Erin and Chad: Fifty Shades of Pink

[Salacious Kitty]

It is really sad to see those kids losing any vestiges of their childhood. Especially CHARLES. Yes, you twits, honor his request and call him by his chosen name. 

[Heathen]

1 hour ago, RebeccatheWriter said:

If Jane wants additional help, Michaela and Brandon might be the better choice for them. 

And it would not be their responsibility or obligation unless they wanted to. Gil and Kelly should step up -- it's not like either of them works, homeschools their children, cleans their house, or does anything else. 

I was the grandchild who took care of my grandmother in her final years, even though she had living children and grandchildren, including some she raised who lived within five miles of her. They never had time for her when she was alive, but they were sure happy to take her handouts and con her out of her home after her dementia diagnosis (in the form of a quit claim deed that I didn't know about until six months after she was gone). It is not Michael(a)'s or Erin's responsibility to take care of Bill and Jane. 

[Salacious Kitty]

Gil and Kelly still have 4, maybe 5 kids still at home that they should be responsible for. Of course, the youngest 3 girls are shuttled around to Erin, Alyssa, and Tiffy. As noted, any semblance of education has stopped, save Addee starting at Clown this semester, and maybe Isaiah continuing with some sort of ministry degree? 

Are they self-sufficient enough to be left alone while their shiftless parents minister to Bill and Jane? Is Gil's ego willing to take the hit of having to give up the pulpit? I really doubt it. Isaiah isn't ready to take over. 

Brandon works from home, so he's portable. Michael has basic nursing skills, but no training with dementia. But she could still help Jane. They're a better fit than G/KJ. If Gil really doesn't have land to build on, there's no place for the Paines to settle unless Jane deeds them average as she did her other two children. It just doesn't seem feasible for them, at least for several years, and who knows how long Bill will live? 

So many unanswered questions. But let's face it, Jane can't handle Bill alone for too much longer as she ages, even in seemingly good health. 

And where's Zach with that ramp? Bill will eventually need it. 

[Lisa418722]

I remember in the beginning it seemed like Chad was a good guy, but a good guy would get a job and (gasp) a mortgage if it would help his family have a house. Instead, it seems they have other people that will catch them before they fall.  

I do not agree with them even moving in with Jane and Bill.  Six kids would not be good for Jane's mental health considering how overwhelmed she gets when too many of the grandkids show up (which is 100% understandable), and IMO it would be detrimental to Bill and his dementia.  

Not to sound like a three-year, but it wouldn't be fair to the other grandchildren if Bill and Jane deeded Erin and Chad some land to build a house on.  

Who knows, maybe they will head to Oklahoma (is that where Chad's family is from?) and find someone else to let them rent a house again.  

[AstridM]

23 hours ago, Heathen said:

The outside would be a familiar environment, to an extent. Their actual home would not. Their bedroom, the bathroom, the living room, the kitchen would all be confusing and upsetting for Bill. This isn't about a simple downsize. My grandmother had dementia, and she'd get upset when anything was changed in her house. 

It isn't Bill and Jane's job, or anyone else's, to give up their home for a couple of fertility-cult morons who won't support the kids they already have and will continue to have. It also isn't their job to give Chad and Erin a job, for money or free rent or anything else. 

Chad and Erin need to grow TF up. 

Exactly. Most families in their position have both parents working full time, because that’s what it takes, period. 

23 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Maybe if Chad allowed Erin to make more content on YouTube, money wouldn't be so tight. But OTOH, they're so dull. Cooking videos can only get you so far, as evidenced by Zach's foray into that space. 

I don’t think exploiting their kids is a good plan, either. They can get jobs like everyone else. 

[Salacious Kitty]

45 minutes ago, AstridM said:

I don’t think exploiting their kids is a good plan, either. They can get jobs like everyone else. 

That's why I specifically mentioned Cooking videos. A kid or two made cameo appearances on hers to taste or stir something. They were never the focus. 

Edited September 1 by Salacious Kitty

[AstridM]

6 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

That's why I specifically mentioned Cooking videos. A kid or two made cameo appearances on hers to taste or stir something. They were never the focus. 

Then maybe that’s an option. 

[Salacious Kitty]

Just now, AstridM said:

Then maybe that’s an option. 

They're pretty dull, but it's something.

[farmgal4]

On 8/30/2024 at 11:50 PM, andromeda331 said:

Seriously, what does God have to do to convince Chad to get a real job? They want what her siblings have? Then get a damn job. They can't keep a house. Relying on sweet friends isn't working. Get a job. 

I used to like Chad but I’ve lost all respect for him now.

[ranchgirl]

Hopefully Erin and Chad aren't even considering Papa Bill's and Mama Jane's place.  It wouldn't hurt if they wanted to live more local to them and check in on them more often.  Maybe Chad could get that ramp built that Zach took measurements for last Spring.  

Charles does seem like he carries all the weight of the world on his shoulders and Brooklyn never looks happy, like she never gets attention or noticed by her mom.  Now that seems to have shifted to Everly too.  The favored ones seem to be Holland and Fin for the girls and both of the boys.  

 

[Gweilo]

I really really hope I'm proven wrong, but I could see them living in an RV or bus, and claiming it's 'God's Will' to be on the road permanently. They would renovate  the interior to be Instagram-worthy and pretend to all and sundry that they chose this lifestyle. They already did it for a smaller vehicle, if I'm not mistaken.

Ugh. They really don't make clever choices and a couple with good construction and musical/teaching skills should be able to live very comfortably!

[65mickey]

Gil said on an early season when they all went to the farm for Thanksgiving that he has several acres of land on the farm. 

[65mickey]

Can someone please explain to me the reason why these people refuse to consider working for a business or a company that they do not own? What is the connection between this and the bible?  Are they so insecure in their beliefs that they are afraid that the outside world will corrupt them?  

[GeeGolly]

4 hours ago, 65mickey said:

Can someone please explain to me the reason why these people refuse to consider working for a business or a company that they do not own? What is the connection between this and the bible?  Are they so insecure in their beliefs that they are afraid that the outside world will corrupt them?  

Yes, and also the bullshit of a man not working for a woman. All Chad would need to do is get a steady job for a year and he would qualify for a mortgage.

He was shocked when he was previously turned down for a mortgage. I don't know why he was shocked - his income was unpredictable and had been for years. Banks don't like what are called "gig" employment, including freelancers and independent contractors.

[AstridM]

59 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

Yes, and also the bullshit of a man not working for a woman. All Chad would need to do is get a steady job for a year and he would qualify for a mortgage.

He was shocked when he was previously turned down for a mortgage. I don't know why he was shocked - his income was unpredictable and had been for years. Banks don't like what are called "gig" employment, including freelancers and independent contractors.

Then banks should feel the same about “influencers” one would think? They are also nothing but independent contractors.

[GeeGolly]

1 hour ago, AstridM said:

Then banks should feel the same about “influencers” one would think? They are also nothing but independent contractors.

I'm sure they do.

[Salacious Kitty]

How on earth did the Stewarts ever qualify? Evan had been working, but it was part of his education, and he quit before they moved. 

[GeeGolly]

4 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

How on earth did the Stewarts ever qualify? Evan had been working, but it was part of his education, and he quit before they moved. 

I'm sure they already secured the mortgage prior to him quitting, so the bank saw three years of apprenticeship and a new steady job. They didn't know he went on FMLA from day 1 and quit a few months later. 

When my friend and her husband were moving from one end of the state to the other, her husband secured a new job with a month out start date and since she was pregnant she didn't quit her job until after they had found a house and secured a mortgage. She then started a new job 3 months after the baby was born because she's the primary bread winner.

[cereality]

7 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

How on earth did the Stewarts ever qualify? Evan had been working, but it was part of his education, and he quit before they moved. 

That's how he qualified. He was an IBEW apprentice and the last 2-3 years of electrician training is mostly just working - with only a classroom hours left. Per Google IBEW apprentices on average make ~$21/hr in Tennessee - so 40 hrs/wk that's 43k per year. And while I live in a different region of the country, from what I've heard from a few guys who went through the IBEW program, you NEVER work just 40 hrs/wk. There's always overtime even as an apprentice. Not to suggest Evan is hardworking or anything but back then he WAS leaving the house at 6 am (when Carlin would wake up to cry) and coming home at 6 pm. So yeah he probably was making in the upper 40s/close to 50. That's enough to qualify for a mortgage in Tenn. esp when credit conditions weren't as tight as they are now + the bank was looking at a union member - i.e. this person is going to make a steady 80-100k for life. They didn't know he was going to ditch it all the moment he graduated so he could exploit his kids on YT and golf.

Carlin/Evan should think hard about the - oh this is just our starter home - BS bc I don't think they'll realize it'll be much much harder to qualify for a mortgage this time around. Evan does gig work. Carlin is a small biz owner and banks are super cautious with legit real businesses like owning a small plumbing company, let alone retail businesses.

He hadn't quit when they closed on the house, nor when they moved; he was technically still a union employed electrician when they moved - he was just on FMLA. And the close was 1-2 weeks prior to the move bc of Carlin's health issues having them stuck in Nashville so at closing for all the bank knew - he was a union employed electrician.

[Salacious Kitty]

Thanks for the timeline. I didn't consider Evan employed when he went on FMLA since he hadn't started working independently of school yet, but I suppose they had something left bed up for him to maintain employment and receive the benefits. 

Edited September 2 by Salacious Kitty

[andromeda331]

11 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

Yes, and also the bullshit of a man not working for a woman. All Chad would need to do is get a steady job for a year and he would qualify for a mortgage.

He was shocked when he was previously turned down for a mortgage. I don't know why he was shocked - his income was unpredictable and had been for years. Banks don't like what are called "gig" employment, including freelancers and independent contractors.

Unlicensed independent contractors. 

[Notabug]

20 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

I'm sure they already secured the mortgage prior to him quitting, so the bank saw three years of apprenticeship and a new steady job. They didn't know he went on FMLA from day 1 and quit a few months later. 

When my friend and her husband were moving from one end of the state to the other, her husband secured a new job with a month out start date and since she was pregnant she didn't quit her job until after they had found a house and secured a mortgage. She then started a new job 3 months after the baby was born because she's the primary bread winner.

Evan's parents also seem to be pretty financially secure and I wouldn't be surprised if they gifted him with a substantial down payment or even co-signed the loan for their first home.

[BitterApple]

1 hour ago, Notabug said:

Evan's parents also seem to be pretty financially secure and I wouldn't be surprised if they gifted him with a substantial down payment or even co-signed the loan for their first home.

Tiffany's parents did that for her and Lawson. Unfortunately, they put his name on the house, which was a dumb move. 

 

[Jeanne222]

I was surprised at how much Katie is looking like Erin in the last house hunt YouTube video Katie and … posted!

Those two must have also shook the money tree. Two houses, a Tesla and a brand new suv for Katie!

Brand new furniture for the apartment. 
 

Where in heaven’s name is all this $$$ coming from for the Bates daughters!

[cereality]

46 minutes ago, Jeanne222 said:

I was surprised at how much Katie is looking like Erin in the last house hunt YouTube video Katie and … posted!

Those two must have also shook the money tree. Two houses, a Tesla and a brand new suv for Katie!

Brand new furniture for the apartment. 
 

Where in heaven’s name is all this $$$ coming from for the Bates daughters!

Katie married money so it's different for her. As much as K&T claim that he doesn't have parental financial help, he most certainly does just based on how they live. Do they really expect us to believe that her IG + his occasional singing pays for a house in NJ, a house in Tenn, a Tesla, a new SUV, brand new furniture, and like 3-4 vacations per year? Come on. Fairly certain he is "on staff" at dad/grandpa's school. You know some made up position like board member or curriculum director or music curriculum director or some such thing where he does nothing or maybe does 1-2 zoom meetings per year - and his parents use that to pay him a handsome 200-250k + benefits each year.

I mean he married at 20 years old and owned his own house which he gut renovated with the highest end fixtures you could find and at the time drove a luxury car. Yeah mom and dad paid for all of it, and with the NJ house it came out - I think it was a cash purchase or something. It was also interesting that when Katie was pregnant in NJ, she wasn't just going to whatever private practice could handle her pregnancy on the cheap. I recall her going to ivy league health system UPenn for specialists etc. - so yeah the Clarks are making sure K&T and their kids have $$$ health insurance.

Edited September 4 by cereality

[BitterApple]

44 minutes ago, Jeanne222 said:

I was surprised at how much Katie is looking like Erin in the last house hunt YouTube video Katie and … posted!

Those two must have also shook the money tree. Two houses, a Tesla and a brand new suv for Katie!

Brand new furniture for the apartment. 
 

Where in heaven’s name is all this $$$ coming from for the Bates daughters!

Travis' dad bought him the New Jersey house. They have no mortgage, no student loans, and I'm assuming the family cabal covers their health insurance. It's amazing the fun toys you can buy when you have no bills! 

[Jeanne222]

Yes I guess family money plays into Katie’s boatload of all the finer things but Carlins husband didn’t come from money and Whitney and Zack have lots of $$$ too. 
 

It’s puzzling how it all works out!

Regarding Travis don’t you have to be present at sometime to hold a job in daddy’s business… church?

[AstridM]

4 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

I was surprised at how much Katie is looking like Erin in the last house hunt YouTube video Katie and … posted!

Those two must have also shook the money tree. Two houses, a Tesla and a brand new suv for Katie!

Brand new furniture for the apartment. 
 

Where in heaven’s name is all this $$$ coming from for the Bates daughters!

Travis’s family, probably.

[cereality]

3 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

Yes I guess family money plays into Katie’s boatload of all the finer things but Carlins husband didn’t come from money and Whitney and Zack have lots of $$$ too. 
 

It’s puzzling how it all works out!

Regarding Travis don’t you have to be present at sometime to hold a job in daddy’s business… church?

When you're the boss' son/grandson - and dad and/or grandpa are fine with this arrangement - who is going to make you come in?

[Jeanne222]

9 hours ago, cereality said:

When you're the boss' son/grandson - and dad and/or grandpa are fine with this arrangement - who is going to make you come in?

IRS!

[Me from ME]

If you are a paid member on the Board of Directors you can fulfill the meeting requirements during a family visit. Source: former sister-in-law and bother-in-law created a series of halfway houses in a State that was far away. They named a family member to the Board and wrote off all travel expenses when they came to visit. Not only that, the things they purchased while here were also business expenses.

[ozziemom]

I’m wondering if the Clark family is letting Travis try the Nashville music business but when it doesn’t exactly pan out, T&K will be called back to NJ. I don’t see them continuing to pay for them to live in Tennessee just so Katie can hang out with Carlin. But maybe Travis is the spoiled, indulged baby of the Clark family. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️. I can’t imagine they would be happy with Katie homeschooling their grandkids.

[Jeanne222]

What I love the most is when Travis goes into Nashville for a meeting and plays big country music star!  😂

[Salacious Kitty]

3 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

What I love the most is when Travis goes into Nashville for a meeting and plays big country music star!  😂

Isn't he a GOSPEL country star? 🤪

[Meow Mix]

Here's what really annoys me about Chad and Erin.  They both actually have skills that should have allowed them to take care of themselves financially.  They aren't Jill and Dave Rodrigues who have nothing going for them and in the case of Dave are lazy besides. 

Erin's degree from Crown could get her a job either teaching music in a Christian school or even being the music director at a church.  It wouldn't bring in huge money, but it would bring in something.  And if she connected with a school, her kids could possibly go there for reduced or free tuition.  

Chad actually has carpentry skills and should be raking in the cash.  He could have gone into custom furniture building and restoration and made a fortune.  When they were in Tennessee, they were close enough for him to ply that trade in Asheville, NC where that kind of thing is in high demand.  He could also have gotten his contractor's license and would have plenty of work. A former neighbor of mine has a contractor's license and he had more work than he could handle even during the pandemic.  I don't understand what is so evil about getting properly licensed and insured that Chad won't do it.  He's not lazy, he's just so deluded with cult thinking that he is wasting the potential that God gave him.  He's sitting there waiting for God to drop everything he wants out of the sky while God is saying, I gave you the tools, go use them.

[Heathen]

22 minutes ago, Meow Mix said:

Here's what really annoys me about Chad and Erin.  They both actually have skills that should have allowed them to take care of themselves financially.  They aren't Jill and Dave Rodrigues who have nothing going for them and in the case of Dave are lazy besides. 

Erin's degree from Crown could get her a job either teaching music in a Christian school or even being the music director at a church.  It wouldn't bring in huge money, but it would bring in something.  And if she connected with a school, her kids could possibly go there for reduced or free tuition.  

Chad actually has carpentry skills and should be raking in the cash.  He could have gone into custom furniture building and restoration and made a fortune.  When they were in Tennessee, they were close enough for him to ply that trade in Asheville, NC where that kind of thing is in high demand.  He could also have gotten his contractor's license and would have plenty of work. A former neighbor of mine has a contractor's license and he had more work than he could handle even during the pandemic.  I don't understand what is so evil about getting properly licensed and insured that Chad won't do it.  He's not lazy, he's just so deluded with cult thinking that he is wasting the potential that God gave him.  He's sitting there waiting for God to drop everything he wants out of the sky while God is saying, I gave you the tools, go use them.

I wonder if Chad's issue is that he doesn't want to do carpentry or contracting work at all. Maybe he wants to do something else entirely, feels stuck, and passive-aggressively retaliates by refusing to get a license and an actual career. Just a thought. 

Maybe he's just an idiot. 

[Notabug]

3 minutes ago, Heathen said:

I wonder if Chad's issue is that he doesn't want to do carpentry or contracting work at all. Maybe he wants to do something else entirely, feels stuck, and passive-aggressively retaliates by refusing to get a license and an actual career. Just a thought. 

Maybe he's just an idiot. 

IMO, Chad is a grown man with responsibility for his young children and, if his lack of ambition regarding a career is some kind of passive-aggressive tantrum, he needs to get over himself and take care of his kids.

[cereality]

IDK ever since Chad came along on the TV show, he struck me as the patriarchal - men have to work with their hands - type. He didn't strike me as someone who wanted to be a dr. like his dad (grandfather?) who was denied. Nor someone like Josiah Duggar who used to say he wanted to be accountant but a real college was a no no, so now he's stuck in trade work.  And frankly at 37 with 6 kids, it doesn't matter what YOU want. You need to provide for all the kids you HAD TO have and no housing isn't merely a "distraction."

I've been saying the furniture making thing for years. I feel like he WAS making furniture at one point in Tenn - early in their marriage. I recall a server/China cabinet that was very professional looking and no sooner did he finish it, Erin demanded one for herself. But NC furniture country is a very real thing and independent builders get linked up with the furniture companies and showrooms down there where pieces are sold for thousands or sometimes even tens of thousands of dollars. It doesn't just supply the southeast but a nationwide market of folks looking for real wood, American made furniture that'll last forever. I got introduced to furniture country when I lived in central Virginia and there were always NYC designers down there looking for custom made pieces with the exact specs that they're multi millionaire NYC clients desired.

I always assumed Chad didn't pursue this bc - in addition to at that time in his marriage being bogged down by having to make the same stuff for Erin + whatever G&K wanted from home improvement to hair cuts for their kids - it meant dealing with women. I mean most of the buyers and designers that you have to get in with who agree to buy your furniture on a repeated basis are going to be women - who know that certain pieces sell, what consumers look for, what interior decorators look for, what custom pieces are being requested. Chad and Erin likely both decided he ain't gonna deal with women-folk - they'd rather just consider housing a "distraction."

But let's be real it's just laziness. The furniture making skills translate to lots of other things also big in that region - cabinets, flooring. Building kitchen cabinets that'll be sold to some supplier to sells to Home Depot is a problem why exactly!?

[AstridM]

Isn’t his dad a doctor? Don’t doctors often have to deal with women also? Why was it suddenly such an issue for Chad? And don’t they have some kind of female “nanny?” I mean, child slave.

Edited September 9 by AstridM

[Heathen]

46 minutes ago, AstridM said:

Isn’t his dad a doctor? Don’t doctors often have to deal with women also? Why was it suddenly such an issue for Chad? And don’t they have some kind of female “nanny?” I mean, child slave.

Same reason it was okay for Jim Bob (private) and Michelle (public) to go to actual schools, but it's not okay for their children. Same reason it was okay for Gil and Kelly Bates to go to an actual college, but it's not okay for their children. And same reason it was okay for all of them to actually date, but they forced their children (at least publicly) into "courtships."

Hypocrisy and control are the name of the game. 

[ranchgirl]

At one point, I thought Chad and Erin were going to flip homes. They would buy "fixer uppers" and Chad would do all the work on the home and Erin would pick out all the fixtures and paint colors etc.  That would have been a great venture for them to get into.  I think they did a home or two (they didn't own the homes, someone else did) but after that, it never went anywhere.  They would have had to buy a home to start with and maybe they were against that.  

 

Edited September 9 by ranchgirl

[AstridM]

33 minutes ago, ranchgirl said:

At one point, I thought Chad and Erin were going to flip homes. They would buy "fixer uppers" and Chad would do all the work on the home and Erin would pick out all the fixtures and paint colors etc.  That would have been a great venture for them to get into.  I think they did a home or two (they didn't own the homes, someone else did) but after that, it never went anywhere.  They would have had to buy a home to start with and maybe they were against that.  

 

How could they afford to buy the home before they flipped it? Maybe I’m misunderstanding.

[RebeccatheWriter]

3 hours ago, ranchgirl said:

At one point, I thought Chad and Erin were going to flip homes. They would buy "fixer uppers" and Chad would do all the work on the home and Erin would pick out all the fixtures and paint colors etc.  That would have been a great venture for them to get into.  I think they did a home or two (they didn't own the homes, someone else did) but after that, it never went anywhere.  They would have had to buy a home to start with and maybe they were against that.  

 

House flipping only really works when the economy allows for it. At the time they tried to make it something of a storyline on the show, houses were underpriced and could be sold for profit for little or lots of renovation. In the current housing market you can't make money on it. That $100,000 junk house you are going to fix up for $50,000 and sell for $200,000 now costs $300,000 as is. The supplies are easier than a few years ago to obtain but still not always available. So that repair is costing $150,000 instead. Now you have $450,000 in a house that will sell for $425,000. 

It's not sustainable these days except for those who have the cash to buy at auction and the liquidity to float it while they get supplies in for it. Most who are involved in flipping successfully now are limited to those who have multiple licenses (construction, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc.). Chad was never going to go that route. It was more of a storyline. 

If the brothers-in-law came together on a business they could kill it. You could have John with HVAC, Evan doing electical, Kelton doing the plumbing, and even Zach doing the real estate. Chad would have to pull his weight but it could work. But they would have to get along and I doubt most would be interested now.   

Edited September 9 by RebeccatheWriter

[RebeccatheWriter]

On 9/8/2024 at 10:26 AM, Meow Mix said:

Erin's degree from Crown could get her a job either teaching music in a Christian school or even being the music director at a church.  It wouldn't bring in huge money, but it would bring in something.  And if she connected with a school, her kids could possibly go there for reduced or free tuition.  

 

Erin's unaccredited degree is in music ministry. She is not qualified to earn or receive a teaching license for public or private schools - even in Florida that has relaxed the rules. But on a practical level she has six kids. What she made from teaching would just be enough to cover childcare. Private schools are relying on federal funds to survive. As it stands now (Project 2025 could change that), a school has to have a ratio of accredited teachers to students that makes it nearly impossible to hire non-licensed teachers.

While she might play the piano for a church or work with the choir, the churches she and Chad tend to attend are big on women in leadership roles.  

[Salacious Kitty]

Saw this and immediately thought of Chad and Erin. Especially #2. 

 

[Heathen]

5 hours ago, RebeccatheWriter said:

While she might play the piano for a church or work with the choir, the churches she and Chad tend to attend are big on women in leadership roles.  

Do you mean not big on women in leadership roles? If not, I'm confused. 

I really don't think it would matter if Erin's degree were from an accredited school. I think she's in love with the idea of an old-fashioned Christian family, in which Pa heads out to work (as if); Ma stays home, wears prairie dresses, makes bread from scratch, and homeschools the young'uns; and gawd provides. The reality is that the old-fashioned Christian family really never existed at all, but that doesn't stop Erin's vision. 

[RebeccatheWriter]

2 minutes ago, Heathen said:

Do you mean not big on women in leadership roles? If not, I'm confused. 

I really don't think it would matter if Erin's degree were from an accredited school. I think she's in love with the idea of an old-fashioned Christian family, in which Pa heads out to work (as if); Ma stays home, wears prairie dresses, makes bread from scratch, and homeschools the young'uns; and gawd provides. The reality is that the old-fashioned Christian family really never existed at all, but that doesn't stop Erin's vision. 

Yes, sorry I was in a meeting and pretending to be engaged.

[babyhouseman]

24 minutes ago, Heathen said:

l. I think she's in love with the idea of an old-fashioned Christian family, in which Pa heads out to work (as if); Ma stays home, wears prairie dresses

My parents grew up on farms. It's hard work and not cutesy at all.

[Heathen]

1 minute ago, babyhouseman said:

My parents grew up on farms. It's hard work and not cutesy at all.

No, and it never was! 

[ranchgirl]

On 9/9/2024 at 10:15 AM, AstridM said:

How could they afford to buy the home before they flipped it? Maybe I’m misunderstanding.

It was someone else's home to flip but they hired Chad to do the work and hired Erin to do some design and decorating.  It was early on in their marriage.  They showed it on the show.  I thought they were going to start making themselves available to these services or do their own flipping.  But it was never mentioned again.  

And yes, with today's home prices, flipping is pretty much impossible.