Jill & Jessa Counting On, Regular Season 1

[snickerz]

I don't see them adopting from an agency. It will be a private adoption. There will be a pregnant 16 year old leghumper watching their show who will contact them to adopt her baby. 

[Mothership]

Jill's house reminds me of the house they rented near the children's hospital.  Mattresses on floors, crap all over the place.  She definitely doesn't consider it to be her home for any length of time.  The "guest room" was just a large storage area.   I doubt they will ever have guests.  It;s very much temporary housing.

 

[FormerlyFundyLite]

22 hours ago, Mothership said:

Hey Jill-I think the preposition you're looking for is 'in" not "on".  The usual expression is "in the mission field"  Of course, maybe when you're faking the whole mission thing and grifting for your livelihood, it's better to use on.

Depends on your region and/or faith tradition. Most people that I know, including the missionaries, (generally the Midwest reformed/fundigelical variety) say "on the mission field".

[ClaraOswin]

3 hours ago, RabbitKM said:

So I finally watched it.  It is a totally different show, in my opinion.  The lighthearted background music, everyone is all smiles and laughs.  Jessa actually seemed like a normal human being.  I did notice a few things, though.

Jill's apartment has so. much. shit.  On her countertop alone, there were several appliances and a boatload of plastic dishes (seriously, theres only 3 people in your family, what do you need all those dishes for??).  

I hate how they keep saying "Central America is soooo dangerous."  We get it.  It's dangerous.  Is it dangerous? It started getting under my skin the more they said it.  It also comes off as they are soooo holy that they are in such a dangerous place. 

Spurgeon is a cute baby but that name is so clunky and terrible.  It doesn't even sound natural when anyone says it.  

I thought it was an odd comment to make that Jinger and Jana have gotten closer ever since their besties got married.  IDK, I guess it is weird to me that they are implying that they weren't close before, and now they only hang out bc they have no one else to hang out with.

The cooking thing is bizarre.  I'm not saying Jessa has to be a top chef or anything like that, but what do they eat every day??? She said they eat eggs and yogurt... for dinner?? I'm so confused.  

Lastly, poor Anna.  I don't really have much to say about that that hasn't already been said.

I wondered about all those dishes too. There were dozens of bowls on the counter. How many days worth of dishes does she keep out like that? Put them in the cabinets or something. That kitchen seemed to have a lot of cabinet space. I guess I should just be happy she isn't using styrofoam bowls.

I wonder how often they eat meals at the TTH. Multiple times a week, I'm sure. Then I get they eat things like cereal for multiple meals a day. I did that a lot when I was in my late teens and early 20's. I think it seems like they eat the way a lot of college kids eat. The only difference is they are married and have a child. Kind of sad really.

27 minutes ago, snickerz said:

I don't see them adopting from an agency. It will be a private adoption. There will be a pregnant 16 year old leghumper watching their show who will contact them to adopt her baby. 

I wonder if that's why they keep mentioning adoptions. Hoping someone will just offer them a baby.

Gross.

[RabbitKM]

25 minutes ago, Mothership said:

Jill's house reminds me of the house they rented near the children's hospital.  Mattresses on floors, crap all over the place.  She definitely doesn't consider it to be her home for any length of time.  The "guest room" was just a large storage area.   I doubt they will ever have guests.  It;s very much temporary housing.

 

Which is why I wonder why they have so much crap to begin with?  As a college student, I've done my fair share of moving around in the past four years.  When I know I am going to be living in a space for a few months, I don't bring every single item that I own with me.  Only now that I am in grad school and plan on staying in the same apartment for two years (at least), I finally went out and got a few things that I have been doing with out for the past couple of years.

Semi unrelated, but I am also surprised that they are living on their own like that.  I would have thought they would be together with other missionaries, or at least close by.  It just baffles me that they live so grandly in the mission field.  I always kinda thought "simple living" was a tenet of that sort of thing (but then again, that could be my Jesuit education showing through).

[LucyManettesForehead]

Finally watched the episode. Some random thoughts... 

1. Did anyone else hear Joy say "heffalumps" when they were shopping? I don't know why but that really stuck out to me - Winnie the Pooh must be acceptable in the Duggar household, which I find kind of surprising because (as I remember it, at least), it's pretty firmly "secular". 

2. Jill and Derick's place is an absolute stye. I couldn't believe it when I saw it - it is pretty different than when they were living in their McMansion. Also I'm glad they were not all that present in the episode - they're pretty insufferable and awkward. Also them saying "it's sooo dangerous" without giving any context smacked of "different people are bad"/light racism and it drove me crazy. 

3. Conversely, Jessa is somehow way more palatable now compared to her wedding/engagement season. I used to find her so grating, but I think she's adjusting really well to motherhood, which is a surprise to me - I thought she was going to have a really hard time, but I think she's found a purpose in it. She's so much more personable than Jill. 

And finally, 4. I feel so bad for Anna. She used to be the fun and bubbly one (especially compared to the J'slaves, who were always so stiff), and now she seems so beaten down. She was getting more soft-spoken and Michelle-like even before the scandals broke, but now the similarity is even more clear, and she's basically being held hostage by this family. 

[RabbitKM]

Just now, LucyManettesForehead said:

2. Jill and Derick's place is an absolute stye. I couldn't believe it when I saw it - it is pretty different than when they were living in their McMansion. Also I'm glad they were not all that present in the episode - they're pretty insufferable and awkward. Also them saying "it's sooo dangerous" without giving any context smacked of "different people are bad"/light racism and it drove me crazy. 

this!

They kept saying things like, its scary, its sobering, its dangerous.  But they don't actually say what is going on. It drove me nuts, as if we should all be afraid of Central America, and look at how awesome they are for being brave enough to go there.    

[DuggarWatch]

32 minutes ago, snickerz said:

I don't see them adopting from an agency. It will be a private adoption. There will be a pregnant 16 year old leghumper watching their show who will contact them to adopt her baby. 

Even if they find a private adoption, they still have to have the adoption approved in court by a judge.  Arkansas requires all adopting parents to have a home study by a licensed social worker and the judge reads that.

They will be asked about their religious beliefs, how they were raised, about their extended family (including Uncle Josh), about their education beliefs, hobbies, social life, friends, etc.  They will be questioned about the kinds of things we talk about here.

[LucyManettesForehead]

2 minutes ago, RabbitKM said:

They kept saying things like, its scary, its sobering, its dangerous.  But they don't actually say what is going on. It drove me nuts, as if we should all be afraid of Central America, and look at how awesome they are for being brave enough to go there.    

Right?! I used to live near the Mexican border at a time when was a lot of really terrifying drug violence and reporters and bloggers were routinely targeted, so it actually doesn't bother me that they say it's violent but they need to say WHY because they make it seem like everyone in Central America could murder them any time and they are teaching them the ways of God to heal them or something. 

[Carol]

From the time that Jessa announced she wanted to adopt, I've thought the real reason was that she didn't want to lose her figure like her mom has.  She's expected to have many babies but she's also quite vain and likes to look good. Having multiple births will affect how she looks.  After seeing how much pain she was in with S' birth I suspect she feels even more strongly about adoption now.  JMO.

[JMO]

2 hours ago, ksgranola1 said:

Who is Derrick preaching to if his Spanish is limited?

I like to cook a lot. I was freaking out watching Jessa & the girls prepare the "fall feast."

Potatoes for mashing have to be started in cold water. They won't kill you but their texture had to be awful.

Then Jessa poured all the stuff that makes gravy down the sink. It was basically all that butter, which will clog the drain. And the  prissiness. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty, Jessa! You could make stock w/that neck for your gravy! It's not that hard. One week w/a good cook & she would have enough skills to cook well.

A house w/19 kids & there don't seem to be any real skills in the food dep't.

Because I started to watch it just before that scene and then rewatched the episode for the rest I saw the cooking scene twice.  It looked like she collected the drippings in a cup.  It doesn't directly show her using them for the gravy but it looked like them in the pan when they were adding flour to make gravy.  I did also think it was idiotic to put the potatoes in hot water and the green bean cassarole was gross looking. 

[nst]

55 minutes ago, Mothership said:

Jill's house reminds me of the house they rented near the children's hospital.  Mattresses on floors, crap all over the place.  She definitely doesn't consider it to be her home for any length of time.  The "guest room" was just a large storage area.   I doubt they will ever have guests.  It;s very much temporary housing.

 

i swear I saw the guest room had bunk beds and then I had a thought that when Michelle and Boob came to wherever they hell they are - slept in bunk beds - what a sight - would she to have her release then ? 

[VelociRapture]

So I bit the bullet and watched the last two episodes of the show. Probably a bad life choice, but I wanted to see for myself what people were talking about on here.

- Do we know when the Dills moved into that apartment? It's possible they had only moved recently and we're still unpacking - or they were prepping to move elsewhere and were in the middle of packing.

- Jessa seems very content and in love with her little guy. Can't really explain it, but her smile seems much happier or more genuine now. Also, Spurgeon is adorable.

- Anna needs a side hug and a big carton of Ben & Jerry's. I'd add wine in there, but they don't drink. Which, given the circumstances, is a travesty.

- Spurgeon on the big bed with all those pillows and blankets made my eye all kinds of twitchy. 

-  Don't see the issue with Jill having Israel sign for a piece of food. It didn't look like meal time and the clip was too short to determine if she was making him do it each and every time he wanted a bit. 

- Sorry Hannie, but that casserole churned my stomach. The bit with the whipped cream was kind of adorable though.

- Thank you FSM that Boob and J'Chelle were barely featured. R'Amen.

- All the Duggars need to stfu about how dangerous CA is. Like others said, if you refuse to mention why it's dangerous then you need to just stop bringing it up. Don't be a tease - it's not very Christian of you. 

- Can Jill just not volunteer at a clinic? I'm sure she means well.... But please? 

- Jed and Jer: the only correct answer to which sister cooks best is to say all of them. Immediately after this one of you distracts your sisters, while the other desperately signals the audience to send actual food before you starve to death.

- We should burn Bin's hats. Just a suggestion.

- Jana... Oh boy. She seems like a sweetheart, but damn... She struck me as a kool-aid chugger. Don't know why it hit me that hard, but I get the sense that she's more convicted in their faith then even Jill. 

- And finally, I don't see Jill being disconnected from her son the way others do. She wasn't always with him 24/7, but most moms aren't with their kids at all times either. When she was shown with him nothing struck me as odd or off (other than the "so dangerous!" talk.)

[anotherone]

4 hours ago, RabbitKM said:

I thought it was an odd comment to make that Jinger and Jana have gotten closer ever since their besties got married.  IDK, I guess it is weird to me that they are implying that they weren't close before, and now they only hang out bc they have no one

All of them just seem to always have to tell us how close they all are.  Birthdays and anniversaries are filled with each of them proclaiming how proud they are and how close they are with each other, even siblings.  What's that phrase, I feel thou protests too much, or something like that.

[DuggarWatch]

5 minutes ago, anotherone said:

All of them just seem to always have to tell us how close they all are.  Birthdays and anniversaries are filled with each of them proclaiming how proud they are and how close they are with each other, even siblings.  What's that phrase, I feel thou protests too much, or something like that.

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."  – Shakespeare's Hamlet,  Act III, Scene II.

(Probably not on the Duggar homeschool reading list of approved books.)

[RabbitKM]

4 minutes ago, VelociRapture said:

- Do we know when the Dills moved into that apartment? It's possible they had only moved recently and we're still unpacking - or they were prepping to move elsewhere and were in the middle of packing.

- All the Duggars need to stfu about how dangerous CA is. Like others said, if you refuse to mention why it's dangerous then you need to just stop bringing it up. Don't be a tease - it's not very Christian of you. 

Obviously, we don't know when they moved in.  But, I feel like most people would have said something to that effect if that were the case.  Like, "Excuse the mess, but we just moved in and we're still unpacking."  When I was growing up, I used to think my mother was so dramatic for saying that she would be embarrassed if people saw the house a mess.  But now that I am older, I understand what she means and if I were Jill, I would have been mortified to show off the house to the world in that condition.

About the dangerous thing, I don't think they are being a tease, necessarily.  But they are doing nothing but propagating more stereotypes about Central America (and Latin America in general).  All the viewers who watched and aren't very knowledgable about current events are going to have it in their heads that CA is "soooo dangerous," when the reality of it is that yes, some parts are dangerous, but some parts aren't.  It was frustrating for me to watch, because I have lots of family in Central America, and for them to paint all of it as dangerous with one brush stroke is extremely dismissive. 

(This wasn't really directed at you, velocirapture, but I just quoted you as a jumping off point.)

And with all this said, I should probably stop harping on this. 

[anotherone]

3 hours ago, karen77 said:

So, if this is the case, can you not get pregnant for a few years?? 

I was thinking this too, are they really going to abstain for that long? 

Often people are adopting because they can't get pregnant.  If that's the case, no abstaining is necessary. I did have a friend once who was in the middle of adopting as a single mom, but met the man of her dreams in that time, so they used BC until that adoption was final.  She did say if she got pregnant that would be the end of the adoption for a while.

2 hours ago, LittleSpouseOnThePrairie said:

I Jessa has never really been explicit with her reasons/interest in adoption, which confuses and concerns me. Especially because Ben doesn't seems to share her passion.

The friend I had who was in the middle of an overseas adoption, her new boyfriend/husband was fully on board with her continuing it when they got married.  It bothers me too that Ben isn't into it.  That would be a tough environment for that future adopted child.

[anotherone]

50 minutes ago, ClaraOswin said:

I wonder if that's why they keep mentioning adoptions. Hoping someone will just offer them a baby

Were'nt they on that 5 day adoption movie?  I saw the preview for that and it made me cringe.  Even if you pray, an adoption shouldn't happen in 5 days, you need time to get everything ready, the birth mom needs time to choose the family, plus all the background stuff going on. 

[Bushes of Love]

I've not found a way to watch the show yet, but I've had a look for what green bean casserole is. The pictures made me want to throw up in my mouth and those were the 'nice' ones on food websites, I can't imagine how foul the Duggar one would be with all the processed and canned crap.

[ClaraOswin]

In the midwest, green bean casserole is a favorite on Thanksgiving. People in my family love it. I am not a fan but it has nothing to do with the canned soup. (I am basically the only person on FJ who doesn't have a problem with using it in recipes though.  I even eat canned soup for lunch once in a while. The horrors! Haha!)

[RoseWilder]

13 minutes ago, ClaraOswin said:

In the midwest, green bean casserole is a favorite on Thanksgiving. People in my family love it. I am not a fan but it has nothing to do with the canned soup. (I am basically the only person on FJ who doesn't have a problem with using it in recipes though.  I even eat canned soup for lunch once in a while. The horrors! Haha!)

I'm a fellow canned soup eater as well. My Mom makes Green Bean Casserole every year, and yes, she uses Cream of Mushroom soup. It's not my favorite think at Thanksgiving, but I kind of like (especially when it has French Fried Onions on top.) I also kind of like Tator Tot Casserole (although not the version the Duggars use - but the recipe I use does have Cream of Mushroom soup in it.) I was raised on processed food, so it's comforting to me. 

[ClaraOswin]

5 minutes ago, RoseWilder said:

I'm a fellow canned soup eater as well. My Mom makes Green Bean Casserole every year, and yes, she uses Cream of Mushroom soup. It's not my favorite think at Thanksgiving, but I kind of like (especially when it has French Fried Onions on top.) I also kind of like Tator Tot Casserole (although not the version the Duggars use - but the recipe I use does have Cream of Mushroom soup in it.) I was raised on processed food, so it's comforting to me. 

Same here. I don't apologize for it.  No one at FJ has to eat at my house...haha.

[socalrules]

6 minutes ago, ClaraOswin said:

In the midwest, green bean casserole is a favorite on Thanksgiving. People in my family love it. I am not a fan but it has nothing to do with the canned soup. (I am basically the only person on FJ who doesn't have a problem with using it in recipes though.  I even eat canned soup for lunch once in a while. The horrors! Haha!)

I grew up on cream of chicken mushroom soup as gravy for rice and mashed potatoes. I still love it and make it. I don't have a problem with canned foods or frozen foods, especially when used in moderation, for a specific purpose or a quick meal is needed. (Frozen veggies are always in my freezer because I rarely get to all the fresh ones before they go bad.) I think the problem with the Duggars is that they take the easiest, cheapest road every time. It would never occur to them that it only takes a few minutes to throw chicken and veggies (even frozen ones) in the oven to bake while making a garden salad. It likely takes less work than TTC or whatever other concoction they come up with. The problem is that the Duggars never want to change anything. Exhibit 1: Michelle's hair.

They still eat like they are trying to stretch every piece of rice. If they could buy food used and save the difference, they probably would. I wonder how often they are out of basics like milk. With so many kids they should be going through gallons a day. I would guess that they are not running out regularly for milk as it is expensive. 

[RabbitKM]

It is interesting to me that they shop at regular supermarkets.  With a family that size, you would think that shopping at Costco would be easier, if not cheaper.  Rather than buying five "family size" bags of corn at the grocery store, you can get one massive bag at Costco.  I personally don't shop there consistently, but I don't have 19 people to feed.  I go there for household basics, as well as to stock my freezer, because I prefer not to have to run out to the grocery store every other day.

[Screamapillar]

1 hour ago, VelociRapture said:

- We should burn Bin's hats. Just a suggestion.

YES. His hats.....I really have no words. I just hate them. A lot. I hope when Spurge gets to the grabbing and throwing things stage his prime targets are Bin's stupid hats. They deserve to be thrown to the ground. Repeatedly.