Wellfleet

Agree, and IMO the Duggars' toxic level of frugality, stinginess and outright cheapness is not a fundie thing at all. The Kellers - clearly less well-off than the Duggars - gave a far nicer wedding for Anna and Josh. This industrial-strength cheapness is entirely and completely Boob all the way. I don't think he actually started out that way, but he quickly became accustomed to getting "love offerings" and other kinds of help from church "friends." Then - being the big visionary that he is - according to Mechelle at least - he translated that into "let's see how much we can grab from X..." I think the massive bridal registries - and now baby registries - are not only going to whichever Duggar couple, but filling up that warehouse they recently emptied to raise $$ for Arkansas Children's Hospital. And a nice fat tax credit too probably. A tax credit for him, but paid for by all the people kind enough to buy things at their event.

Maisie is in there with Gladys and Ethel, I believe. For anyone that interested, there's a section of the Social Security Administration website where you can see the popularity of first names, the top names of the year etc. I think some of the data there goes back over 100 years. Twas interesting, to me at least. Here's the link: http://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/

And I don't use any at all in my rustic version. Skins on, nuke the taters - with shallots - then mush them with butter and a wooden spoon. Very chunky, lots of texture and if I do say so myself, dee-lish-iss especially when you nuke peeled shallots with the potatoes. I just grind a little fresh black pepper over the bowl and sometimes a little thyme or rosemary. Yum - now I want some...

Typed in the sarcasm font: Apparently Mechelle was able to conquer that low self-worth issue of hers...

Josie's curls could be temporary too. Lots of little kids start out with curly or wavy hair, but gradually lose it. My nephew looked like Harpo Marx for about a year - the cutest thing - a thick headful of blonde curls - but they gradually disappeared. Totally gone by the time he went to kindergarten.

Yes, there must have been a lot of useless crap. Now I'm guessing that was always part of the plan, because it sounds very Boob-ish to me - "register for anything - later we'll exchange everything we can't use for cash or credit..."

This is what I was thinking too. I think now that the Baby Factory has closed, Mechelle has found another way to keep the light shining on HER. I'm guessing if there's ANY truth to this at all, it was that Mechelle stuck her finger down her throat once or twice after a meal, to see if she could handle it - decided she couldn't - and never did anything again. In NONE of the photos that have been shown does she look anywhere close to bulimic or anorexic. Related trivia - I recently read a very interesting book in which one of Princess Diana's closest friends tells the author that she always doubted that Diana was truly bulimic. She was very thin at times but never to the extreme that most patients reach, and her hair, eyes, gums/teeth and skin were far too healthy and perfect. The friend, who was a trained therapist of some kind, said that true bulimics never look as good as Diana, even at her thinnest point, did. Her theory was that Diana "dabbled" in bulima in order to get attention, especially since her illness did not begin until after she was married.

Wow, that's extremely interesting. Why wouldn't Boob go with her? Didn't they go to the same school - in classes a year apart? You'd think he'd love being able to show off his massive family, fame and $$$. VERY interesting...

Count me among those who had no idea FROZEN mashed potatoes even existed. I've heard of the boxed kind, but never frozen. Good grief. I can't imagine anything that's easier than mashed potatoes. I live alone and when I want them, I place 8-10 new baby potatoes - really small ones - in a microwave-safe bowl, poke each with a fork or paring knife a few times, add a tablespoon of water and, a few peeled whole shallots, cover and nuke for about 10 minutes. When they come out, they're perfectly tender. I add a pat or two of butter and squish well with a wooden spoon. I call them "rustic mashed potatoes." PS - I never peel the baby taters. Their skins are thinner than paper and bonus - you're getting more nutrients since the majority of a potato's vitamins are in the skin.

Totally agree - Kate's "we're making memories" comments always sounded like complete rationalization to me. I really doubt the Gosselins sit around watching "J&K+8" videos. It's been all about a paycheck, or a route to lots of freebies, to her from the very beginning.

Personally I believed them in the beginning when they said their primary motivation for agreeing to TLC was educational. I thought that was good because it's certainly nothing I'd ever want to do myself. But I also thought at the time they were fairly clueless about all the problems and troubles being on TV could bring. At the top of my own list would be loss of privacy - and security issues. I would never willingly put myself or my family in a position where it would be considered very advisable to have a bodyguard or some other type of personal security. But then I am by nature a pretty suspicious person. I'd rather be prepared for the worst, and then have nothing happen - than to blow off security concerns - only to be sorry later. Now however, I'm not so sure. It appears to me that they either [1] always looked on TLC as a great source of $$ - quite a lot of it in a relatively-short period of time or [2] have become much too accustomed to the lifestyle they can now afford with TLC $$. I really doubt that they would have been able to do a new, custom house, the fertility treatments, and all the expenses that were involved with both "Rocky & Maggie's" - AND two foreign adoptions within just a few years without TLC. The fact that they're continuing to film with two special needs kids to raise is the primary reason for my thinking, since I believe both Bill & Jen are too intelligent and well-informed NOT to know that raising children in the public eye is not the BEST way to raise them. It's certainly not the worst way, but they HAVE to know it's also not the best. Just guesses on my part - and I fervently hope they're wrong guesses.

Pouting from a female preemie - that's awesome. PS - wanderwoman, better start eating your Wheaties. Now. You're going to need your strength for Maisie's teen years, I fear... LOL.

LOL - this really made me think. Can you imagine being a publicist and taking on the Duggars as clients? I can't imagine Boob signing up with any non-fundies - and I simply cannot fathom any self-respecting fundie becoming a publicist in the first place. If they do actually have one, it must be someone they were assigned through TLC. Something in their contract that Boob felt he must agree to - or possibly lose the show. Although now that I think about it, their "publicist' could BE Boob - he's one of the best there is at getting - or at least asking for - freebies of all kinds.

This was my understanding as well. There's an opinion out there that showers should really only be given by friends/members of the wedding party, or perhaps more distant relatives - cousins for example. It's done more and more in my area - the Northeast - but is considered, by a lot of older people especially, to be somewhat tacky when immediate family - mothers, grandmothers, sisters - give a shower. It's seen, according to some etiquette books, as a "plea for gifts" for members of one's own family.

I think the most important thing to remember in the "cancer vs morning sickness" discussion is that we all know Jill did NOT have morning sickness in that crippling form. What she DOES have is a crippling form of clingy neediness. One of the worst cases I've ever seen.

I've never really thought about this before, but once pointed out, it certainly does seem true. The Duggars are everlastingly afraid - too busy worrying about everyone and everything evil that might befall them - to take any real joy out of Life. Most especially the real joy and rewards of having children.

Exactly! In the case of Jill's wedding, the Dillards gave the rehearsal & provided a meal to guests. The Duggars only provided dessert the following day. And not even a seat at which to eat it! Very classy and hospitable...

I'm not saying Boob was on an especially-tight leash as a child. I just believe HE thinks he was. I think he was extremely eager to be more in control of his life. I'm not sure whether or not he's talked about being teased or bullied on 19K&C. It certainly does seem unlikely. I mean, how many men as controlling and in-charge as Boob is would admit to that? And the bottom line is, it doesn't matter whether he's spoken about it on TLC. It's still fairly likely that it happened - just because of the way kids are - and that it affected him in a significant way. Why? Because for whatever reason, he signed onto the Gothard "men control everything" bandwagon at a very young age.

Many of the rehearsals and weddings I've attended have been deliberately "mixed up" - in that the bridal couples wanted the two parties to be quite different in nature. My brother had a very lively cocktail hour and sit-down dinner reception followed by dancing, for almost 200. By contrast my parents kept the rehearsal dinner the night before quite quiet and relaxing - only about 15 people - in the private room of their favorite and regular restaurant. Dad didn't even make any arrangements ahead of time other than to book the room. He wanted to be able to tell everyone "please order anything from the bar and off the menu that you'd like - and as much as you'd like too..." It was one of the nicest, happiest parties I'd ever been to - before or since. Lots of laughter, good conversation, incomparable food and wine then. Terrific memories now.

OK yes - this is what I thought as well. Thanks.

Personality tendencies are inborn in all of us to a certain extent. And then Nurture takes over, when caregivers and experiences begin to shape the individual as well. In Boob's case, I think his abnormally over-the-top desire to control his world stems from his childhood & teen years, when it sounds like he was virtually helpless to control anything at all. With a bit of "Little Man Syndrome" thrown in. It's been mentioned more than once how small Boob was until some point, late in high school IIRC, when he had his final growth spurt and attained his adult height. From his own stories and comments on the show, it sounds like he was looked on as a "nothing special" kind of kid, small and probably ignored by others most of the time, very likely bullied on occasion, and clearly never taken seriously as he wanted. While we're at it, I don't think he had particularly warm-and-fuzzy parents either, which didn't help in the self-esteem department. Then it sounds like sometime in high school, around the time he falls for Mechelle the Cheerleader, he also discovers Gothard and a world in which men are superior and rule everything. And the light bulb comes on - and he realizes that this is his big chance, that this "way of life" would afford him the opportunity to control almost everything.

This is what I've always thought as well. Rehearsals are thrown by the groom's family and are normally quite small, including ONLY the wedding party, parents, grandparents, siblings of the bride and groom. Plus all applicable spouses and significant others for that group. Here in the Northeast it's become fairly traditional to include anyone who has already arrived from out-of-town - if the wedding party is aware of that fact. Although at my brother's wedding that amounted to only one couple. We also had the priest who performed the ceremony since he was a good friend of the family - and a really fun person. I've personally never been to any rehearsal dinner that included more than 25 people, but then we tend to have small wedding parties in our family, only a few bridesmaids/ushers.

Good news on all fronts! A really great idea to "introduce" Maisie to Muir ahead of their first actual meeting too. And a German shepherd? Just THE most protective dog in the world, IMHO. I predict he'll lay right down beside her, wherever she is. And won't let a stranger within a city block of her without emitting that great, sinister, scary Shepherd growl or bark. Maisie doesn't know it yet, but she's already got a bestest friend... :>)

I've never heard anything about Josh seeking the FRC job on his own. It was my understanding that the FRC came to him, as a member of the Duggar family. Do we KNOW that it was Josh's doing?

Agree. These fundies, who object loudly and often to "government intervention and interference" at every opportunity, also seem to be the first ones to line up for whatever freebies they think they can get. I bet Gil Bates even feels ENTITLED to his ER visits. Hey Gil, if you think it's a bad idea, and especially if you'd take it away from others, why are you taking advantage of it yourself? That's the very definition of "hypocrite."