Maxwell 49: Recipes from Those Who Can't Cook

[fundiefan]

1 hour ago, anjulibai said:

This is totally random, but I really wish they'd update their pictures in the About section. They are years out of date, and I know they've taken enough pictures, both group shots and individual, in the mean time. Several kids have been born since some of those pictures were taken. How hard is it to pic some new pics? How has it not been put on the schedule? 

In Maxhell, it is days - weeks - of schedule checking/crunching to get everyone in the same place at the same time for pictures. 

But, in their defense, they take family pictures in the fall. Their latest is from 2019. The last year that was not affected by Covid. And while I am not so sure they all follow safety precautions, they do follow some - like with Anna & her cancer fight. Last fall, she was just home from treatment and they were not getting together. 

It's rare I would defend them but in this case, I'm pretty sure it's not an intentional choice not to take pictures, or even just not caring to. And, it's only August right now - they still have several months to get a fall picture in for 2021 - skipping only one year - the year of Covid. If they are all healthy enough to do so. 

[anjulibai]

2 minutes ago, fundiefan said:

In Maxhell, it is days - weeks - of schedule checking/crunching to get everyone in the same place at the same time for pictures. 

But, in their defense, they take family pictures in the fall. Their latest is from 2019. The last year that was not affected by Covid. And while I am not so sure they all follow safety precautions, they do follow some - like with Anna & her cancer fight. Last fall, she was just home from treatment and they were not getting together. 

It's rare I would defend them but in this case, I'm pretty sure it's not an intentional choice not to take pictures, or even just not caring to. And, it's only August right now - they still have several months to get a fall picture in for 2021 - skipping only one year - the year of Covid. If they are all healthy enough to do so. 

Oh I get they haven't had a chance to do the big family pic. It's not just that, though, but also the individuals and sons' families. They take pics regularly that they could use, but haven't. 

[fundiewatch]

They are usually in Colorado in August. Unless they’re keeping it on the low down this is their second year in a row without what some would call a vacation. 

[Austrian Atheist]

I'm not a native speaker - so what do I know. But the birthday post sounds so strange to me. Like god deliberately made Teri to be a gift = to be used by Steve - and not to be Teri for herself. And I'm an atheist - so what do I know, but doesn't god create living beings  just to be? If you are required to be helpful and useful to your spouse where does this Sarah, Anna and Mary leave?

I wonder if they ever say "I love you" without any religious blahblah added. Do they allow themselves to love without any additional utility or function? (I guess I know the answer. In Maxwell everything needs a certain purpose. Nothing can't just be for the fun of it...)

[fundiefan]

3 hours ago, Austrian Atheist said:

I'm not a native speaker - so what do I know. But the birthday post sounds so strange to me. Like god deliberately made Teri to be a gift = to be used by Steve - and not to be Teri for herself. And I'm an atheist - so what do I know, but doesn't god create living beings  just to be? If you are required to be helpful and useful to your spouse where does this Sarah, Anna and Mary leave?

I wonder if they ever say "I love you" without any religious blahblah added. Do they allow themselves to love without any additional utility or function? (I guess I know the answer. In Maxwell everything needs a certain purpose. Nothing can't just be for the fun of it...)

That's exactly how Steve means it. HE was rewarded by his god with Teri. Teri is HIS helpmeet; his gift for being the perfectly perfect godly man; the most godly man to ever god. And his god knew in advance that Steve would reach this pinnacle so he gave him Teri in advance. That way, (Steve) could help Teri reach her godliest godly homeschooling mother potential and together they can make the godliest godly children to isolate & stunt, for their god. 

It's all very convoluted & I may have over indulged - but you are not off base. Steve believes he is rewarded with Teri; she is his because he earned her/deserves her/is loved enough by his god to have her. 

[ElizaB]

What intrigues me about their relationship though is that they were not super religious when they met. I wonder how their relationship evolved to Teri simply being the "helpmeet" when I don't think this was always the case. 

It also does make me think that there probably is a fairly deep amount of love. Steve didn't pick her simply because she seemed like a "Godly Choice" and "Good Helpmeet." There had to have been some non-religious reasoning too. 

Edited August 20, 2021 by ElizaB

[fundiefan]

Happy Birthday Mary Maxwell. 

I hope this year you get to discover what it's like to be Mary. Not you parent's daughter/property, not your sibling's sister/sister mom, not your brother's cheap labor. But Mary. 

I hope this is the year you get to discover what life can be like outside stringent, stifling rules made by your father. It would be great if your god dropped a man in his lap, but if that happened, you know he'd jump up and freak right the f*ck out because there was a male in his lap, near his man parts and what the hell? He'd be crying in a corner instead of asking the man 1,000 questions about his bible time & news consumption & the beast. 

Since no man actually ever will be dropped in your father's lap with your name on his forehead, I hope you find one all on your own so you can at least fulfill the goals & roles you've been taught are yours. Even if you can't create your own, I hope you can reach the ones drilled into your head are your only choices. 

Another year and nothing has changed. Let's face it Mary, you're not getting any younger. Next thing you know you're going to be just like your older sister, months from being 40 years old and still wearing bows in your hair and working part time for your brothers, doing something your parents told you there is a need for (like Sarah's "writing" that she does because mommy & daddy told her to write appropriately "wholesome" books for their "business"). The only difference will be instead of sister-mom-ing your nieces & nephews you'll be sister-mom-ing their kids. 

Never fear though, I am sure Abby & her husband & kids will make room at the table for you when they have Sunday lunch at exactly 1pm on Sunday. Maybe they'll even serve bean burritos to make you feel at home. 

[ClareDeLune]

Poor Mary didn't even get a solo portrait on her birthday post, just a group shot and rambling about what a good helper she is.

So very curious where Sarah is these days.

 

 

[fundiewatch]

I feel sorry for poor Sarah. She spent most of her young adult years really co-helming the dog and pony show— from their early van days when Mary was just a toddler. She was such a key part of their success, and later on the blog really was an integral part. She updates on their travels, which were considerable- months on the road each year. It was also her unofficial press junket; kids would flock to her for pictures of the Moody author, and they gave her letters and pictures. Someone named a baby after her character, and at the very end she even led some writing workshops, which were often requested in blog comments. Then Uriah was too old, and the Maxwell family had become so insular that they weren’t booking enough conferences to even keep traveling. Her “career” with the dog and pony show had come to an end and all she had was updating the blog about her brother’s families. That’s heartbreak. Chris marrying late/staying on the bus as long as he did normalized her experience until she was about 30, but then the boys kept getting married while she stayed home. I’ll bet she eventually felt a lot less enthusiastic about… everything. Early on, Melanie or Anna Marie would have a baby and they’d board the bus soon and take off on their Very Important Mission. There aren’t many distractions at this point. 
 

Just my thought on Sarah on Sunday morning. 😆 I’m unemployed and homeschooling. 

[anjulibai]

Quote

 

I remember when you were little and determined you would NOT have a grumbly, complaining spirit, and you don’t!

 

😳 The fuck is that a thing to say on someone's birthday, Teri? Oh bizarre.

[Cults-r-us]

11 hours ago, ClareDeLune said:

Poor Mary didn't even get a solo portrait on her birthday post, just a group shot and rambling about what a good helper she is.

So very curious where Sarah is these days.

 

 

I keep hoping the Arndt bros will tunnel under the Maxwell Compound and abscond with the Spinster Sisters. It will be the Fundie variant of 7 Brides for 7 Brothers! We will read about it in 3 years when their blog gets updated.

[BullyJBG]

On 8/9/2021 at 5:15 AM, CyborgKin said:

On the GiGi post: what kind of person really needs the Maxwells to suggest the concepts of grandmas doing puzzles with grandkids, listening to their reading aloud, and helping them studying?  (I don't want to even get started on flag time, American patriotism is weird.)

Moving on to Steve, I can't imagine his 'very special' 70th party was any more special than any other 70th party

Teri also wrote that Steve was formerly "a selfish, worldly, young man".  Some people improve with age, but Steve's merely become terrified of being worldly.

Very very interesting. And didn't Steve go on and on about how to teach kids to mark their birthdays without them thinking "it's all about me?" So, did they downplay his and Teri's birthdays for the kids growing up to set an example? Interesting. Birthdays are special when you're an adult because then you've learned that "it's not all about you".

[browngrl]

5 hours ago, fundiewatch said:

I’ll bet she eventually felt a lot less enthusiastic about… everything

I think you are right.  I don't think she likes writing her books but it is a job and pays some bills so she carries on but blogging? I doubt the investment in blogging gives anyone in the family much reward any more and they carry on because that is what Steve wants.

If I were Sarah (and it is a good thing I'm not because my attitude would be very poor) I'd milk any post concussion time off blogging for as long as I could. I'm pretty sure that if I was in her shoes,  I'd feel weak and dizzy at the thought of blogging and would need to immediately lie down in a shady spot with a cool beverage, a cookie and my dog.

[church_of_dog]

3 hours ago, Cults-r-us said:

I keep hoping the Arndt bros will tunnel under the Maxwell Compound and abscond with the Spinster Sisters. It will be the Fundie variant of 7 Brides for 7 Brothers! We will read about it in 3 years when their blog gets updated.

In 7BF7B, after the boys abscond with the girls, they rush to the remote homestead, triggering an avalanche on the mountain pass on the way, ensuring no one else can follow them until spring.

Will the Arndtwell version be to cram the tunnel full of pumpkins to block Steve?  Or penguins maybe?  Ooh!  I know!  Penguins in short shorts -- Steve wouldn't even be able to think of dealing with that...   

[Bethy]

6 hours ago, fundiewatch said:

I feel sorry for poor Sarah. She spent most of her young adult years really co-helming the dog and pony show— from their early van days when Mary was just a toddler. She was such a key part of their success, and later on the blog really was an integral part. She updates on their travels, which were considerable- months on the road each year. It was also her unofficial press junket; kids would flock to her for pictures of the Moody author, and they gave her letters and pictures. Someone named a baby after her character, and at the very end she even led some writing workshops, which were often requested in blog comments. Then Uriah was too old, and the Maxwell family had become so insular that they weren’t booking enough conferences to even keep traveling. Her “career” with the dog and pony show had come to an end and all she had was updating the blog about her brother’s families. That’s heartbreak. Chris marrying late/staying on the bus as long as he did normalized her experience until she was about 30, but then the boys kept getting married while she stayed home. I’ll bet she eventually felt a lot less enthusiastic about… everything. Early on, Melanie or Anna Marie would have a baby and they’d board the bus soon and take off on their Very Important Mission. There aren’t many distractions at this point. 
 

Just my thought on Sarah on Sunday morning. 😆 I’m unemployed and homeschooling. 

And no one would be surprised if she has a natural bent toward depression. Losing your sense of purpose is SUCH a huge trigger. Plus being taught that marriage and children are a reward given to those God deems worthy, and watching her younger brothers' wives all be found "worthy" while she waits. And living in a home where depression is "treated" by scolding the depressed person and telling her to be more grateful and less selfish and schedule her days more rigidly.

I hadn't thought about how crucial Sarah was to the early success of the ministry empire - we can be reasonably assured, based on Teri's depression, that Sarah sister-mommed most of the reversals, but I hadn't considered how much the success of the family's ministry tours likely rested on Sarah's shoulders. I hope she was remunerated accordingly. (Right...the same way I hope Anna and Mary got remunerated for the houses they helped their brothers flip...)

[Jana814]

3 hours ago, BullyJBG said:

Very very interesting. And didn't Steve go on and on about how to teach kids to mark their birthdays without them thinking "it's all about me?" So, did they downplay his and Teri's birthdays for the kids growing up to set an example? Interesting. Birthdays are special when you're an adult because then you've learned that "it's not all about you".

I’m not sure if they downplayed Teri’s but I doubt they downplayed Steve’s. Steve probably thinks he should be celebrated on the kids birthdays. One year they had 2 Father’s Day celebrations & I think barely had a Mother’s Day one for Teri. 

Edited August 22, 2021 by Jana814

[Bluebirdbluebell]

15 hours ago, anjulibai said:

😳 The fuck is that a thing to say on someone's birthday, Teri? Oh bizarre.

I agree. That line is awful. It sounds like they thought Mary was a little bratty as a kid and they lectured it out it of her. I feel bad for Mary just reading that.

12 hours ago, Cults-r-us said:

I keep hoping the Arndt bros will tunnel under the Maxwell Compound and abscond with the Spinster Sisters. It will be the Fundie variant of 7 Brides for 7 Brothers! We will read about it in 3 years when their blog gets updated.

The Maxwell ladies deserve better!

[browngrl]

Years ago I lived in a condo and each morning/evening I would go up/down the elevator with the same woman (clearly she had a similar schedule to mine). She had the most negative take on everything.  Every comment - no matter how banal could be turned into something dire/mean/negative according to her. After a while it became like a game to me - I'd try and come up with something she could not twist. I was never successful. I'd say: something like "what lovely weather we had this weekend" and she'd find a way to tuck in something like "if we don't get rain soon, the farmer's crops will fail". However, Teri is even better at this game.

Is there any birthday post where Teri doesn't manage to hide a piece of barbed wire?  I hope it is because of poor writing skills but she went to college and seems intelligent so I have to wonder if this is how she really sees life.

[SPHASH]

1 hour ago, browngrl said:

Years ago I lived in a condo and each morning/evening I would go up/down the elevator with the same woman (clearly she had a similar schedule to mine). She had the most negative take on everything.  Every comment - no matter how banal could be turned into something dire/mean/negative according to her. After a while it became like a game to me - I'd try and come up with something she could not twist. I was never successful. I'd say: something like "what lovely weather we had this weekend" and she'd find a way to tuck in something like "if we don't get rain soon, the farmer's crops will fail". However, Teri is even better at this game.

Is there any birthday post where Teri doesn't manage to hide a piece of barbed wire?  I hope it is because of poor writing skills but she went to college and seems intelligent so I have to wonder if this is how she really sees life.

Remember Sarah's 37th birthday?

https://blog.titus2.com/2019/01/19/happy-birthday-sarah-9/

[fundiewatch]

Extra spaces (there are two that stood out immediately) suggest there was some working over of language too— how to delicately put that Sarah has gotten none of what she wanted in life. (But wait, the dog! And more recently, the car! Her consolation prizes she’s been allowed by Steve.) Back when Abby was born and the other “girls” were young, it was Sarah who held her during dinner (etc). She has gotten more and more hands off in time, and who wouldn’t? It’s heartbreaking how many times she has put Anna out there, what an ideal mother she will be etc, what amazing home making skills her sisters have, and she absolutely no longer voices that she had her own dream of being a homeschooling mom. (Unless Terri made that up. Who knows.) 

[fundiefan]

8 hours ago, Bluebirdbluebell said:

I agree. That line is awful. It sounds like they thought Mary was a little bratty as a kid and they lectured it out it of her. I feel bad for Mary just reading that.

The Maxwell ladies deserve better!

I took it as Teri's very poor writing skills. The way I read it was Mary decided, when she was little, that she would not grow up to have a grumpy & complaining spirit. 

The way Teri wrote it, and her use of the word "determined" as opposed to the more commonly understood "decided", just made it a complete disaster of a sentence. 

While still shady overall, I think Teri was saying "I remember when you were little and decided you didn't want to be grumpy when you grew up and you succeeded in that goal you set for yourself". OK. way more wordy than a Maxwell is capable of - but that's how I read it instead of Teri determining her daughter would have the grumpies beat/lectured out of her. 

And that, in a nutshell, is exhibit #1 for Steve & Teri's complete and utter failure at learning to communicate & teaching their offspring to communicate. Steve's great conversationalist shit is just that, shit. Actual communication abilities would not leave a single sentence open for so much interpretation. We would not be discussing what we think they said if they actually knew how to say it. 

[MamaJunebug]

23 hours ago, Jana814 said:

I’m not sure if they downplayed Teri’s but I doubt they downplayed Steve’s. Steve probably thinks he should be celebrated on the kids birthdays. One year they had 2 Father’s Day celebrations & I think barely had a Mother’s Day one for Teri. 

Don’t recall that. 
Do recall the family photo after one of The Reversals’ births.
Steve in the foreground, infant in his arms; 4 or 5 kids to his side snd behind him, and among those kids, Teri. 
Because Steve had fathered another child, I suppose. 
Mother of the child? Barely worth a mention, apparently. Back amongst the other children Steve had fathered. 

(Out of nowhere, I just had the clearest impression of BigDaddy Junebug, my father, reading about Steve. BDJB’s remark was, “Something wrong with that guy.”)

[mango_fandango]

6 hours ago, SPHASH said:

Remember Sarah's 37th birthday?

https://blog.titus2.com/2019/01/19/happy-birthday-sarah-9/

At least there was a message of sorts that year. She got absolutely nothing for her 28th birthday.

[SPHASH]

59 minutes ago, mango_fandango said:

At least there was a message of sorts that year. She got absolutely nothing for her 28th birthday.

No message would have been better than the one she got for the 37th.

[fundiefan]

Just for posterity sake, let's all read these beautiful words again. Because we are all wishing our families loves us enough to say this to us on our 37th birthday. 

We know you envisioned your life to be a stay-at-home mom homeschooling children, but God hasn’t directed  that way by bringing the right man into your life. So you have focused your energies on what He has given you to do and had an amazingly  productive life in that.

You are the backbone of Titus2 and are diligent to keep up with all the details that it generates. 

So many families are blessed and encouraged by the children’s books you write and our Titus2 blog that you keep content flowing to every week.

You deal with the financial aspects of your brothers’ businesses plus do more for them, and they are all grateful to you. 

We love you, and look forward to what God has in store for you in 2019.