awe at the beautiful mountains of southwestern Minnesota!

 

Yeah southern Minnesota is flat as a pancake.  Rochester has the highest elevation at less than 1000 ft.

[Black Aliss]

Yeah southern Minnesota is flat as a pancake.  Rochester has the highest elevation at less than 1000 ft.

Depends on which part of southern Minnesota. Southeastern MN, the area around Lake Pepin (LHitBW) is rolling, beautiful limestone bluffs. Southwestern MN, where Walnut Grove (LHOP) is, is, yeah, pretty flat.

I have to say I was utterly baffled by HerNameIsBuffy's recounting of something I absolutely do not remember from any of the books. Until then end when she said "episode". Oh, right, I guess there was a TV series, too?

[Ali]

5?  Best Christmas age ever!  Old enough to be delighted and anticipate, too young to be jaded!

(trust me - cocoa in the travel mugs.  And you can never have enough mini-marshmallows.   )

She seems to be enjoying it a lot so far and is really excited about everything involving Christmas. She got really loved helping decorating the house. I am doing my best to ignore my OCD tendencies and not "fix" the ornaments she put up on the tree. I have succeeded so far. I keep reminding myself that memories are more important that a perfect tree. 

my 15y old dd still likes to drive around  and look at lights

That makes me hopeful. 

[Loveday]

Depends on which part of southern Minnesota. Southeastern MN, the area around Lake Pepin (LHitBW) is rolling, beautiful limestone bluffs. Southwestern MN, where Walnut Grove (LHOP) is, is, yeah, pretty flat.

I have to say I was utterly baffled by HerNameIsBuffy's recounting of something I absolutely do not remember from any of the books. Until then end when she said "episode". Oh, right, I guess there was a TV series, too?

That was me as well. I didn't watch the series after the first season, it just never measured up to the books for me (you needed a beard, Michael Landon!). There WAS the time in LHOP (the book) where Ma and Pa were building their log cabin, and a log fell on Ma's leg. Her ankle swelled up pretty bad going by Garth Williams' illustration, but I couldn't for the life of me remember Ma wanting to cut off her leg because of a sprain!

[DaffyDill]

So in honour of the Maxwells, last night, I asked my three sons if they wanted to hop in the car and go looking at Christmas lights with me, with cocoa in a travel mug to take around. They used to love it when they were little.

Son #1 aged 23: - "Mum, are you high again?" shakes head, sadly.

Me: "I can stop for ice-cream then instead, seeing it's summer?....Hang on..What do mean 'again'?"

Son #1: Puts his hand on my shoulder, looks down at me (6'2" versus 5'2"), sits me down and says "Mum. Just no."

Son #2 aged almost 22: - "Umm I'm working..."

Me: "No you're not!"

Son#2: "I'm sure I can pick up an extra shift..." Looks at the floor.

Stepson Aged 20: - "Oh...I'm going out"

Points at Son #2: "With him, if he's not working"

Son #2 chimes in: "Yeah, we're going out"

 

So then I showed them the photo - and Son #2 said "What the fuck? They're all like 30! Why aren't they taking their own wives or whatever and kids?"  I then explained the Maxwell family dynamic (now there's an oxymoron!), and they all turned up their noses and looked horrified. I don't think they quite believed me...

The Christmas spirit is well and truly alive and well in our household, and my middle son has the Maxwell's pegged.

[Granwych]

I've been thinking about it and that picture seems really familiar. I feel like I've seen it before. 

There have been enough pix of everyone Maxwell jammed into vehicles to advertise any occasion.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

Depends on which part of southern Minnesota. Southeastern MN, the area around Lake Pepin (LHitBW) is rolling, beautiful limestone bluffs. Southwestern MN, where Walnut Grove (LHOP) is, is, yeah, pretty flat.

I have to say I was utterly baffled by HerNameIsBuffy's recounting of something I absolutely do not remember from any of the books. Until then end when she said "episode". Oh, right, I guess there was a TV series, too?

Yeah - I loved the books and the series is cheesy...but I love it too.  I see them as separate in my head which is the only way i can reconcile it.  I am dying to read Pioneer Girl for the behind the scenes look at her real life, so to speak.

That was me as well. I didn't watch the series after the first season, it just never measured up to the books for me (you needed a beard, Michael Landon!). There WAS the time in LHOP (the book) where Ma and Pa were building their log cabin, and a log fell on Ma's leg. Her ankle swelled up pretty bad going by Garth Williams' illustration, but I couldn't for the life of me remember Ma wanting to cut off her leg because of a sprain!

I reference this one whenever I fake offer to help my husband with something heavy.  "I'd love to help you lift that piano, sweetie, but I don't want you to feel the guilt Pa had when he moved Ma to place there were no men on hand to help build the cabins.  But let me try - I'm sure it will be fine and I won't get hurt."  Then he thanks me for my insincere offer and calls one of the boys.

 

So in honour of the Maxwells, last night, I asked my three sons if they wanted to hop in the car and go looking at Christmas lights with me, with cocoa in a travel mug to take around. They used to love it when they were little.

Son #1 aged 23: - "Mum, are you high again?" shakes head, sadly.

Me: "I can stop for ice-cream then instead, seeing it's summer?....Hang on..What do mean 'again'?"

Son #1: Puts his hand on my shoulder, looks down at me (6'2" versus 5'2"), sits me down and says "Mum. Just no."

Son #2 aged almost 22: - "Umm I'm working..."

Me: "No you're not!"

Son#2: "I'm sure I can pick up an extra shift..." Looks at the floor.

Stepson Aged 20: - "Oh...I'm going out"

Points at Son #2: "With him, if he's not working"

Son #2 chimes in: "Yeah, we're going out"

 

So then I showed them the photo - and Son #2 said "What the fuck? They're all like 30! Why aren't they taking their own wives or whatever and kids?"  I then explained the Maxwell family dynamic (now there's an oxymoron!), and they all turned up their noses and looked horrified. I don't think they quite believed me...

The Christmas spirit is well and truly alive and well in our household, and my middle son has the Maxwell's pegged.

I love this!  And I've told mine about the Maxwells and they don't believe me either.  

[nausicaa]

...

Or something like that, I barely remember that episode.

Never leave FJ.

That's all. 

[VodouDoll]

Inspired by the Maxwells, we're going to take our daughter for a drive to admire Christmas lights next weekend. She's three years old though.

[Loveday]

Yeah - I loved the books and the series is cheesy...but I love it too.  I see them as separate in my head which is the only way i can reconcile it.  I am dying to read Pioneer Girl for the behind the scenes look at her real life, so to speak.

I reference this one whenever I fake offer to help my husband with something heavy.  "I'd love to help you lift that piano, sweetie, but I don't want you to feel the guilt Pa had when he moved Ma to place there were no men on hand to help build the cabins.  But let me try - I'm sure it will be fine and I won't get hurt."  Then he thanks me for my insincere offer and calls one of the boys.

Pioneer Girl is a great read! It's available at Barnes and Noble now, so you don't have to order it from the museum in De Smet or wherever and have to wait months. 

 

And 

[Jingerbread]

http://forums.preparingdaughters.com/forums/t/3352

I am sad because I get this:

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Exception Details: System.IO.FileLoadException: Could not load file or assembly 'AjaxControlToolkit' or one of its dependencies. There is not enough space on the disk. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80070070)

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Source File: c:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v2.0.50727\Temporary ASP.NET Files\root\d34c833c\c72dbb8b\App_Web_rlj6g1wu.3.cs    Line: 0 

 

Assembly Load Trace: The following information can be helpful to determine why the assembly 'AjaxControlToolkit' could not be loaded.

[banjobaby]

I cannot believe you didn't go with the LHOP usage "if the foot offendeth thee cut it off" from when Caroline had that super gross leg infection when she was home alone making pies for the church thing and Charles went ahead to some picnic with the girls?  

Every time I hear or read that verse, I think of that episode!  That is so funny!  I was scrolling through the thread, saw that post, and thought of that episode.  The zoom into the verse in Ma's Bible was haunted me when I was a little girl, for some reason.  

[Guest]

I am sad because I get this:

Server Error in '/' Application.

Try this link, I found it in the wayback machine

https://web.archive.org/web/20120920011514/http://forums.preparingdaughters.com/forums/t/3352

@Loveday and @HerNameIsBuffy, and any other LHOP fans, have you read "The Wilder Life" by Wendy McClure?  I really enjoyed it.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

Try this link, I found it in the wayback machine

https://web.archive.org/web/20120920011514/http://forums.preparingdaughters.com/forums/t/3352

@Loveday and @HerNameIsBuffy, and any other LHOP fans, have you read "The Wilder Life" by Wendy McClure?  I really enjoyed it.

I've read excerpts and I meant to - thanks for the reminder.  This is getting me excited about reading about her again.  I have her Little House in the Ozarks a collections of the articles she had published in her local paper.  It's the book equivalent of comfy jammies and a cup of hot cocoa.  

It truly makes me so sad to think she would have been considered too scandalous for the Maxwell girls to read about.  I mean she had her own opinions and experiences.  And if Sarah really wanted to write children's books she could have benefitted so much from reading authors like LIW so skilled in giving children realistic voices.  

Hell - I'd have loved to see Mrs. Piggle Wiggle in the hands of a Maxwell girl.  Alas, whimsy and magic and joy are forbidden.  Smh.

[Guest]

I've read excerpts and I meant to - thanks for the reminder.  This is getting me excited about reading about her again.  I have her Little House in the Ozarks a collections of the articles she had published in her local paper.  It's the book equivalent of comfy jammies and a cup of hot cocoa.  

It truly makes me so sad to think she would have been considered too scandalous for the Maxwell girls to read about.  I mean she had her own opinions and experiences.  And if Sarah really wanted to write children's books she could have benefitted so much from reading authors like LIW so skilled in giving children realistic voices.  

Hell - I'd have loved to see Mrs. Piggle Wiggle in the hands of a Maxwell girl.  Alas, whimsy and magic and joy are forbidden.  Smh.

I have the collection of newspaper articles too, my grandmother saw an advertisement and bought it for me many years ago.  I was so excited when she gave it to me!  Sarah definitely could have benefited from the LHOP books, or any books for that matter.  Hey Steve, here's a clue: you know your lifestyle is too extreme when LHOP books are too scandalous  

[HerNameIsBuffy]

I have the collection of newspaper articles too, my grandmother saw an advertisement and bought it for me many years ago.  I was so excited when she gave it to me!  Sarah definitely could have benefited from the LHOP books, or any books for that matter.  Hey Steve, here's a clue: you know your lifestyle is too extreme when LHOP books are too scandalous  

seriously!  Although speaking of scandalous..real life Almanzo kinda hot in an 19th century kinda way...not gonna lie.  Way better looking than the actor who portrayed him (no offense to Dean Butler.)

[usmcmom]

Years ago my husnand bought me the boxed set of all the Little House books because he knew they were my very favorite childhood books. Until then I just had a hodgepodge collection and I never had "Farmer Boy". To this day, when the first blizzard hits our area, I settle in with "The Long Winter" and a cup of coffee and read it in a couple hours. I LOVE THAT BOOK SO MUCH!  Pioneer Girl is on my Christmas List. 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

Years ago my husnand bought me the boxed set of all the Little House books because he knew they were my very favorite childhood books. Until then I just had a hodgepodge collection and I never had "Farmer Boy". To this day, when the first blizzard hits our area, I settle in with "The Long Winter" and a cup of coffee and read it in a couple hours. I LOVE THAT BOOK SO MUCH!  Pioneer Girl is on my Christmas List. 

when you were little how badly did you want a Christmas barrel?  I still shiver thinking if the ice on the nails in the tar roof over their bed snd the hours twisting hay for the stove.  Wanting to make a candle out of a button.

my family?  I love them but one by one we'd wander out preferring to die in a blizzard rather than be cooped up together freezing, starving, and the BITCHING!  We're not Ingalls.

[twin2]

Years ago my husnand bought me the boxed set of all the Little House books because he knew they were my very favorite childhood books. Until then I just had a hodgepodge collection and I never had "Farmer Boy". To this day, when the first blizzard hits our area, I settle in with "The Long Winter" and a cup of coffee and read it in a couple hours. I LOVE THAT BOOK SO MUCH!  Pioneer Girl is on my Christmas List. 

The Long Winter was my favorite too.

God, I can't believe the Maxwell kids were not allowed to read these books because occasionally, the kids could be brats, which would be a 'bad influence.' All kids are occasionally brats (as are all adults from time to time).  I mean, all this sheltering, and no bad books, and yet Joesph and John once got into an argument over what was better, cats and dogs and Anna telling on them.  In other words, THEY BEHAVED LIKE BRATS!

[blessalessi]

I wonder if Teri and Steve (as science majors) just weren't great readers themselves before they "were saved", and so it was just easiest to outlaw books in the family than to make the effort to read books themselves to determine which would fit with their values.

Generally, if Steve enjoys something, it becomes permissible.  He threw out the TV , sports and board games ostensibly on the grounds that if the bible doesn't expressly encourage an activity, then it is probably best left out.  Coincidentally, those activities just happen to be ones where someone else might damage his fragile ego by influencing his children without his express permission.

He has himself acknowledged in separate Dad's articles that IT/internet use and Christmas are areas that other Christian families stay away from, but he manages to justify them for his family, because God.

And presumably because he likes to surf the internet (Hi, Steve!), and he likes driving around to see the lights every December. 

[PennySycamore]

Years ago my husnand bought me the boxed set of all the Little House books because he knew they were my very favorite childhood books. Until then I just had a hodgepodge collection and I never had "Farmer Boy". To this day, when the first blizzard hits our area, I settle in with "The Long Winter" and a cup of coffee and read it in a couple hours. I LOVE THAT BOOK SO MUCH!  Pioneer Girl is on my Christmas List. 

I do the same thing!  I pull out The Long Winter whenever have a snowstorm.  Most of our snowstorms couldn't be called blizzards though.  Re-reading the book though does help me get through a bad storm though (the occasional one where things are shut down for days) because the Ingalls went through so much worse during that winter.