Maxwell 12: Eleven years of blogging, still got nothing to say

[Koala]

Holy hell, she also has a tutorial on making your JEANS fit you.

This should be interesting.

[mango_fandango]

Unless John's bought that house temporarily and plans to live there for a few years before moving elsewhere? Or will spend time away from the main Maxwell collective like Joe and Elissa seem to?

I hope this isn't true, but maybe part of the courtship agreement was Chelsy agreeing to wear skirts full time. Like Whitney Bates did. Although of course Whitney has since gone back to wearing pants... but then again the Bateses are very liberal compared to the Maxwells.

[Jana814]

8 minutes ago, usmcmom said:

 

If that blog post disappears, I am going to be livid. In the meantime, Steve must be in shock that there are people out there that don't bow to his will. 

I'm going to be livid also. Steve must be really pissed that the Bongragor's would have to nerve to post someone before he could. He has to control everything. 

[Teaistheway]

1 hour ago, johnhugh said:

Getting married on the 30th is a perfect introduction for Chelsy’s new life in Maxhell as she will be spending the following evening wailing and crying for the unsaved in their annual New Year’s Eve party.

If it were me there's no way I'd have let hot John escape from bed that soon! 

[Lurky]

2 hours ago, nokidsmom said:

I don't think Steveovah can abide allowing his daughters to move away to live with husbands just like the daughters-in-law move to Leavenworth.   I think he wants any prospective son-in-law to move to the compound and if he has the same requirements as for his sons (be self employed, buy house in vicinity debt free) and in addition measuring up to Steve's exacting standards, then it's no surprise that non of his daughters are married.  For one: just moving could be problematic for a prospective son in law if his self employment is reliant on a local customer base where he lives.    That could disqualify him right there.

Same x 100! 

My big question:  what must it be like to live on the same street as the Maxwells?  I imagine Steve prays regularly that the neighbours will sell up, so his sons can move even closer?

Add me to the chorus hoping John will escape, but I'm also doubtful this will happen.

[JermajestyDuggar]

She may only have to wear skirts around Steve. Which wouldn't be a big deal since she wears skirts most of the time. But pictures online of her in pants probably makes Steve's head almost explode.

[JoyJoy]

Joseph had a broken engagement(5 days before the wedding?) before his marriage to Elissa. That had to be  embarrassing for Steve.  Joseph probably wanted to keep things quiet with Elissa. And Elissa's family doesn't have a blog.

Maybe the Maxwells will post something soon or they would rather wait until John and Chelsy are married after what happened with Joseph.  I could be very wrong, but I don't think Steve is angry about the post.

[divadivine]

The Bontragers eat real food. Not 3 animal cookies and 3 Triscuits apiece. Maybe Chelsy can teach the Maxwell daughters how to cook? Or at least expand their recipe file. 

[Palimpsest]

It is possible that Joseph's super-secret wedding was engineered by Joseph, not by Steve.

It must have been really humiliating to have been dumped so close to the wedding.  And presumably he thought he was in love with Elisabeth, so heart-breaking too.  I would have thought Elissa's family thought the secrecy strange, but they went along with it.  And that family have very little internet presence.

However,  John's engagement was made public at 6:00 am (I'm presuming Central time) this morning.  Still no word from the Maxwells.  None.

If they leave it much longer to announce the happy news, people (and I don't mean FJ) might start to wonder whether the Maxwells approve of the union, yet alone want to welcome Chelsy into the family.

And no Maxwell has even posted on the Bontranger thread yet.  One might think they just got blindsided by the announcement.

 

[kpmom]

Wow!  A Maxwell brother referred to as a "boyfriend"?

A Maxwell brother with an arm around his fiance'??

A Maxwell brother's fiance' wearing a knee length dress???

Maybe the world really did end September, 23rd!!

[Lurky]

@divadivine Now I'm imagining Chelsy like the heroine of one of those books/films where the plucky heroine joins a family/comes to town and teaches them better ways to live.  Like Anne of Green Gables, making Marissa less crusty (I wish I could remember which film/book I'm thinking of.  The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer is the nearest I can think of, but the classic example?  Maybe written by Louisa May Alcott??  Does this ring any bells?)

[nokidsmom]

13 minutes ago, Palimpsest said:

It is possible that Joseph's super-secret wedding was engineered by Joseph, not by Steve.

As angry Steve was over Liz cancelling the wedding (and was still angry about much later) I often though the secrecy surrounding his marriage to Elissa was likely Joe's preference.  

He got burned big time with Liz and with that experience, I don't think Joe was taking any chances of it happening again.   I can understand being a little bit paranoid after something like that.

[Palimpsest]

3 minutes ago, Lurky said:

I wish I could remember which film/book I'm thinking of.

Pollyanna?  I always wanted to wring little Miss Glad Game's neck.

[usmcmom]

12 minutes ago, Palimpsest said:

 

And no Maxwell has even posted on the Bontranger thread yet.  One might think they just got blindsided by the announcement.

 

Oh my gosh!  What IF John had not told his own family?!?  I know that is very unlikely, but the idea brings me a little bit of pleasure, I must admit. Other thoughts going through my mind: Steve's disapproval will be so great that he refuses to let his family attend the wedding. John bought that house to appease his parents but plans to move to Chelsy's hometown. 

Does anybody know if the Bontranger family are from Illlinos?  I saw a blog post detailing the girls' trip to Galena so was wondering about proximity, etc.   

[Palimpsest]

5 minutes ago, Lurky said:

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer is the nearest I can think of,

That is one of my favorite Heyers.

[Lurky]

Just now, Palimpsest said:

Pollyanna?  I always wanted to wring little Miss Glad Game's neck.

Ugh I know!  The only thing that made Pollyanna more palatable was 'Freckles' by Stratton Porter (ugh). 

But I'm sure there's a book aimed at teenaged girls/young women where a young woman comes to live with a family and sorts out their problems, makes them learn to be happy and have fun - in fact I thought Heyer had borrowed the plot for Sophy.   (My favourite is the first one I ever read:  The Reluctant Widow.  I love the melodramas, but I really adore the level of research Heyer put into them)

[meee]

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm comes to mind, is that what you are thinking of, @Lurky?

[nokidsmom]

2 minutes ago, usmcmom said:

Oh my gosh!  What IF John had not told his own family?!?  I know that is very unlikely, but the idea brings me a little bit of pleasure, I must admit

I would like that too but agree it's unlikely.

My thoughts are that the message was taken out of the Maxwell's hands, they didn't have control over it this time.  And given it's the Maxwells, they can't do something simply and straightforwardly, it's got to be complicated and unnecessarily fraught.  So, it's throwing them for a loop while they scramble to figure out a way to respond (just acknowledge it, dammit, it's your son's engagement) and Steve stews over not having control of the message this time (deal with it, it's your son's engagement).  

[usmcmom]

Well, to be fair "Announce John's Engagement," was probably not on anybody's schedule this week.  It certainly was not on Sarah's list of potential blog topics, I'm guessing. If it's not on a schedule or a list...

WHAT ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO DO??!!?

[VodouDoll]

Cold Comfort Farm! That book was so much fun. Flora Poste moves in with her dour relatives and sorts out all their emotional problems with practical, matter-of-fact good humor and common sense.

[Rosie]

5 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

I would feel more hopeful about this if John hadn't just bought that fixer-upper in Leavenworth.  Speaking of which, he's going to have to work really hard to get that dump into a livable condition by December 30th.  The damp in the family room looked rather ominous.

I feel sad at the thought of Chelsy moving to Maxhell.  John has always seemed the most outgoing and independent of the Maxhellions, he has his real estate licence and his irrigation gig, and isn't needed for Swift Otter or CCI.  So I'm going to hope that early in 2018:

• John's irrigation services are desperately needed on the Bontranger farm.
• John and Chelsy are needed to fill out the Bontranger band and go on the road.
• Mitchell and Brynn need to run the hotel instead of haul custom manure.
• John and Chelsy sell the split level to Jesse and move back to the Bontrager farm area permanently.

Wait, do we know which house he bought?  Do we have photos?

[nokidsmom]

12 minutes ago, usmcmom said:

Well, to be fair "Announce John's Engagement," was probably not on anybody's schedule this week.  It certainly was not on Sarah's list of potential blog topics, I'm guessing. If it's not on a schedule or a list...

WHAT ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO DO??!!?

Oh that's right.  It was not on the schedule.   Cue all kinds of "whatever shall we do" questions when things pop up that are not on the schedule.

[JermajestyDuggar]

13 minutes ago, Rosie said:

Wait, do we know which house he bought?  Do we have photos?

Yes. John bought a house over the summer that is around 0.7 miles from the Maxwell family home. It's a split level that needs a good amount of work. We were unsure about the square footage since they might not include the bottom level in the listing. That's how we knew John was courting someone. The Maxwell it's always buy a home a few months before the wedding. The link is quite a few pages back. 

Found it! 

https://www.redfin.com/KS/Leavenworth/1712-Thornton-St-66048/home/83441914

[Coconutwater]

I love that she announces how they are gaining a new son, how much they love John, and how much FUN they are having planning their wedding. I hope he moves closer to them. 

[Palimpsest]

11 minutes ago, VodouDoll said:

Cold Comfort Farm! That book was so much fun. Flora Poste moves in with her dour relatives and sorts out all their emotional problems with practical, matter-of-fact good humor and common sense.

I loved Cold Comfort Farm.  I'm so glad someone else knows it.  My past comments about Steve having seen something nasty in the wood shed have always seemed to fall rather flat.

26 minutes ago, Lurky said:

My favourite is the first one I ever read:  The Reluctant Widow.

Another of my favorites.  The mystery and melodrama, Nicky and the dog, and the biting humor.  Ned can take a hike in that book though.  Elinor should have slugged him not fallen into his arms.  Now we need a Heyer thread in the Book Club.  I want to discuss The Talisman Ring, The Quiet Gentleman, and how we both vastly prefer Devil's Cub to These Old Shades.