Maxwell 46: Relegating the Kids' Table to the Vestibule

[church_of_dog]

4 minutes ago, Lady Grass Lake said:

I fold mine, separated into terry towels for drying dishes, cotton flat fabric towels for glass cleaning, and dishcloths in a separate corner of the drawer because I hate having to search for one through a pile of other towels.  I have a second drawer that is all rags because I got tired of finding my nice new hand knit cotton yarn dishcloths in the garage that were used to wash a car.   My family knows you don't grab the nice towels for dirty jobs, that's what the rags are for. 

Now if I could just train them to stay away from my good scissors, I would be a much happier person.   I have even written on the blades with shapries to say TOUCH THESE AND DIE, and find little knicks and burrs in my nice expensive fabric scissors because someone wanted to snip off a piece of wire.   GRRRRRRRRR

I live alone and generally try to be a minimalist in terms of possessions, but even I have four very distinct scissors -- office scissors, kitchen scissors, fabric scissors, and yard scissors.  Do not mix these up! 

[mango_fandango]

I don’t think we have any dish-drying towels... we just put stuff in the dishwasher. Anything that can’t be put in a dishwasher just gets air-dried. 

I notice Elizabeth is wearing glasses now, she looks like a cutie! Interesting that four of Anna Marie’s kids wear glasses, I wonder if there’s some genetic reason. Bethany wears them too, and Christina did wear them but I haven’t seen her wear them in a long time (although she could just need reading glasses). 

[FluffySnowball]

2 hours ago, fundiefan said:

I don't know how she folded towels that it took 20 minutes - a week! Even if you washed them every day, it takes 2 minutes to fold them & stuff them in a drawer. 

Also, how much time does Teri have on her hands that she thinks it prudent to calculate the minutes to come up with total amount saved for the year. Minutes. Not dollars, not hours, not miles. Minutes. 

I think she's lazy and always has been and looks to take the easiest way out possible.

As for towels in a drawer, generally, who cares? You do you, whatever works. Personally, I've always folded mine but I've also never been so desperate for down time that I am looking to shave 2 minutes off my laundry folding time. 

My guess is that Teri’s life is so empty and devoid of meaning (yes, despite all the superficial emphasis on faith) and friendships that such issues fill her with a sense of accomplishment. She has found out how to save time, so she has done something with her day and can feel productive. 
Additionally, her untreated depression might lead her to feel she’s got too much on her plate and every little chore takes energy - so this could also contribute to her attempts at saving time. 

[ElizaB]

I think Teri worked off a schedule/list for so long to help with her depression that she has trouble dropping anything. She was going through the motions of life moving from one task to the next. Giving herself permission to not fold the towels is huge. I think Teri has come a long way in regards to her depression and this is an example of that. 

[Black Aliss]

My sewing scissors are carefully hidden at the bottom of the drawer that holds my sewing patterns. In the top drawer I keep a bunch of crappy scissors, so they are easily accessible. Once or twice a year I round up all the scissors that have been taken out and left in various locations, and put them back in that top drawer.

I fold my kitchen towels, my bath towels, and my underwear for the same reason I make my bed in the morning--it just looks nicer that way. I find chaos stressful, even if only subliminally so. Usually I fold things as I take them off the drying line or out of the dryer so I'm not aware of how much bible study time I'm missing out on by folding. 

[allyisyourpally5]

I fold my bath towels - I make a special effort to keep those nice and soft.

Tea towels, must be honest, they come out the washer, they dry and I quickly fold them in half or something and shove them in the draw. It’s not a tidy draw. Ive never given it a second thought. 

[IReallyAmHopewell]

10 hours ago, Bluebirdbluebell said:

New blog up! 

Folding dish towels is no longer on the schedule. 

It's almost self-parody. To be fair, I'd rather read that than anything preachy or political.

 

I did wonder if I had the day wrong and they were pulling my leg. Then I thought....there's going to be a moral here about how folding is best. I can't imagine randomness being allowed in Maxhell. What's next? Pepsi?

[AverageGiraffe]

I didn't hate that post at all. Sure, it could have been written better (typical Maxwells) but I think a lot of people have a lot of small tasks they do without really thinking about why. I used to fold all my husband's underwear, until one day I was annoyed at having to refold ones he'd messed up digging through the drawer when I put the new ones away and a lightbulb went off: Oh wait, he actually doesn't care. He didn't even notice when I stopped. My mom taught me to do it with my dad's when she taught me to do laundry, and it was just something I had internalized as "this is how it's supposed to go". 

It wouldn't have occurred to me that I didn't need to fold kitchen towels until someone said it, because it would have never have crossed my mind to question why I was folding towels. I'm pretty sure all my kitchen drawers are too shallow for this to work but I'm now sitting here wondering how I could rearrange so I can have space to just toss them in. 

But also, I frequently feel kind of stupid when people say things that should be obvious IRT cleaning or organizing so it could just be me ?

[sparkles]

I do fold my kitchen towels but it would probably take more time to think about why than it does to actually fold said towels. Bath towels hang behind the door, so no folding necessary. I do fold my clothes as they come out of the dryer but if they're inside out, they stay that way until they get worn (although I can't tell you how many times I've forgotten and only realized when someone mentioned I was wearing something inside out. And sometimes backwards too. I have issues. ?) I didn't make the bed for the longest time, then I did but the cats love to burrow under the covers and it ended up looking unmade anyway so why bother? Cats are an awesome excuse for everything. 

I think we did used to fold our bath towels but we gave it up for the sake of marital harmony, since we both had very different folding preferences. Forget all those fundie checklists of must-haves in a proper godly spouse. AFAIC, towel folding, which way to hang the toilet paper, the proper doneness of bacon and taste in music are all not to be discounted when choosing one's life partner.

[HereticHick]

Jesse and Anna have been married 10 months, right? Did I miss a baby announcement?

[Alisamer]

I do fold my kitchen towels, but that's because there's only one built-in drawer in my whole house, and it's the silverware one. So the kitchen towels and non-halloween* potholders are in a little rolling wire cart at the end of the counter. I fold them because they're visible. 

*Halloween potholders are hung on the wall behind the stove, whenever it's not another holiday. Target's Halloween section is my biggest source of kitchenware. 

My mom kind of folds her dish towels, but they go in a deep drawer beside the sink, and she has WAY too many of them. So once you pull one out and stuff back in the ones that tried to leap out with it, the folding is kind of wonky.

I do think doing away with folding towels is probably a step forward for Teri, and also probably a sign that many of the ways she dealt with her depression were really ways of keeping things the way Steve wanted. I know when my depression is especially bad, I cut corners. Get dressed out of the dryer (hey, at least they're clean), use paper plates, do whatever I can to lessen the effort it takes to just live everyday life. Even with my visible kitchen towels - when things are feeling impossible just getting them from the dryer to the cart is a victory. If they're in a pile instead of folded, oh well.

[JermajestyDuggar]

32 minutes ago, HereticHick said:

Jesse and Anna have been married 10 months, right? Did I miss a baby announcement?

Nah the Maxwells never seem to have honeymoon babies. Which is a good thing. 

I love that one of the sons QUESTIONED why they were always folded. I love when anyone in Maxhell questions the norm. I have a feeling the three youngest sons are the ones who question most in the family.

[catlady]

I fold my kitchen towels because my kitchen is tiny and storage space is at a premium.  The towels fit better in their little drawer if they’re folded.  

I’m also possessive of my crafting scissors and my really nice kitchen shears. So I bought about eight pairs of basic scissors at the dollar store and have stashed them in various locations so that they will always be accessible for paper, wire, plastic, etc.  I do the same thing with standard-sized screwdrivers and a few other basic tools.  I bought inexpensive multiples and keep them throughout the house, in the backyard shed, and in the garage so that no matter where we are, we’re never more than a dozen steps away from them.  And no one will grab my good scissors just because they were found first.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

1 hour ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Nah the Maxwells never seem to have honeymoon babies. Which is a good thing. 

I love that one of the sons QUESTIONED why they were always folded. I love when anyone in Maxhell questions the norm. I have a feeling the three youngest sons are the ones who question most in the family.

What is one of the "girls" had asked? Probably had to fold AND iron them.

[JermajestyDuggar]

37 minutes ago, IReallyAmHopewell said:

What is one of the "girls" had asked? Probably had to fold AND iron them.

Yep. It’s so sad. The males always have so much more freedom in these families.

Edited March 31, 2021 by JermajestyDuggar

[fundiefan]

I fold kitchen towels because...well, I just always have. Never thought about it and don't really feel a need to. 

I fold bath towels too, and the cleaning towels/rags. And all my clothes, including underwear. Well, except the things that get hung in the closet. 

I fold laundry one load at a time, when it comes out of the dryer, and put it away then too. Another thing I have always done. Like many, I figure I do these things because my mom & grandma did and it's what/how I learned. 

There are way bigger things in life to consider & think about, so I will continue to fold until I can't anymore, I'm sure. Doing so doesn't even phase me. 

There are no doubt countless things in my life that I could evaluate, I am not claiming perfect contentment with every single thing in life. Folding just doesn't fall on the scale. And at this point in life, I'm not looking to reallocate 52 hours for anything, even in 20 minute weekly increments. (well, that would only be about 5 minute weekly increments for me because it does not take me that long to fold the towels).

[courtlylove]

8 hours ago, Lady Grass Lake said:

Now if I could just train them to stay away from my good scissors, I would be a much happier person.   I have even written on the blades with shapries to say TOUCH THESE AND DIE, and find little knicks and burrs in my nice expensive fabric scissors because someone wanted to snip off a piece of wire.   GRRRRRRRRR

Try locking the handles of the good scissors together with a small padlock.

[Bethy]

5 hours ago, fundiefan said:

I fold kitchen towels because...well, I just always have. Never thought about it and don't really feel a need to. 

I fold bath towels too, and the cleaning towels/rags. And all my clothes, including underwear. Well, except the things that get hung in the closet. 

I fold laundry one load at a time, when it comes out of the dryer, and put it away then too. Another thing I have always done. Like many, I figure I do these things because my mom & grandma did and it's what/how I learned. 

There are way bigger things in life to consider & think about, so I will continue to fold until I can't anymore, I'm sure. Doing so doesn't even phase me. 

There are no doubt countless things in my life that I could evaluate, I am not claiming perfect contentment with every single thing in life. Folding just doesn't fall on the scale. And at this point in life, I'm not looking to reallocate 52 hours for anything, even in 20 minute weekly increments. (well, that would only be about 5 minute weekly increments for me because it does not take me that long to fold the towels).

It must be nice to have fairly unlimited storage space. I fold my kitchen towels/dishcloths because if I don't, they don't fit in the space I have. As to the actual folding, taking on a basket of fluffy clean kitchen linens is a pleasant, rather zenny experience. Bonus points if it's still warm from the dryer.

 

5 hours ago, courtlylove said:

Try locking the handles of the good scissors together with a small padlock.

That's a good idea. So far I'm okay. My preschooler understands that there are different types of scissors for different types of cutting and she'll ask before using if she's unsure (I actually have varying levels of "good" just within silver sewing scissors intended for fabric so I understand her confusion and I'm going to continue to capitalize on it as long as I can!)

[allyisyourpally5]

In my darkest Maxwell fantasies, I like to imagine Teri asking Jesse or other son who moved away, some more guilt tripping questions and questioning their faith because they dared to move away from the compound. Saying that they clearly aren’t in favor with God, obviously don’t love their family, being patronising about the apartment and so forth. 
Said son then exploded, shouting he can’t deal with them anymore, life’s too short for a schedule, he needs to breathe, his relationship with God is just fine and actually he felt called to move away, get a life.....red in the face he then points to the kitchen draws and tells “you even have a schedule for folding tea towels!!!! Why???? How is that productive or meaningful or worshipping God???? Get a grip!!!”

I know this obviously never happened but it would be so funny if it did.

 

I was also just thinking, are the girls still sharing a room even though the boys room is empty and they have that spare loft room?

 

[louannems]

On 3/31/2021 at 5:52 AM, fundiefan said:

I don't know how she folded towels that it took 20 minutes - a week! Even if you washed them every day, it takes 2 minutes to fold them & stuff them in a drawer. 

Also, how much time does Teri have on her hands that she thinks it prudent to calculate the minutes to come up with total amount saved for the year. Minutes. Not dollars, not hours, not miles. Minutes. 

I think she's lazy and always has been and looks to take the easiest way out possible.

As for towels in a drawer, generally, who cares? You do you, whatever works. Personally, I've always folded mine but I've also never been so desperate for down time that I am looking to shave 2 minutes off my laundry folding time. 

Just think how much time Teri wasted by compiling 23 bland, artificially cheerful responses to the comments.

[bertnee]

Our drawer for kitchen towels is too small so there's no way it would nicely hold everything unfolded. Plus it looks so messy. I agree that this sounds like a corner cut due to depression and since they have the space for it, it seems to be working for them.

For the past several years, one of the ways I've tried to cut back on waste is by using dish clothes to clean up around the kitchen/dining room, instead of paper towels. It works better and as long as I keep up with the laundry, it's no big deal. I just throw them in with the kitchen and bathroom laundry. But I had some depression issues going on this past winter and that got cut quickly. Now I'm feeling better and I'm back to using dish clothes instead of paper towels again. 

 

Edit- Also it seems like she's getting a number of comments on this blog post and is actually responding like a person and not a Stevebot. Maybe breaking the rules with unfolded towels is where Teri's creativity can really shine!

Edited April 1, 2021 by bertnee

[Maggie Mae]

I fold my towels because we fold and hang everything as it comes out of the dryer, and then it gets put away on a shelf, not in a drawer.  I'm not going to waste a drawer on towels when I have a linen closet in the hallway across from the washing machine. 

20 hours ago, sparkles said:

I do fold my kitchen towels but it would probably take more time to think about why than it does to actually fold said towels. Bath towels hang behind the door, so no folding necessary.

Do you not have extras? I hope that didn't come off as snarky, I'm just curious about how many towels I "should" have, as I have a shelf full of bath/beach towels in my towel/linen closet. 

[Jingerale]

I'm surprised Teri doesn't have the grandchildren fold the towels and put them away as an opportunity to be a "blessing" to her.

[Jana814]

4 minutes ago, Jingerale said:

I'm surprised Teri doesn't have the grandchildren fold the towels and put them away as an opportunity to be a "blessing" to her.

This is definitely something she would do. Maybe eventually this will happen. 

Edited April 1, 2021 by Jana814

[Black Aliss]

20 hours ago, HereticHick said:

Jesse and Anna have been married 10 months, right? Did I miss a baby announcement?

I'm sure they are praying about it.