Maxwell 15: Simplifying Thanksgiving into Less than Regular Dinner

[Coconutwater]

I think the house is probably very tense and uncomfortable. We will never see or hear it, but Steve might still be trying to break John even more before marriage. He’s probably counting the days like a prisoner does before his release date...

[JermajestyDuggar]

18 minutes ago, Coconutwater said:

I think the house is probably very tense and uncomfortable. We will never see or hear it, but Steve might still be trying to break John even more before marriage. He’s probably counting the days like a prisoner does before his release date...

My guess? John is practically out of the house already and it eats Steve up. I bet John has barely been home since he bought that house because he's either 1) working on the house 2) just working 3) visiting Chelsy in another state. 

[fundiefan]

17 hours ago, snowfootwaltz said:

I was super happy for the kidults when I saw that the Thanksgiving List included doing a Turkey Trot!

Then I scrolled down to the pictures and saw that said trot was just the sibs...running...down a country road.

Part of the fun of doing a race is the adrenaline rush from all the participants! And the swag! And the music! And - oh wait, the Maxwells aren’t allowed to have fun. My bad.

Yeah, that was the first thing I noticed. They called it a Turkey Trot, like what tons of normal people do in cities around the country, but it was, in fact, just the six of them on a run on the morning of Thanksgiving. 

If you're too scared of the world to actually go run with other people, who typically do it to raise money for charity, you have serious problems. And don't steal the term just to try to make yourselves look normal. It's actually really fucking pathetic.

[lilith]

4 hours ago, AllisonWndrland said:

Yes, this is my feeling. Steve may have approved it, but in John's case, I think Steve knows he might only be able to push him so far. I'm not sure if any of the Maxwell children have the ability to rebel too far, so even a slight rebellion is a powerful one. John has that history of being the "difficult" one. That may be a very powerful position to hold in a family like theirs. Steve appears to require loads of approval from outsiders and publicly disapproving of John's choice in Chelsy is inviting scrutiny Steve doesn't want after two other broken engagements. His last few Suddenly Steves have been so angry and aggressive in discussing children and fathers that I can't help but wonder what is going on behind the constant smiles on the blog. 

As far as Chelsy's family dressing it up better, absolutely. They're one of the families that make that life look pretty and wholesome and uplifting. 

I think Steve approved it, but only cause he HAD to approve it for the above mentioned reasons. On paper, Chelsy and her family tick all the boxes (and John ticks them all for her family). John followed the rules and got his bride, but I’m sure Steve would have preferred a NR Anna type and definitely would have preferred someone whose family didn’t have a stronger blog/social media presence than the Maxwells. I also think he will strongly disapprove of the inevitable size and lavishness of the wedding.

[PennySycamore]

@fundiefan and @snowfootwaltz,  I always wanted to do the Greenville Track Club Turkey Trot at Paris Mountain State Park.  It's a trail run and the entry fee is food (canned or dry) for the food pantry.  I'm always too busy cooking though.

The Maxwell "Turkey Trot" just sounds pathetic!

[JermajestyDuggar]

1 hour ago, lilith said:

I think Steve approved it, but only cause he HAD to approve it for the above mentioned reasons. On paper, Chelsy and her family tick all the boxes (and John ticks them all for her family). John followed the rules and got his bride, but I’m sure Steve would have preferred a NR Anna type and definitely would have preferred someone whose family didn’t have a stronger blog/social media presence than the Maxwells. I also think he will strongly disapprove of the inevitable size and lavishness of the wedding.

I want to add that I think he thoroughly disapproves of the very touchy feely pictures of them posted online. 

[terranova]

Its sad that John's knowledge of a normal, happy family for the most part, is what he's seen at the Bontragers'.

[nastyhobbitses]

2 hours ago, PennySycamore said:

@fundiefan and @snowfootwaltz,  I always wanted to do the Greenville Track Club Turkey Trot at Paris Mountain State Park.  It's a trail run and the entry fee is food (canned or dry) for the food pantry.  I'm always too busy cooking though.

The Maxwell "Turkey Trot" just sounds pathetic!

I like that entry fee way more than the $30-60 I have to shell out for my races!

I didn't get to do an official turkey trot, but I did run six miles the day after Thanksgiving (half marathon training), and felt pretty damn proud of myself.

[Coconutwater]

17 minutes ago, terranova said:

Its sad that John's knowledge of a normal, happy family for the most part, is what he's seen at the Bontragers'.

Agreed, he’s seen as a new brother and son to the Bontragers and his family will consider him “extended family” I hope they move back to Iowa closer to her family. 

[VBOY9977]

Pics from the Bontrager blog from the Bible bee thing. Is Chelsy wearing... pants under a dress/tunic?? Or are those just really wide leggings? Either way it looks kinda weird lol

i’m glad John got out of the house for a bit though. Last year I think he was there with his sibling right? But they didn’t seem to be there this year

[PennySycamore]

They've got soda! They have soda pop at the Bontragers!  Now's your chance, Teri.

[Bethella]

3 hours ago, VBOY9977 said:

i’m glad John got out of the house for a bit though. Last year I think he was there with his sibling right? But they didn’t seem to be there this year

Steve can't risk another child escaping from the Borg.

[crawfishgirl]

 It looks like they've cropped out part of the picture with Teri lying on the floor.  She's no longer visible.

New blog post about Chelsy's bridal shower.  Looks to be mostly the Maxwell and Bontrager family, with a few other people thrown in.  I even saw a woman wearing pants - kinda surprised they even allowed a picture of that hussy outfit on their blog.

[usmcmom]

4 hours ago, crawfishgirl said:

 It looks like they've cropped out part of the picture with Teri lying on the floor.  She's no longer visible.

New blog post about Chelsy's bridal shower.  Looks to be mostly the Maxwell and Bontrager family, with a few other people thrown in.  I even saw a woman wearing pants - kinda surprised they even allowed a picture of that hussy outfit on their blog.

I'm actually glad they cropped Teri out of the picture. I'm sure it was just a mistake on Sarah's part to post it, but Teri was probably embarrassed by it. I know I hate it when I am tagged in Facebook photos in which I look ridiculous.  A couple times we've walked into parties and the host has grabbed us before we're even fully into the house and said "I'm getting photos of all the guests!  Smile!"  Geesh people! Give a girl the chance to at least get her coat off and escape the sea of coats! 

The shower looked pretty nice and I was glad Chelsey's family was there. 

Just a curious question: Does anybody else decorate bridal showers in the wedding colors?  My family always does that; but with a December wedding, her wedding colors could very well include red and/or green. 

[Foudeb]

Be still, my heart! I spot some unrelated people in there! 

*clutches pearls*

[IReallyAmHopewell]

29 minutes ago, Foudeb said:

Be still, my heart! I spot some unrelated people in there! 

*clutches pearls*

Probably from the cult, though.

The Bridal Shower Post is up!

Excitement! Cozy! How original--all Pinterest ideas! lol It does actually look nice though.

I commented that saying "It" with a picture of little girls was awkward.....

Did anyone order a book? Apparently they---SQUEE!!! arrived early and are shipping today (both orders? 3?)

[catlady]

Sarah could use a tutorial on writing photo captions.  one of them was, "Anna had a great idea."  since the photo was of her putting cookies on a tray, WTF was her great idea?  does she really think no one ever used a heart-shaped tray at a wedding-related event?  

and now for my other BEC moment:  the banner saying "Chelsy's Shower" is stupid and pointless.  i highly doubt any attendees were not aware of the purpose of the event.

[Eternalbluepearl]

I've never heard of a pantry shower. Were the Maxwells...*gasp*...being creative? 

[JermajestyDuggar]

I hope Steve doesn't read Allison Bontrager's blog 

 

1 hour ago, Eternalbluepearl said:

I've never heard of a pantry shower. Were the Maxwells...*gasp*...being creative? 

I think Jill Duggar had one (she had quite a few showers IIRC). She called it something vaguely sexual. Like a pound party.... *snicker*

[fundiefan]

15 hours ago, PennySycamore said:

@fundiefan and @snowfootwaltz,  I always wanted to do the Greenville Track Club Turkey Trot at Paris Mountain State Park.  It's a trail run and the entry fee is food (canned or dry) for the food pantry.  I'm always too busy cooking though.

The Maxwell "Turkey Trot" just sounds pathetic!

I am not a runner. I have no interest. But it seems to be the thing to do among the majority of my friends. There was a Turkey Trot for Toys for Tots that two friends ran, another for Children's Hospital that a friend and her family did - both local. My cousin in Texas did one for Hurricane relief. I donated to two of them, one of which helped put my cousin over the top as a top 5% fund raiser. 

I know there were more, my Facebook feed was full of runners Thanksgiving morning - many of whom will do the same for Xmas. 

The Maxwells serve the Maxwells and no one else, ever, for any reason. They make up their own 'turkey trot' to give a normal name to their abnormal choices.

[catlady]

1 hour ago, Eternalbluepearl said:

I've never heard of a pantry shower. Were the Maxwells...*gasp*...being creative? 

you may be right!  because, of course, the Maxwells are the first to think of everything, including master grocery lists and alternative uses for pizza cutters.  i hope Teri was creative enough to give Chelsy a pizza cutter.  

as both of them are living with their parents until the wedding, a pantry party makes sense since the pantry in *their* house is currently bare.  

Re:  Turkey Trots--the annual TT in my city raises funds for local YMCA programs to benefit underprivileged children and is an enormously popular event.  the Maxwells went jogging on a Thursday; that is not a Turkey Trot.

[fundiefan]

4 minutes ago, catlady said:

you may be right!  because, of course, the Maxwells are the first to think of everything, including master grocery lists and alternative uses for pizza cutters.  i hope Teri was creative enough to give Chelsy a pizza cutter.  

as both of them are living with their parents until the wedding, a pantry party makes sense since the pantry in *their* house is currently bare.  

Re:  Turkey Trots--the annual TT in my city raises funds for local YMCA programs to benefit underprivileged children and is an enormously popular event.  the Maxwells went jogging on a Thursday; that is not a Turkey Trot.

I was given a pantry shower when I got married 20 years ago.

These idiots really need to get out more. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

I know some of us liked to speculate for fun that since Jesse and Allison are both 23, they might end up a couple as well. As I see this whole thing unfold between John and Chelsy, I'm convinced Steve will never allow another Maxwell marry a Bontrager. Especially that Allison who seems to be rather independent. Nope. Steve won't allow it.

[PennySycamore]

@JermajestyDuggar, Jill may have called her pantry party a "pound Party" because of the old tradition in some evangelical churches of "pounding the preacher" where church members bring goods to stock the preacher's pantry, fridge and freezer.  Once upon a time, preachers weren't paid very much. 

[HereticHick]

1 hour ago, fundiefan said:

I was given a pantry shower when I got married 20 years ago.

These idiots really need to get out more. 

Yep. As a southerner, I've heard them called "poundings" too.  Didn't one of the Duggar girls have one?

From Wikipedia:

"In the Southern United States, an old-fashioned type of party, known as a "Food Pounder", is popular. Traditionally, each guest would bring the new homeowners a pound of food such as cheese, cornmeal, flour, sugar, or any other staple food needed to stock the new home's pantry. In modern times the tradition has been extended to canned goods and even fresh foods, but the hosts are still most likely to receive the basic foodstuffs needed to set up a kitchen."