Mortons are back from Paraguay...

[fundiefan]

1 hour ago, JMO said:

I can't go onto FB at work to cut and paste but J. Smith has two separate rants on FB from last week about the riots.   Turns out America is a "God ordained" melting pot.   and there is a "liberal faction in our country that is eager to impose martial law".  

Her historical knowledge is as skewed by her religion as ever. I take whatever she says with a grain of salt; she married Capt'n Brett, after all; that clearly demonstrates that there is something wrong with the way her brain works. Add Brett's god complex and religion, and the woman was screwed from second one. Her own choice; what's done is done. I just always remind myself of that when she tries to say anything other than 'look how cute my grandkid is'.

[picklepizzas]

On 7/12/2016 at 5:18 PM, fundiefan said:

Her historical knowledge is as skewed by her religion as ever. I take whatever she says with a grain of salt; she married Capt'n Brett, after all; that clearly demonstrates that there is something wrong with the way her brain works. Add Brett's god complex and religion, and the woman was screwed from second one. Her own choice; what's done is done. I just always remind myself of that when she tries to say anything other than 'look how cute my grandkid is'.

Did she delete her fb? I can't find it at all today, and she isn't linked from bret smith's fb anymore (just says he is married, not to whom).

[fundiefan]

It's not there. I would imagine she is typical fundie and got push back on her idiocy, couldn't take it and went running. 

[fundiefan]

On another note, it looks like some of the Paraguay folks are on their way back. Ma Morton posted IG pics of Papa Smurf Morton on the floor at the airport.

[picklepizzas]

5 hours ago, fundiefan said:

On another note, it looks like some of the Paraguay folks are on their way back. Ma Morton posted IG pics of Papa Smurf Morton on the floor at the airport.

Looks like it's just the two of them, based on addie's comment on the post. but...but...who is taking care of the "kids," then? what are they going to do without their umbrella of protection? 

[SolomonFundy]

The short trip with just the two of them, plus Addie's remarks about "praying for y'all" makes me wonder if there was a death in the family.  It seems odd that they would both return for a random visit so soon after their last trip, yet leave Addie and the younger kids in Paraguay. If this was a planned trip, it seems like they would have moved it up two weeks so that they could be present for Abbi Sanders' wedding since they were seemingly very invested in the event.

My biggest question these days is: what's the plan for the Morton farm? They have a lot of land, equipment, and good buildings on their Georgia property. Unless they are truly burning bridges, they are still paying taxes on ALL of that. None of the "kids" is unaccounted for (who could act as a house-sitter), and everyone who lives close to the property has their own home. It's definitely possible that Andrew/Kennedy or Micheal/Kressant (who were originally in Paraguay, but now are back in the states full-time?) have been splitting time between the Morton homestead and their own homes, but that still seems like a waste of the property.

The only thing that makes sense (to me) is that they are keeping it for a child who plans to buy it from them. 

[picklepizzas]

7 hours ago, SolomonFundy said:

The short trip with just the two of them, plus Addie's remarks about "praying for y'all" makes me wonder if there was a death in the family.  It seems odd that they would both return for a random visit so soon after their last trip, yet leave Addie and the younger kids in Paraguay. If this was a planned trip, it seems like they would have moved it up two weeks so that they could be present for Abbi Sanders' wedding since they were seemingly very invested in the event.

My biggest question these days is: what's the plan for the Morton farm? They have a lot of land, equipment, and good buildings on their Georgia property. Unless they are truly burning bridges, they are still paying taxes on ALL of that. None of the "kids" is unaccounted for (who could act as a house-sitter), and everyone who lives close to the property has their own home. It's definitely possible that Andrew/Kennedy or Micheal/Kressant (who were originally in Paraguay, but now are back in the states full-time?) have been splitting time between the Morton homestead and their own homes, but that still seems like a waste of the property.

The only thing that makes sense (to me) is that they are keeping it for a child who plans to buy it from them. 

I just assumed the short trip was semi-planned to take place right after mia's birth. 

as for the farm - i thought michael/kressant lived on the homestead, in a house only a couple hundred feet from the main house? wouldn't they be taking care of it? 

[SolomonFundy]

6 hours ago, picklepizzas said:

I just assumed the short trip was semi-planned to take place right after mia's birth. 

as for the farm - i thought michael/kressant lived on the homestead, in a house only a couple hundred feet from the main house? wouldn't they be taking care of it? 

Maybe, but I don't see them making a habit of returning for every grandmorton's birth. Even if they were wildly wealthy, that would be a crippling financial burden after just a few months at the rate they reproduce.

Michael and Kressant live close by, as do Kennedy and Andrew. I mentioned that they could be splitting house-sitting duties in my post. That still doesn't quite explain why the Mortons would keep such a large property with nobody in actual residence. Since Michael is the oldest son and namesake, perhaps it is meant for him. However, that doesn't make a lot of sense when you factor in the M/Kress family's presence in Paraguay early on. It seemed very likely at one point that they meant to settle there as well. 

It's just one of those things that doesn't make a lot of sense to me, given the available information.

[Kira]

Michael and Kressant didn't go to Paraguay. Rachel and Wes are the only married couple who went to Paraguay.

M/K, R/W and A/K live on the farm. Where do Sam and Alyssa live? They could be living in his parents home

[picklepizzas]

9 minutes ago, Kira said:

Michael and Kressant didn't go to Paraguay. Rachel and Wes are the only married couple who went to Paraguay.

M/K, R/W and A/K live on the farm. Where do Sam and Alyssa live? They could be living in his parents home

Yeah that was my understanding too, that they all in fact lived on the property (didn't they even ship in a house to sit on the property for a&k?) so it's not like they're maintaining this huge vacant property. The actual farmhouse The Originals grew up in might be vacant but since the other live on the property that doesn't seem too big a deal. One of the larger families could eventually move into that house and cede their house to an up and coming smorton. 

[SolomonFundy]

I guess I got my wires crossed. I know that Kress was one of the people linked to early forum searches for expats in Paraguay, and I thought that she was with the family during an initial visit. 

[NachosFlandersStyle]

58 minutes ago, SolomonFundy said:

I guess I got my wires crossed. I know that Kress was one of the people linked to early forum searches for expats in Paraguay, and I thought that she was with the family during an initial visit. 

I posted this in a prior thread, but I suspect that a larger group was originally going. There is a site with a few brief and vague posts that is linked from the Smith family's old blog: http://elchacotrip.blogspot.com/?m=1

It seems that all the way back in 08 some of the Smith/Morton men went down to the area to scope it out. It appears it was more than just Wes and Michael Sr. on the trip-- I think Michael Jr. (Kressant's husband) is the one writing some of the posts. Oddly, they made no mention of this on either family's main blog. 

[teachergirl]

A bit off topic but poor Kressant and kiddos have no central air in their house. She commented on Kelly Bradrick's Instagram about it. Pregnant with 6 littles and no ac. Free Kressant. Aren't they contractors?

[JemimaPuddle-Duck]

3 hours ago, teachergirl said:

A bit off topic but poor Kressant and kiddos have no central air in their house. She commented on Kelly Bradrick's Instagram about it. Pregnant with 6 littles and no ac. Free Kressant. Aren't they contractors?

I'm impressed you got Kelly to approve  your follow, she's picky.

 

 

I've always really felt that the Paraguay gig is not long-long-term. I only follow Addie's IG, did I miss more info somewhere? (Only wondering bc of how many people are talking like it's a move for good.)

[SolomonFundy]

20 minutes ago, JemimaPuddle-Duck said:

I'm impressed you got Kelly to approve  your follow, she's picky.

 

 

I've always really felt that the Paraguay gig is not long-long-term. I only follow Addie's IG, did I miss more info somewhere? (Only wondering bc of how many people are talking like it's a move for good.)

+1 on the KBrad approval. That's some first-rate fundy-whisperer skills.

 

My initial hope was that it wouldn't be long-term, and I was incredulous when the exodus occurred last year. But, it does look like they intend to make a go of it. Jeanine has posted pics of their home on IG, and one of the boys posted some garden pics a while back. They are planting food, settling into the house, and have apparently established a satellite construction business in Filadelfia. Some of the family has travelled with them, but not all. Addie and the unmarrieds are living with Michael and Jeanine in their home there, and apparently the Wesley/Rachel Morton family as well.  

I'm not on all of the S'Morton social media accounts, so there's probably a lot more detail that others can add to this. However, I think it's safe to say that none of us know anything about their future plans for sure. The circumstantial evidence is damning, though.

[teachergirl]

Yes, me neither...i have to say, following her has made me insecure as a human being. lol She has 6 kids, looks amazing, takes them on field trips everywhere and makes homemade food for them. I do have to say she just looks healthier being away from her father. I truly hope her and Peter have questioned the toxic belief system they were indoctrinated into and found a happy medium.  Now back to the Mortons......

[Black Aliss]

On 7/14/2016 at 11:01 PM, SolomonFundy said:

My biggest question these days is: what's the plan for the Morton farm? They have a lot of land, equipment, and good buildings on their Georgia property. Unless they are truly burning bridges, they are still paying taxes on ALL of that.

Taxes? They home-church. The big finished-off "barn" is their church and the house is their parsonage, and those are probably the only two things that have a lot of assessed value.

[Kylolo]

3 hours ago, Black Aliss said:

Taxes? They home-church. The big finished-off "barn" is their church and the house is their parsonage, and those are probably the only two things that have a lot of assessed value.

No  this is not true based on Georgia law and Colquitt County tax records. Here is the link to the Morton farm, please note the class listed in the summary section is not listed as exempt (this link takes you to first random church I found as an example). 

 

[Black Aliss]

1 hour ago, Kylolo said:

No  this is not true based on Georgia law and Colquitt County tax records. Here is the link to the Morton farm, please note the class listed in the summary section is not listed as exempt (this link takes you to first random church I found as an example). 

 

 

1 hour ago, Kylolo said:

No  this is not true based on Georgia law and Colquitt County tax records. Here is the link to the Morton farm, please note the class listed in the summary section is not listed as exempt (this link takes you to first random church I found as an example). 

 

That's good to know. I assumed a big reason for declaring yourself a home-based church was for the tax breaks. I know it happens here in WA. Glad to know that's not the case here.

[JemimaPuddle-Duck]

On July 15, 2016 at 8:50 PM, SolomonFundy said:

+1 on the KBrad approval. That's some first-rate fundy-whisperer skills.

 

My initial hope was that it wouldn't be long-term, and I was incredulous when the exodus occurred last year. But, it does look like they intend to make a go of it. Jeanine has posted pics of their home on IG, and one of the boys posted some garden pics a while back. They are planting food, settling into the house, and have apparently established a satellite construction business in Filadelfia. Some of the family has travelled with them, but not all. Addie and the unmarrieds are living with Michael and Jeanine in their home there, and apparently the Wesley/Rachel Morton family as well.  

I'm not on all of the S'Morton social media accounts, so there's probably a lot more detail that others can add to this. However, I think it's safe to say that none of us know anything about their future plans for sure. The circumstantial evidence is damning, though.

It's all so strange. I do wish they'd give a better explanation.....which, of course, makes me ridiculous because who am I to demand such things. 

[hoipolloi]

7 hours ago, JemimaPuddle-Duck said:

It's all so strange. I do wish they'd give a better explanation.....which, of course, makes me ridiculous because who am I to demand such things. 

Yes, we'll never know but it's so bizarre. For example, are any one of them known to be fluent in Spanish, or even have a working ability to communicate in that language, which is one of two official languages, the other being Guarani? Thinking here particularly of the males who, would be the ones interacting with the Paraguayans in the course of business & daily life.

If not (and this seems likely to me), will they either be expecting everyone to know English or will they just live in their own little world? -- which, come to think of it, is what they do in the US.

[ophelia]

On 16.7.2016 at 1:32 PM, teachergirl said:

Yes, me neither...i have to say, following her has made me insecure as a human being. lol She has 6 kids, looks amazing, takes them on field trips everywhere and makes homemade food for them. I do have to say she just looks healthier being away from her father. I truly hope her and Peter have questioned the toxic belief system they were indoctrinated into and found a happy medium.  Now back to the Mortons......

I also follow Kelly on IG and I really like her feed. She takes beautiful pictures, always looks amazing and her house is simply gorgeous!

[Pianokeeper]

I spent most of yesterday down a wiki rabbit hole about... Paraguay. Fascinating little country!

 

I wonder how the Morton family would feel, knowing I'm zero inches closer to their religion -- but that their blog is motivating my desire to learn more about other countries, cultures, histories, and geographies around the world. 

[picklepizzas]

On 7/16/2016 at 0:50 AM, SolomonFundy said:

My initial hope was that it wouldn't be long-term, and I was incredulous when the exodus occurred last year. But, it does look like they intend to make a go of it. Jeanine has posted pics of their home on IG, and one of the boys posted some garden pics a while back. They are planting food, settling into the house, and have apparently established a satellite construction business in Filadelfia. Some of the family has travelled with them, but not all. Addie and the unmarrieds are living with Michael and Jeanine in their home there, and apparently the Wesley/Rachel Morton family as well.  

I'm not on all of the S'Morton social media accounts, so there's probably a lot more detail that others can add to this. However, I think it's safe to say that none of us know anything about their future plans for sure. The circumstantial evidence is damning, though.

i've been over-analyzing jeanine's recent posts offer any clues as to whether it's long term or not, but i'm getting conflicting messages. for instance, the hashtag on this post  could be interpreted to mean they'll be back in the fall but the caption on this second pic makes it sound like a more permanent move. *sigh* i guess we're just doomed to keep wondering. 

PS jeanine was posting from addie's IG account on this trip as well (not linking - its private) so it seems she has the password to that. -__- bc that's a totally normal amount of control to exercise over your 26 yr old's internet presence. her life must be so. suffocating. X_X

 

 

 

[SolomonFundy]

4 hours ago, picklepizzas said:

i've been over-analyzing jeanine's recent posts offer any clues as to whether it's long term or not, but i'm getting conflicting messages. for instance, the hashtag on this post  could be interpreted to mean they'll be back in the fall but the caption on this second pic makes it sound like a more permanent move. *sigh* i guess we're just doomed to keep wondering. 

PS jeanine was posting from addie's IG account on this trip as well (not linking - its private) so it seems she has the password to that. -__- bc that's a totally normal amount of control to exercise over your 26 yr old's internet presence. her life must be so. suffocating. X_X

In all fairness, Addie frequently posts and comments from Jeanine's account as well. I get the impression that they swap phones back and forth with some regularity, and if one feels like using instagram, they just go with whichever account is available. 

Vague posting at it's finest! From the pattern so far, they seem to be comfortable with travelling back and forth as needed/wanted, but I don't think that the elder Mortons will ever move back to Georgia unless serious illness or another calamity occurs.