John David and Abbie Grace 3: Rapture Pending

[Satan'sFortress]

20 hours ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

DH is currently boiling eggs - our standard breakfast, and is getting ready to mash 5 pounds of potatoes for lunches.

Now all I want to do is eat 5 pounds of mashed potatoes.  I could do it, too!

 

18 hours ago, PurpleCats said:

However, my all time favorite grocery store is Central Market. The produce section is absolutely gorgeous. 

Are you in Austin?  My sister lives there and when I visit, that is an actual destination for us!  If I had Central Market, I think I would go every day!

[scoutsadie]

Getting caught up on blogs via Feedly today, I was so bewildered by this post...

...until I realized it was Joseph's kid and a behind-the-times episode of Counting On that they were talking about.

[Sky with diamonds]

17 hours ago, JordynDarby5 said:

My family tried the online shopping and delivery with King Soopers but ended up quitting because they constantly were out of stuff and substituting it with stuff. Even when we put down no substitutes because I have a specific diet I have to follow, my dad had certain restrictions because of medication he takes, and at the time my mom had stuff she couldn't eat. They would always substitute it with things we couldn't eat so Dad would always have to take it back to the store. After a couple months we quit and Dad went back to grocery shopping.  Its too bad we hoped it would take one thing off so much he already had to do. We've seen the advertisements for Walmart but our experience with King Soopers soured us on it. But its not too bad now for him to go. He shops at the grocery store where I used to work and most people of the employees worked there when I worked there. They know my whole family and have been really supportive especially since my health problems popped up and my mom's did too. They sent flowers and a bunch of food when my mom passed away. They are a really great group of people and I really can't imagine ever not shopping there.  

I tended to shop at Walmart where my mother used to work. I've gone off the place actually, because Walmart screwed my mother very so badly. 

Now, depending on budget I shop at No Frills or Safeway. I'd shop at Costco if there was one locally.

[rainbowbabycakes]

HEB has the market cornered in San Antonio. we have HEB and Walmart, and then Sprouts, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's.

I usually don't  mind being so limited, but my sister gets amazing mark down deals at her Krogers, and I get jealous, lol

[metheglyn]

1 hour ago, scoutsadie said:

Getting caught up on blogs via Feedly today, I was so bewildered by this post...

...until I realized it was Joseph's kid and a behind-the-times episode of Counting On that they were talking about.

Same! I first saw that headline and when "Wait, what? Did I miss something? Oh, no, just J&K's baby's gender/sex reveal."

Question is, are L&E really that oblivious as to how it would read to most people?

[PurpleCats]

@Satan'sFortress - Dallas!  I lived in Austin for awhile and really miss HEB. Lol 

[RainbowSky]

4 hours ago, Sky with diamonds said:

I tended to shop at Walmart where my mother used to work. I've gone off the place actually, because Walmart screwed my mother very so badly. 

This is me and Kmart.

I've stepped foot in one 4x in 27 years starting when I was a little kid. 

My brother works at Walmart and is treated well and is paid a chunk more than I was for years as a restaurant manager. Funny how your prospective changes things!

And I haven't seen a Safeway in years but used to love some of their fresh stuff.

 

Mostly we got to Walmart or Aldi because that's out options besides the local place. I'd rather go to the local place but it's literally multiple dollars more for most things. Like 5.50 for milk instead of 3.50, 3.29 for a head of iceberg, 2.79 for a green pepper, etc. I do go there for some sales though.

[CaricatureQualities]

All this Walmart talk reminds me of the fact that JB and M were so into walmart that they included Sam Walton's rules for building a business in their book A Love That Multiplies.... right before the chart for Operational definitions of "Character Qualities" (my favorite!).

[cascarones]

7 hours ago, PurpleCats said:

I lived in Austin for awhile and really miss HEB

You and me both. I'm a Tj lady for the most part since my Safeway can't even regularly have broccoli in stock. I took a lot of incredulousness for being less than meh over Wegmans, but I'd just moved from HEB land. 

On a fun note, I'm technically life banned from Harris Teeter for something I was tangentially involved in at best. I just said hi to the group misbehaving, but when the manager lost his composure it was a lot of hollering and banning. 

Do we know if Abbie is very health focused like Lauren? I think her family had a booth at a fair and that she's a nurse, not that it's any indicator of food focus.

[justodd]

Add me to the list of people with bad experiences from King Soopers delivery. Their website sucks, for one, and yeah, the pain of unwanted substitutions is very real. I had much better experiences with Walmart, though I try and avoid doing delivery nowadays. I live down the street from Trader Joe’s, so I stop there a few times a week for produce and a few other things. The Target Grocery is in the same parking lot as my gym, so I go there after exercising once or twice a week, and I have a couple of things I like getting from King Soopers when I have to pick up medication refills. My biggest shopping trips tend to be once a month or so when a friend who works for Sprouts lets me use his employee discount.  

 

As for lists, I have a note on my phone with headings for every store I frequent. Every time I notice I’m running low on something (or decide I need something I don’t have), I key it in under the appropriate store. I also check the ads each week, and make a note of something on sale if it’s something I know I’ll use. It’s easy to pull it up on my phone when I’m at or near a store, I rarely forget anything on my list, I almost never find myself unexpectedly out of something important, so I’d say it’s a decent system. 

[Kjaerringa]

I love going to the grocery store when I travel. I always pick up things to bring home that are cheaper there, more expensive or not available at home...especially when I go to Norway. I always declare everything, and so far have never lost anything to customs...not even reindeer sausage, moose sausage, goat cheese.. not even pine seedlings or a rosebush! 

I love to bring back things like dish towels or pillow covers...things you use daily, but remind you of your travels. I've also brought horn salt, packaged mixes for waffles, baker's chocolate, spices, measuring cups/spoons in metric...all things I need to recreate recipes. Anything that is a local staple that is legal to fly.

Another shopping guide is to hit the thrift stores wherever you travel. If you want traditional items, try the big cities. Many of the millenials are not as thrilled about folk art traditions, etc, in their particular country, and you can pick up marvelous things for just a song, while helping the group the thrift store funds. In Scandinavia, you can get traditional hand knit sweaters for around 40 bucks, as well as wood carvings, folk paintings, handwovens, sterling or pewter items, crystal and good china for a fraction of the original price. I bought my son a gorgeous carved burl wood bowl for $2 last year, and a beautifully painted (rosemaled) plate for a friend for $5.

[onekidanddone]

Trader Joe’s and Wegmans are my faves hands down. Wegmans has the best produce of all the grocery stores around here and Trader Joe’s has really good prices for staples. Safeway and Harris Teeter are too damn expensive. 

Giant is okay if I don’t feel like going all the way to Wegmans 

[QuiverFullofBooks]

8 hours ago, onekidanddone said:

Trader Joe’s and Wegmans are my faves hands down. Wegmans has the best produce of all the grocery stores around here and Trader Joe’s has really good prices for staples. Safeway and Harris Teeter are too damn expensive. 

Giant is okay if I don’t feel like going all the way to Wegmans 

You live near me. I think Harris Teeter is pretty reasonable, especially if you use their membership program. I love Wegmans, but don’t go there often. It’s farther away from me and it’s so huge that it feels like a production. (I sometimes break for lunch between non-refrigerated and refrigerated items.)  Trader Joe’s is fun - yummy stuff for good prices - but I’ve always felt that I can’t do all my shopping there. Also, the aisles are small and it gets really crowded. (The Alexandria one is a nightmare on weekends.) Giant and Safeway are average and boring to me, but also not very close to my house.  The closest store is a Food Lion, so it’s not very high-quality, but it’s good for cheap staples. I think the quality has improved since they ended the Bloom (high-end) and Bottom Dollar (low-end) brands and made them all Food Lions. I also often pick up groceries at Costco, Walmart, or Target.

[SapphireSlytherin]

My favorite "travel" grocery store in the USA is Publix, followed by Wegman's. OMG. I just love shopping there!

In the UK, I enjoy ALL the grocery stores, but Sainsbury's and Waitrose are the best. However - put me in a Tesco and I'll be there for hours... haha

[JoiseyGoil]

Has this pic been posted yet? Looks like Abbie is allowed to touch John’s tiddies 

[EyesOpen]

2 hours ago, JoiseyGoil said:

Has this pic been posted yet? Looks like Abbie is allowed to touch John’s tiddies 

Nike!

[candygirl200413]

They totally have kissed!

[twinmama]

4 hours ago, JoiseyGoil said:

Has this pic been posted yet? Looks like Abbie is allowed to touch John’s tiddies 

Dang, he let her get to 2nd base! On camera! 

[Knight of Ni]

She’s even wearing a Nike hat. 

[justmy2cents]

1 hour ago, candygirl200413 said:

They totally have kissed!

This has been said about every courting Duggar couple starting with JinJer. We'll maybe not Joken 

[WiseGirl]

I'm in the camp of checking out grocery stores when I travel. I'm always looking for new gluten free foods. I love going to Publix.  It's where I first discovered my now favorite gluten free cake. Fortunately I can get it here at my family owned grocery store that I love.  (I discovered this only after I checked all the chains here to no avail). I go to Wegman's when I visit family. However the gluten free Krispy bars are my kryptonite. I swear I can eat the whole damn thing myself.

Re Abbie and JD, I'm so glad not to see a stupid ass side hug. 

[fluffernutter]

Is this the brother that shot off the baby canon gender thing for Joken? Because I think it is but he looks like a completely different guy with her. I kinda love these two together.

[metheglyn]

22 minutes ago, fluffernutter said:

Is this the brother that shot off the baby canon gender thing for Joken? Because I think it is but he looks like a completely different guy with her. I kinda love these two together.

It is. The difference is suddenly he actually looks happy and like he is genuinely smiling and enjoying what he's doing, rather than forcing it for the camera/storyline.

I will say, I don't think there are a lot of places Abbie could be holding onto John that *wouldn't* be "Nike", I mean, putting her hands around his waist? That's so close to below the belt!   Then again, the very fact that she's riding so close behind him on an ATV (?) before marriage is kind of scandalous for their group. But they seem happy and comfortable together, so good for them!

[HereticHick]

2 hours ago, Knight of Ni said:

She’s even wearing a Nike hat. 

and is she in pants?

[AprilQuilt]

8 hours ago, JoiseyGoil said:

Has this pic been posted yet? Looks like Abbie is allowed to touch John’s tiddies 

oh my goodness, they look so happy!  I know i've said it before, but the transformation is crazy. And I'm really happy that THEIR courtship rules allow for her to snuggle her boobs right into his back even when they know a photo's being taken.

I know it doesn't change any of their terrible beliefs, etc etc etc, but it's really really nice that they have effectively given themselves permission to be physically comfortable together. So much of the no-touch rules seem to be about shame and awkwardness about one's own body and the effect it has on others. I'm really glad she can grab him like this. Seems like they feel safe with each other?