Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[leighroda]

Growing up in Dallas, during the holidays I'd always accompany my aunts to the Collin Street Bakery for fruitcake. I love it as well. A very small slice with a cup of black coffee is perfect!

Omg! I used to love Collin street bakery!! I went to Kilgore for college (ok really for rangerettes) and my sister lived in Austin and I would always stop there when I went to Austin, now there is another one of 35 I think.

Eta: I just got caught up, I recently graduated from nursing school so I had to take a little hiatus from the boards.

My screen name, well, it's really just my actual name (leigh) and a portion of my last name.

I'm from Houston Texas, but for the last 3 years I have lived in ft lauderdale fl. Long story short, I had wanted to go to nursing school for about 10 yrs, but could never quite make working full-time, going to school full-time, and having money for food work... So my gracious older sister offered for me to live with her, so I packed up and moved here. I want to move back to Texas, I still need to take my boards to be an actual RN, then I'll apply for jobs here and in Texas and see what happens.

I'm a Taurus, but I don't really put a whole bunch of stock in signs, but I am pretty typical... Loyal but stubborn. I'm also a typical middle child so who knows between nature/nurture.

I think that's all the questions that seemed to go around the last couple of pages!

Edited September 19, 2015 by leighroda

[kalamac]

And, totally off-topic (forgive me !) but, Kalamac - I not only share in your love of chips and determination to watch Buffy rather than entertain anymore Derrick foolishness - I met James Marsters/Spike just last weekend ! He was kind, lovely, devastatingly handsome, articulate, and did I mention handsome ? One of the best days of my life...  :)

Bringing this over here. It is so cool that you got to meet him! I'm on season 2 now (as I type I'm watching Lie to Me, the one where Buffy's old friend is going to give her to Spike to kill, in exchange for eternal life. Great episode), so Spike is still all evil. But so compelling. James Marsters did a great job in this role.

[SomePity1066]

Bringing this over here. It is so cool that you got to meet him! I'm on season 2 now (as I type I'm watching Lie to Me, the one where Buffy's old friend is going to give her to Spike to kill, in exchange for eternal life. Great episode), so Spike is still all evil. But so compelling. James Marsters did a great job in this role.

You still have so much to watch - I'm jealous that I can't see them again as new to me ! My favorite thing was that Spike was supposed to be in just 3 or 4 episodes and then get staked, but audience reaction was so positive they kept him around, and then kept keeping him around more ! His story arc is remarkable...

 

Met him at ComicCon - that's a guaranteed way to get a photo, autograph, or both. It's expensive but worth every penny. I met Nicholas Brendan (Xander Harris) last year and he was also a warm, lovely man. Hope you get to do the same someday !!!

[GeeGolly]

Buffy fans here too, but from years ago. It was one of a few shows that the entire family enjoyed when our kids were pre-teens and teenagers.

[kalamac]

You still have so much to watch - I'm jealous that I can't see them again as new to me ! My favorite thing was that Spike was supposed to be in just 3 or 4 episodes and then get staked, but audience reaction was so positive they kept him around, and then kept keeping him around more ! His story arc is remarkable...

 

Met him at ComicCon - that's a guaranteed way to get a photo, autograph, or both. It's expensive but worth every penny. I met Nicholas Brendan (Xander Harris) last year and he was also a warm, lovely man. Hope you get to do the same someday !!!

It's not new to me either. I'm having a nostalgia driven rewatch. He came to one to one of the Oz comic-cons a few years back that I was going to go to, but then I got gastro and couldn't leave the house. I was so upset.

[MamaMax]

GeeGolly... you would not believe how much worse it really is. About 2 months into the whole thing finally someone, I'm assuming her attorney got through to Nicole and got her to start removing some of the worst stuff she'd posted over the years. Some of the pictures were just terrifying. I've seen pictures of 3rd world countries with people living better than those kids do. They had one queen size mattress that would have been considered disgusting even in a trash heap and that was the only bed for all 12 of them so the kids slept on the dirt. Sometime in the year before they lost the kids someone donated them beds for all the kids. They sold them. Some of the kids don't even have birth records. I could on for hours about the horrors. I originally found out about them because they were claiming the kids were taken away because they homeschool. So it came up on a homeschool forum I chat on. But after about 30 seconds it because obviously to everyone with any kind of brain that the CPS couldn't care less about the homeschooling in comparison with some of this other stuff. If you really want to be appalled google for the video of Nicole reaming a police officer for pulling them over about their kid not being in a car seat/seat belt. She screams at him at the top of her lungs about her Constitutional rights and taunts him to assault her. And get this - Nicole and Joe are the ones who took and posted the video.  They thought it showed how the US is a police state and police brutality. All it showed is that she's an unhinged nut job.... and goody - she's pregnant and due in a couple of months. 

 

 

So, I just googled these people…. Holy cow.  My first thought was: how are you OFF GRID but have a Facebook page? The proof that they are nuts is that they post all this stuff on the internet.  I can't even believe that the state returned the kids.  Those kids are doomed. Poor things, its not the poverty and rough conditions that will haunt them, its the crazy parenting.

Edited September 19, 2015 by MamaMax

[3girlsforus]

So, I just googled these people…. Holy cow.  My first thought was: how are you OFF GRID but have a Facebook page? The proof that they are nuts is that they post all this stuff on the internet.  I can't even believe that the state returned the kids.  Those kids are doomed. Poor things, its not the poverty and rough conditions that will haunt them, its the crazy parenting.

 

LOL!!! When this first broke on my homeschool forum that was on the constant comments .... OFF GRID does not include FB and blog posts LOL. Also she would go on and on about how they were working day and night to make changes to the "homestead" that the court was requiring. She would claim they were working 14 hour + days. But she was posting on FB all day long. Hello - we know you don't have electricity or internet on the "homestead" so if you are posting all day long you are not working to make improvements. They raised almost 50k in a gofundme account from people who thought they were being persecuted. Over time these people were wanting their money back because it wasn't being used on the property. After the kids were taken Joe and Nicole moved into a hotel. Meanwhile Nicole was busy opening a dog grooming business. Good choice for a small town that already had two other groomers. UGH. Not only that but she had been fired from one of them for abusing the dogs. She never answered the question about who was going to run the business when she had the baby.

 

People who knew them would post about how the kids were truly feral - not Josie feral - really feral. They smelled of urine and feces because the dirt they played in was a combination of dirt and goat poop. The kids would just stop wherever they were and do their business right on the ground. They were evicted from two places for lack of payment and going to the bathroom all over the place. I still suspect this is one reason they were returned. CPS didn't have enough families equipped to deal with 10 kids who were basically raised like animals. The kids had also been raised to refuse authority. One news article said that they oldest couple of kids would only say their first name and then declare themselves sovereign. 

 

Hard to believe there are families out there that make the Duggars look like caring and responsible parents. 

[GeeGolly]

LOL!!! When this first broke on my homeschool forum that was on the constant comments .... OFF GRID does not include FB and blog posts LOL. Also she would go on and on about how they were working day and night to make changes to the "homestead" that the court was requiring. She would claim they were working 14 hour + days. But she was posting on FB all day long. Hello - we know you don't have electricity or internet on the "homestead" so if you are posting all day long you are not working to make improvements. They raised almost 50k in a gofundme account from people who thought they were being persecuted. Over time these people were wanting their money back because it wasn't being used on the property. After the kids were taken Joe and Nicole moved into a hotel. Meanwhile Nicole was busy opening a dog grooming business. Good choice for a small town that already had two other groomers. UGH. Not only that but she had been fired from one of them for abusing the dogs. She never answered the question about who was going to run the business when she had the baby.

 

People who knew them would post about how the kids were truly feral - not Josie feral - really feral. They smelled of urine and feces because the dirt they played in was a combination of dirt and goat poop. The kids would just stop wherever they were and do their business right on the ground. They were evicted from two places for lack of payment and going to the bathroom all over the place. I still suspect this is one reason they were returned. CPS didn't have enough families equipped to deal with 10 kids who were basically raised like animals. The kids had also been raised to refuse authority. One news article said that they oldest couple of kids would only say their first name and then declare themselves sovereign. 

 

Hard to believe there are families out there that make the Duggars look like caring and responsible parents. 

When they lost their kids they went to a hotel?!? But when they have their kids they live without creature comforts??

[3girlsforus]

When they lost their kids they went to a hotel?!? But when they have their kids they live without creature comforts??

Yep - they claimed their lives were in danger from people who were against their style of parenting.

 

Heres the link I was looking for. They have really whitewashed their FB page in the last few months. This has a few pictures that are just appalling as well as some commentary from someone who has lived off-grid as a homesteader (which is what the Nauglers claim they are doing)

 

https://homeschoolersanonymous.wordpress.com/2015/05/11/a-former-off-grid-homeschooled-childs-thoughts-on-the-naugler-family/

Edited September 19, 2015 by 3girlsforus

[kokapetl]

I saw Meri's infamous wet bar on a tour on TLC.com. It's like a sink and countertops on the other side of her refrigerator, not even in a separate room from her kitchen. It's 5 freakin metres from her kitchen sink, not that she uses her kitchen much.

Edited September 19, 2015 by Kokapetl

[MamaMax]

@3girlsforus… So, they are grifters as well. 50K. Where did that $$ go? Are there any theories?  It is just insane that they can call that a Parenting Philosophy and people buy it.   Is the adults choose to live like that, fine. But whats the story with having all those kids? Clearly they dont want to be parents.  It's like a sick compulsion to hoard kids.  I have no doubt that the 2 adults are really, really mentally ill.  The fact that they would ashow themselves to the world proudly, to me, is delusional.

[3girlsforus]

Interestingly they don't claim religious freedom at all. She used to be religious but not claims not to be. They claim to be sovereign citizens and exempt from government oversight. 

 

MamaMax - yes definitely grifters. I don't remember all the details but they have a history of moving from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and state to state just ahead of the law, CPS, and creditors. The website is down now but they had some strange supposed investment opportunity for people to invest in their grooming business. It was so convoluted that I didn't fully understand but they were going to be paid back in bitcoin. The website is gone now. I think some of the 50k went to their housing etc when they didn't have the kids and were living in a hotel. I haven't heard much since they got the kids back but it definitely didn't go into the homestead. They showed pictures of their 'improvements' which consisted of cleaning up some trash and putting orange plastic fencing around the pond. 

[GeeGolly]

Thinking of Wander & Maisie... and GEML too.

[Jynnan tonnix]

Nikita gave me a warning for using non-standard punctuation.  I admit to being addicted to ellipses. I had another warning from her for something else and never posted at TWOP again because I didn't want to get banned.

Ha! I'm a chronic ellipsis addict myself, and also love anything shiny or sparkly (have always considered a magpie my spirit animal), so we have a couple of things in common :)

I did actually get banned at TWOP (American Idol forum) after some five posts. Not for my punctuation, but because of a touch of what I thought was relatively low-key squee-ing combined with "plagiarism" when I (helpfully, I thought) posted an addition I'd found to a previously credited article. I had mentioned the previous post in my reply, thinking that made it clear what the original source was, but neglected to actually cite the author again.

[Jellybeans]

Thinking of Wander & Maisie... and GEML too.

Have we heard from them? I miss them.

I am so depressed. My roomie/bestie was diagnosed with a recurrence of ALL leukemia. She is only 28.

[GeeGolly]

Have we heard from them? I miss them.

I am so depressed. My roomie/bestie was diagnosed with a recurrence of ALL leukemia. She is only 28.

Oh my Jelly, I'm so sorry.  (nope haven't heard from them lately)

[3girlsforus]

Have we heard from them? I miss them.

I am so depressed. My roomie/bestie was diagnosed with a recurrence of ALL leukemia. She is only 28.

 

(((((HUGS)))) Jelly I am so sorry. 

[lookeyloo]

Oh Jellybeans. So sorry to hear. Sending ffcyberhugs to both of you

[Fuzzysox]

Thinking of Wander & Maisie... and GEML too.

Yes me too! Hope all is well with them.

[CherryMalotte]

HFC - here's hoping that the funding for this little trip is going to run out sooner rather than later and they'll be told to pick up sticks and come back.  This SIL of yours has his life on a permanent vacation, no responsibilities, living on hand outs and his wife.  I fucking hate men like that, have known more than one.  Useless idiots.  I don't know why that group was meeting at the house, technically it's really not their house is it?  Didn't you say a while back that it's his parents that bought it or your side of the family?  I forget which.

 

It's been a sucky week or so around these here parts - I had to take our sick and elderly female cat

Squirrel for the final vet ride, if you know what I mean.  That and helping out with the ninety odd year old grandma, and listening to my mother daily vent about that stuff has sucked some of the life out of me.  These older children of my grandma should have had a plan for her long ago, and now they are faced with the 'what to do with mom' and are scrambling.  Not to say grandma isn't capable of taking care of herself, but she needs more help now and really should have been in assisted living years ago.  Not my decision though - as I told my one uncle a couple of weeks ago (in a rather nasty tone) I'm here to offer help and advice, but final decisions are not in my play book.  That's on them, and they have to live with it.

 

Families just suck sometimes.  

Edited September 21, 2015 by CherryMalotte

[Absolom]

Nobody else's BS meter got a ping?  Ok, then.  Sad, that Razing Ruth made me so suspicious perhaps.

 

Not about HFC and her SIL.

Edited September 20, 2015 by Absolom

[latetotheparty]

Have we heard from them? I miss them.

I am so depressed. My roomie/bestie was diagnosed with a recurrence of ALL leukemia. She is only 28.

 

What a shitty year you've had, Jellybeans.  Lots of love to you and to your friend.  <3

[Satchels of gold]

Nobody else's BS meter got a ping?  Ok, then.  Sad, that Razing Ruth made me so suspicious perhaps.

 

Not about HFC and her SIL.

.????? I feel like I missed something????

[CherryMalotte]

.????? I feel like I missed something????

 

Um yeah, me too.  I'm having a few dim bulb days though.  

 

I have to say that TCM and just movies in general are a wonderful way to lose yourself for a couple of hours a day.  Anybody else here enjoy their old flicks like me?   

[Love2dance]

Have we heard from them? I miss them.

I am so depressed. My roomie/bestie was diagnosed with a recurrence of ALL leukemia. She is only 28.

Jellybeans, so VERY sorry about your friend. That is awful. The world is just so unfair sometimes. I sincerely hope that treatment will help her. Hugs to you both.

[Albanyguy]

I have to say that TCM and just movies in general are a wonderful way to lose yourself for a couple of hours a day.  Anybody else here enjoy their old flicks like me?

 

I'm a big TCM fan, too. The only thing I really miss about TWOP was the forum dedicated to TCM, where we all chimed in about the movies that were on each day (as well as our love for Robert Osborne!). Wish they'd start a similar forum here.

[Wellfleet]

Um yeah, me too.  I'm having a few dim bulb days though.  

 

I have to say that TCM and just movies in general are a wonderful way to lose yourself for a couple of hours a day.  Anybody else here enjoy their old flicks like me?   

 

Love TCM with a holy passion. I have two sisters, one of whom loves oldies like I do. We talk movies all the time when we get together etc etc. My other sister calls TCM the "black and white movie channel" - little does she know - and just rolls her eyes at us when we get started. But she has no idea what she's missing. We can roll our eyes at her too though, because she's in her mid-50s now and just got a motorcycle - !!! - plus of course the license, the helmet and a whole lot of black leather clothing. Of the three of us, we think at least we're acting our age - LOL! 

[CherryMalotte]

Albanyguy there's a TCM lovefest topic in the Network thread, just scroll down.

[ChocolateAddict]

Some good news - I just came back from a lovely holiday with my friend.  We are on uni break so we rented a little studio for 4 days, close to a little town and a 5-10min walk to the beach.  The weather wasn't fantastic so we didn't swim but we walked along the beach, watched a lot of Netflix and baked.  It was so nice to just chill out, watch some movies that we hadn't seen and mooch around for a few days. Took a break from rom-coms to watch Animal Kingdom - it is an amazing Australian film based on a real crime family, Jacki Weaver was nominated for an Oscar.  Rather dark but it was a break from the predictability of the other movies.  

Edited September 21, 2015 by ChocolateAddict

[magpye29]

I went to NYC last Saturday (day-long bus trip) and saw The Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.  It was wonderful.  For you TCM fans, the plot is very similar to the Alec Guinness film Kind Hearts and Coronets, where AG plays all the characters.  I'm glad to know there's a TCM forum--I'll have to go check it out.

[Satchels of gold]

A few months ago my daughter and I started binge watching old 70s movies. The Valley of the Dolls, The Poseidon Adventure, The Stepford Wives etc. They are all so craptastic!!

[Julia]

I'm a big TCM fan, too. The only thing I really miss about TWOP was the forum dedicated to TCM, where we all chimed in about the movies that were on each day (as well as our love for Robert Osborne!). Wish they'd start a similar forum here.

We have one. The same poster started it.

[Gweilo]

Nobody else's BS meter got a ping? Ok, then. Sad, that Razing Ruth made me so suspicious perhaps.

Not about HFC and her SIL.

.????? I feel like I missed something????

Razing Ruth was a scammer who wrote in great mopey detail about her trials and tribulation in leaving fundamentalism. Turned out to all be BS, if I recall. I think that Absolom was perhaps thinking that some of the hard luck stories in this thread may or may not be in a similar vein.

Edited September 21, 2015 by Gweilo

[Julia]

Razing Ruth was a scammer who wrote in great mopey detail about her trials and tribulation in leaving fundamentalism. Turned out to all be BS, if I recall. I think that Absolom was perhaps thinking that some of the hard luck stories in this thread may or may not be in a similar vein.

 

It's even vaguely related, since one of the other socks 'Ruth' was supposed to be running was pretending to be an intimate of Kate Gosselin's (which seems like an odd thing to be willing to cop to).

[NoThyme]

Can anyone tell me the name of GEML'S book about a midwife.

[Liz Tudor]

Can anyone tell me the name of GEML'S book about a midwife.

Here you go : http://www.amazon.com/Midwifes-Tale-Gretchen-Moran-Laskas/dp/0385335547

[lookeyloo]

http://www.amazon.com/Midwifes-Tale-Gretchen-Moran-Laskas/dp/0385335547

Liz Tudor my connection must be slow because I didn't see your post until mine posted!!

[Satchels of gold]

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/webfm_send/135Just food for thought, Afghan women in the 1970's

[emma675]

Well, it was a long weekend with the lump in my neck and I didn't get in early to see my doctor, so I've got to wait 24 more hours. This stupid thing is pressing on my trachea something fierce and causing an ache that goes up to behind my ears now. I'm hoping my doc can just jam a needle into it tomorrow and drain it or give me a pill that makes it go away quickly. Hopefully it's just a weird cyst or maybe a random lymph node that popped up. Fingers crossed!

 

I've never heard of Razing Ruth before. Was this some kind of website?

[barbedwire]

Jellybeans - so sorry to hear that about your roommate.  So young!

 

Hi everyone.  I too am in the crappy relatives department: my bro and SIL made good on their "promise" that no one could swim in their pool this summer.  For 10 years we have been invited over for exactly one single day to swim.  My kids have no friends with pools, so they so looked forward to it.  We brought our own towels and I split the food 50/50 with other SIL, but no more.  They are too tired.  Their kids can invite their friends over but we cannot have our one day.  So they live about 40 miles away and I have seen them once so far this year.  Not holding my breath since last year I was the one doing all the inviting except for the one swim day.

 

Razing Ruth - I remember her!  I can sooooooooooooo close to donating something.  But thank God something always came up and I could not give.   God bless that lady who exposed her and wrote all about it.

 

So to read the other crappy relative stories, especially HFC.

[Liz Tudor]

At the risk of sounding like a total crank, did anyone else have the font change on the PTV boards? Or have I unknowingly changed a setting? Between this morning & this afternoon, it got smaller (looks like Arial or similar). I don't like it...

[Almost 3000]

At the risk of sounding like a total crank, did anyone else have the font change on the PTV boards? Or have I unknowingly changed a setting? Between this morning & this afternoon, it got smaller (looks like Arial or similar). I don't like it...

No, but I have my zoom set on 150% and have it sometimes change as I move my mouse around so have to re-set it.

[kokapetl]

Can anyone tell me the name of GEML'S book about a midwife.

The Midwife's Tale by GEML

[Ilovemylabs]

HFC - here's hoping that the funding for this little trip is going to run out sooner rather than later and they'll be told to pick up sticks and come back.  This SIL of yours has his life on a permanent vacation, no responsibilities, living on hand outs and his wife.  I fucking hate men like that, have known more than one.  Useless idiots.  I don't know why that group was meeting at the house, technically it's really not their house is it?  Didn't you say a while back that it's his parents that bought it or your side of the family?  I forget which.

 

It's been a sucky week or so around these here parts - I had to take our sick and elderly female cat

Squirrel for the final vet ride, if you know what I mean.  That and helping out with the ninety odd year old grandma, and listening to my mother daily vent about that stuff has sucked some of the life out of me.  These older children of my grandma should have had a plan for her long ago, and now they are faced with the 'what to do with mom' and are scrambling.  Not to say grandma isn't capable of taking care of herself, but she needs more help now and really should have been in assisted living years ago.  Not my decision though - as I told my one uncle a couple of weeks ago (in a rather nasty tone) I'm here to offer help and advice, but final decisions are not in my play book.  That's on them, and they have to live with it.

 

Families just suck sometimes.  

I was so darn lucky.  When it became evident that my dad could no longer live alone he came to live with my husband and me in New Jersey.  My sister in Tucson would take him for one month in the winter to get him some sun and me a break.  My sister in Chicago would take him for one month in the summer.  If we needed to go someplace for a long weekend, my brother and his wife, who lived nearby, would have him over.  We all pulled together.  He was not always easy to live with and they thought I was great for taking him, but truth be told Dad and I got along better than when I was a know it all teenager.  And I could not have done it without their help and the help of all of our spouses.  As I said, I was really lucky.

[JenCarroll]

At the risk of sounding like a total crank, did anyone else have the font change on the PTV boards? Or have I unknowingly changed a setting? Between this morning & this afternoon, it got smaller (looks like Arial or similar). I don't like it...

No, but that has happened to me before. I'll look through a couple of things and see if I can reconstruct what happened. And at the risk of pointing out the obvious, did you try closing and re-opening your browser, or restarting the computer? It might clear whatever went wrong out of your browser cache or system memory. :-)

[Liz Tudor]

No, but that has happened to me before. I'll look through a couple of things and see if I can reconstruct what happened. And at the risk of pointing out the obvious, did you try closing and re-opening your browser, or restarting the computer? It might clear whatever went wrong out of your browser cache or system memory. :-)

Thanks, it's my iPad, which I use all the time (getting ready to prep a recipe on it now). I will try a restart later today to see what that does. Thanks again!

[CherryMalotte]

Razing Ruth was a scammer who wrote in great mopey detail about her trials and tribulation in leaving fundamentalism. Turned out to all be BS, if I recall. I think that Absolom was perhaps thinking that some of the hard luck stories in this thread may or may not be in a similar vein.

 

Ahhh thank you Gwelio, now I 'get' it.  And understand.  I'm a member of a group (fans of a particular television show now cancelled) and after a couple of years found that someone's personal life on there was a little too much, if ya'll know what I mean.  I think this slowly dawned over other people in the group as well and there was a lot of talk amongst ourselves.  She's never asked for money thank heavens, but the various illnesses and disabilities that she and her family have had?  Nope, don't think so, and I say that not as a nurse or a doctor mind you, but common sense does prevail at times.  I find it's better to tell the truth about myself, it's so much harder to keep lies in a row.  

[Ilovemylabs]

Razing Ruth was a scammer who wrote in great mopey detail about her trials and tribulation in leaving fundamentalism. Turned out to all be BS, if I recall. I think that Absolom was perhaps thinking that some of the hard luck stories in this thread may or may not be in a similar vein.

Oh I hope this is not true!

[Tabbygirl521]

Oh I hope this is not true!

I think it is wise to be cautious when evaluating stories shared online, especially if someone appears to be hinting that they need money. But I will just say that if I shared the past 5 years or so that my family has endured, you might conclude that I was exaggerating. So - I hope we can somehow temper caution with open hearts. Some people don't have support systems in real life and just need to vent.

Edited September 21, 2015 by Tabbygirl521

[JenCarroll]

How odd. The ads have started showing me things I might conceivably, at some point in this lifetime, be interested in. For so long it's been bizarre things like men's shapewear (wtf, really?) Today I'm getting nice leather bags from Macy's (which I would totally purpose to buy if I hadn't already spent my monthly allocation for Things I Don't Need) and a deck designing service (which, okay, I do actually own a home with a deck, so we're in the ballpark).

Damn, they've figured me out!