The Maxwell girls love to bake!

[nastyhobbitses]

10 hours ago, PennySycamore said:

I can't recall offhand what my mom or dad called their in-laws, but I do know that two of my sons-in-law call me Mom and one calls me Mrs Sycamore. I call my in-laws by their first names.  As long as we don't have a special term in english for our in-laws, it should just be mutually agreeable.  Btw, I'd love it if s-i-l 3 would call me Mom, too.

My parents call their respective in-laws by their first names. That was how I learned that Oma and Pop Pop and Grandma and Grandpa didn't just come out of the womb named as such.

[PennySycamore]

14 hours ago, AreteJo said:

in my culture your parents are Mama and Baba and your in laws are Mother and Father

My granddaughter is Chinese and didn't know a word of English till she was past two and calls her mom and dad "Mama and Baba" which are the Chinese words, as well.  (I don't know what they call in-laws but I'll bet they have a term.)  I hope she'll always calls her mom and dad "Mama and Baba".

[Jana814]

I love the show The Little Couple. Baba is what the kids call Bill. 

[SolomonFundy]

When she's not baking, she's driving.

Sarah has apparently been allowed off of Cellblock M to "research" her next book by visiting the (same?) "small town". I never got the impression that the Maxwells lived in a thriving metropolis, so it's bewildering to me that Sarah needs to travel in order to see village life. But whatever gets her out of the house is a good thing.

She appears to be alone in her travels, which is intriguing. 

[blessalessi]

I doubt she is on her own. They have just re-launched Hearts, where she describes the benefits of accountability, including always taking a sibling when she goes out. Now The younger 5 have added testimonies of agreement.

How sad though that exploring a small town is a special project and not just a normal activity that can be done on a whim, without a schedule and a plan. If she were a naturally creative writer, she would be dreaming up new characters and exploring new ideas all the time, as she interacts with the world around her.

Better string this out as long as possible, Sarah. You will be 40 before your next change of characters is allowed.

[IrishCarrie]

5 hours ago, SolomonFundy said:

When she's not baking, she's driving.

Sarah has apparently been allowed off of Cellblock M to "research" her next book by visiting the (same?) "small town". I never got the impression that the Maxwells lived in a thriving metropolis, so it's bewildering to me that Sarah needs to travel in order to see village life. But whatever gets her out of the house is a good thing.

She appears to be alone in her travels, which is intriguing. 

Lol, you gave me major flashbacks to Prisoner Cell Block H, which used be on TV at 3am and was perfect for getting stuck into with the post-pub pizza!!

Can 'Prisoner:Cell Block M' please be a post count??!!

[WonderingInWA]

There's no way she's traveling alone.  I don't think she's allowed to go off the compound by herself.  None of the girls are.  

The photo is interesting.  Her smile looks forced and she looks tired.

 

[Trynn]

If someone were to give me moody books for Christmas.... First I'd wonder what I'd done to piss them off. Then I'd start writing.

[halcionne]

1 hour ago, WonderingInWA said:

There's no way she's traveling alone.  I don't think she's allowed to go off the compound by herself.  None of the girls are.  

The photo is interesting.  Her smile looks forced and she looks tired.

 

But she IS allowed to travel alone. We saw that in the surprise party post.

[salex]

 

Sarah is exploring Weston, MO, a town 10 miles from Leavenworth.  In the picture below, you can see the same striped awning, the same plaque and light brick stripe in the wall and the same weathered bench, and the same parking configuration.  I had suspected they were in Weston last time, (assuming they were in the same town). They have a couple of wineries (one in an old church which likely scandalizes the Maxwells !!!) and used to have a McCormick Distillery tasting room (may still). They are a quick weekend getaway place, with bed and breakfasts,  antique and craft stores, pub and various festivals throughout the year

.  

[MamaJunebug]

2 hours ago, WonderingInWA said:

There's no way she's traveling alone.  I don't think she's allowed to go off the compound by herself.  None of the girls are.  

The photo is interesting.  Her smile looks forced and she looks tired.

 

That's SOP for Poor Sarah: forced smile, tired eyes. 

Salex, great work on Weston. I was gonna guess Basehor, KS, again. Weston's much closer. 

Edted: well, Basehor is 15 miles so if Weston is 10, yeah  but not yeah... Heck: 10 miles from Cell Block M, alone, is a start.

I hate to thread jack but when I was PS's age I had kids and had driven them hundreds of miles by myself and was never victimized (thank Heaven) and we all were Christians of whom my parents were proud.

Well -- baby steps for Sarah. It has to be wonderful to be somewhere without your housemates' same 6 derrières looking you in the face from their fan-cleaning ladders.

 

[sparkles]

That's some impressive sleuthing. I think I'm a little scared…

[blessalessi]

45 minutes ago, halcionne said:

But she IS allowed to travel alone. We saw that in the surprise party post.

Wasn't that just a pre-dinner visit to the brother who lives less than a mile away? So she would have been with accountability partners either side of the trip.  She texted before leaving for home,got a phone call while pulling into the drive and immediately texted the family again before calling in to the brother next door's house.

I'd love to think Sarah goes out alone on day trips, but the part in hearts where she described the requirement always to go on trips with a family member present was quite definite.  

 Jesus sent the disciples out in twos, as a picture of what accountability looks like. And her daddy loves her more than he trusts her. *vomit smiley*

[usmcmom]

IF Sarah were ever allowed to go out alone, I wonder how nervous she'd be. 

The day I got my license, my mom handed me the car keys and a small grocery list and told me to drive to town for her...alone.   We lived about 12 miles out of town and I remember being so excited, yet nervous. That was the first time I'd been in a car alone.  But I was SIXTEEN.  I knew, even then, that my mom had this planned to show me she had confidence in me and to help me build confidence as a driver.  She was also the mother who often said "If I haven't raised you right by now....it's too late to start," and "Let your conscience be your guide." And we weren't even church goers....she was a evil single working mother to boot!!

Sarah's lack of independence is just another indication that Steve really does not trust his kids to do the right thing and take care of themselves when away from the cult leader. 

[Marian the Librarian]

Adding my admiration for salex's sleuthing skills.

Gosh - Sarah is 10 whole miles away from the MaxBorg collective. I bet Stevie's breaking out in a serious case of loss-of-control hives.

 

 

[AllisonWndrland]

20 minutes ago, salex said:

 

Sarah is exploring Weston, MO, a town 10 miles from Leavenworth. 

Yes! Thank you! I saw that awning and wondered if Sarah went to Weston. It's a lovely town. Mr. Allison and I are planning a January weekend getaway for Weston. However, compared to the town in which I grew up, Weston is the big city. Sarah needs to venture out west and visit the truly small towns in central and western Kansas. 

[Handmaiden of Dog]

I don't think she looks tired, I would say she looks 30-something.  What a wasted life. What a waste of good health and opportunities to safely explore the world around her.  It makes me sick to think of the way her father raised her to be a prisoner in her own mind.

 

I think we can pretty much write Sarah off.  This is as independent as she will ever be.  Her life will be writing crappy, dull books and cleaning her mother's house until the day she dies.  Good job, Teri and Steve!

[Eternalbluepearl]

15 minutes ago, Handmaiden of Dog said:

I think we can pretty much write Sarah off.  This is as independent as she will ever be. 

I wanted so much more for her. Please hope, don't slip away... 

[JillyO]

42 minutes ago, Handmaiden of Dog said:

I think we can pretty much write Sarah off.  This is as independent as she will ever be.  Her life will be writing crappy, dull books and cleaning her mother's house until the day she dies.  Good job, Teri and Steve!

Assuming you are right (which seems likely at this point), I do wonder what her life will look like once Steve and Teri are gone?

[nausicaa]

4 hours ago, blessalessi said:

And her daddy loves her more than he trusts her. *vomit smiley*

Is this actually a line in the Hearts book? 

[Screamapillar]

1 hour ago, Handmaiden of Dog said:

I don't think she looks tired, I would say she looks 30-something.  What a wasted life. What a waste of good health and opportunities to safely explore the world around her.  It makes me sick to think of the way her father raised her to be a prisoner in her own mind.

 

I think we can pretty much write Sarah off.  This is as independent as she will ever be.  Her life will be writing crappy, dull books and cleaning her mother's house until the day she dies.  Good job, Teri and Steve!

Agree with the bolded. I'm a year or so younger than Sarah, and I'm starting to understand exactly what Dolly Parton meant when she said, "Time marches on, and sooner or later you realize it's marching right across your face."

They need to let that girl out. Even better, she needs to realize that she is a grown woman and can let herself out.

[sparkles]

4 minutes ago, Screamapillar said:

They need to let that girl out. Even better, she needs to realize that she is a grown woman and can let herself out.

As long as she remains unmarried and her parents are still alive (and after they're gone, her brothers) she will NEVER be a grown woman. In Maxhell, you only become an adult upon marriage and even then, as a woman, authority over her life and responsibility for "protecting" her (from what, I can't understand) transfers from her father to her husband. Let's face it, no matter what, her childhood will never end.

[SolomonFundy]

I agree that it would be odd for her to be alone in Weston (great to know the name! Thanks, Salex!), but a part of "accountability" for the Maxwells is about portraying themselves in a certain way. Last time Sarah went to Weston, she made a point of having a group picture taken with her sisters. This time, we got a selfie. She very well could be travelling with one or more of her siblings, but the fact that she said "I" instead of "we", and presented herself in this way makes me think that she may have actually been by herself. She obviously does at least some solo driving, as evidenced by the "Sarah's Surprise Party" incident. If she were never allowed out of the house alone, she would have suspected something when she was assigned those errands. 

The Maxwells have made a living off of telling other people how to live their lives, but it doesn't really mean that they follow their own rules all of the time. 

[DaffyDill]

4 hours ago, Handmaiden of Dog said:

I don't think she looks tired, I would say she looks 30-something.  What a wasted life. What a waste of good health and opportunities to safely explore the world around her.  It makes me sick to think of the way her father raised her to be a prisoner in her own mind.

 

I think we can pretty much write Sarah off.  This is as independent as she will ever be.  Her life will be writing crappy, dull books and cleaning her mother's house until the day she dies.  Good job, Teri and Steve!

This was in the comments on the post about Sarah being in Weston:

Maxwell blog commenter: I just had a great idea…
You could do a course on writing (children’s books). I would love to participate!
—
Sarah (presumably): I’m definitely open to that, although right now, I need to concentrate on my next book.

WHAT?? A writing course? For Sarah? Really? Maybe there IS hope somewhere for her. And what the hell is going on with Steve, that this is even a possibility?

 

[anjulibai]

I think the commenter mean Sarah teach a writing course. Which would definitely be a possibilty.