Jessa, Ben and Their Brood: Making a (Diaper) Mountain out of a Mold House

[Tuxcat]

3 hours ago, CalicoKitty said:

But remember, Jessa doesn't like cake, so no one gets cake.  Ivy's "cake" looks like a donut.

Hmmm. After seeing this store bought donut in a paper bowl with a  reused THREE candle... I think I am starting to appreciate the Chocolate Mess tradition.

[emmawoodhouse]

1 minute ago, Tuxcat said:

Hmmm. After seeing this store bought donut in a paper bowl with a  reused THREE candle... I think I am starting to appreciate the Chocolate Mess tradition.

Jessa's too cheap for even a free dessert. 🙄

[ozziemom]

39 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Jessa's too cheap for even a free dessert. 🙄

Spurge got steak for his birthday, lol.

[emmawoodhouse]

7 minutes ago, ozziemom said:

Spurge got steak for his birthday, lol.

If Jessa cooked it, it was probably like shoe leather. 

[SMama]

14 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

If Jessa cooked it, it was probably like shoe leather. 

They actually sprung for a restaurant, first born penis and all. It looked like Ben really wanted a steak, so there’s that. 

[GeeGolly]

Didn't Henry get hibachi for his birthday? Or was that just an outing?

[Jeanne222]

Still thinking about that house. Maybe they made a deal to fix the house up In exchange for free rent for 1,2,3,forever years?

[emmawoodhouse]

Just now, GeeGolly said:

Didn't Henry get hibachi for his birthday? Or was that just an outing?

I do remember them at a Benihana kind of place. At least I think it was the Seewalds. 

[ginger90]

54 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

Didn't Henry get hibachi for his birthday? Or was that just an outing?

It was part of his birthday week video.

[ozziemom]

1 hour ago, GeeGolly said:

Didn't Henry get hibachi for his birthday? Or was that just an outing?

Maybe Ivy will get to pick a restaurant when she’s 5. Or Jessa will think of an outing like getting coffee…

[Tigregirl]

8 hours ago, iwantcookies said:

Modesty shirt under the dress too. Yep that’s a donut.

Happy birthday Ivy !

It’s actually part of the dress if you look closely.  Holds it up on the shoulders.

[Snow Fairy]

Ivy is cute.

Her birthday celebration is not.

[Madtown]

Update on the house. I was able to listen to it at this time. She was picking out stain. Kids were roller skating on the floors. The siding was going up. Since I couldn't listen, I don't know what else they are doing or waiting on. Someone else will have to let us know.

[Ljohnson1987]

Jessa can't cook. She couldn't even remember to take the owner's manual out of her oven before using it. 

[Tuxcat]

16 minutes ago, Madtown said:

Update on the house. I was able to listen to it at this time. She was picking out stain. Kids were roller skating on the floors. The siding was going up. Since I couldn't listen, I don't know what else they are doing or waiting on. Someone else will have to let us know.

She is doing all the staining herself. Jana (in the video) helped put down the samples.

She said her mom helped do the vanities (and is watching the kids a lot). The painters are coming after all the staining is done. Alabaster white inside and out. Maybe a black front door.

(she addressed the issue of the fireplace being behind the front door. said they couldn't move it because it would require so much work to re-do. I kept thinking they should have just moved the front door)

One of kids took a sharpie to a kitchen cabinet and drew all over it. She talked alot about how to not blow up over things. She might keep it as a "keepsake."

The kids have been out a lot to the house as she works. At some point she had them in their rooms. Ivy and Fern in a pack and play. Henry and Spurgeon on a blanket with blocks.

Other times the were roller skating and running around.

She expects to be done in June- about a year after they started.

[Madtown]

9 minutes ago, Tuxcat said:

She is doing all the staining herself. Jana (in the video) helped put down the samples.

She said her mom helped do the vanities (and is watching the kids a lot). The painters are coming after all the staining is done. Alabaster white inside and out. Maybe a black front door.

(she addressed the issue of the fireplace being behind the front door. said they couldn't move it because it would require so much work to re-do. I kept thinking they should have just moved the front door)

One of kids took a sharpie to a kitchen cabinet and drew all over it. She talked alot about how to not blow up over things. She might keep it as a "keepsake."

The kids have been out a lot to the house as she works. At some point she had them in their rooms. Ivy and Fern in a pack and play. Henry and Spurgeon on a blanket with blocks.

Other times the were roller skating and running around.

She expects to be done in June- about a year after they started.

Thank you for the recap. Who let's their kid around a brand new cabinet with a Sharpie????  Oh, Jessa who never watches her kids. That house will be trashed within the first month of living there.

[emmawoodhouse]

Jessa did blame herself for leaving the Sharpie laying around. 

The place isn't to my taste, but I get she's going for mid-century modern. I may warm to it more when it's furnished.

[Dehumidifier]

38 minutes ago, Tuxcat said:

(she addressed the issue of the fireplace being behind the front door. said they couldn't move it because it would require so much work to re-do. I kept thinking they should have just moved the front door)

There are three windows to the right of the door, then a post that sticks out, then more windows. If they moved the door they would have had to put it where the three windows are, thereby losing a spot to place a decent sized sofa. 

[Dehumidifier]

15 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Jessa did blame herself for leaving the Sharpie laying around. 

The place isn't to my taste, but I get she's going for mid-century modern. I may warm to it more when it's furnished.

I have doubts as to whether they will be able to sand that out completely. Maybe they can get it light enough that it will look like it's woodgrain. I would order another door.

[Tuxcat]

5 minutes ago, Dehumidifier said:

There are three windows to the right of the door, then a post that sticks out, then more windows. If they moved the door they would have had to put it where the three windows are, thereby losing a spot to place a decent sized sofa. 

I get that but I still think they could have moved the door at least one spot over. As it stands now the door opens up into the fireplace space. They are going to have to float furniture anyway. Or put a loveseat there instead of a sofa- and there is still plenty of wall beyond the post.

[Dehumidifier]

7 minutes ago, Tuxcat said:

I get that but I still think they could have moved the door at least one spot over. As it stands now the door opens up into the fireplace space. They are going to have to float furniture anyway. Or put a loveseat there instead of a sofa- and there is still plenty of wall beyond the post.

The fireplace is in such an odd spot I don't think anything beyond moving it or closing it off would help really. I think I would have closed it off.

[madpsych78]

I actually like the idea of a black front door. It would break up the white and beige. 

Jessa was actually a little more animated compared to her other videos that centered around the kids and the family. I guess she does like doing house projects and may have more skill there compared to cooking or cleaning.

[emmawoodhouse]

35 minutes ago, Dehumidifier said:

I have doubts as to whether they will be able to sand that out completely. Maybe they can get it light enough that it will look like it's woodgrain. I would order another door.

Given how long it took for the cabinetry to come in, I don't think ordering a new door is an option. And as you note, sanding can only do so much when talking about a black sharpie on light wood. It sounded like she was resigned on keeping it as is. 

Edited May 30, 2022 by emmawoodhouse

[BetyBee]

I didn't care for the way the kitchen cabinets were stained even before SharpieGate. As for the fireplace, it is oddly placed, but if they don't use the front door much, it's really not going to be much of an issue. I do think that they are probably chomping at the bit to be in this freshened, larger space!

[Dehumidifier]

16 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Given how long it took for the cabinetry to come in, I don't think ordering a new door is an option. And as you note, sanding can only do so much when talking about a black sharpie on light wood. It sounded like she was resigned on keeping it as is. 

It might take a long time but the new door would come eventually. Time to order before they stop making it.

35 minutes ago, Dehumidifier said:

The fireplace is in such an odd spot I don't think anything beyond moving it or closing it off would help really. I think I would have closed it off.

I had a new idea. Close off the fireplace space and turn it into a coat closet.

[emmawoodhouse]

15 minutes ago, Dehumidifier said:

I had a new idea. Close off the fireplace space and turn it into a coat closet.

Depends on how deep the space is. It might not be deep enough, looking at the fireplace they are installing.

[Dehumidifier]

1 minute ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Depends on how deep the space is. It might not be deep enough, looking at the fireplace they are installing.

You could do it the old fashioned way they used to do closets, with rods sticking out from the back of the closet instead of a side to side rod. 

[floridamom]

From the looks of it on the video, it looked to me like the front door will hit the fireplace mantle when it's opened. This front door can't be opened all the way.  A coat closet would have been a better choice and more functional.

[lascuba]

Granted, I've never had a fireplace, but aren't they supposed to a focal point? Something that you arrange your furniture around? It's such a weird spot for it even without the front door being right there. I think I'd rather just not have a fireplace if I didn't want to move gas lines, but if they really want to keep it, I guess they were out of affordable options. 

I don't think I've seen Jessa so relaxed in years, if ever. She seems genuinely excited for her new home, without doing the fake perky thing so many feel the need to do on camera and that she's always been particularly bad at. 

[emmawoodhouse]

I just want to know where the money for this is coming from. Did Jessa get a lump sum payout like Jill did? Because there's no way they saved enough money for a total gut job. 

[GeeGolly]

If Jessa adds some color with furniture, pillows and art, it might be a nice place.

I hope Fern is the guilty party in Sharpiegate, because the other kids are old enough to know better. Even more so after watching Jessa and Jana working hard on everything.

[emmawoodhouse]

I have a feeling Ivy was the guilty party. She could reach onto the counter where Jessa indicated the pen was, and the graffiti was just squiggles, no name writing or letters of any kind. 

[YupItsMe]

3 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

I have a feeling Ivy was the guilty party. She could reach onto the counter where Jessa indicated the pen was, and the graffiti was just squiggles, no name writing or letters of any kind. 

I thought so too. I also thought it looked like the inside of the cabinet door but was only half paying attention at that point and just caught a glimpse of it.

Regarding the fireplace: they didn’t install it there,so I guess they’re just trying to  deal with it. I did hear her say it won’t be wood-burning, they plan to put in a gas insert so they didn’t need to put tiles on the floor. I probably would’ve just blocked it off and dry-walled over the opening but she didn’t ask me. 😁

[jacourt]

Silly question…..

where is Ben during all this work?  

[lascuba]

31 minutes ago, jacourt said:

Silly question…..

where is Ben during all this work?  

Doing the grueling work of sermon-writing for his congregation of ni more than 25 people.

[emmawoodhouse]

What's the name of his church? I'd like to sample a sermon to see if he's any good. I know he's better than Jeremy, but that's a very low bar 

[Tuxcat]

18 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

What's the name of his church? I'd like to sample a sermon to see if he's any good. I know he's better than Jeremy, but that's a very low bar 

https://anchor.fm/ibcspringdale/episodes/Ben-Seewald---Matthew-181-5---On-Greatness-Be-Like-a-Child-e1j873i

[farmgal4]

1 hour ago, Tuxcat said:

https://anchor.fm/ibcspringdale/episodes/Ben-Seewald---Matthew-181-5---On-Greatness-Be-Like-a-Child-e1j873i

You can also find it on Apple podcast.  Type Ben Seewald in the search bar.

[YupItsMe]

2 hours ago, YupItsMe said:

I thought so too. I also thought it looked like the inside of the cabinet door but was only half paying attention at that point and just caught a glimpse of it.

Regarding the fireplace: they didn’t install it there,so I guess they’re just trying to  deal with it. I did hear her say it won’t be wood-burning, they plan to put in a gas insert so they didn’t need to put tiles on the floor. I probably would’ve just blocked it off and dry-walled over the opening but she didn’t ask me. 😁

Quoting myself to say, I just saw a screenshot on Reddit and it is the front, not inside of the cabinet door, so very obvious.

[CalicoKitty]

To show how much I don't believe much of what they post:  are we sure this wasn't a Jessa stunt for clicks?  She can always say it was one of the kids, and who would know.  It's pretty sad that their prior postings would even bring such thoughts to mind.

[lascuba]

3 minutes ago, CalicoKitty said:

To show how much I don't believe much of what they post:  are we sure this wasn't a Jessa stunt for clicks?  She can always say it was one of the kids, and who would know.  It's pretty sad that their prior postings would even bring such thoughts to mind.

If she had posted a picture of the cabinet with some long, treacly caption about patience and enjoying these moments because they grow up so fast, etc., maybe, but she was pretty casual about it in the video and she's never been a good actress.

[CalicoKitty]

1 minute ago, lascuba said:

If she had posted a picture of the cabinet with some long, treacly caption about patience and enjoying these moments because they grow up so fast, etc., maybe, but she was pretty casual about it in the video and she's never been a good actress.

You may be right--but I would not put it past her to contrive this kind of stunt.  She still made a post about it instead of letting it go.  I guess I just don't trust anything she posts anymore.

[Kbo]

Not a fan of those cabinets.  The floors are beautiful, but the cabinets look like subpar wood next to them. I think they’d look better painted. Of course if she did paint them they’d probably be white like everything else. Hope she does paint the door black, there needs to be some contrast. 

[YupItsMe]

She does plan to paint the top cabinets and hood white, so you are correct in that assumption. 🙂

[lascuba]

40 minutes ago, Kbo said:

Not a fan of those cabinets.  The floors are beautiful, but the cabinets look like subpar wood next to them. I think they’d look better painted. Of course if she did paint them they’d probably be white like everything else. Hope she does paint the door black, there needs to be some contrast. 

Considering her track record with cleanliness, she better not paint those kitchen cabinets white. I have almond colored cabinets and you can spot a speck of grease on them from a mile away. Bane of my existence. 

[GeeGolly]

Is Jessa planning on painting the inside of her front door black, or just the outside?

I don't think the Sharpied cabinet was a stunt, I predicted Ivy would trash their new place when Jessa posted a white chair they bought for the home. I think she included the cabinet in the post because we're all going to she it when the kitchen is finished. IMO, Jessa is crazy not to redo the cabinet door, or at least try. The door is off and she has the stain right there. Who but a lazy Duggar would hang a marked up cabinet in their brand new kitchen?

I like the floors and cabinets if for no other reason than Jessa's new decorating style matches her personality - cold. The floors and cabinets will at least warm the place up and make it less stark.

[Tikichick]

19 hours ago, madpsych78 said:

I actually like the idea of a black front door. It would break up the white and beige. 

Jessa was actually a little more animated compared to her other videos that centered around the kids and the family. I guess she does like doing house projects and may have more skill there compared to cooking or cleaning.

If that's the case it points what a shame it is she was left with only the path of pursuing young marriage and popping out a line of children instead of being able to explore what interested her and where her passions might have taken her.  Maybe she could have pursued a career that allowed her to get paid for doing house projects.

Then again, Jana seems to enjoy house projects as well and hasn't stepped toe towards a career either.   

[SnapHappy]

14 hours ago, CalicoKitty said:

To show how much I don't believe much of what they post:  are we sure this wasn't a Jessa stunt for clicks?  She can always say it was one of the kids, and who would know.  It's pretty sad that their prior postings would even bring such thoughts to mind.

I'd say about 95% of the Jessa we now see is for clicks and attention.  I imagine she hates how much Jinger is reported to make on social media.  

She won't "decorate" in any recognizable style like Mid-Century Modern.  She'll cram in the same shabby, grungy furniture & add dead plants, gigantic family photos and as much random plastic crap as she can find. 

None of them have homes with any logical floor plans.  They all have mutant homes with incomprehensible space utilization.  Or trailers.  Or RV's. 

[Albanyguy]

2 hours ago, SnapHappy said:

None of them have homes with any logical floor plans.  They all have mutant homes with incomprehensible space utilization.  Or trailers.  Or RV's. 

And all their houses are either so full of junk that they look like the inside of a dollar store or so empty and sterile that they look like the lobby of an Econo Lodge.

[Tikichick]

Don't forget their treasured family heirloom -- the sofa!