Maxwell 48: The Maxwellhood of the Traveling Vest

[Coconut Flan]

Continued from here:

 

Where we were lately treated to discussing ancient non-stick pans.   

I wish I was joking.

[AliceInFundyland]

Ok. I'm up to speed with the Bontragers-Mrs.Alison Helferich's wedding from purgatory,(and some Maxwelll) up through Chelsy spawn #3.

I think Becky Bontrager is one of the terrifying fundy women who could do something like take out both Andersons in one death glare. It's that Midwestern /Mennonite grit.

.... How is Anna's cancer?

[ClareDeLune]

From in the last thread this made me weep. I'm going to be glued to the bible verses from now onwards. No bondage frying pans ? https://www.freejinger.org/topic/33836-maxwell-47-vestigial-tales-of-the-messy-towel-drawer/?do=findComment&comment=2076459 

Quote

I picture  the Maxwells using an app with some sort of AI algorithm to find their Bible quotes, and it took "non-stick" to mean "no bondage" 

[HereComesTreble]

The Maxwells are so boring—I just can’t with them.  But dang, the Maxwell thread titles are fan-freaking-tastic!

[PennySycamore]

I would not mind having a Scanpan, but it is not crucial.  I do have a Calphalon omelet pan that I love and that it still in pretty good shape.  I do have an Anolon saucepan whose interior is still intact, but the anodized coating on the bottom came off when I mistakenly put it in the dishwasher recently.  I also have a Calphalon saucepan where the anodized surface came off the bottom of the interior.  I used to use that pot all the time.  I don't mind handwashing some pots and pans (my wok, cast iron, carbon steel)  , but I don't want very piece of cookware I own to require hand washing. 

[NancyDrewFan1989]

1 hour ago, AliceInFundyland said:

.... How is Anna's cancer?

I'm not sure about Anna's cancer. Steve, Teri, Sarah, and AnnaMarie seem to make it sound like treatment is going well. The only time they comment and/or do a blog post is when she has positive results from treatment and, to date, most of the blog posts are glowing reports from her treatment despite facing challenges. I don't believe the Maxwells will report any "bad news" regarding AnnaMarie unless her cancer takes a turn for the worse.

[Coconut Flan]

Didn't Anna finish all the surgery and chemo and everything except for long term hormone therapy?  

 

[ElizaB]

Those pans they are recommending are pretty expensive. I know we have talked before about Maxwells investing in quality products but lately I have been really wondering about their finances. I know that Steve had a good engineering job for a long time and their house and property is fairly cheap in the context of their budget. I do wonder how much money they make selling their books. Could they be secretly very wealthy? 

[Howl]

3 hours ago, AliceInFundyland said:

up through Chelsy spawn #3

She's on #3?  Good grief, has she somehow shortened the time for human gestation?  It seems like she was barefoot and pregnant with the first one only yesterday. 

[Bethy]

15 hours ago, ElizaB said:

Those pans they are recommending are pretty expensive. I know we have talked before about Maxwells investing in quality products but lately I have been really wondering about their finances. I know that Steve had a good engineering job for a long time and their house and property is fairly cheap in the context of their budget. I do wonder how much money they make selling their books. Could they be secretly very wealthy? 

I've wondered the same. We can consider the expenses they DON'T have, and haven't for decades (or at least have very minimally):

• Cable
• Netflix/Hulu/Disney+
• Movie theater trips or expensive concert tickets
• Any kind of television or gaming equipment
• Newspaper or magazine subscriptions
• Housekeeping/yard work
• Old touring-days blog posts showed Steve cutting the boys' hair; the girls don't appear to have high-maintenance hairstyles and might well do the same
• Makeup/jewelry (this is one of the "minimals" since we know Sarah has pierced ears)
• They live in an area where they can meet their shopping needs without driving far
• Basement workouts - no gym memberships/fees
• No family to visit. Gigi is on their block. Steve's parents have passed on. Neither appears particularly close with siblings/nieces/nephews. I'm guessing the two reversals who have "flown the coop' (a whole hour away) are the ones that travel to visit the fathership, not the other way around.
• Vacation expenses are very minimal. Drive to the cabin in Colorado. Go to Costco and buy groceries. Other than buying new socks each year, hiking doesn't cost. They aren't going on cruises, visiting Disney, etc. or eating out a lot - when they did go to Olive Garden that one time it was obvious it was a special occasion and funded by somebody at a conference who wanted to give Anna a special birthday celebration.
• Any expenses related to nursing-home church (when that was a thing) could be written off as a tax deduction. (I'm thinking of hymnals/songbooks, communion supplies, etc.) But now they go to church so they don't have that either.
• And all this on top of their debt-free home. I can only assume their cars are debt-free too, and they appear to take good care of them so they last.

Right there are a lot of expenses most regular worldly people have, but that they don't, mostly because of their hardworking, no-entertainment work ethic.

What I did wonder ten years ago - and still wonder - is how the ladies pulled off their complete wardrobe switcheroo over that one Christmas. They went from exclusively wearing homemade frumpers (which IS cheaper than retail, the way they did it - a single cut of material with a 50% off coupon, or buying a whole bolt marked down at a outlet, and then everyone sharing that one pattern and just fudging sizes as needed to fit everyone) to matching skirt/blouse outfits (which means they didn't pick them up at a thrift store) for four adult-size women is no small undertaking. Even if they cleaned out the clearance racks at Christopher and Banks by being petite and skinny, that's still a lot of retail. The dog and pony show must've been doing REALLY well then.

[Maggie Mae]

There's no quote box on mobile but @ClareDeLune said:

 I came here to say the same, these people make my day ? $88 dollars for one pan (lid extra) "Patented ceramic titanium nonstick cooking surface is impossible to scrape away, even with metal utensils" but some of their nonstick has worn away and they still recommend them ?  

End quote. 

 

Apparently the cleaning directions weren't on the approved reading list, because Teri should not be using a metal scraper on that pan. Unless that "tip" was to try and sell more pans through the Amazon affiliate link. 

Oil free "stir-fry" sounds rather bland and sad. Sesame oil smells so good. 

2 hours ago, Bethy said:

Right there are a lot of expenses most regular worldly people have, but that they don't, mostly because of their hardworking, no-entertainment work ethic.

They also live in a very low cost of living area, don't have to pay for gas for a twice a day commute, and probably have very low costs for auto insurance. They are all adults now, and they spend more on clothes up front, so they aren't replacing stuff as much. No jobs to go to, so no need to stay up on trends and clothes last longer. No junk food, that saves a ton of money. 

[LilMissMetaphor]

I feel like Steri have aged a lot in just a few years.  The left side was taken May 2017, the right in May 2021.  Is it just me?

[socalrules]

I think Steve looks like he has aged because of his weight loss. Didn’t he go vegan? I figure there wasn’t enough non-meat protein in the new diet.

The lives of the Maxwells are so bland and devoid of outside information, I can believe they think a non-stick pan that has lasted for years is good conversation starter. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

Weight loss at their age makes you look older. Having some extra fat in the face fills out some wrinkles. They lost the fat and bam, the wrinkles showed more.

Edited May 22, 2021 by JermajestyDuggar

[PennySycamore]

"Oil-free stir fry" is not stir fry even if you cook it in a seasoned carbon steel wok.  Besides a bit of oil is actually good for you as it helps you absorb some vitamins.  And you are so right, @Maggie Mae.  Sesame oil smells heavenly!

[ClareDeLune]

They put up a post for Jesse and Anna's wedding anniversary,  with forgotten photos from the wedding with heartfelt captions like "The Maxwells and those who could make it". *Did they ever say why the middle son didn't show up to his brother's wedding?*

Jesse and Anna look like a beautiful geek couple but some of the photos look awkwardly captured.

Are Jesse and Anna the ones who decided to rent an apartment for a year?  I wonder when we will hear of their next move. Probably at the five year anniversary.

Oh well the wedding photos #3 bumped the burnt non stick frying pan off the top of the blog anyway.

[mango_fandango]

I wonder when they’ll have their first kid if it’s been a year now. I remember Jesse wrote that obnoxious post about why he’d be homeschooling his kids (not him personally cos that’s wimmin’s work). 

@ClareDeLune I revisited Part 1 of the photos and there was this line: We missed Joseph and family along with Gigi who felt it best to stay back and watch the wedding remote due to the COVID situation. 

Edited May 23, 2021 by mango_fandango

[LurkerOverThePond]

I hope the absence of a pregnancy announcement by their first anniversary is because they chose to spend the first year(s) childfree, not because of fertility problems. I know it's pretty unlikely knowing their "heart for the unborn", but it was also really surprising to learn that they chose to rent an apartment in sinful city, so who knows what they are up to. Good for them to get to spend their first year just the two of them, getting to know each other properly (which you definitely should do before marrying...), and building their life together. Looks like their way of life has served them well as they look genuinely happy together.

Edited May 23, 2021 by LurkerOverThePond

[browngrl]

Aside from the obsessive need for control, misogyny and general hateful fundie stuff - I actually have quite a bit in common with the Maxwell's. Example: I too have expensive pots and pans that I enjoy talking about. So on with it then ?. 

I don't have a lot of stuff. We (my husband and I) did a series of massive declutters a few years back and we decided to have less stuff but better stuff and only stuff that mattered to us.  When it came to pots and pans I sought the advice of a friend who is a professional chef and selected a very curated collection which was initially breathtakingly expensive but which has lasted/worked amazingly well. In the long run, it has saved us money. 

[fundiefan]

So, on the MAXWELL blog they posted pictures of Jesse & Anna MAXWELLS wedding. Because they post so many other families, with full names, they need to clarify.

Stevie boy, your hubris is showing.

 

[petrushka]

3 hours ago, LurkerOverThePond said:

I hope the absence of a pregnancy announcement by their first anniversary is because they chose to spend the first year(s) childfree, not because of fertility problems. 

Same here.  I am genuinely surprised they are not expecting.

[MamaJunebug]

7 hours ago, ClareDeLune said:

They put up a post for Jesse and Anna's wedding anniversary,  with forgotten photos from the wedding with heartfelt captions like "The Maxwells and those who could make it". *Did they ever say why the middle son didn't show up to his brother's wedding?*

Jesse and Anna look like a beautiful geek couple but some of the photos look awkwardly captured.

Are Jesse and Anna the ones who decided to rent an apartment for a year?  I wonder when we will hear of their next move. Probably at the five year anniversary.

Oh well the wedding photos #3 bumped the burnt non stick frying pan off the top of the blog anyway.

Thanks for the recap. Actually visiting the Maxblog can make me feel very blue. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

Whether they are preventing pregnancy or they just haven’t gotten pregnant yet, I’m glad. They are so young and they have plenty of time to have kids in the next 20 years. Mel and Nate didn’t have a kid for the first four years of marriage and now they have 6. These newlyweds will likely have kids eventually. I hope they are enjoying being child free right now. 

[LilMissMetaphor]

Those pics are awful; they look hot, sweaty and squinty.

[fundiefan]

I think Jesse needs different glasses. His are straight across the top, and low. In pictures, the frame aligns with his eyes. He looks like he's always squinting because you can only see part of his eye.

Of course, there were plenty where they were squinting & sweaty. Chris & Sarah took the pictures, after all. They're self taught, remember? They didn't need no educmakation to learn picture takin'.