Sweet Fellowship: Duggars and Friends (aka the Bates Family and Other Featured Families Thread)

[Trillium]

42 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

I didn't do a deep dive, but maybe the Rod's electric bill was high "last month" is because its actually 2 or 3 months.

I’m betting it is multiple months. In Ohio and other colder states there’s a moratorium on utility shut off, which looks like it ends 4/15.  
 

I hope their adult sons and son-in-laws are prepared to bail out Meme and papa Rod if they don’t get enough donations. 

[crazy8s]

36 minutes ago, Jeeves said:

Edited to add: The RV has famously broken down once or twice in the last year or so. They may want to have the van along as backup. And who knows if David has decided that towing a car would put too much strain on the old RV? As I said, just speculating.

Agree the RV maybe can't tow the car now. Dave preaching somewhere recently mentioned they let Samuel drive the car behind them on the way there.

Edited March 21 by crazy8s

[kaleidoscope]

I wonder if the new shed is for Samuel to start a lawn care  business since he is graduating?

[laurakaye]

56 minutes ago, Jeeves said:

Edited to add: The RV has famously broken down once or twice in the last year or so. They may want to have the van along as backup. And who knows if David has decided that towing a car would put too much strain on the old RV? As I said, just speculating.

Pretty soon, on a highway somewhere between Ohio and Florida, you might just witness the Rodriguez family caravan with a rust-bucket RV in the lead (1), followed by a van sputtering smoke out of its exhaust pipe (2), followed by a muffler-less car (3), followed by another random car circa 1998 (4), and then finally at caboose, someone riding Jill's electric bike (sans helmet) just in case vehicles 1 - 4 break down at the side of the road.

Edited March 21 by laurakaye

[merylinkid]

Who paid for the shed?   Those things are not cheap.   

David will never open the print shop up to for profit work -- because its work.   It woudl cut into his map watching time.   the happied moment of his life is when Jill told him he had a calling for full time ministry and he could quit his paying job.  

[crazy8s]

This is a bit amusing. In 2016 Jill posted almost the exact same thing about them getting a shed to move the lawn equipment out of the print shop. Difference is first shed was built by handy hubby dave and the boys. From scratch and not from a kit. (totally was a kit)

I have a new tablet and can't figure out screenshots. But on jill's fb a seach for printing brings it up from 10/14/16.

[ginger90]

47 minutes ago, crazy8s said:

In 2016 Jill posted almost the exact same thing about them getting a shed to move the lawn equipment out of the print shop.

 

 

.The next year it looked like this:

[ozziemom]

8 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

 

 

.The next year it looked like this:

Is this at the Barndo or their previous house in WV? And of course Jill decorated the shed, it’s her special skill. 

[Triple P]

5 minutes ago, ozziemom said:

Is this at the Barndo or their previous house in WV? And of course Jill decorated the shed, it’s her special skill. 

WV house. They moved to Ohio in 2020.

Edit: looked it up, they closed on the barndo on 12/31/19.

Edited March 21 by Triple P

[beckie]

I'm gonna miss talking about the Rods with you all. I know there are fb groups, but this is better. 

[Lady Edith]

Ok so I did some research. “At cost” (if I read the info correctly) apparently can include the cost of labor.  It’s the actual cost of producing an item.  If DBD includes his labor costs in the tract pricing, he is making money. Like nearly everything they do, this is probably a scam. They have no employees (kids = free labor) and they probably qualify for Medicaid due to family size and income, so no benefits need to be paid. The only real costs are the barndo, utilities, repairs to the printing presses (DBD fenangled himself into his equipment for free for the most part), ink, solvent, paper and the other materials needed to print his tracts.  And he can factor in the price of materials into what he is allowed to charge the customer.   So not really “overhead”.  If he prints enough materials he could actually be pulling in an income. And, because he is a “ministry” he may not be paying taxes, either. Or if he is, a lot of what he puts into his business may be write-offs. He deals only with non-profits (churches, ministry groups from what I can see), so he doesn’t have to deal with charging sales tax. This is all speculation, but this makes sense to me as to how they survive outside of “love offerings”.  And now that I think on it, their mileage for church visits and anything else they need for “ministry work” appearances COULD be tax-deductible. 

Edited March 21 by Lady Edith
Clarity is important.

[libgirl2]

21 minutes ago, beckie said:

I'm gonna miss talking about the Rods with you all. I know there are fb groups, but this is better. 

Come over to Free Jinger. I have made friends there. I will miss this though.  

[Salacious Kitty]

Well, hopefully we have done enough to save the place. 

[oliviabenson]

How many cemetery gardens does she need? And of course she Jillified the shed 🙄

[oliviabenson]

Jill says:

God is good and support our ministry. Aka send us $… I don’t believe their bill is $1000 either. Maybe she owes them $1000 for a few months back bills.

Edited March 22 by oliviabenson

[xwordfanatik]

2 hours ago, beckie said:

I'm gonna miss talking about the Rods with you all. I know there are fb groups, but this is better. 

Is this forum going somewhere?  I hope not.

[badhaggis]

1 hour ago, xwordfanatik said:

Is this forum going somewhere?  I hope not.

We aren't sure. We don't know what to do to get a green light 

🤷

 

[ginger90]

8 hours ago, badhaggis said:

We aren't sure. We don't know what to do to get a green light 

🤷

 

Or yellow, apparently. So, are we not “improving”? How do we know?

Edited March 22 by ginger90

[crazy8s]

I am wondering if the barndo will be getting a wood burning stove before next winter. In the shed delivery video there was a huge stack of wood against the barndo wall. Not a wood pile with wood for the fire pit in the yard. This was a massive amount of chopped wood.

Thinking about the 1,000 electric bill and that might actually be realistic. They heat the barndo and print shop with 2 of those industrial ceiling units, some baseboard heat in the kid's rooms has been shown. Plus all those electric fireplace/space heaters. the map, all the lights, all those silly candles and tchotchkes that jill has plugged in, fridge and freezer, 2 washers and dryers, the print shop equiptment....So maybe

i would say that would have been the Jan bill when they were home and getting the big print order ready to take to florida. For the last month they were away most of the month.

Edited March 22 by crazy8s

[Jeeves]

I remember when they bought the barndo, I looked at the listing photos. At that time the area that was finished as living quarters, IIRC consisted of the kitchen and living/dining room area, plus one bedroom and a bathroom. Then there was a large finished area which looked like it could have been an office area and also big enough to park a car or two in as a showroom. (I have a vague memory that the prior owners did some kind of car restoration business there.) Then attached to the "showroom/office" was the large barn or garage type commercial building area. IIRC the roof on that part was a lot higher than on the other areas of the building.

It's possible that the office/showroom area may have been as well insulated as the finished living quarters, but if it wasn't? I doubt that the Rods added any insulation when they turned it into living space. Didn't they carve out the boys' and girls' bedrooms and a bathroom from that space? And as to the big barn or garage-like part of the structure, I'd be surprised if it was very well insulated to start with. I don't have a clear idea how much of that big space they turned into living quarters. If they're heating and cooling that much space without good insulation it's no wonder their utility bills are high. And as has been suggested, it's possible that big bill covers more than just one month. 

[AstridM]

1 hour ago, crazy8s said:

I am wondering if the barndo will be getting a wood burning stove before next winter. In the shed delivery video there was a huge stack of wood against the barndo wall. Not a wood pile with wood for the fire pit in the yard. This was a massive amount of chopped wood.

Thinking about the 1,000 electric bill and that might actually be realistic. They heat the barndo and print shop with 2 of those industrial ceiling units, some baseboard heat in the kid's rooms has been shown. Plus all those electric fireplace/space heaters. the map, all the lights, all those silly candles and tchotchkes that jill has plugged in, fridge and freezer, 2 washers and dryers, the print shop equiptment....So maybe

i would say that would have been the Jan bill when they were home and getting the big print order ready to take to florida. For the last month they were away most of the month.

Not to mention that they seem to be awake at all hours, increasing their electricity usage. They probably have lights on all night long.

[farmgal4]

1 hour ago, crazy8s said:

I am wondering if the barndo will be getting a wood burning stove before next winter. In the shed delivery video there was a huge stack of wood against the barndo wall. Not a wood pile with wood for the fire pit in the yard. This was a massive amount of chopped wood.

Thinking about the 1,000 electric bill and that might actually be realistic. They heat the barndo and print shop with 2 of those industrial ceiling units, some baseboard heat in the kid's rooms has been shown. Plus all those electric fireplace/space heaters. the map, all the lights, all those silly candles and tchotchkes that jill has plugged in, fridge and freezer, 2 washers and dryers, the print shop equiptment....So maybe

i would say that would have been the Jan bill when they were home and getting the big print order ready to take to florida. For the last month they were away most of the month.

They may be planning on selling wood.  When they had that big storm last year there were a lot of trees that were blown down.  The wood may’ve come from those trees.

[MamaMax]

On 3/18/2024 at 8:07 PM, Meow Mix said:

Boy, her latest screed is really something.  I work outside the home because there aren't pennies from heaven raining down.  I need to work if I want to eat and have a roof over my head.  Of course, I'm an evil single woman (no kids and no blue hair) so I'm sure I don't count in Jill's eyes.  And her little dig at pharmaceuticals is rich when she is drinking an entire chemistry set with that pink stuff.  

chemicals carefully scientifically developed and tested by experts and regulated by the FDA = BAD

chemicals shilled by a pyramid scheme Hun = GOOD 

Edited March 22 by MamaMax

[crazy8s]

1 hour ago, farmgal4 said:

They may be planning on selling wood.  When they had that big storm last year there were a lot of trees that were blown down.  The wood may’ve come from those trees.

Their actual property has very few trees. It is more like an open field. The driveway has trees, but it is an easement and i think the trees are on the neighbors property. Jill tried to make it look like they had major damaged from the derecho storm, but even the trees shown where the girl's "treehouse" got destroyed was on the neighbors property or right on the property line. ( it was a pallet or similar on the ground in some bushes and maybe a tree.)

I also thought maybe that maybe Samuel's post home school calling might be selling firewood. If so, I hope he is better with an axe than Jonathan.

I thought woodstove for the barndo since Kaylee posted about hers and saying that's how they heat the house and it being so much cheaper.

[BradandJanet]

Maybe Jill is having Jonathan chop wood for the barndo as well as his own place. It's not like he has anything else to do. /s

I'd hate to see a wood-burning anything among all the flammable clutter Jill has on display in her house. The electric fireplaces are bad enough. 

Edited March 22 by BradandJanet
Added /s in case it wasn't obvious.

[Salacious Kitty]

It's retreat weekend! I can't wait to see the decor! 🤪

[Meow Mix]

How has that barndo not burned down?  There are so many flammable things in there along with candles and electric fireplaces.  If they add a wood stove, that will be yet another source of open flame to catch some of Jill's decor on fire.  And her bathroom is really something.  I'm still trying to figure out why she has a Be Humble sign on her toilet.  That's so Jill.  

So, do we think she will Jillify the new shed?  Those sheds aren't cheap.  Makes me wonder where all this money is coming from. 

[Triple P]

7 hours ago, Jeeves said:

I remember when they bought the barndo, I looked at the listing photos. At that time the area that was finished as living quarters, IIRC consisted of the kitchen and living/dining room area, plus one bedroom and a bathroom. Then there was a large finished area which looked like it could have been an office area and also big enough to park a car or two in as a showroom. (I have a vague memory that the prior owners did some kind of car restoration business there.) Then attached to the "showroom/office" was the large barn or garage type commercial building area. IIRC the roof on that part was a lot higher than on the other areas of the building.

It's possible that the office/showroom area may have been as well insulated as the finished living quarters, but if it wasn't? I doubt that the Rods added any insulation when they turned it into living space. Didn't they carve out the boys' and girls' bedrooms and a bathroom from that space? And as to the big barn or garage-like part of the structure, I'd be surprised if it was very well insulated to start with. I don't have a clear idea how much of that big space they turned into living quarters. If they're heating and cooling that much space without good insulation it's no wonder their utility bills are high. And as has been suggested, it's possible that big bill covers more than just one month. 

The girls' and boys' rooms, the boys' bathroom, and kitchen and dining area were there when the Rods moved in. The room with the checkerboard floor was carved up to become Jill and David's bedroom, bathroom, and possibly the entry hallway. 

[Jeeves]

Interesting. I probably remembered the details wrong. I did check and find that it wasn't originally listed with 1 BR 1 BA, but it was 2 BR 1BA.

It was hard to follow what Jill posted about the changes they made. I know they had to add bathrooms and carve up space for bedrooms, etc. so it's not surprising if they made themselves a new master suite.

Anyway, it wouldn't surprise me if all those improvements to the existing space didn't include upgrading the insulation. I'd like to think the addition of the "upstairs attic" was properly insulated.

Edited March 23 by Jeeves

[merylinkid]

10 hours ago, Jeeves said:

Anyway, it wouldn't surprise me if all those improvements to the existing space didn't include upgrading the insulation.

Oh I'm sure Mr. Construction David put in proper insulation.

All those big open spaces (meaning no doors) with high ceilings are really hard to heat and cool.   Its not a small house, $1000 a month is not out of the question, especially as electric costs rise.   I noticed our kwh has doubled.    But of course Jill will just grift rather than conserve.    She won't unplug all her little candles, lights, etc.  

[Albanyguy]

A wood stove would be a good idea, if it was a good quality stove installed by professionals and in compliance with code regulations. Big, big “if”. 

But I can just see Jill grifting a broken down second-hand stove, deciding that the boys could install it themselves under Dave’s expert supervision and declaring that code enforcement inspections and permits are for people who aren’t already protected by Jesus watching over them.
 

 

[ginger90]

Retreat….

Jill’s mother is there.

[oliviabenson]

I saw a lady with a leg tattoo. I’m sure Jill fainted followed by banning the tattoo lady from further invites lol.

[realityfan26]

I'm shocked there are so many ladies there! I would've thought that everyone was on to her long ago.

[crazy8s]

I didn't see any mystery men sitting at the rod table this year. Just Samuel and Jonathan. Renee and Tessie were at the next table with older attendees.

[Notabug]

I'm sure Jill will use her mother's 'miraculous healing' after the stroke as an example in one of her preaching sessions at the retreat.  The audience will hear how Jill insisted on dragging her kids all around the hospital despite the COVID pandemic being in full swing at the time.  And how it was Jill's love and TLC that made all the difference to Mama's recovery.  And how Jesus loves Jill so much that he grants her every desire, every time.  Soon, Mama will walk again, she may have to do it at the retreat so the healing Jill has prayed for can be witnessed.

[ozziemom]

48 minutes ago, realityfan26 said:

I'm shocked there are so many ladies there! I would've thought that everyone was on to her long ago.

I think this event existed before Jill took over. So maybe this is the only time some of these godly women are allowed away from their manly men.

[oliviabenson]

I lost it at manly man lol.

I saw enough food hopefully her kids were allowed a plate each. 

[PradaKitty]

That is a LOT of frumpy fashion. 

[libgirl2]

2 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

I saw a lady with a leg tattoo. I’m sure Jill fainted followed by banning the tattoo lady from further invites lol.

Where? 

[Salacious Kitty]

18 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

Where? 

There were pics on Reddit. 

[libgirl2]

5 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

There were pics on Reddit. 

Found them. I do like how Renee is wearing her hair. 

[oliviabenson]

3 hours ago, ozziemom said:

I think this event existed before Jill took over. So maybe this is the only time some of these godly women are allowed away from their manly men.

It did exist before Jill! Repeat customers galore.

[oliviabenson]

3 hours ago, PradaKitty said:

That is a LOT of frumpy fashion. 

SEVERELY. But I noticed that no one besides Jill looks like a clown with that much makeup on.

Edited March 23 by oliviabenson

[AstridM]

Just now, oliviabenson said:

SEVERELY. But I noticed that no one besides Jill looks like a clown with that much makeup on.

Except Kaylee!

[oliviabenson]

Nice to see ma turtleneck out of the house.

[Salacious Kitty]

2 minutes ago, oliviabenson said:

Nice to see ma turtleneck out of the house.

Wearing her trademark turtleneck! 

[oliviabenson]

21 minutes ago, AstridM said:

Except Kaylee!

She really copies Jill down to weird filters.

[Albanyguy]

5 hours ago, ozziemom said:

So maybe this is the only time some of these godly women are allowed away from their manly men.

Fundie women are only allowed to get away from their husbands and kids and hang out with other women if it's an event that centers around domesticity (a bridal or baby shower) or Jesus (a religious retreat like this one). But going out with the girls to play golf or tennis? A book club where you have a glass of wine and talk about books other then the Bible? Just hanging out in a coffee shop? That's the wiork of the Devil!

[ginger90]

And she’s home. She’s claiming one soul was saved.

 

screenshot from a video: