Maxwell 40: Wearing Their Vests in an Apartment for Fun

[SassyPants]

I cook mine in the crock pot for several hours (post a quick soak in hot water) with onions, peppers and lots of spices. I use the immersion blender near the end of the cooking time. I usually add grated jack and cheddar cheeses into the warm food at the end, and after I have blended the beans. 

[lilith]

5 hours ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

Speaking of which, you know if Sarah ever gets married we're all going to have to take time off work to keep up with the thread...this place would blow up.

We wouldn’t know about it til she was home from her honeymoon, maybe not even then, unless the LORD inspired Steve to order a blog post. 

7 hours ago, SassyPants said:

And the irony of Control Freak, 2 animal cracker, make no idol of food or drink Steve having to adjust his diet d/t having cardiac issues involving a heart attack is not lost on me. I know it’s mean of me, but oh the just desserts are so sweet. 

I actually suspect Steve is loving it. Another excuse for control and denial that he can inflict on Teri and, to a lesser extent, the daughters.

[emesbe]

7 hours ago, fundiefan said:

God, that Sunday meal looked awful. 

I have never gone anywhere for a meal, nor served a meal, with one option and water. Bean burritos & tortilla chips are not a freaking meal. Not for guests, not for a "special family Sunday". Totally doable for a quick grab, something easy when busy, a light meal for any numer of reasons. Not for a family meal that is touted as something special, with guests.

Just this weekend four of us were camping (glamping; my cousin has a season site with a travel trailer). We had chicken fajitas Friday night. Marinated chicken with onions & peppers. Tortilla shells. Taco dip & chips. Fruit. Beans & rice. This was a camping meal for four women and it contained more food - not just options - than their freaking bean burritos. 

I will never, ever understand how such meager, bland food is godly - because in Maxhell, you know that is part of it. Steve, of course, but he disguises it as godlly. 

I am having a salad for lunch today. Just leftovers from the weekend - cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, some of that fajita chicken, and some black beans tossed in. Whatever else looks good in the fridge full of weekend leftovers. My meal of leftovers is more flavorful, filling & balanced than the Maxwell Sunday Lunch.

Sorry - I know not to compare and all that, but their food is one of the things that boggles my mind the most. It is totally about control in Steve's world; they can afford to eat proper meals, they just don't. 

On an unrelated note - Abbie is really starting to level out after the early puberty body changes and she is a really beautiful girl. 

I absolutely agree. What a boring meal, I would be ashamed to serve that to guests. Not one fruit or veg to be seen. Could you imagine "oh, my parents will feed us every Sunday, you don't need to do a thing!" and they show up and it's freaking plain bean burritos (is there any cheese??? what a crime to humanity) and tortilla chips. Their mouths must be shriveled.

[Giraffe]

How many times does Sarah insinuate the opposite of what she (probably) intends? I was surprised Chris, Anna and their kids were there until I saw the picture. The way she wrote it made it sound like they had been careful and now they’re all getting together again. What a shame Sarah doesn’t take real writing classes. 

[lilith]

“In addition, my tortilla crew was on the job. Abby and Betsy grew up making tortillas, and they are a great machine.”

What a bizarre sentence. And Sarah is “the writer”.

[CyborgKin]

Ohhhh there's another song I've heard 'crew' in.

 

So they're finally here, blogging for you
If you know the Lord, you can join in too
Put your Pepsi down, if you want to clap
As we take you through this Maxwell rap!
Huh!

MB
Maxwell Blog!

[Verse 1]
He's the father of the bunch, you know him well
He's here to tell you, you're going to hell
His bbq brats can fire in spurts
But his Seriously Dads is mean to hurt!
He's thinner, older, and crankier too
He's the first member of the MB crew!
Huh!

[Chorus]
MB
Maxwell Blog!
MB
Maxwell Blog is here!

[Verse 2]
This Max's got lists, so listen up dudes
She can stay in bed, to suit her mood
She's organised, cos she needs to be
She puts salad in jars and has no glee!
If you choose her, you've chosen wrong
With a pack of chores, she's one sad mom!
Huh!

[Chorus]
MB
Maxwell Blog!

[Verse 3]
She has no style, she has no grace
This freaking clown lacks a funny face
She will give you tracts, if you go near
And paint your face, but hers is clear
Inflate a dog out of a balloon
This scary clown, won't be back soon!
Huh!

[Chorus]
MB
Maxwell Blog!
MB
Maxwell Blog is here!

[Verse 4]
She's back again, like she never leaves
She is called a writer, but the plan was Steve's
She can write real dull with her family's help
And her sentence construction, is edited welp
She'll make you groan when you read her fails
But wallets beware 'cause she's after sales!
Huh!

[Chorus]
MB
Maxwell Blog!

[Verse 5]
Finally, he's here for you
It's the last married of the MB crew!
He flipped a house, and rents for money
Apartment life upset his mommy
Can pick up an Anna with relative ease
Makes moving away seem such a breeze
He attends church, with a different bunch
But this Max is back for Sunday lunch!

[Chorus]
MB
Maxwell Blog!
MB
Maxwell Blog is here!

[Outro]
Lettuce, carrots, picnic egg shell
Kale, pepper, onions and thoughts of hell
Aww yeah!
Lettuce, carrots, picnic egg shell
Kale, pepper, onions and thoughts of hell
Aww yeah!

 

[nvmbr02]

4 hours ago, nvmbr02 said:

So now I feel the need to admit that I love bean burritos. I make the beans in the crockpot and it takes a good 10ish hours usually. I could do them in the instapot but I don't. Probably because I started making them years before the instapot was a thing on my radar. However the Maxwell beans sound a look gross. 

This is the basic recipe I use but I find it bland as is. When I make them I double the recipe but triple all the seasons and the onions and jalapenos. I also add a pound of cooked chorizo. I then puree about half using an immersion blender and mash the other half lightly with a potato masher and mix the two together. I then freeze them in 2 portion containers and the go in the freezer since I am the only one in my house that eats beans. I use them for burritos (cheese, sour cream and hot sauce) or just melt a little cheese on top and eat them with chips. 

ooops!! I never attached the recipe!! I don't use the Maxwell one (though it isn't that different really) I use the one from Budget Bytes

https://www.budgetbytes.com/not-refried-beans/

And we do make the beans fairly often for company, But we always have other toppings available and some shredded chicken/beef/pork (sometimes all three) with plenty of salsa and queso.

Edited July 28, 2020 by nvmbr02

[SassyPants]

A quick question, when the Maxwells attend the church of the holy nursing home, who conducts the service? Is there a minister? Please don’t tell me that Steve does the preaching.

[treemom]

4 hours ago, SassyPants said:

A quick question, when the Maxwells attend the church of the holy nursing home, who conducts the service? Is there a minister? Please don’t tell me that Steve does the preaching.

It’s Steve.  And I suspect sometimes the other men.  But mostly Steve.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

21 hours ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

Speaking of which, you know if Sarah ever gets married we're all going to have to take time off work to keep up with the thread...this place would blow up.

If Sarah marries, that would be an all out party here and we'd have a special Go Fund Me for her wedding gifts!!

Gift suggestions:

A gift card for a real wedding photographer

Monogrammed tortilla press so she can host burrito night

Luxurious sheets wrapped around some books on "marital intimacy" and a gift certificate to a racy lingerie website!

A set of Pepsi glasses so Mom can indulge if she comes over without Dad

A pair of jeans

 

 

 

 

22 hours ago, freejugar said:

So we have  Jesse and Anna bringing in the germs from the city, the guests from god knows where too, how nice.

Why did they wait till Anna Marie came home to declare that COVID was over and throw caution to the wind?

Maybe Anna Marie just wants to live and be happy and trust God. We don't know how sick she really is, sadly. We could snark all day, but if it is her wish....

[HerNameIsBuffy]

8 minutes ago, IReallyAmHopewell said:

If Sarah marries, that would be an all out party here and we'd have a special Go Fund Me for her wedding gifts!!

Gift suggestions:

A gift card for a real wedding photographer

Monogrammed tortilla press so she can host burrito night

Luxurious sheets wrapped around some books on "marital intimacy" and a gift certificate to a racy lingerie website!

A set of Pepsi glasses so Mom can indulge if she comes over without Dad

A pair of jeans

 

 

 

 

Maybe Anna Marie just wants to live and be happy and trust God. We don't know how sick she really is, sadly. We could snark all day, but if it is her wish....

I know you're kidding and I wouldn't normally post this because the joke is obvious....but we've got a lot of new people some of whom are having trouble understanding our no poop touching rule and so to save us mods the trouble of having to explain why this is okay...

She was kidding.  

/PSA  

 

[nvmbr02]

Were Christopher, Anna Marie and family at the lunch? They aren't pictured so I assumed that they were avoiding the family gathering for now. Anna Marie's sister is there for help so maybe they are isolating from the rest of the Maxwell family? That is unless one of the friends pictured is Anna Marie's sister. 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

You know what would be awesome in this hypothetical marriage situation?

The Arndts as the wedding photographers.  

Chris can still take candid shots so we won't miss out of the pics of mop buckets and hangers.  

Edited July 28, 2020 by HerNameIsBuffy
apostrophes conspire to make me look dumb

[allyisyourpally5]

Over my side of the Atlantic, America is currently being portrayed very much as a country that has decided the pandemic is over - in some states! 
The media over here often mentions Arizona as a hot bed where no one is listening (due to freedom rights) along with Texas. I haven't heard Kansas discussed on news, however there is a lot of referral to Red States. I’m assuming that, as Kansas is Red, it’s probably being portrayed to them as over and done with?

It does also seem fair to mention that they don’t read, watch or listen to the news. Their reasons being that the world is an ugly godless mess and they can’t do anything about it so they don’t need to know. They have mentioned previously (probably the same post) that the news they receive and care about from “trusted Christian sources” is about abortion and homeschooling. Those are the two issues that they care about. We can therefore assume the information the Maxwells likely have is stating that in the name of homeschooling freedom, Covid 19 is gone.

 

I will just say, I know that many (most?) Americans have taken the virus seriously, but it’s the batty that we see. The religious protests when churches were closed for example.

[nvmbr02]

2 minutes ago, allyisyourpally5 said:

Over my side of the Atlantic, America is currently being portrayed very much as a country that has decided the pandemic is over - in some states! 
The media over here often mentions Arizona as a hot bed where no one is listening (due to freedom rights) along with Texas. I haven't heard Kansas discussed on news, however there is a lot of referral to Red States. I’m assuming that, as Kansas is Red, it’s probably being portrayed to them as over and done with?

It does also seem fair to mention that they don’t read, watch or listen to the news. Their reasons being that the world is an ugly godless mess and they can’t do anything about it so they don’t need to know. They have mentioned previously (probably the same post) that the news they receive and care about from “trusted Christian sources” is about abortion and homeschooling. Those are the two issues that they care about. We can therefore assume the information the Maxwells likely have is stating that in the name of homeschooling freedom, Covid 19 is gone.

 

I will just say, I know that many (most?) Americans have taken the virus seriously, but it’s the batty that we see. The religious protests when churches were closed for example.

As an American that lives in Arizona I can say that most people in my area do seem to think that the pandemic is over or was all overblown by the media and will disappear after the election. Or they think it is better for herd immunity to happen, not thinking about the possible death toll or people that will end up with life altering complications. 

My husband starting having symptoms of COVID 5 days ago. We have been very careful, staying home expect when we have no other option and always wearing a mask/washing hands/staying at least 6 feet away from people, etc... Currently, he is isolated in the master bedroom and I have moved into the guest room while we wait for test results. I am very thankful that his symptoms are mild for now as he has a few medical conditions that put him in a high risk category. 

[daisyjane1234]

North of the border there is a similar perception about COVID and the USA.

We all know there are sane, intelligent, wonderful Americans who take the virus very seriously. But the news mostly features the COVID pandemonium and gun-toting, radical anti-maskers.  All over facebook there is a post that shows the Johns Hopkins COVID dashboard where the US is bright red and Canada has a few blips.

 Up here, north of the border, we keep joking that we'll give the Trump the wall he so badly wants, and we will happily pay for it. 

[mango_fandango]

The second paragraph of the post mentions that Nathan, Melanie and their “crew” (sorry), as well as Jesse and Anna3, made it to Sunday lunch. 
I agree that the first paragraph is confusing. I think that Sarah is trying to say that COVID-19 meant that the family didn’t have their usual get-togethers, and on top of that Christopher and his kids were being extra-careful. Possibly she was implying that they would have been careful even if there had been no COVID-19?
 

Teri says in a comment that they will be posting wedding photos. It took a while for Sarah to process them and the newlyweds have been looking at them, or something. 

[Black Aliss]

17 hours ago, nvmbr02 said:

ooops!! I never attached the recipe!! I don't use the Maxwell one (though it isn't that different really) I use the one from Budget Bytes

https://www.budgetbytes.com/not-refried-beans/

And we do make the beans fairly often for company, But we always have other toppings available and some shredded chicken/beef/pork (sometimes all three) with plenty of salsa and queso.

I hope not-dead Nurie discovers budgetbytes. I haven't found a recipe on that site yet that I didn't love. Agree about the need for  jalapeños in the beans. Except for using the IP instead of a crockpot, which I no longer own, I do mine the same way. And a favorite lunch is a dish of the beans heated with cheese until the cheese gets all stringy-like, and a pile of chips.

[browngrl]

3 hours ago, Black Aliss said:

I haven't found a recipe on that site yet that I didn't love.

Seconding (?thirding) this. Budget bytes great. Her dragon noodles and sesame chicken are staples. Both recipes can easily be modified to suit what you have/your taste and they work out great.My latest favourite from her? The cucumber salad. I've made this for lunch and then again for dinner for the last 3 days. I think I'm addicted. I can't believe such a simple recipe is that good but here I am going shopping again to restock on cucumbers.

[nvmbr02]

I am going to have to try the cucumber salad recipe @browngrl. It has been so hot lately and I love a good cucumber salad in the summer time. 

Edit... actually can you link the recipe? It looks like there are several different ones. Several sound good/interesting at first glance. 

Edited July 29, 2020 by nvmbr02

[HerNameIsBuffy]

12 minutes ago, browngrl said:

Seconding (?thirding) this. Budget bytes great. Her dragon noodles and sesame chicken are staples. Both recipes can easily be modified to suit what you have/your taste and they work out great.My latest favourite from her? The cucumber salad. I've made this for lunch and then again for dinner for the last 3 days. I think I'm addicted. I can't believe such a simple recipe is that good but here I am going shopping again to restock on cucumbers.

The sesame cucumber salad?  that looks so good.  Thanks for recommending this site @nvmbr02 - there are so many great, clean, recipes on here. This is a great resource.

[DancingPhalanges]

Pictures up on Jill’s Insta. 

https://instagram.com/rodriguesfamilyservingjesus?igshid=140p2pvnh4r1

IHow did I get in Maxwell ?
 

*Wine is involved, no bland bean burritos!

Edited July 29, 2020 by DancingPhalanges
Tried to link Insta

[PennySycamore]

@HoneyBunny, you mentioned cruising a page or so ago.  Sail or motor?  

The cruising  world lost one of their lions Sunday night when Larry Pardey died at the age of 81.  Larry and his wife Lin circumnavigated the world twice under sail alone in  Serrafyn and Taliesin.  Their motto was "Go simple, Go Small, but Go NOW.  They felt that all the tech in the world was no match for good old-fashioned seamanship.  Larry   rounded Cape Horn both ways in his late 60s or maybe in his 70s.

Eight Bells: Larry Pardey

Fair winds, Larry!

[browngrl]

2 hours ago, nvmbr02 said:

Edit... actually can you link the recipe? It looks like there are several different ones. Several sound good/interesting at first glance. 

here you go: https://www.budgetbytes.com/thai-cucumber-salad-2/

and in case I linked wrong: 

Ingredients

1/3 cup rice vinegar $0.70

2 Tbsp granulated sugar $0.02

1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil $0.05

1/4 crushed red pepper $0.02

1/2 tsp salt $0.02

2 large cucumbers $1.38

3 green onions $0.13

1/4 cup chopped peanuts $0.12

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, crushed red pepper, and salt. Set the dressing aside.

Peel and slice the cucumber using your favorite method (see photos below for my technique). Place the sliced cucumbers in a large bowl.

Chop the peanuts into smaller pieces. Slice the green onions.

Add the peanuts, green onions, and dressing to the sliced cucumbers. Stir to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat. Give the salad a brief stir before serving to redistribute the dressing and flavors.

Notes: I have used cider vinegar and it works great, I have no idea how long this lasts as I have been eating it all right away, I've been using English cucumbers (the ones without the seeds)

[Lgirlrocks]

of course they plan on sharing them. We just will never know when