Dillards 54: Fantasyland Where Reality Isn't Required

[grandmadugger]

3 minutes ago, singsingsing said:

Great, she can put the $50 she won in the Tuttle Twins contest toward that.  

I'm debating on sending an email over to chowhound.  She shouldn't be wasting that $50 at some thrift store or on a progressive dinner in the car.  

[Nikedagain?]

19 minutes ago, EmmieJ said:

I'm just now discovering that my parents did have date nights.  I mistakenly thought they were family movie nights, where they packed all 8 kids into our family van, stopped at A&W to get some burgers and hit the drive in movies.  I believe what has thrown me off all these years is the fact my mom didn't sit on my dad's lap out in public (she didn't do that at home in front of us either - I don't know what her problem was!).  My dad didn't dry hump my mom in front of anyone either, so I'm not sure how we kids and the rest of the world were supposed to know they had Godly love for each other!   The other thing they were always doing wrong was splitting up the supervising duties when out with us kids.  My dad would take charge of several of us, my mom would do the same, and the two oldest would each keep an eye on ONLY ONE other sibling!  It is with deep chagrin that I confess to all of you that my mom and dad did not walk, hand in hand, ahead of the rest of us and never once look back.  It's so sad to realize their severe failures at both marriage and parenting, and the 60+ odd years they spent together were just a farce.

I'm so sorry, Sis. Are you coping ok? Our thoughts and prayers are with you. 

[singsingsing]

Yeah, by the way, WTF is a 'progressive dinner'? Sometimes I just want to sit Derick down and have him attempt to explain his thought process about these things. I feel like it would be like reading the transcript of one of Donald Trump's speeches.

[grandmadugger]

13 minutes ago, singsingsing said:

Yeah, by the way, WTF is a 'progressive dinner'? Sometimes I just want to sit Derick down and have him attempt to explain his thought process about these things. I feel like it would be like reading the transcript of one of Donald Trump's speeches.

I have actually done a "progressive dinner".  It's usually done with a group of friends.  One hosts drinks and appetizers, someone else the soup/salad course, someone else the main dish, someone else does dessert.  Each host has a theme for their turn.  It's a fun way for everyone to have a "party" at their home without the hassle of doing the whole thing.  Of course, one needs good friends that live close for it to work.  Otherwise, you are just sad sacks eating the courses from restaurants in your car while filming it for social media.

[Chewing Gum]

3 hours ago, VelociRapture said:

Not everyone cares about fashion or has the same taste in fashion. The Dills look clean, groomed, and their clothes look nice enough for the occasion. Maybe I have more relaxed standards than others here, but they honestly look perfectly fine to me in this photo.  

Yes, this! The only problem I have is Derick’s colored suit, he’d look better in a darker shade of grey (no pun intended). But Jill matches Derick’s tie with her blouse, the boys both have the same grey pants/ blue top going on and with jill’s skirt she matches them all. Even Derick’s tie matches his top. I’m all for matching   

[Georgiana]

19 minutes ago, singsingsing said:

Yeah, by the way, WTF is a 'progressive dinner'? Sometimes I just want to sit Derick down and have him attempt to explain his thought process about these things. I feel like it would be like reading the transcript of one of Donald Trump's speeches.

I've gone to a few "Progressive" dinners.  One is my neighborhood Christmas party, which goes down pretty much like @grandmadugger's post above.  Sometimes my co-workers will do a "progressive" happy hour: one place for HH drinks and apps, move somewhere else for dinner, and finally somewhere else for dessert.  

To give a concrete example: we go to FS because they have an AWESOME selection of happy hour beers AND they provide games, so it's a fun place to start out.  But they don't have much in the way of "real food", so we'll head somewhere more sit-down for that, then you have places that do really cool late hh's with desserts, so we'll head there.  It's a fun way to explore downtown, it's really flexible (it's so much easier for people to just leave whenever), and you can change vibes and venues.  It's especially fun in the summer when walking is more palatable, especially on the way to a late baseball* game at the stadium.

But "Progressive" things are usually best when WALKABLE.  This car nonsense the Dillards do with chain restaurants is just kind of weird and sad. 

*The local team is the Mariners, so occasionally you get something that resembles baseball on the field (BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW, HEADED TO THE WS DON'T EVEN @ ME!) and occasionally you get something soggy.  But you can usually count on the OTHER team to play baseball, even if the M's aren't in the mood.  So that's nice.  

[EmmieJ]

39 minutes ago, Nikedagain? said:

I'm so sorry, Sis. Are you coping ok? Our thoughts and prayers are with you. 

I'll be all right.  I just put on an extra thick layer of green eye liner to hide my shame.

19 minutes ago, grandmadugger said:

I have actually done a "progressive dinner".  It's usually done with a group of friends.  One hosts drinks and appetizers, someone else the soup/salad course, someone else the main dish, someone else does dessert.  Each host has a theme for their turn.  It's a fun way for everyone to have a "party" at their home without the hassle of doing the whole thing.  Of course, one needs good friends that live close for it to work.  Otherwise, you are just sad sacks eating the courses from restaurants in your car while filming it for social media.

I thought that was called a pot luck.  What am I missing?

ETA:  Never mind.  I see that it means having one part of a meal at one house, then walking (or driving) to someone else's house for the next course, and so on.  That would be something I'd do if it was in the same neighborhood, but I'd be less enthused if it meant driving from house to house each time.  

[Georgiana]

2 minutes ago, EmmieJ said:

I thought that was called a pot luck.  What am I missing?

It changes venues! So we have one with our neighborhood, and 4-5 homes host each year.  After you spend an hour or so at one house, you all move on to the next house where the next course is served!  It's really fun because it's a chance to see inside many different homes, and it takes some of the stress off the hosts because no one house has to host the entire thing.  I live in a historic district, so it's always extra fun to go into my neighbors' homes.  I also live in a small home, so I could never host if I had to do the entire thing.  But for an hour of drinks and apps?  Sure, we can squeeze in!

[justoneoftwo]

Progressive dinners are fun, and I can even imagine a situation where doing it with chains would be nice (if you really love things from different places). The part thats weird and sad to me is having the kids in the back and making them sit through it (and it sounds like they didn't get the food too, my LO would just be so upset by that).  LO hates being in the car so it just sounds so mean, but maybe their kids don't mind?  It just sounds less fun too, your not really experiencing eating out if your sitting in your car.

[singsingsing]

Right, sorry, I meant WTF is a progressive dinner in the context Derick was using it. Weren’t they just eating fast food in their car? 

[Georgiana]

Just now, justoneoftwo said:

Progressive dinners are fun, and I can even imagine a situation where doing it with chains would be nice (if you really love things from different places). The part thats weird and sad to me is having the kids in the back and making them sit through it (and it sounds like they didn't get the food too, my LO would just be so upset by that).  LO hates being in the car so it just sounds so mean, but maybe their kids don't mind?  It just sounds less fun too, your not really experiencing eating out if your sitting in your car.

I could see it being cool in the car if you didn't EAT in the parking lot...like if you got all your favorite things from your favorite restaurants to go and then had a nice picnic somewhere or went to a drive in.  That would be AWESOME!  But just like...eating in your car in the parking lot?  

1 minute ago, singsingsing said:

Right, sorry, I meant WTF is a progressive dinner in the context Derick was using it. Weren’t they just eating fast food in their car? 

Ah yes, well in DERICK's case, it really just...isn't.  He's a moron trying to put a fun label on really weird and sad behavior to try and make it look cool.  If those two have anything to bond over, it's that they are incorrigible social media try-hards.  

[meowfundiecatz]

So when I got married a few years ago, I was given a "date jar" (something some Duggar girl had as well recently but that's not the point). The point is one of the date suggestions was a progressive dinner like what Jill and Derick did. Mr. Meow and I have never done one, but it seems like fun. We would probably dine in, not just eat in our car.

The kids from our church have also done the same progressive dinner, except they went inside to eat, not in the church van. They made it more fun by dressing up fancy but going to fast food places. But these were 12-18 year olds, not grown adults with small children.

[grandmadugger]

Progressive dinners can be a great way to explore an area of town too like @Georgiana mentioned.  The big key is that it's a group of friends doing it and bonding, getting to know each other better. 

Derrick and Jill had dinner in the car, I used to do that with friends in high school.  We'd get burgers from McDonald's and fries from Long John Silver's.  We didn't call it progressive, we didn't film it, and we didn't think we were super cool for doing it.  We were cheap and liked LJS fries and crumbs.

[Toothfairy]

On 3/31/2018 at 3:56 PM, Nikedagain? said:

I'm a clinic escort. If I can figure out how, I will try to post a tiny bit of video from this morning (the 40 days folks threw rosaries all up in our trees, it was very Blair Witchy to me) but mostly the audio. It's ridiculous. Emotions are high with them because of Easter I guess. One particularly unpleasant fellow (he's the perpetrator of the black lives holocaust movement here) followed me to my car a couple of weeks back and took photos of my license plate and said he would call my employer, kids school, kids autism therapy provider etc (car magnets). Today they actually yelled at my kid. She flapped, smiled like an angel and showed them her escort vest

I'm sorry these people should be charged with harrassment. 

[pandora]

Didn't they eat a pizza in the car too, as a date right after Sam was born? Struck me as odd at the time (I think one of the many joys of pizza is that you can eat it in the comfort of your own home), but maybe now this is their pattern for dates.

[justoneoftwo]

1 minute ago, pandora said:

Didn't they eat a pizza in the car too, as a date right after Sam was born? Struck me as odd at the time (I think one of the many joys of pizza is that you can eat it in the comfort of your own home), but maybe now this is their pattern for dates.

Right after a baby is born you do a lot of things that don't make sense any other time.  I'm sure I did things like this too (exactly like this actually).  

[ItsMeY'all]

 I'm just gonna say it... I don't get the whole shrunken suit thing and feel like many considered to be of modern fashion look like their clothes are too small. I see men sitting at church with pants pulling in all sorts of weird directions, jacket sleeves well above the wrist, pulling across the chest unless they stand "just right" and it just looks so uncomfortable.  If you can't lean foreward at your desk or move your arms without looking like your buttons are going to pop off, how is that not "too small?" My hubby already hates wearing a suit and tie every day and he wears a more classic fit. Not a fan of the family or the man, but what am I missing about D's suit? The pants are maybe a bit wide for my taste (assuming he went for an old school full break with that width and not the Duggar standard or 10" past the ankle?) and the jacket sleeves are wrinkled as though he has been holding a kid, but other than that I was actually impressed to see a "Duggar" with a tailored outfit. I may not like the style he has chosen, but it looks tailored while still practical.  I also think Jeremy dresses just the fitting side of the line of being too small/tight, but that doesn't make it wrong...just a taste thing. D's sleeves and shoulders look to be the correct lenght and placement for a more traditional fit and, unlike so many now days, the neck of the shirt looks to be a perfect fit. Granted, my hubby prefers what would be considered a more old fashioned fit (he HATES flat front pants on himself and much prefers pleats...also has long rise and I'm sure people thinks he hikes his pants up too high but any shorter and his crack would show!). This may not be the most modern style for the fit, but it seems tailored which seems rare for this family. We are pushing 40---are we really just showing our age (aside from the pleat thing which drives me nuts but he likes, so whatever)?

[Georgiana]

18 minutes ago, meowfundiecatz said:

So when I got married a few years ago, I was given a "date jar" (something some Duggar girl had as well recently but that's not the point). The point is one of the date suggestions was a progressive dinner like what Jill and Derick did. Mr. Meow and I have never done one, but it seems like fun. We would probably dine in, not just eat in our car.

The kids from our church have also done the same progressive dinner, except they went inside to eat, not in the church van. They made it more fun by dressing up fancy but going to fast food places. But these were 12-18 year olds, not grown adults with small children.

If you're going to do one, I suggest researching in advance to find the spots you want to hit and having a plan.  It's really great for trying little things that a place is famous for, like this place for cocktails, this place for apps, this place for whatever.  You can even skip entrees and just get little bites everywhere.  Also, don't rule out food trucks if your city has them!  It can be fun to swing by a truck and grab a snack to mack on while you're walking to your next place!  It's basically a fun way to get a feel for cuisine in a way you don't have to commit to.  You can try new things and branch out, because if you hate it, there's always the next place!  

You can swing it into a nice stay-cation if you get a hotel room and add in an event or something  

But I definitely think it's more fun if you're walking, not driving.  Driving kind of breaks up the feel, whereas walking really adds to it somehow.  It's a super fun summer date!

[VelociRapture]

Just now, pandora said:

Didn't they eat a pizza in the car too, as a date right after Sam was born? Struck me as odd at the time (I think one of the many joys of pizza is that you can eat it in the comfort of your own home), but maybe now this is their pattern for dates.

The pizza date wasn’t too odd to me. Sam would have been extremely young at the time (it was shortly after he would have gotten out of NICU) and it was probably just an easy way to get out of the house for a little bit without worrying about exposing Sam to too many germs.*

*If that was a concern. Every NICU parent I know, myself included, has been pretty concerned about germs around their baby. Pizza in the car would have actually been a pretty great way to get all of us out of the house for a bit without worrying about our preemie getting sick from being in an enclosed space with lots of strangers. 

3 minutes ago, justoneoftwo said:

Right after a baby is born you do a lot of things that don't make sense any other time.  I'm sure I did things like this too (exactly like this actually).  

Yep. New parents do what they have to in order to function and stay sane. This latest progressive date would be really odd if they didn’t feed the kids too, but I think pizza in the car with a newborn is actually kind of cute.

[Toothfairy]

On 4/1/2018 at 7:12 AM, BabyBottlePop said:

@patsymae, I totally agree with your post. Also want to add that pro-lifers never seem to think of the all the kids waiting already in our foster care system.  I know older kids are usually not wanted like babies are. Adoption works sometimes but it's not a cure-all.

The biggest issue I have. Just give it to for adoption. As if it were that easy and we already have kids waiting for adoption. Adoption is about parenting not pregnancy. Abortion is about pregnancy. 

[VelociRapture]

7 minutes ago, ItsMeY'all said:

 I'm just gonna say it... I don't get the whole shrunken suit thing and feel like many considered to be of modern fashion look like their clothes are too small. I see men sitting at church with pants pulling in all sorts of weird directions, jacket sleeves well above the wrist, pulling across the chest unless they stand "just right" and it just looks so uncomfortable.  If you can't lean foreward at your desk or move your arms without looking like your buttons are going to pop off, how is that not "too small?" My hubby already hates wearing a suit and tie every day and he wears a more classic fit. Not a fan of the family or the man, but what am I missing about D's suit? The pants are maybe a bit wide for my taste (assuming he went for an old school full break with that width and not the Duggar standard or 10" past the ankle?) and the jacket sleeves are wrinkled as though he has been holding a kid, but other than that I was actually impressed to see a "Duggar" with a tailored outfit. I may not like the style he has chosen, but it looks tailored while still practical.  I also think Jeremy dresses just the fitting side of the line of being too small/tight, but that doesn't make it wrong...just a taste thing. D's sleeves and shoulders look to be the correct lenght and placement for a more traditional fit and, unlike so many now days, the neck of the shirt looks to be a perfect fit. Granted, my hubby prefers what would be considered a more old fashioned fit (he HATES flat front pants on himself and much prefers pleats...also has long rise and I'm sure people thinks he hikes his pants up too high but any shorter and his crack would show!). This may not be the most modern style for the fit, but it seems tailored which seems rare for this family. We are pushing 40---are we really just showing our age (aside from the pleat thing which drives me nuts but he likes, so whatever)?

I don’t think you’re alone. My husband is 30 and he hates the fitted styles that are popular now. He finds them really uncomfortable and prefers a more relaxed feel. He has his professional clothing tailored, so he always looks appropriate for work or special events. Maybe this is why I don’t get the comments on Derick’s clothing in the Easter photo either. 

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

1 hour ago, EmmieJ said:

I'm just now discovering that my parents did have date nights.  I mistakenly thought they were family movie nights, where they packed all 8 kids into our family van, stopped at A&W to get some burgers and hit the drive in movies.  I believe what has thrown me off all these years is the fact my mom didn't sit on my dad's lap out in public (she didn't do that at home in front of us either - I don't know what her problem was!).  My dad didn't dry hump my mom in front of anyone either, so I'm not sure how we kids and the rest of the world were supposed to know they had Godly love for each other!   The other thing they were always doing wrong was splitting up the supervising duties when out with us kids.  My dad would take charge of several of us, my mom would do the same, and the two oldest would each keep an eye on ONLY ONE other sibling!  It is with deep chagrin that I confess to all of you that my mom and dad did not walk, hand in hand, ahead of the rest of us and never once look back.  It's so sad to realize their severe failures at both marriage and parenting, and the 60+ odd years they spent together were just a farce.

Damn, well we don't have several kids to watch over only 2, so we did walk behind them, hand in hand as they rode bikes or scooters or ran ahead of us, as we walked to the local ice cream shop or movie store when it was nice out. Those were our favorite dates.  Because I was a mean mom and when my kids wanted to "go out" for ice cream we had walk (the whole 1/4 of a mile 1 way) to the little shop, one excellent benefit of living in small town 'Murkia. I guess our marriage isn't a total sham since we did at least hold hands, though we refrained from dry humping and snogging in public, so it wasn't a Godly marriage.

[Toothfairy]

Derrick wears ugly suits. He needs a stylist 

[albanuadh_1]

A good iron sometimes wouldn't go amiss!

[nickelodeon]

Don't all ~mommy blogs~ basically rip each other off for recipes and stuff like Jill? I frequently see the same recipe hosted on different blogs (though usually with original photography and an original 5000-word essay about how good the recipe tastes.)

Also, who wore it better?

Spoiler