Liz Tudor

Pure speculation here, but could it be remotely possible that TLC is filming a shower for Jessa in AR this weekend, and that is the "unforeseen circumstance" that kept her from the Southern Women's show? Wouldn't TLC $$$ be greater than a one hour appearance $$$ (and she honored all the other appearances). She could always use the pregnancy as an excuse, because I would think traveling far from where you plan to deliver 2 weeks before a due date is not terribly smart, if you can avoid it. Might explain padding the attendance of the shower with Seewalds. This is not based on anything besides the ruminations in my head. I'm not moving to River Heights to hang with Nancy, Bess, and George anytime soon...

Probably had to find a pair that would fit over his chastity belt. Sorry, I am in a super snarky mood today! ;-)

I can't even...I'm a runner, so I guess that's why I'm gobsmacked. I can't even wear cotton t-shirts anymore, they get too heavy and hold sweat. You can get "modest" tech shirts very inexpensively,(but they won't have collars). Jog strollers are pretty pricey, but easy to snag used, and they are so much better than running with an everyday stroller. But running a MARATHON in khakis? That's just stupid. These people...just when I think I've heard/seen it all with them, they spring something else!

Also, please tell me I'm not the only nerd who thinks of Heimdall when guarding a gate comes up. We're still talking gods & afterworld and all, just not the ones of the Duggars'! http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/6/6a/Heimdall_(Earth-199999)_002.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140404055750 Edited because I can't get image to show as a picture, even though I followed directions...

Once again, a (paraphrased) timely & relevent Jim Gaffigan bit: Jim: We always hear about the Pearly Gates of Heaven. So, when you die, you go to a gated community? Makes me wonder about the kind of neighborhood Heaven is in. Are the gates really necessary? St. Peter: Yeah, we got a problem with kids sneaking in and using the pool. Those gates weren't easy, either. We had to go to Hell and get a contractor and everything. Thank you, ladies & germs, remember to tip your waitresses!

Who the heck runs in a polo shirt???? And of course it sucked to push a stroller, because it's not a jog stroller; it's not made to go swiftly for 3 miles. I guess it doesn't matter, because this was probably their first and only 5K. But still, these arent't the sharpest crayons in the box!

Stories like this make me fervently wish the people involved were also sentenced to mandatory sterilization. They have no business having children, and would obviously be a danger to any others they might have. I agree with others on here who say culty fundies like this (and the Duggars) won't stop their aberrant behavior, they will just keep it to themselves. Rant over!Edited because spelling is important and hard on only 1/2 cup of coffee...

I am not picking on a child who cannot help her looney parents and their horrid lifestyle. However, there is something disturbing about the little girl to the right of Jill in the white skirt with black polka dots. She looks like a Junior Businesswoman...like she's in dress up to play grown up. She certainly doesn't look like a 6-7 year old child. Again, for all the Gothard tenets about modesty and dress, it's just pushing these kids (esp girls) to be older than their years, and they shouldn't bear such burdens (or be worrying about their sins at age 8, like poor Jinger).

Wow, I'm impressed you got that all on your own! Now on to Final Jeopardy! Re: Jessben, I had to giggle, because it sounds a lot like "lesbian," so that's probably not in the running, dear Instagram poster.

I'm assuming because of their defrauding clothes (like pants and/or shorts, and no maxi denim skirts).

Hush your mouth before I turn you over to the Texas textbook selection committee. MY people appeared, fully formed, right here in the good ol' USA, 6,000 years ago.

Oh, bummer. They cut it short, because she went on and on. I doubled over when she said Michelle's vaj should be sewn shut along with her mouth. And everyone at the table put in their 2 cents (all in the same vein).

Lewis Grizzard (bless his soul) would be so damn proud!Edited because I remembered, an hour or so after posting, that I had misspelled his first name, shame on me!

There's an interesting chapter in the book "Freakanomics" about names (it covers naming trends across all races & socio-economic groups and the impacts they have on the individual). Just adding a link here if you're interested. http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_dismal_science/2005/04/a_roshanda_by_any_other_name.html

I'm not usually watching TV in the middle of the day (taking advantage of the opportunity to do house stuff), but Michelle is getting REAMED on "The Talk" for her now infamous blog post. It feels good to hear an entire studio audience losing it in unison. Sharon Osborne was priceless. She wants a needle to sew up a certain body part. I hope this is out there on the Interwebs to watch for those who want to...it's quite amusing!

The hacks at these tabloids are getting worse...in the entire first half of the article, they say the show was in Baltimore, when it was in Birmingham. Nevermind the geography issue, they just inserted a city that began with "B." Sorry for that rant, but I was a newspaper reporter...in Arkansas, no less, and I can't stand to read most of the garbage being churned out. Guess I should consider the source, in this instance.They will be in my neck of the woods this weekend...I'll pass on any info I glean from the local (and more reputable) news. It's supposed to be s glorious weekend, so I'm wondering if many people will want to hole up in a convention center. We'll see!

The article says Christopher Sieber & Geneva Carr will play the parents of 10 children, one of whom is a 13 yr old girl who is pregnant (leading to the SVU investigation). I can totally see Chris Elliot playing a creepy character like J.P., a.k.a., "the Jeep" from Kid Farm. Maybe he's the fundy families' sleazy lawyer. Oh, yes they do. The South Park team has been known to turn around an episode in 24-36 hours, if something too good to pass up happens in the news. The question is, will the writers pile on the scandal with an AM storyline, or do they have to watch it from getting too close to the real Duggars' situation (and risk trouble). I bet the AM scandal will factor into another SVU episode, not related to the Duggars, but that's just my 2 cents.

Y'all, I am not afraid of much...not heights, spiders, snakes, zombie apocalypse, etc., but that pic of JB and even the words "hey, hey, hey" kickstart my gag reflex. Just EEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW!

My guess is that the recent send-off "celebration" was solely for the TLC cameras and they have no intention to go back to CA anytime soon, especially with Jessa's impending labor & delivery (and we know Jill will be portrayed as instrumental in that). Since everything on "reality" shows is filmed out of sequence and then strung together to create a false timeline**, that farewell party will most likely be depicted as preceeding the Dullards' first trip to Central America back in June. **Anytime I see an interview of someone who was on a "reality" show, they are always complaining about how events are filmed outside the true timeline and that things aren't shown as they really happened (in chronological order, or by tweaking/directing participants' reactions & relationships). Bless their hearts, they thought the whole reality experience really would be true and accurate!

frenchtoast, I know exactly what you mean. The story I shared upthread about my brother eating mostly nothing but peanut butter for 2 years was a HUGE issue among family. My mom was beside herself, and our pediatrician said to keep encouraging other foods, but my brother would survive fine on mainly peanut butter sandwiches. He didn't look healthy though, he was scrawny and you could see his ribs. One of our more thoughtful family members said he looked like a Biafran child (they were prominent in the news at the time for having a horrible famine). I thought my mom was going to lose it. Like you said, they made it seem like she was locking him in a closet and starving him intentionally. Strangers can make thoughtless comments in passing, but family can be the worst. Both sides of mine had food issues. At the time my brother was too skinny, I was told I ate too much. For years, I thought I was overweight (I wasn't) because at get-togethers, my relatives always carped on what/how much I was eating. It was very confusing. Not long ago, we were looking at old photos, and I commented that I wasn't s fat kid after all. My mom was furious...she hadn't realized that I'd felt that way all this time. It hardly ever happens, but family members should just keep things to themselves if they're not willing to be educated about things that affect the people they love. We are so much more aware now of food allergies & sensitivities that older relatives don't understand (or don't care to), and they just assume people are being picky or trying to get attention. I learned a lot about food allergies when a HS classmate's son had allergies to nearly everything: wheat, dairy, eggs, shellfish, peanuts (I'm sure I'm leaving out something). He was SO allergic that if peanuts were anywhere near, he'd start with anaphylactic symptoms. She was terrified for him, and people just thought it was an attention grab vs. a life & death situation. He's in his early teens now, and is able to have more foods now, but still has acute reactions to others. He's learned to handle his situation and thoughtless people beautifully. Now I've been on a rant, but it all comes down to one of my favorite Erma Bombeck titles: "Family: the ties that bind...AND GAG." ;-)

ChocolateAddict, your best bet is for the family to ignore the picky eaters. Let them eat bread and chicken. Literally, do not cater to them. One of my cousins, with whom we vacationed regularly, would only eat chicken nuggets and fries...and she was in the age range of 19-23 at the time. That's all she ever ate growing up. Whenever we went out, we had to make sure the restaurant had them on the menu. One night, we all (and this was a group of 12-15) wanted to go out to a Greek restaurant. She pitched a fit. We said, "tough." She managed to try a different version of chicken strips & potatos. She lived. She's 27 now, and has slightly broadened her tastes. Another anecdote: my brother went through a phase where he would hardly eat anything (around ages 6-8). He would be at the dinner table for HOURS because my parents made him take 3 bites of everything. He would eat peanut butter. The pediatrician told my parents that was a good source of protein, if that was most of what he'd eat. Long story short, he went through that phase and grew to be 6'4" and 230. He lived. I think most families go through the picky eater phase, but the key is how it's handled.

I guess I'm in the minority...I love potlucks, but they've always been with people I know fairly well, like church (at our last one, we had once a month Wednesday dinners, extremely well attended) or a small group at work. I love to cook, so I'm always game to take something, and I like to try new recipes. However, I'm fully over most things made with "cream of" soups, the only exception being good ol' classic grean bean casserole. In my formative years, lots of my older cousins did the fire hall weddings we discussed here (because money was tight), so I've been up until midnight making ham biscuits and chicken salad since I was a child. Thankfully, as time went on, they started to be catered. However, I've NEVER been to a meeting, wedding, etc. where I was expected or asked to bring food. Only for wakes, and that's not out of line (I think it's common to take food to the bereaved, either for the wake or for later.). But leave it to the Duggars to ask for money AND food at a party to allegedly thank their DONORS. Bless their hearts, they just don't get it. At least it was indoors...

This is why I don't worry about their perceived money woes. They probably bought that 172 for between $20,000-$50,000. Fuel is extremely expensive, then there's routine maintenance, not to mention the insurance they've got to carry. Mr. Tudor has been a pilot for nearly 30 years, both military & civilian, and at best, we've discussed getting into a partnership with three others on a 172 to use a couple of times a month. We haven't done it yet, because even with 1/4 ownership, it's still incredibly expensive.

Ah, but I bet you have a zillion new hair, makeup, & fashion tips! In fact, I bet you're going through your closet right now and arranging things by outfit, down to the accessories. Purpose to run to Walmart tonight to get a crapload of hairspray and mascara!

That reminds me of a great Jim Gaffigan bit, on how cake brings everyone together: Coworker 1: It's Bob's birthday. Coworker 2: I can't stand that guy. Coworker 1: There's cake in the breakroom. Coworker 2: Well, I should probably swing by, just to say hi...