Recap: Michelle's Birthday Makeover

On tonight's season finale of 19 Kids and Counting, "Michelle's Birthday Makeover"...

• While Michelle spends the day with John-David, Jim Bob calls a family meeting to plan 24 hours of surprises for his wife's 46th birthday. The kids spend the remainder of the day making cards and writing clues. 
• When Michelle returns home, the birthday supplies have been hidden. the family is gathered in the living room, pretending to be immersed in Bible time. 
• The day before Michelle's birthday, the kids prepare activity number one. While she is telling the cameramen that "True character is revealed by what you do in secret," Anna and the older girls are smuggling a balloon target behind Michelle's back.
• Birthday kickoff: While the family looks on, Michelle shoots at the target until she pops the balloon containing a clue.
• Surprise #1: Dinner with the man with whom she is smitten. Before dinner, the girls give Jim Bob a new hairstyle. (Friends have compared the back of Jim Bob's head to the back end of a duck.)
• While Jim Bob and Michelle are enjoying fried chicken at a local restaurant, the boys deliver flowers and Michelle's next clue.
• Surprise #2 : The happy couple spends a quiet night in a hotel room decorated by the girls.
• Surprise #3: Room service times nineteen! For breakfast, Jim Bob calls "room service," and the kids show up with Michelle's favorites...and her next clue.
• Surprise #4: While Michelle enjoys ice cream with Grandma and Amy, Jim Bob accompanies the five youngest (Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn, and Josie) to the dentist. Jim Bob admits that he is nervous--taking the kids to the dentist is usually Michelle's job.
• Michelle is also a little unsure. "Ah, this is going to be quite a sight!" remarks the mother of nineteen. 
• Surprise #5: Michelle meets Anna, Jessa, and Joy at a boutique to shop for new clothes. The cashier hands Michelle her next clue.
• Surprise #6: Coffee with Jinger, Jill, and Jana. The next clue is hidden in a picture frame on the shelves of the coffee shop's gift corner.
• Surprise #7: Birthday makeover! Cindy, Michelle's best friend since grade school, is waiting at the salon. Under Cindy's watchful eye, the stylist gives the Duggar matriarch a new look. Does Michelle like it? She prefers curls but says that she will learn to love her new do. "This is what I look like when I get out of the shower," she jokes.
• What is Michelle's surprise for the family? Her hair! The family is stunned, but they approve. 
• The kids line up oldest to youngest, each holding a letter and facing towards the wall. As Michelle correctly answers questions about her family, the children turn around and reveal a message: TRIP TO JAPAN AND CHINA.
• Michelle hugs and kisses all of her babies, big and small, to thank them for a lovely day.
• Hours before the big trip, a mild epidemic infects the Duggar clan. Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn, Josie, Mackynzie, and Michael all catch the flu.
• That night, Jim Bob and Michelle give up their bed for Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn, and Josie, but the little girls end up joining Mommy and Daddy on the floor.

Duggar Marathon and Season Finale

Tune in to TLC this afternoon at 2:00 pm EST/1:00 pm CST for a six-hour marathon of 19 Kids and Counting. Take a quick break, pop some popcorn, and settle in for the sixty-minute season finale, "Michelle's Birthday Makeover," at 9:00 pm EST/8:00 pm CST. 

2:00 pm EST/1:00 pm CST:Duggars Down the Aisle

3:00 pm EST/2:00 pm CST:Duggars Dinner Party

3:30 pm EST/2:30 pm CST: Busy Duggars

4:00 pm EST/3:00 pm CST: A Duggar on Her Own

4:30 pm EST/3:30 pm CST: Grand Ole Duggars

5:00 pm EST/4:00 pm CST: Hunting and House Guests

5:30 pm EST/4:30 pm CST: Baby Steps

6:00 pm EST/5:00 pm CST: Kittens & Konstruction

6:30 pm EST/5:30 pm CST: First Grandson Turns 1

7:00 pm EST/6:00 pm CST: Thrill Seeking Duggars

7:30 pm EST/6:30 pm CST: Fencing & Fireworks

9:00 pm-10:00 pm 

SEASON FINALE

19 Kids and Counting (Season 6): Michelle's Birthday Makeover

Michelle Duggar is getting the birthday of a lifetime as the older Duggar girls and Anna prepare a day of surprises for the Duggar matriarch. But perhaps the biggest surprise may be from Jim Bob himself. And Michelle has a little surprise of her own for the family.

11:00 pm-12:00 am

19 Kids and Counting (Season 6): Michelle's Birthday Makeover

Discussion: 19 "J" Names and Counting

Even with nineteen kids, there are plenty of "J" names that the Duggars have not used. How many can you come up with? 

Thanks to a loyal reader for giving us the idea for this discussion question! 

Joyful Joy Turns 15

Happy 15th Birthday, Joy-Anna Duggar!

Like Our New Header?

We decided that the header needed some sprucing up. 

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Recap: "Fencing Fireworks"

Tonight on 19 Kids and Counting, "Fencing and Fireworks"...

• While playing a game with animal cards, the little girls ask the cameraman to tell them the name of one of the animals (a meerkat). Josie's response? "It's a mirror cat...with a mirror."
• Jim Bob takes the kids shopping for 4th of July fireworks. Each Duggar child is given $7 to spend, and everyone but Josiah, Justin, and Jordyn stay within their budget.
• At their Independence Day celebration, the Duggars set off over 200 fireworks. According to Jim Bob, 4th of July is the one day of the year that his children are allowed to play with fire, and they love it.
• A friend of the Duggars' invites them to his fencing club to learn the basics of sword fighting.
• "In our family, fencing usually means building a fence," says Michelle. That's what most of the kids thought when they first heard the word, but most were willing to give it a try. "We thought we'd take a jab at it," jokes the mom of nineteen.
• The lessons starts off with running and calisthenics. Jim Bob, Michelle, and Grandma Duggar join in on the fun, but the older girls prefer to watch.  "It would be embarrassing," explains Michelle. "They're at that age; everything is embarrassing."
• "It was just a little too unique for me," says Jinger.
• After warming up, the Duggars are ready to begin. Grandma and Michelle go head-to-head in what Michelle calls her "first fight with [her] mother-in-law." (To this day, Grandma still talks about how much fun she had.)
• On the other side of the gym, Justin beats his dad twice in a row. "It's a great way to settle family arguments," says Jim Bob.
• After the commercial break, Jinger--a talented pianist--successfully plays "Amazing Grace" on two pianos at the same time.
• Jim Bob rounds up the kids to plan Michelle's 46th birthday party. Grandma, Anna, Amy, and the older girls head to a local craft store to stock up on supplies. They set a clock for 30 minutes and make it out of the store on time.

Tune in next week for the season finale!

Tonight on TLC: Fencing & Fireworks

This evening on 19 Kids and Counting, the Duggars are lighting up the sky!

Watch as the family purchases fireworks for 4th of July. Then, Jim Bob takes some of the family to their first fencing lesson. And finally, the older girls start preparing for Michelle's birthday celebration.

Tune in to TLC at 9PM EST/8PM CST for 19 Kids and Counting, "Fencing and Fireworks."

Recap on the blog after the show.

Duggars Party, Party, Party!

In the latest 19 Kids and Counting webisodes, the Duggars throw a super-sized ice cream party and celebrate Bill the Soundman's 50th birthday.

New Photos: Say "Cheese," Duggars!

The following photos were provided by Sheila, a reader who met the Duggars in Farmington, Missouri, on Wednesday. (Thanks, Sheila!)

 Michelle and Josie Duggar

 Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar

 Josh and Anna Duggar

 Josiah and Justin Duggar

 Justin Duggar

 Jinger Duggar, Take One

 Jinger Duggar, Take Two

Jinger Duggar (and friend), Take 3

 Jessa Duggar

 Jeremiah Duggar

 Joseph Duggar

 Jason Duggar

Joy-Anna and Jason Duggar

Giveaway: Canvas Prints from Printcopia

Isn't "free" a beautiful word? We are partnering with Printcopia and their parent company, BuildASign, to bring you yet another Duggar Family Blog giveaway.

Follow the directions on the widget below for your chance to win one of two, 11x14 canvas prints from Printcopia!

Turn your favorite photos into beautiful pieces of art. Printcopia uses only the highest quality material canvases and inks to ensure that your artwork will look great and last a lifetime.

Hang your photos on the wall, or stand them up on a shelf or dresser. Canvas looks great anywhere!

 

Printcopia ships to the continental U.S. and Canada only.

If a winner does not respond to our email within 72 hours, we will choose an alternate.

Singing Duggars

Another YouTube video of the Duggar family singing (filmed yesterday). This one zooms in and gives the viewer a good look at each member of the family.

Official Chicken n a Biscuit Recipe

The moment you have all been waiting for! Ashton, a friend of Jill, typed out the chicken n a biscuit recipe that she prepared for the Duggars and Vanderhoffs on 19 Kids and Counting, "Thrill Seeking Duggars."

Chicken n a Biscuit
2 cups of shredded mild cheddar
2 (8oz) cans of all natural canned chicken
1 (26oz) can of cream of chicken soup
1% milk (about 1-2 cups)
3 cans of crescent rolls

In large mixing bowl combine cream of chicken soup with milk, until it is gravy consistency (set aside)

In a different bowl combine cheese and shredded chicken. (Break up chicken with fork or fingers until finely shredded)

Lightly spray pan with nonstick spray

Pour small amount of gravy in bottom of 9X13 baking dish. (Just enough gravy for biscuits not to stick to bottom)

Spray counter-top with no-stick spray and thoroughly wash hands

Now one by one separate crescent rolls and flatten with fingers until thin but with no holes

Fill crescent with chicken and cheese mixture (palm full of mix) and wrap tightly in crescent roll

Continue until pan is full or you are out of chicken and cheese mixture

Finally pour remained gravy over top and bake for 40-45 mins at 350 degrees

Crescent rolls will bubble and some will brown on top if not thoroughly covered with gravy

Let cool and enjoy!

This recipe yields about 24ish biscuits depending on how big you make them, but for my family it feeds 8-10 people if served with veggies. Enjoy!

Ashton B.

Recaps: "First Grandson Turns One" and "Thrill Seeking Duggars"

On tonight's new episodes of 19 Kids and Counting:

"First Grandson Turns One"

• Josh and Anna take their kids shopping to buy decorations and food for Michael's 1st birthday. Josh, Mr. Meat Connoisseur, enjoys selecting high-quality barbecue fixings.
• While in the grocery store, Michael--the sneakiest one-year-old on the block--grabs an egg from the cart and chucks it on the floor.
• Anna shows the drawing of her intricate, three-tiered cake to Amy and Joy, and they set to work. The kids decorate the Rice Krispie blocks that will spell out Michael's name.
• On the day of the party, Josh uses his parents' Duggar-sized grill, installed when they completed the house, for the first time. The kids have a blast trying out the inflatables.
• Meanwhile, the master bakers call in backup to finish assembling the cake. Sierra, a friend of Anna's and known as the Cake Doctor, arrives to lend a hand.
• The ladies kick the camera crew out of the kitchen, and the finished product is soon revealed. Sierra is able to revamp the cake and turn it into a beautiful creation that everybody loves. Everybody but the birthday boy. "The person that seemed to dislike the cake the most was Michael," says Anna.

 "Thrill Seeking Duggars"

• The Duggars prepare for another party, this time for Makeda Vanderhoff's 13th birthday. (The Vanderhoffs recently moved to Arkansas and have 21 children, twelve of whom are adopted.) With the help of a few friends, the Duggars prepare dinner for 47.
• It's another big day when Grandma Duggar, Jim Bob, Cousin Amy, and the kids head to Silver Dollar City with a "small" crowd of 50. They are joined by three single moms (one is Debbie Query, the Duggars' music teacher) and their children.
• Michelle and Josie, who is under the weather, spend the morning at home but join the family in the afternoon.
• The group spends the day riding roller coasters. Even Grandma and Jim the Soundman join in on the fun.
• Another birthday? This one is a more intimate affair. Jim Bob and Michelle take Jill to lunch at Green Bean, a restaurant where all ingredients are organic and locally grown, for her 21st birthday.
• A day that many young people use as an excuse to party, Jill prefers to spend with her family. "I really wanted to have a good time with my parents," says the birthday girl.
• Michelle gives Jill a bag of her favorite candies and perfumes, and Jim Bob presents his daughter with a beautiful cross necklace. 
• "She is such a loving person, and that is her, that's who she is," says Michelle.
• While at the restaurant, Jill tells her parents about another birthday surprise that she received ... her first speeding ticket. "I got a nice little birthday card last night." Jill, who is taking midwifery classes, was on her way to a birth.
• At age 21, what are Jill's thoughts on the future? "I'm content being single right now, but hopefully in the Lord's time I will be married." 

Fun facts

-The Duggars use their home intercom system an average of 15 times a day 

-Anna purchased 20 boxes of cake mix for Michael's birthday